The Second Queen

Chapter 5

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Isabella Victoria

I watch out the window as we the driver talks to the gatekeeper. Then he hands the gatekeeper a piece of parchment and the gate begins to open. The carriage lurches forward as we pass through the gate. I count the minutes as we ride through the palace grounds. The carriage halts to a stop directly in front of the palace. The carriage door opens and the four of us quickly get out of the small doorway in the carriage wall. A guard carries a chest containing whichever outfit Theodosia planned for me to wear. We rush up the stairs and into the palace. "Make way!"

"Into this room."

"Take her belonging to her assigned chambers."

"Move."

"Out of the way boy."

"Excuse me."

"Who are you?"

"Where are they from?"

"Is that another contestant?"

A whirlwind of people and voices surround me. My maids pull me into a room. The room has a huge window, with the curtains pulled to the side. My maids pull the thin, white, nearly transparent curtains over the window and open a chest and pull a silver dress with diamonds sewn in out of the chest. Theodosia and Anna unbutton my dress and pull it off of my body. They soak a cloth with rosewater and wipe off my arms, shoulders, neck, and face. Then they take the dress from Eliza and pull it over my body. They begin to button it and Eliza grabs a brush and hairpins from the chest. When they're finished, Eliza unbinds my hair and begins to attack it with the brush. She weaves it into an elaborate braided bun, and adds diamond pins to further hold it in place. When she is done she tells me to look in the mirror. When I look in the mirror the silver gown with diamonds sparkles when the light from the window hits it. In the mirror I see Eliza open up a hat box and pull a silver circlet with a single diamond dripping from it. She comes up behind me and I turn around to face her. Then I bow my head and sink into a half curtsy as she places the ciclet onto my head. Anna hands her two diamond hair pins. Eliza pins the circlet onto my hair, then she adjusts the diamond. I rise to a standing position and lift my head. Then I turn around and face the mirror again. A knock sounds at the door, and Anna opens it. A young man dressed in the blue uniform of the Ordet Palace footman stands outside the doorway. I leave the room and follow the footman who instructs me to follow him to the throne room. Around me I hear whispers as we walk through the crowd of noblewomen, maids, guards, and footmen. "Look at her."

"The one in silver."

"She was late."

"She doesn't want to marry the king."

"Look at her. Parading her wealth about like a peacock."

"She's even wearing a circlet."

"She must think she's going to win."

"All those diamonds. She's practically asking to be robbed."

"Like the rumors say."

"Of course."

I shove the words of the crowd out of my mind. The crowd disappears behind me. Two doors lie in front of me. Three footmen stand next to the doors. I pull the card with my name on it from my pocket and clutch it in my right hand. Two footmen open the doors in front of me. Another takes the paper from my hand and announces me. "Presenting Lady Isabella Parr of Caralein House of Asura."

He nods to me and I walk through the double doors, then down the set of 12 stairs. I hide my fingers in the folds of my dress, as I walk across the throne room. A feeling of nervousness grips the back of my mind. My heels click against the tile floor as the distance between me and the throne which King Edward sits upon grows smaller and smaller. I stop walking when three steps lie in front of me. I dip my head and fall into a curtsy. "Rise."