The Heart of King Travis

The Surprise

I woke to the sound of a sharp knock on my door. Tremaine. I quickly threw my red blanket on the ground and sat up straight in my tiny bed. Usually, she didn't care to come all the way in the tiny room, but today was different. Her brown hair was tied in an elegant up-do and her pastel yellow dress looked as presentable as it ever had. Before she even spoke a word, I knew what she was there for.

"Arden, guess what day it is..." she said cheerfully. I nodded and put on a fake smile to trick her into thinking I was with her. Spencer had instructed me to stay on her good side about the whole camp ordeal, so I was smiling and happy whenever she mentioned it.  "I can't wait, Auntie!" I exclaimed, hoping she couldn't hear the pain in my voice. "Well get ready then! You want to look nice for Travis," she said enthusiastically. I smiled at her once more and she closed my creaky old door. The dress Tremaine wanted me to wear was a sleek cobalt gown that looked very modern. The rest of the dresses I had yet to see, since she had already packed them and shipped them off to the castle for my maids to organize.

"Today I'm going to make a good impression. Don't want to lead him on," I said to myself as I picked up the blue dress. Its smooth knit fabric slipped through my fingers and onto the floor. When I went to pick it up, I realized there was something tiny and hard inside of it. I moved over a few of the dress's seams and found a tiny silver ring with a note scribbled on parchment paper.

If you have trouble with anything, call my name three times into the ruby on this ring. I'll be waiting in the valley with Arialis and we'll come if you need help. If you just want me, you know where to find me.

I hoped that Tremaine would let me wear the ring and I hoped she would let Spencer make whatever excuse he needed to get to the valley safely. If not, we were going to be in a lot of trouble. I slipped the ring's cold silver band over my slender finger and looked at the ruby. The morning sun seemed to be shining off it in a way that made it look more magical than it already was. I quickly put the beautiful dress on and smoothed my hair down to look at myself thoughtfully in the vanity mirror. That was when I came to a sudden realization...I looked exactly like Tremaine. That didn't mean I would become like her. That would never happen.

Not wanting Tremaine to come up for me again, I slipped on a pair of black flats and jogged downstairs. The Monster wanted us to have a family breakfast today so everyone could wish me good luck on the journey. I honestly would have been surprised if Vince showed up. I opened up the door to the dining room to reveal an elegantly lit room. Candles were going down the center line of the table and Tremaine had set bowls of fruit out to provide decoration. Mindy, our servant, was pouring Vince an early glass of wine. His face was pale and his blonde hair stuck out in various directions. His blue eyes seemed dull, unlike Spencer's because they were focused on Tremaine. She was yelling something harsh at our other maid, Cindy, but Cindy didn't seem to care. She just stared at her head on. She had guts.

I tried to sit at the end of the table, but Tremaine had a different idea. "Sit over there, Arden. Next to me," she said as she smiled and pointed to a lavender chair on the left side of the table. I reluctantly got up and treaded over to the spot she had pointed out. Across the table, I saw Spencer eying my ring. He gave me a quick nod before looking back down at his empty plate. Soon enough, Mindy was serving us with fresh meats, fruits and vegetables. Right after the maids were gone, Tremaine started with talking. "Does anyone have anything to say to Arden before she leaves in an hour?" she asked. When no one said anything, she turned to Vince. "How about you, dear?" she asked hopefully. He just shrugged and responded "Good luck, Ashley." Tremaine rolled her eyes, although she did the same thing when I was a child.

Spencer opened his mouth to speak, but Tremaine cut him off. "I think you'll do very well, dear. Not only have you had extensive hours of violin and piano, but I've also trained you in proper etiquette. Primrose has taught you the political side of things, being that I'm not the most educated on topics like that." She could say that again. Spencer tilted his head to the side a bit and rolled his eyes. That was all that was spoken for the remainder of the family breakfast. It wasn't awkward, though. Tremaine was thinking about me winning the coveted spot, Spencer was thinking of Kinsley coming back, and Vince was thinking about wine. Joy.