Becoming A Queen.

2

2

Sofia was unable to contain her excitement. The small child was jumping up and down as Miranda approached the door to the shop. She opened it to see several young children running along the road with wide smiles.

"What on earth is happening?" Miranda asked.

"The king! He's coming this way!" a young boy cheered, stopping to turn around so he could run backwards.

Miranda held a firm hand on Sofia's smaller one to stop her running with them.

"Look mama!" Sofia gasped in utter delight and Miranda lifted her eyes to see a golden carriage, pulled by four clean white horses approach. Each horse had reins of smooth leather, their harnesses polished to a high shine.

The carriage had elaborately carved wheels in an expensive looking type of wood and the carriage itself was painted in bright colours.

In the drab, grey weather, the colours appeared surreal.

"It's so pretty!" Sofia cheered at her side and Miranda could only nod.

"Do you think I can get a ride?" Sofia asked a smidge more seriously but with the fairy tale belief of a child evident.

"Goodness! What do you think the King wants down here?" the Mrs Drummond next door asked.

"Heaven knows," Miranda muttered, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the luxury in front of her.

The carriage slowed and a liveried servant stepped out.

He looked at the grey and brown street until his eyes fixed on the sign above Miranda's shoe shop.

"Ah! The shoemaker!" the servant smiled.

Miranda's face fell.

"Me?" she asked. her voice came out in a squeak.

"Is Mama going to make shoes for the princess?" Sofia asked.

Miranda slapped a hand in front of her daughter's mouth to stop her from embarrassing them, but the child continued her small skips to reveal her excitement.

"I promise. The shoes Mama makes are the best! Look, she made mine," Sofia grinned at the servant after wiggling free from her mother's hand.

In the air, wiggled Sofia's foot, clad in a shoe Miranda had made from scraps of leather. It was an elegant boot design and for the moment caked in mud.

"Sofia!" Miranda hissed.

The servant grinned and reached into his pocket. keeping his smile, he handed a wrapped piece of sugary confectionery to Sofia. The little girl squealed with delight and sniffed the wrapper before she opened it and self consciously tasted the chocolate treat.

The servant smiled warmly at her and gave her a few more.

"Oh! Thank you! Now I can share with my friends!" Sofia smiled gratefully.

"That would be generous of you," the servant chuckled.

He turned to Miranda with a friendly bow.

"Madam. I have been asked to fetch you to the castle. If you would bring your measuring tools and follow me please," the servant said. His voice was firm but friendly.

Miranda's eyes widened. Only villagers commissioned by the king himself were asked to come to the actual castle. The dressmaker went every couple of months to ensure the royal children were suitably dressed, but Miranda had not known where they got their shoes. She had heard from the baker that Princess Amber's shoes were imported to match her dresses. The king did, according to rumours, live a fairly modest life and rarely spent money unnecessarily on himself. If he needed new shoes, the opportunity for Miranda to gain a regular service to the royal family might be just what she needed to make sure Sofia would be brought up with a bit more money than they currently had.