Noble Songbird

Chapter 4

Chapter 4
"Come with me, where dreams are born, and
time is never planned."
~Peter Pan
Adalynn

"Rise and shine, my darling!" the curtains of my room opened swiftly. Turning back over, I buried my face into my pillows, refusing to wake up.

"Adalynn Alouette, princesses do not waste the day away in bed," my covers were pulled from me. If it wasn't for the ray of sunshine piercing through my eyelids. I loved my mother, but her fondness of getting up with the sun put a serious niche in my sleep schedule.

Groaning, I rolled over onto my side, curling into a fetal position. Maybe if I blended in with the bed she wouldn't see me.

"Adalynn, you better get yourself washed up before your bathwater becomes cold. We also need to meet your brother before he leaves for Quendawyr. So wash yourself up and I'll help you with your dress."

Sluggishly, I staggered to the basin of water in my washroom and got in. Once in, I looked into the mirror next to the basin; my hair was tangled, and my face paler than it was the day before. ...and my face paler than it was the day before. The flush of red that normally gave color to my paper white skin was gone, making me look ghostly.

The bath water was warm, and I never wanted to leave; it warmed my tired bones, giving me the rejuvenation that I so desperately needed. The worst part about wonderfully warm baths is that I eventually have leave and face the real world. Face that Nicholas was leaving on a possibly dangerous trip to Quendawyr, face that my father was probably more disappointed with me than ever before, and face that my mere existence has sentenced a man to death.

He wasn't exactly an innocent man, but he still deserved a trial of some sort, he didn't deserve to be hanged just because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The thought of Torin Rowe made me flush, bringing the color back to my face. His brilliant green eyes etched into my mind, and if I could, I would stare at them forever.

"Adalynn, hurry up in there!" My mother knocked on the door. Unwillingly, I pulled myself from the warm comfort of the bath and patted myself dry.

I cringed as my mother tied up my corset. I've often thought about how if I were to ever become queen of Candonia how I would outlaw corsets. So women would no longer have to feel the torture of not being able to breathe as the air gets sucked from their lungs from fabric and wires. Or maybe I was the only one with this problem and normal girls didn't have to worry crushing their ribcage early in the morning. Well, it's not like I would know.

The red dress that my mother managed to stuff me in was as elegant as ever, but still had the look of simplicity that I so desperately loved. Once I turned fourteen, I had my mother ask the tailors in Rosland to sew dresses with less ribbons, beads, and lace. I didn't see the point with looking all frivolous if no one was going to see me.

"Are you going to let me pull your hair back?" my mother asked as she motioned to my slightly damp hair.

"I would prefer it down today, Mother," I replied with the formality that I was taught when I was young.

"That is what you say everyday," she sighed. My mother played with the tips of my strawberry-gold hair. "You have such beautiful hair, not many have your color. I hate to see you let it go to waste by leaving it down and by letting it cover your big, blue eyes."

"Maybe tomorrow," I said, even though I probably wasn't going to let her pull it back then either. I just wanted to appease her for right now.

"All right, well we should go say farewell to your brother before he leaves."
_______________________________________________________