Desires of the Crown

35 - A Weapon for a Feast

          Alliar

I was invisible it would seem. An out of favour mistress to a King who didn't know the basics of life at court. I was simple in their eyes. But it did have its advantages.

The King's ball was beginning in only a few hours. Guests had been arriving over the past few days. Noble's from the West, a Prince from the King's Isle, and so many golden chains and glistening jewels that I could no longer hold my gaze any higher than the floor without receiving a harsh ray of sun glare. I hadn't been particularly interested in the festivities of the night, or any of the guests arriving as I did not plan in attending the feast. That is, until I discovered a Noble from Leece was attending.

Now, my plans for the night were that of a plot.

I dipped my well-used quill into the ink and began to write on my parchment: 'The eagle will swore and the lion will roar, together at the base of a mountain where the earth shall crumble like a scattering pack of hounds.'

According to everyone in the North, I was practicing my skill at poetry as all young high born women should. But what I was really doing was sending information to my uncle. He had sent an adviser to the castle to 'keep on good terms' as he called it, during the Kings birthday feast. This created the perfect opportunity for me to start hinting to my uncle about the plans to march towards the East.

I will admit it's not my best work. I would preferred to say 'The Griffin shall meet the Hounds at the base of the eastern mountains', but this would probably be too easily deciphered. My little poem isn't much better, but I wasn't counting on anyone seeing it.

A firm knock on my door sounded and I quickly rushed to dry the ink, blowing over the paper.

"little Miss?" Henrietta called from behind the door.

"Just a second!" I called to her and quickly started rolling the paper up into a small roll and slipping it into my hair, concealed and held in place by a simple white ribbon. Once it was securely in place, I cleared my throat. "Come in."

The door opened not a second later and Henrietta entered the room with a trail of fabric behind her. She payed my delay no mind, quickly getting to work making alterations to a grown I was to wear tonight.

"I look like a fruit tree!" I screamed as I examined my semi-finished gown. It was green with patches of orange along the skirt.

"Do you think so?" Henrietta took a brief step back to admire her handy work. "It, well..." she trails off. She was a very poor seamstress.

There was a firm knock on the door. I gave Henrietta a brief pout before answering. "You may enter."

The door opened with a burst of energy and the Princess entered in a quick, rambled sentence. "I heard you changed your mind about coming to the feast, how wonderful. Now I thought that I might - " Her words died as soon as she got a good look at my dress. Her mouth hung open in a gap as her hand hovered dramatically over her heart. "Oh dear," she exclaimed in her shock. "No, no, this will not do at all, you look like an orange tree in the peak of spring."

I turned my attention back to Henrietta who was paused at the hem of the dress with a needle between her teeth and a shammed expression on her face. "I didn't have much time to prepare." Her voice was little.

"Not to worry dear," Ashiar waved a hand as her eyes quickly darted over my figure. "I'll have a dress bought to you. One perhaps more befitting your station."

For some odd reason, the critical spark in her eyes and her choice of wording scared me a little. What exactly did a dress that said 'Kings out of favour mistress' look like? I shuddered a little at the ideas.