The Princess and the Pauper

Adelaide raced up the twisting stone staircase.  She stumbled more than once, but quickly picked herself up, still wearing the same huge smile.  It was rather difficult running up stairs in the tight-fitting, jewel-encrusted gown, but she had bundled the numerous skirts up in her arms and removed those dreadful shoes – the ones her mother had called ‘supremely elegant’ – and was now making pretty good progress.  The maid was trying desperately to keep up with her, but she was no match for Adelaide’s fitness and youthful energy.  Fully aware of this, the woman stopped at the base of the stairs that Adelaide had just reached and began calling after her, requesting that she stop, or at least slow down.  However, the younger girl ignored the gasps that followed her, not out of cruelty, but rather out of habit.  Besides, the woman was fat and old, and she was bound to be used to the princess’s active behaviour after sixteen years of tending to her.

In a moment, the girl had reached the landing at the top of the stairs, pushed heavily on the great wooden door that was there, and flung her self into her bedchamber.  The room was fascinating – as far as rooms go, anyway.  The walls were hung with a collection of colourful tapestries, an intricately woven rug was laid beside the huge bed, and the stone floor was polished so much that there almost seemed to be two Adelaides rushing about the room: one right-side-up and one upside-down.  The girl didn’t acknowledge any of it, though, and proceeded across that shiny floor to the large wardrobe on the other side of the room.  After hurriedly going through the contents, she pulled out the ugliest thing that she could find: her peasant’s clothes.  Well, that’s what she called them, anyway.  Whenever the maid heard her say that she would tut, tut, and slowly shake her big, plump head, saying something like, “Ada, dearest, you mustn’t give such degrading names to your clothes.  You’re part of the royal family, after all.  You should be proud of who you are…” Adelaide always lost interest at about that point.  As for her mother, the last time the Queen had heard her daughter refer to the outfit as ‘her peasant’s clothes’ she had nearly fainted.  Needless to say, she agreed with the maid.

Unwilling to dwell on such discouraging experiences, Adelaide quickly slipped out of the fancy dress she was wearing, and into the ragged items she had pulled from her wardrobe.  She tied the tattered brown skirt around her waist, pulled the thin, pale shirt over her head, layered the thick leather vest onto that, and laced up her heavily stained, brown boots.  Finally, she undid the tight coil of hair on the top of her head and let the loose, golden curls fall down her back before tying it all with a ribbon at the base of her neck.  Her hair was a little messier than necessary after she had finished, but that was how she liked it.  With one last look in the full-length mirror, she set off out the door and back down the stairs.

Why was she so eager to put on her grubbiest set of clothes?  And where did she plan on going looking like that anyway?  Well, the reason for all her excitement was a simple one: her father and mother (the King and Queen of Innisfail) had reluctantly agreed to allow their only daughter to venture out with the peasants for the day.  Outside of the huge castle that she lived in was a world of markets and trading; of interesting people and animals; of up-beat lifestyle and hands-on work; of adventure.  In other words, a world of all the best things in life – as far as Adelaide was concerned.  When it came to the disgusting clothes that she had to wear in order to not be recognized by the citizens of the community, Adelaide was more than thrilled to put them on.  She liked blending in to the crowd, and seeing how everyone functioned normally, she found that sort of thing absolutely fascinating.  She could remember quite well the days when her parents had allowed her to go out into the town, only if she had the company of at least five of her father’s soldiers, fully armoured and carrying their swords.  Of course, every person she passed would stop and stare, most would bow, and the experience just wasn’t quite the same.  Eventually, her parents gave in to her pleading and now she was occasionally allowed out into the town in the company of only her maid, and wearing the most dreadful clothes she could manage.

What her parents didn’t know, however, was that their darling daughter managed to escape into this unlikely haven nearly every day.  Most afternoons, after all of Adelaide’s lessons were finished, the maid would take her to her bed chamber and she was supposed to rest from her ‘long, hard, tiring day of work’.  Of course, that lazy old maid was the only one of them who ever ended up resting and when she did, it was almost impossible to wake her.  At times like these, Adelaide would dress in her peasant’s clothes, and climb down the strong vine that grew up the castle wall, and just outside her window.  With a bit of concentration, she could sneak out the gate that led from the royal courtyard to the town beyond.  Once she arrived, she had a great game of pretending, exploring and discovering for most of the afternoon.

Now was one of those times when the maid had to come along, though.  Oh well, Adelaide thought as she sprinted down the turning stairs, It won’t take me long to lose her.  Suddenly, she could see the old woman again, still huffing and puffing as she stumbled up the steps.  As Adelaide dodged her and continued in the direction of the main doors, she could hear the woman’s voice behind her, “Oh, Ada… Please, please dear, slow down.”
Turning to call back to the old woman, Adelaide nearly shouted in happy response, “No chance, Penny!  Come on, hurry up!”  With that, she took off again towards the castle’s entryway.

* * *

Of course, after Adelaide had reached her destination, she still had to wait for Penny.  The old woman was fully aware of this, and took her time getting there in the hopes that she could catch her breath before they headed outside and the princess took off again.  Once she arrived, the guard swung aside the huge wooden doors, letting them out into the courtyard.  The King and Queen were good, kindly rulers, so the iron gates that led from the town into the courtyard remained open most days, for any citizens who wished to express a concern about life in the area.  Adelaide and Penny passed through these unquestioned, and the younger girl’s eyes lit up at what she saw.  The beautiful gardens that stretched from the gates of the castle all the way to the base of the hill on which it sat were in full bloom.  Down the middle ran the smooth road that led from the castle gates, down the hill and turned into a cobbled main street that cut true and straight through the town.

After the greenery ended, the buildings began.  First were the houses of the nobles – the richest people in the town.  Since they had highest rank next to the royal family, they lived closest to the castle.  After these, the industrial section took over.  All along the street were the inns and shops where lower-class citizens of the town made their livings and past all that was the market area.  It filled up in the early morning with everything from produce brought in from the farms of the area to clothing and baking made by the farmers’ wives.  Merchants, farmers and the town’s businesspeople milled about the area trading one service or product for another.  Beyond this busy area, a good way off in the distance was the main gate that led through the towering stone wall encircling the entire town.  It was a bustling place and there were narrow streets threading through it all and leading to the myriad of tiny homes that lay hidden behind the other structures.  From where she was standing, Adelaide could see a few of the many entertainers who roamed the streets, hoping to earn an extra coin or two.  Jugglers, minstrels, jesters, even knife-throwers and fire-eaters – the young princess enjoyed their activities immensely and they were more often than not her favourite part of the day.  To top it all off, there was a bright sun shining down from a cloudless sky on the roofs of every little building.  Adelaide couldn’t wait any longer.  Giggling with delight, she took off down the path and Penny’s calls for her to stop went unheeded.

* * *

It was early afternoon.  Adelaide was sitting in the shade cast by one of the many carts that had been set up in the market for the day.  She was exhausted from the great deal of running about that she’d been doing all morning, but not yet ready to go back to the castle.  Outings like this only happened once in a while and she had to take advantage of them when they did.

Suddenly, she heard a loud commotion coming from a little way down the street.  Gazing steadily through the crowd of people that were bustling about and blocking her view, she managed to catch a glimpse of the group that rounded the corner.  There was a number of young children running and laughing loudly.  In their midst was a taller figure – one of the strolling players.  He was about Adelaide’s own age, or maybe a bit older, and he was smiling broadly as he entertained the others.  In a moment, he stopped walking and one of the children scurried forward, setting down a little basket on the ground.  Pretty soon there was a large group of adults gathered around as well and Adelaide’s view was entirely restricted.  She eagerly stood up and ran over to the circle of people so that she could see the activity more clearly.

Upon arriving, she took a good look at the boy who was causing the whole uproar.  He was tall, and of a medium build with short, dark brown hair.  His blue eye twinkled with mischief and happiness, and he was successfully reflecting his broad smile onto the faces of all the people watching him.  First, he was pulling a long string of brightly coloured scarves from one of his sleeves; then, he was telling a series of witty jokes as he stood on one foot and juggled a few large rocks; and now the objects he was tossing were knives.  There were many gasps of shock from the crowd as the shiny blades sliced through the air, but his cheerful smile was unchanging.  Just as it seemed he was never going to stop, he suddenly did.  He sat down where he had been performing and began packing all his things into a leather bag that had been sitting off to the side.  The people surrounding him gave an enthusiastic spurt of applause and dropped a shower of golden coins into the basket as they began to disperse.

Adelaide remained where she was, transfixed by his ease and comfort with performing – in all her days of adventuring through the town, she had never seen someone so skilled.  All of the children had left, except for the little boy who had brought the basket forward earlier, and as he came forward now to take it back, the older one looked up.  In doing so, he finally spotted Adelaide.  He flashed her one of his broad smiles and the princess – embarrassed at her staring and taken off-guard by his immediate friendliness – turned on her heel and raced away.  After she had vanished into the thronging crowds of people, the older boy turned to the younger with a look of confusion.  A shrug was the little one’s only response – he had work to do.  He sat down in the shade of the nearest shop and began counting the profits as his older brother stood up and headed in the direction that Adelaide had fled.  He wondered why she had taken off in such a hurry, and besides that, he thought she was quite pretty.

* * *

The sun was beating down hard on the heads of the people milling about the market.  Adelaide, being one of these people, was trying her best to find some shade to cool down in.  She was still puffing a little bit from her recent sprint.  Spotting a few tables that had makeshift coverings above them so as to combat the extreme heat, she made her way in that direction.  The man at the station was selling fruits and vegetables, and she pretended to browse through the crates of produce that he had.  She knew that if he noticed she wasn’t really interested in buying anything he would get angry and send her away.  All of a sudden, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.  Spinning around to see who it was, she came face-to-face with the young strolling player she had seen earlier.  She was taken by surprise and began to stutter a few incoherent words, but he cut her off.  “Hello,” he said with a touch of cheekiness.
“Hello,” the girl repeated quietly.
“Nice day, isn’t it?” he asked casually as he reached into the crate beside her and pulled out three large, red apples.
“Yes, yes very nice,” she replied hurriedly.
He laughed kindly at her nerves as he slowly began to juggle the fruits he had selected, “You from here?”
“Yes…" That’s true enough, she thought silently, I live just up the road, after all, "And you?”.  She was beginning to relax a little bit, what with his calm attitude and amiable behaviour.
“Nah, I’m not from here -- from the area, though.  I travel around with a group of strolling players.  You know, entertainers and stuff,” he abruptly stopped his juggling and reached his arm forward.  Adelaide felt his fingers dart behind her ear and then his hand was where she could see it again, and it was presenting her with a dark red flower.  Her face lit up and she clapped her hands with delight as she took it from him.  What she didn’t know was that a woman had just walked behind her carrying a large bundle of freshly-cut flowers, but that was the boy’s trade: illusions and amusement.
“That’s brilliant!” Adelaide exclaimed, “…do you know a lot of magic tricks?” she asked, suddenly growing shy again – she’d never had the opportunity to speak with one of the strolling players that she admired so much.
“You like that, do you?” the boy laughed, “Well, yes, I know a bit,” at that point, he proceeded to pull a coin out of his pocket.  He held it flat on one palm and did a few motions above it with his other hand that were too complicated for Adelaide to follow.  Before she knew it, the coin had vanished.
The girl giggled happily, “Amazing!”
The boy shrugged his shoulders in a way that said ‘oh it’s not that special, really’ and folded his arms, leaning back against another of the crates, “So what’s your name, then?” he asked after a short pause.
“Adel – a,” the girl’s face fell as she almost made the mistake of telling him her real name.  That wouldn’t do – if she was pretending to be someone else, that someone else would have to have a different name.
The boy laughed heartily at her quick change of expression, “Well that’s a strange name!  Can I just call you Adela, or do I have to say it with the big pause in the middle?” he chuckled to himself again before continuing, “I’m Seth.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Seth,” Adelaide quickly recovered her happy smile, and gave him a joking little curtsy as she spoke.
“And the same to you,” the boy responded with a mock bow.  He was about to speak again, but didn’t get the chance.  At that precise moment, Adelaide spotted Penny, her maid, come around the corner of the street.  In a moment, the girl had taken off in the opposite direction.  Seth watched with a puzzled expression, and then began leisurely jogging along after her and soon both were out of sight.

* * *

It didn’t take long for Adelaide’s pursuer to catch up with her.  She had put a good deal of distance between herself and her maid, and was now sitting on the side of the street to catch her breath.  When Seth came to where she was, he took a seat beside her, seemingly unaffected by the jogging he had just done.  “Might I ask why you keep running from me?” he said with a lop-sided grin.
Adelaide’s head whipped around and her expression was one of alarm, what was she supposed to tell him?  However, his carefree attitude put her nerves at ease and she settled with a cheeky smile of her own, and an equally relaxed response, “Just keeping you on your toes!”
“Ah, I see,” he spoke with a gentle sarcasm and nodded his head as if he understood exactly what she meant.
“Might as well keep things interesting, don’t you think?”
“Definitely.  D’you mind if I return the favour?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You know: look around… explore a bit… Do you want to?”
“Oh, well I, ummm… Sure.”  With that, Seth seized her arm, hauled her to her feet, and they set off again into the busy streets.

* * *

Before Adelaide knew it – and way too soon, in her opinion – the time had come for the princess to head back to her castle.  She had bid Seth goodnight at the place where she had first seen him, saying that she lived just a little further down the street.  Once he was out of sight, she had quickly darted around the corner, and was now heading up the long, smooth main street that cut straight through the town and led to her real home.  The roads were almost empty now.  Most of the shops were closed and darkness was already setting in.  Adelaide knew that she would be scolded for showing up so late and for her other misbehaviours, but she couldn’t make herself hurry, not now.  The girl was obsessed with thoughts of the afternoon she had spent.  Along with Seth, she had wandered peacefully through the winding streets, talking and exploring where they could.  He had told her that the group of strolling players that he traveled with came to the town frequently – they usually just went around to a few different towns in the area.  She told him all that she could about each of the town’s different shops and places with the limited knowledge that she had – luckily for her, she had taken a great interest in finding out as much as she could whenever she escaped from her confinement.

Pretty soon she had drawn up to the looming outer walls of the castle, and she gave one last happy sigh and tucked Seth’s flower behind her ear before walking up to the gates.  Penny had been waiting anxiously for her and as soon as the princess had stepped through, her maid bustled over.  “Your highness!” the old woman said irritably, “You’ve been very irresponsible!  You know I’ll have to tell your parents about this,” (Adelaide knew that she wouldn’t – Penny was too soft-hearted to get her in trouble on purpose), “You probably won’t be allowed out again for quite some time!” (she was planning on slipping out instead of taking her ‘nap’ tomorrow afternoon), “I just don’t know what to do with you sometimes, Miss Adelaide, dear,” (the princess could almost hear the old woman’s frustration melting away).  Whatever Penny’s next words were, they fell on deaf ears.  Adelaide followed the maid into the castle, but her thoughts were elsewhere: outside of the towering castle walls.  Today she had explored the town, laughed until her stomach hurt, she even spoke to someone her own age, and, she thought, a tiny smile spreading across her face, I made a friend.

* * *

... and that's it - for the time being, anyway.  You can expect some additions to this at some point.  In the meantime, you could review and rate it if you would like - I'd love to have some input/feedback/suggestions!
.m.u.l.l.i.n.