The Sisters Of The Court

Chapter 1: Scarlett

I slowly walked behind Alix holding her train as she walked down the aisle. Alix has been my best friend ever since my mother had moved to Germany to serve her mother before i was born. My mother was forced to go serve Alice's court because she had been the cause of a great deal of scandal in the English court.

My mother had an affair with prince Albert's brother and my aunt had dismissed her from her court. I was born Scarlett Walker my mother's last name with no title. Just a bastard child to someone with little importance of the world. If Princess Alice had not been so kind to take my mother into her court i would have probably been in an orphanage dead of some disease when i was a little girl.

Luckily this was not the case but i might as well have been an orphan,I barely saw my mother and i don't know if my father knows i even exists. I was brought up in Alice's nursery with the rest of her children. I had never grown close with any of the royal children except Alix i felt like even at their young age they knew i was different. That they looked at me differently. Then when i thought anything couldn't get any worse then the other mothers shielding their children from me as if i had the plague. But i was wrong things could get worse and they did when i was 6 years old diphtheria swept through the court even though i was very young i remember those awful days like it was yesterday.

I remember the day Alix's sister died and I remembered the day my mother died and how sick i felt after i had visited her. The next few days went through by in a horrible daze i heard the doctors but i couldn't understand what they were saying. Finally i made my fever broke and i started my long recovery. On about the third day of my recovery i was told that my mother and princess Alice had died. I remember crying but not much else. As we finally reached the altar i was jerked out of my thoughts by Alix starting to kneel for the ceremony.

I quickly let go of her train and took my place beside two of my cousin Alice. Out of the corner of my eye i saw Alice smile at me. I had never really liked my cousin. In my eyes Alice was too naive and trusting and didn't understand the ways of the real world. The ceremony took three hours! It was so boring i almost started tapping my foot out of impatience. I looked to my side and saw some older woman making eyes at some young man across the room. Why flirt with someone if you don't love them? I think to myself. Thinking of my own parents.

As i was waiting for the ceremony to finish my i thoughts took back over. I was thinking about a day when i was 16 years old. It's another day i remember vividly i was sitting on one of the outside benches reading since i was dismissed of my duties of maid in waiting for now. And i remember another girl who was daughter of a powerful local baron who was also a maid in waiting in the same household. She grabbed my book and threw it to the ground. "I thought you couldn't read peasant." She sneered at me i felt anger bubbling inside me but i tried to stay calm.

I picked up my book and started reading again ignoring her. "Cat got your tongue peasant." She said menacingly. I was still ignoring her and i got up to move somewhere else but as soon as i got up she pushed me down into the mud. "I thought peasants could at least talk" She sneered and spit at my feet. Before i even knew what was happening i was on my feet my fist heading straight toward her face, and it hit her, hard. Before i walked away i pushed her to the ground like she did to me. "Who's the peasant in the mud now?" I sneered at her before i ran into my room.

I could hear her bawling as i ran off but i didn't care. When i got back to my room i started breathing heavily. Thoughts were whirling through my head. What if i was dismissed? What if i went to jail? I had no protection in this world she was right i was a peasant with no influence in the world. And that's when i swore to myself that i whenever i had children they would be legitimate so they would never have to go through what i had to go though.

The priest was now finishing the ceremony and Alix was beaming as bright as the sun. I knew though inside she was panicking she didn't speak Russian her mother in law hated her and she could make no other friends she just had us and her husband. I looked over my shoulder and Alice was now making eyes at some man. I rolled my eyes. Think of your reputation.i thought to myself silently.

Once again my thoughts took over and i was back to that memory with the girl. I remember Ali's father calling me to his chambers in the middle of the afternoon. My palms were sweating and heart was going as fast as possible. I thought i was going to faint when i saw the Baron and his daughter in the same room. I curtsied to them all after i entered and i saw the baron's beady eyes staring into me and his daughter was standing there with a smirk on her face. "Is this the girl?" The baron asked his daughter. "Yes she was bullying me." She said with a fake sniffle i wanted to punch her again but i knew i couldn't.

"Don't worry she will be punished. Harshly." The grand duke said to the baron. "Well i certainly hope so. I could put her in jail for what she did." After he said this i had to reach out to a chair to steady myself. I couldn't hear what they were saying i was so afraid. But soon after the Baron and his daughter left. "Scarlett?" The grand duke said softly. I flinched as if i was afraid he was going to hit me. "Will i be dismissed sir?" I ask timidly my voice quavering. "No. What you did was right." He said. Then organ music burst me out of my thoughts. The ceremony was over and we were going to the reception now.