"Soon, honey ... Soon you will be able to meet your mommy and daddy."
Kathryn, also known as Cinderella, having had changed her name when she had married her Prince Charming, gently stroked her stomach, cooing softly to it. Although it had yet to extend in any way, she still took pleasure in rubbing her stomach and speaking softly to the small being that was slowly growing inside of her.
She moved over to one of her rosebushes, plucked up a white rose, and pressed it to her nose, inhaling slowly. The scent swept around her, engulfing her and only intensifying her serene state-of-mind, and as she broke the stem, she smiled gently. "You can't let daddy know though, not yet," she purred, slipping the white rose into her only-slightly-darker hair.
Thunder tore through the sky, successfully startling her, and she jumped, her hand clutching her chest. "Goodness! That scared ten years from my life," she breathed, rubbing at her forehead. She took in several deep breaths to slow her heartbeat, then tilted her head back to face the darkening sky. Only moments before, it had been sunny outside. The birds had been chirping, a gentle breeze had been blowing, and several animals had been scampering throughout her seemingly-endless yet beautiful garden. Now, however, the sky was quickly turning black and stormy, and thunder crashed, lightning quickly answering it with a reacting flash.
"Oh my ..." she murmured, frowning up at the dark mass above her. One droplet fell to her cheek, where it slowly trickled down and fell off towards the ground. It was followed by another, and another, and another, until the entire sky was crying. The rain poured down upon her, and she quickly pulled the hood of her light blue cloak up and over her head.
I should return to the castle before I catch cold ...With that thought in mind, she hurried back to the castle, ducking inside before it turned into a complete downpour. She was still drenched and chilled, but not tremendously so, and this would be easily fixable with a warm bath and dry clothes.
"Princess Kathryn! My goodness, what on Earth has happened to you?"
Kathryn looked up and tossed the wet hood of her cape, back from her head, her eyes traveling to one of Charming's footmen that had been assigned to protect her until he returned from his trip. She smiled at him, untied her wet cape, and placed it in the laundry bin that sat beside the door.
"I was merely caught in the sudden downpour. There was no harm done in that. However, I would like it very much if you would fetch a maid and ask of her to fill a bath for me," she requested. He snapped his fingers and a maid appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and she laughed a little.
The things this man will do in order to please Charming and myself ...They spoke briefly, and once the maid was gone, the footman, also known as Gerald, passed a towel to her, which she accepted gratefully. She wrapped it around her body and sighed a little as warmth began to seep through her.
"Have you any idea when my husband is due to return?" she asked, nodding for Gerald to walk with her to the bedchamber she normally shared with Charming.
"We received word that he would be here later on today. The exact time is unknown, however, and seeing as this rain had just appeared out of nowhere, it may slow his return down."
Kathryn felt her lower lip go out in a slight pout. "How depressing," she sighed as they reached her bedchambers. She smiled at him and they said their farewells, and she immediately made her way into her room. She shut the door quietly behind her, and turned back around to see a bath warm and ready beside the fireplace, where a fire was crackling in a welcoming manner. She smiled in joy and quickly made her way to the tub.
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Flopping back on the bed, Kathryn sighed, her boredom evident.
What to do when it's raining so terribly outside?She shot up as a thought intruded her mind. "I can finally organize the library!" she exclaimed cheerfully. She shot like a bullet from the bedroom, ever the little kid when it came to books, and made her way down the hallways to the library.
Ever since she had married Charming, he had ordered her not to clean, cook, organize, or, well, do
anything really, and it was driving her absolutely insane. She couldn't help the fact that she had grown up as a maid; she actually enjoyed cleaning a lot of the time, and managed to sneak and do so every chance she got.
She made her way into the library and quietly shut the door behind her, then turned back to survey the room. Books were strewn to and fro, with papers mixed into the mess, and many of the books on the large, endless shelves, were out of order.
"Oh, what a mess!" she exclaimed, moving further into the room. She clapped her hands, and several birds swept in through the windows, where they shook off their wet feathers and chirped happily at her. She smiled down at them. "Hello everyone, it's nice to see you all again. Would you mind helping me clean and organize this room?" The chirps that followed were all the answers she needed. She went to work, the birds assisting her in doing so, and she sat down on the floor, her skirts pooling around her legs, books surrounding her in stacks.
āWhy must we fight, when life is so short?ā
