Lace Princess

The sunrays hit my eyes.

That's how I awoke from my slumber and gave a quiet groan in annoyance. I was never quite a morning princess and with every bone in my body, I knew I would never become one.

I opened my eyes and blinked a couple times, letting them adjust. Tilting my head to the side, I saw Aureila still asleep and thought it'd be best not to wake her. Last night after we were finally alone and somewhat safe in the room of this inn, we were able to relax. However, when it came time to sleep, I could feel Aureila move around restlessly. I couldn't blame her. Finding out that you were to marry an evil dark prince and running away that same day is a lot for anyone to take in.

Though my dearest cousin was doing an extraordinary job at it thus far.

I quietly got out of bed and silently changed into some scrubs that I was able to take from some of the servants back at my kingdom. They were too large and dragged on the floor, but that is exactly what we needed in order to fit in and not call attention to ourselves.

The last thing I did was put my hair up in a messy bun. This was the only way to hide my brown and red streaked hair that everyone in all the kingdoms knew about. The stories they told about my hair and how it was always down and styled to perfection bored me to death. If anyone were to see my hair down in daylight, they would become too curious to resist investigating.

After leaving Aureila a note by the nightstand, I made my way down to the inn. The note simply read that I would be downstairs paying for our stay and under no circumstances to leave this inn.

I found the old woman who had helped us settle in last night and politely said, "Good morning ma'am."

A wide smile appeared on the woman's face. "Morning child! Hope you slept well last night! Can I get you and your traveling companion anything to eat or drink?"

I smiled a little and nodded. "We slept very well, thank you."

"Why! Such manners! We hardly hear nice compliments around here." The lady chuckled a little as she continued to clean the glassware she was holding.

I froze a little and mentally yelled at myself. Oh how foolish I had been. I needed to remember to fit in; that included my way of speaking.

"Can you bring some food for my friend upstairs? I come to pay for last night's stay," I replied, trying to not sound too proper but also not rude.

"Why of course! But might I suggest staying in another night? It will be hard to find a place to stay at around here this evening."

"And why is that?" I questioned, my eyes narrowing now wondering if she was trying to keep us trapped.

"You mean you don't know! It's a small masquerade party that is hosted every year! Every tavern has one and the rooms fill up very quick. So, no matter which place you go to, there will be people dancing, drinking, and all wearing masks dear!" she said excitedly. "But if you don't wish to stay I will get the balance right away."

"No-no wait." I said quickly and smiled. "Where might one go to buy a masquerade mask?"


"Are you out of your mind cousin!" Aureila yelled as I twirled around in the new dress that I acquired just down the street of this town. It's amazing how much lighter this material is compared to the gigantic dresses we must wear as a princess. The dresses that the lower-class use were much more comfortable and flowy.

"No, but you are Aureila, if you think you are going downstairs looking like that!" I yelled back with a laugh and smile on my face. "Go on! Get changed while I fix my hair." I ushered as I pushed her gently into the bathroom where her dress was eagerly waiting for her.

I turned to look at the small mirror that was provided for us on the wall and giggled. Attending this event would be a nice distraction for us. Yes, we had two kingdoms looking for us, but thankfully not many people under us know our faces. My smile faded a little as I finished putting my hair up in a braided bun. That was one of thing things I wish I could change. As a princess we are never allowed to talk or be with anyone who isn't from our statues. But my question is, how are we to become great rulers if we cannot interact and see the problems that our kingdom is dealing with first hand? Are we princesses supposed to just stand and sit next to our kings and let them decide what is best?

I scoffed and shook my head. That would not happen when it is my turn to lead. Though even that is now uncertain since I have run away from my own kingdom in order to protect my cousin Auriela.

I took one last look at my dark blue peacock dress that reached the floor and placed a smile back on my face. A peacock feathered design started on the right portion of the dress and traveled its way down the dress as the feather began to expand and transition its colors. There were hidden gold stones throughout the feathers as they made their way down to the floor where the design began to fade into the color of the dress. The dress was also strapless and wrapped tightly from my waist up. The bottom portion of the dress simply dropped to the ground in an elegant yet fluffy way.

Turning around, I lifted my peacock mask over my face and stopped myself as the bathroom door opened and a dancing princess in disguise came out.