The Crown Princess

Chapter Four

It was a cloudy morning early in July.  The sun was just barely beginning to peek over the mountain range in the east, the sky, light with hues of lavender, pink and orange, melted together.  Birds were singing, and a gentle, yet chilly breeze was causing the curtains to sway in the open window.  Both of the girls were in their beds, each unaware that their twin was awake.  Today was the day that they had been waiting for. 

            Without warning, several maids rushed into the bedroom, and the girls got out of their beds.  Nobody really said anything, but was busy helping dress the princesses, undressing the princesses, and dressing them, trying to find the perfect dresses.  Addison picked out a delicate cherry blossom-pink floor-length gown that was trimmed with lace and tiny gems.  She wore pearly white gloves that went up past her elbows, which made her hands look small and petite.  Lilianna chose a dress that was such a shade of light blue that it almost appeared white.  She’d chosen this dress simply because she’d never worn it before, not because of any special meaning.  Her dress was free of any embellishments, yet the sleeves were long and loose, so that she could hide her bruises.  Both of the girls put their hair up in fancy updos, for they didn’t really get a choice.  The maids, especially at this hour, seemed to be running mechanically.

            Upon coming downstairs, the girls realized that the whole castle was bustling about.  Maids and servant men were busy cleaning and organizing, each dressed in their uniforms, which were cleaned.  The main hall was simply filled with people dressed in red, the kingdom’s color.  Lilianna could remember a history lesson, in which their tutor explained that each country had its own color, mainly so that their armies could be distinguished.  Brumont was red, Ivirel was blue, Eldowin was green, Rae was purple, Sira was yellow, and Nasabai was orange.  She only remembered this because all of the countries together made a rainbow, which amused her childlike mind. 

            “Look at these precious angels!” boomed King Adrian as the princesses made their way across the large room towards their father, who was busy talking to several stern advisors.  The whole room froze and turned to look at the girls.  Everyone cheered briefly, and the girls curtsied.  Lilianna’s face felt hot with all of the attention.  She never liked to be the center of everything like Addison did.

“Good morning, Father,” said Addison, still smiling and blushing from the enthusiasm of the servants, “you look simply dashing today.”

Lilianna chuckled in spite of herself.

“What time will Prince Emory arrive?” Addison asked, only barely concealing her excitement.

“I suppose he’ll get here when he gets here,” answered the king, scratching his head, “he never actually gave me a specific time.  Perhaps you two would like to wait with the other palace young people in the room where your manner lessons are held.”

Lilianna and Addison exchanged glances, and decided that it would probably be the best way to make time pass by faster.  The manners room, of course, was probably the dullest room in the entire palace.  The walls were stone, and on the floor was a plain red rug embroidered with a single line of gold around the edges.  There was a large portrait of the royal family on the west wall, and portraits of other important people on the other walls. The table was long and rectangular, made out of a dark oak wood.  The chairs were made with black satin, and sat rather low to the ground, which always made Lilianna feel incredibly short.

Lilianna felt relieved when she entered the room—an emotion she didn’t usually feel when she entered the room in which she believed only torment took place.  All of her friends were sitting at the table, some even sitting on the table.  This was an obvious sign that Lady Ethel was not present.  There was quiet, yet excited chatter filling the room, which only subsided briefly when the princesses entered, before going back to normal.  To the left, sat the boys—Chandler, Gavin, Sterling, Tristen, Finley, and Lyle.  On the right, the girls—Amelia, Ember, Teresa, Daphne, and a few others that Lilianna couldn’t remember the names of.  There were also other boys sitting with the girls, who were older.  One of them was Lyle’s older brother, Ashby—he must have been nearly twenty, with black hair and gray eyes.  Where Lyle was short and husky, Ashby was tall and lanky.  He had been drafted into the royal army about two years ago, and had always been more like a brother to Lilianna, unlike Lyle, who she despised.