Dear whomever this may be,
You have been selected to come to the Sultara castle and live there for a few months.
It was a random selection and the prince would like to get to know the Huma people better.
Please pack necessary belongings as clothes will be available there.
There will be a carriage arriving tomorrow promptly at 7:15am sharp please meet at the front gates fifteen minutes before- hand.
Rules at the castle:
1. You will not have any association with the prince other than friends.
2. You are allowed anywhere in the castle except the princes bedroom.
3. You must respect the royal family.
4. You will be attending etiquette lesson unless you can prove you don't need them.
Obey those rules or you will be sent home.
Yours sincerely
Queen Fracese Gilerdva Sultara on behalf of Crown Prince Sethian Gallagher Rohan Sultara.
Eleanor finished reading the letter in shock. Her auntie Fan was inviting her to the castle to live there for a few months. Eleanor groaned out loud and started banging her head on the table. She couldn't possibly not go. But if she went surely someone would recognise her. Eleanor despised a plan it went like this. 1. Always keep you hair tied up seeming as they have seen it down for like forever. 2. Keep your head down. 3. Speak very little. 4. Never wear fancy dresses. 5. Her name was now Ellie. There. Eleanor thought they should never recognise her. The only problem was prince Seth. He was arranged to a marriage with her until she died. Eleanor chewed her lip thoughtfully while she packed a bag full of things she would need. Ignoring Aunt Fan's orders not to bring any clothes Eleanor packed as many clothes as possible. She packed her mother and fathers things that she had inherited and stolen back from Diane and Philip. They still unknowingly did not know about fifty of Diane's younger brothers and his wife's things have been stolen. Eleanor's mother always said 'little things always more precious than bigger things' and Eleanor vowed that that would be her motto too. Eleanor looked at the sun she estimated it to be 4:30 in the morning. She looked up and kept packing her things right into the morning sun.
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Eleanor looked at her fathers watch. It was 6:59 and the carriage hadn't even made it. Eleanor remembered with a snort Uncle Harry or otherwise known as uncle hardy har har had always been late and his wife and son learned his trait unfortunately. Eleanor rolled her eyes. She was wearing a pale green dress that reached just above the knees and pale green flower crown to match. Eleanor played with the hem of her dress as she awaited the carriage. She looked up an paled as she saw Diane walking around in the garden Eleanor raced up a tree and prayed that Diane would go back inside before the carriage arrived. Luck was not on her side however as the carriage rolled up at 7:00am sharp. Eleanor climbed down the tree and race to her baggage before Diane could see her. She went to the carriage her head down. Eleanor's eyes widened as she quickly threw her hair into a messy bun before anyone could see. She walked over to the carriage not bothering with her etiquette. Out stepped Aunt Fan and Eleanor so badly wanted to rush up there and trow her arms around her neck. Eleanor wanted to breath the smell of home once again the smell that all royals had. Eleanor froze up as she realised she wasn't a royal anymore. She curtsied deeply to the queen.
"Your majesty." Eleanor greeted with her head down still in her curtsy.
Eleanor stood up after three seconds of respect but still kept her head down.
Law 244: Only royals may look each other in the eye.
The queen chuckled at the girl before her she obviously knew the law book one by one.
"Look up my dear." Fracese said to the poor girl.
The girl lifted her chin indifferently with a stance that screamed royal. Eleanor met aunt Fracese gaze and she forced herself more than ever not to run up to her and hug her. Fracese looked into the girls eyes and it took everything in Fracese's power not to rush to her and hug her or stumble back. This girl looked exactly like her best friend who died in a rebel attack. Eleanor saw in her aunt's eyes recognition not of her but of her mother.
Did she really change that much in two whole years? Eleanor asked herself.
"Do you have the letter?" Aunt fan asked.
Eleanor pulled it out of her back pocket and gave it to her. The queen smiled as she read through it.
"I must say I was expecting no one to come or someone with a fake letter to come up." Aunt Fan said laughing.
Eleanor bit her lip and nodded.
"What's going on here?" A high pitched squeal asked.
At the same time Eleanor and the Queen groaned.
"Mistress." Eleanor said politely but she wanted to rip out Diane's throat.
Fracese looked over at the girl she had fury in her eyes she wondered what Diane had done to the poor girl.
Eleanor stood there as Aunt Fan explained everything to Diane what was happening. To say in the least the Diane was absolutely furious.
"I WILL NEVER LET ONE OF MY SERVANTS LEAVE MY HOUSEHOLD!" she yelled.
And that was only the beginning of the argument. Eleanor thought grimly.
"Get in the carriage my dear." a maid hissed in Eleanor's ear. Eleanor bobbed her head and and gathered her stuff and threw it in the back all in all it was only two medium sized bags that looked really small from the outside. She threw them in with her and sat down.
Fracese was fed up with her best friends older sister. She noticed that the girl was already in the carriage. She smiled to herself.
"Okay fine you win." she said politely to Diane.
Diane did a very unladylike gesture and said something very inappropriate.
Fracese's eyes widened but she smiled politely to Diane. Fracese turned to enter the carriage. One of her footman opened the carriage door for her. Fracese glided up into the carriage and sat down graciously. She waved politely to Diane as the carriage rolled along. Eleanor couldn't believe it she was free! Well away from Diane and Philip Eleanor thought grimly. Eleanor saw out of the corner of her eye aunt Fan fuming.
"Are you alright A- your majesty?" Eleanor asked catching herself.
Aunt Fan turned to her and smiled the tiniest bit.
"Oh yes just my best friends sister is annoying everything out of me."
Eleanor nodded in understanding.
Fracese looked at the girl who had a look of understanding on her face. She wanted to ask what Diane did to her but refrained.
"What's your name my dear?"
Eleanor hesitated and remembered her plan.
"Ellie." she replied after only a few seconds of hesitation.
Fracese smiled grimly. This'll be hard, she thought, a girl that looks like my deceased best friend and her name's a nickname of my deceased best friends daughter.
Eleanor looked carefully into aunt Fan's face to see any recognition. Luckily there was none. Eleanor breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she leaned back and looked out of the familiar road she used to come to every second month.
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Eleanor felt the carriage come to a stop jerking her it of her memories of the past. Eleanor stood up not caring about her etiquette. She refrained from running and embracing the smell of her second home. She nearly straightened her posture as she saw uncle Harry and Snob Seth. Eleanor nearly gagged when she saw Seth give her a seductive wink. When the kings and queens back was turned Eleanor face Seth and put three fingers in her mouth gagging.
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Prince Seth was surprised the girl had just rejected him. How dare she. Prince Seth wasn't used to rejection as only one person before this girl and she was dead by now. Seth by now was fuming as the girl put three fingers in her mouth and gagged.
"Come Ellie." Fan said.
"Of course A- your majesty." Ellie said stumbling over her words.
Prince Seth knew she was hiding something and he wanted to find out what.
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Eleanor was lead into the halls even though she knew how to get there faster than anyone in the castle. She may've been the champion to finding secret tunnels. They went into the dinning hall for dinner. It took that long to go from the castles. There arranged was the cutlery that Eleanor grew up with.
"You will be tested on your etiquette today." Aunt fan announced smugly.
Ha let's show them I know him to be a queen nether less a princess. Eleanor thought mischievously.
Immediately Eleanor straightened her posture so her spine was in line. She lifted her chin and started walking to the table in grace. She swayed and stepped on the balls of her feet.
Fan looked at Ellie in amazement as she had the etiquette of a queen. Probably better than herself.
Eleanor stood behind her chairs as she looked to her aunt ,uncle and Seth they all had shocked faces while Eleanor put on her poker face. She waited for everyone else to be seated as she was the youngest there. She sat down and food was served to her. Eleanor picked up the medium sized knife and fork and remembered the sequence.
Cut
Play with food
Take a tinny nibble.
Repeat.
Eleanor did so while chatting away in her 'posh voice' or her normal voice that she was born with.
Prince Seth was shocked first this 'Ellie' had rejected him then had perfect etiquette even better than his mother. His mother and father were also shocked when she picked the right set of cutlery and followed the sequence.
Eleanor grinning mentally at the shocked faces of the royals and servants.
"Hem... Well that was impressive Ellie now try ball room dancing." Uncle Harry said shocked.
Eleanor grinned she had always strived in ball room dancing. Eleanor stood.
"In here your majesties?" Eleanor asked.
Aunt fan nodded "With prince Seth."
Eleanor mentally groaned great she thought. Nether less prince Seth came over and asked her to dance the Sultara waltz with him. Eleanor gladly accepted as she always liked the Sultara waltz.
1...2...3...1...2...3...1...2...3...1...2...3...1...2...3... Eleanor chanted in her head as she was swept around with prince Seth. He let go of her for her solo and was just as stunned as his parents as she did it perfect no flaw. They ended the dance and everyone was even more shocked than they were.
"My dear that will be all for today you will be staying in the guest room number 2 do you want Seth to lead you?"  Aunt fan asked flabbergasted.
"No thank you." Eleanor replied smoothly and ran out the doors into her guest room.