CHAPTER: 11
1121 Words
The massive doors groaned open. Two guards wearing metal armor strode through, their hands on their gilded sword handles. Vienna hesitated, but Alex shook his head.
"Don't worry. They work for His Highness. They will not ask questions. But I have got to get you inside before you are noticed by anyone else," he said.
Vienna stopped walking. "Please. Why are you bringing me here?"
He took a deep breath, and she sensed he was gathering what remained of his patience. "We need to get you inside for the ceremony. If you are not ready on time, an innocent girl will suffer in your place. Worse than that, I will have to hide you into the castle anyway, and that is all sorts of a hassle. Damien would never let me hear the end of it."
"I do not understand," Vienna said.
"I do not expect you to. You have to just trust me. And if that is asking too much, just do as I say," Alex said. He then pulled the cloak's hood up over Vienna's head, and grabbed her by the elbow, and rushed her past the guards, nodding to them as they entered the compound.
The village was humming with activity. Dozens of people roamed about, both alone as well as in pairs, chattering excitedly. They wore brightly colored peasant robes and all of them seemed to be carrying something; a bag of pears, a loaf of bread, and one person had a goat on a leash. The ground was muddy, with hay scattered all around, and the village smelled of animals. The castle was set farther back, its towers soaring above them, the deep blue flags swirling in the breeze. Its ascetic beauty contrasted sharply with the hum of life in the colorful, buzzing square.
Alex moved her down a muddy walkway, careful to keep her tucked by his side. They headed through a passageway of unoccupied canopy tents.
"What is the ceremony for?" Vienna asked.
"Please shut your mouth, my lady," Alex said.
They turned down an empty alley, and he stopped, making sure no one was around before he knocked on a door.
It flew open, and a short-statured woman in a blue dress and a spotless white apron frowned at them. She had smooth, flawless skin, a round face, and a plump waist. "It is about time." Her frown deepened as she took in Vienna's appearance. "Get her in here!"
Alex practically shoved Vienna inside as the woman made a sound of disapproval and circled her.
Scowling, the woman pulled Vienna's hood back. "Her hair is a mess. We barely have time to do the dress and now her hair." She cleared her throat pompously and immediately rushed to the fireplace, where she put a kettle on to boil. She had dark hair with silver streaks in it, pulled back into an immaculate bun.
Vienna cleared her throat. "Hello," she said to the woman.
The woman turned to her, her face softening. "Hello, dear. I am not mad at you. It is this one." She pointed her thumb at Alex. "He is always causing trouble,"
"Mistress Deborah, I beg your pardon." But Alex did not look like he was begging as he thumped into a chair and helped himself to a cookie from a nearby tin. "Are you making tea then?" he asked Deborah.
She waved her hands toward the kettle. "I am doing no such thing. It is to warm the water for her hair so that she does not catch pneumonia!" Mistress Deborah's accent was different from the others, thicker and more difficult to understand. Vienna wondered, 'Where on earth am I?'
"We need to get her ready. It is almost time, and we need to have her shining." Mistress Deborah nodded at her. "Let us get you out of those clothes, child." She opened a wardrobe and grabbed a clean white robe for Vienna. "This will keep you covered until we can get you into your gown."
"I am, by the way, Vienna," and she held out her hand to shake hers, but the woman clasped it between her palms.
"I know who you are." Mistress Deborah winked at her, her blue eyes sparkling. "It is nice to see you. You can change in here."
Mistress Deborah led Vienna to a private nook, and she gratefully stripped out of her stiff, wet clothes.
"Let me take those from you," she said to Vienna.
Vienna put on the robe as Deborah inspected her clothes, shaking her head as she folded them and kept them into a basket.
"What is the matter?" Vienna asked.
"Oh, nothing. It is just that I do not understand why the women where you come from are so partial to trousers. I do not think I would be able to breathe in them," Deborah replied.
"Mistress Deborah." Alex's voice had a warning tone.
She gave him a dirty look. "I am empowered to state my opinion."
He raised his eyebrows. "Move on. Why don't you show us the gown?" He helped himself to another cookie, looking pleased that he was no longer alone in babysitting duty.
"Ah, yes." Mistress Deborah went to a closet and pulled out a long red dress, strapless, with a full tulle skirt. "This is what we have chosen for you," she said to Vienna.
"It is beautiful, but... I don't understand. Why did you pick out a dress for me? How did you even know I was going to be here?" Vienna looked at Deborah then at Alex. "I certainly did not!"
Deborah did not answer her. Instead, she folded and refolded the corners of her apron. Alex also ignored her, pretending to be occupied by cleaning his teeth with a toothpick.
"Well, if you will not answer that, can you at least explain why the gown is necessary? I just saw a goat on a leash out there, and people who wore brightly colored peasant robes and carrying a bag of pears, a loaf of bread, and other things." Vienna pointed out of the window. "Don't you think a ball gown seems out of place?"
"It is for the ceremony," Mistress Deborah explained. "All the girls wear them for the ceremony."
"Well, what is this ceremony all about? Alex does not want to tell me a thing!" Vienna said.
Mistress Deborah cleared her throat noisily again, took the kettle down, and poured the water into a big white bowl. "That is because he is a boy and he would rather eat and fight than explain such ordinary things as details. He does not want to be responsible."
Alex responded to that by shoving another cookie into his mouth.
A/N: To be continued...
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