Fur

Birthday

Dear Dickon,

Guess what day today is? It's my birthday! It has been officially one year since this craziness began, not to mention the day I received you as a gift! But guess what's even more shocking? It happens to be Ellie's birthday as well! Not that I'm too "thrilled" about this, but this means that the entire castle is decked out in honor of the event!

Does my ink seem thicker than usual? Being my proud self, I just had to tell someone about this coincidence. Who's better to tell than Christopher? When he heard this, he jumped up and gasped, "Gosh!", and shoved me into a carriage and ordered someone to take the two of us to the village. It has been so long since I wandered outside of the palace walls, so I didn't protest.

As the carriage trotted along the road, Christopher opened the door -to my shock- and grabbed a handful of dirt to powder all over his face. Oh, it was very amusing!

"There!" he smiled contentedly. "Now I look just like everyone else!"

I couldn't stop laughing.

In the village, he took me store to store, buying one small thing every time we stopped. Some shopkeepers raised their eyebrows, for he seemed to be able to afford everything.

Here's a list of some of the gifts he bought:

1. A pretty magenta frock with a cream blouse underneath, perfect for this chilly fall weather.

2. A brand new Cinderella script that I've never seen before! Christopher promised that we'd memorize it together. Isn't he a dear?

3. A golden fountain pen (which I am using now) with constellations engraved on it. My favorite is the Ursa Minor. It seems so innocent as it's waiting for its moment to arrive.

4. A sweet juicy apple. Christopher bought it to make up for the apple incident with Ellie that has become ancient history by now.

Speaking of Ellie, you'd think that people try to be more gracious on their birthday, but not Ellie. She saw me with my little trinkets and stuck out a tongue at me. Some people just never grow up.

My mouth watered at the sight of the special feast for Ellie's birthday, which consisted of salmon covered in basil pesto, sauteed green beans and roasted potatoes.

I think Chef Lucille noticed, because when I returned to the kitchen after fetching water from the well, there was a single plate filled with everything that had been served tonight. There was a note next to it in hurried handwriting it read:

Happy birthday, love. -Lucille

See? She has feelings for me!

I've been wondering whether I should return home or no. I'd wait until I'm older, so Father has no chance marrying me off ever again.

Yours who is officially fourteen,
Armelle