Rebirth Of The Fallen Princess

Chapter 8

The Rhosyn estate occupied a large portion of our fief. More commonly known as Raven's Wood, the land specifically owned by our family covered more area than that of the entire capital. Its name - originally given by the commoners who occupied the neighboring village - came from the thick woods that surrounded the estate on all four sides, and the ravens that made their home in its darkness. With the winding paths and the perpetual dark fueled by the trees' thick leaves, Raven's Wood was a fortress in its own right. And the perfect place for my favorite training.

My back straight as an arrow, I scanned the forest floor below me. After giving His Majesty a poor excuse to postpone my meeting with Prince Cade, we immediately returned home. Father didn't utter a word to me, not in the carriage ride, nor in the week that had passed since we arrived. Instead, he assigned grueling training exercises. All were aimed at increasing my strength and building muscle. All lasted from morning well into the night. I wasn't a fool. This was my punishment. Today he decided to make it lighter with a stealth challenge. If I could locate the twenty knights hidden throughout the woods and effectively 'capture' them, I would be granted a midday break. My aching body yearned for that reward.

I have caught nearly all of them, I thought. I just need to catch her.

Therein lay the problem. The sun was already high above me, doing little to combat the winter chill. When I started this exercise, the sun hadn't even crested the distant mountains. My limbs fought me as I forced myself into a more comfortable position. Yet, as stiff as my body felt, I refused to focus on anything other than the hunt. It took this long just to find her, if I let her escape now, there was a chance I wouldn't see her for another couple of hours.

She hadn't noticed me yet. Like me, she traded in her usual skirt for black leathers. Neither of us had moved in nearly an hour. I was sure she felt the same throbbing pain I did, but she didn't show it. Not that I could see her expression from this distance. I needed to move closer in order to catch her, but that was easier said than done.

No more delay, I told myself. End this now.

I slunk from my cover in the undergrowth. Each calculated step took me closer to my prey. Thankfully, she still had not yet noticed my approach. Luck was on my side. My steps were absolutely silent. Within moments, I had covered the distance between us. Then, as I reached to grab her arm, the wind shifted directions and my hair flew into her line of sight. She spun to sweep me off my feet, but I had already latched my arm around her torso and held a dagger to her heart.

"I win," I breathed, heaving a sigh of relief.

With a smile, the girl bowed her head and held her hands up in a sign of surrender, acknowledging, "Yes, my lady. As per His Grace's instructions, we may now return to the mansion."

I untangled my limbs from her and glanced at the sun in the sky. There was still plenty of daylight. Father would probably give me a break of an hour and then another for my etiquette lessons with Mother, before throwing another training exercise my way. I couldn't complain. As painful as they were, these exercises would ultimately help me. At the very least, I was building up my strength so that another incident like what happened in the palace gardens wouldn't happen again. The humiliation still stung. In light of that, I was grateful to do any training. A rustling shook me from my thoughts, and I glanced up to see three ravens perched on a branch. They stared at me with gleaming eyes.

Father told me when I was a child that if I ever lost my way, 'follow the ravens'. No matter where I was, they would lead me back home. I remember being in awe of that and staring at the trees in search of the elusive black birds. My focus had been so intense that my father disappeared. I could not remember much of what happened, but after the sun had gone down, two ravens appeared. Just as my father said, they led me out of the woods until I found myself standing outside the mansion. Father had chastised me for how long it had taken me and brought me back out every day for quite some time. If I remembered correctly, I was six years old at the time.

Nodding to the ravens, I motioned for Camille to follow as they took flight. We began our trek back to the main house. Thankfully, it appeared that Camille's hiding spot hadn't been far, and we emerged from the forest in mere minutes. Father stood at the front door. Camille bowed to him, and after a second, he stepped aside. I nearly smiled. That was the closest I would ever get to verbal approval from my father. Camille and I walked through the doorway.

"My lady, please allow me to excuse myself to change into my uniform," Camille requested, bowing her head to me, "I will assist you in preparation for your etiquette lessons as soon as I finish."

I nodded. Straightening, Camille turned towards the servants' quarters and retreated to her room. Continuing on my own path, I made my way up the grand staircase. The dark wood of the walls stood in contrast to the paintings that adorned them. Unlike the future of my past life, these portraits of House Rhosyn were clean of spiderwebs and dust. It gave a different feeling to the manor. And reminded me of the possibility of the future.

Once I returned to my room, I began to stretch my arms and legs. The stiffness still lingered despite our walk back to the manor. I spent several minutes moving each of my limbs, making sure my joints could function once more. A knock at my door stopped me.

"It is me," Camille announced, her voice muffled through the door, "may I enter, my lady?"

"Yes, come in."

Camille entered, wearing her black and white maid uniform. Like my own dresses, her uniform was simplistic, with only a white apron to stand out from the plain black fabric. It differed significantly from the maids of other houses who were forced to carry about in dresses as fantastically over-the-top as their masters. Much like our knights, it made them identifiable to most people. And it was much more practical.

"You did very well in this morning's exercise, my lady," the young maid praised, peeling my sweat-soaked leathers from me.

I shook my head as she pulled the tunic up and over my head, countering, "I did not do nearly as well as I expected. Have you been setting time aside for extra training?"

"Yes, my lady. Her Grace has been courteous in offering to assist in my training late into the evening. I still have much to learn in order to assist you to the best of my abilities."

Camille moved faster than even our head maid, changing me into my dress in just a few minutes. She sat me in front of the mirror and began brushing through my white hair, flattening out the creases from being tied up. I stared at the girl in the mirror. It still felt unnatural to associate myself with her face. The youth in her eyes, the lack of scars on her body, everything. It wasn't me.

"Camille, do I seem different to you?" I asked, glancing at the girl's reflection.

Without slowing, she began to braid a section of my hair and replied, "Truthfully?"

"Of course. You are my friend; I hope you never feel you need to hide the truth from me."

"If I am to be honest, this past month has been rather strange. Yo-"

A knock at the door interrupted our conversation. Camille muttered a curse in Démenci and tied off the second braid she was working on. She strode to the door and opened it just a c***k. I used the time to look at the dress she chose for me. Simple, of course, it was much better suited for the winter season than most of the gaudy dresses other ladies wore. The only bit of extra embellishment came from the white wool around the wrists that contrasted directly with the deep blue of the fabric.

As the young girl closed the door to my room, I called out, "What is it, Camille?"

"You have a visitor, my lady," she informed me, crossing the room to stand behind me once again.

"A visitor for me?" I asked, watching her reflection. “Who is it?”

"His Highness, Prince Rylan, my lady," Camille replied, tying my braided hair up with a ribbon. "Jerome says he is waiting for you in the tearoom. He is being received by your father."

I stood abruptly, nearly sending my chair clattering to the ground. Camille hardly flinched as she continued to pull the blue ribbon tight. Prince Rylan? In my previous life, I hadn't even had the chance to meet the crown prince before he died. What could he possibly want with me now? Did he come to accuse me of offending the royal family because I didn't meet with his brother? If so, I had to apologize profusely. I couldn't allow a decision made in a moment of panic be the reason my family perished.

My legs carried me out of my room and swiftly down the hallway before Camille could say another word. I came to a stop just outside the tearoom. Lifting my hand, I paused and allowed a couple of seconds to regain my composure. I'd planned for a scenario such as this if someone were to question me about my meeting with Prince Cade. His Majesty himself forgave me for not making the meeting. He even passed word on to my father. Prince Rylan was an obstacle I wasn't expecting. Pressing my palm firmly on the door, I steeled myself and walked in.

"Pardon my intrusion, Father, but I heard we had a v-" my voice abruptly stopped as my eyes fell on the boy sitting across from my father.

In the afternoon sun, his copper hair looked almost golden. I'd met this boy before. Instead of a knight's uniform, the boy wore a crisp, elegant white tunic and black trousers. Both items were embroidered with intricate gold designs. They were clothes I had seen Prince Cade wear time and time again. There was no question about it; this boy was Prince Rylan. My mind raced as it made the connections. The knight who had caught me in the gardens of the Crystal Palace was actually Prince Rylan. Prince Rylan.