Princess of Erodaire III: Part Four

      "Only a lady in it's midst..." I uttered to myself quietly. I glanced at the dusty, red book in my hands once more, slowly tracing it's worn edges with one finger. I knew for a fact that there were many secrets located in this journal...some secrets that I might not want to hear, and yet, I still found myself opening it up to the page I stopped one.

      I had decided on his name to be Prince Alastare... I read those words in my word over and over again. So this journal took place during the ruling of my grandmother and grandfather...or rather...my fake grandparents. I was relieved to know that I was truly related to my father, but the fact that I wasn't of true Erodaire blood still affected me. Slowly, I glanced at the next entry in the journal...

      Month of Eating. The 18th Day

      I had spoken the name of Alastare to my King and Queen, and they adore it by all means and lathered me with comments on how brilliant I was to think up such a fitting name. Are they mad? Of course I'm not brilliant at all. I am just an old caretaker, but of course I couldn't utter those words within the Royal hearing vicinity, or else I could be charged with treason. Dear me, Adam knows I love Erodaire with all of my heart and that I would do anything for it to be safe, but all of these 'treasonous' rules are quite...if I dare say it...absurd. I mean, we are all entitled to free opinion, as the rules state, but whenever someone dare speak an opinion that rivals our Kings thoughts he (or she) shall be sent to the dungeons. Of course, this rule is quite nice when compared to the rules that the last King and Queen had. If it weren't for my upkeeping of the current King, I dare say that the olden rules shall still be in place.

      You see, dear journal, the only reason I took up the job of caretaker was to...brainwash...the future Kings and Queens of Erodaire in hopes that they shall be able to lower all of these horrible rules and punishments currently in place. So far, the current King I have raised is showing that my tactics are working, though he did keep some of the more horrible rules. Now I'm hoping that the future King, dear Alastare, shall further prove that my pains shall work.

      I have received word that the enemy kingdom of Lorezai have already conquered a few of our troops at each of the towers...this brings much pain to my ears for I know for a fact that Erodaire shall not survive without the North, South, West, and East towers. Not only do they contain all of our snowballs, fighting neggs, and healing potions, but they also contain the treacherous prisoners of Erodaire. If our weapons are to be taken, and the prisoners released into the arms of the enemies...then...I fear for the future of Erodaire. I know for a fact that Lorezai's troops are strong and skilled...stronger and more skilled than Erodaire's own troops. If only I could go out and help. My Silver Draik Sword and Draik Armour yearns to be out in the battlefield once more...

      A knock on the door interrupted my reading. Quickly, I threw the book back into crack on the floor and threw one of my many satchels on top to conceal it. The knock on the door resonated around the room once more as I stood up and brushed all of the dust off of my body. Peeking out the window that was located through the door that I opened before, I noticed that the sun was starting to rise into the sky, it's rays falling down onto the many miles of grass beneath. Another round of knocks entered my room once more.

      "Coming!" I said, trying hard to hide my annoyance and approached the door on the left side of the room, the door where the knocks were coming from. I grabbed the door's knob and pulled it open; before me stood a Faerie Kacheek. Her fur wasn't golden, but it's yellow sheen gave off the illusion that it was. Her wings were colored a bright orange with red and yellow streaks in between, and her eyes were of darkest black. A smile was on her face, and in her paws she held two plates, each containing a steaming, hot cup of borovan and a slice of borovan cake iced in sugar.

      "G'morning, dear Princess Andra," she said and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "My name is Hetal, and I am the daughter of the Head Maid of the Summer Castle," she added with a giggle and handed the silver place over to me. "I brought you a part of the Borovan Breakfast, something that has made us famous...or should I say infamous."

      I smiled lightly at this joke and took the plate in my hands. My eyes glanced around the room, hoping to find some sort of chair or table for me and Hetal to sit at, but I found nothing except piles and piles of satchel bags. "Sorry, Hetal, but...there are no chairs for us to break at..." I said uncertainly at the perky Kacheek.

      "Oh, you're such a jokester, Princess Andra," Hetal said with a laugh before she grabbed my arm and led me through the door on the right side of the room. Opening the door, Hetal said with a smile, "this is your living room..."

      I gasped the moment my eyes caught sight of the regal room within. Three, round, curtained windows were on the opposite side of me, and a pure, white rug with purple and orange streaks furnished the floor. Luxurious sofa's and coffee tables dominated one side of the room, and the rest were filled with shelves and shelves of books. Beanbags of all shapes and sizes scattered themselves throughout the middle of the room, and vases filled with pretty flowers hung from the ceiling. A sweet aroma filled the room as I stepped inside, taking in the wondrous sight with a smile.

      "I knew that I should've explored this room first," I said with a smile and sat down happily onto one of the red beanbags, making myself comfortable. "Why must the other rooms be less luxurious than this one?"

      "Princess Andra!" Hetal said with a laugh and sat down right next to me,"the other room is your bedroom, so why must it be nice? The door in the center wall only leads to the Contemplating Corner, a place for silent thought and reminiscence. This room, on the other hand, is the room for...anything!" With another bubbly chuckle, Hetal grabbed my plate, walked over to one of the tables, and set them down. "Breakfast, my Princess?"

      "Hetal," I said with an exasperated sight and sat down on the luxurious sofa opposite her, "I am no longer a princess...just a lady now. You have to call me Lady Andra, for Ve - I mean Princess Vevina - is the princess of Erodaire...and soon she shall become it's heir if my banishment continues..."

      "Lady Vevina?!" Hetal said with a haughty laugh. "That poor excuse of a Draik? A rock is capable of doing a better ruling job than that pile of dung!" Hetal shook her head as she chuckled once more and took a bite out of her borovan cake. She looked up at me once more, her eyes shining despite it's black color. "Dear Princess Andra, in my eyes, you shall always be the true princess of Erodaire. Now, please quit this chitter chatter and eat, or else you'll turn skinnier than a twig!"

      Smiling, I in turn took a bite out of my cake and a small sip from my cup of borovan. Hetal and I ate in silence, but this silence was a sweet silence. I was already quite taken by Hetal's friendly and perky attitude, and I was quite glad that she was the first Neopian that I met at the Summer Castle. Taking another bite out of my cake, I glanced at Hetal with a smile. For the first time since I met Oldraik, I had a friend.

      "Well, I'm quite full!" Hetal said as she took the last bite of her cake. "Done yet, Princess Andra?" she asked me as she glanced at my plate. Her happy demeanor still kept at it's full despite the fact that my plate was more than half full. "Oh well," she chirped, "at least you're done with your borovan!"

      With amazing speed, Hetal cleaned up the entire table and placed both plates on top of each other. I just sat there, staring at her as she cleaned everything up, surprised at how she made it look incredibly easy. I knew for a fact that if I were to try that at all, I would probably break both plates in a split second.

      "There!" Hetal said with a smile as she picked up both plates and stood back, admiring the clean table. "I'm done cleaning, and the dear Princess Andra is full! My job here is done," she said with a chuckle and started to walk out. Just as she was about to close the living room door behind her, she stopped and looked at me. Her eyes were shining, and the same smile was upon her face. "It was really nice meeting you, Princess Andra. I hope that we can continue on being friends."

      I smiled back at her friendly face. "Please, Hetal," I said with a chuckle. "Call me Andra."

To be continued...