Princess Cassandra? Before my house? Standing near my trash...
Cautiously Don Lothario approached.
"Cassandra-"
"You dare to address me informally?"
Don looked in her eyes. She tried to pretend to be unaffected. Don knew better. He bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty."
Don stayed in deep bow, awaiting permission to rise. He waited. And waited. And waited. After much time his muscles ached. He took great care to keep his breathing even, but his legs gave him away. Ever so slightly, he wobbled.
"Rise."
Don obeyed. He waited for her to speak. He waited a long time.
"You could have told me," she began. "You didn't have to humiliate me in front of my dear friend and my family-" her voice caught.
"You got out that ring and were about to put it on and...I couldn't go through with it."
"Go through with it?"
"I don't think I could make you happy Your Highness. Look at how I have done so far."
Don tried again.
"With my line of work it is hard to keep a wife."
"Plenty of merchant men have wives."
"Princess Cassandra, do you know what I do?"
She continued to glare at him. Don took that for a no.
"When a lady goes into hysterics I am sent for."
Her expression did not change. Well it wasn't exactly fit for a princess's ears. No wonder she did not know.
"I thought since you are a lady of science you may have heard..."
"No, I did not know you did that. What does that have to do with keeping a wife?"
No way am I going to tell her! Besides, if the details get out husbands might refuse to let him attend their wives and daughters. Then where would the poor women be? The kingdom would fall into utter madness.
"I am called out in all hours of the night. In a severe case I may need to keep the woman in my home....until she is better."
Princess Cassandra looked skeptical. Let her. I would rather she remain innocent on this matter. Unless she goes into hysterics herself, there be no reason to tell her.
At last she left. She didn't reply, she just left. Don watched. She looked almost like her mother....almost.
He stared at the trash that had been near her feet. Kaylynn had stopped coming around and...well...Don wasn't used to cleaning up after himself.
For a moment Don let himself dwell on Kaylynn. The way she would clean...as she would scrub, her breathing...there was something about it. She worked hard. So hard her bodice would work itself loose. Then she would lean over to pick up the trash and give Don a full view.... Or when she would apologize for getting dust all over him and work her feather duster carefully over his hosen. She was begging for it. So he gave it to her. He saw her that day at the market. He'd pulled her behind a stall, peppering her face with kisses until she gave in. Then her face changed when she saw the engagement ring on his finger. How could she have missed that before? What did it matter anyway? She is only a maid. Only it did matter. The maid had a piece of his heart. Don hadn't seen her since.
Don looked down at the trash again. He thought it unlikely that Kaylynn would be back to pick it up.
I was such a fool about Cassandra. I was just so shaken when I saw her mother.... Did I dream that Bella was stolen by fairies? She was odd....like I stirred something deep within her memory. I should have pulled her aside, examined her. Should have given her a treatment to keep her feeble female mind intact. And if that did not work, then I would try one thing after another until something did.... And now? Will I ever see her again? If she is truly lost in her mind, she might wander the world aimlessly. Who knew what could become of her. Who knew what may have already become of her? Did fairies do this to her?
Don thought of the roof above him, where he had last seen Bella.
He told her she could see the stars from his roof. She had followed him up there eagerly. As she gazed at the stars he tried to think of how he might approach her. He had hoped to gain knighthood. He would do most anything she wanted...and he hoped she wanted... And then there had been a great light in the sky. Bella's feet went over her head. Don grasped her fingers, but she slipped away....into the sky.
Fairies....fairies....or maybe a dream....
"Your Majesty."
Don stayed in deep bow, awaiting permission to rise. He waited. And waited. And waited. After much time his muscles ached. He took great care to keep his breathing even, but his legs gave him away. Ever so slightly, he wobbled.
"Rise."
Don obeyed. He waited for her to speak. He waited a long time.
"You could have told me," she began. "You didn't have to humiliate me in front of my dear friend and my family-" her voice caught.
"You got out that ring and were about to put it on and...I couldn't go through with it."
"Go through with it?"
"I don't think I could make you happy Your Highness. Look at how I have done so far."
"With my line of work it is hard to keep a wife."
"Plenty of merchant men have wives."
"Princess Cassandra, do you know what I do?"
She continued to glare at him. Don took that for a no.
"When a lady goes into hysterics I am sent for."
Her expression did not change. Well it wasn't exactly fit for a princess's ears. No wonder she did not know.
"I thought since you are a lady of science you may have heard..."
"No, I did not know you did that. What does that have to do with keeping a wife?"
No way am I going to tell her! Besides, if the details get out husbands might refuse to let him attend their wives and daughters. Then where would the poor women be? The kingdom would fall into utter madness.
"I am called out in all hours of the night. In a severe case I may need to keep the woman in my home....until she is better."
Princess Cassandra looked skeptical. Let her. I would rather she remain innocent on this matter. Unless she goes into hysterics herself, there be no reason to tell her.
At last she left. She didn't reply, she just left. Don watched. She looked almost like her mother....almost.
He stared at the trash that had been near her feet. Kaylynn had stopped coming around and...well...Don wasn't used to cleaning up after himself.
For a moment Don let himself dwell on Kaylynn. The way she would clean...as she would scrub, her breathing...there was something about it. She worked hard. So hard her bodice would work itself loose. Then she would lean over to pick up the trash and give Don a full view.... Or when she would apologize for getting dust all over him and work her feather duster carefully over his hosen. She was begging for it. So he gave it to her. He saw her that day at the market. He'd pulled her behind a stall, peppering her face with kisses until she gave in. Then her face changed when she saw the engagement ring on his finger. How could she have missed that before? What did it matter anyway? She is only a maid. Only it did matter. The maid had a piece of his heart. Don hadn't seen her since.
Don looked down at the trash again. He thought it unlikely that Kaylynn would be back to pick it up.
Don thought of the roof above him, where he had last seen Bella.
Fairies....fairies....or maybe a dream....
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