A Princess's Duty

•Chapter Two• Consequence

Kathryn rolled her eyes at her mother. One of the healers, or maybe William, had ratted her out. And now she was getting an earful. Kathryn knew that if she said anything to defend herself, her mother, Queen Catherine, would continue to give her this pointless lecture. So she patiently waited for her mother to finish.

"...and why are you wearing that dreadful garb darling? Honestly! You are such a pretty girl and yet you insist on rebuffing the traditional wardrobe of a princess! What were you doing in that horrible fig tree again? You shall fall and snap your neck! " Her mother continued, "And dear, William is such a nice boy. He was so polite this afternoon! And so stoic! He didn't complain once about his injury, darling boy."

Kathryn rolled her eyes again. If her mother continued to prattle on, Kathryn thought that her eyes may roll out of their sockets. Lovely boy indeed. He deserved that broken arm.

When the Queen was finished, Kathryn said, "Yes mum. I am terribly sorry that I pushed poor William from the fig tree." Even though her words were dripping with sarcasm, her mother dismissed her with a tight smile and a nod. She was glad to escape the room. Now she would go speak with father in the garden, their special place. He would actually want to hear her side of the story.

King James smiled when his little girl walked outside. She was beautiful, like her mother, but in a different way. While Catherine was elegant with an almost ethereal beauty, little Kathryn was proud and regal. Even with her usual tunic and trousers, she still mustered up her dignity.

She was stubborn, like him, but loved books like her mother. She was, for the most part, mature for her age, but couldn't control her temper. Her bright green eyes stared up at him, and he couldn't help but give a fond smile.

Kathryn tugged at her hair, which she had let down from its usual bun. "Hello, Father," She said, embracing him. She sat beside him. "Do you already know what happened?"

The King chuckled. He had heard. Earlier this morn, Kathryn had shoved one of the foreign princelings out of a tree. He wasn't worried. The boy hadn't even known who the girl was, but after hearing the story, King James knew it was his daughter. Fig tree, book, crazy black hair, green eyes and a temper, all pointed him to Kathryn, without a doubt. She surely had an explanation. Kathryn wasn't one to act out in malice, she tended to lash out in anger. It was a shame she hadn't inherited her mother's auburn hair. It would match her temperament.

She huffed, not wasting a moment, saying, "I warned him! Twice! He snatched my book out of my hands and I said to him, exact words, 'I would suggest you hand me the novel now, before I shove you from this tree' and he just didn't listen. Besides it doesn't matter. He didn't say it was 'Princess Kathryn' did he? He just described me to you and you guessed that it was me. He doesn't know who I am." Kathryn crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders. "He deserved it. It isn't my fault he wouldn't take me seriously."

The King laughed. Of course the argument had been over a book! And of course little Kat had everything figured out. Kat had probably been at a particularly interesting scene in that novel if she had shoved someone from a tree to get it back.

Still smiling, the King addressed his daughter,"Now Kat, you need to control that temper of yours!"

His smile then vanished. "Kathryn, as punishment, I am going to keep you inside for a week. And you must wear dresses. And go to the dinner next week. " He knew Kathryn hated wearing dresses, and attending social events, but while they had guests, she should at least look presentable. She was the crown princess, his only heir, after all.

Kathryn frowned. Dresses. She hated dresses. She opened her mouth, to protest but then snapped it shut. She sighed and relented. "Fine. I will wear dresses, but I still want to go outside."

The king smiled. "It's a deal."

•••

Kathryn's father was forcing her to attend dinner. Usually when there were guests over, she dined in her room with a book. But not this time. Kathryn had to wear a dress, and greet the Royals of the other five kingdoms. It wasn't even just a formal dinner. They were having a ball. And she would have to dance. Kathryn hated dancing. She was constantly tripping and kicking people. She would have to ask that bratty Prince William to dance just so she could "accidentally" kick him in the shin.

She frowned as the maids and her mother, Queen Catherine bustled into her room. Before she could protest, the maids the Queen had brought were smearing her face with cosmetics and peeling of her dirty garments. She sighed in annoyance when they insisted on bathing her, and put her hair up in little curlers. She would need to have the evil little things tugging at her hair for what felt like hours on end. Lucy and Greta, two of the maids, scrubbed her body, and Kathryn was sure that they had peeled of at least two layers of skin. They then covered her in vanilla scented perfume. Kathryn didn't understand why all this prep work was necessary. Why couldn't she just throw on a gown?

It was then that the maids finally started putting Kathryn in her dress. First the drawers and chemise, petticoats, and then the dreaded corset. She didn't even need a stupid corset, she thought as Marie, her mother's personal lady, started lacing it. She didn't lace it extremely tight, but Kathryn still would have preferred to go without it. Putting on gowns was so much work, and that was why Kathryn rarely bothered with them. And when she did put on a dress, it would be a simple, elegant, and easy to put on.

"Lovely, darling!" Queen Catherine exclaimed. "That dress brings out your eyes." It was an evergreen evening gown that had an off the shoulder neckline. The bodice and sleeves were ruffled to match the lower half of the gown.

Kathryn took a shaky breath and nodded. She wouldn't argue with her mother, no matter how much she wanted to. The dress was much to frilly for her.

"You look stunning Kat!" Gushed Catherine, smiling. "Now sit and read. The maids will get me ready and then we can take out your curlers." Queen Catherine and her ladies fluttered out of the room. Kathryn nodded again and gave her mother a tight little smile.

Nearly three hours later, her mother came bursting back in. Kathryn thought that her mother look far fairer than she did. Her ever perfect auburn curls were pulled back with sparkling pins, and her golden ballgown flattered her in every way.

Kathryn walked to stand next to her mother and glanced in the mirror. Queen Catherine was right. The dress was beautiful. Kathryn couldn't even see the girl who climbed trees and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty underneath all the makeup piled upon her face. The dark colored fabric had made her usually dull eyes sparkle. She was unrecognizable.

Queen Catherine reached for her daughter's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Kat was so grown up. She wasn't an adorable little rascal anymore, she was a young woman just beginning to blossom. And little Kat would be the most lovely flower of all.

"My ladies, you should be heading to the ball about now" Marie politely reminded both women. Kathryn smiled at Marie and then the mother and daughter headed to the ball, hand in hand.

A/N: It's been a while since I've updated this, but thanks for reading! I've been focusing more on my other story, titled Fyra. You should check it out! ;)

Don't forget to vote if you like it so far!