Fire Under Ice

Chapter 3

Myla and I finished our meal in silence, until she stood up to leave. I came out of my reverie and grabbed her wrist, much like I grabbed Nicole's earlier.

"How come you and the princess are such good friends?" in my experience, princesses did not make friends with those of lower status than themselves. But then again, most princesses also did not work as servants in their own homes either, yet here we were.

She smiled. "Technically, I'm her lady's maid, so if hers was a normal situation, I'd be the one to wake her up and bring her hot chocolate in the mornings, clean her room, so on and so forth. And I did that for the first seven years of her life. But then her father died, and her mother started neglecting her and treating her like a slave, so now we are only friends and I lighten her burden whenever I can."

I sat back. That made a lot more sense. "Why will you be seeing her later?"

Her smile shifted, from sweet to slightly mischievous. "We meet up in her room every night and talk and such. Why do you ask?"

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks as I realized what she was implying. "No reason, of course! I was only curious," I cried defensively. She raised an eyebrow at me, fighting a smile of her own.

"Whatever you say."

I glanced away, waiting for the flush on my cheeks to fade.

"Well, I had better go help her with what's left of the dishes. I would say that I'll see you tomorrow, but once the queen knows of your presence, you won't be getting even the time of day from any servant."

I gathered my senses from where they had fallen on the ground at Nicole's sudden arrival and took my leave as well. It was only once I got to the hallway that I remembered that I had no clue how to get to my room. 

After a few minutes of wandering pointlessly around the palace, I stumbled upon a maid polishing a vase. Once I realized who it was, my tongue tied itself into knots. However, princes were nothing if not persistent. Our first two meetings had not gone well, but third time's the charm. 

I cleared my throat softly, and Nicole spun around. Just as it had earlier today, her face set itself into an exasperated scowl.

"Again?"

"Sorry," I said, staring  at my feet. "I just...got lost. Could you direct me to my room?"

Amazingly, her face softened infinitesimally. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll take you there right away."

She set off at a brisk pace, and I had to scramble to keep up.

"So..." I started, feeling like a fool. "How come you were still polishing when the other servants had gone to bed?"

"I like to get started the night before. The work I do tonight is that much less work that some other poor soul has to do tomorrow."

I marveled at her selflessness. "That's very good of you."

She cast a sharp glance at me, suspicious of my compliment. "Thank you."

Silence fell over us before I chose to break it. "Also, I wanted to say...I'm sorry for how I acted earlier."

When I chanced a glance at her face, there was no sign of the contempt I expected. Only surprise. "...That's okay. If anything, I was the one who hit you. I should be the one apologizing."

I rubbed my nose ruefully. "I certainly deserved it. And just so you know, it was quite a solid hit."

"Yes, I surmised as much by the blood pouring down your face," she said dryly. "And don't feel any shame by being laid low so easily. Most of the guards and other fighting men in this castle went through the same experience."

Our conversation flowed easily  until we reached my assigned room. She glanced into the room, and something akin to pain flashed across her eyes before her entire face closed off, blocking any emotion from showing. "It was my pleasure to be of assistance. Sleep well, Your Highness."

My brow wrinkled in confusion. The conversation had been going so well. I had no idea what could have caused her to shut down so completely. 

I peered into my bedroom and internally groaned in frustration. This was one of the family bedrooms. It might even have been hers. Of course she was upset. An interloper was living the life she should have had right now.

I flopped down in my bed, intending to continue mulling over the day's events, but I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

***

The next morning, I woke to the sun pouring through my windows. For a moment, I reflected on the beauty of the country before rolling out of bed and getting dressed. Today, I hoped to observe the behavior of the queen after breaking my fast with the servants. Nicole was conspicuously absent from the table, probably already hard at work.

It only took me a few minutes to become completely lost, but as in all palaces, all halls led to the throne room.

I leaned through a side door and saw a petite woman sitting on the throne. She appeared quite dignified, but the aura in the room was tense, almost fearful. I leaned slightly further into the room, intending to listen to the conversation between the lady and the nobleman at the foot of the dais.

"-absolutely unacceptable, Robert. Pray, tell me, how did you expect to get away with sending less and less tax each month? Do you take me for a fool? Do you intend to cheat me out of acquiring formal gowns, by refusing the funds necessary to do so?"

The voice was not shrill, but somehow both more irritating and more threatening, clearly calculated to extract the answers she wanted. The nobleman, refusing to meet her eyes, murmured something demure to her, too soft for me to hear. However, the effect was rather opposite of what it intended. 

The queen threw back her head and laughed. "The people are fine, commoners are certainly strong enough to pay a couple coins a week. But the dirty, foolish peasants are not my concern. No, the money itself is my concern. The ambassador from Rurallion is coming later this month, and I have no proper gown to receive him. Would you want your own country to appear as paupers, simply due to your own tight-fistedness?"

The man's face darkened, though it was barely discernible. "No, my lady, I do not want us to appear as paupers. But my people are literally starving, they cannot spare any more, or Barton will begin to run out of workers. You already have so many beautiful gowns, and you are so stunning-" he choked just slightly on the words- "that you make anything lovely. Why not use a previous gown?"

The flattery, however false, mollified her just slightly, but the suggestion was still in vain. "A dignified, wealthy queen such as myself should never wear the same gown to more than one formal event. I suppose I should have foreseen your ignorance on the field of fashion, but I do you were a bit more educated."

"My apologies, my lady, for my mistake. However, I often find that the simpler styles of dressing much more engaging. The plainer sleeves and shorter skirts are all the fashion in Weyarn, Rurallion, and the Menesses. And, given that the ambassador is from Rurallion, he may be flattered and gratified if the style of dress brought him closer to his home."

The vain queen sat back, considering his suggestion. "Well, perhaps I will try it. However, do not mistake my mercy for future leniency. Do not try to cheat me ever again. Now get out of my sight."

The man bowed and hastily exited the throne room. I grimly reflected on the few similarities between the princess and the queen. They only shared a single trait- their tempers. But where Nicole could get hers under control, the queen's seemed to be volcanic- you never knew when it would erupt next. 

For a moment, I couldn't help but pity the members of the household under the thumb of this tyrant. But from what I had seen of them, they were the strongest people I knew. If anyone could thrive in these circumstances, it would be them.

Comment, vote and share!