Chapter Two

“One day you will have to do this on your own, Ileana,” Theodore said gently. “I cannot always be here to guide you.”
The girl looked up at him and groaned. “I know, papa, but how can I? It is not right for us to take the lives of the innocent. And just look at it!” Ileana gestured to the young deer grazing in the meadow before them. Theodore and his daughter were hiding behind two thick oaks. Ileana’s bow was poised in her hand and yet she would not let fly the arrow.
“We humans must find a way to survive. This is a way. Now, aim.” Theodore instructed. Ileana did as she was told, and aimed the arrow straight for the deer’s heart. She let go of the arrow with and with a twang it was set free and hit its mark. The deer collapsed into the thick green grass. Theodore smiled at his daughter’s success and was just about to compliment her form when a page ran up to him and handed him a yellowed parchment paper. Theodore’s eyes scanned the page and his smiled turned to a frown.
“What’s happened?” Ileana asked, cocking her head to try and steal a look at the paper. Theodore looked at his daughter as if his heart were breaking.
“The country is at war. I must join the people in fighting for our nation.” He said, as if it were a death sentence. Ileana stared up at him in fear.
“But you have already served the king before!” she exclaimed. “And where am I to go?”
“You’ll go to court. It’s high time you’ve assumed your place as a courtier.” Theodore said. “Soon I’ll be back for you, and we can find you a husband. Win favor with the king and queen, and I’m sure they will provide you a good match.” Ileana opened her mouth in protest, but Theodore silenced her. “That is your duty, my daughter. You must rise above the rest of your family. It is every woman’s mission to find a good husband. And you will not fail.”
“Yes, father.” Ileana said, wisely forcing back her tears. Theodore lifted her face up to him and kissed her cheek.
“Do not worry for me. I’ll be back before next winter, if all goes well.” Theodore gave her one last look, and turned away to collect his things and set off with the king’s men toward battle.
Ileana watched him go, never letting a tear spill from her dark brown eyes. Then she quickly turned her back and fled to the fallen deer, who was breathing unevenly in fear of his approaching death. She knelt beside him, brushing her hand against the wound that she had so cruelly caused. Her hands covered in blood, she swiftly pulled the arrow from the creature’s chest and threw it into the forest. She ripped a length of fabric from her dress and bundled it up to stop the deer’s bleeding. She watched him then, hoping that he would be alright, thinking somewhere in her mind that he would die.
It seemed then that a hand was on her shoulder, helping her, giving her strength. She was sure that she felt that hand, sure that she felt something flow from that hand to hers and into the deer. She then saw the deer rise as if nothing had ever wounded him, as if she hadn’t shot him at all. She stood up beside the deer, and he nudged her hand as if in thanks, then vanished into the oblivion of the forest.
Alone, Ileana looked around her. She was sure that someone had been with her, but who? And how had the deer risen, unhurt and perfectly healed? Had there been anyone there after all? She felt her skin tingle and grew afraid of her own thoughts, as humans often grow afraid of the mysterious and unknown. Ileana wiped the deer’s blood onto her skirts. She gave the meadow one last look, then turned her back to it and headed toward her father’s house.
She was only twelve years old.

Ileana would forget that day, as the adventure’s of childhood vanished and in their place grew new memories of womanhood. She grew up to be a beautiful and intelligent girl, full of grace and swift thinking. The king and queen cherished her as their favorite courtier. Ileana was the queen’s prodigy, having learned French, Spanish, Latin, and Greek, having learned music and being able to play five different instruments, and having a knowledgeable sense of the current fashions. She was witty for a fifteen year old, and loved by everyone that knew her. Other girls at court envied her popularity, yet they could not resist her smile. Her joy was contagious to all. Whenever she entered the room, no one could slip into a foul mood. She was the sun itself.
Her father had not returned. Two years after his parting from her, he was killed in battle. Ileana was fourteen when they told her, and a year later, she still grieved over Theodore’s death. Every night, she would remove the letters he had written her and read through them. Fresh tears would smear the ink on the pages, and the words would be indecipherable if she hadn’t memorized every line. The king and queen sympathized with her grief, and as a gift they gave her Westhall Castle (which was a small country house and not really a castle at all) for her own. She was given permission to remove herself from court and stay there for the summer. She could garden there, and tend to the animals, and keep her own household as if she were a lady, a queen herself. While she was away from court, the king and queen would decide a match for her.
It was a long and happy summer for Ileana. Westhall Castle was a bright and merry summer home, and she was surrounded by people that she knew and loved. Ileana was one of the only courtiers that treated her servants like family and gave them the respect they deserved. She was patient and easy-going, with a steady temper that rarely flared. She was a good mistress to them. The oldest of her household, Mrs. Stanley, was Ileana’s constant companion since infancy. She had been her nurse and had raised her. Ileana had no mother, for she had died while giving birth to her. Mrs. Stanley was the only mother that she had known. She was a large woman of fifty, with wise eyes and a tender heart. She could never refuse Ileana anything, although she despised spoiling her. Ileana was sweet to her nurse, and never disobeyed her.
Mrs. Stanley had noted Ileana’s maturing, her changing body and her growing mind. She saw what everyone failed to notice. Ileana was growing restless. She was at the age of understanding. Ileana saw the nobility and the court for what they were. Before, they had been a wonder to her, something that she was privileged to be a part of. Now, she saw them all as greedy and ambitious. Some aimed too high, others, slid about like a serpent, spying and gossiping. Ileana was unlike them, and hoped always to be. That was why Westhall meant so much to her.
While the court was on progress for the summer, traveling from house to house and lavishing themselves with the season’s finest fruits and devouring gallons of wine, Ileana was tending to her garden at Westhall Castle. She took a walk out onto the hills one day, and from a distance, saw the court as they paraded by, glittering and sparkling in the sun. Her thirteen year old heart would’ve sighed with desire to be with them, but her matured mind now rejected them. She wished only to live in simplicity. For a better part of the summer, Ileana wore only long, white linen dresses. She gardened, rode her horse, and read everyday. She ate lightly and simply, mostly things from the gardens. She was happy. Mrs. Stanley could not ignore Ileana’s happiness, and like the rest of the servants, wished that that summer would never end.
But it did, as do all good things in life. Ileana was reluctant to leave her sparkling home. But, with a forced smile, she laced up her corset, slipped into her fashionable attire, and slid on her expensive French slippers. Her horse was saddled and clothed in its white and gold livery and Ileana’s things were packed up. She mounted her horse, took a sad and long look at Westhall, and set off for Greenwich, where they king and queen now stayed. Ileana knew what awaited her back at court. Not only would there be balls, masques, performances, and feasts, there would be a fiancé waiting for her. Ileana grew afraid of who it may it be. She prayed incessantly that it would be someone kind and caring, who would take good of her. She prayed that it would be someone that she could love.