Like A Princess

Two little girls were playing with dolls, giggling and laughing together. Their parents sat nearby, sipping tea and enjoying each others’ company while their precious daughters played. They were the most beautiful things they had ever seen. The walls were a creamy eggshell colour, painted over brick, beautiful intricacies and designs sculpted and carved into the walls and ceiling; which showed off the elegance and royalty of the King and Queen. Three candle-lit chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the large room with a soft, warm glow. The floors were marble, along with the staircase and various other rooms of the castle.

Two maids entered the room and curtseyed before the royalties. Their hair was tied up into a bun, wearing black and white uniforms. Their hands were behind their backs, a polite form of respect, and their legs were close together. The two girls looked up at the maids briefly and continued their playing.

“Your highnesses,” one of the maids stammered, stepping forward. Her hair was a deep brown and her name was Marie. The other maid stood quietly behind her, looking down at the ground. The Queen’s eyebrows furrowed, it wasn’t like them to be so upset and nervous.
“What is it, Marie? Is everything okay?”

Marie shook her head. “No, Madame. I think both you and the King should come with me.” She scurried out the door, the worried couple following. The other maid remained in the room. After she couldn’t hear any more footsteps, she peaked her head out the door and then quickly closed it. She walked over to the two girls, kneeling beside them. They were looking at her with starry-eyed attention, not exactly understand what was about to happen.
Marie took the King and Queen to the mail room, not far from where they were before. She showed them a letter saying that someone was going to kidnap one of their daughters. The Queen looked heartbroken. She looked up at her husband with tearful eyes,

“I’m sorry, girls,” Leanne, the other maid, whispered, picking one of them up and running out the door with her. Her sister sat there in silence for a couple minutes before she realized what had just happened. She started to cry, loud, heart wrenching sobs.

“What are we going to do?” The Queen whispered. The King shook his head and opened his mouth to say something. Just then, they began to hear someone crying. The Queen’s eyes grew wide as she raced out of the room, up the stairs and back into the play room. She threw open the door to find her daughter, Arianna, sitting by herself, crying.

Marie watched as the King ran after his wife. Marie smiled; ripping up the letter she had composed and throwing it in the trash. She walked down the stairs, into the lobby of the castle, stopping to place a sealed envelope on a table and walked out the door. Outside, there was a car waiting for her. The other maid, Leanne, was sitting in the drivers’ seat, the toddler in the back; she was crying her poor little head off.

Back in the castle, the Queen picked up her distraught daughter, rocking her gently in her arms. King Haden held his girls tightly in his arms, not knowing what to do. A male servant, by the name of Jordan, came into the room, bowing.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but dinner will be ready shortly. Also,” he said, walking over to them and handing them the letter Marie left, “this is for you.”

The King took it, thanking and dismissing him; tearing open the letter and quickly reading the contents. He swore under his breath.

“The baby!” Queen Arbela said between sobs. “What is it, Haden, what does it say?”

He looked up at her with anger and sadness in his eyes. “Marie and Leanne took our baby.”
Marie looked out the window of the car, smiling as Leanne quickly sped away. “What are we going to do now? What if they find us? They’ll kill us for sure.”

Out in the road, Marie laughed and patted her friend’s thigh. “Don’t worry about us darling, sister. Once we get where we’re going, no one will ever be able to recognize us again.”