The Switch

Meeting

*Raina's P.O.V*

As soon as we got back to the castle, I went up to try and find Anastasia's room. You may think it was in an obvious place but her bedroom was tucked off into the corner of the castle, designed to discourage anyone from getting to her and harming her. I found it pretty quickly once I found the right side of the castle, thanks to Anastasia's instructions that she had left for me in the cloak. Her door had the same carvings she had said it had, different animals professionally carved into the door while the door frame had different flowers and vines carved in.

I turned the door knob and entered the room, my eyes widening when I saw how dreary the room looked. Anastasia had told me that she kept her room quite plain but I never expected it to be this plain. Her walls were plain white with grey accents and black baseboards. Her bedspread was black with white dots all over it and her pillowcases matched it all except one. One pillow was a dirty looking pink pillow with trees on it which was obviously used more often than any of the other pillows.

The rest of her room was bare except for her desk which was filled with papers. I went closer and started to look at them before shaking my head. "I'm not doing that," I muttered when I noticed that it was schoolwork. I headed over to the window, also adorned with black curtains with white dots. "Well she may need to get a better color then black and white," I muttered softly while pulling the curtains to the side. I looked down, my eyes landing on the carriages that were coming through the streets. I saw the guards lining the sides of the carriages.

'Oh this is not good,' I thought to myself as I watched the carriages. 'I am not ready, I thought I had more time,' I thought as I opened my window slightly. I could hear music playing and there was also cheering which confirmed what I already knew. The royal family was officially back in the kingdom and getting closer to the castle with every second that passed. 'Uh... how can I put off meeting them?' I thought to myself.

"Didn't Anastasia say that she wanted to learn to cook? May as well go down to the kitchens and try to help," I muttered to myself. "If I can find the kitchens," I added as I shut my window, closing the curtains. I left the room quietly as I wandered the halls until I found the staircase and went down the stairs. I skipped slightly before realizing that Anastasia may not do that. My hood started to slip down my face, making me pull it back up.

I continued to walk around, noticing that all the windows had been opened to allow optimal sunlight into the room. I followed the smell of food to a large open door. I peeked in and noticed it was the dining room in which the table was chock full of different types of foods. I ducked back and went around the side of the room, finding the door of the kitchen.

I opened it carefully and stepped inside, my eyes widening at the huge size of the kitchen. I stared in awe for a bit at the size before I slowly entered the kitchen. I watched the chefs and servants move around, noticing that a few people glanced at me. One of the chefs approached me and I felt myself stand up straighter, feeling a small tingle of fear that he may see right through my disguise.

"Princess Anastasia, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He asked, making me breathe a small sigh of relief.

"I want to learn how to cook," I said as I managed to slip naturally into Anastasia's accented voice. It was quite easy to do with all the practice I had.

"You want to cook?" The chef questioned me, making me nod after a moment of silence. "Well I'm sure we could do that one day princess but right now we're a bit busy with your family and the council's return," he stated.

"Oh okay," I said as I looked down slightly. "Can I watch you cook?" I asked as I looked back up.

"I suppose you could as long as you remain out of the way," he said, making me grin.

"I promise I will stay out of the way," I said as I followed him back to his work station. I watched him knead dough, rolling it out before starting to cut it into strands. I stood quietly as I pressed against the wall to remain out of the way. I was glad to get a break from speaking as Anastasia as it hurt to keep doing her voice.

"So what made you take an interest in cooking Princess Anastasia?" he asked.

'Looks like I spoke too soon,' I thought with an internal groan before getting ready to speak like Anastasia. "It is just always something that interested me, I never knew how to ask about someone teaching me though, " I said as I watched him throw the noodles into a pot of boiling water.

"Well anytime you want, you can come in the kitchens and one of the chefs will help you learn how to cook something," he stated, making me smile.

"That would be lovely," I said as I glanced around the kitchen, pausing when I saw guards come in through the door I entered in and also came through the other side door. "If you will excuse me, I have to leave now," I said, knowing that the guards were most likely looking for me. Was it looking a little odd that I was putting off meeting the Royal family? Most likely, yeah. I just figured I could blame that on anxiety from not seeing them in five years.

"Alright your highness," the chef said. I ducked away, hiding slightly behind the racks they had set up with food. I sighed in relief when the guards met up in the middle of the kitchen to talk. I slipped out the side door, walking quickly down the hallway. I kept my head bowed down as I walked, trying to think of where I could go to hide out for a little bit. I was lost in my thoughts when I bumped into someone, falling back from surprise. I looked up after a moment, wondering who I bumped into. My hood fell off my head from the sudden movement.

"Anastasia," the person I bumped into said softly as they bent down. I sucked in a small gasp before it could even escape me as I realized who I had bumped into. While trying to avoid the Royal family, I had ended up bumping into the Queen.