Royal Temptations

Chapter Six

It was a lot warmer than Rania was used to. She would hardly ever be caught outside without a jacket on, but here at the kingdom, she was heading out in shorts and a plain flannelette top at five-thirty in the morning. It was strange to be wondering around the palace when there was no one around, compared to when the place was buzzing with people. It was better this way. The eerie silence gave the place more of a mysterious feeling. The rooms seemed bigger and more open, the artwork even more amazing now that there was no need to get a craned neck just to view them.

Deciding to explore the gardens, Rania made her way down the stairs, wincing at the echoes her small steps let out. When she finally made it outside she was breathless of the pure beauty laid out before her. The gardens were so quiet and empty. Only the sounds of birds could be heard as they awakened from their peaceful slumbers.

Feeling as if she was breaching some unknown rule by entering the gardens at such a peaceful time, Rania made her footsteps as quiet as she possibly could. Every now and then she would glance down at her feet, avoiding sticks and fallen leaves that would let out a sound of protest if she were to step on them. Walking through the garden in such a way, reminded her of the forest clearing near her house. She longed to be there at this very moment, to be able to send her arrows into the twisting willow tree for practice as she had done many times before.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" The angelic voice of the gardener didn't surprise her at all. The lady's footsteps were loud enough to alert Rania of her presence well before any words were spoken.

"Of course, thankyou. Your work on the gardens are beautiful." Rania replied politely, she figured sweet talking the older lady would give her a better chance of getting permission to work on these gardens as well.

"Thankyou. I'm Ella." Ella scuttled past Rania, heading towards a bush of wild flowers with a cutter in hand. Recognition shot through her just as Ella started to chop away at the delicate flowers that grew at her home.

"You shouldn't remove those! They are gorgeous, delicate flowers."

"They are wild and messy. The vines are so tangled that they block the flowers from view. They are a damper to my garden, ma'am." Ella paused with her cutting, challenging Rania with her eyes. Daring her to disagree.

Surprisingly, Rania didn't argue back. Instead she stepped in front of Ella and got to work on the flowers. Her hands were bare and the vines were rough with years of no attention, causing small scrapes to form on her palms. Once Ella realized the pattern that Rania was working, she joined in. Together they mended the flowers to perfection. They weaved the vines, pushing the little flowers out through the gaps, causing a gorgeous masterpiece to be created. Rania and her siblings had taught themselves this last year, after that they all had a new found love for the wild flowers.

"Rania. My name is Rania Perez." Rania told Ella after over an hour of working on the garden together.

"Well Rania feel free to help out anytime." A wide smile made its way onto Ella's lips. She brushed her short black hair out of her eyes and returned to her work just as the Queen approached them.

"Emelia. I lost track of time, am I late?" Rania panicked for a second glancing quickly at the sky in hope to tell how late she was.

"Not at all, I just realized you have no idea where my office is. I thought I'd show you myself. I see you've been helping Ella out." Emelia sent a nod of approval in the direction of the wild flowers. A small feeling of pride welled inside Rania, liking the fact that the Queen approved of her work. The short walk to her office was filled with an awkward silence. Emelia feared that the young girl would refuse her job while Rania pondered on what her job would actually be. She wouldn't mind what she had to do exactly but the thoughts of cleaning the palace's toilet made her face turn an ugly shade of grey.