Beast Unseen Ch. 04-07

Opening the first set of doors, she immediately noticed that one of the princesses was asleep on top of the covers of the bed. She was sleeping rather deeply, and the feather on her hat looked like it had broken in three places when she had rolled her head to the side. Deciding that she really didn't want to have to deal with waking the princesses just to fold down the covers on the bed she was already sleeping on, she left the room and shut the door behind her quietly. Turning down the beds in the other two rooms went rather quickly and she had taken a moment to look at all their fine cloths hanging in the closets. Clara felt a pang of envy at all the pretty cloths. Someday she would have fine garments. The finest gowns in the land would be hers, if she had her way. Some day she was going to be queen.

Chapter Nine

Collin sat back trying to relax a little while he at dinner at one of the finer pubs along the dockside in Glendrop. It seemed that most of the issues with the Genovian and the Skirvanian refugees was a unmarked shipped that came into port a couple of days ago. The Captain of the ship had died and the supplies that had been bartered and were to be sold in the dock had not yet been claimed by the captain's benefactor. Both the Genovian and the Skirvanian refugees were claiming it was from their mother country. It was a bit of a mess, but one that could be easily remedied by going over the ship logs and the registration log. The ship had to be registered in order to sell its goods in any of the docks and ports in Glendrop and the ship logs would note who the usual traders the Captain would use. The only thing he needed was a little bit of time to go over the books and then he could be on his way. On the bright side, after a bit of checking he also found that Rifka was in the city. Paying a messenger boy, he sent the boy on the errand to find her and let her know where he was staying so that he could perhaps make a purchase while he was there.

The bar wench with most of her charms on display in her low cut peasant blouse and corset placed a bowl of Shepard's pie in front of him. The steam that came off of the bowl made his mouth water in anticipation. The wench smiled most gloriously at him, but he didn't' really care. He didn't care that she flaunted the depth of her cleavage as she put the put down or that the strong scent of musk washed over him. She only wanted him for his purse of gold and he couldn't stand women who didn't want him for him.

Shoveling down the food like a man that had been starved for days, he barely noticed the dagger that had been thrown at him. The tiny dagger struck him in the shoulder as he had moved to avoid it, but not fast enough. The dagger had been meant for his throat. A little stunned by the sudden pain in him should he jumped to his feet and rushed towards the direction that the dagger had sprang from. The assassin make quick use of his feet and headed towards the side excite of the pub, knocking the busty serving wench to her feet as he passed. Collin caught sight of the drab tweed brown coat and the black slacks the assassin wore. Tossing coins on his table as he rushed by, he followed the tweed brown coat into an alley. Pulling his short sword out in anticipation, he was ready to block as the assassin tried to surprise him by leaping out of the shadows with his own sword.

Despite not always being the most graceful creature when it came to talking to women or dealing with people in general. The one thing that Collin was good at was swordplay. It was one of the few things that he would practice for hours on end to relieve frustration and despair. He had sparred with the best knights in the entire kingdom and was a regular in the challenge circles. He didn't always win, but he made a point to improve upon himself in this area and at this exact moment he was rather pleased with how well he was holding his own.

The assassin was good. He didn't seem to ever make a wrong move and his footing was matched every move that Collin made. The clothing the assassin wore had helped him blend in with the tavern customers, but had also given him plenty of free room to move around unencumbered. The eyes of the assassin were a dark brown color and had a very determined looked about them. Despite the possibly grave situation this was, it was the most fun that Collin had had in a long time, but he could tell that the assassin was getting tired and even though he didn't' really want to admit it, he was beginning to feel the affects of the open wound in his should. Adrenaline could only carry a person so far. Down at the end of the alley a cat came racing through the center of the two fighters, being chased by a rather large dog. Taking advantage of the break in concentration of the assassin, Collin flung his own dagger at the assassin, catching him squarely in the chest. The assassin dropped his sword in surprise. Bringing his hand to touch the ivory handle of Collins dagger, he sat on the ground suddenly a little amazed. It seemed like the possibility of losing had never occurred to the assassin at all. Coughing a little bit of blood up on to the lapel of his brown tweed jacket, the assassins eyes slowly rolled up to the back of his head, never to marvel at the light of day again. Collin leaned down and pulled his dagger out of thee dead mans chest. Wiping his dagger off on the dead mans clothing; he put the dagger back in the leather sheaf on his belted hip. Sighing, he headed back into the pub to pick up the books he had dropped on to the serving wench on his way. It was going to be a long night and at least a couple of days before he was going to be able to ride back to the castle with the seeping wound in shoulder.

Chapter Ten

The next morning Violet woke with a start. The heavy bedroom door fell shut with a large thud and click breaking her from her dreamland. Opening her eyes in the dim room, she saw that the fire had been reduced to coals and the silver clock on the mantle was showing that it was almost a quarter past eight in the morning. Looking down at her self, she noted that she was still in her traveling cloths on top of the covers and her hat was still on top of her head. To the left of her, part of the bed was messy from sleep, and Zinnia's nightgown from the night before was sitting folded on chair next to the bed. Zinnia must have came and left already. Violet tried not to let her ire get the best of her, because Zinnia had let her sleep in her traveling cloths all night instead of waking her for supper or to change for bed. Feeling a lot more rested then she had in days, Violet unpinned the hat from her head and examined it. The feather on the hat was broken in three places and would have to be replaced again.

A quite knock broke Violet out of her moment of contemplation. A small slight maid with straight brown hair pulled back into a bun at the base of her neck and a narrow straight face entered the room with a tray of food and a carafe of what Violet hoped was hot tea. Violet was pretty sure the maids, name was Clara, but she wasn't quite sure. Setting the tray down on a little table she made a little curtsey before she began to speak.

"The queen sent this up, because she was unsure if you were feeling any better from yesterday exhaustion. I am also to draw you a bath. Would you like me to start the water now, my lady?" asked Clara.

"It would be wonderful if you was started now, because it gives me time to enjoy the breakfast the queen was gracious enough to send up. Thank you for bringing it up, Clara" replied Violet hoping that she was getting the maids name right.

"As you wish, my lady," said Clara smiling slightly. Violet felt a little relieved when Clara finally left to fetch hot water, it gave her a chance to change out on her traveling dress, and into a white silk robe embroidered with little purple violets on it and enjoy a cup of tea with a teaspoon of honey and light breakfast the queen had been kind enough to send up. By the time she had finished her last bite of toast with raspberry jelly and set her empty tea cup with little blue flowers on the handle on the tray, Clara, was completely finished filling up the porcelain bathtub with steaming hot water. A little bit of fragrance oil of vanilla was poured in hot water, filling the small room with its light scent. Violet could feel the rest of the tension that she didn't know she still had, just melt away as she slipped into the welcoming hot waters. The hot water felt like balm to the previously taunt muscles and made her sigh in relief.

"Would my lady, like assistance with her hair?" asked Clara politely.

"That would be grand. Please," said Violet. Violet sat back in the relaxing suds as Clara began to systematically pull all the pins out of her hair and unbraid it from the tight knot that stat at the nape of her neck. Pulling a brush out of her apron pocket, Clara started to brush the long locks for mahogany hair out until it was smooth. A couple of times she yanked a little viscously at a not, causing Violet to cringe a little. Once the hair was completely smooth, she took the pitcher from the bason and poured the cold water on top of Violets head. Violet bit her tongue trying to keep back a shriek at the sudden temperature change. Before Violet could say anything Clara started to lather her hair with a vanilla soap, working the road grime out her hair. Violet figured that while Clara was busy with the scrubbing of her hair, she could start washing the rest of her body, and started to make use of the washcloth and second bar of soap. A half an hour passed quickly and the water began to cool to a tepid level, which was leaving Violet a bit chilled. Rinsing the last of the suds out of her hair and off of her body, she stepped into a warm white bath sheet that Clara had had setting by the warm coals of the fireplace and instantly forgave Clara for dumping cold water on her head.

Walking back into the bedroom, she was amazed that Clara had the time to fix the bed and set out her dress for that day, while she was drying off and wringing the water out of her long locks of hair. As soon as Violet came back into the bedroom, Clara went back to the powder room to straighten up. While Clara worked on draining the bath water, Violet put on her petty coats and chemise and stood in front of the looking glass in the room. Running a comb through her wet hair, she straightened it out and started to dry it with her towel. Once it was no longer dripping she braided and then wound her hair around her head in a cornet. Using only a couple of pins to secure it to her head. She cocked her head to the side and took a look at her handy work and to make sure it wouldn't fall out. Liking what she saw in the looking glass and making sure it didn't come loose, she finished getting dressed.

Deciding that she had better start the day and see where every one else was at, she start out of the room, stopping at the doorway of the powder room for a moment.

"Thank you Clara, I very much appreciate all you help this morning," said Violet to the stunned ladies maid.

Once in the hallway she looked around for moment trying to get her bearings and remember where she was at from yesterday's tour of the castle. Deciding that if she got too lost, she would surely run into some one that could help her, she decided to make a turn to the right and hope that there would be a staircase that would lead her to the first floor. The sounds of her soft-soled shoes made little noise on the carpeted hallways. Pausing for a moment next to one of the portraits in the hallway to examine the artwork, she heard voices float through the hall. At first she ignored the voices and looked at the portraits of the princes standing next to each other. It was a little odd, to Violet. It seemed that the features of Ethan were sharply in focus and the features of Collin were a little vague. She had to assume it was Collin, she had not yet seen him yet, but she couldn't figure out who else it would be in the portrait. The gentleman she was pretty sure of to be Collin was a lot more bulkier then Ethan, and a lot more hairier. Violet could have probably stared at the pictures for a good bit longer, but the voices in the hall continued and it was hard to figure out which direction they can from.

"I am sure that this will be enough to cover your expenses," said the first voice one in a low tone.

"If will be enough for this chore, but any more help will cost you," said the second voice.

"What exactly is your price," asked the first voice.

"Just that you remember those who helped you along the way to get you to the throne," said the second voice.

"Consider it done," said the first voice without hesitating.

Confused by what she was hearing, Violet decided to continue walking toward the direction she thought they were coming from. A couple of portraits later, the grand staircase came into view. Walking up the stairs was Prince Ethan, followed by one of the members in the clerical counsel. Violet only knew that the gentleman behind Prince Ethan was in the Cleric was due to his long black robes, and starched white collar that was mandatory in all kingdoms. Even the Cleric in her fathers' kingdom wore the same sort of robes. Prince Ethan looked at her a bit surprised when he saw her at the top of the stairs. The member of the Cleric looked a little ill. Not sure what exactly was going on she decided not to embarrass them by asking what was going on, she thought she better stop delaying the inevitable.

"I don't suppose you would know the where abouts of the Queen? I would like to take a moment and thank you for her kind hospitality," asked Violet politely.

The Cleric went from green to white in a moment. Prince Ethan narrowed his eyes for a moment and then smiled a bright cheerful and completely fake smile at her. Violet tried not to outwardly grimace at the fake smile. She absolutely hated it when people were fake with her, she had enough of it with her sisters on some days.

"I believe she is in the Solarium with one of your sisters. You will find it in the East Wing on the house. Close to where the gardens are. If you need help finding, ask on of the foot men and he will be more then happy to assist, I unfortunately have a meeting that I can't put up or else I would escort you there myself" replied Ethan with another insincere smile and then started to make his way back up the stairs. The Cleric mumbled and nodded as she passed him down the stairs.

Queen Raz sat in the solarium looking out the windows at her peacocks that were strutting across the grounds. The male peacock was trying to impress the aloof female peacock with its strutting and preening. The female peacock seemed unimpressed by this masculine display. She would occasionally sip from the cup of tea in her hand while she contemplated everything she knew about the visiting princesses. It wasn't much she knew about the, but it was going to be a lot more soon. She had decided that she would take each one aside and have a little chat with them over some tea and scones to find out what sort of persons they were individually. Queen Raz felt that it was up to her to find her boys a good wife, since in all the time that they have reached the moral majority they have done everything but prepare for future in that aspect. The King Zemekis, her husband wrote to her every week he was away, and she to him. It seemed that they were looking to have the roles of Empire Negotiator passed down to a younger man, most likely Prince Collin. The Emperor over all the kingdoms was very impressed with the way that Prince Collin was handling the negotiations that his father, King Zemekis was unable to attend to while he worked on the Genovia and Skirvania negotiations.

Part of the requirements to of that title was to be married. It wasn't only the royal requirements that had the queen wanting to see her sons married, she felt that it would be good for them to have a companion. Despite her boys being twins, and brothers, they weren't very close and it broke the Queens heart, even though she would never admit it. She only want to best for the boys, and if one of these girls would make either one of her boys happy, she was going to make sure that she knew the true character of each potential bride.

Violet was utterly amazed at how large the castle was. It wasn't that the castle she grew up in wasn't large, it just never seemed that way with all of her sisters bustling about and Violet only frequented a couple of the rooms, so it tended to make her view a little more narrow. The opulent beauty and the dignified taste of all the furniture was tapestry made her long to continue to explore. She tried to take in as much as she could as she followed a footman to the solarium.

After the footman announced her, she felt a little foolish for intruding upon the queen, but did a deep courtesy hoping to dispel the feeling that she was being analyzed. Raising her eyes to meet the queens' nod, she took a seat in on of the empty chairs across from the queen.

"Would you care for a cup of tea?" asked Queen Raz politely.

"Yes, please," replied Violet nervously. Deep inside she wished that she had been at dinner the night before, so that she wouldn't have to be feeling like she should grovel forgiveness for being rude this morning.

"Are you feeling any better?" asked Queen Raz while she poured the steaming hot liquid into a find china cup artfully. Placing the teacup in front of Violet, she studied Violets appearance.

"Yes, I am feeling much better, Thank you for having a bath sent up and breakfast. I am deeply mortified for missing dinner the night prior, as it was not my intention," said Violet trying not to mumble her words. Picking up the teacup with little bit of a shaking hand, she took a sip to try and calm her nerve. The soothing smooth taste of tea rolled across her tongue. The flavor was rich and bold with out being overpowering all at the same time. It was glorious.

"You sister made you excuses, I realize the travel from your home to mine could be a bit trying and with all your sister in such close quarter is sure to be exhausting," said Queen Raz trying to soothe Violets nerves.

"I appreciate your kindness. I have not done a lot of traveling due to almost always feeling ill when put into a carriage for long periods of time. I was quite pleased with myself that I was able to stand up right when we stopped. My sister Amaryllis would say that it is quite an accomplishment," said Violet trying to explain her exhaustion a little better.

"You sister Amaryllis, is your eldest sister? The one most recently married? Are all of you named after flowers?" asked Queen Raz as she started to pour herself a fresh cup of tea. Taking a moment to drop a lump of sugar into her cup.

"Yes, we are all named after flowers, because my mother dearly loved gardening and made a deal with my father that she would continue to try to grant him his heir if she would be able to name any female child they had what ever she wanted," said Violet beginning to relax at the kindness of the attention the queen was showing her.

"Any idea what you father would have named a boy if one your sisters had been a boy?" asked the queen a little curious as to what the name would be.

"Oh, yes. I know exactly what it would have been. He has often berated it to us, saying that if only one of us had been a boy, then he wouldn't have twelve spinsters in the making, and he could pass is wealth onto his son Aloysius Howard," said Violet with a smile.

"Oh, dear. Aloysius? I guess I should be glad that king and I choose something a little more traditional for our sons," said Queen Raz a little mystified.

"I must admit that I am rather pleased I was a girl, because Aloysius seems a little pretentious to me and would be awfully hard to live up to," said Violet dropping her eyes tot the side and then back at the queen to make it sound like a conspiracy. That made the queen laugh a bit and warm up to Violet even more.