Maiden of the Forest

Chapter 14 - Welcome to the Castle

Sure enough, the entire Palace Staff stood at the bottom of the castle steps when they arrived. Ella seemed to shake involuntarily besides Kit and he wondered how hard this must be for her. Surely her life was about to make a drastic turn, for the better in the long run but for now it was probably absolutely daunting. Kit kissed her temple and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, my darling," he soothed. "Just remember to be you, no matter what."

She swallowed with difficulty, nodding her head. Kit smiled. The carriage came to a stop and the footman opened the door only to have Mr. Goose nearly attack him as he launched out of the enclosed space.

Ella giggled, "He never has been fond of carriages."

Kit chuckled, "Apparently not."

The last thing the Palace Staff had been expecting was a goose to come flying out of the royal carriage. "What on Earth?" Prudence muttered, bewildered as well as slightly appalled.

She didn't have time to say more, however, for the king had just exited the carriage. The Staff straightened and put on their best performance for they were about to see their future queen for the first time. Anticipation and nerves made all of them twitch involuntarily.

Kit held out his hand and Ella took it, slowly stepping out of the carriage with her box resting under her arm against her hip. If the staff thought the goose was a surprise, the sight of what obviously was a servant girl holding onto their king's hand left them speechless. But what was the most shocking was the look of utter adoration on the king's face. In that one instant all could see that he loved everything about this woman and if he, being a good man and a great judge of character, loved her, then shouldn't they give her a chance?

Prudence stepped forward and curtsied, being the first to introduce herself. "Welcome home, Your Majesty," she said before straightening. "I should say you gave us quite the stir when you magically disappeared yesterday."

Kit rubbed the back of his head. "Ahhh, yes, I apologize again for that. Ella, allow me to introduce you to Prudence, the Royal House Keeper."

Ella smiled warmly at Prudence before curtsying to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, madam. You must be a very strong woman in order to have such an honorable title."

Prudence was surprised but pleased by the compliment. "Thank you, miss," she replied.

Ella looked passed Prudence to the other members of staff. "Who are the others in your charming company?"

Prudence glanced over her shoulder. "They are the other members of staff who help keep the castle running, my lady. You will get to know them over time."

Ella frowned. "Can't I get to know them now? I would feel quite at ease at least being introduced to them."

Kit smiled adoringly at her. This was his Ella, displaying the importance of knowing others not as faces but as people. Prudence didn't know what to say so Kit intervened, "If you would like to meet them, my darling, I'll gladly introduce you."

Ella's smile was enchanting as she nodded happily. "Please, if it isn't too much trouble."

Surprising everyone, Kit kissed her openly on the cheek. "It is no trouble at all – but I must say they can be a bit of a bore."

Ella let out an unrestrained laugh and all within hearing of it melted from the pure sound. She lightly swatted Kit's arm. "Be kind, Mr. Kit."

"Forgive me, my lady," Kit laughed in return.

The next half hour was spent by making personal introductions to the rest of the staff from the head butler, Octavius, to the cook, Maurice. Ella fascinated them all by not only getting their names but asking a couple of questions – and they weren't the typical questions one would ask. She inquired about favorite colors, what children stories they found appealing, whether they preferred rainy or sunny days, and what their favorite kind of dessert was. By the time they'd gone down the line, every member of the staff was smitten by her.