Chapter 20
The fourth Day of the Month Of Palefrost
The Royal Palace
Blythe sat up in bed, rubbing at her eyes.
Soft rays of sunlight flitted through the closed curtains, most obstructed from entry.
She sat in silence for a few moments, taking in the view of the elegant room in front of her.
She had never owned things that looked so rich and pretty.
All of the furniture in the room, she imagined, would, on sale, feed her family for months.
She sighed, wondering if it was too early in the morning to be awake in the Palace.
Knowing about the various jobs royal and noble families did do, she wondered if it was as hard as the work the common people did everyday; or as pressing.
A gentle rap on the door caused her to look up, startled.
"Come in?" Her voice sounded weak and unsure.
Two maidens entered the room quietly and wished her a good morning.
Blythe responded with a smile as she watched them come forward to her bed.
"I'm so glad you're awake, Ms. Gardenlight," the plumpest of the two spoke, "My name is Megraye and I will be one of the maidens waiting on you."
Blythe nodded, looking at Megraye.
She was a cute lady, serene smiling eyes and a touch of grey at the temples.
"This is Eva and she will be assisting you too!"
"Eva." Blythe smiled in response, "lovely to meet you."
The two beamed in response.
Eva spoke up, "Prince Augustus has informed us about your situation, Miss. Please allow us to share your secret."
"Uh," Blythe nodded, unsure of how much the maids knew, "I- of course!"
Megraye had her hands clasped at the front, "We are with knowledge that you are not royalty or nobility. Your family is being transported to the Capital. No one is aware with the exception of Lady Xyla and the Prince."
Blythe gaped.
She had not thought Augustus would tell them everything.
Eva continued where her companion had left off, "We are unsure when Lady Xyla will get here. She might not."
Blythe felt her heart sink.
"But we have been told what your activities for the day will be."
Megraye nodded, "We have been asked to hide you from view until tomorrow morning. You will have your meals here and will not meet anyone else's gaze. Eva and I will answer most of your questions and helkp you understand how to act in different situations. Prince Augustus will come up in the afternoon to inform you of the status of your Family's moving and-,"
She took a deep breath, "A meeting will be arranged for you with Prince Elliot in the evening after dark."
Blythe's heart flipped suddenly, "W-What? With the Prince?!"
The two maids looked surprised, "Of course, miss."
Eva narrated, "We were assigned to you this morning and Prince Augustus told us all of the details. We have been sworn to secrecy. He has said that this will be your first meeting with the Prince so that we will be able to present you to the queen tomorrow as the new fiancée."
Blythe was both thrilled and nervous, "I- I don't know… That's it?"
The maids nodded, looking concerned, "Is everything alright?"
Blythe stuttered a response, letting things sink in.
Maybe she would make a great impression on the prince.
Maybe they would fall in love.
Was the queen a sweet woman?
She looked up to see the door to her room slowly open before Xyla carefully stepped in.
"Xyla!" Blythe couldn't explain the happiness of seeing her trustworthy friend.
Xyla was softly letting the door close, trying to look over at Blythe with a distracted smile before she saw the two maids.
She did a double take, "W-Who?"
Blythe laughed with the two maids.
~
Augustus sat at breakfast, extremely nervous.
He chuckled uneasily to himself as he waited for the rest of his family to join him.
He had set the plans concerning Elliot's marriage into motion but he wondered how his brother would behave in it all.
Convincing his mother would not take much time. His father never meddled in such affairs or showed interest.
Elliot, however, and the angry look on his face from a night ago settled in Augustus' mind.
Augustus bit his lip as he stared at the table in front of him.
He hoped things would not get out of hand.
~
Queen Trilanea paused her descent to the floor below, a slow sorrow entering her chest.
It had been a week since the last morning she'd sat at the breakfast with all of her sons in attendance.
The light teasing and happy laughter that would always be present at the table had halted since then.
Although the mood was always pleasant and calm without Cecil, no one remarked at the absence or mentioned anything that would bring the topic up to the surface, possibly, fearing that it would cause nasty memories and an uncomfortable silence to envelop them.
The queen took a long deep breath before she continued to step down,
She had a long, tiring day ahead of her after breakfast and if the rest of her family could function properly, so could she.
~
The fourth day of the month of Palefrost
The Royal Palace
Xyla sat on Blythe's bed listening to the maids as they had escorted the bride-to-be away to give her a good bath. The sound of rushing water and the occasional shouts from the maids made her smile.
She was thankful to the two ladies who had been sent to wait on Blythe.
They were senior members of the staff and seemed more prudent and proper than the rest.
They had been assigned chambers closest to Blythe's room and for that, Xyla heaved a sigh of relief.
Her father had told her that the staff were a rather gossip-given lot in the palace.
Xyla had had difficulty believing him.
Her memories of the Palace were rose-colored with how her childhood had been spent.
She sighed.
Happier times; times when drama seemed non-existent in their lives.
She wondered if it would ever be the same.
Glancing over at the beautiful gown the maids had laid out for Blythe, a small smile touched Xyla's lips.
Blythe would look wonderful in the gown. Her gorgeous brown hair and pretty, steady gaze were bound to catch Elliot's attention.
Even more so, Xyla thought, what would really captivate Elliot would be Blythe's kindness and her responsible nature.
Xyla realized that she should be beyond grateful that Aldith would no longer be marrying Elliot.
"Ms. Gardenlight, if you don't stay still, I will not be able to wash your hair!"
"But it tickles!"
Xyla giggled at the shouts from the bathroom.
A tremble of fear ran down her spine when she thought of Elliot.
She had never feared her quiet childhood friend but she wondered now, what his reaction would be to it all.
She swallowed.
They would find out soon enough.
Blythe was to be married to Elliot, after all, on the seventh of the month, only three days from the present morning.