A Daring Damsel

Section 3: Untold thoughts?

Stephán

She wasn't at the welcoming dinner. Char sat at King Frederick's left, while Queen Isabelle sat on her husband's right side. I was the first person on the queen's side, while the place across from me, the first on Char's side was empty. There were twenty rectangular tables hewn from wood and polished smooth with long wooden benches on either side. At the head of the king's table were three throne like chairs. Each table sat roughly sixty people.

"Hi! I'm Macey, And I'm guessing that you must be Steven." A cheerful girl next to me said."

"Close! It's pronounced Stephán (Stef-fawn)." I said with a grin. 

"Darn it, I almost had it!" She said while laughing. I think I like this girl. "I'll tell you who everybody is, then you'll have a heads-up. Across from you is where Cassandra was supposed to sit, but she took dinner in her room tonight. This is between you and me, but she isn't actually dizzy, she just hates fancy banquets - mostly because of the wine and the copious amounts of people. Next to her are four of the castle's wards: Lillian, Joseph, Daniel, and Katherine. Next to me are three more wards: Domian, pronounced (Dommy-in), Evergreen - but we just call her Eve - and Matthew. Their parents were knights or important people, but died. We don't really talk about it much though. Their ages range from seven to twenty. The boys either train to be a knight, cook, stable boy, scholar, or go to a monastery when they turn fifteen. So most of the older wards aren't at this table, they're at one of the other ones as befits their station."

"Is William at one of those tables?" I questioned.

"Yes, He came back from his monastery around a week ago and became a knight. I can introduce you to him later. The girls have a similar process of becoming a handmaiden for the queen or princess, training to be a cook, a weaver, or marry, etc, etc, when they turn fourteen. I used to be a ward as well until I became Cassandra's companion which is why I am at this table." She suddenly became somber and wasn't her usual cheery self. Is she thinking about her parents?

"Macey, do you know if Princess Cassandra is still willing to escort me for my walk through the gardens?" I sincerely questioned. 

"I-isn't it usually the m-ma-man who escorts the lady," She replied after laughing a large amount "or are you just not man enough to handle her?" After her side comment she started the whole process of laughing, taking some wheezing breaths and laughing again.

"I think it's a little bit of both. She seems to be very willful and I have been told that I am more of a "go with the flow" person. She would be the perfect wife for me I think."

"... N-n-no- not that I would marry her, My brother is, not me." Why did I say that?  I can't ever seem to say the right thing when I really mean to! How will my brother react if he hear about this; I'll be doomed.