by K. E. Drake
This was the eighth day in a row the royals had taken a morning walk through the gardens.
Today the king had left strict instructions that they were not to be disturbed, but Melody hid herself behind a hedge and eavesdropped on them again. She couldn’t make out what was being said, but the king was sitting close to Monet now. He was smiling, but a frown tugged at Monet’s lips. What could they be talking about?
They had been in the gardens for most of the morning. It was now near the noon hour, and Melody knew that Monet would insist on coming to the dining hall to eat.
Melody straightened to her full height, but the hedge still kept her hidden. She softly groaned as she stretched her stiff muscles. She had spied on the king and queen for over half an hour now.
Melody flicked a stray lock of her hair behind her shoulder and tightened the ribbon that kept it secured at the nape of her neck. I should be getting back. I’ve been away too long.
With a brief glance back, she turned to walk back to the kitchens, the skirts of her maid’s uniform swaying around her legs. The sun shone upon her face as a stray breeze caressed her skin.
She had made it halfway to the castle when she saw Ruby coming from the other direction, carrying a full basket of dry clothes from the clothes lines into the kitchens. Melody changed her path and headed in the direction of the herb gardens. She didn’t want to talk to Ruby until her friend had forgotten about Melody’s little adventure in the woods.
It had been two days since Melody had met Bera and the wolf, Devon. When she had come back to the castle that night, she was greeted by a small search party containing the chef, a young stable hand, four courageous maids, and the head gardener, all lead by Ruby. They were about to search every inch of the castle yards and even go out into the forest to find the princess.
All of them were greatly relieved when Melody came back safely. The maids had fussed over her for several minutes to relieve their own worries, and as everything settled down, everybody had gone back to their work or returned to their homes for the evening.
Melody had asked the gardener to get a healer for Bera. After he and the healer had come back, the healer checked on Bera and discovered that she had a broken leg and a few scratches and injuries he assured her would not be a danger to the animal. He took care of the leg and bound it with a wooden splint and strips of cloth, telling Melody to make sure that Bera rested so it would heal properly.
After the excitement had died down, Ruby took Melody to her room and yelled at her. “Where did you run off to? I was worried sick about you!”
“I didn’t mean to-” Melody calmly started.
“We were about to search the woods for you, Mel!” Ruby cut her off. “And where did that dog come from? I’ve never seen it here before.” The redhead paced from one side of the room to the other, shaking her head, while Melody sat on the edge of her bed, watching her ranting friend. “You don’t just pick up and disappear like that, Mel. You have people who worry about you!”
“Ruby!” Melody cut her friend off. Ruby quieted down and finally turned to Melody. “Does the queen know I was gone?”
“No,” Ruby answered. “I wasn’t going to tell her you were gone unless we couldn’t find you.”
“Thank you, Ruby. And I am sorry for disappearing,” Melody apologized, “but I met Bera, that’s the dog, when I was out in the gardens this evening. We were coming inside when she just ran off. I didn’t know what else to do, so I ran after her... into the forest.” Ruby’s expression of horror made Melody wonder if she should admit what happened next.
She had no choice but to, however, when Ruby came and sat on the bed next to her. “Well? What happened then? After you ran into the forest?”
With a heavy sigh, Melody turned fully to Ruby. “If I tell you the rest of the story, you have to give me your word you won’t share it with anyone.” She fixed her eyes intently on her friend’s face. “Please, Ruby.”
“They could put me in the stocks and pelt rotten fruit at me,” Ruby assured. “Now tell me!”
Melody took a deep breath and slowly continued telling her story. “When Bera ran into the woods, I followed until she finally stopped at a small clearing. There a figure moved in the trees and a wolf came out of the shadows towards me.” Melody’s eyes searched Ruby’s face, trying to tell what she was thinking, but her friend only gaped at her.
She went on. “The wolf moved to attack me, but before it could, another wolf, one much bigger than the one that tried to kill me, killed the first wolf and saved my life. He then told me that he was enchanted, but he said that he-”
“Wait!” Ruby cut her off with a raised hand and eyes wide. “He told you that he was enchanted? Enchanted?” she squeaked, sounding almost excited.
“Yes,” she confirmed, smiling a bit a t her friend’s reaction. “He said that he was put under a spell by an enchanter, and so was the wolf that tried to kill me.” Ruby gulped but let Melody continue. “Well, I was lost and he lead me and Bera back to the castle.”
Ruby slowly shook her head as she stared at Melody. A long moment passed and a slow smile spread across her lips. “What if,” she suggested, “he was not always a wolf but a handsome prince who angered an evil wizard, and as punishment, the sorcerer turned him into a wolf, and you are the only one who can break the spell!” She sucked in a breath, having quite run out of air after trying to get her idea out there before Melody could stop her.
“Really, Ruby? A prince?” She dryly asked. “Honestly, you and your romantic notions!” she exclaimed as she got up from the bed and went over to her wardrobe to pull out a nightgown.
“Well it is possible! You said yourself that he was enchanted,” Ruby defended herself.
“I said that he was enchanted, not a prince.”
“You never know,” Ruby uttered, earning a scoff from Melody.
Ruby had lingered a few minutes more before she had returned to her home for the night, but only after insisting that Melody tell her more about the enchanted wolf tomorrow.
And that was why Melody had been avoiding Ruby for the last two days.
Melody walked to the herb gardens and picked up a straw basket. She knelt down and started to pick herbs for the chef. Humming softly under her breath as she worked, she quickly filled up the basket. She then stood with the basket in hand and headed back to the palace to drop off the herbs for the chef. Surely Ruby would be busy elsewhere than the kitchens by now.
But it wasn’t Ruby that Melody had to worry about.
“Princess Melody,” a voice from Melody’s memories spoke behind her.
Her eyes grew suddenly wide. She ducked her head and her heartbeat quickened as she picked up her pace. As she went, the sound of footsteps closed in on her. A firm but gentle hand caught her arm and she was spun around to face Lyall Monroe.
Melody lifted her chin to feign an air of indifference as she studied him, from his rich-brown curls, to his fair complexion, over his nice clothes, and then finally settling on his shining eyes of icy-blue.
“Sir, may I ask,” she started, “why you lurk about the castle yards always insist upon sneaking up on me?” Melody tried to extract her arm from his grasp, but he didn’t let go.
“I wasn’t sneaking.” He sounded amused. “I’ve been looking for you all morning.”
Melody raised an eyebrow. “You were looking for me? As I recall, it wasn’t me who disappeared the night of the ball.”
Lyall flinched as if she had slapped him. “I wanted to apologize for that.” He slid his hand down her arm and took hold of her empty hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed her the back of it. “I am truly sorry for running away and leaving you alone to avoid that prince by yourself.”
Unbidden, a smile lifted Melody’s lips, but as she looked into the man’s eyes, the smile fell from her face and her lips twisted into a curious frown. “Why did you disappear the night of the ball?”
Lyall opened his mouth, then closed it and smiled sheepishly. He looke
d into her eyes, leaned forward, and in a lowered voice he told her, “I cannot say.”
Melody huffed and pulled her hand from his. She turned and marched back to the kitchens. “If you will excuse me, sir, I have work to do,” she called back over her shoulder, but she didn’t see him behind her. She stopped walking and turned to look for him, but he wasn’t there.
“My goodness. The man must be a phantom,” Melody muttered to herself. She turned back to the palace and ran right into Lyall’s chest. She stumbled back and dropped the basket herbs she carried.
Lyall reached out to steady her, but she swatted him away and knelt down to pick up her basket, not even bothering to retrieve the scattered herbs. When she straightened up, she squared her shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes.
“As I said, I have work to do. Good day, sir.” Melody stepped to the side to walk past Lyall. She had only taken two steps past him when Lyall’s strong hands gripped her shoulders. He spun her around to face him and, quick as a flash, he placed his hands on her neck and pressed his lips to hers.
Melody’s eyes grew wide. She struggled and tried to pull back, but he wove his fingers into her hair and deepened the kiss.
Finally, she lost her senses. Her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into him.
Her hand fell open and the basket slid from her fingers to clatter onto the ground. She brought her hands up and placed them on Lyall’s chest, clutching the front of his shirt, kissing him back.
A few moments passed and Melody finally pulled back, breathless. She laid her head against Lyall’s chest as heat creeped up her cheeks and she heard Lyall’s heart racing under her ear. He was breathing as hard as she was.
Lyall wrapped his arms around her waist, and she suddenly remembered herself and broke out of his grasp. She felt her cheeks turn red as she looked into Lyall’s flushed, grinning face. Neither of them said a word as Melody tried to clear her thoughts.
He kissed me.
“Why did you do that?” she gasped.
“Do what?” He asked innocently, but he was still smiling as he knelt down to retrieve the lost basket.
“Kiss me!” Melody yelled at him. She noticed the loudness of her outburst and quickly looked around to make sure no one heard her.
Lyall quirked an eyebrow and grinned. “As you wish.” He set the basket down and closed the space between them in a second. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she backed away in time to avoid him.
“I did not ask for you to kiss me again.” Melody stated firmly. “I wanted to know why you kissed me.”
“Because you needed it.” Lyall simply explained, though a roguish glint sparkled in his eyes. He went back to pick up the battered basket again. He then went back to Melody and held out the item with a smile he tried to keep down but couldn’t.
Melody eyed him closely as if he might strike again, but she reached out and snatched the woven handle, clutching the item closely. She was about to get out of there while she had the chance when a thought occurred to her. She stopped and tilted her head at him, pressing forward before she changed her mind. “Why were you looking for me?”
Ah, so she does care, Lyall chuckled to himself, although he didn’t let her know it. “I came into the kingdom on business, and I wanted to find you so I could properly apologize.”
Melody nodded, fidgeting with the handle of the basket. “I see. Do you live in Omrie?”
“I do. I own an estate close to the border of Omrie and Glendower.”
“An estate?” she asked. “You’re nobility?”
“Lord Lyall Monroe, at your service.” Lyall bowed at the waist to Melody, but he kept his eyes on her and watched her as she stared openly at him, her expression changing from curiosity to horror.
A nobleman? The realization quickly sank in. The things I said. How I behaved the night of the ball. With a nobleman?
She moved a slow step back and Lyall decided to leave her alone for now. I could always talk to her again later.
Melody gripped the basket tighter so she did not drop it for a third time as she took another step back from the smirking man standing still in front of her. With another retreating step, she turned on her heel and nearly ran back to the castle, leaving Lyall behind in the gardens.
When she came upon the kitchen entrance, she willed herself not to look back as she ducked inside. She closed the kitchen door firmly behind herself, then fell back against it and breathed a heavy sigh.
I hope this was the last of the surprises I receive today.
Later that evening at dinner, there were more people than normal seated at the table. At the noon meal, Monet had declared that she had an announcement to make this evening and that she wanted to hold a feast in celebration. Military officers and guests of the palace invited to the celebratory feast and now filled the seats lining the table that had long been empty these last days.
The head chef, maids, and servants were not prepared to make a meal of this size on such short notice. But the queen had requested it, so in a few short hours, the entire kitchen staff had prepared dishes of roasted meat, fresh cheeses, cakes, pies, breads, fresh fruits, and various kinds of soups for the queen’s feast.
Melody did not have much of an appetite for the fine delicacies laid out before her. She pushed a berry about on her plate with her fork as her thoughts swirled about her head considering what kind of an announcement the queen had to make.
Melody had been seated near the top of the table, and Prince Samuel had been seated directly opposite her at the other side of the table, an arrangement for which she was grateful. At least she did not have to endure his presence at her side as she had to every evening at dinner since the ball. Instead, she had been seated between a young Lady and an older Duke who was visiting the kingdom. Monet and King Cassius sat side by side at the head of the table.
The queen’s hair had been especially styled and pinned up and she wore an elaborate pale-orange dress with white beads woven onto the bodice and hem of her skirt.
Halfway through the feast, Monet stood and cleared her throat to draw the attention of her guests. Nobody noticed her. Monet looked to king Cassius and he stood as well. He cleared his throat loudly enough that a few people noticed and turned their heads to look to the royals.
More and more people grew quiet until the entire table of guests had turned their eyes to the queen and king.
“Today is a day for celebration!” King Cassius declared. “Today I have been made the happiest man in all the kingdoms, for today your beautiful queen has agreed to become my bride!”
As quickly as they had quieted down, they cheers rang out and applause arose from the guests for the royal couple.
Melody, on the other hand, grew still as her heart sank and the color drained from her face. She collapsed back in her chair and stared straight ahead unseeingly. Marriage? She replayed the announcement in her head several times and still it did not make sense. But they hardly know each other! She looked to the cheering guests and noticed Prince Samuel.
He didn’t cheer with the rest of the guests but watched her intently with a slight frown, almost as if trying to read her thoughts. Melody quickly ripped her eyes from him and looked back to the queen.
Cassius looked to Monet with a smile. Monet blushed and turned back to the guests. “The wedding is to take place in two weeks,” she announced as the hall quieted down. “And you are all invited to come!”
Something flashed across the king’s features, but he smoothed it over and a regal smile spread across his lips.
“But for tonight, let us feast!” The queen proclaimed with a gracious smile as she reclaimed her seat, followed by the king.
Melody didn’t eat another bite the rest of the meal. Instead, she glanced out the dining hall windows to view the golden and pink sunset painting the horizon. She watched until the color dwindled and the light began to fade. Finally, she sighed and looked around the table. Some of the guests had already left, and there was a group of noblew
omen seat near her were getting up to leave now. The king and queen were enthralled with one other, and Prince Samuel was in the midst of a conversation with an older gentleman he was seated next to.
Melody looked around once again to make sure nobody was watching her and saw that everyone remained occupied. Slowly, she pushed away from the table and stood as the nearby group of noblewomen abandoned their seats.
Taking her chance while she had it, Melody moved down to the group and trailed behind the women as they began to walk. With her simple, ivory dress and her hair unadorned, she was the least made up of the group but she blended in with the noblewomen very well.
She walked with her head down and they quickly came to the towering, wooden doors of the dining hall. A set of guards opened the doors for the group, and the ladies stepped out into the hall. The women turned to the right of the corridor and began going down that way, talking and giggling as they went.
Melody strayed away from the group and lingered by a suit of armor standing against the wall as the women walked down the hall and began descending a set of stairs. Left completely alone, she then turned in the opposite direction and headed straight for a shortcut she had learned about when she first came to the castle.
Melody came to a storage room piled high with crates and boxes stacked one upon the other. She then went to a spiral, wooden staircase abandoned staircase, went down it to the first level of the palace, and came to a single, wooden door that led to the gardens.
She went out the door and stepped into the fresh evening air. She made her way through the flower garden, past the fruit trees, and made it to the queen’s garden.
The sun had already set over the hills and the sky had faded to twilight. At the garden gate, Melody flipped the latch and went through, not bothering to set the latch back in its place as she wandered inside.
Her finger brushed over the velvet bud of a blooming, red rose and her mind unbidden went to thoughts of Lyall and when he kissed her earlier that day.
