Pluck't

Chapter I

Prince Toma of Mornya pulled away as his valet tied his doublet too tightly.  He stood in his chambers in the royal castle.  The walls were a soft cream color, with wooden moulding stained dark, and a dark hardwood floor with rugs laid down to keep his feet from getting cold.  The fireplace cracked even this late in the morning lest His Highness catch a chill.  

The room was so large the four-poster bed, curtained and canopied, didn't seem to take up all that much space.  There were bookshelves, plush chairs, a writing desk and a window seat.  The window overlooked his mother's famous rose garden and the woods beyond.  There was an expansive wardrobe, a long mirror, and a basin for washing.

A comfortable chamber, and Toma had seen far too much of it.  How he longed to travel beyond the woods outside his window!  Today was the day.  He was finally going to see the world beyond the castle grounds.  He was thrumming with excitement.

"You've grown," his valet said as he loosened the doublet's laces.

"I'm eighteen now, Andrei," Toma said.  "Of course I've grown.  Get me another doublet, I don't like this one."

Andrei tsked and untied the laces.  He slipped the garment off and went to the wardrobe.  "Perhaps milord prefers something blue to match his eyes?  Or pink?  Your royal mother adores you in pink.

Toma wrinkled his nose.  Mornya's Rose.  That's what they called him, because he was so soft of feature and delicate of poise and grace.  He was a man now, though. He was leaving the castle for the first time, and he didn't want to go out looking like one of Mother's many rosebushes.  "The blue, I think."

Andrei brought over a doublet of sapphire blue velvet, a perfect match for Toma's eyes.  It was trimmed in gold to match his hair.  It was new, and Toma hoped it would look good on him.  It as comfortable at least as Andrei laced it up.  Andrei then stepped back, looked at Toma, and his grey eyes widened.

Toma turned toward the mirror.  "What, what is it?"

In his reflection, the doublet fit perfectly to his slender frame, its sleeves giving the illusion of broader shoulders.  The collar, with just a peek of his white undershirt around the edges, emphasized the slender column of his neck, and its color brought out his eyes til they shone.  the gold trim glinted like his waist-length blond hair. He smoothed the soft fabric with a sweep of his hand and said, "That's not so bad."

Andrei swept a hand through his short brown hair and said, "Milord, you look..."

Toma tilted his head, and his hair went cascading over his shoulder, framing his pale face.  "What is it, Andrei?"

Andrei said, "Better than 'not bad.'  It suits you, milord.  The very image of Mornyan royalty."

"Good," Toma said.  "I want to impress the Duke.

It was a tradition in the royal family, that when a royal turned eighteen, they paid a visit to the Duke of Lendia for the first of many coming of age parties.  He would be the Duke's honored guest, and he wanted to be worthy of that honor.  It mattered how he presented himself.  People would be talking about that first impression for years.  It had to be a good one.

His mother didn't want him to go.  She wanted to keep him in the castle, to keep him safe.  He was her youngest of twelve.  Her sweet rose.  If she had her way, he would never leave her side.  If his oldest sister Adelina wasn't the Duchess, Toma's sure the Queen would have found some reason to forbid the trip.

"Andrei," Toma said as he regarded his reflection, "do you think I'll enjoy traveling?"

Andrei led Toma away from the mirror to a chair and sat him down.  He brushed Toma's long hair, then plaited it.  As he worked, he said, "I don't know, it might be fun.  There will be sights to see.  If you don't like it, it's just an overnight journey.  Tonight, we'll share a chamber at the inn so I can keep you safe."