SNEAK PEEK

HIGHLAND COURT CHRONICLES:

ALMENDRA'S QUEST

SNEAK PEEK    

Almendra opened her eyes on the seventh chime of the clock. She quickly sat up, stretched, and smiled. Just then the door to her room opened and a large grey wolf came in with a tray on his back. In fact, his thick fur was dark brown, but it was so liberally streaked with grey that he looked almost grey at a first glance. 

    “Good morning, Woo,” said Almendra, her face splitting into a grin. She pecked the wolf on the nose and took a large mug of hot tea from the tray. Breathing in the familiar scent of mint, she clutched the cup in her hands and raised it into the air like one would a goblet at a feast, her hazel eyes alight with humour. 

    “Cheers!” she said loudly and “May today be the day!” before bringing the cup to her lips, an expression of bliss on her face. 

    Woo walked towards the window and drew back the curtains with his teeth – the sky outside was murky grey. Almendra drank up her tea and placed it back onto the tray just as Woo left the room.

    In one big leap, she bounded out of bed, ran across the carpeted floor, and slipped behind the screen, her long brown hair flying around her in merry waves. Behind the screen, Almendra picked up a thick rope, lying in a coil on the floor, with an iron hook on one end, then wound it around a huge wheel it was fixed to on the other end, opened the window, and threw the rope down.

    A second later the hook hit the ground with a clunk. Dancing on the tips of her toes, her frilly nightdress flapping around her ankles, Almendra waited until the rope gave a jerk before pulling it back upwards, gripping the handle and turning the wheel with practiced ease. When the rope hit the ledge, she drew it in – now with a bucket full of water. 

    Almendra heaved the bucket off the hook, poured the water into a spacious bathtub and sighed; she knew from years of experience that it would take her many more buckets of water to fill the claw-foot tub for her morning bath. With another sigh, Almendra hooked the empty bucket back onto the rope and carefully lowered it down. 

    “This is ridiculous,” she muttered as she waited for her granny – the only other person in High Castle – to fill it in the kitchen below. “I mean, do I really need to take a bath today as well?” she asked, raising her voice and leaning out of the window when the rope gave another jerk. “I had one yesterday and the day before and the day before that and every single day of my life! I don’t even have time to get dirty! I think I’d like to know what that’s like…” 

    Her granny cleared her throat. 

   “There’s a lot to be said for greeting each other first thing in the morning, Almendra,” she said coolly. “It would certainly refresh our morning routine and provide proof that I have actually taught you some good manners over the years.” 

    Almendra groaned. Her granny insisted that she should take a bath every single morning. Almendra believed that it wasn’t strictly necessary, because she always took a bath in the afternoon anyway. But it was no use arguing with her granny about that. Lady Mildred was inexorable on that and many other points. But Almendra didn’t give up hope. Today was no different. The bath itself wasn’t the issue, of course. Almendra would simply do anything to break the routine. 

    “Just today, what do you say?” she persisted when Lady Mildred reappeared downstairs with another bucket. 

    “Almendra Ravenlock, you are the High Lady of the Upper Kingdom – ” she began in that infuriating manner that always made Almendra grind her teeth together. 

    “I know that!” she interrupted with another groan. “I also know that there’s no such rule that states that I have to take a bath every single morning without fail.” 

    “There are many rules that are neither written nor spoken of,” retorted her granny in an icy voice. “However, they are no less important than those that are, and their lack of record does not liberate you from the duty of following them.” 

    Almendra rolled her eyes. 

    “In any case, today may very well be the day Prince Frederick arrives and you want to look your very best when he does,” added Lady Mildred gravely. “Don’t forget that according to the fateline he is our only chance at saving the Upper Kingdom. But much depends on you. After all, he must fall in love with you first!” 

    Almendra could hardly forget something that had been mercilessly cudgeled into her brain. However, she was beginning to have her doubts on that score. Prince Frederick didn’t seem to be in any hurry to come. Apparently, he hadn’t been apprised of the importance of their predestined engagement or the fateful part that he was supposed to play in the fate of her kingdom. 

    “Well?” snapped her granny, jolting Almendra out of her thoughts. “That wheel won’t turn of its own accord!” 

    “I wish it would,” muttered Almendra, making a face, though not before retreating back into the room. She gripped the handle of the wheel and began to turn it again, praying that today would finally be the day the course of her life would change for good.

(c) Farida Mestek