Thomas starts his etiquette training with Princess Fenella. Every day he travels through the castle’s corridors to the library.
The grand library of the castle is a breathtaking sight to behold. The room is not as large as the library in town, but it felt more spacious. The ceilings seem to stretch up to the heavens. The walls are made of dark oak panels, each one expertly crafted from the wood from the enchanted forest outside the castle walls.
Large windows line the walls, letting in an abundance of natural light that bathes the stone and oak. The glass panes are large and intricately designed, probably the second-most expensive things in the room.
In the center of the library sits a luxurious piano, with keys made of ivory and ebony and inlaid with gold. The instrument is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and produces a rich, resonant sound that fills the room.
Princess Fenella is playing it, and his breath is taken away. He can’t help but stare until she finishes. When she notices him she blushes.
“Sorry. I was entranced by my own practice.”
“You do not have to apologize to me, Princess. It was lovely.”
“When we are alone you may call me Fenella.” She says.
“Alright, Fenella.”
She nods approvingly. “Let us get started with the etiquette lessons.”
She walks over to the shelf and plucks a single book.
“We will start with this one.”
“I didn’t notice when I entered, but why are the shelves so empty? Should they not be filled with books?”
Fenella giggles. “Most people notice that detail first. The reason that we do not have many books is because the library is new, like the rest of the castle. We brought only the most essential books from our old home, now we must purchase books or otherwise painstakingly make copies ourselves.”
“I see.”
“That is what we will work on today.” She shows him the book. “Your job with me, in addition to learning etiquette, is to copy this book stroke-for-stroke. Also, your handwriting must match.”
Thomas pointed at the flowery script. “My handwriting needs to match that?”
“Yes. Also, if you encounter any spelling mistakes, copy them too.”
Thomas is sweating as he imagines the work ahead of him. “Anything for you,” he says.
He started learning.
In the first weeks, Thomas has difficulty replicating the handwriting of the author. It takes him hours every day to finish a single page. Occasionally he makes a brush mistake with the ink, and has to start over again. It is a trial of frustration, but whenever he feels like quitting, Fenella plays the piano and all of his anger is soothed.
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“Is that a magic piano?” he asks.
“The materials are said to have magical properties, though I am not sure of the reality.” Princess Fenella says mysteriously.
Thomas smiles and goes back to copying. He takes extra paper and ink back to his house.
After many long months, Thomas finishes copying the entire book, stroke-for-stroke, as well as the handwriting and spelling mistakes of the original author.
“Thank you, Thomas. Now we can send the original back and keep this here in the library.”
“If it wasn’t for your piano playing, I would have lost my sanity a long time ago. This is harder than swinging a sword. Thank you.”
Fenella nods shyly and retreats to put the finished book on the shelf. When she returned, she was surprised to see yet another book in Thomas’ hands.
“What is this?” she asks.
“At the start of our training, you told me about all the books you used to read at your old home, ones that you could not bring with you.” Thomas explains. “This is one of your favorites, I believe.”
Fenella covered her mouth. “How is this possible? When did you find the time to do this? You were so busy!”
“You let me have as much paper and ink as I need for my training. I convinced a lord to let me borrow his copy, then worked every night into the late hours. I wanted to surprise you.”
He hands her the book.
“I am very surprised. Thank you!” tears started to fall from her eyes. She could rarely leave the castle and go to the library, so reading anything that wasn’t in their collection was a rarity. Furthermore, the book Thomas brought was a work of fiction, so the castle would not needlessly spend money when there were already so many historical records that needed copying. “I never thought I would see this again.”
“Just think of it as a gift from a commoner knight.” Thomas smiled. “Sorry the binding and the cover are not made of something finer.” he apologizes while looking at the other exquisite books. By comparison, the papers of his copy are bound together in goat leather because anything of better quality would have been too expensive for him. “It may not be a good fit for these shelves. Feel free to rebind it with something later.”
She shakes her head. “This gift is fine enough! In fact, to me, it is far more valuable than the other books on these shelves. They are only wrapped in treasure while what is inside is actually cheap. Do not devalue what you have given me. Appearances do not matter.”
Thomas looked up in shock. Her words echoed in his mind because it reminded him of what Morag had said to him once.
“Appearances do not matter.” He muttered. “What about me? I dress like a knight and attend your lessons, but I am still a commoner.”
Fenella raised a questioning eyebrow. “How does your background affect the quality of the things you give? How does it affect your achievements?”
“It has no effect, I suppose.” Thomas admits.
“Then what are you worried about?”
He sighs. “There are nobles who gossip about me behind my back. I am aware of what they say, even though I choose to ignore them. I work my hardest and am doing the best with what I have, but that still doesn’t change the truth. I am from a commoner family. Do I really deserve the privileges I have worked for?” He turned away from her. “A commoner, no matter how meritorious, should not receive certain privileges, such as marriage into the royal family.”
Fenella’s face turned red.
She says, “Before there were kings, knights, and nobles born into high status, everyone was equal. Achievements and privileges followed hand-in-hand. Now we face a world where privilege is an illusion.” Fenella reached for his hand, and turned him back to face her. “But those who can see through the illusion… know what true merit looks like.” Then she kisses him on the lips.
“What are you doing?” Thomas jumps back with surprise.
“I love you, Thomas. I have loved you since we met. Please accept my heart.” Fenella says with tears forming in her eyes.
Thomas sees that Fenella already accepts him for who he is. He looks into her eyes and sees her honesty.
He responds. “Even if you never accepted me, I was always going to accept you. I have loved you, Fenella, for many years. One day I wish to marry you.”
“Thank you, so much. I will look forward to that day.”
Then they embrace each other and share a kiss.