Confessions
Huddled together in the dimly lit room, the five teenagers tried their best to come up with a plan for the Princess’s approaching birthday. Courtney took the lead, but patiently waited for any suggestion or idea.
Spencer struggled, his fingers held tight around his makeshift dagger. He trusted Angela, and he knew she wouldn’t get involved with anyone who wanted to hurt them, but when you are surrounded by two assassins and the General’s swordsman, it is kind of hard to keep your cool.
Angela, noticing the tension in the room, stated the obvious, “so…how do Spencer and I help you guys plan a birthday party for a girl we don’t even know?”
Courtney shifted, and let down her guard. “Well, if I am vulnerable for two seconds, do you guys promise not to hold it against me?”
Angela and Spencer nodded, Chanse and Arasha stood still, but a silent agreement fell between them. Courtney cleared their throat before speaking again. “The Princess, she is one of my best friends. I am not supposed to be her friend, for conflict of interest, but some nights when my hard exterior begins to crack, Princess Amanda is always there to be a shoulder to lean on. Her birthday always gets overshadowed by the festival, and I can tell it bothers her. Prince Tommy and Prince Shayne always try to make up for it but with this being a milestone birthday I wanted it to be special.”
Angela sucked in a breath, “so what can we do?”
Courtney’s cheeks became slightly pink, before confessing to Angela, “I have actually been keeping tabs on you and Spencer for a while. I needed kids our age, and when I found out you were a baker it was almost too perfect. There is a massive kitchen area down the hallway where the servants cook for the royal family. It would be really helpful if you could make something for the party? And then we can figure out where to go from there.”
Angela’s stomach fell as her one night as a fancy lady would be masked by the flour and eggs that stapled her everyday life. She had to remind herself it was for the Princess, and maybe if the Princess loved Angela’s cakes, she would love Angela.
“Fine, I’ll do it. Where are we going to have this party?”
Spencer piped in, suddenly elated, “We could take her to the waterfall! It is a great spot and it’s hidden away. I already know that the Princes and Princess know where it’s at, we could ask them to meet us there later.”
“That sounds great, Chanse, could you go upstairs and relay the location? Arasha, and Spencer will you guys go down to the clearing and try to set down some nice stuff? I’ll stay here with Angela.”
Chanse, Arasha and Courtney shook each other’s hand in the shape of a triangle, symbolizing the holy trifecta of the group of friends. Arasha took Spencer’s hands and led him out of the building, having to remember that he was unconscious coming in. Chanse went upstairs to get the Royal children on board, his jaw set in focus.
“Angela, come with me.”
Two two girls walked down the hallway, and Angela breathed in the smell of damp underground, tracing her fingers along the cobblestone walls. The stone floor beneath them echoed their steps, Angela tried her best to land softly, but it was nothing compared to the stomp of Courtney’s combat boots.
Courtney led them into a spacious kitchen, and Angela noticed there were five massive stoves in the middle, three ovens stacked on top of each other were to her left. Cabinets hung from every wall, marked with the ingredients that were in them. Pots and pans lay strung around the room, Angela picked up a heavy metal skillet, weighing it in her hand.
“This is incredible,” Angela breathed, making her way towards the cabinets to examine what was inside.
“I know right? It’s nothing compared to what they have at the Castle. I have a good buddy who is apprenticing there right now, maybe someday I can pull some strings and you two could learn together.”
Angela’s heart swelled at the idea of being one of the Royal bakers, delving into a world that was so familiar but so foreign. “That would be a dream, but I could never leave Spencer.”
“Oh, I’m sure we could find a place for that kid. Plus, I was hiding in the shadows when I saw Prince Tommy lead him away, so I assume getting your brother in the castle won’t be that hard.” Courtney winked before taking a spot at one of the stools by the island. She tore at a piece of bread she had stashed away in her satchel.
“I also noticed…that every time I bring up Princess Amanda, your whole face turns pink.”
“What?! No it does not!” Angela screeched back to Courtney, but she could feel her face blazing.
“Yeah that’s what I thought. I promise I won’t judge, I’ve had my fair share of Royal Family yearning.”
“Really..?”
Courtney shoved the rest of the bread into her mouth, holding a finger up to signal she would talk once they were done.
“Start on the cake and then I’ll tell you.”
Angela did just so, she grabbed her dry ingredients, mixing them into a large wooden bowl. She carefully moved her way around the mixture, making sure she did not get a trace of flour or baking powder on her new dress. She grabbed eggs, vanilla, milk, butter, her fingers falling into a rhythm she practiced every day. Courtney stared wide eyed, amazed at how skilled Angela was around a dessert.
Placing the now combined batter into a metal cake pan, Angela slowly placed it into the oven, wiped sweat off her brow, and started to clean up.
“Oh don’t worry about it, they have people who can clean.”
“Well, I don’t see them, and I was taught to always clean while something cooks, so that is what we are doing. Plus, you still have yet to tell me about your royal affairs.” Angela grabbed a towel and flung it towards Courtney, who picked up the towel like it was an alive creature.
Angela then moved over to the sink, guiding Courtney through washing dishes, which it seemed to be the first time Courtney had ever done this in her life. Angela let silence settle between them, letting her new friend get comfortable before talking.
“You know how Tommy is all wrapped up in your brother, and how now you might be wrapped up with Amanda?”
“Yes…”
“Well, I am painfully in love with Shayne.”
Angela gasped, dropping one of the measuring cups into the soapy water. “What? No way! You guys would be so cute together!”
Courtney looked away and at their hands, “Yeah I’d like to think so. However, my job is to protect him, not fall in love with him. I feel like it would cause too much trouble to do anything with him. Plus, we are only 16, and I know over time these feelings will pass. They always do.”
“But they haven’t, have they?”
“No. He invited me to come to the celebration tonight, and I got scared so I told him I was going to bring friends. He looked at me a little weird but, I know it’s for the best. Do you want to know something crazy?”
Angela, now done with her side of the dishes, nodded furiously.
“A couple of days ago, we wandered into the garden, and he kissed me. He actually kissed me, Angela. It was incredible.”
“It’s so weird seeing you like this, you would think the Kingdom’s best Assassin didn’t believe in love.”
Courtney gave up on washing dishes, and turned to Angela. “Yeah well, when you're fourteen and desperate for any parent who wants you, sometimes you sign up for a life you never wanted. Without the General my life probably would've ended, alone and hungry in the woods. It was either wait for death, or decide to be actively involved with the process.”
Angela took one of Courtney’s hands in hers, keeping intense eye contact. “You mentioned Princess Amanda helps you find comfort, what do you guys talk about when you’re together? What life would you live if it wasn’t this one?”
A small tear ran down one of Courtney’s cheeks, “I wanted to be a painter.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“I am actually a really talented artist, but it's hard to draw when you always have a sword or dagger in your hand. That’s why late at night Princess Amanda will let me into her room. She’ll tell me about all of her royal duties she had to complete for the day, and in the moonlight casted from her window she lets me draw anything I want.”
Angela brought Courtney in for a hug, before jolting at the sound of her timer going off. Courtney handed her an oven glove, and carefully Angela pulled the cake out of the oven, and placed it on the counter next to her.
“While we wait for this to cool we can make the frosting. I wonder what everyone else is up to.”
~
Upstairs, two stories above where Angela and Courtney are taking turns tasting the frosting that is being whipped up for her cake, Princess Amanda is looking out her window, waiting for something interesting to happen.
The first night of the Flower Festival was always bittersweet for her, she looked forward to the event every year. Eager to see the people she would one day reign over. The stories they shared always filled her heart, giving her something to hold onto as she made the decisions that would affect their lives. She could see everything, people laughed, danced, and kissed. She held her hand up to the glass, hoping that one day that would be her.
Her dark brown eyes had grown weary of staring at nobles all day, nodding at councilmen who always tried too hard to impress her. She was tired of being the daughter her two Fathers expected her to be. However with Chanse’s arrival and secret whispers between her brothers, she could tell that tonight was going to be different. Her eyes followed a mother holding her baby daughter in her hands. Amanda noticed the baby being sung to sleep, and her heart ached at the sight of the mother placing a small lavender blossom on the top of her baby’s head. A gesture that reminded her of her own origin story.
It was quite a shock to the Kingdom when the two King’s produced a daughter no one knew they were expecting. She had been told the story of her arrival over and over, her heart still panged at the thought of her poor mother. With her death fast approaching Amanda’s mother took her daughter to the one place she felt safest. Her mother had walked miles into the heart of the Kingdom, and snuck her way into the Royal Garden. Softly, she laid her daughter down in a patch of sweet lavender. A note tucked tightly into her blanket. When her mother raced out of the garden she dropped her lantern, hoping someone would notice and find her dear baby in the flowers.
Sadly, no one noticed for one whole night and one whole day. By some luck the two Kings were strolling through their garden on the second day, when they heard a soft whimper from the purple blossoms. King Anthony rushed over to find the bundle, and cradled her in his arms. He vowed to take care of her always, believing that baby Amanda was the one missing piece to their perfect puzzle.
It was after the adoption of their third son, that they started the Flower Festival to celebrate the new lives of the Palace Kingdom. Her brother Tommy, only a few months younger than her, was adopted two years after Amanda’s arrival. A widowed noble died in battle, and the King took his orphaned son into their care. Her youngest brother came into their lives when Amanda and Tommy were six and Shayne had freshly turned five. The small charming boy literally wandered into the Castle one day and never left.
In honor of their “first born”, and in remembrance of where they found their precious daughter they encouraged the village people to celebrate, to hold a week long party of singing, dancing, and of course, flowers.
Princess Amanda loved the festival, and it was even more fun when she had siblings to go with her, but eventually her Fathers started to slowly forget the reason why the Festival started in the first place, and became more interested in the people. She couldn’t blame them, she loved partying and mingling with the village people as well, but there was still that small part of her that wished they would at least throw her a small birthday party.
Princess Amanda pulled herself out of her daydream, and glanced at herself in the floor length mirror. She was still in her deep purple ball gown, her crown now gone from her head. Her hair fell in inky black waves down her back, lavender blossoms poking out from random spots in her hair. Without the crown and pinned hair, and ignoring her huge dress, she almost didn’t seem Royal, but maybe like a girl pretending to be so.
Princess Amanda made her way to the massive walk-in closet in her room, eyeing the way too big dresses that hung from ceiling to floor, before shoving past them and pulling out a small bag left to her by her best friend Courtney.
In the bag were two outfits that were much more comfortable than the dresses she always had to be seen in. Still matching the family Royal color, or lack of, was a black short sleeved blouse, a gentle scooped collar and elegant stitching. A hidden clasp around the neck in the shape of a crescent moon.
Instead of the rib crushing corsets she was used to, this outfit had a breathable vest, dark violet with silver embroidery in curling lines, lavender sprigs stitched in like whispers. It hugged her waist but it still gave room to dance, run, and breathe.
The pants Courtney had made were perfectly tailored to Princess Amanda’s tall frame, the material was soft and designed for movement. Dark leather boots paired nicely with them.
As she threw the outfit on she went to put the bag in its hiding spot, but noticed a sharp white object hidden between the layers of clothes still left in the bag. She picked it up, noticing it was a note left to her, and scribbled in her friend’s handwriting was, “Be no one else but Amanda tonight. That’s enough.”
Princess Amanda kissed the note before tucking it back in, and slightly stumbling her way through the darkness of her room she moved back in front of her mirror. The girl looking back at her had no expectations, no rules to constantly follow. She smiled to herself, and as the clock struck 12, she was delighted to see her two brothers standing behind her.