Masked Love

“Nikki!” The usual dream envelops me and I see the boy from my past.
“Who are you?” I try to run to him but I feel myself being held back by something. I pull away as hard as I can from the invisible cords that hold me. I scream louder, but the boy starts to turn away.
“No! Come back!” If only I knew his name.
“Nicola!” The voice of my mother makes the cords pull harder and it becomes painful to turn away.
“Nicola!” This time the voice changes to a familiar unpleasant person and I feel myself being pulled completely from the dream.

“Nicola!” It’s Korine. I must have fallen asleep during one of her usual rants. “Have you been listening to anything I’ve said? What is taking your mother so long with those gowns? Prince Luca is coming tomorrow. This is his first visit to France and it must be perfect.” Korine is practically dancing around the room in her satin nightgown.

“Of course I am listening your highness. The gowns will be completed tomorrow.” I return to the mending on my lap and continue to listen to her repeat her schedule for the following day.

“Luca will be arriving at noon, which will give the servants enough time to prepare. Then there will be the lunch in the great hall where we will welcome our honored guests...” Every time I hear the prince’s name, I get a strange feeling in my stomach. Dismissing it as hunger I try to ignore it by taking a look around her room. There isn’t another like it in the entire palace. The bed was made of a dark chestnut that matched beautifully with the scarlet coverings. Rumors said that they imported from Russia, but I knew my mother had made them. The plush carpets, billowy curtains, and elegant vanity completed the room. I stop my thoughts short when I realize Korine’s tone had become quieter.

“We have been officially courting for three years now. Our parents are relying on this union to finally join the countries militarily.” I have heard this speech hundreds of times so I tune out and continue the detail work on one of her finer gowns. The tiny pearls that line the neckline start to create the pattern I want. “Nicola!” Korine’s voice calls my attention once more. “You are sure everything is prepared? I realize that I can be hard on you. But tomorrow means so much to me. And you are my closest friend, so I trust you. You understand, right?”

“I understand. And I assure you that everything will be perfect Korine,” I realize the conversation is over, I grab my supplies, curtsy, and leave. Shutting the door brought such relief, it takes all of my energy to keep myself from falling on the floor.

Before returning to my bedroom I venture to the room where my mother spends the most time. When she and I moved to France, she quickly became the head seamstress for the royal family. Her gowns are unmatched in the country. However, in these thirteen years her energy has lessened. So, she passed along her skills to me, and I have been helping her to complete the newest and most exquisite gowns for this very special occasion.

“Nicola, is that you?” My mother’s noticeably tired voice rings through the halls.

“Yes, I’m here.” I enter the grand room. Shelves line the walls with every color of fabric imaginable. Silk, cotton, and lace as thin as spider silk are all waiting to be woven into the gowns only royalty could wear. I take another look around and see the dresses Korine ordered for the arrival of Prince Luca. The first is a deep red made with silk with the gold embroidery my mother does best. It is so elegant and simple, probably for the first welcome. The other two are obviously for the parties; a green velvet gown and a much fuller blue gown hang next to the red. “Mother these are amazing!”

“Thank you darling, I’m exhausted though. The blue one took the longest. Korine is never satisfied. She must have changed the design ten times. I hoping this is to her liking.” Korine is never satisfied the first time she ordered something. Sometimes it drives the seamstresses to the point of quitting. My mother on the other hand needs this job more than anything. We have nothing without it.

“They’re perfect.” I am nervous about telling mother about the dream. She always seems sad when I do, like something pains her about the past. However, something inside of me keeps urging me to tell her. “I had the dream again mother.”

“When?” She tries not to look at me, but I can tell from behind that she’s upset.

“A few minutes ago when I was with Korine. It’s the same dream. It never changes. I’m scared.”

“Why are you scared of a dream? Dearest, it’s not real.”

“I’m starting to believe it’s a memory. How can something be that vivid if it doesn’t exist?”

“Darling, you should get some sleep. I don’t want you to dwell on this dream, understand me?” Her voice suddenly changes to a stricter tone. “It is unhealthy. Dreams are known to drive people to madness and that is not the future I want for my daughter.”

“I understand mother.” I know I shouldn’t continue discussing the dream, but my mother does.

“Was there a man in it?” I am shocked. Mother never asks about the details of the dream. She only elaborates on what I’ve already said.

“No, there wasn’t. Why?”

“It’s nothing dear. Get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.” The last thing I want to think about is tomorrow. I have never been this busy in my life. But I say goodnight to mother, give her a kiss on her cheek and go to my room.

My room, though in the servants’ wing, is not as small as one might think. The bed is small but comfortable and warm. There’s a soft rug under my feet, and my clothes, though few, hang neatly in a cherry wood closet. But I hate it. Even though Korine tried to make it comfortable, it feels empty. I can’t help but think it’s a prison and that I’ll be waiting on Korine forever. I’d like to think that I’ll be free one day. The thought is what helps me fall asleep at night. I feel like I’m made for something more. A knock on my door snaps me out of my train of thought.

“Nikki? Are you asleep yet?” Adèlie. She’s my closest friend in the palace and the only person I can really talk to. Adèlie, Noé, another servant in the palace, and I have been friends since I first moved in. We’ve grown up together, and would do anything for each other.

“Come in!” She runs to me and jumps on the bed.

“The elusive one comes tomorrow Nikki. Are you excited yet?”

“Ecstatic. Setting tables and pretending to care at silly romantic moments. What about you?”

“I can’t wait. I heard that Prince Luca is gorgeous and a true gentleman. I don’t know what he sees in Korine though.”

“I for one could not care less.” Without knocking, Noé enters my room and sits at the edge of the bed. “I heard you girls talking and decided to join in. The excitement is keeping me from sleeping.” I am sure the last part was meant to be sarcastic, but it can be hard to tell with Noé. However, Adèlie does not catch on the joke.

“I know. Madame Folley said that this is the engagement meeting. It will be announced on the third night of the masquerade.” My mother told me never to trust Madame Folley, the court gossip, but Adèlie hangs on her every word. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could go? The ball gowns, the masks, the food…”

“The liars, the disgusting royals taking advantage of daydreaming little servants…” Noé is rarely positive when it comes to big events in the palace. There are too many stories of the nasty things that might happen during a ball. Adèlie and I like to ignore those.

“If Korine gets married, will you move to Italy with her? You’re Italian right?”

“Yes Addie I am. And I’ve never really considered it. I guess I just assumed she would get another maid and I would be free to do as I please.”

“We all want that,” interrupts Noé. “But it’s never happened before. Marthe has been the Queen’s lady in waiting since she was a young girl. You’re never going to be free. None of us are.”

“It’s nice to dream though. Speaking of dreams, I had the dream again when I dozed off in Korine’s room.”

“Was it any different?”

“No just the same. I don’t think it’ll ever change.”

“People go mad from dreams. Lose their mind.”

“My mother reminded me of that today. She’s been so stressed lately. It’s as if Korine and the rest of the royal family have been trying to make life more difficult for her.”

“It’s an important time.” Addie speaks up for the first time in a while. “We should all be a little worried and stressed. Everything has to go perfect. Actually we should all be getting some sleep. Who knows what time we have to be up in the morning?”

“She’s right. Goodnight Addie, Nikki.” And with that my friends were gone. They had given me a lot to think about. Was I going to Italy? Was this dream going to haunt me for the rest of my life? Would I go mad? But I know it’s time to sleep and prepare. Tomorrow will bring new work, new struggles and maybe a new dream.