When you believe

Chapter VII: "The royal parents"

Bridget came out of the bathroom, or as they referred it here: the bathing room. She was wrapped in a towel and drying her hair with another after just having had an extremely relaxing bubble bath. She hadn't realized until she was there surrounded by warm water, scented oils and bubbles, just how stressed she had actually been during the past few days. Travelling to another world was no easy experience.Thankfully, that long bath had done wonders for her. She had begun to feel more at ease, much less troubled.

Not to mention she was starting to feel very dirty, if not smelly even, which was certainly uncomfortable for the girl. Bridget was pretty much obsessed, as her mother once said, with tidiness, cleanliness and everything that involved order and keeping things as neat and perfect as possible. Starting with her own hygene and personal appearance.

She was very grateful that the prince of Narnia had insisted on giving her one of the best rooms in the castle, which included the huge bathroom with a bathtub that could even be considered as a swimming pool to her more frugal standards. It was tremendously big! It went without saying, because she really hadn't said it much, but she truly appreciated what Fevian had done for her. Again.

Despite that she was somewhat angry with the young man. He gave her this astounding room and had even acquired a new dress for her for the dinner she was going to have that night with him and his family. Earlier on he had taken her to meet his parents, the monarchs of Narnia, wearing a nice dress, but nothing suitable enough to be presented to them as a friend of the prince. She looked like a commoner who hadn't had enough time to sleep, hadn't had a bath in a few days and probably smelled like a pig. It had been embarrassing to say the least.

The king had been kind to her, but his mother had disapproved her entire appearance completely and did no effort in hiding it. The whole time the queen looked at her as if she was a small, insignificant bug. It became evident that in the queen's eyes she was nothing more than a street rat, someone who had no business spending time with her son and furthermore, someone who shouldn't be staying at the castle as a guest of honor.

Despite what Fevian had told her to make her think otherwise, Bridget knew meeting his parents had been a disaster.

- - - - - -

Right after the girl met Melvus, the prince's tutor, he dragged her to the throne room. Why on Earth did he want her to meet his parents? The grin on his face made it clear that he was excited about introducing this new, strange friend of his to the king and queen. Bridget on the other hand wasn't so sure it would be a good idea.

"Father. Mother" the young man said once he pushed open a pair of huge wooden doors, strolling into the throne room like a young boy entering his home, not a prince who was received by the immediate bows of the sentinels guarding the room. "Melvus told me you wanted to-"

"Fevian! By Aslan's mane, where have you been!?" his mother's potent voice interrupted the prince's sentence.

"...see me" he finished, slightley less chipper than he had been a moment ago.

Bridget had followed him in, walking a few steps behind him like a shadow. Her presence was ignored by the monarchs, especially the queen, who was already very busy chastising her son.

"I was against these escapades of yours since the very beginning! I told your father we should have never given you permission to leave the castle on your own!"

Fevian cast an apologetical look at Bridget, who was trying to conceal how stunned she was by the sheer volume of the queen's voice. The prince knew his mother was making quite a first impression on the girl.

"Mother, I assure you I am fine. I did disobey you and I want to apologize for that. It will never happen again" Fevian spoke with a seriousness that was unknown to Bridget until that point.