Princess Anna
Timeline
I sit up.
I recall those moments as a child that I hid in my mother's parlor, where ladies would visit her, leaving the space open for my games. Where my mother would spot me as a cream coloured bunch huddled behind the seats and send me away with smiles and comments about my dreamy mind. The ladies would chuckle at my innocent ways.
I rise. I shy away as those memories of visiting counts and lords had me hiding again, whispering to my young friend Sara about how we would never be so arrogant, appear so proud, or drink that slick thick liquid that sloshed in those men's glasses.
I curtsy. Unable to understand if I even fully had his attention or if he was looking somewhere else, as the light behind him glared his face into shadow. I hold out my hand for him to take as I was taught in my etiquette classes before my mother took up training soldiers and strategizing defense systems in the Northern part of the kingdom. Before she left almost completely.
He swerves around me, sweeps a log into the fire and raises it above his head. I watch his back, feeling the flames swirl around and dance against my eyes.
His long navy shirt reaches his knees with slits at the sides for easy walking, his black pants match his quiet unnoticeable steps as he lights the candles and his strong posture matches the weathered mountains of the North Kingdom.
His short well-kept beard, his bright grey eyes and his smooth complexion give him the look of a scholar, of a well-read man, of someone I have never met the likes of.
He seems different. I grab hand fulls of my dress.
"Welcome to the castle Princess, I hope your trip was pleasant." His smooth voice circles the room and comes to me clearly. Somehow as if we were previously speaking. I unclench my fingers from my dress and smooth it out to hold my hands delicately in front of me.
"Thank you Adam, it was." I say as loudly as I can, but barely snatch a whisper.
He smiles and the shadow from his dimple makes him look like the child I knew. The one that distributed sand and buckets of water around his room when he visited Father's castle so he could sleep on the beach because royalty should not do such common things in populated places according to my parents. The child that, when caught, cleverly, with a grin, decided to toss the sand out the window by the stables, where it was not to be noticed. He earned two desserts that night, where as I only could have a tart. He ate them with a smile. Besides that, my etiquette teacher would never let me eat two even when I did earn them for memorizing several passages from my prayer book.
I smile lightly as my mind travels back to those memories. A timeline that somehow led to this. Where here we are, ready to be married, and there we were playing games in the sand.
"I know Princess, travelling is harsh to reach my home. I am grateful you choose pleasant terms for it. The servants are treating you well?"
I nod.
"I will fix this window, they had sent me word a few days ago, so I can understand that you are eager that it is done for our room."
I glance up to see Adam glancing at the window while he addresses me.
"Adam?" I say after several quiet moments. Too quiet, for the servants have surely been sent away.
"Yes Princess?"
"I know your mother was to be here, has she arrived? I have never met her, you know, only I met your father."
"She will arrive in the morning. She sent you letters these past few months, have you received them?" Adam says.
He rests by the open window on a navy plush chair with a tall back and I catch a few snowflakes slipping through to dance and melt in the warmth. His eyes are on his clasped hands, his shoulders are hunched and I can see him smiling lightly.
I walk towards him and rest on the matching chair away from the window. He glances up to watch my feet, to see where I go, or to appreciate the dress's beauty.
"I have not seen them. She sent me dresses, like this one." I glance at the red gown, the long sleeves that end at my wrists and the delicate gems sprinkled across the skirts.
"Mother must have changed her mind then and sent you dresses instead."
We watch the fire flicker, I watch the snowflakes swirl around Adam and slip into his beard. He wipes them away. I take a deep breath. He takes a deep breath.
"Adam?"
"Yes Princess?"
"When is the wedding to be?" I glance to my hands where the ends of the dress are bordered with intricate red lace. I feel my face heating and my heart tapping against my ribs.
"A man will come to do the ceremony in three days. My mother will be here as well. I must change, I must prepare her room." Adam stands and he nods and he strides out of the room.
He gently closes the door to keep the heat inside.
The snowflakes spring into the room and leap, only to catch nothing as they fall to the floor.
I recall those moments as a child that I hid in my mother's parlor, where ladies would visit her, leaving the space open for my games. Where my mother would spot me as a cream coloured bunch huddled behind the seats and send me away with smiles and comments about my dreamy mind. The ladies would chuckle at my innocent ways.
I rise. I shy away as those memories of visiting counts and lords had me hiding again, whispering to my young friend Sara about how we would never be so arrogant, appear so proud, or drink that slick thick liquid that sloshed in those men's glasses.
I curtsy. Unable to understand if I even fully had his attention or if he was looking somewhere else, as the light behind him glared his face into shadow. I hold out my hand for him to take as I was taught in my etiquette classes before my mother took up training soldiers and strategizing defense systems in the Northern part of the kingdom. Before she left almost completely.
He swerves around me, sweeps a log into the fire and raises it above his head. I watch his back, feeling the flames swirl around and dance against my eyes.
His long navy shirt reaches his knees with slits at the sides for easy walking, his black pants match his quiet unnoticeable steps as he lights the candles and his strong posture matches the weathered mountains of the North Kingdom.
His short well-kept beard, his bright grey eyes and his smooth complexion give him the look of a scholar, of a well-read man, of someone I have never met the likes of.
He seems different. I grab hand fulls of my dress.
"Welcome to the castle Princess, I hope your trip was pleasant." His smooth voice circles the room and comes to me clearly. Somehow as if we were previously speaking. I unclench my fingers from my dress and smooth it out to hold my hands delicately in front of me.
"Thank you Adam, it was." I say as loudly as I can, but barely snatch a whisper.
He smiles and the shadow from his dimple makes him look like the child I knew. The one that distributed sand and buckets of water around his room when he visited Father's castle so he could sleep on the beach because royalty should not do such common things in populated places according to my parents. The child that, when caught, cleverly, with a grin, decided to toss the sand out the window by the stables, where it was not to be noticed. He earned two desserts that night, where as I only could have a tart. He ate them with a smile. Besides that, my etiquette teacher would never let me eat two even when I did earn them for memorizing several passages from my prayer book.
I smile lightly as my mind travels back to those memories. A timeline that somehow led to this. Where here we are, ready to be married, and there we were playing games in the sand.
"I know Princess, travelling is harsh to reach my home. I am grateful you choose pleasant terms for it. The servants are treating you well?"
I nod.
"I will fix this window, they had sent me word a few days ago, so I can understand that you are eager that it is done for our room."
I glance up to see Adam glancing at the window while he addresses me.
"Adam?" I say after several quiet moments. Too quiet, for the servants have surely been sent away.
"Yes Princess?"
"I know your mother was to be here, has she arrived? I have never met her, you know, only I met your father."
"She will arrive in the morning. She sent you letters these past few months, have you received them?" Adam says.
He rests by the open window on a navy plush chair with a tall back and I catch a few snowflakes slipping through to dance and melt in the warmth. His eyes are on his clasped hands, his shoulders are hunched and I can see him smiling lightly.
I walk towards him and rest on the matching chair away from the window. He glances up to watch my feet, to see where I go, or to appreciate the dress's beauty.
"I have not seen them. She sent me dresses, like this one." I glance at the red gown, the long sleeves that end at my wrists and the delicate gems sprinkled across the skirts.
"Mother must have changed her mind then and sent you dresses instead."
We watch the fire flicker, I watch the snowflakes swirl around Adam and slip into his beard. He wipes them away. I take a deep breath. He takes a deep breath.
"Adam?"
"Yes Princess?"
"When is the wedding to be?" I glance to my hands where the ends of the dress are bordered with intricate red lace. I feel my face heating and my heart tapping against my ribs.
"A man will come to do the ceremony in three days. My mother will be here as well. I must change, I must prepare her room." Adam stands and he nods and he strides out of the room.
He gently closes the door to keep the heat inside.
The snowflakes spring into the room and leap, only to catch nothing as they fall to the floor.