The Tale of a Princess Kidnapped by Pirates

Chapter Seventeen

"Oh Viola something has happened, I simply must speak with you!" Ro rushed out as soon as Viola started to open the door.

"Woah calm down Ro, what has happened?"

"It is about Prince Theodosius..." Ro revealed with red cheeks.

"Oh here we go, another instalment in your love chronicles." Viola rolled her eyes playfully as she removed her boots from her achy feet. "What happened?"

"Well, I went to see Princess Annalise and Princess Rosilabeth as requested, and on my way back I bumped into Theo! I tried not to talk to him – I really did, but he was insistent and he... he invited me to the ball."

"What? Oh my goodness Ro, he is quite smitten with you!"

"And that is not all!" Ro added in quickly. "He said I was beautiful!"

"Oh my Ro, what a sweet-talker. You are very lucky you know, and indeed beautiful and kind hearted, although a little naïve. It is no wonder he is trying to charm you, even if it is only for a night in his bed."

"Oh no Viola I certainly would never do that! I am going to remain pure until marriage. That is not the type of person I want to be." Ro hurriedly explained feeling quite horrified.

"That is commendable Ro; you should certainly stick to your beliefs. What are you going to wear to the ball?" She asked as she collapsed upon her messy bed.

"You cannot be serious Viola! I cannot go to the ball - I am a maid!"

"That is true, but isn't it your dream to go to the ball and be something more then a maid for once? I would jump at the opportunity. I know that the ball is masked themed so nobody would recognise you, and you did get an invite from the Prince himself." Viola argued.

"That is true..." Ro murmured, feeling her resolve weakening. "However I really cannot go. I have nothing to wear."

"I tell you what Ro... if you agree to take me with you, I can get our outfits sorted. My sister Harmonia works at a dressmakers shop in town and owes me a favour. She can sneak us a gown each!" Viola exclaimed excitedly.

"Would she get in trouble for such an act?" Ro asked feeling a little uneasy about the situation.

"Oh no, if there is one thing about Harmonia she is incredibly sneaky. Please Ro, when else will we get the chance? For just one evening do you not want to know what it feels like to be a respected lady - or even better, a Princess?" Viola pleaded, pouting her lips and opening her unusually amber eyes wide to master the innocent look.

"...Ok... fine. Let us do it. But we have to create fake identities and we cannot stay for too long." Ro gave in, the thrill of doing something outrageous and exciting coursing through her.

"Yes! Ah I am so excited Ro!" Viola squealed as she attacked Ro with a hug, pushing her flat on her bed and accidentally feeding her a mouth of mousey brown hair.

"Oops, sorry Ro! I forget how weak you are... although you certainly look much better from when I first met you." Viola chuckled as she pulled back and helped Ro up. "Right! I will go and ask Mrs Bennett if we can have a couple of hours off to go into town tomorrow morning right now!" Viola exclaimed as she raced from the room with an excited giggle.

Ro had never seen her look so happy, so she was sure that she had done the right thing by saying they could go.

***

Fortunately, Mrs Bennett said they could have a sharp two hours off the next morning, so the girls awoke bright and early to make the trek into town. It was a pleasant twenty-minute walk and Viola would not stop talking about the ball, which was now two days away. Ro was excited too, but also very nervous about what would happen if the girls were found out. Would they be disgraced from the castle?

The buildings of the town were an amazing jumble of different styles: rickety wooden shops, marble and brick houses and huge stone churches. Everything had been beaten down and baked by the sun - and sunlight was everywhere: in the dust, in the vivid colours and in the smells of spices and overripe fruit.

Although it was early, the town was already alive with people setting up for the day, the delicious smell of baking bread threatening to hook Ro by the nose and drag her into the bakers. They passed a greengrocer with his window full of apples and oranges, and a butcher with his bloody lumps of meat on display and naked chickens hanging up. There was a small bank on the dusty corner, and a grocery store next to a gadget shop, when finally they arrived at 'Miss Marina's Dressmakers'. Beautiful frocks designed in every colour of the rainbow were showcased in the large shop windows, the dream of any young lady. The girls had to wait for Harmonia to arrive, kicking around a few loose pebbles on the road in boredom, as the sun had barely risen yet. When she arrived, Ro could hardly distinguish between the two, as they were so similar it was uncanny. The sisters hugged each other tightly as they had not seen each other for months.

"Oh Viola it is so good to see you, and what a surprise!"

"It is wonderful to see you too Harmonia. This is my friend Ro from the castle, I am afraid this is not a social call. I have come to collect on that favour you owe me." Viola revealed awkwardly.

"I see. Well, it is nice to meet you Ro, come on in and tell me what I can do for you both." Harmonia replied as she pulled out her keys to open the shop up.

When Viola had explained the situation, Harmonia was quite jealous that both the girls were going to experience a Royal ball but agreed to help them, setting the other girls who had since arrived (Lucy and Marie) to work on the other dresses they had to prepare. Apparently, once Viola had covered Harmonia's job for a whole day so she could slack off with her beau, which was why she gave in and helped so easily.

"I am afraid you have not left me much time girls... usually I would have made you a new dress each, but with all the other orders we have to complete and such little time I can only offer you a pre-made dress and adjust it to your measurements. You will have to come and pick it up the morning of the ball though, as I shall not have time to deliver it!" Harmonia fretted.

"That will be fine Harmonia, thank you so much for doing this for us." Ro thanked her with a kind smile.

"It is ok; I know I owe my sister big time. Right if you follow me then you can look through last season's dresses and we can get started on measurements." Harmonia announced.

Viola and Ro followed her into a back room with a few dresses hanging from racks and plastic mannequins. Ro instantly knew which one she wanted to wear to the ball. It was absolutely stunning, and looked like something worthy of a Princess.

"Oh my goodness, I love this one!" Ro exclaimed excitedly.

"Then that is what you shall wear." Harmonia winked.

Viola took a little longer to choose her dream gown, but eventually found one that was actually made for the theatre at the back of the pile and complimented her complexion perfectly. Both girls were so excited they kept jumping up and down and squealing, leading to both being pricked a few times as Harmonia fitted their gowns to their bodies like second skins. In the end they had to sprint home as time ran away with them, but managed to sneak into the castle unnoticed without a reprimanding from Mrs Bennett.

Ro was definitely excited but not as much as Viola, who was blinded with the glittery jewels and gold of the situation. Ro, ever the cautious one fretted about what could go wrong, but hoped that it would be a smooth evening that was enjoyable for all.

The presence of Theodosius also filled her mind, and she wondered whether he would recognise her. Little did she know at that moment that he would do so much more then that.

Edited