The True Tale of Thousandfurs

Twenty-Three

A week had passed since Katerina had last spoken to Alexander.

Her heart felt heavy in her chest, trying to remain positive about the circumstances. His mother, the queen, had been quick on wedding preparations, having a tailor appear nearly every day, for fittings.

Not only was he to design her a wedding gown fit for a royal maiden of her magnitude but also an entirely new wardrobe considering all she had retained from her lifetime in Lenningston were three ballroom gowns.

Katerina picked at the dead flower stems in the box before her, plucking the rotten petals and watching them fall with a sad sigh.

He had seemed so eager to know her. But now that he had unveiled her secret why should he care to know more. She was Katerina of Lenningston, what more was there to her?

She remembered several of the maids talking one night outside of her chambers when she was much younger, back when her mother was alive and well. They spoke about men in such a graphic nature she was ashamed to have listened but could not stop herself. She knew nothing of romance or intimacy with a man and at the time was growing near the age of marriage.

One of the maids was speaking very harshly about the stable boy that would groom the horses when they returned from carriage rides. He was several years older than Katerina but fairly young all the same. She thought he appeared nice and had attempted to befriend him, but being a princess is a lonely title and she got no further than a name.

The woman was furious with his behavior and what was most startling was her admission of lying with a man before marriage! She claimed he chased her until she finally gave into him after several months, believing a courtship would ensue but instead he had disappeared after the night they spent together.

Katerina had never had any relations with boys, not until now. She had no idea what was in store for her, but she feared the worst. She knew several noblemen would marry royalty to produce an heir not out of love, which her soul so desperately craved. Then the king would have a harem full of women he could spend his nights with instead of his poor wife.

Is that what she was to become?

The poor wife?

She wiped her cheeks quickly, feeling the burning sensation against her skin as the tears fell from her eyes. It had only been a week and he was an important man. He surely had much more important matters to attend to than her fittings or even dinner.

The first morning, after the ball, Prince Alexander introduced her to his mother and father as his bride-to-be, then she was whisked away from him, and never once had he called upon her or made an effort to see her.

"My lady?" Viviana, her lady in waiting called out, entering the garden, "It is getting late and cold. Would you like me to draw you a hot bath before you return to your chambers?"

Katerina shook her head, looking up at the orange sunset, "No thank you. They will only bathe me again in the morning." She stood from the small bench where she had been hiding for the last few hours, allowing her mind to wander to dangerous places.

"It is very exciting my lady!" She clasped her hands together, "A royal wedding is such a marvelous event! I have only ever been in attendance at one before but it was very beautiful! But not as beautiful as yours will be!" She rambled on excitedly.

Katerina forced herself to laugh as she followed the young girl inside the castle, "All weddings are beautiful. It is the love that makes them so."

"It must be very exciting." Viviana looked back for confirmation of her statement, "I do hope I am not being too bold, your majesty."

"Not at all." Katerina smiled warmly, the frost that was nipping at her heart melting slightly, allowing bits of warmth to shine through, "It is nice to speak with someone so freely."

"I must say, we were all shocked when the prince announced your engagement." Viviana continued, confidently oversharing with her superior but Katerina did not mind. She was much too lonely to complain about any friendship she may find with these dark gloomy halls, "He made quite the fuss about the preparations for the ball and refused to even attend!"

"He can be very stubborn." The princess nodded, remembering how adamant he had been about receiving answers to questions Katerina had no way of answering even for herself.

"But he loves his mother, the queen dearly, and agreed to one night." Viviana waited to the side as two large guards opened the too-heavy wooden doors for the pair. She allowed the princess to enter before her and kept pace behind her, "We had just finished clearing the remains from the ball when the king announced for another to take place, soon thereafter. It was a shock but we all knew why."

"Why?" Katerina tilted her head confused, remembering the panic over the lack of food to feed all of the unexpected guests. She had assumed her lack of information was her fault for simply not listening close enough.

"You, my lady!" She smiled warmly, following the princess into her temporary chambers, "Would like me to prepare the fireplace?"

"Please, if you would." Katerina walked behind the changing screen to prepare for bed while Viviana continued speaking.

"You must be excited for his return." She said, poking the flames as they crackled turning into a roaring blaze, "Being apart from your soon-to-be husband so close to your wedding day must be difficult ."

He had left?

"Yes, but they did not tell me where he had journeyed to." She lied quickly. She did not need a servant being more in tune than she was, especially on matters pertaining to her future husband.

"I was not told. I only helped pack satchels for him and the royal guard." She said, opening up the princess' dresser.

Katerina wished to know more but just that small amount relieved a heavy worry that hung in her chest about the morning to come, "Thank you." So he was not been avoiding her as she had imagined.

"Here are your nightclothes, my lady." Viviana placed the nightgown and robe on the table beside the screen so she may reach them, "Will that be all you need me for my lady?

"Yes, you are dismissed."

"Thank you, my lady." The servant girl gave a small curtesy, despite not being seen, and left the chambers.

Katerina squeezed the golden ring on her finger knowing in two days' time it would be replaced with a large diamond. She knew it was what was expected of her, as the wife of royalty but large jewelry had never been appealing to her.

She giggled at her thoughts, tying the robe around her waist. A month ago she was happy with the dinner scraps left behind and now she was complaining that her wedding ring may be too large.

She tied off her golden hair into a braid before climbing into her large bed. Instead of lying down to sleep as she knew she should since the days ahead were to be long and tiring, she sat awake.

Day after day, she was plagued with the memories of what could have been and she made sure to close her eyes every night with the same prayer.

"Thank you our lord in heaven. I owe you my very life for setting me free."