• “Get dressed, and head upstairs.” With that, she left, in almost a dancing manner.
    Reagan chuckled and climbed out of his cot. He stretched and yawned, and messed with his deep brown, shoulder length hair, trying to make his hair fall in the right place. He smiled as he saw that Caroline had already laid out his clothes at the foot of his bed, with a rose neatly placed over them. He went to the folded pile. Reagan picked up the rose and held it to his nose, inhaling its scent. Spring. Casaintamos was known for spring, as was the mistress that ruled it. Lady Raine.
    Reagan dressed as instructed by Miss Caroline to do so. He placed the rose in his coat pocket where it greeted everyone with its array of bright coloration. It was red, of course; a classic in its own way. His hair was tied neatly back, as his mistress had wished it to be when he saw her; his jacket perfectly straight, and his dress shoes shined.
    “I don’t want you looking like you did when you first came here! It was dreadful I tell you!” Is what Lady Raine had said.
    The stairs led him to the main hall, which he crossed to a corridor. There were two doors on either side of him. To Reagan’s left was the kitchen, and to his right, the room in which Lady Raine and he had tea every morning, and on some occasions, the afternoon as well. He could hear Caroline gasp as she walked out of the kitchen with a tray. “Dear Lord! Reagan! I told you to get dressed! Not to change completely!”
    “Stop teasing me Caroline.” He said with a small laugh.
    She smiled brightly and handed him the tray that was decorated with biscuits and a silver tea set. She kissed his cheek. “Good luck.”
    “I don’t need it. She’s my sister.”
    Caroline grimaced, adjusting his ascot that hung around his neck. “Yes, but she is also your mistress.”
    He chuckled. “You make it sound like she owns me, Caroline.”
    Her sea green eyes twinkled. “She technically does.” Reagan just rolled his eyes.
    “Thank you for the tray.” He brushed past Caroline and walked across the corridor. A tall cherry wood door stood before him. Caroline shook her head with a soft smile and disappeared back into the kitchen.
    “Lady Raine?” Reagan asked as he tapped on the door twice with his knuckles.
    “Enter.”
    Reagan turned and opened the door with his back side. “Good morning.” He greeted with a smile. The room was white with a tile floor. There were silk covered couches and chairs scattered about with two large windows overlooking the palace garden. Paintings of angels hung on the wall and above a large couch on the left was a huge portrait of the former king, Raine and Reagan’s father. He had died about eleven years ago, around the same time that Raine and Reagan were separated from each other. Even the picture depicted his cold disposition by the way the eyes seemed to stare over the room.
    Reagan glanced at it for a few seconds before heading over towards the two huge windows, one of which was partly obscured from a full view of outside, due to the chair with a girl sitting in it. She was looking outside as if trying to see something she missed. Her dark hair cascaded down just past her shoulders, but the front section was pulled back and tied with a green ribbon that matched her dress. She had perfect posture and was wearing a emerald toned dress with a hooped skirt that reached the floor with ease. Lace decorated the hems.
    Reagan placed the silver tray on the table next to the girl. “Did you sleep well, miss?”
    The girl didn’t turn away from the window. Reagan stood behind the chair, trying to see what she was seeing. He shifted from side to side, trying to see the view. She looked over the palace gardens where, being spring was beautifully brightened by the combination of all the flowers. He smiled at this. As she admired the morning, Reagan set the table. He placed one tea cup and one small plate at either end of the round table that they would be mingling at. The tea was poured and Reagan made sure the right amount of sugar was in his Mistress’.
    “Reagan?” The girl spoke in a near whisper. “Do you know what today is?”
    “The first day of spring, M’lady.”
    “Correct. Take a seat Reagan.” With a slight nod, Reagan did as he was told. He took a seat at the other end of the table. The girl finally turned to face him. It was like looking into a mirror. Their sparkling green eyes matched one another’s. Their faces matched in their slight roundness and both their cheeks had a slight pink coloration to them. They smiled at each other.
    The girl picked up her tea cup and took a small sip. She made a face, scrunching up her nose. “Too much sugar.” She mumbled and set it down.
    “My apologizes, Lady Raine.”
    Raine’s smile returned with a certain softness that made Reagan feel a little better about messing up their first meeting of the day. Raine seemed troubled as she sighed and looked down at her hands. “Is something bothering you, sister?”
    Raine shook her head. “On the contrary, dear brother, I am very pleased that spring has returned, but I suppose something haunts my dreams.”
    “You had a dream last night?”
    Raine looked up at him and nodded.
    “I did too miss.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yes. Was your dream about the—“
    “Field? Yes! Yes it was.”
    Raine seemed enthused. Her brother and she always had strange dreams that seemed to have the same occurrences as the others. Raine and Reagan both enjoyed sharing them and talking about the past. That was usually the subject of conversation, but morning tea was also a briefing on the day’s events. If they had tea in the afternoon it was about something more political that Raine needed some advice on. These were actually pretty frequent, though Reagan didn’t mind it. He always felt obligated to help his sister out; he supposed it would be a challenge to run an entire country by yourself at only sixteen.
    “You know…there is a holiday today.”
    “Is that so?” Reagan asked, taking a biscuit and carefully tearing it to smaller pieces on his plate. Raine folded her hands over the edge of the table.
    “Today is the day we were reunited after the death of mother.”
    Reagan paused, nearly choking on the piece of the biscuit he had in his mouth at the time. He swallowed hard and coughed. Had he been this out of touch? The anniversary of his mother’s death was yesterday and he has not even taken a minute to respect her. A sudden achiness burst into his chest. A frown crossed his lips. He remembered finding her pale in bed. She didn’t move. She was cold and her eyes were closed, never to open again. The image flooded his mind. Reagan felt his stomach churn in discomfort.
    “Reagan? Oh, come now. Don’t be upset! You were able to see me again. Shouldn’t you be rejoicing?”
    “I suppose.” Reagan muttered. Raine frowned in response.
    “You shouldn’t morn the wench you know. She slept with men left and right…and she was the reason we were separated eleven years ago.”
    “She raised me.”
    Raine’s eyes narrowed. She looked away from Reagan, her chin raised high in the air. “She gave you no life! You could have been living here and would be a prince right now instead of my protector if it wasn’t for her. Be glad, brother, that God gave her punishment before you had to take it for her.” Raine crossed her arms. Reagan looked up at his sister as she pouted.
    “Yes, M’lady.”
    There was a long pause, which Reagan took advantage of to finish his biscuit. Finally Lady Raine spoke.
    “Today…I will be speaking to some of the commoners and taking a stroll in the gardens this afternoon. I wish you to accompany me.”
    Reagan nodded. “Yes. Are you finished?”
    “Yes.” Raine replied, a sudden sadness touched her eyes. Reagan didn’t ask, assuming it wasn’t his place to. He gathered the silver and china items, placing them back on the tray. He was at the door when Raine interrupted him.
    “And Reagan?”
    “Yes, M’lady?”
    “Try to hide your love for the commoners today.”
    With a slight hesitance, Reagan responded. “Of course.”