Bloodlines 1 - Silver Blood

A Day To Remember

"Princess Rosette!"

"Come on come on time to wake up your highness!"

"Happy Birthday!"

"My princess look!"

Rosette woke up stirred to the words the maidens spoke to her. Her hair was a mess and there was residue of drool on the corner of her mouth. Her head felt foggy and her eyes dry. She was certainly tired from going to sleep so late. Her tire did not fade as she stood up and the maids got her dressed and readied. She didn't even pay attention to the words they spoke to her, only snip bits at the beginning.

"Well?" Rosette felt a usage on her arm, the gesture waking her up. She realized she had on her small light blue dress and small matching shoes to go along. When they did this, she had no idea. It didn't look too bad. Rosette looked in the mirror. The light silk blue dress was laced with dark blue fabric as ruffles and the long sleeves had the white cuffs ending them. Her dark brown hair was braided to the sides, looking crown like and the back of her hair down, reaching her mid back. It wasn't too much, she enjoyed the look. She spun around the small pedestal the maids had set her on, as she did they giggled and clapped.

"Oh Rosette you look beautiful as always my darling." One of the maids, Greta had called. She had been a part of the castle since she was born, she knew Rosette's mother when she was a child. She was well in her 20's now. Of course that's what Rosette assumed, servants birth dates weren't always disclosed or known. But Greta was close to the family and took care of Rosette often.

"Today is your 12th birthday my Lady, I certainly hope it bodes well!" Another maiden had said.

"Thank you very much ladies!" Rosette giggled as she bowed.

As the women were doing final touches on the princess, Greta took her to the side.

"Rosette, I had heard they caught you in the library last night. You know you can't keep wandering around the castle at night, it's dangerous." Greta scolded her in a whisper.

"Greta, shouldn't the castle be the safest place in the land? Especially for me? Why is it so bad?" Rosette complained. The contradiction did always bother her. Was she simply being a nuisance? They could ignore her. Or simply keep her safe and let her wander. The thought bothered her even more.

"It makes no sense.." She told herself.

"Milady you know it's not that simple. If it was we wouldn't need armies and such." Greta seemed to bite her tongue and she glanced away from Rosette, looking at her attire then smiling back up at her. "Anyways, you're much too young to hear this anyways. It's your birthday, let's celebrate!" Greta reassures Rosette.

Although she smiled back, Rosette felt a strong unease. She had o smile and ignore it but no one ever told her of any danger. Was she too young? But she want like other kids if they wanted her to be safe maybe telling her what to watch out for would help. Even the servants could hear more rumors than she.

After all the arrangements were finished, the maidens let Rosette leave her room.

'The diner' they told her.

She made her way through the castle, the guards greeting her and offering her birthday wishes. Even for a kid they needed to give her respect. She almost felt smug about it but stayed simply appreciative.

After crossing all the intersecting halls and walking past the stonework she saw so many times, and rubbing her hands against the stone. The closer she got to the main hall, the more she rubbed against the etching. She always admired the carvings leading to the end of the hall. The dead end wall held a large portrait of her father. It was an earlier picture, before he and mother got married. His hair was sleek and black, with slight scruff around his mouth and face. His bright blue eyes always seemed to pierce through the picture. The painting always changed depending on the current ruler. She imagined the day this picture would be her hung on the wall.