Settling down on the bench behind the princess, I pulled out some of the sewing I had been working on prior to readying Princess Whitney. I couldn’t see the knight’s face due to the helm, but I assumed the princess had anticipated his presence. I glanced at the ribbons in Whitney’s hair and realized whose attention the princess was trying to capture. The young knight must be Sir Branford, his nephew. The crest was that of Silverhelm, the realm of King Camden. There were always a few new ones, and one in particular I noticed because of the coloring of his banner-black and gold. Most of them I recognized, for they were well known champions of the kingdom, and stories of their legendary battles had been told time and time again. All the hustle and bustle of the nobles seemed very unnecessary to me.īy the time we reached the arena, many of the knights on tall, decorated stallions were already entering through the gates. To be completely honest, I wasn’t very interested in who was competing in the games today. I shrugged, not wanting to be caught gossiping. Do you think she’s trying to catch their eye? There are several princes competing today, Hadley whispered to me. With a quick nod from the princess, we dutifully stepped in line behind the Princess and her flowing train.
We took both pride and pleasure in preparing Princess Whitney for her public appearance. We all stood back, and Hadley and I smiled at each other. Edith pinched Princess Whitney’s cheeks to redden them and touched her lips with the juice of crushed raspberries to give them a deep hue. When we were finished, the princess looked as stunning as she always did. I finished dressing her with the help of Hadley, Edith, and Shelly-Princess Whitney’s other handmaids. With a quick, practiced movement, I pinned ribbons of black and gold at the top of her head. The pale, perfect skin of her sleek neck and her haughty attitude were manifestations of her royalty in addition to the elaborate trappings wrapped around her body.
Whitney tilted her head to one side as I finished helping her with her hair. Whitney hadn’t been so particular about her wardrobe at those times. Granted, this one was a little more significant than the others, and the number of knights from neighboring kingdoms of all sizes had been pouring in since daybreak, but there had been other important tournaments. Today the Kingdom of Hadebrand would host the Grand Tournament, but we had attended plenty of tournaments and jousts before, presented by Whitney’s father, King Edgar. The Princess Whitney had been on edge all morning though I didn’t understand why. Cool autumn breezes blew through the open window at the top of the castle turret where I had served as a handmaid for as long as I could remember. I draped the stockings I was mending over my shoulder and hurried to the other side of the changing screen.
0 kommentar(er)
