Elise Manly, a meer castle maid, attends the birthday celebration of her old friend. But one thing separates them from becoming more than that. Heʻs a prince.
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Staring down the path of greenery I find myself in an unfamiliar part of the palace.
Although tall trees block the moonlight, the lanterns that litter the pathway guide me to a pavilion where the moon touches a pond. I seem to forget how to breathe properly as I take in the scenery of the portrait that Mother Nature painted for me. The lilac petals dance around the pavilion as the wind sings a soft lullaby. Flowing like many ball gowns within a ballroom. Like the one I was recently in before.
"Well, thatʻs embarrassing ainʻt it Elise" I mumble sarcastically to myself.
I pace slowly around the gazebo trying to find a sense of ease, but none appears. Distant sounds of cellos, violins, laughter, and gossiping do nothing but increase my pacing. No matter how soft it may be, my anxiety grows. They spiral around my conscience as if it were a hurricane. Glancing down at my silver ballgown, I find a trifling splotch of mud that stains the bottom of my dress. I take off my white silk gloves and feverishly start to brush the dried mud off my dress. But as I try to situate my appearance, I do not hear the sound of boots behind me.
"There you are, Elise!"
Startled, I turned around quickly. With the flower crown almost flying from my head, I catch it with my hand to stabilize it. But I suddenly realize the prince is right in front of me checking to make sure Iʻm fine. I push him back softly and curtsy with my head peering at his brown leather boots.
"Prince Alastair? I beg your pardon, your highness, but why aren't you back at the ball? Youʻll get into trouble." I say matter of factly.
"You know you don't have to call me by my title Elise. As for trouble, that didnʻt stop us when we were younger. Did it?" He says mischievously. Iʻm taken aback from his response. All these years past, and he was still the boy I knew. But he was destined to be a king, and I was a mere commoner doomed for a lifetime of hardships. He still had that smug air I remember all those years ago.
I wonder what it could have been if I were a princess from some far-off land. Would we have been able to meet and stay in touch all those years that static took place? Or would fate play its terrible game of chess and wait for a moment like this. Growing up just right outside the castle gates, my parents were highly regarded within the castle walls from what Iʻve heard. My mother was the stern maid, my father was a soldier for the king, and I was Elise. Simply Elise and nothing else. Even though my three sisters would say otherwise.
While growing up, my mother would take me to the castle to work to "get us prepared for the life ahead of us." I dreaded those days. Iʻd rather be at home, in our library, reading the day away listening to the music of the village. Or even outside tending our garden with my father until the sun went down into the treeline. But, thatʻs not to say I wouldn't find some way out of my chores for that day. I remember quietly hiding my mop and bucket in an empty room to roam around the palace in search of a library of some sort. Iʻd sneaked down the pristine hallways of white tile, hiding around a corner if a guard passed by. In my childlike brain, the adrenaline of not getting caught made this a fun habit my mother did not approve of.
