Royal

"Mother! I am not fat." Eloise said as birth giver was struggling to take her measurements. Rose, known as the queen, was all about her daughter being perfect, as she was about to get engaged soon. No matter how many diets she has been on, her mother was never satisfied with Eloise's appearence, she was an elf after all.

"Indeed, you are not. But you are not perfect either. Even though no one is perfect, us royals must always seek it." Rose said as she corrected the princess's posture.

Eloise was as slim as a bird, so she never understood why Rose didn't like the way her body looked. She sighed in annoyance and gave up trying to move, as she knew her mother wouldn't quit any time soon.

"You will love prince Edward of Prestenia, he is a charming man." Rose said and gave her a reassuring smile. She was obsessed with marrying her daughter, since she was a few hundred years old and didn't have any intentions of choosing someone on her own.

"Why do you like him so much? You always talk about him, mother." Eloise stepped of the little platform and had a little stretch. She couldn't move for quite a while.

"He is charming, smart and a handsome young man. You will thank me when you meet him." Said her mother and fixed her dress. Eloise was going to roll her eyes, but stopped when Rose gave her an irritated look. She surely wasn't a fan of those gestures.

She handed her a little framed picture and smiled. "This is him and his sister, a sweetheart. You will surely be good friends." Eloise took the picture in her small hands and raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Which one is him, mother?" Rose frowned and pointed to the taller figure. The picture wasn't clear so the only thing she could extract was his black hair and that he didnt have a beard, which she was thankful for since she wasn't a fan of beards. He was tall and fit.

Her mother took her little box that she had the ustensils in and left the room. Eloise could accuse Rose of many things, but not laziness. She does the jobs of 3 women since she doesn't trust anyone else to do them, so she is busy most of the time.

The girl put the picture on one of the drawers and turned to her bird that was standing on the little hanging log attached to her balcony door frame. It was a rare species that could talk.

"I don't feel good, Monty." Eloise said and touched her belly. She never got ill, she was an elf, and elfs don't get sick.

"No good, Eloise" Monty said and looked at her. He is a smart bird, and Eloise felt blessed to have him by her side. Since she was not allowed to leave the castle very often, the little boy was the only company she had.

"I know, I am not supposed to feel this way. I must go down to the library, Monty. Maybe a book would help me. But mother locked my door." She walked over to the exit of her room and tried to open it, but it would not work. Her mother doesn't like her wandering around the castle, but that doesn't stop Eloise from sneaking out from the balcony.

The princess stepped out on the balcony and looked around. The castle was settled on a mountain, so the view was absolutely amazing. It's one thing that helps with her boredom, along with archery. She is good at it, but can not compete against other people, she is not allowed.

The king, her father, is not as strict as her mother. He wants her to be happy, but will not go against his wife's words, because he knows not all of them are bad.

Being an only child is hard for Eloise, her child will become a king, and she needs to get married as soon as possible. She found the human world a very interesting place, but she never visited it. As an elf, the human traditions were very different from hers.

"Monty, I will leave through the balcony, could you please not tell mother?" The bird nodded and followed her down the little rope she hang.

As she stepped in the garden, her attention flew to the rainbow above her head, caused by the little fountain that was spotted near the flowers. It was beautiful, the Elf's world is beautiful. And it was peaceful as well, there were little to no fights and everyone is happy.

She followed the path and entered the outside library, full of plants and unusual creatures.

There are not many books in here, but she can't risk being spotted on the way to the big library inside the castle. Many of them were about fishing, plants, and other things.

After searching for a minute or two she found a little book that was called "Human facts". The fear of being caught was big, but the curiosity bigger, so she looked over and made sure Monty wasn't watching her, and stuffed the book in her small purse.

The bird was a big fan of rules, so if he would see anything that looked dangerous or forbidden, he would make sure to tell Rose.

"There. I found a book about medicine, it must have what I need." Eloise said and put the book on the stand next to her. It was full of dust, probably no one uses it, since elfs don't get ill.

She read a few of the pages, and speeded through the others, but nothing that matched her symptoms. She didn't feel horrible, but had this unusual discomfort in her stomach. Must be something she ate, Eloise said to herself and returned to her room.

As she stepped in, the door opened and her mother came in. She was lucky that she got there in time, Eloise said to herself and sat on the bed.

"Mother. Is there something you need?" Rose approached her and gave her a reassuring look.

"I was just checking on you, perhaps you would like to join us for dinner?" She wouldn't go into the dining room often, and it was an easy way to get out of the room, so she nodded and followed her mother out.

"How about you and me go to the saloon in the morning? You have bags under your eyes. Have you not been sleeping well?" Rose said as they walked over the long hallway. Eloise had a hard time sleeping these days, it's one of the reasons why she thinks she is ill.

"Of course I have been sleeping mother, there is not a lot to do in my room." That was not fully a lie, even if she had Monty and her bow, boredom would always find it's way in.

She entered the dinning room and surprise filled her expression. It was a person she had not seen in a very long time.