Chapter 3

 

    My life in the palace was lonely. I was not permitted outside the "boundaries" without an escort, but I hadn't the will nor the courage to approach the guards or the ever-preoccupied royal family, so for nearly two years I hardly saw the outdoors except through the windows scattered throughout my permitted wing of the palace.

    Eventually, the solitude grew on me. I relished in the time I had, alone, to dance about in the empty rooms and corridors, to practice each step and twirl exhaustively until it felt perfect to me. The rush of confidence and adrenaline engulfed me as I leaped upwards into another spin, then landed, gracefully, each toe in exactly the place I intended. The improvement, the goal of self-perfection, was what drove me. Nothing else. The feeling of twirling through the air, nothing but a whir of flesh and bones and spinning fabric, was so completely pure, so absolutely perfect (or as perfect as something could be in a world without perfection). I never got that feeling when I danced before the queen's guests at her extravagant court balls. I never felt that way as I danced around the throne room floor for the queen's own private entertainment. It was a feeling only for me, my own personal joy. I strove, during that precious time alone, to improve myself more each day, for that was what lifted my spirits and drove me on more than anything else.

    The loneliness was still there, though. It seeped into me every time I dared sit still for a while, despite my efforts to brush it away. I began to feel an odd attraction to the mirrors that littered the walls of the dressing room I stayed in... a comradery, almost. My reflection had become the only company I had. It didn't command; it didn't judge me or expect anything of me. It was simply there, watching me and joining me. It was my friend, the only friend I had.

    At night, when Valerie put me away into my little glass box, the loneliness would sometimes become too unbearable for me to sleep. A tiny window, high up on the dressing room wall, let in just enough moonlight most nights for me to catch the slightest glimmer of my own reflection in the glass of my cage wall. On lonelier nights, sometimes I would walk over to the welcoming glass, placing my hands against those of my own reflection and speak with my silent counterpart, telling her everything. I would recite my days to her, tell her my woes as well as my joys. For hours, sometimes, I'd whisper to my reflection, my dearest friend, until at last my exhaustion could overcome the loneliness and allow me to drift off to sleep.

 

    Two years later, though, things began to change. The king had decided he wanted more land, I believe. I've never been entirely sure what happened, but in any case, the irascible Princess Valerie was to be married to the prince of the neighboring kingdom, a little Italian kingdom with a lot of farmland and not much else. The farmland would be annexed, and the newly married couple would become the king and queen of the new, combined kingdom. It was a recipe for disaster from the very beginning, but it actually came as a relief from my point of view.

 

    The new king was something of a life saver for me, really. Something about him was different from the rest of the royalty, right from the very beginning. My first encounter with him was the day after the wedding and crowning... He came into my room that morning, just after I finished getting dressed, startling me. I spun around to face him. He was tall and lanky, and an amiable grin spread beneath his bushy mustache. I quickly gathered myself together and bowed, greeting him with the customary, "Good morning, Your Majesty."

    He only looked at me funny, as if he was suppressing a chortle, "Well, hello there! You must be the court dancer, right? Don't mind me. I was just having a look around, seeing as this is my new home and all. Wow! This place is fancy! Never been in a castle with so much gold and shiny stuff in it before... Say! I never did catch your name. I'm Giorgio, but that's a mouthful. Call me Geo. How 'bout you?" He extended a hand to me, a rather unusual gesture for royalty addressing a court dancer.

    I stood there, staring at his hand for a moment before reaching my own up to let him take it and shake it, "My name is Kostume."

    "Well, that's quite a name. Where'd you get a name like that from? You got a nickname or anything?" the king scratched his mustache.

    Still astounded that the king was addressing me so casually, I stammered, "Oh, I... my... family, I guess... called me that because of the mask marking on my face. That's all. I usually just go by Kossi, though."

    Geo grinned, "Well, that makes sense, then. Nice to meet'cha Kossi!" I nodded. He stood there for a moment longer, scratched his mustache, then concluded, "Well then, I ought to get going, now, so I can explore the rest of the castle before Valerie barks at me," he grimaced, "I'll be back to talk more, though, not to worry!" The king waved, then pranced out of the dressing room to go discover what else there was to marvel over in his elaborate new home. I stood in place for a moment after he left, wondering over the unusual behavior of the new king. He seemed almost... likable. I smiled to myself before returning to my usual business.

 

    King Geo did, in fact, return as promised. A couple days later, I heard a knock and then the creak of the dressing room door opening. I turned my head, and sure enough it was him. He waved and greeted me with a friendly, "Hello, again!" I smiled slightly and waved shyly.

    He glanced around the room, then back down at me, "Seems awfully lonely in here. You wanna go outside and chat?" he pointed a thumb in the direction of the door.

    I stared at the floor, "I'm not allowed outside without permission..."

    He snorted, "Well, I'm givin' you permission! I am the king, remember? Nothing Valerie can do about it if I wanna escort the court dancer around outdoors. Why don't we go for a walk? That sounds much better than sitting around in that silly garden out back."

    I looked up, a smile crossing my face, "Really?"

    "Of course! I certainly don't wanna sit around in this stuffy old castle all day... how long's it been since you went outside last, anyways?" Geo motioned for me to follow him, so I did.

    "I think a couple months ago... maybe. I had to get a skirt mended, and a guard escorted me out..."

    Finally, we reached the doors and stepped outside. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes for a moment, stopping for a second to feel the slightest luke-warm breeze rustle my hair. It was late spring, my favorite time of year, and the almost forgotten scent of flowers filled the air.

    Geo motioned me forward, grinning as usual, "Let's head over to the other side of town. I know my way around there better. C'mon!"

    I followed quietly, letting the spring air engulf me for a while before the king decided to spark up a conversation.

    "So, Valerie never really told me much about you," he said, "D'you ever... do anything? Besides dance, o'course."

    I shrugged, "Not much... there's not much to do. I dance. It's enjoyable for me... sometimes I go read things in the library, since that's within my bounds. I never really learned to read very well, though, so that gets tiring after a while."

    "Nothing else? Wow. That does sound boring... it's boring enough being royalty. I guess working for the royalty must be even more boring. We should definitely go for more walks like this. That way both of us can have something to do!"

    I smiled and nodded, glancing around at the buildings around me. The farther we walked, the more simple the architecture became. Before long, we were surrounded by wood and cobblestone. It was oddly comforting, in a way, to be surrounded by the simple realities of society rather than the grandiose illusions that filled every corner of the castle I had grown so used to.

    Geo continued talking, occasionally eliciting a simple reply from me, but mostly I just stayed quiet and listened. It was a pleasant walk. We made our way around the town, stopping occasionally to greet some shopkeeper that Geo seemed to recognize or to peer at some fascinating wares that he spotted in the market, and by mid-afternoon we were back at the castle and I was more than ready to relax alone in my dressing room, overwhelmed but oddly energized by my excursion.

    That was the first of many days like it. I've grown quite fond of the king and his awkward sort of nobility... he has a way of keeping my spirits up even on the loneliest and most chaotic of days. He's introduced me to many new friends... the closest I've come to having true friends since the royal family took me in. Certainly my life is far from perfect, yet, but this new era in my life is filled with a hope that was altogether lacking before the new king arrived. Sometimes, even, on my bolder days... I dare to dream that perhaps, someday, I'll be free once more. That's a far stretch of my imagination, though, so for the time being, I'll make the best of what I have.

Reviews

[Becca*Type2012]

Interesting sart! i like how you started off with a pleasent world then the family was captured and then everything got worse from there, but now with this new king things look like they are getting better. Can't wait to read more!

[Diane Fisher]

Thankyou, Blue. 83

Yeah, this was written as the backstory for a roleplaying character, rather than as a stand-alone story, which is why the ending is... really anticlimactic. x3 Because Kossi's actual story is ongoing (being a roleplaying character and all), therefore this whole thing is almost just the prologue to her current existence. Problem is, I have no idea how to create a climactic ending to a story that doesn't have an ending. So it just... trails off. Which bothers me, but I have yet to think of what I can do to correct that.

[bluessadmood]

I liked this chapter too..though its less glamorous than the others..
she is beginning to feel so lonely in her solitude ,and she thinks of practicing her one thing that she is so good at ,which is dancing..
yes ,when we feel so lonely and dawn ,the best thing to do ,is either sing ,or dance,these two kind of things heal the spirit,and they are like defenses
the lift up our souls ,its like taking us to different plains of life,like they make you so light in soul ,like they make you fly,and feel so happy
even if feeling so much misery..so she kept dancing that now she does it so well,lets see how could this bring her a fortune,if ever..
but life turned to her in another way,as the new king took a liking to her and treated her so genorously,and talked to her like equals as they
took long walks together..could it be he fell in love with her..maybe her luck smiled for a while..
i liked this part too ..i think it needs some more work though,though i really enjoyed it
lovely write..

[Aekmy]

Oh my wow! This is so so so so so cool. I just love the idea of gypsies and skin changing colors.
I don't even know what to say... except that this is amazing and it really has kept my attention. Usually, I can't read books on this site because I get sort of bored, but this was really cool. It kept my attention through the whole thing. I love your character, Kossi, she sounds very well brought up person, polite, but looking for that freeness in her life. -applauds- Wonderful, Wonderful!
You must write more. Do you mind if I befriend you? So, I can get updates.
Toodles!
-Madeline