She dressed in her finest, then spent the next twenty minutes struggling with her hair. The fact that she didn’t have any pins to use was a problem, but she got around it. Everyone she’d seen the last two days either had their hair down or in a low ponytail at the base of their skull. She had begun to think that was another class thing, but it could also just be that the people who had to work just found it more convenient to tie it back. She had chosen to intricately braid the top part into a crown on her head, figuring that different was better at this point. She tucked the ends in so that it wouldn’t come loose, vowing to make bobby pins if they didn’t already exist.
Vainly, she gazed in the mirror, wishing she had some sort of jewelry. She’d never been allowed to pierce her ears before, but she hadn’t seen any women here who were wearing earrings either. She was going to have to change that if it wasn’t a thing. She wouldn’t even have to wait the customary two to three weeks she’d heard people complain about, because she could just heal her ears up around the hole immediately. She grinned, realizing she’d never have to worry about an infection or even a cold. Before, she’d been terrified of getting infected, given that she had next to no immune system.
“Good as it’s going to get, I guess.” She smiled at her mostly normal appearance, then opened the door and made sure her room was locked before going downstairs. She held her head high as she entered the room, serenely walking across the room and towards Prince Will, who had stood up and was studying her with open curiosity. She stopped in front of him, greeting him softly. “Thank you for waiting, Prince Will. I’m ready now.”
He offered her his arm, which she took gracefully. “Then let’s go. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting quite this transformation. My sisters take much longer to do much less. I’m sure they’ll love this new hairstyle.”
She nodded as he opened the door, leading her through. She had paused just long enough while he was doing so to cast a smug smirk back at Britney, who looked ready to spew fire. She didn’t intend to start anything, but she refused to be a pushover. If the other girl wasn’t willing to be friendly, well, she figured she could figure out how to play dirty too. She had magic. There were probably all sorts of things she could do, and no one would be any wiser. For her sake, she hoped the girl gave up on her petty jealousy and hostility.
They made small talk as they walked through the streets, and Will was fairly helpful. He seemed to have an opinion on every shop they passed, and she quickly learned who was known for the best quality work and who had mages working there. She realized she’d been missing a discreet little symbol on the crude shop signs that designated that magic was used in the production of their wares. It was almost like a blocky M with a little circle on top connected to the middle tine. Either that or a sideways capital E with a little circle coming out of the middle left. If she looked at it another way, it was a stick figure that instead of having legs, had its super-long gorilla arms in that drooped robot position. Either way, she found it strange.
They had finally reached a part of the town she’d never been to before, coming up a hill to a giant wall and gate that she wasn’t sure how she’d missed. Given that she’d been totally preoccupied with the shops in front of her, she supposed it wasn’t too strange that she hadn’t seen it since the walls weren’t visible from where she’d been spending her time. She was trying to figure out how the walls had been put together, since they appeared to be solid stone. Turning to Will, she asked, “Were the walls made by an earth mage or something?”
He seemed surprised by her insight, then explained, “Yes. The entire palace was created by the first king, King Alfred, hundreds of years ago. He was an earth mage of extraordinary power. It’s because of him that the kingdom has grown to be what it is today.”
She nodded, staring at the walls in awe. She’d felt the power drain just from using her water magic like she had this morning. It hadn’t wiped her out, but she’d felt it. The guards looked like they were about to stop them until they recognized Will, at which point they merely saluted him respectfully. As they passed through the gray gates, she stopped, staring.
The palace itself rose majestically in front of her. It seemed to be made out of some gorgeous, glittering white rock that reflected the sunlight in a multitude of sparkles. It was blindingly beautiful, and she could only imagine what it would look like at night. Behind it was the dramatic backdrop of a giant mountain that she recognized as the one on the back of the coins. Turning to Will, she asked with a pleading puppy look, “Can you bring me back at night sometime? Is it even better?”
He laughed, seeming to relax at her plea, and it was only then she realized she’d kept a cool, cordial barrier up with him this whole time instead of letting her usual exuberance out. He had seemingly responded in kind, “I’d love to. Come on, wait until you see the inside.” He had a cute boyish smile going now, and his bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle with mirth.
He led her through the palace, which was decorated lavishly, mostly with intricate drapes, glass figurines and vases, and metal accents. The furniture was a light colored wood, and there was a lot of the decor that was done in hues of dark green that contrasted wonderfully with the whiteness, providing comfort for the eyes.
She was a little uncomfortable with the way the servants silently bowed and remained bent until they had passed out of sight. They were just people…but she supposed she would have to adapt to the customs of the world and figure out what they were before she went around trying to achieve equality.
She was also silently grateful that she’d started with a leg up and a title. As much as she respected those who worked menial jobs, she really wanted to be able to go and explore the world. She didn’t want to be stuck in some dead-end job. This was her chance to live, and she was extraordinarily thankful that she had the advantages she’d been given.
They stopped in front of some elaborate doors, and the guards there bobbed in brief bows. Will politely provided them with her name, and when they opened the doors, one of them announced loudly to the room, “Presenting Prince Will and Lady Jade.”
Steeling her nerves, she tightened her hold on his arm almost imperceptibly, held her head high, and with a serene indifference she was totally faking, she walked into the room with Will to meet his father, the king.
Chapter Eighteen – Royalty
It was a much smaller room than she had been expecting. She had speculated she was being led into some giant throne room from the whole getting announced thing, but no, she had entered what appeared to be a family sitting room with a brunch table set up along the wall. Granted, the decorations were far beyond fancy and had trod into the territory of downright extravagant.
No, what surprised her was the family sitting around chatting and who had all now turned to stare at them. She was confronted by seven heads of platinum blonde hair and intense blue eyes. Hitler would be proud. Two of them were noticeably older than the rest, around middle age. She figured they were the king and queen, and the other five were quite obviously Will’s siblings. With her dark brown hair and green eyes, she stuck out like the sorest of thumbs.
Will was oblivious to the fact that her legs felt wooden, pulling her forward to meet his family as the doors closed behind them. Of note was that they’d let her into the room without any guards or servants inside. It was literally just the royal family and her. She wondered if they were simply that unwary of her, but then she surveyed the room a little more closely.
The king and queen might be middle-aged, but they were very, very fit. Every single one of the family members was the same, even the two daughters. She could see the tiny telltale bulges under their clothes of concealed weapons, and several of the men were openly wearing their swords. So it wasn’t that they didn’t discount her as a potential threat, it was just that they were the cream of the crop and had probably been through some pretty strenuous training so that they could protect themselves and each other.