Princess Margaretta stood in front of a white and blue door, the room of a future Duke, adorned with his family's crest and colours. She hesitated to knock, scared for a reason she couldn't put her finger on. Maybe I should just go back to my room, she thought, resigning to her inevitable fate. As she turned to leave, her eyes met with Isla's unwavering ones. "Come on, Princess, it's time to have tea." She ushered warmly as she took Margaretta's hand into her own.
The doors opened to three laughing voices sitting on sofas. As the two approached the group, they noticed a deck of cards spread over the table as Augustus flipped through them. He seemed to know what was under each card and, with his incredible memory, he managed to win the game easily. "I don't think someone with an eidetic memory should be playing this game," Penny remarked grumpily as she collected the cards. "Oh! Welcome Princess Margaretta. What took you so long, Isla?"
"You know how Alexander can be if I don't feed him the exact meat he wants. He can be such an annoying beast!" She whined as she sat next to Margaretta on the free sofa. "What are we playing now?"
"Nothing!" Augustus suddenly announced before standing up. "We are going to talk." He decided before turning to the group with a cheeky grin. "Theo, I've heard some whisperings about you." He remarked as he indicated to his maids to pour tea for the group.
Theo turned to Augustus, an eyebrow raising slowly. "What have you heard?" He asked, slightly bewildered.
"Well, simply that you've enchanted the daughter of Duchess Cressida. She's apparently decided that you will be her husband." He declared to the room. Everyone 'ooh'-ed at the news as Theo turned a light shade of pink.
"I think I know what you're talking about." Princess Margaretta suddenly spoke up. "Ursula is a good friend of my brother's, and she's been talking about a 'common boy who will become hers' - you - and she described you as having the 'husky, rugged aura of a man who has lived'. Yes, those were her exact words." She giggled as shrieks of laughter filled the room.
With his head in his hands, Theo pouted at the Princess, making her blush. "Who knew Princess Margaretta would spread such devious wor-"
"Don't ruin your husky aura, common boy!" Penny yelled as she smacked his back with more force than a normal person could handle. He groaned before laughing with everyone else.
Augustus threw himself into Theo's arms dramatically and wailed "save me, oh rugged man" his legs dangling in front of Isla and Margaretta's faces.
"From what, yourself?" Theo replied before pushing Augustus off him and onto the ground.
"You just pushed a Noble onto the ground," Augustus remarked, making the laughter stop as everyone turned to him, "I could have you arrested." They all stared at him, tension filling the room. It was reality, after all, that they were still commoners who weren't recognised as entirely human in any capacity.
"Thanks for the reminder of our status." Isla shot back, a coldness in her voice Margaretta had never heard before. "But we'd beat you up plenty before you could even call for our arrest." She laughed and kicked his leg, he stood up sheepishly and returned to his seat.
"Thanks for ruining the mood, Sir Augustus." Penny hissed as he rolled his eyes. "But we should talk about training today, what did everyone do with their pairs? You were gone for ages, Isla." The room now turned to look at Isla.
"Ugh, I saw everything. Alexander showed me why I ended up with you lot. It was terrible but I needed to know, maybe?" She sighed as Penny held her hand. "It's a tense reminder of the fact that my power can cause so much pain."
"I had a similar experience," Theo remarked, he sighed as they all stared at him, hoping to hear more. "Well, it's no secret that the three of us were abandoned by our families. It turns out that my family home became flooded, destroying most rooms and some terrible injuries to my older siblings - which I have three of - and so they decided it was easier to abandon me." Isla stood up and sat beside him, her arm hugging him with Penny on the other side.
"I didn't want to know my past, so Cedric shared his past instead. He has had many, many love affairs." Penny stated, breaking the sad silence the room held as everyone laughed.
"I'd expect nothing less from such a handsome horse." Isla joked.
"Friedrich showed me his past too - he's fairly young for a dragon - but he's very good at Tail-Ball. We also got into how different I am from my siblings and he really gets it." Princess Margaretta grinned as she thought of her pair.
"I had the unfortunate experience of seeing my family's history, not just my Grandma, but my dad and uncles, grandparents. It was a history lesson that taught me that my family is as complicated as any." Augustus complained.
"I know it's important to 'know oneself' but I kinda wish I could go back to not knowing," Isla muttered, feeling small. She had known that she could cause harm, but her powers now made her feel fear, fear of what could happen if she lost control. "I feel like a dam waiting to break, and this is making it worse." She leaned into Theo who comforted her.
"I know, you compose yourself very well, Isla. But don't hide who you are because of all of that fear." He spoke gently, knowing his sister and the fears that burdened her. "Very few people can do what any of us can, we understand your burden. Remember where you are, everyone here is equipped for anything you throw their way, so please, relax." He scruffed her hair, making her groan.
"Stop! You're making me look bad in front of our dear Princess." She hopped over to Margaretta who welcomed her with open arms. "Can you help me fix my hair, Princess Margaretta?" She pouted cutely and the Princess giggled and helped her. She stared as Margaretta fixed her hair, mesmerised by her crystal-clear eyes and skin. Her doll-like features mixed with her coquette aesthetics and movements made her more adorable than Isla could handle. She found herself blushing as the Princess fixed her hair but couldn't stop staring.
"Done! Just as it was before." Margaretta remarked as her eyes met Isla's. "What is it?" She inquired, a little surprised by the intentful gaze she saw.
"You're so beautiful, I can't stop staring at you Ma- Princess Margaretta," Isla stated boldly, forcing a blush over Margaretta.
"You can just call me Margaretta or Margie." She replied shyly before averting her gaze and hiding behind her hair.
"Okay, Margie." Isla sang before they tuned into the conversations between the three other members of their group.
Penny yawned and stared at the antique clock that loomed over Augustus' space. "I'm beat, can we hit the hay?" She stood up, indicating that the question was rhetorical, and Isla followed her lead. "Good night everyone." Everyone hugged each other as they drifted to their rooms.