Bow to the King

Chapter Ten

The day of the town festival arrived and it seemed the whole palace was alive with the excitement of the event. The Princess had given Rose the entire day and night free of any work. Rose and Anabelle had agreed to go to town together just before dusk. As Rose did not have a family estate of her own, Anabelle invited Rose to her family home so that they could both get ready together.

Anabelle had a small family - a mother, father, and one younger brother. The proper pleasantries were exchanged before Rose and her friend disappeared into Anabelle's room.

"I am so excited! We must hurry and reach the festival as soon as we can," Anabelle enthused.

"Of course, we shall not take long," Rose promised. Eagerly, Rose reached into the large basket Mistress Eudora had given her and pulled out Suzanna's dress. It was just as beautiful as she remembered. Anabelle's eyes widened to such an extent Rose felt a moment of concern.

"How beautiful your dress is," Anabelle breathed as she gazed at the golden material. Anabelle went to her closet and pulled out her own dress. It was a stunning, deep red with a golden, embroidered design forming a pattern.

"You shall be the most beautiful maiden there," Rose said to her friend kindly. Anabelle's eyes lit up and she beamed widely at Rose's words.

The girls helped each other dress. The moment Rose put her dress on she felt as though she was a princess in another land. The dress swished around her feet so pleasantly. It was a perfect fit. Anabelle twisted Rose's hair up into an elaborate bun, pinning the hair until it could not move. A few wisps of hair framed Rose's face and tickled her cheeks.

Rose, in turn, pinned Anabelle's chestnut curls into place so that they flowed down her back at different lengths. When the girls were ready they still had at least an hour before dusk. They decided to leave early as they were too excited.

The walk to the town was not far. As they drew near the sound of voices and music surrounded them. The village was full of people, all who were dressed in festive clothing. Rose looked around and noticed most people were wearing masks.

"Look!" Anabelle exclaimed, tugging on Rose's arm. "A man handing out masks. We must get some to wear." Rose agreed and together they hurried to the man. He was dressed in bright colours and his own mask was a fluorescent orange.

"Some masks for the fair maidens? No cost," the man said to Rose and Anabelle. The girls agreed enthusiastically. The man handed Anabelle a black mask with a red feather attached to it. To Rose he gave a simplistic, gold mask that framed her eyes.

"Thank you, sir," Rose said. She helped attach Anabelle's mask, then Anabelle did the same for Rose. She felt like a new person with her mask and dress. A fleeting thought had her smiling softly - even if the Prince did choose to attend the festival, he would have a difficult time finding her.

"Let us see the attractions!" Anabelle said, tugging Rose along by her wrist. Rose laughed and ran along with Anabelle willingly as they were swallowed by the crowd.

Rose giggled as she watched a mime pretend to struggle through various situations. She watched in amazement as a magician pulled out a bouquet of flowers seemingly from nowhere. She cheered as a bard performed a comedic song about becoming lost on a mountain.

On and on Anabelle and Rose explored, stopping to watch the various performances of travelling entertainers. Merchant's dressed in brightly coloured clothing had stalls full of beautiful trinkets and curious contraptions. There were even food stalls where different food from across the country could be sampled.