Forbidden [1]

Two

Angelica awoke early the next morning to a strong gust of wind blasting in through the open window.

Groggy and half-asleep, she pulled the blanket off and stood up. Immediately goosebumps covered her arms from the chill of the room. She knew she should've closed the window.

She walked over to the window, her feet numb on the freezing cold floor.

She looked out, gazing upon the kingdom below. It was already bright outside, and fresh snow covered the ground of the town square.

She shivered as another gust of wind blew in, interrupting her thoughts. She glanced at one of the thick iron bars on the window, withered away with age. A feather sat at the foot of the bar, moving with the wind. She picked it up and looked at it, confirming it was Blaise's.

It was cold, and had a few flurries on it from the falling snow. She brushed them off and set the feather on the nightstand near the bed. She turned back to the window and closed it as quietly as possible. She looked out again at the square and the people walking around. Some carried shopping bags and others walked into diners and restaurants. Everything was peaceful out there. She looked up at the sky and watched the snow fall for a few seconds, then shook her head and turned back to the room.

It was still cold from the window being open all night, but the lack of wind made it feel a bit warmer. Angelica walked over to her wardrobe and opened it, looking for something to wear.

The wardrobe contained mostly dresses, little else. She was a princess after all, her father expected her to dress like it.

She took a purple knee-length dress off a hanger and closed the wardrobe, then walked into the bathroom and changed out of her nightgown. When she came out of the bathroom, she looked a little surprised to see a guard standing by the door.

He had a plate of food in his hand. "Sorry if I startled you, miss," he said, noticing that she jumped a little, "I've got your breakfast."

"Ah, thanks," she said, walking over to him and taking the plate.

The guard shivered a little. "It's a bit cold in here, isn't it?" He said, looking around.

"The window kept flying open last night," Angelica said with a shrug.

"Ah," the guard said, "I'll see if I can get someone up here to look at the latch."

She knew it was a lie. They never did anything they said they were going to do. "Alright," she said, playing along.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked, looking back at her.

"No, that'll be all thanks."

"Alright," he said, walking to the door, "goodbye, miss."

"Goodbye," she said, as she watched him walk out the door. She waited until she heard the lock.

"Klunk," she heard, right on cue.

She let out a little sigh and sat on the bed, setting the plate on her lap. On the plate were runny-looking eggs, greasy bacon, and burnt pancakes,

"Who taught these idiots how to cook?" She thought as she took a bite of the eggs. She immediately regretted eating the eggs and felt a bit sick to her stomach. "A meal fit for a princess," she said sarcastically, trying to make light of the situation.

She threw the rest of her food in the trash bin, having lost her appetite from the eggs. She glanced up at the clock, counting the hours until he would come back.

"It's eight right now..." she thought, "he should come by at midnight..."

"Sixteen hours?" She mumbled to herself, "That's so much time..."

She sighed a little and flopped back on the bed. She stared at the ceiling, wondering why she had to wait sixteen whole hours just to see him for about ten minutes. She pulled the blanket back onto herself, deciding she had nothing better to do than sleep.