A/N I hated writing this chapter, and the unedited version is probably by far my worst one yet, but thankfully my editor (AKA "Amazing Person) saved the edited version! <3 I can not thank her enough for all of the help she's given me, and I am very grateful! :)
P.S. If you're reading the unedited version, it really isn't that bad, i'm just being hard on myself!
The train rattled on its tracks. Elizabeth was sitting next to a window, gazing into nothing. "Eliza?" I ask. She doesn't hear me. I try again.
"Eliza!"
"Oh! Sorry, did you say something?" She says, knocked out of her daze.
"I was just going to ask if you would finally tell me where we're staying."
When she became my official maid-in-waiting, she became in charge of some of my affairs. Because of that, she was supposed to find a place to stay during our trip.
"Fine," she says, her voice dripping with exasperation. "You really don't like surprises, do you?" She doesn't wait for my answer before continuing.
"We will be residing in my family's summer property. We haven't visited since I was nine, so it'll be nice to be back, I suppose."
She says this all with a straight face, but I can tell she bursting at the seams with excitement.
"Oh, that will be wonderful. I can't wait to see it!"
She rolls her eyes but is smiling nonetheless. "You are such a kiss-up!" She accuses.
"Only for you!"
She playfully shoves me in the shoulder, but she starts laughing. I join in, and I'm slowly realizing that there is nowhere I'd rather be.
+++
The train eventually comes to a stop, and we rush out into the golden sunlight. It's beautiful here, but not in the way you would expect. The sun touches everything, its beams running over us like warm rain.
Behind me, Eliza and the guards are removing the trunks from a car near the front of the train. We were assigned six members of the royal guard for protection. From what, I don't know. But I'm not sure I would like to.
Nevertheless, I walk over to them to help remove the trunks. My attempts end up being futile, however, as I barely picked up one of the trunks before almost dropping it on my feet.
"Remind me why we packed so much?" I ask Eliza.
"Because I always come extremely over-prepared."
"Oh, yeah. That. Wouldn't want to be left without a winter coat in the middle of summer!"
"I know you're trying to make fun of me, but you never know what will happen! Life has a reputation of being unpredictable."
I shake my head at her and walk over to a cargo car, where the guards are now carefully lifting a wagon onto the ground.
"Okay, so we'll just load as many trunks as we can onto the wagon, and we'll come back for the rest. We should bring the trunks containing the clothing first. I'm sure you'd like to get out of these coats."
Eliza had made some long traveling coats, and while they were comfortable, it was rather hot on the train, and I was itching to get out mine. She seemed to share my thoughts and looked to be about ten minutes from taking it off right here.
"That's probably a good idea. It's already three o'clock, so we don't have much time. Who are we visiting today?" I ask as the breeze pushes hair into my face.
"The McKinsleys. We'll also have to fix your hair when we get back," She replies.
I laugh and say, "Thank goodness! This wind really did come out of nowhere."
"As I said, Life has a reputation of being unpredictable. But sometimes not in the way we expect."
+++
After about half an hour, Eliza, two guards, and I piled into the wagon, which now had two large horses hitched to it.
The land was uneven, which made a bumpy ride, but we enjoyed it. It was something we didn't experience often. I could tell why the rebels had chosen to control things from out here. And while there are only five farms in total, three of them house rebel-affiliated families.
"There it is!" Eliza says excitedly, shaking me from my thoughts. A huge house is in the distance, getting closer all the time. A few minutes later, I see it's painted a bright yellow, with white trim.
"Are you excited to see your childhood vacation destination?" I ask her.
"I mean, I haven't been here in over ten years, so I guess I am!"
And she looks happy, too. Her red hair is glowing in the sunlight, and her eyes are bright and full of excitement. After about ten minutes, we come to a stop outside of the house.
We get out of the wagon and open the door. The inside is untouched by age, and it's like walking into a room that has been frozen in time. The only thing that shows proof of time is the vases of dead roses, only held together by sheer will. I gently brush a rose's petals and they disintegrate like they never existed.
Eliza shoos me up the stairs into a white room that only contains a chair and an ornate vanity, its mirror covered in a thick layer of dust. She opens a drawer and pulls out a silver box. The guards haul the trunks inside, before setting off in the wagon to retrieve the others.
"What am I wearing today, my lady?" I ask in a pompous voice. "The lavender dress. And I was going to cut your hair."
"You see, that's where you're wrong. Are you serious? My mother would kill me!"
"But you'd look so cute with short hair! Maybe not now, but when we get back, you need to ask her. Agreed?"
"Fine," I mumble. She puts the box away, after grabbing a hairbrush. I sit down, and she starts brushing.
"Your mother called for me yesterday. She wanted to know if you had any suitors she should know about."
"And what did you tell her?" I venture.
"I told her that I didn't know. But you need to pick someone, Eira. Otherwise, your parents will pick for you."
"I know. It's just hard to find someone who I can trust. And with all this rebel business... "
"Just so you know, my brother fancies you."
"You're kidding," I say. She shakes her head. " Frederick? Really?"
"I mean, it's not that unbelievable. You're pretty, considerate, and not to mention, you're the heir to the throne! Who blames him, honestly." She pauses for a moment, before continuing.
"Plus, it might be useful to have a rebel in your courts."
"Okay, I don't like that sentence at all, but I don't know how I missed that. How long has he-"
"About two years." She cuts in. "On other topics, I finished your hair, so let's go get dressed."
She shows me to my room, before going downstairs to grab our dresses. Mine is a lavender-colored sundress, that goes down to my knees, and hers is yellow, as far as I can tell. She leaves to go to her room, and I slip on the dress. It's light and airy, perfect for a day in the sun. She put some shoes by my door, a pair of flats the same color as her dress. Maybe we're going to be matching? She waltzes in, and sure enough, we're matching. Her dress is the same style as mine, but yellow. And her shoes are lavender, matching my dress. We're quite a pair.
"Looking good, your highness."
"Oh, yes. My seamstress is quite talented. You would like her, I imagine." I say coyly.
"I'm sure I would. She sounds very interesting. Cute, too."
I can not thank her enough for all of the help she's given me, and I am very grateful! :)
P.S. If you're reading the unedited version, it really isn't that bad, i'm just being hard on myself!
The train rattled on its tracks. Elizabeth was sitting next to a window, gazing into nothing.
"Eliza?" I ask. She doesn't hear me. I try again.
"Eliza!"
"Oh! Sorry, did you say something?" She says, knocked out of her daze.
"I was just going to ask if you would finally tell me where we're staying."
When she became my official maid-in-waiting, she became in charge of some of my affairs. Because of that, she was supposed to find a place to stay during our trip.
"Fine," she says, her voice dripping with exasperation. "You really don't like surprises, do you?" She doesn't wait for my answer before continuing.
"We will be residing in my family's summer property. We haven't visited since I was nine, so it'll be nice to be back, I suppose."
She says this all with a straight face, but I can tell she bursting at the seams with excitement.
"Oh, that will be wonderful. I can't wait to see it!"
She rolls her eyes but is smiling nonetheless.
"You are such a kiss-up!" She accuses.
"Only for you!"
She playfully shoves me in the shoulder, but she starts laughing. I join in, and I'm slowly realizing that there is nowhere I'd rather be.
+++
The train eventually comes to a stop, and we rush out into the golden sunlight. It's beautiful here, but not in the way you would expect.
The sun touches everything, its beams running over us like warm rain.
Behind me, Eliza and the guards are removing the trunks from a car near the front of the train. We were assigned six members of the royal guard for protection. From what, I don't know. But I'm not sure I would like to.
Nevertheless, I walk over to them to help remove the trunks.
My attempts end up being futile, however, as I barely picked up one of the trunks before almost dropping it on my feet.
"Remind me why we packed so much?" I ask Eliza.
"Because I always come extremely over-prepared."
"Oh, yeah. That. Wouldn't want to be left without a winter coat in the middle of summer!"
"I know you're trying to make fun of me, but you never know what will happen! Life has a reputation of being unpredictable."
I shake my head at her and walk over to a cargo car, where the guards are now carefully lifting a wagon onto the ground.
"Okay, so we'll just load as many trunks as we can onto the wagon, and we'll come back for the rest. We should bring the trunks containing the clothing first. I'm sure you'd like to get out of these coats."
Eliza had made some long traveling coats, and while they were comfortable, it was rather hot on the train, and I was itching to get out mine. She seemed to share my thoughts and looked to be about ten minutes from taking it off right here.
"That's probably a good idea. It's already three o'clock, so we don't have much time. Who are we visiting today?" I ask as the breeze pushes hair into my face.
"The McKinsleys. We'll also have to fix your hair when we get back," She replies.
I laugh and say, "Thank goodness! This wind really did come out of
nowhere."
"As I said, Life has a reputation of being unpredictable. But sometimes not in the way we expect."
+++
After about half an hour, Eliza, two guards, and I piled into the wagon, which now had two large horses hitched to it.
The land was uneven, which made a bumpy ride, but we enjoyed it. It was something we didn't experience often. I could tell why the rebels had chosen to control things from out here. And while there are only five farms in total, three of them house rebel-affiliated families.
"There it is!" Eliza says excitedly, shaking me from my thoughts.
A huge house is in the distance, getting closer all the time. A few minutes later, I see it's painted a bright yellow, with white trim.
"Are you excited to see your childhood vacation destination?" I ask her.
"I mean, I haven't been here in over ten years, so I guess I am!"
And she looks happy, too. Her red hair is glowing in the sunlight, and her eyes are bright and full of excitement.
After about ten minutes, we come to a stop outside of the house.
We get out of the wagon and open the door. The inside is untouched by age, and it's like walking into a room that has been frozen in time. The only thing that shows proof of time is the vases of dead roses, only held together by sheer will. I gently brush a rose's petals and they disintegrate like they never existed.
Eliza shoos me up the stairs into a white room that only contains a chair and an ornate vanity, its mirror covered in a thick layer of dust.
She opens a drawer and pulls out a silver box. The guards haul the trunks inside, before setting off in the wagon to retrieve the others.
"What am I wearing today, my lady?" I ask in a pompous voice.
"The lavender dress. And I was going to cut your hair."
"You see, that's where you're wrong. Are you serious? My mother would kill me!"
"But you'd look so cute with short hair! Maybe not now, but when we get back, you need to ask her. Agreed?"
"Fine," I mumble. She puts the box away, after grabbing a hairbrush.
I sit down, and she starts brushing.
"Your mother called for me yesterday. She wanted to know if you had any suitors she should know about."
"And what did you tell her?" I venture.
"I told her that I didn't know. But you need to pick someone, Eira. Otherwise, your parents will pick for you."
"I know. It's just hard to find someone who I can trust. And with all this rebel business... "
"Just so you know, my brother fancies you."
"You're kidding," I say. She shakes her head. " Frederick? Really?"
"I mean, it's not that unbelievable. You're pretty, considerate, and not to mention, you're the heir to the throne! Who blames him, honestly." She pauses for a moment, before continuing.
"Plus, it might be useful to have a rebel in your courts."
"Okay, I don't like that sentence at all, but I don't know how I missed that. How long has he-"
"About two years." She cuts in. "On other topics, I finished your hair, so let's go get dressed."
She shows me to my room, before going downstairs to grab our dresses. Mine is a lavender-colored sundress, that goes down to my knees, and hers is yellow, as far as I can tell. She leaves to go to her room, and I slip on the dress. It's light and airy, perfect for a day in the sun. She put some shoes by my door, a pair of flats the same
color as her dress. Maybe we're going to be matching?
She waltzes in, and sure enough, we're matching. Her dress is the same style as mine, but yellow. And her shoes are lavender, matching my dress. We're quite a pair.
"Looking good, your highness."
"Oh, yes. My seamstress is quite talented. You would like her, I imagine." I say coyly.
"I'm sure I would. She sounds very interesting. Cute, too."
"Oh, indeed."