Discovery of Old

Chapter 1

As the huge oak doors swung open, the sound of polite chatter met Roses ears. She clutched her sisters hand as they swept into the palace. A man to their right called out their names and everyone turned to look. The sisters curstied. Slowly, everyone in the room started to clap. Margaret and Rose stood frozen in shock for a few seconds. Glancing at each other, they curtsied again and started down the stairs.

"Lovely to see you girls here."

"I never thought I'd see the day."

"Do you know proper etiquette?"

"I know that you aren't royal, but you certainly act like it."

"The princes seem awfully interested in you."

Rose tried to have a short conversation with everyone that she met, but had a hard time concentrating on one subject for long. Margaret, on the other hand, would go on and on about fabrics and fashion with a princess, or talk about politics and hunting with a prince. Margaret was the more proper of the sisters. Rose knew perfectly well how to converse, but she would rather be doing something more interesting, like horse riding or painting.

After a while of chatting, Roses' head started swimming. She felt overwhelmed. She tried to blend in to the crowd, but it was practically impossible. She was one of the two commoners and everyone wanted to talk to her. Just as she was starting to glance around for Margaret, she felt a cool hand on her arm. When she turned, she found the two princes standing next to her. She flushed and quickly curtsied.
"It's lovely to see you here," the eldest prince said.
"It is an honor I couldn't have dreamt of," she replied.
The younger prince smiled. "What do you think of the ball so far?" He asked.
"It's wonderful," she said with a polite smile.
"Is that so?" He replied, raising his eyebrows.
Rose let out a small, relieved sigh. "Honestly," she admitted, "Its a bit overwhelming."
The prince smiled at her almost teasingly. Before he could say anything else, his older brother stepped in.
"And of your sister, Margaret?" he asked.
"I was just looking for her myself," Rose replied, "Ah, there she is."
The eldest prince beckoned to his brother. "Let us go welcome her," he said. They both smiled at Rose and went away. Rose let out a small sigh of relief. 

A few minutes later, a trumpet sounded, and the king stood up at the top of the main flight of stairs.
"It is time for the feast!" He called out grandly, his voice resonating in the sudden silence of the hall.
"We shall start with appetizers, and the selected will come to the balcony until dinner is served."

It was custom at any type of ball for the royals to make an appearance to the public. On days like these, the whole town would be celebrating just outside the palace walls, waiting to catch a glimpse of their leaders. Stands of glazed nuts, fresh fruit, and warm bread filled the large square. It seemed that the whole town was celebrating alongside the royal families.

Inside the palace, everyone except for a few selected persons were being sent to dinner. Three representatives from each country were escorted up to the main balcony. Rose and Margaret were slowly making their way to the dining hall when a servant rushed up and invited them to join the royals at the balcony. The sisters glanced at each other and smiled. They followed the servant up a set of stairs and outside.

Representatives and royals from each country present were already helping themselves to appetizers, mingling, and waving to the crowd in the square below. Rose and Margaret made their way to the edge of the balcony. A cheer went up from the crowd and everyone began waving. The sisters smiled and waved back. Rose saw someone step up next to her. Her heart sped up when she realized that it was the king. She elbowed Margaret and they both turned and curtsied. The king smiled and bowed back.

"Enjoying the ball?" He asked.

"Oh yes, it's wonderful!" Margaret gushed.

The king nodded approvingly and turned to Rose. "And you, miss?"

"It's amazing. Thank you so much for the invitation." she replied with a small smile.

"It's my pleasure. I think it is good for the princes to have a different kind of crowd here tonight. And you girls are representing all of these people," he gestured towards the crowd, "Of course I am as well, but to have commoners here is very exciting." the king said.

The girls curstied again. 

"It is an honor, sire." Margaret said.

The king smiled and began to walk away, but turned back.

"And don't forget girls, the palace is yours." He smiled with a pointed look at Rose.

Margaret smiled and swept off to find appetizers. Rose leaned against the balcony railing, staring at the crowd and wondering what the king meant. His comment seemed very straightforward, but she couldn't help but think that there was some underlying meaning to what he said. She decided to shake it off and find Margaret. She took an appetizer from a waiter and wandered over to a group of people that Margaret was talking to. 

"Oh, hello Rose! Everyone, this is my sister, Rosanna. Rose, this is Prince Philip the third." Margaret said, beaming at the prince. Rose curtsied, which was returned by a bow from the prince. 

"If you don't mind, I'll be off to find some more appetizers, they're absolutely delicious." Rose said, smiling.

The prince smiled and went back to gazing at Margaret. Rose turned away and began walking along  the corridor that ran along the back of the balcony. There was a movement in her peripheral vision and she looked left. Large, oak double doors had just appeared at one of the corners of the palace wall. She stepped towards them, but was stopped by a maid. 

"You can't go in there." she said brusquely.

Rose stopped, the kings words echoing in her head.

"The palace is yours."

"I can go where I like." Rose heard herself saying.

The maid, a pale, thin wisp of a girl, pressed her lips together. "You are not allowed in there."

 Rose was getting frustrated. "I have the permission of the king to go where I like."

Rose was surprised when the girl turned away without another word. She had expected to be rejected again. Looking at the doors, she found that there were no handles. She pushed on the doors and - to Rose's surprise - opened outwards. She stepped back and peered into the darkness. A musty smell wafted towards her.

Why would there be a hidden staircase hidden in the palace? Rose wondered.

Sensing that someone had been looking at her, Rose stepped inside. She found herself at the top of a marble stairway. There was an iron hand rail in the middle, and she could just make out a large form on the right side of the stairs. 

 Heading down to the end of the stairs, she could see that the form was some sort of statue. It was coppery in color, and looked like a huge version of a man. Her heart racing, Rose looked closer. The form had too much detail to be a statue. It was a coppery giant.