Lost Royalty

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

By ten o'clock the following morning James had managed to deliver a note to every house that he was instructed to. He was absolutely certain that every person eligible had been told, and he had also managed to drop a note around to even the most rural of houses.

'I invite all people aged fifteen to seventeen and their families to come to the village square at midday today to receive an important announcement. Thank you all in advance for your time.

Sincerely, Oscar Pavey

-Representative of King Jonathan for the village of Grea.'

At midday almost the whole village had heard the news and were waiting in the given space. Even those who were not involved closed their shops, stopped their work and went to the village square at five minutes to midday.

The sunshine had carried on from the day before, but there was a light chill in the air . It was the beginning of autumn and the days were steadily becoming cooler, and the sun was making less of an appearance.

The square outside of the village hall was full of excitement for the upcoming announcement. Girls stood chatting to each other, with their families surrounding them as they waited to find out what the news would be.

There was a group of young children playing a game amongst the crowd. They darted in and out of people, and on several occasions they ran straight into the onlookers. But everyone was too excited to care or even notice.

When Oscar reached the steps leading up the village hall he turned towards the villagers. As if by some kind of magic, everyone was silent at once and all heads snapped up towards him.

"Hello everyone," he began, "Thank you all for joining me today. I'd like to announce that there will be a party for every young person aged 15 to 17. All funds will be paid as a gift from royal family."

The crowd began clapping their hands and cheering. Some of the girls were jumping in glee, whereas others with more restraint just had large smiles plastered across their faces.

"The party will be a formal event, so formal ball gowns and dress will be required. The party will be in three weeks' time. I apologise for the short notice, but it could not be postponed. If there are any serious issues due to the short notice please speak with James Parson and he would be delighted to help. Thank you very much."

Everyone started whispering to each other as soon as he stopped talking. Many of the girls, and their mothers, were already fussing over what they would wear. Others already had ball gowns, just in case something like this would happen.

Mrs Ovens, the villages tailor also looked very excited, if not a bit overwhelmed and nervous about the number of gowns that she would have to make. Her face was flustered and her grin clear as she hugged her two daughters

Even children who were too young to go were eager to see their older siblings and friends all dressed up in their most formal wear.

All in all the atmosphere was full of excitement and anticipation.

There was, however, one face at the back of the crowd with a very sombre expression. Her usually bright blue eyes were reflecting sadness and her mouth was turned into a frown.

Elle Winters knew that she wouldn't be going to the party, no matter how much she begged her Pa. There was no chance that he would let her go- he had already warned her about going near Mr Pavey and the other villagers.

She deeply longed to be joining in with the celebrations that were taking place in front of her. She wanted to be able to discuss what dress she would wear with the other girls. She even wished that she could go to a dress fitting, which was something hated by most of the girls. She wished that she could feel normal for just one night of her life.

No one noticed when Elle Winters slipped away from the back of the crowd and into a back alleyway. No one noticed except one young man who wished that she would be able to come to the much awaited party, just so he might have a chance to finally talk to her.

A/N- Hope you liked that chapter- I really enjoyed writing it! Please vote and comment your thoughts. Xx