The Hidden Princess

A new life

Once they got to the market around the castle grounds Angela was thrilled to see all the hustle and bustle of a working market.  She loved the energy and all the people.  Her eyes were dancing all over the place as Jack pulled them up to a bakers’ shop.  He walked into the bakers’ shop and then he heard a scream.

The scream belonged to a lovely middle-aged woman with long back curly hair that was in bun.  She was tall and had the same eyes as Jack. “Cousin Jack!!  I thought I’d never see you again!” She held her arms open with a big welcoming smile full of teeth as she reached him and pulled him in for a big hug.

He hugged her back and picked her up off the floor. “Cousin Emma!  I am glad I get to see you again.” He set her down and pulled away from her and looked over at Angela standing next to them.

“My goodness, who is this!  Is this your oldest daughter?”  Emma smiled at her and brought her in for a hug as well. “Oh, some stories I could tell you about your Father when we were younger.” She laughed a little as she pulled away.

“Well, Angela here is looking for work Emma. She wants out of our small village and we were hoping she could stay with you.  Do you have room for her?  She is a great worker, very dedicated.” Jack said putting his arm around Angela.

“Oh, my dear I could always use good help around here. None of the boys in village catching your eye are they love?” Emma winked at her with a smile.

Jack laughed nodding “That’s about the root of it.”

“Well, why don’t you leave her here and come back at closing and you can come for dinner and I insist you stay the night.” Emma’s smile never changed it was just a big toothy smile that invited everyone in.

“That sounds great.”  Jack said as he nodded turning to leave. “See you tonight.”

Once Jack was out of ear shot Emma turned to Angela and put her arm around her “Now that he is gone, Love, I will tell you that I do not want you working here.  You will smell like old feet within a day and that will not do well to get you a suitor.  Come with me and we shall see if Charity across the street could use your help at her seamstress store.”  With that they stepped out onto the street to make their way to the seamstress’s place.

As they walked in, they could hear her but they could not see anything.  She was humming and talking to someone although nobody was there.  Angela smiled to herself once she saw her feet under the garment she was working on and pointed toward her with Emma standing there.  Both looking at Charity’s feet and then looking around and sure that they were the only ones in there. 

Emma cleared her throat and stomped on the wooden floor to announce her entrance.  “I will be right there Your Grace.” Charity said as she dipped out of the dress she was working on.  Her big brown eyes were surprised to see Emma and Angela.  Her round face and somewhat portly body stopped what she was about to say.  “Emma!  What brings you here?” She looked at Angela curiously.

“This is my cousins daughter Angela, and she is looking for work.  You wouldn’t happen to be needing help?” Emma said as she looked around at all the work that was half done.

Charity’s eyes got big and her smile made her lips disappear. “Can you sew? Can you read or write?” She asked Angela.

“I helped my mother make all our clothing and I was taught to read and write by a blacksmith from my village.  He was the only one who could do either.”

Charity reached in her pocket and pulled out a parchment and handed it over to her. “What does this say on it?”

Angela held the parchment and read it out loud “Inseam 35 inches waist 28 inches” and handed it back to Charity.

“Can you start right now? I have deliveries that need doing. I have a room you can have in the back for your personal items and a bed.  I will also supply 1-2 meals a day depending on what we have to cook. Can you cook?” Charity was a slightly shorter than Angela with cubby fingers but soft eyes and a gentle touch.

“Thank you and yes I can cook.” Angela hesitated for a moment and looked at Emma “I don’t know the market at all so I will need directions for the delivery.”

“Oh, you won’t need it for this delivery.  It is to the castle, you can’t miss it.  The garment is for Princess Catherine.  You only need to drop it off, her ladies in waiting will try it on for you and if it needs anything their seamstress on staff can fix it.  I just get to the hard work.” Charity laughed and showed her around the work area.  They talked about work being done, orders that have been brought in and what needs to be prioritized for the royal family. Charity handed her the dress that needed to be delivered and Angela headed out. Happy she had a job and secretly glad she was not going to smell like old feet tomorrow.

Angela made her way through the market and to the gaits.  She attempted to just walk through when the guards stopped her.

“Well, what do we have here?  I haven’t seen you before?” The guard with black hair and sharp blue eyes.

“A newcomer?  Let me take a look at ya.” The other guard twirled her around and stopped her with his hands on her waist.  Angela suddenly felt out of her element and was not sure what to do or say next as she looked at him face to face. “She will do nicely; I get her first.” The second guard said as he pulled her close and went in for a kiss.

Angela panicked and pushed out of his arms with all her might making him fall backwards.  They stood with their eyes locked.  “I only want to deliver this garment to Princess Catherine. I mean no disrespect.” Angela had decided that she was going to stand her ground.

“I will help you deliver the garment; it’s just going to the long way.” Both guards laughed at that and the second guard started reaching for her again.

“Excuse me, sir, but how do you plan on delivering this garment ‘the long way’?” Angela turned and looked at the voice that possibly may have just saved her.  He was sitting on his grey horse in his half suit of armor, his curly brown hair touching his shoulder pads and he looked at her with his soft brown eyes and then quickly back at the offending guards.

“I meant no fowl Knight Cladd.  I was just having a bit of fun.” The guard confessed. With that Cladd dismounted his horse and handed the reins to him.  “Take my horse to the stable and feed and water him. I apparently must escort this young lady to the castle, so she does not end up going the long way.”  He offered her his arm and she curtsied and took it.

“Thank you, good sir.” Angela was unsure what to say but her heart was beating out of her chest.

“My pleasure….” He waited for her tell him her name.

“Angela.  My name is Angela.” She glanced up at him and she was sure her face was flushed now.

“I am Cladd.  I am one of the king’s guards.  I have not seen you before.” He looked down at her and was surprised at this swirling in his stomach and he noted that his heartbeat was speeding up.  He had assisted many a young girl but this one was making him feel something he had never felt before. He looked up at the castle wondering what was happening.

“I just got here this morning.  This is my first job; I work with Seamstress Charity.” She was so hoping that that her breathlessness was not heard in her words.

“Well, here we are.  You should be safe from here and do not stop for those guards again.  Just keep right on walking by.” Cladd escorted her just inside the doors and then left her to talk with the ladies in waiting.  She looked in the direction that Cladd had walked in and noticed he did not look back at her. She went on with her delivery and returned to the shop with no other incidents.

Charity kept her buys the rest of the day and they got along very well.  Angela loved the work and she soon had forgotten all about Knight Cladd.  She told Charity that she was going to eat dinner with her Father this evening and walked across the way on her own.

She had a lovely meal with her Father and Emma, lots of laughing and stories.  She always loved her Father’s stories that he could tell, and Emma was just as talented as him.  Her father was happy that she took the seamstress apprentice job because he did smell old feet everywhere.  After a bit they retired to their beds for some much-needed sleep.

Angela fell asleep as soon as her head hit her pillow. Dreaming about floating again, it was darkness all around her, but she could not feel her feet on the ground.  Then she saw it, the small dim light that beckoned her.  Inside it made her feel warm and like she belonged.  She leaned toward it and willed herself to get closer to it.  She got closer and the feeling of warmth grew in her soul and she could feel her arms start to reach toward it.  The light was still so far away but she was getting closer to it. Then she remembered in the last dream, the hard cold hand that pushed her down.  She focused on getting to the light, that was all she wanted.  She started moving faster and then suddenly she felt wings behind her, she tried to see where the wings came from and she felt her back and they were HER wings.  Something told her it was okay; it was just a dream.  She asked her wings to bring her to the light and with powerful strokes they listened to her.  Soon she was standing by the light, under a tall oak tree.  The light was enclosed in something covered with vines.  She could not move the vines she pushed and pulled with her hands, but it was not use.  Soon the winds around her were swirling getting stronger and stronger.  Her wings caught the wind and pulled her away from the light and pushed into darkness. She floated in space trying to get her bearings in the total darkness that she could not even see her own hands.  Then a cold heavy hand grabbed her left ankle and started pulling her.  She kicked at it, but it just held on harder.  It began to burn her skin and she screamed and with her wings she pulled herself free.

Angels shot straight up in her bed, catching her breath she looked around and saw nothing and knew it was just another dream.  Her left ankle ached, and she reached down and pulled the covers away and in the light of the moon she saw a hand imprint on her ankle.  Then she felt her back and she did not feel her wings, but she felt something like a growth or a scar in the place where they should be attached. She laid back down and was very unsure what was happening. She did not sleep again that night.