Our Little Princess

Drawn Curtains

     Once upon a time, there lived a princess more beautiful than any flower in the kingdom. She was told to be of the fairest skin in the land, not a single blemish. With the blaze of ginger hair, beautiful like the setting sun. She looked upon her kingdom with a smile beloved by every one of her subjects. She had never left her castle before let alone the kingdom, but that was all fated to change.

     "Princess! Princess Nicolette, wake up dear! You're going to be late yet again. A princess should never be late for anything; it's quite unladylike if you ask me . . . especially for a princess like yourself."

     "Oh hush Julianna, you're such a nanny. I'm very much awake; I'm just resting my head."

     Julianna was a short woman, with white hair like the snow in winter. She wore a simple blue dress with a white apron tied around her waist. Her eyes were a brilliant green, with little golden flecks.  

     "Well, I would hope that I'm a nanny. I am your caretaker, that's for sure." She went over to the princess's closet and began pulling different pieces of clothing out, "What would you like to wear today dearie?"

     The princess lazily looked up from her pillows and smiled, "I don't particularly care, and I shall leave that up to you. You know me better than anyone else, don't you?"

     "I would hope that you know yourself better than I do dear, otherwise we might be in a spot of trouble." Julianna giggled to herself and continued digging through the bottom of the closet. She looked up and continued to talk to the princess, "You'd better at least get up and wash your face, maybe even brush your lovely hair."

     "I don't much feel like it. . ." said the Princess. She twirled a strand of her soft hair in her fingers and Julianna stared her down, "but I suppose I'd better anyways."

     Her caretaker smiled, "That's what I like to hear."

     The princess walked over to the little vanity by her closet and sat on the stool. The bottom of her nightgown gently swished in air as she walked. She filled the bowl with the water from the vase and began to wash her face slowly. As she washed her face, Julianna had closed the princess's closet. She laid all of the items on the plush bed, and sorted the items before her out. The princess quickly dried her face on the towel left out for her and stood up. She walked over to Julianna and stood behind her for a moment.

     "I don't see the point in all of this," the princess gestured at all of the clothes, "it's quite wasteful and a bit of a bother, don't you think?"

     "It doesn't matter what I think my dear, whatever I say is contradicted by tradition. One alone cannot fight years and years of tradition, even if those traditions don't make much sense."

     "But don't you think . . . ?" The princess started.

     "It really does not matter what I think, because I can easily be replaced. If I were to upset you or the king, I would simply be replaced. Please don't fight it dear, I've watching over you for these 20 years. I want to see you married and happy before I lose this." She looked sadly at the princess, which made her deathly silent.

     Julianna removed the princess's nightgown and began dressing the princess for the day. She slipped the corset over the princess's head and lined it to her torso.

     "Will you hold it up for me while I tighten it for you dearie?"

     "I suppose so. . ." The princess held her corset up as Julianna began to lace the back. Once the laces were all in their proper place, the princess knew what was coming next. She started gently tugging at the laces, guiding them tighter and tighter. As the laces tightened, the pressure on the princess's chest and rib cage began to build. Julianna was tugging tighter at the laces, and the princess gasped.

     "Almost there, I'm going to pull harder now." The corset got tighter and the princess's back began to stiffen straighter. "You know when I was little, I was taught that a corset is not tight enough if you can't hear gasping when the lady wearing it talks. I would never put it that tightly on you though dear." It was hugging the princess's hips tightly, and the princess looked exhausted. Julianna looked at her princess, "I'm sorry, but it's tradition."

     The princess looked up at her beloved nanny, "You tell me that it's tradition to get crushed to death every day by these things?" She gestured at her now tight corset and her voice slightly raised, "I can't believe that these things are even important."

     Julianna pulled the underskirts off the bed and brought them to the princess, "Please raise your hands above your head." She layered one after another onto the princess until she had a nice poof of skirt starting from her now extremely slender hips and continuing down to just above her feet. Julianna turned away from the princess and walked to the closet yet again.

     "Why do we have to go through this every day?" The princess looked at her nanny with pleading eyes, which merited no response.

     Julianna grabbed the top layer of the princess's dress out of the closet and set them on her bed. She picked up the red skirt and held it up towards the princess, "How about this one today?"

     "Its fine," said the princess with dismay.

     She held her hands up again and watched as the skirt came down above her. She laid her arms down by her sides and rubbed the fabric with her fingers. Julianna held the white top in her hands, and the princess held up her arms again. Once the white top was on the princess walked towards the bed and picked up the little burgundy vest, she slid her arms through the shoulder openings and began lacing up the front. Julianna walked to the cabinet underneath the princess's vanity, grabbed a pair of red heels and walked back to the princess. The princess sat down on her bed as she slid her feet into the shoes, and stood up once they were on. She headed towards her vanity and sat down on the stool. Julianna followed her over and began brushing her hair.

     The princess looked up through her hair at Julianna and smiled, "Thank you so much."

     "You're very much welcome, I think that for today I'm just going to braid two strands on each side and tie them all together in back. Fairly simple, right?"

     "You always pick the best hairstyles, so simple yet so beautiful."

     "They're only as beautiful as the one who wears them. You are the prettiest lady in this kingdom, and your wear them so perfectly." Julianna smiled back at the princess as she tied the four braids behind the princess's head with a red ribbon. The princess's hair bounced softly under the braids, and lay resting on her shoulders. "We really must be leaving now, you've got to eat breakfast, you've got lessons to attend, oh the King has a surprise for you today too!"

     "Alright, let's be off then." She sighed, the princess had never really liked any of the presents the King had bought for her.