My Reverse Fairytale

Chapter 2: A Royal Meeting

"Miss Fields, we have arrived," a young man said after pulling open the carriage door, a different man than the one who had taken me from Crosston.

I placed my palm in his, gently stepping out of the carriage. I attempted at gulping down my anticipation, trying to ignore the dryness that had taken over my throat. My legs ached from the cramped position I had been frozen in as my feet hit the soil of the earth. The journey had been hours long, and regardless how much of it I had spent staring blindly out the window, I still hadn't the slightest idea of where I stood.

"Follow me," the guard said, not bothering to wait for my compliance before he started for the gate.

And I did comply. My eyes seemed glued to the massive structure before us, made of stone with gold trimmings and décor. A castle? The biggest home I had ever seen was that of my own, Lady Adeney’s, but I knew it was nothing compared to larger cities. Yet I could not be sure what stood before me, except for that its extravagance was like nothing I had seen before.

I walked behind him, leaving a small distance between us as we entered through the tall gates. My eyes flickered to the ground in hopes of avoiding the awaiting guards' eyes, but they stared anyways. After what seemed like another endless journey down corridor after corridor, the man stopped in front of a white door. He grabbed the handle and pushed it open before stepping to the side to allow my entrance. My feet seemed to dominate my brain, because without hesitation I stood in the center of the room. It seemed to be a dressing room, like the one the owner of my quarters would use to house her elegant gowns and golden jewelry.

My eyes ventured from the extravagance to the young woman standing next to the closet on the far wall. She couldn't have been older than twenty, her oval face shaped by flowing strawberry blonde hair, her appearance completed by a snow white dress. The man who had played as my escort nodded at her and left the room. The door closed quietly behind him.

"What a polite young man. However, it seems that all of them don't say much, well," she stifled a laugh, "I'm not quite sure exactly what they would say."

My eyes followed her as she took a few steps across the room, her glance falling on the array of gowns.

"Ma'am," I managed to get the word out before her light voice spoke up again.

"You may call me Beth." Her smile was large, almost seeming too kind for a simple greeting. "I will be your right-hand maiden for the next few days."

My cheeks puffed out like a bumble bee had just ended its life for the sole pleasure of stinging the inside of my mouth. "The next few days?"

The woman's, Beth's, smile faded. She let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head as if to dizzy herself. She fingered the pocket of her dress, "I was under the impression that that would not be news you have not yet heard, my dear. Apparently they do not find sharing information a common courtesy, which, in my opinion, it should be."

Despite my growing confusion, the awkwardness seemed to slowly drift away with every word that Beth spoke. I took a step towards her, feeling somewhat out of place in my filthy maid outfit.

"Will you?” My voice was shaky. “I mean, share information?"

She walked closer to me, her eyes flicking up and down my body, like she was assessing each curve and every inch to see which outfit would look best on me.

"My darling," she grinned, "Some information is better left unknown."

I sank my teeth into my tongue, enjoying the bitter pain that came with it. For the first time, I was thankful that I did not have a family or a home to miss.

"Come," she said before turning to walk over to the dozens of dresses sitting beautifully on golden hangers.

I inched forwards slowly, waiting for her to continue. Beth hesitated for a moment before reaching out to grab a white dress made of silk. She held it up to me, the gems sparkling in my eyes. The bottom flowed out in a train behind me. She crinkled her nose as if it was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen. I couldn't help but gasp. Noticing this, Beth gave another smile, "Do not be amazed by disapproval. Only the best stands in this place."

I sank back into my thoughts. This place. My mind flipped back to my arrival, suddenly remembering staring at the golden lamps in the halls, marvelling at the paintings with women wearing dozens of pearls, and walking along the long corridors lined with gold and silver. I was in a castle, but which castle? The King's castle? No. What would the odds of that be? Why would they take a young, hopeless little maid to the biggest castle in all of the land?

Reality rushed back to me as Beth held another gown against my front. This one a soft pink, layered with a floral pattern. My stomach heaved in disgust. It was hard to hide my hatred for the colour. It was a soft colour, one for the rich and the fortunate, one that only the high class girls wore with their snob noses high and their riches practically dripping from their skin.

"No?" Beth asked, seeing my dissatisfied expression.

"Not pink."

She smiled, which I realized I would be seeing a lot, and she hung the dress back up. After what seemed like far too many dresses to try on at once, I stood in front of a long mirror. Incapable of recognizing the seventeen-year-old in the reflection, I put a hand to my waist to reassure myself that yes; it was indeed my tiny form standing in the gown.

The dark blue material cascaded down my skin, tiny gems scattering the silk as if to represent stars on a night sky. Reaching the bottom of the dress, it flowed out in a train, as if capping it all off with clouds. I wanted to look at Beth, wanted to smile at her and whisper a thank you, but my eyes seemed glued to my own reflection. Completely awestruck at how Beth had managed to turn a peasant into a... princess. Yes. A princess. At that I let out a little laugh. An orphaned maid from the tiny town of Crosston, standing in a castle dressed like a princess.

My smile finally came, and Beth helped me slip into a pair of silver shoes to complete the outfit. She slicked my dark hair back into a low ponytail, letting it fall over my shoulder and down to my waist.

"I think we did a fine job," she placed her hands on my shoulders. A smile, a new one, now pulled at her thin lips. "You are ready."

I turned to her, over-exaggerating it so that the silk slapped against my legs.

"Ready for what?" I asked. Beth opened the door, gesturing for me to exit first. I waited for her to lead, waiting for her to answer the question still hanging in the air. "Beth?"

She laughed a light, airy, childish laugh. "You are going to meet the prince."

The prince. She said it like I was about to meet a famous dog. The prince. The King's son. The heir to the throne. The man that women everywhere could only dream of meeting. Whatever labels he carried, Beth said the phrase like it wasn't something to go ballistic over. But it was. It was the Prince!

Gathering my composure seemed an impossible task, and I felt as if I had only achieved half of it as we turned down another corridor. A man stood in a blue suit, the King's crest pinned to his chest. Beth placed her hand on my shoulder once again, kissed my cheek, and pushed me off towards the man. I followed him, my anticipation unmistakable.

The guard said nothing as we approached a large door. He only gave a hard push, and a deep sound broke the undisturbed silence as it swung open slowly, sending my anticipation into a frenzy.

I stepped into the room, a very large one at that, and became overwhelmed by the bright colours. Huge golden chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, flaming candles licked the air, and expensive dishes lined the long tables overflowing with biscuits, tea, and any rich food I could only have imagined sinking my teeth into. But I quickly ignored all of the extravagance as I settled my eyes on the most handsome man in all of the land.

The Prince.

My curtsy was nervous and clumsy, and I already began to curse myself as I glanced the Prince up and down. A lavish navy blue surcoat fit nicely to his body, topped with a dark grey cloak. Jet black hair fell messily, but with class, over his forehead and was pushed to one side, brightly revealing his golden brown eyes. He smiled at me, and I was helpless to do anything but smile back.

"Janice Fields, I present you to Prince Carter Jackson," a man said. I was unsure which one, and at the time I didn't think I could have cared less.

I nodded, waiting for him to flash me that alluring, perfect smile once again, but it never came. He had another expression on his face, one that didn't reek of happiness. It was more confusion, a befuddled look spreading across his chiseled jaw and flattering lips.

His shimmering eyes glanced past me, and I turned to follow his gaze. With a velvet robe covering his plump body, a man strode towards us. A glum, powerful expression covered his face. The King. He had an evil aura that seemed to follow him with every step, one that forced people to bite their tongues and shrink their shoulders.

"Miss Fields," he said, his venomous voice addressing me.

I curtsied again, this one a little better than the first. "Sir Jackson."

His lips pulled up into an evil grin. He lifted his hand, gesturing harshly to one of his servants. The servant hobbled forward, pulling out a piece of paper where he began to read off of it in a shaky voice, "Miss Janice Fields, maid of Crosston, house of Lady Adeney, and Sir Carter Jackson, Prince of all the land, son of King Caillot Jackson. I announce in the King's approval your engagement."

My gaze remained on the servant, letting his words sink into my skull. Engagement? What the heavens did that mean? What engagement? Then the words seemed to piece together heavily, like rocks had started falling from the ceiling. Another man stepped forwards with a pillow lying flat in shaking hands. Two rings sat elegantly atop the cushion.

My breath caught, and I continued to feel completely and utterly confused until the golden ring was slid onto my finger. I glanced up at Prince Carter, waiting for any expression resembling understand to adorn his face. Instead, the colour flushed from his cheeks, and I saw that he was having troubles breathing as well.

"Father," he said, lacking the charm that had swept me off my feet at the start.

"My son, you will marry this fine young woman and she will become the new Queen," the King said, a proud, still powerful, expression on his face.

My heart sank. Me? A princess? Married to Prince Carter? In line to be Queen?

"Father, she's just a peasant," Carter tried. My body seemed to flinch from his words, now stinging from the knives that came with his statement.

"Understanding is beyond your years, my son. Your wedded bond will unite the Kingdom, the rich and the poor. You will wed her in seven days' time," the King nodded to his guard. "Take her to her room."

I let the man take my arm, too stunned to conjure up any sort of protest. He led me down corridor after corridor, the walls blurring together as my eyes welled with tears.

In seven days I would be a princess in line for the crown. In seven days I would be married to Prince Carter. In seven days I would be living in the castle as royalty. In seven days my life would not be the life as I had always known it to be.