Verbena Academy

𝔓𝔯𝔬𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔢

  𝔓𝔯𝔬𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔢  

1524

Florence, Italy

Incoronazione Della Regina Fuggiasca

The world was spinning when she woke up from the sudden knock on her door. She lifted her head above her feather-down duvet and looked to the door to her right. After a moment, a small woman with her long brown hair in two braids down her back. The lady was in fact the tired girl's maid, Maria.

"Your highness," the woman spoke softly, just above a whisper. "Happy Birthday. Up now, the world awaits you." She put her almond colored hand up to the girl in bed and motioned for her to get up. The girl took her hand and placed in her maids, pulling herself up and over the edge of her bed.

She set her feet onto the cold cherry flooring below her, stretching in the process and moving to the large set of french doors that led to a balcony overlooking a grand garden and fountains. In the distance, she could see the rest of the country.

Her Country.

It was then the sleepy girl felt very awake and spoke for the first time that day.

"Maria, what day is it?"

"It's your coronation dear. Did you forget?" her maid said very matter of factly. The girl then moved to turn around from the doors and looked on to her room. The dark floors were clean except a single blanket that had fallen during her sleep. The bed was about 5 feet off the ground, and was considerably tall compared to her little maid who was waiting for the princess to speak again. Her red silk sheets and rose laden duvet were slightly cockeyed due to the girl's dreams of the upcoming day.

"Miss?" No answer.

"Your highness?" the same.

"Princess Demitrieva?" the maid said louder than the rest of the words she had spoken that day. The princess jerked out of her little state and replied to the maid.

"Sorry, I'm just a little nervous is all."

"That's understandable miss, but you must get ready for the event. You are running a little late already." At her words another knock sounded on the door followed by four dressing maids enter and approach the princess.

"Your highness, we are here to get you ready for the coronation." The tallest of the four girls spoke then continued to bow with the rest of the maids. They dressed the princess often and knew her as well as a maid could know someone of the royal family. The four girls, Rosa, Mavis, Arin, and Lisette, were younger than the princess. They were all about fifteen. Two years younger than the young woman. They soon started to undress her and bathed her in rose and chamomile water.

After drying her off, they sat her back on the padded stool and brushed through the young woman's hair. Long black curls came out of the towels and were put into an almost sort of updo on her head, placed back with golden spider pins with ruby bodies.

The maids giggled and talked with the princess while getting her dress ready. It was quite large and took two of the maids to carry it to the girl and all of them to get her into it. The dress had three white skirts with dark red trim. Her bodice was the same white of her skirts and had a burgundy corset. It was adorned with rubies and garnets. It had lace sleeves that went to her wrists were it met her white gloves. The lace went to her neck and adjoined a string of red roses.

Suddenly, there was a strong knock on the wooden door. Two of the maids rushed to answer and found it to be a man. The man was tall, with dark chestnut brown hair that came in soft waves. The maids giggled and blushed furiously, shaking their heads at the man and tried to close the door.