The snapping of hooves broke the dense silence that lingered along with the crisp morning air. Springtime at the palace had brought with it the calmest of mornings and judging by the gently frost coated buds beginning to peek up from the victory garden, it was almost here.
Princess Isadora stood patiently as the stable boys connected two of the Grey's to the carriage before her. The lineup of now 4 golden carriages stretched the length of the palace entrances and it appeared that hers would be one in the middle. She recognized them, both the boys and the horses, from her time of riding. Even though it was frowned upon, Isadora always enjoyed striking up conversations with the stable boys. They would tell her jokes and surprising enough they usually came with much more exciting stories to tell then the usual palace schmucks who lingered around for her father.
King Edwards III had ruled over his kingdom valiantly. Known for his fairness and kindness, he was the first royal leader in all of Ostshore to not have been beheaded by his own people in years. For his royal bloodline had been known for their love of those whom they ruled. It was King Edwards I who made the decision to hold the well being and safety of Aldhams' civilians at the utmost importance. So he tasked his men to construct the wall around Aldham. Brick by brick it went up, until it sat leveled with the tallest towers of the palace gates. Once built, the King then declared a trench wider than a dozen ships and deeper than a dozen seas to be dug outside of the wall and filled promptly with sea water, or so the stories told. You see, Isadora had peered out into the moat many times from the observatory landing; and while it was vast and quite full, it never quite appeared as majestic as was told to civilians who would never actually see it. The water had overgrown with dark green slime and weeds and ,judging by the occasional rippling of the water, inhabited far more scary creatures then it may have kept out.
One of the two stable boys, fastened the final strap onto the horse and peered up at the princess. He grinned, but only for a moment before fading back to his normal expression. They both knew that if he even dared to speak to her directly, it could be publishable by public whipping in the square. While the palace ruled fairly, the decrees they set were final. Once declared, you obeyed, and so the kingdom did.
"Ready to go?" A deep voice came from behind her. Two heavy arms wrapped themselves around the princesses waist and lifted her slightly off the ground before returning her to her feet. Louis. Well, Sir. Louis, to be more exact. He was the head knight of the Edwards court and soon to be King, after the beautiful winter proposal he offered to the Princess last month. But today, he was simply escorting her and her father to the neighboring kingdom.
Izzy spun around to meet his gaze. This early in the morning and his shaggy coal stained hair was already drooping in his eyes. She reached up and tucked it back behind his ear. The knight was by no means an unattractive man. In fact, he exceeded nearly all expectations when it was announced that her parents had chosen a sutor for her. Louis stood tall over her, nearly a head length. His darkened eyes matched his hair and seemed to completely contrast her own dewy blues and silky blonde hair. But the thing that always surprised Izzy, was that under his steel exterior, he was a massive mush. She liked that side of him most. But the only real flaw he had was that he wasn't her choice.
"You're very chipper this morning," she remarked, playfully hitting his arm.
"Maybe it's because I get to spend it with such a beautiful woman," a shy grin plastered on his face. He was always doing that, complementing on her looks. And while the princess appreciated the confidence boost, she was starting to doubt that he knew she was much more than a body.
"Now who would that be?" Izzy joked, dramatically looking around.
"Ha ha, very funny," Louis was cut off by the sound of carriage doors closing. It was customary for the guards to take the front and back carriage, today the King would be riding with his personal guard in the second while Izzy would keep her fiance with her in the third. She eyeballed the silhouette of her father who appeared to have already gotten seated. She hadn't had an honest conversation with her father in weeks, not since her mother had gotten sick. The only reason Izzy was even going on this trip was to be pretty and hopefully soften the blow when the King would be announcing their cease in trading with Esterbarrow, because the Queen could not come. The trading matter itself she knew and cared very little about to begin with.
