Tethered By Fate

Chapter One

“Hold still, child!  Queen Cara is expecting to see how your gown fits before the ball!”

“But… oh!”

The young girl’s foot caught on the drapery that framed a rather magnificent looking window.  In an attempt to observe the scenic view below, she’d inched her way on tippy toe as close as she dared under the watchful, disapproving eye of the seasoned lady in waiting.  Rei was known for trying the castle staff’s patience.  Her impulsive nature and need for adventure seemed, more often than not, to land her in hot water, and she had quite the knack for finding trouble, intentional or otherwise.  She grasped at the window sill as she began to slip.  The stout, elderly woman released her grip on the girl’s chestnut tresses and roughly set her upright before she completely toppled them both.

“Stubborn girl!  Now, look what you’ve done!  I’ll have to start the braid all over again!  Here.  Now sit in this chair and don’t move!”

The maid gripped her arm and dragged her over to the stately vanity that graced the corner of the room.  Rei rolled her eyes and let out a flustered huff as she plopped into the cushioned seat, gritting her teeth in great displeasure.

“I don’t see why I have to do this now.  The ball isn’t for another fortnight!”

“That’s hardly any time to make alterations or add embellishments should the queen deem it necessary.”

“But, why can’t we do this later?  Please, Adelaide?  I want to go play with the boys!”

“Refined ladies do not ‘play with the boys.’  They make themselves presentable for court, are prim, and keep their manners in check… and they do not argue with the orders of their queen.”

Rei let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Fine… but just so you know, I am not enjoying myself.  I have strong convictions, and I think being ‘refined’ is boring...”

“Your devout apathy has been duly noted, my lady.”

Adelaide tugged none too gently at her charge’s hair in an attempt to keep the girl’s head from constantly bobbing about.  Rei, in return, loudly protested the woman’s effort.

“Ow!  Hey!  That hurt!”

“It wouldn’t hurt if you’d quit your fidgeting.  Or perhaps you’d have preferred me to twist a rope with these untamed locks of yours and pull you up from the ground after you’d gone sailing out that window.”

The lady was as skilled with her sharp-tongued quips as she was deft with her fingers.

“This is ridiculous.  I thought I was meant to try on the dress, not have my hair pulled and plucked from my head!  Ow!”

“Hush now!  A proper fitting wouldn’t be complete without a complimenting coiffure… and we’ll have to do something about your face too.”

“My face?  What’s wrong with my face?”

“Nothing, dear.  You have the countenance of an angel.  What a shame your disposition is not as saintly.”

“Well, perhaps I- ow!”

“Apologies, my lady.  You were saying?”

If one didn’t know any better, they might have sworn there was a glint of enjoyment in Adelaide’s eye as she pulled taut more strands of Rei’s hair.

“Perhaps I’d have a more agreeable disposition if you weren’t so insistent on scalping me!  Honestly, must you yank so roughly?  I can hardly blink; my eyebrows feel as though they’ve been stretched past my temples!”

“Yes, yes.  Beauty is pain, and the privileged must suffer greatly to achieve it.  You can spare the dramatics, child.  Now, hold still.  Only a few more pins, then your scalp will be free of torture.”

“Liam never has to do anything like this…”

“Prince William is not a lady.  And if he were, I can’t imagine he’d be as difficult as you when it’s time to be cleaned and groomed.  He knows how to stay still and keep his mouth shut.”

“Pfft.  Perhaps it’s better to be born a boy then.  This is entirely unfair…”

“Lady Reinette…”

“Rei!  I want to be called Rei, Adelaide.  It’s what Liam always calls me, and I like it much better than Reinette.  Rei suits me.  That’s what Liam says.”

“Hmmm.  Alright.  Lady Rei.  If you don’t stop squirming this instant, I’m going to tie your bow sash to the chair and pin your feet to the floor!”

Rei scrunched her nose and stuck out her tongue as she glared at the woman behind her in the mirror.  Adelaide pretended not to notice.

“There.  Now, was that really so bad?”

“Yes.  Positively horrid.”

“Oh, never mind, you.  It’s time to paint your face.”

“I do not wish to be greased up like some tacky court jester.”

“Nonsense.  You just need a little bit of color to accentuate your features!”

“Because the dress and hair aren’t burdensome enough…”

Adelaide ignored the girl's complaint and rummaged through the many vials and containers that sat on the vanity.  Humming to no particular tune, she finally picked one up and smiled.

“Ah, now this should do nicely.  We should only need a tiny bit of rouge for your cheeks.  Smile wide for me, dear.”

Rei reluctantly feigned a grin as Adelaide applied the color before squeezing the apples of Rei’s cheeks between her fingers.

“Ow!  What did you pinch them for?”

“Just to make sure they’re natural rosiness blends in with the rouge.  Now, vermillion’s next.  Close your mouth so I can tint your lips.”

Rei crossed her arms and pouted, to nobody’s dismay. Adelaide carried on with her work, unfazed by the girl’s expressions of dissatisfaction.

“Ah, see there?  You’re looking livelier already!  You’ll be sure to turn heads at court!”

“Wonderful.  I think I’d rather die.  Making appearances at court is stupid.”

“Pish-posh.  You are the future consort to the heir apparent of Aurelia.  You’ll have a lifetime of appearances to make and attention to grab.  You’d be wise to start getting used to it now, my lady.  You can’t go scampering off to hide every time there’s a crowd.”

“I don’t see why not.  Liam would let me.  He’d come with me too.  He always lets me do what I want.”

“There are some lines even a king cannot allow himself to cross, I’m afraid.  Stepping out on royal and political engagements, for one, is highly frowned upon.”

“Well… that’s just… stupid.”

“So you’ve said.  Look up and relax your eyelids.  I need to line your eyes with the kohl.”

“Ugh.  Do I have to?”

“The sooner you start cooperating and stop complaining, the sooner you can model yourself for her majesty and we can get you washed up and into more appropriate attire.  The king and queen have guests arriving soon and they’ll be joining you for dinner.”

“Guests?  Who?”

“A general and his son, I believe.  From the neighboring kingdom of Veriscant.”

“What’s he a general of?  Do they have names?  What do they look like?  How old is the son?  Why are they coming in the first place?”

“For heaven’s sake, girl!  You blather more than a babbling brook!  A lady does not spout off words so freely, nor does she ask so many questions!”

“Well, then, what can a lady do?!  Nothing, apparently!  Might as well just lock me up now, since it doesn’t seem to matter what I want to do.”

“Sass.  I’m beginning to believe you’ve made a pact with the devil himself to drive me to madness!”

“You, mad?!  I’m going mad just waiting for answers to my questions!  What’s wrong with wanting to know things?  Why can’t you just tell me who they are and why they’re here?”

“Very well.  I give up.  But take heed of this, my dear, little Rei.  Curiosity is a dangerous game to play at.  Now.  I do not know what he is a general of.  But a general is a general, so I hardly think it matters.  And of course, they have names, silly girl.  Everyone does.  It is not my place to know such details.  I haven’t the faintest idea of what they look like or the age of his son.  I assume he’s here on private business between him and the king and queen.  Does that satisfy your curiosity enough, my lady?”

“Not really… but I suppose it’ll have to do… for now.  Maybe I’ll ask Samuel in the kitchen.  He always has the latest gossip.”

“Mind what I told you before, young lady.  I’m quite serious.  It is not polite to ask so many questions about the official affairs of their majesties, lady or not.  You must remember to hold your tongue and only speak if you are spoken to.  The general is a military dignitary, not a casual acquaintance for you to pester, do you understand?”

“Yes…”

“And I trust you’ll be on your best behavior this evening?”

“Yes, Adelaide, I will…”

“I mean it, Rei.  You must give a good impression.  Don’t go chewing on the bones at dinner, and no slurping the soup, either.  You mustn’t disgrace their majesties in front of honored guests.”

“I know, I know!  I’m not a child!”

Adelaide clucked her tongue at that.

“Hmm.  Some would say otherwise.”

“Really, Adelaide.  I promise.  No bones or soup.  And I won’t lick my fingers or belch out loud, and I’ll take small bites and keep my hands in my lap.  I’ll be on my very best behavior, cross my heart!”

“There’s a good girl.  Alright.  You’re all finished.  Better clear off the vanity and take you to the queen’s chambers for inspection.”

As Adelaide turned her attention to tidying up, Rei jumped out of her chair and reached for one of the vials.

“Here, I can help with that… oops!”

“Good heavens, child!”

Adelaide gasped in horror as dark blue ink seeped into the ornate rug that laid before the vanity.  Rei gave her a sheepish look.

“Sorry, Adelaide.  It slipped from my grasp.  I can clean it up.”

Adelaide shook her head vigorously, then began to push Rei towards the door in a hasty manner.

“No, no!  I think you’ve helped enough for one day.  You go to the queen and let her look you over and I’ll go fetch what I need to clean this up.  I just hope it doesn’t set in too quickly.  It’ll be an awful stain and ruin the carpet!”

“Are you sure?  I can stay…”

“Yes, I’m sure!  Be gone with you now.  The queen is waiting.”

“I am very sorry.  Truly, I am.”

“I believe you, now, go on.  Shoo, shoo, shoo!”

Rei bit her lip and walked out of the room, looking back with apologetic eyes every few steps.  Adelaide let out a long sigh and shuffled out the door in the opposite direction to retrieve the necessary cleaning supplies.  She was muttering under her breath in a language Rei could not understand.  Rei kept a steady pace through the corridor, then paused at the top of the main set of stairs.  It was a grand double staircase that led into the great foyer of the castle.  She lingered on the landing for a moment, taking a sudden and intent fascination with the ornate chandelier hanging symmetrically between the two stairways, over the foyer.  Adelaide’s voice and echoing footsteps had dissipated.

Rei leisurely looked around the corridors for any other souls nearby.  Once she was sure she was no longer in view or earshot of anyone, she impishly grinned and skipped down the stairs to the right.  She raced through the foyer and was soon bounding out a side entrance just off the courtyard.  She was going to meet up with Liam and find out whatever she could about the mysterious guests that were coming to visit.  Cara would forgive her for not showing up right away, and she could be careful in a gown.  It’s not like she actually intended to play… she would entertain herself by watching the boys for a while.  Just for a bit, she promised herself.  Then she would return to Cara.  She probably wouldn’t even be missed for a while.  Besides, what harm was a little “break” after enduring more than half an hour of Adelaide fussing over her?

Rei gathered her skirts in her fists and ran across the drawbridge, veering off to the left towards the old ruins where she knew the boys would be.  It had once been the site of a small monastery, built before the castle.  Liam’s uncle, Sir Marcus, would tell them stories when he visited.  Rei’s favorite was the tale of a beautiful queen who fell in love with a young knight.  She and the knight secretly married in a monastery similar to this one.  The queen tragically died during childbirth, leaving the knight heartbroken.  She had borne twins, a boy and a girl, and they survived the perilous labor.  The knight tried to have hope, but he couldn’t bear to look upon the faces of his children, for they only reminded him of his true love lost.  In a fit of rage, he destroyed the monastery and fled, abandoning the poor babes to an uncertain fate.  They were eventually separated and placed with good families.  The girl was adopted by royals and remained a princess.  The boy grew up to be a knight like his father.  They were reunited with one another after several years and went on to have amazing adventures together.  The monastery that their father had destroyed was never rebuilt.  It became a memorial ground instead.

Of course, this monastery had also seen better days.  It hadn’t always been like this, Marcus had told them.  Not long before Liam was born, when the building was still mostly intact, Marcus had high hopes that he could restore it to its former glory.  It had been a dream of his to bring back a long-forgotten order of monastic knights.  He himself had trained in the old ways of the Judarians, as they were called, but he was mostly self-taught, as the Knights Judaria were all but extinct by the time he was of age.  The last living grand master of the order died not long after Marcus had sought him out for guidance.  Since then, he had been on many a journey to seek out the ancient Judarian texts.  The monastery was nothing but rubble now.  Liam often talked about becoming a Judarian knight himself.  He had such wonderful ideas of how he could help his uncle rebuild the monastery and bring back the order.  He loved to sit under the shaded bower of a large tree at the edge of the ruins and sketch floor plans of his dream “fort”, as Dan, the marquis’ boy who resided at court, called it.

There was a hidden alcove of trees just beyond Liam’s sketching tree, where beautiful flowers bloomed in the spring, attracting butterflies and birds, and small woodland creatures.  It was Rei’s favorite place.  She could spend hours there, lying in the grass and watching the clouds pass by.  Sometimes, Liam would sketch the flowers and animals if Rei begged him to.  He liked to sketch Rei as well, when she wasn’t looking.  In the summer, they had snuck out together a time or two to watch the fireflies dance along the ground.  They would chase one another in a game of tag, catch a few fireflies and release them again, then lay side by side on the soft earth to gaze up at the stars.  It was their sacred place.  Their secret garden, just for them to share.  Well… them and Dan, when they felt like having him around.  Which admittedly, was much more often than not.  Usually.

Rei reached the edge of the ruins within minutes and came to a stop next to what used to be one of the outer walls.  She leaned against an upturned slab to catch her breath.  The boning in her linen corset rubbed uncomfortably against her ribs, and she silently cursed the fact that she’d had the misfortune of being born into this world as a female.  It was not the first time she’d pondered the societal plight of her gender, and it most certainly wouldn’t be the last.  She envied boys and their simple clothes.  Nobody ever chastised them for climbing trees or riding astride (or even bareback).  And for that matter, no one batted an eye if they were outspoken or questioned authority.  It was their nature to play rough and be boisterous, and boys who did not readily or blindly follow instructions became men who could think for themselves and make educated decisions.  But ladies were meant to be seen and not heard.  They were expected to be delicate, graceful, and above all, submissive.  Unless a lady became a queen, she had virtually no control of her life.

Rei, however, was decidedly not a lady.  Rei was a rule breaker.  An adventurer.  A free spirit.  And she would one day be queen.  Queens were allowed to make rules, and occasionally break them.  It was the one thing she could take comfort in, aside from the fact that she would have Liam by her side.  He had always supported her, no matter how childish her ideas seemed.  Well.  Her most current idea certainly wasn’t childish.  Not one bit.  She had just decided that once she was in a position to make the rules, banning all societal laws that dictated what a woman could and could not do would be at the top of her to-do list.  Banning overly complicated apparel would be the next agenda.  She would never have to deal with corsets or petticoats, greasy makeup, or painful hairdos ever again.  She gave herself a resolute nod and puffed out her chest in determination.  She was still panting for air, and her nostrils flared with each breath, but she wouldn’t let that slow her down now.  Using the stone slab for leverage, Rei pushed off into a sprint and headed towards her secret garden.  She called out to Liam breathily as she neared his sketching tree.

“Liam… Liam!”

She could hear two familiar voices coming from the alcove.

“Liam!”

She entered the clearing and found it empty.  Her brows furrowed in confusion.  She could still hear them nearby.

“Liam?”

“Up here!”

Rei spun towards the sound of his voice and cautiously approached the base of one of the fuller trees.  Once she was directly underneath, she looked up to find the boys, but too many branches and leaves were blocking her view.  The tree moaned in her direction.

“Ah, man!  What’d you have to go and tell her for?  We were having a grand time without her!”

The branches suddenly rustled, jostling a few leaves towards the ground, and two very distinct noises met Rei’s ears.  The first was a muted thud that she could only assume to be Liam, kicking or punching Dan with a solid blow.  The second was the subsequent and unmistakable gasping groan of Dan having the wind knocked out of him.  By the time Liam climbed down and dropped from the lowest branch in front of her, she was already glaring and tapping her foot, hands firmly planted on her hips.  He looked her up and down, then sheepishly grinned and raked his fingers through his tousled hair.  The tips of his ears turned red.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself.”

Dan swung upside down from another branch behind them and snickered.

“Aww…  well aren’t you two lovebirds just the cutest thing I’ve ever see- oof!”

He unceremoniously fell to the ground, earning a snort from Liam and a raised brow from Rei.  Dan gave Liam a dirty look, but Liam just laughed and offered him a hand up.  Once Dan had steadied himself a bit, he wiped his dirty hands on his breeches.  Rei cleared her throat impatiently.  Both boys glanced at her, and Dan had to do a double-take.

“Whoa!  What happened to you?!”

Rei gritted her teeth.

“Adelaide…”

Dan gave her a confused look.

“Uh… ok.  Well… you look…”

Liam clamped his hand over Dan’s mouth before he could finish his statement and smiled.

“Beautiful.  She looks beautiful.”

Dan wrenched Liam’s hand away and rolled his eyes.

“I was going to say she looks like a girl.”

“I am a girl, half-wit!”

Rei scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out.  She did not like being reminded of her obvious plight, and she liked it even less when it was implied as an insult.

“I know that!  But, I mean… you look like…”

“Like what, Dan-ielle?”

Rei emphasized his name with a feminine lilt, much to his chagrin. Dan hated when she called him that. He scowled at her and retorted tauntingly.

“Like one of those painted froufrou ladies at court.  You know.  The prissy girls that are always prattling on and mindlessly flirting with the knights.”

Dan then made a show of it, flittering his fingers and prancing in a circle. Rei was unamused. She lunged at him and he immediately jumped back and threw his arms up in defense.  Liam intervened and wrapped an arm around her waist, pinning her to his chest before she could knock Dan to the ground.

“Hey, wait a minute!  Easy, Rei.  Calm down.”

“Let go, Liam!  I’m going to bury him!”

“Not until you promise to calm down.”

But Rei was having none of it. She ignored Liam and berated Dan, who was rather entertained by her outburst.

“Take it back, you brainless dolt!  I am not a mindless froufrou priss!”

“Brainless dolt?  That’s a bit redundant, don’t you think?”

“Liam!  Make him take it back!”

Rei petitioned him with a desperate voice, her eyes beginning to mist as her rosy cheeks grew hot and deepened to a shade of scarlet.

“Come on, Dan.  Don’t be a wiseacre.  You’re making her cry.”

“Oh, yeah… those are some very touching crocodile tears.  She’s got you wrapped around her little finger.”

“I hate you, Daniel Calderon!”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes. I. Do!”

“Ok, then.  You hate me.  I’d say the feeling’s mutual, but I’m far more chivalrous than that.”

“Liar!  You don’t have a chivalrous bone in your body!  You’re nothing but a knave!”

“Actually, princess… I am a count.  But you may call me Lord Daniel, if you like.”

“I don’t have to call you anything.  I’m never speaking to you again!”

Liam, having grown tired of their charade, finally chimed in.  Still holding Rei back, he sighed, then cleared his throat before chastising his friend.

“Enough already!  Dan…”

“What?”

Dan replied, annoyed at his friend for not addressing Rei as well.

“You’ve had your fun.  Now, apologize.”

Exasperation filled Dan's voice and he scoffed loudly.

“It’s not my fault she’s such a sensitive little child!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

The two started up again and this time Liam raised his voice, straightening his stance to appear taller and more commanding.

“QUIET!  If you two can’t manage to get along for more than five minutes, I’ll bury the both of you myself!  Now, apologize to each other!”

Rei turned around and gave him a hurt look, but Liam stood firm, a warning look on his face.  He stared Dan down without blinking until the marquis boy grew uncomfortable under his gaze and began to shift his feet back and forth.  Staring at the grown, Dan muttered a half-sincere apology.

“Ok, ok.  You win.  Rei… I’m sorry for hurting your feelings.  There.  Happy?”

Liam nodded approvingly, then gazed down at Rei, who was pouting in his arms.  He gently let go of her and spoke.

“Rei… it’s your turn.”

“But, Liam…”

Rei whined, unwilling to admit defeat.

“Rei.”

Liam's eyes narrowed and Rei knew that look all too well.  She had run out of luck and would just have to swallow her pride this time.  She slowly turned around to face Dan who was waiting expectantly.  Rei flashed a fake smile that quickly disappeared.

“Oh, alright… I’m sorry for calling you an incompetent, good-for-nothing, dirty rotten scoundrel.”

“Wait, what?!  That’s not what you said!”

“Oh… I guess I was just thinking it.  Sorry.”

Dan pursed his lips and tugged at the roots of his hair as he exchanged looks with Liam.  Liam couldn't hide the look of amusement in his eyes, but Dan stretched his arms out towards Rei in frustration, as if to say "see what I have to put up with?!"  The only response he got from his princely friend was a dismissive shrug.  Dan gave up and shook his head, letting out a vexed sigh.

“Fine… well, I’d like to reiterate that I never actually said you were a ‘mindless froufrou priss’…”

Dan paused for a moment, calculating his next words as he scanned around and mapped out the alcove in the back of his mind.

“… I said you look like one.”

Dan bolted as the words left his mouth, a devious smile playing on his lips.  Rei charged after him with a battle cry that would put a seasoned warrior to shame.  Liam stood dumbfounded for a moment before he came back to himself and ran to catch up with them.