Disaster strikes! (Iana #5)

continuing from the journals of Iantheia, Princess of Winding...


She was avoiding me. Lady Hildegale must have known my intentions, and I couldn't find a moment alone with her. After my brief rest in the library Lady Hildegale had welcomed me back to the circle, but there was no chance to get close to her.

Perhaps my distress at this made me careless, or the encounter in the library put me off, his words still drummed in my head 'She has nothing to gain from a girl like you.' I don't know how else to explain the disaster that happened next.


I should have proved myself, that I could be useful, and worthy of Lady Hildegale's attention. I was a Princess. Even if I was poor, I was still a Princess.

While I couldn't get close to Lady Hildegale, Prince Flairon attached himself to my side again. He was on my left and the woman on my other side was my second or third cousin, Princess Min, short for Minnie. She was anything but small. She wore her bodice too tight, she was bulging out of it, her skirts were extra wide too, and she had an operatic voice.

A minstrel arrived, someone to make jests for us, silly poems and music, juggling balls and take away the mid-morning tedium. He wore pinstriped pants and a long floppy overcoat, the sleeves kept falling over his hands and his hair was a most obnoxious green, like a firefly. He was also a conjurer of sorts, not a real wizard. He could make flowers appear and disappear from his fingertips. Such jesting would have amused me any other day.
The minstrel walked around singing about the people in the room. "Good lord, your hair. It is way up there!" he sang to a woman whose hair looked like a spiral conch. The room shook with laughter at his wits. The woman waved him off.

At that moment I peeked over Prince Flairon's shoulder, craning my neck to see where Lady Hildegale had snuck off to. The minstrel pranced over and began to imitate my movements.

"Oh pretty maiden, what draws your eye? What do you spy?"

"Oh, pardon me," I pulled back, startled by him.

He twittered his lute, and gave me an exaggerated bow, his nose nearly touching the floor. "Nothing to fear, just try to keep your eyes right here. I may not be as pretty as you, but do you have the rhyme for a good time?" He waggled his eyebrows at me.

I didn't know what to say, so I tried to wave him off. He waved right back in the same manner.

Next to me, Princess Min chortled. "Isn't he good. Hohoho." She wiped a tear from her eye. "A good time indeed."

I looked away, it was not amusing, not today. The minstrel wasn't put off my lack of enthusiasm, quite the opposite. He wouldn't leave me alone. He tried giving me flowers. He sang me a love song while on one knee. I tried to retreat behind Princess Min and Prince Flairon, but then he grabbed my hands and pulled me out.

It was so unexpected I tripped.

My feet went backwards. I came down hard on my knees and my hands flew out. I landed on top of the minstrel. He curled up, clutching his lute to his chest. And from behind me I heard a loud whooomph.

I've no idea quite how it happened, but somehow my falling also startled Princess Minnie. She lost her balance and tipped backwards. I turned to see her fat legs wiggling in the air, her skirts spread around her, a sea of ruffles.

And when she fell a servant must have been passing by with a tray of custard cups, because I saw behind her the upended tray, cups on the floors and woman trying to wipe cream off their faces and dresses. I could trace a wave of disasters down the room. A potted tree knocked off, dirt spilled across the floor, glasses broken, and drinks spilled. A woman had fainted, possibly on purpose, into the arms of a rich man. He fanned her with his neck scarf.

Even Lady Hildegale was unsettled, her small hat slipping off her head. She bustled from each spot to the next, offering comfort, ordering her servants to pick up this and clean that. I watched her moving down the room, coming back to the source of the disaster, all the way back to me.

"Did you do this Iana?" She frowned at me, while trying to fix her silly hat.

I blubbered. "I didn't - it wasn't."

"Careless. Unthinkable." She declared, looking from me to the minstrel.

He shrank back, hiding behind me.

Lady Hildegale finally ripped her hat off. "Now do try to be useful, won't you." She declared and thrust her hat at me, her hat pins poking out.

Even now I can not abide needles, or anything sharp like a needle. I just can't and to have her hat pins thrown at me in that manner. I shrieked. I jumped backwards away from them, crashing over the minstrel. He flew sideways. There was a loud thwack, from me hitting the minstrel, and twang, one of his lute strings broke. It snapped backwards, cutting his face from his cheekbone right across his left eye. Blood poured down his face. He howled, clutching at his eye.

It all happened so fast. Lady Hildegale sprang into action, using someone's scarf to press against the wound. Her servants swarmed her and she began issuing more orders. Someone ripped up make-shift bandages for to use. The room was in an uproar, people crowding toward the excitement, trying to see what had happened. Prince Flairon caught my arm and pulled me out of the way, leading me across the room. All the while Lady Hildegale dealt with the injured minstrel and the eager onlookers.

All this before luncheon!

I kept apologizing over and over. Prince Flairon was very kind, but it was Lady Hildegale who I needed to apologize to most.

She didn't approach me until later, after things had settled, the minstrel taken away to a doctor, and the rest of the guests gathered in the dining room for a seated lunch. Prince Flairon bowed to me and left.

"This way," Lady Hildegale pointed. Her hat was back in position, not a strand of hair out of place, no wrinkles in her dress either. I looked more like a wash rag, rumpled and rung out.

As she led me I thought finally we would speak privately and I could pour my heart out to her, but all my apologizes died on my lips as we approached the entrance hall. My last chance to speak to Lady Hildegale was ruined by that man from the library.

"Is this where you've been hiding? You're not leaving are you?" Lady Hildegale caught the man's arm, pulling him to her other side.

"My apologizes madam, I-"

"Oh, nonsense, you must stay for lunch. I insist, really."

He gave her a slight bow.

Then before I could speak, Lady Hildegale turned to me. "Now Iana, I think it would be best if you leave, for today. Go home and rest. You need a good rest, I'm sure." She opened the front door for me.

She was throwing me out.

And I couldn't speak freely in front of him. I just couldn't. I barely managed to get my apology out. "Please forgive me. " I curtsied as low as I could manage. I didn't dare look up, but I could feel his eyes on me. "I'm so sorry I - I will -I'll be going now. Good-bye." I choked on the words and fled.

I ran as hard as I could away from her rooms, but not so fast I'd lose one of my shoes. Not like that silly girl who caused such an uproar in the Circle Kingdom last year. I forget her name, but she couldn't manage to attend one ball without losing a shoe.

On my way back, along a rotunda, I found Joli. She was just on her way to fetch me. Behind her was a steward, a man named Olwen carrying two large bags. Joli explained Olwen's arrival, that mother sent him to collect us.

"She's quite serious Iana. She wants us to come home."

My shoulder's dropped. She wasn't wasting anytime either. "Is that everything?" I looked at the bags Olwen carried. We didn't have much, none of the furniture was ours.
Joli nodded.

"Are you ready to go your highness?" Olwen asked me. "I have strict instructions, we should be on our way immediately."

I sighed. "We might as well." There was nothing here in the Circle Kingdom to keep me.
Joli looked startled. "Did something happen? Is that blood?" She rushed to me.

I stopped her, promising to explain later. Right now I just wanted to get as far away as I could.


to be continued . . .