Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key Read online

  “Since you will be spending your day with the women, we must have you dressed impeccably.” She dangled a curl and let it drop.

  Reece shook her head, and got her hair pulled. “Ouch!”

  “I’m sorry. Hold still, please.”

  Reece was beginning to wonder about these young women. She remembered how Harrison and Levi felt about them, and became curious as to what the day ahead of her might bring.

  It was strange to realize that only a few days earlier, she’d been living a normal life. Life was so unpredictable. She thought back to the day her dad died; remembering how perfect life had seemed, and then a phone call changed everything.

  It was happening again, but to a degree she never imagined possible. Who could predict their lives could change like this? She watched Jasmeen transform her appearance once again. Overwhelmed by the idea that she was truly in another world, she softly exhaled.

  Jasmeen finished her make-up and looked at her sympathetically. “Reece, you don’t have to spend the day with those young women. I’m certain that other arrangements can be made, if necessary.”

  “Oh, I’m not worried about spending the day with them. I was just thinking about how drastically my life has changed since yesterday morning.”

  She stood up, and followed Jasmeen into the closet. Jasmeen selected a gown, draped it over her arm, and plucked two delicate, matching shoes off of a floor-to-ceiling rack, on the opposite wall.

  “It’s a lot to accept, Reece. But rest assured, your stay in Pemdas will be a pleasant one.” She held out the clothes to Reece.

  “Really…another gown? Aren’t there any pants I can wear or anything like that? I’m really not much of an extravagant dresser.”

  “I’ve been told that in your culture, women are free to wear whatever they wish. Here in Pemdas, ladies do not have any desire to dress as men do.”

  “Well, Jasmeen, I don’t really see it that way.”

  Reece studied the dress. It was another fancy gown, tailored more to Earth’s style; however, it was just as extravagant as the corseted dresses she had seen the ladies wearing to dinner the previous night. Well, if I’m going out into public today, I might as well try to blend in, she thought as she contemplated giving in and having Jasmeen go get her a dress that suited the Pemdai culture.

  “Miss Bryant, is there something wrong the gown?” Jasmeen asked with concern.

  A tiny smile drew up on Reece’s mouth, “Jasmeen, I’m not really in the mood to stand out in the crowd today. I think we’d better stick to your fashions. Is there another gown, possibly like whatever the other ladies will be wearing today?”

  Jasmeen’s expression radiated with excitement. “Are you absolutely sure? We do not want you to be uncomfortable in any way.”

  Reece laughed, “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have asked. Go get the dress, Jasmeen, and please try to keep it simple.” Reece finished with a reproachful gaze.

  Jasmeen returned with a pale gown, it was simple in such a way, that it did not have rich colors, nor was it embellished with hundreds of jewels.

  Once Jasmeen finished helping Reece into the dress, Reece was surprised to find that wearing a corset was not as horrible as she had expected. The gown was exquisite, with embroidered striped silk satin of champagne and coral. The square neckline and capped sleeves exposed Reece’s soft, cream colored skin. As she studied herself in the mirror, Jasmeen brought a delicate strand of pearls around her neck. Whether Reece wanted to admit it or not, she was a perfect picture of nobility.

  Well, I guess this is what you get when you live with the royal family, and the empress designs your wardrobe, she laughed to herself.

  Jasmeen smiled, “It appears you like the dress, Reece. I’m delighted!”

  Reece tilted her head, “Let’s not get carried away just yet, Jasmeen. It’s a lot more comfortable than I expected; however, I am only trying to make sure I blend in with the ladies when we go into town today. If I go with them in some different style, I’m afraid I might be attracting unneeded attention to myself.”

  Jasmeen chuckled, “You should not have to worry about that, Reece. Now, here are your shoes. They may appear uncomfortable, but I believe you will find they are quite the opposite.”

  Jasmeen bent down and helped Reece to put on a pair of champagne colored heels. Comfortable or not, Reece did not really know if she would make it through an entire day wearing heels. This was definitely something she would have to get used to.

  Jasmeen finished off the look with matching pearl earrings, and dismissed herself to attend to Reece’s tea, leaving Reece standing there, staring at this unimaginable image of herself.

  She made her way over to the large room, and found a concerned Jasmeen walking toward her.

  “Is everything all right, Jasmeen?” She asked.

  Jasmeen snapped out of her silent thoughts. “No. I mean, everything will be all right, I am sure. But the Princess Elizabeth was in an accident on her way home to the Palace.” She walked toward Reece. “Lord Navarre, Lady Allestaine, and Masters Levi and Harrison are en route to her this very moment. I have been directed give you this letter from Lady Allestaine.” She handed the letter to Reece.

  Reece unfolded the letter.

  Dearest Reece,

  I am sorry you must receive this news by letter. We received the news of our daughter’s accident only moments ago, and are leaving in haste. She is being cared for in a kingdom that is a little over a day’s journey from Pasidian. We hope to find her recovering, but, of course, nothing is certain.

  Mistress Lillian, Harrison’s sister, has volunteered to help keep you company in our absence. She and I have discussed how I wish for you to be attended to. She understands my concern over the importance of standing in my place to care for you.

  I look forward to spending time together when we return. Until then, please enjoy your stay, and the things the young women are looking forward to showing you.

  Warm regards,

  Allestaine

  Reece looked at Jasmeen, concerned. “Does she need to be seen by someone on Earth?”

  Jasmeen responded, “Reece, she will be attended to by the finest doctors in Pemdas; the Emperor and Empress, however, will not rest easy unless they are there in person to give comfort to the Princess.”

  Reece was reminded of her conversation with Levi about the intelligence of the Pemdai people, and figured that Earth was probably in the dark ages as far as medical treatment went. “Well, that is good to know.”

  A few moments later, a knock at the door announced Lillian’s arrival.

  “Hello, Reece.” Lillian gave a small, forced smile. “Miss Bryant, if you are ready, I shall bring you down for breakfast.”

  “I am, thanks. Will everything be okay with Elizabeth?”

  Lillian’s eyes narrowed, “The Princess will be fine.” She looked down at the note in Reece’s hand, “I wasn’t aware that you had been the given news already.”

  Why wouldn’t I have? What’s her problem? “Yes, Jasmeen just told me, and gave me this letter from Lady Allestaine.”

  Something seemed to bother Lillian about Reece being informed, however, she removed any evidence of it from her face and forced another smile upon it. “Shall we go, Reece? The ladies will meet us in the dining room.”

  Well, this day already seems to be promising, Reece thought as she followed the young woman from the room.

  Two servants opened the large double doors to the dining hall, and Reece followed Lillian into the room where Simone and her sister Catherine were already seated at the far side of the table. Reece quickly found a seat across from Simone, and next to Catherine.

  “Good morning, Ladies.” She said trying to engage them in conversation. Simone smiled brilliantly then sobered. “It is good to see you up and feeling well this morning, Reece, but have you heard about our dearest Princess Elizabeth’s accident?”

  “Yes, Lady Allestaine wrote me a note before she left. I hope she’s going to
be okay?”

  Simone’s eyebrows shot up in shock; then she recovered, and sent a charming smile to Reece. “That is interesting, indeed. Perhaps, girls, Lady Allestaine is still concerned about yesterday evening? She must have not trusted us enough to give you the news ourselves.”

  Hurt feelings about a note, just what we need today. Reece thought it would be wise to salvage whatever rapport she had with them. The family was gone, and she had no other companions. She reached for some fruit. “It didn’t seem that way at all, Simone. She only wrote about how sorry she felt for having to leave, and mentioned that I would be in good hands with all of you.”

  Reece knew she was embellishing the letter’s contents slightly, but it wouldn’t hurt to allow the women to believe what she said. She was determined to keep the peace while the family was away.

  “I’m sure that is exactly what she said.” Lillian muttered.

  Catherine finally spoke up, while buttering her toast. “Oh, let’s move forward, shall we? Reece, are you still in the mood to shop in town with us today?”

  “It sounds like fun,” Reece said.

  “Oh, indeed! It will be marvelous.”

  Chapter 9

  Half an hour later, Reece was being helped into a carriage by a footman. “I’m curious about something?” She said, when they were on their way.

  Simone furrowed her eyebrows. “Yes, and what exactly are you curious about?”

  “If Princess Elizabeth is in a kingdom at least a day away, are there a lot of different kingdoms like that around here?”

  “Reece, unfortunately I am unable to give you an accurate answer about exactly how big Pemdas is. You probably should have asked the men last night when you had them to yourself.” She glanced quickly at the other two women in the carriage, and then back to Reece. “However, if you must know, there are roughly a hundred kingdoms in the diverse areas that Lord Navarre oversees.”

  “Oversees? Aren’t there kings or something like that? How does that work? It’s not like that on Earth; and from what you are saying, Pemdas seems to be almost as large, but there isn’t one man who stands rule over everything.”

  Lillian let out an exhale, “Reece, if you must know, Lord Navarre rules over the entire realm of Pemdas. Yes, there are many different kingdoms throughout our world that are run individually by their appointed kings. The kings ultimately answer to Lord Navarre, their Emperor. For example, my father rules the Kingdom of Vinsmonth, and sets the standards for the kingdom; however, if there are problems with his leadership, or corruption in his government, the Emperor will step in and see that it is corrected.”

  Now that’s interesting. Simone must have seen the look of disbelief on Reece’s face, and therefore, quickly added, “Reece, I do hope you understand the importance of the family which has decided to take you in. Pasidian Palace is an honorable place to be, even for a servant. You could probably understand now, when I tell you how astonished I was to find that someone from Earth would be allowed to reside there.”

  “Well, Simone, maybe you can trust the judgment of the family you admire so much, since it was their decision for me to stay there with them.”

  Simone stared speculatively at Reece’s gown. “It is truly admirable for you to decide upon our fashion style today, Reece. The gown you wore to dinner last evening had me wondering who was attending you, or if you were being attending to at all.”

  Simone giggled as she glanced over to her two friends, who were trying to suppress their laughs.

  Reece felt the heat rushing to her face, angered by the comment. She would not let Simone degrade her. She quickly stifled her rage and replied, “Well, if you think you were distressed by my choice of dress last night, you should have seen my attendant’s reaction.” Reece laughed.

  Simone’s expression at first was that of utter repulsion, before it quickly softened, and she laughed. “Reece, dear, forgive me. I must have forgotten about your delicate position. I believe my scolding from the Empress would be dreadful if she knew I had caused you any distress.”

  Reece could go back and forth with Simone all day, but she knew that in the end, it would all be pointless. She decided it was best to change the subject. Even though it had seemed longer, it had only been about ten minutes since they left the Palace, and were now in the village in the valley below it. It was the same village she had ridden through with Harrison and Levi through the previous day.

  “Is this the place where you shop?” She looked at Catherine, who seemed to be the only young woman that was attempting politeness in the group. Unfortunately, it was Simone who felt she needed to inform the ignorant Earth girl about everything.

  “Reece, darling,” Simone giggled, “Of course we do not shop in this village. This is where all of the produce, meat, and all other necessities the Palace might require, come from. For the most part, the people here are bakers, butchers, farmers, and their families.”

  “Oh, well that’s interesting. So, where is it that we’re going then? I didn’t see any other towns but this one yesterday.”

  “The town we are taking you to is about a thirty-minute journey from the Palace. It is very large, and I believe you shall enjoy it.” Catherine replied.

  Simone rolled her eyes, and let out an exasperated exhale, “So, Reece, what was it like to ride a horse with a man? I am curious as to whom you rode with upon your arrival into Pemdas yesterday?” Her eyes stared darkly at Reece awaiting a response.

  Whoa! Where did that come from? “I’m not sure what you are getting at, Simone?” And I’m not sure why we are having this conversation.

  Simone laughed, “Now don’t you dare avoid the question, Reece. We ladies want to know what it was like.”

  “Riding a horse? Um, a little uncomfortable. I’d rather…”

  “Reece,” Simone interrupted, “You must not be getting my point. Yesterday, you rode horse back with the two most sought after men in all of Pemdas. I don’t know of any woman that would not be envious of that. What was it like?” She giggled.

  Oh, please! Is she serious? Reece didn’t know how to answer the question. Simone had definitely made it clear that she had some bizarre obsession with Levi and Harrison. This was probably half the reason Simone had been acting so rude to her.

  “If you must know, I rode with Harrison; and given the fact that I had much more important things on my mind at the time, and I didn’t know who either man was, I couldn’t say that it was an enjoyable experience. But now that you have made me aware of whom they are, I’ll be sure to report back to you next time.”

  Lillian laughed, “See, Simone, you have nothing to worry about, she was nowhere near your precious Levi.”

  Reece closed her eyes in sheer annoyance; she was reaching her limits of being able to tolerate them and their odd personalities.

  “Lillian,” Simone spoke in astonishment, “You know I was not concerned about that! We all know neither Levi nor Harrison would choose anyone outside of royalty for their bride; Levi has already made that perfectly clear. So for any of you to believe he would choose someone from outside of the realms of Pemdas…” She stared at Reece with a mischievous grin, “Well, let’s just say, it would never happen. Levi is far too superior for that.”

  Bride!? Is this what these women worry about all day? Who’s going to marry Prince Charming? What a joke! Simone’s gaze didn’t leave Reece’s face. “Well, now that that’s all cleared up, can we talk about something else?” Reece asked.

  Simone’s dark eyes appeared wicked when she responded. “Oh, well of course we can talk about something else; this is probably making you uncomfortable.”

  Reece exhaled. She was strongly considering feigning an illness and going back to the Palace alone. The three women went on and on for the entire trip. Listening to the superficial girls talk had her ready to jump from the carriage. She sighed with relief when large buildings finally lined the horizon before them. I either ditch them now, or figure out how to deal with them, she thought as the h
orses made their way into the large town.

  As soon as the coach stopped in front of a large building, a footman was opening the carriage door, and lending a supporting hand to help the women out of it. As she stepped out of the coach, she immediately understood why the young women did their shopping here. Tall, stone buildings stood side by side. Each building was unique in its own way; some were covered in ivy, while others had elaborate designs carved into their polished stone surfaces. Elaborate windows showcased everything from clothing to household furnishings, and many other trinkets.

  It seemed as though the merchandise that was offered for sale was similar to that being sold at any other boutique shopping area on Earth.

  She was enjoying taking in the sight of the magnificent shopping street, which was filled the scent of freshly-baked goods, when a high-pitched voice cut through her quiet moment. “Reece, quit dragging behind! I will not be scolded again by her ladyship for your lack of attention.”

  The women laughed, and waited for Reece to catch up. They all turned into a large building, filled with various fine objects—from saddles to sapphires, dresses to diamonds. The young women went ahead; Reece became so caught up with displays of porcelain and silver that she almost forgot about them.

  They went through dozens of shops like the first. They had lunch on the balcony of a large inn in the middle of the village. So intrigued with being in such a unique town, Reece was finding it easier to deal with the women. She had given up trying to answer the women’s rude comments, and without a target, they gradually ceased. They did continue to point out the beauties of the scenery, and Reece was glad to agree, to nod, and to be impressed. It was the truth; the town was beautiful, and agreeing with them made a more peaceful afternoon for Reece.

  On the way back, Reece learned, to her dismay, that this shopping adventure would not be her last with the women. Shopping was pronounced to be their favorite pastime, and they were determined to drag Reece along in order to show Lady Allestaine their care for her guest.