The Jewel of the Five Kingdoms

Anastasia Lucendent Adela

"Rise and shine Ana!"

I groan, pulling my pillow over my head to hide my face. My hair was plastered to my cheek and partly in my mouth in a very unattractive manner.

I feel the delicate fingers of my mother slowly pry back to pillow, and I peak up at her with a sleepy yawn. "Today it the big day!" She reminds me as my maids pull open the curtains to let in the early morning sunshine.

  I sit up, rubbing my finger through my very curly, very tangled, mane of hair. As I yawn a second time, I raise my eyebrows towards my mother in annoyance. Did she have to wake me up so early?

Not to my surprise, Mother was already dress and ready for today. Her beautiful blue ball gown fit the curve of her body in all the right places. Its strapless top snug and secure lead to a slim silky fabric that had a golden trim along the heart shaped neckline. Slowly, the deep aqua lead to soft shades of pastel blues by the trail of the dress.

  Her long red hair were already tamed, (I get my unruly curls from her) and pulled back into a braid that was laid flat against her head in a beautiful swirl. Curly pieces hung down in elegant ringlets around her shoulders and her golden crown gleamed on her head.

I rub at my eyes, blinking to look up at the maids around my mother whispering fashion ideas for my look of the day. "How are you already dressed?" I ask groggily. "The sun hasn't even fully made its way over the mountains." It's true, looking out the window only half of the sun is visible over the peak of the mountains in the far distance.

My mother and my three maids chuckle kindly at my sleepy statement. "Because..." My mother begins, gingerly taking my hand and leading me off the bed.

  She and the maids glance from my uncontrollable curls to my un-manicured toes. "This will take a long time," she finishes with a smirk.

***

  I am fully awake after a large bucket of chilling water is pored over my head.  "I-it's s-so cold!" I say through chattering teeth.

  "It's better for your hair and skin," responds my head ladies maid, Paisley. She brushes a strand of dark hair away from her face and pours another bucket of ice water onto my head.

When I step out, freezing and soaking wet, I put my silk robe on and walk back into my bedroom. As I walk, Paisley twists up my damp hair in a clip off my neck.

  Mother, Margaret, and another maid named Sarah, were standing in a circle admiring the most beautiful dress I have ever seen.

It was made of a beautiful red silk, as dark and mesmerizing as the color of blood. Far past the necessary ankle length the dress would certainly drag behind me in a graceful sweep of silky fabric. The sleeves stopped at my elbows, but hang long on the back side in a tradition style used for occasions such as these. The neckline is modest but fashionable, dipping in a low heart shape.

Like my mother's, it was lined with golden thread. Among the skirts of the dress, layers of dark aqua fabric blended into the red, creating a swirl of colors mended by the gold lining.

The dress was in the colors of the Five Kingdom's flag.

"Mother..." I say in a stunned whisper, putting a hand on the shoulder of the beautiful dress. "It's beautiful..."

Mother smiles. "You like it?" She asks, glancing excitedly at my maids who waited enthusiastically for my approval.

I stare at her with an open mouth. "Like it? I'm speechless!" I hug her and all of my maids, telling each of them a thank you through my excited bounces. Sara begins to tell me of how much work was put into the dress, describing the late nights Paisley spent lining it with golden thread and how long Margaret took finding the perfect shade of red. I thank them continually for their hard work.