"Oh, she looks wonderful Jamira!" I heard a joyous voice announce.
I craned my neck to see the speaker.
A matronly woman of her mid-fifties was standing by the main doorway. She wore a white linen tunic with a green sash decorating it.
My eyebrows knit together in confusion, 'What does green mean?'
Her silver hair was topped with a white cap also adorned with green.
She looked kind and merry.
"Jamira…" The green lady began speaking to Jamira in the ancient language.
I patiently waited for them to finish their conversation.
When the two women finally finished the green one turned to me and smiled.
"Oh, you must be our new queen, I am Alessia, the manageress of this palace. We will be working together very soon."
It seemed as though she could not stop smiling.
I smiled nervously back.
"Hydrangea of Crescent," I curtsied.
"Oh, no, no, no! We can't have you calling yourself that, you must use your new name." Alessia exclaimed.
I looked at her, my face contorted in confusion and hurt.
"Your title, "Hydrangea of Cadarama" She said proudly.
I stood there, frozen.
The country of Cadarama was not my country, my home.
No, my home was Crescent, Crescent Port, that was where I was from. I cared nothing for Cadarama, I never had.
I raised my eyes to the ceiling and then closed them in an effort to block my life out.
"Why don't you try it." Alessia encouraged.
I swallowed, "Hydrangea of Cadarama." I said halfheartedly.
~~~~~~~~~~
The gown and veil were hung on the wall in my closet and I sat on the small stool staring at the pair.
They were nothing really, just two pieces of fabric, but they felt like a heavy, binding rope that I could never escape.
I stood and exited the smaller room. I wanted to get out, see something other than this room.
I knew that I did not want to see the library again.
I left my room and entered the main hall. I turned right and continued walking.
The long hall was very tall with arched wooden beams holding the roof up. The stone walls were a smooth sandstone with marble pillars running along them. The polished white floors were covered with a yellow carpet that stretched the length of the long hallway. The walls were lined with pictures and different assortments of things.
I stopped in front of one painting and studied it. The name beneath it read: Alessandra the Beloved Queen.
I raised my eyes and studied the person. She was beautiful and her eyes looked familiar. I don't think I'd ever seen her before, but maybe I'd seen a relative of hers.
The longer I studied the painting the more I thought that I knew this person.
Eventually I walked away and continued on my course to find something to do.
I came to a crossroads and continued on, straight along the yellow carpet.
Instead of paintings lining the walls there were windows. I stopped excitedly to peer out of the first one I saw.
I was very high up and the wind whipped in my face as I cautiously leaned forward. The gauzy curtains that were hung overtop the windows were twisting and twirling in the strong, warm breeze.
I saw a courtyard with a giant statue in the middle of it with people running around it, it seemed to be a busy place. I saw two gardens but I couldn't make out what kind they were. I looked further and saw the sea. It seemed wherever I looked I saw the sea.
I missed my sea. Crescent Port was a small town, but we were one of the largest ports along the northern shore. I missed the smell of the ocean and the bitter cold wind that would gust off of it and blow into my face.
The only gusts that I could feel here were warm and humid. I could still smell the sea here but it was warmer and didn't have the same grit as mine did.
I closed my eyes and tried to remember the feel of that cold wind from home when I suddenly felt a strong arm around my waist.
I turned and saw that it was the Sovereign. I started squirming and he let go, but not before he moved me far from the window sill.
I brushed my skirt and straightened my hair. He still hadn't said a word.
"Greetings, my Sovereign." I said as politely as I could manage.
"Hm, ah yes, greetings." He waved his hand and looked out the window. He seemed distracted.
I had never really had a chance to fully study his face. I'd studied his smooth, bronze, sculpted chest and that was enough for his body. But his face…
I knew that it was handsome, his full lips said as much but I looked farther up. His nose was long, straight and slightly larger at the base. His eyes were hooded and I could finally see the colour. They were the same colour as that lady in the painting.
He had the most beautiful brown eyes I'd ever seen.
I could only see the one side of his face, but I could still make out most of them. The centre of his eye was a golden amber then it darkened to a near pitch black towards the rim.
"What were you doing at the window?" His masculine voice brought me out of my thoughts, which I quickly threw away.
"I-I was looking outside. May I ask, my Sovereign, what you're doing in this part of the palace?" I chastised myself for stuttering.
He turned and looked at me, a smirk crawling onto his face.
"That hallway," He pointed to the dimly lit hallway at the end of the one we were standing in, "leads to my quarters."
I stiffened. His quarters were right next to mine. It made sense that the queen's quarters were next to his but… it was not a very comforting thought.
I looked back outside the window and changed the subject.
"Why did you grab me?"
The smirk froze on his handsome face.
'Stop it! He's not that handsome.'
"What was so fascinating that you had to lean over the sill so precariously?" He asked back, slowly.
My eyes darted back and forth quickly. I wasn't sure I should tell him that I was feeling homesick, and why did he care anyway?
"Why do you care?" I asked.
"You nearly fell." He said nodding his chin in the direction of the window.
"And why do you care if I die, you could just as easily round up another bunch of girls and have another selection. I'm sure the people would be very happy about that." I said pointedly.
"What do you mean round up
anoth-" He stopped his pearly white teeth biting down on his tongue.
I raised my eyebrows expectantly.