𝒩ℯ𝓌 ℛℴ𝓎𝒶𝓁𝓈

Chapter 2

Dawn's POV

"That was exhausting!" I groaned, slumping against a frilly golden chair. "It gets harder," warned my butler, Sebastian, and then cleared his throat. I blushed and straightened myself. In the past hour, I had made an enemy out of my step-brother, Max. After reading 'Keeper of the Lost Regions', I had always wondered what grief did to people. It was simple. Max refused to speak to others. May cried. I...would never forget. "Did I mention that you're going to the Petalburg Royal Academy tomorrow, dear?" asked Johanna. My face was probably as white as a sheet. "I guess not," clucked Norman. I felt uncomfortable calling him 'Dad'. "May will teach you, right?" said Max in the most irritating little brother voice ever. I guess he just wanted to get out of spending time with me. "First, she should get situated," scolded my step-father. "Meet Freesia, Dawn," the name belonged to an elegant woman in a stiff burgundy dress, with her purple hair pulled into a bun with locks hanging from behind her ears. She also had beautiful gray eyes, and her dress had a white collar with a piece of violet chiffon hanging off of it, decorated with a blue gem. "A pleasure, Princess," she bowed. "She'll be your maid," explained May. I frowned. Maid was a bit...old-fashioned and made me feel like a million ranks higher than her. I smiled softly at Freesia. "We should get to your room," grunted Sebastian, lifting my bags with ease and making his way down the hall. As we walked, I noticed how perfect May was. Every step of hers was light and airy, and I could barely hear her breathe. Even though we were in her castle and nobody was looking, a bright smile was plastered on her face.

Finally, we stepped into the largest room I'd ever seen. It had an elegant golden four-poster bed, with marble floors and pale walls. There was a gigantic walk-in closet filled with tailor-made gowns and a bathroom that seemed to be chiseled out of stone. "Wow!" I breathed, taking in the room. May giggled. "Your room is almost bigger than mine. Father really took a liking to you," my grin faded and my posture stiffened as I replayed her words in my head. Did I really want Norman to like me? May took no notice of my sudden coldness and started to dance around the room. "There's one song every princess learns," and she started to sing it.

(This is the really childish part. Sorry! But it's a really nice video. Ignore the popstar part.)

She had a pretty voice, melodious and beautiful. I'd never tried to sing before, it was a privilege village girls never had. But as I started, I lost myself in the music. "You're a wonderful singer," said May admiringly. I blushed and sat down on a nearby gray sofa. "Tell me about Petalburg Royal Academy," I insisted. She glanced around thoughtfully and started to speak. "Well...it requires you to wear ball gowns, learn etiquette, go to balls, host parties, and wear your family crest," May reached inside a golden locket that hung around her neck and pulled out a beautiful silver necklace with a charm that had the Maple Family crest on it. It was a maple leaf, with swords crossed over it and a delicate ribbon stamped on it, hanging in mid-air. She handed it to me and I stared with wonder in my eyes. "You're family now," she said, pulling me in for a hug. I felt a sudden memory cross in my brain and was five years old again. There was a girl in white standing beside me, but her face was blurry. I struggled to decipher her crackly speaking but could make out the most brilliant eyes. The most brilliant blue eyes. "Are you alright?" asked May, panic streaking her tone. I looked up at her and heard my breath coming in short, sharp rasps. My lungs stung. "Yeah," I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Are you ready to learn?" she obviously hadn't forgotten, due to the wary undertone of her voice, but it was cheerful enough. I forced the thoughts out of my mind and smiled as brightly as I could. I never wanted to revisit those recalls of my past ever again.

Ooooh! See you in the next one!