Elisa's outfit ^^
*Edited*
Chapter 3
The next morning, I did my usual routine, and went to get water at the well.
"May I go for a walk in the forest today, ma'am?", I asked Lisbeth.
"Yes, you can, but don't be late for lunch this time."
"I won't. Thank you, ma'am!"
I walked to the beginning of the forest and took out my map. After looking for the right way, I made my way to the gates of the parc.
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When I arrived, two guards were standing at the entrance of the gates. They both looked at me and frowned. One guard went to the other and whispered something. The latter nodded, and walked in front of me.
"Who are you, and what is your business here?", he asked me.
"My name is Anna, and I'm just waiting here for prince Christophe and princess Lillianne to come at the gates," I replied.
He narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so. They're not allowed to come here."
"Oh, but don't worry. They'll find a way," I smiled.
The guard grunted, returned to his place and whispered to the other guard again. They both got back to their place, but kept eyeing me suspiciously.
Soon enough, I heard two high-pitched voices. "Annaaa!"
They were followed by another girl's voice, "Don't be so loud, children!"
I instantly knew who it was. I watched Lily and Chris running towards me with smiles on their faces and I laughed. "No need to run, I'm coming!", I yelled at them.
I was approaching the gates, but just as the children were about to throw themselves at me, a halberd separated us. "Prince Christophe, princess Lillianne! You are not allowed to come outside! And Ms. Anna here is not allowed to come inside!", said the same guard I talked to.
"And that's just about to change. I officially invite Ms. Anna to the royal palace," announced the other girl that stood to the side.
"Are you sure, your Highness...", the guard protested dumbfounded.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you denying a royal order?"
"No, of course not, your Highness, Ms. Anna, you may come in," the guard said hurriedly and lifted his halberd.
"Thank you," I said graciously, "And also, thank you too, your Highness, I'm really honored by your invitation." I curtsied.
"It's my pleasure Anna, and there's no need for such formalities. My name is Elizabeth, but you can call me Elisa," she smiled at me. She was a young girl of maybe 16 years old, with dirty blond curls and light blue eyes, like the children.
"Well, I think you already know, but my name is Anna, and I found Chris and Lily in the forest two days ago."
She laughed. "Yes, I already know. These two devils managed to escape me while I was watching them." She glared at them playfully. They just smirked at her, then beamed at me.
"Come on, now that Anna is here, let's show her the garden!", Lily exclaimed.
Chris and Lily both grabbed my hands and proceeded to drag me along the path. Elisa just laughed and followed close behind.
As soon as the palace appeared before me, I stared at it in awe. There was a gigantic fountain, and the path surrounded it on both sides. Next were very large stairs, followed by two symmetrical squared pools on a huge yard. They were surrounded by well-trimmed bushes and trees. The yard was enclosed by the huge palace, with a lot of high windows and golden ornaments. In front of the large wooden and golden front door stood two guards like at the gate.
It reminded me so much of my home and my past, that I could feel myself getting emotional. Our palace was just as grand as this one, and luckily, it wasn't destroyed by the fire. We were in my parent's old cottage when it happened. The Rutherfords wouldn't want to destroy the palace. I miss it so much, my home, my father, my sister, Ella and the others...
"I know it's magnificent, and I think a little overbroad, but you get used to it," Elisa said from behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Oh, I know," I whispered.
"What?", she asked questioningly.
I cleared my throat. "I mean, I can imagine," I rectified smoothly.
"Come on, let's go!", Chris tugged to my right hand and began dragging me again around the palace.
We passed the stables and saw horses getting cleaned and saddled. A great number of men in their cavalry outfit were holding the reins of their horses and leading them outside. "Oh look! They're going hunting again!", Chris said pointing at the horses. "I want to go too...", he whined.
"I'm sure you'll be able to when you'll be older," I said, gently petting his head. He sighed and looked at them longingly.
"Our brothers are going on a hunt every two weeks. They're traditionally doing one on the first day of each season and the crown prince is always leading them," Elisa explained to me.
"Oh, I didn't know you had more siblings," I said.
"Ah yes, we have two older brothers, the Crown prince Thomas, and the prince Gabriel. But they both have a lot of princely duties, unlike me and the children, because they're boys and they're older."
"So that means you don't see them a lot."
"No, my only duties are to educate myself, to set an example to the girls of the royal court, to stand by my mother and to watch Lily and Chris. But our brothers have a lot of other things to do, and going on hunts is one of them."
"Oh, look! There's Gaby!", Lily shrieked pointing towards the cavalrymen. Elisa and me turned our heads and looked into the crowd of horses, cavalrymen and squires.
The only one already on his horse looked at us, obviously having heard Lily. He grinned and waved at us, and Chris, Lily and Elisa waved back. "So, that's Gabriel," Elisa said smiling.
He looked a little older than her, with light brown curls and light blue eyes. He had a sparkle in his eyes that confirmed his young age. "It's his first time going on a hunt. He turned eighteen last month," Elisa added.
"Oh, that's great for him," I said thoughtfully, imagining myself going hunting.
"Let's sit here!", Lily proposed, pointing at a bench between bushes and in front of a little fountain.
We sat on the bench and Chris asked, "Can you tell us a story from the places you worked at?"
"Of course," I replied and they listened eagerly.
"One day, I worked at a house with only an old man and his wife. I was the only servant, so I had basically all the chores to do. I was cleaning the kitchen when I saw a rat...", I went on telling a story where I had to chase a rat in the entire house, only to find it between the teeth of the neighbor's dog. In the end, we were all laughing so much that Chris and Lily were almost rolling on the floor.
After telling them one more story, I knew it was time for me to leave, and I would have to hurry. I stood up and said, "It's time for me to leave, I have to be at my house for lunch, and I can't be late."
"Oh no, why so soon...", the twins whined.
"It's alright, I can come back tomorrow if you want."
"That's a great idea! I'll tell the guards to let you in," Elisa said excitedly.
"Great, thank you Elisa. I'll see you tomorrow!", I smiled and waved at them.
"See you tomorrow, Anna!", they waved back.
_________________________
Hi friends,
So that was the third chapter. What do you think?
Don't hesitate to vote, comment and share!! ♡
Love,
Floriane
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Saving Her Kingdom
Historical Fiction(Complete) I backed against the door, and balled my hand into fists, to keep myself from panicking. "I..." Another step. We were now inches apart and he stood in front of me, his face in the shadows. "Who are you?", he asked, his voice sending shive...
