by Shelby Hild
“I’m here because I was chosen,” she repeated slowly. “And because it is my duty to both myself and my country to see if, perhaps, I could be a good match for Prince Aiden.” Vivilyn saw in her mind the prince climbing up the tree, yelling at his brother, his hair glistening in the moonlight. “I’m here to see if we can complement each other in a way that could be useful to keep this country moving forward in the peace we’ve known for so long. What better reason could there be?”
Was it Vivilyn’s imagination that Bryton’s smile faded slightly when she said peace? It had to be.
“Duty,” he said. “That’s the reason you choose?” This was a test. Vivilyn could tell. Was duty a proper answer?
“If I were to say any other reason,” she said, “it wouldn’t be as accurate. I was raised to respect those above my station, never really hoping to rise much higher. Not any higher than being able to own the family home and shop anyway. I’m...” She paused and took another sip of the wine, schooling her expression to avoid showing her distaste for the drink. “I’m not like most of these women here. These are women who were raised in hopes their names would be chosen. I was raised knowing I would have to work hard and fight for everything I have. Being chosen wasn’t even on my mind.
“So, yes, duty is why I’m here. Duty and loyalty to this kingdom, to the people, and to myself to see if this is something good.” Vivilyn stared directly at him, challenging him to say she was lying. She imagined it was her brother instead of Prince Bryton and they were fighting over doing a chore.
The prince broke eye contact first.
“Thank you, Lady Vivilyn,” he said. “You’ve given me something to think about. I shall see you at the Choosing Ceremony.” He looked down thoughtfully at the glass of wine.
Vivilyn knew a dismissal when she heard one. She would have recognized that one even if she hadn’t been through hours and hours of etiquette training from Malcolm. She stood, curtseyed to the prince, and backed up a few steps. The prince was so lost in thought, he didn’t notice Vivilyn move. She backed up a few more steps, before judging she was far enough from the prince to turn around.
As Adontus approached with the next young lady trailing behind him, he lightly touched Vivilyn’s arm as if in sympathy.
Vivilyn smiled shakily before returning to her seat.
Chapter 11
“You did great,” Darissa said as they were released from the tables after the last of the 40 finished meeting with Prince Bryton.
“It wasn’t what I was expecting,” Vivilyn said as they exited the room to reunite with their managers. Jolene and Marisol waved goodbye as Louise gave a quick hug to Darissa and smiled at Vivilyn.
Malcolm and Craig, Darissa’s manager, stood whispering to each other near the back of the crowd.
“Funny seeing you with her,” an icy voice said above the crowd.
“Brayleigh,” Darissa turned and smiled. “How was brunch for you?”
Vivilyn turned and saw the blonde who’d called her a peasant earlier.
“More pleasant than it likely was for you.” Brayleigh leaned her head back while she looked Vivilyn over like she smelled something unpleasant. “I didn’t have to endure the company of someone like her.”
Vivilyn felt her cheeks grow warm.
“Brayleigh,” another girl said, approaching the small group. “I hear Prince Aiden will be riding one of his horses through the gardens this—” She seemed to just notice Vivilyn and Darissa’s presence.
“Let’s go,” Brayleigh ordered. “And if you remember who your real friends are, Rissa, you can join us.” The two girls turned to go.
“Maybe peasant is catching,” the other girl said, just loudly enough for the four of them to hear. “Dar—"
“Don’t,” Brayleigh said shortly. “Don’t you continue that thought about her.”
Vivilyn watched the other girl recoil from Brayleigh’s words as though she’d hit her with them. Brayleigh and the other woman walked away whispering to each other without another word to Vivilyn or Darissa.
“She’ll come around,” Darissa said as they both turned to continued walking to their managers.
Vivilyn shook her head, unsure if she should respond. Despite what Lady Brayleigh said, Vivilyn was not a peasant. Etilidus didn’t have peasants, at least not like the history books mentioned. Sure, her family wasn’t of Rank, but they were on the verge of owning their own shop.
“We should go for a walk later,” Darissa exclaimed as soon as they reached Malcolm and Craig. “The sun should be shining all day, and soon there won’t be many pretty days like this.” She looked over at Vivilyn with a large smile on her face, “What do you say?”
Vivilyn looked at Malcolm for a second, and when he shrugged, she said, “That would be lovely.”
Darissa held onto Vivilyn’s arm as they walked back to their rooms, rattling on about how pretty the gardens were in spring and how the head gardener let her follow him when she was younger and showed her all the prettiest flowers.
“I’ll meet you right here in an hour,” she said as she opened her door and twirled inside.
The cameraman who’d been following them the whole time stopped and set the camera down as Vivilyn entered her own room.
Someone had made her bed and organized her art supplies in the corner of the room. The clean scent of lemon pervaded the room. Vivilyn yawned as she looked at the bed. If she had an hour, that was a perfect amount of time for a nap.
“We only have an hour to get you ready for the outdoors,” Malcolm said as Andrea and Fiona came out of the bathroom with arms full of towels and other dirty clothes. Vivilyn couldn’t recall having used so much clothing and briefly wondered where all of it came from.
“Ladies, where are Nell and Tia?” Malcom asked.
“They were supposed to get these cleaned, but we haven’t seen them for a few hours, since not too long after you left.” Andrea dropped the clothing on the floor with a huff. “When they get back—”
“When they get back, then I will discuss with them the importance of being available at a moment’s notice if they wish to continue on Lady Vivilyn’s team. We didn’t anticipate an appointment—”
“An appointment? Lady Darissa just invited me to go on a walk in the gardens.”
“An appointment already?” Andrea said, turning away from the pile of dirty clothes to the armoire. “You say to the gardens?” Andrea and Malcolm started speaking quietly before moving to the armoire to search for an outfit for Vivilyn. For a moment Vivilyn thought about asking if she could help determine what she would wear. It was just a trip to a garden, nothing fancy. Instead, she gazed longingly at the bed.
It’ll take them time to figure everything out, she thought as she covered a yawn.
Vivilyn took three steps over to the bed and laid down on top of the blankets.
“Oh no, my Lady,” Fiona said, coming over to her. “You can’t mess up your hair.”
“The wind will mess my hair up once we are outside,” Vivilyn said, but she let Fiona pull her into a sitting position. “What difference will it make if it gets messed up in here?”
“This will be perfect,” Andrea said as she pulled out a pair of black pants and a flowy green shirt. She handed them to Vivilyn who immediately went into the bathroom to change clothes. The tight pants made Vivilyn feel more confined than anything so far. On the other hand, the shirt was very loose, and the sleeves had cutouts shaped like flowers near her shoulders.
As soon as she finished changing clothes, she walked back out to see Andrea and Malcolm arguing over two pairs of shoes.
“They don’t make sense for the occasion,” Andrea said.
“Heels don’t make sense for any situation, but that doesn’t stop people from wearing them,” Malcolm said.
“I doubt she’s ever worn them before,” Andrea said.
“All the more reason for her to wear them now,” Malcolm said as he picked the shoes up. He turned to Vivilyn. “You’ll hav
e to learn to wear them at some point.”
He handed her a pair of nude colored shoes. On the bottom were at least six-inch heels.
“Guess we’re not even going to ease her into them,” Andrea said, rolling her eyes as Vivilyn sat down and began to slide her feet into the shoes.
Someone knocked on the door.
“It can’t have been an hour already,” Malcolm said as he glared at the door. Vivilyn stood, somewhat off balance in her new shoes.
Fiona moved over to the door and opened it to Darissa already talking and stepping into the room. The cameraman followed close behind her. Andrea rapidly stood in front of the pile of laundry in what Vivilyn assumed was an attempt to hide it.
“—and then I heard that it’s probably going to rain later, so I thought maybe we can leave earlier and miss the rain.” She had changed outfits as well, now wearing a flowing brown dress with a lavender bow in her hair.
“I like your dress,” Vivilyn said. She reached a hand out almost as if to touch it because it looked so soft. As she pulled her hand back, Darissa lifted the bottom of the dress.
“Thank you,” Darissa said. “Feel it! It’s softer than a chick’s down.” Vivilyn couldn’t think of a better description for the material. Darissa leaned forward and lowered her voice as though she was telling a secret, “And it has pockets.”
“No!” Vivilyn exclaimed and laughed.
“Yes! See?” Darissa pulled her pockets inside-out, revealing three bags of different snacks hidden within.
As Darissa and Vivilyn turned to the door, both Craig and Malcolm moved to follow them.
“Oh,” Darissa said, her smile dimming slightly in what Vivilyn assumed was the closest thing to a frown Darissa could manage. “I was kind of hoping that it could just be Vivilyn and me. Of course, you’re invited if you’d like to join us, but…”
“They will be going to meet with someone,” Andrea said, pushing both men past the two young ladies and out the door. “You know, to figure out how many women we are still waiting for.”
“But—” Malcolm and Craig both started arguing at the same time. Andrea continued to push them forward, muttering something to them Vivilyn couldn’t hear. They did start moving of their own accord.
“Stay on the solid paths,” Andrea advised. “If you venture into the dirt, you could get injured.” As the two women left the room, Vivilyn heard Andrea mutter, “Idiotic men. Who wears high heels to a garden?”
With Darissa’s sure steps, it took the two of them (and the cameraman) no time at all to reach a door that led outside. It was at the end of a long hallway, well-lit by the large row of windows on the right wall. More light shined through a glass door. Gazing through the glass, Vivilyn saw they were on the same side of the building as the greenhouse. It stood in the distance, practically a palace itself.
They exited the palace into a small garden that was surrounded by a mesh material Vivilyn had never seen before.
Vivilyn saw strawberries and blueberries. She could smell freshly harvested mint and parsley. Although she knew her mother had never set foot in this place, the smell and look of it reminded her so strongly of Suzetta, she could almost see her mother tending to one of the large lavender plants in the corner.
“I never particularly liked the smell in here,” Darissa was saying as they continued on. “The mesh keeps bugs out, though, which is grand early- to mid-summer.”
They reached the outer edge of the garden and Darissa pulled a latch on the door to exit the garden. It opened without even the slightest squeak.
The feel of the sun on Vivilyn’s skin was warm, but not hot. A heavy humidity hit them as soon as they stepped beyond the mesh. Vivilyn lifted a hand to the rough material, confused as to how it could hold out the humidity. She’d never seen anything like it.
“Close your eyes,” Darissa said. She was practically shaking with what Vivilyn hoped was excitement. So Vivilyn did what was asked. She closed her eyes.
Darissa led her forward carefully, only causing Vivilyn to run into something twice. Vivilyn’s feet skimmed the top of the small sidewalk as they made their way forward.
The breeze moved Vivilyn’s hair, bringing with it a sharp scent of earth and trees. She stumbled slightly as her right heel caught on something, but Darissa didn't let her fall.
“Okay,” Darissa said. “You can open your eyes.”
Vivilyn did as instructed. In front of her were steps that moved in slight layers down to the greenhouse. To each side of the steps were rectangles of different foliage and from the edge of the left side flowing down beyond the greenhouse was a small stream. Vivilyn kneeled next to one of the rectangles and felt the soft and strongly smelling mint plants, then moved to another and saw the bright colors of yarrow. All around her, Vivilyn saw the same plants in one small section of her mother’s personal garden, just in mass quantities.
“Peppermint, valerian, feverfew, yarrow, chamomile, echinacea, lavender, marigolds, garlic, cloves, rue, sage, riverroot, chives—” Vivilyn listed off each plant as she pointed to it. “—and… are those wimpering trees?” Vivilyn saw the low hanging branches that were like the willowing trees near the streams in her home.
“Yes,” Darissa said. Darissa’s smile seemed to grow brighter as Vivilyn examined the garden. “This is the garden Princess Elissa and her husband created together during her Trials.”
“It’s all medicinal,” Vivilyn said as she straightened up. The wind picked up even more as they walked slowly down the shallow steps.
“They talked about how having a useful garden is much better than having a pretty garden,” Darissa said. “It’s one of the things they bonded over. They are both very practical people.”
“Well, they created a useful and pretty garden.”
The two of them walked around the gardens while Darissa talked about anything that seemed to pop into her head, including the way the leaves sometimes made her sneeze, the bees that generally lazed about the flowers, how she loved the color of pollen as it collected on bees, and how she once got stuck in a mud pit nearby. Vivilyn listened and added a few words here and there, but her presence didn’t seem necessary for Darissa. That was something that reminded Vivilyn of Maia back home.
Lightning flashed in the distance above trees.
“We should go back inside,” Darissa said, “before it starts raining.” She turned slightly, back towards the meshed garden they walked out of. Before Vivilyn could respond, a loud clomp-clomping sound began to approach. From the other side of the garden, three horses came galloping towards them.
Prince Aiden leaned forward on the horse in the front and he turned to skirt the edge of the garden, barely missing one of the bordering trees. As quickly as they came into view, they disappeared behind the greenhouse. The sound of thunder blared into Vivilyn’s ears just seconds before the sky turned from a light gray to almost black. The wind picked up even more, causing Vivilyn to sway on her heels.
Vivilyn looked over at Darissa.
“Go,” Vivilyn said loudly enough to be heard over the wind before looking up at the sky. “I think I’ll stay out in the storm a bit.”
“But you’ll get sick,” Darissa said, reaching one hand up to gently touch Vivilyn’s shoulder.
“I’ve been out in storms before,” Vivilyn said as the first few drops began to fall. “I’ve never gotten sick from it.” She reached her arms out wide, feeling the cool moisture hit her cheeks and her wrists.
Darissa looked over at the door again then back at Vivilyn once more before running back into the palace. As Darissa ran, Vivilyn saw the cameraman who’d been following them debating with himself who to follow as his camera switched between Vivilyn and Darissa. He stayed with Vivilyn.
Thunder and lightning colored the sky in a show that only nature could create. Vivilyn hoped to one day accurately paint a storm.
She reached down and took off her heels. Holding the shoes in one hand, Vivilyn twirled in the rain. It didn’t matter to her that
her hair was completely soaked or that her clothing stuck to skin as she spun. For a moment, Vivilyn wondered if it was raining back in Treelyn.
Then as though a switch had been flipped, the rain started coming down much harder. Despite the cameraman following her every movement, Vivilyn felt alone for what felt like the first time in forever, despite having not been at the palace for very long yet. A weight she hadn’t realized was there lifted.
Laughing, Vivilyn ran towards the greenhouse. It was the closest door she could see. Lightning flared in the sky directly above Vivilyn as she entered the greenhouse.
It was hot and humid inside, but the smell of freshly moved earth filled Vivilyn’s nose. As she watched the storm move overhead, Vivilyn saw the stream from the garden she’d been walking through grow and turn into a slight waterfall as it moved down each of the small steps.
The cameraman set his camera on an open table to wipe his face.
Another door slammed open and then closed, rapidly followed by the sound of laughter.
Vivilyn sighed. She was no longer alone.
Thunder vibrated the whole building. The glass walls shook as though they shivered in the wind.
“Lady Vivilyn,” the cameraman spoke to her for the first time. “We shouldn’t be here while they are.” He whispered, but the small noise attracted the newcomers.
Every time I'm finally able to relax, the princes show up, Vivilyn thought to herself as the three men appeared, walking around a display rack of seedlings.
“Lady Vivilyn,” Prince Aiden swept into a deep bow. “What a pleasant surprise meeting you here.” Vivilyn looked up at him. The rain caused his copper hair to darken to almost the color of the sky as the sun rises after a heavy storm in the night.
“What are you doing here?” Prince Ethan said. His glare seemed slightly silly as water dripped from his hair over his left eye.
“Prince Aiden,” she curtseyed, “Prince Ethan and…” She hesitated. Although she recognized the other gentleman with them, she couldn’t quite place him.
“Colin,” he said, his voice was deep and rumbled almost like the thunder. “Princess Elissa is my wife.” As he spoke, Vivilyn’s vision grew hazy.
