"Is this too tight?" The seamstress asked when she yanked on the laces of a winter corset. Doris held her breath and quickly nodded to indicate that it was. The seamstress huffed and loosened it. "How about now?"
Doris released her breath and nodded. "It's fine, thank you."
"I have several dresses like this one for your trip, all suitable for winter. It's not proper for a maid traveling with a prince to wear pants, but I did include them in case of an emergency."
Doris frowned, what sort of emergency would need pants? Unless she was referring to the freezing temperatures. Doris might end up wearing them beneath her dress just so her legs didn't chill.
"Are all of them corseted? Will I be able to get out of them by myself?" Doris asked.
The taller woman gave Doris a long, curious look and shook her head. "I suppose if you lace it a little looser you might be able to squeeze yourself out of it, though it would be much easier if someone were to help you."
"There's no one on the trip that would be able-" The woman raised her brows, Doris blushed for no reason other than her strange stares. "I prefer dresses I can easily get out of on my own."
"You're about to travel with a prince and he has asked me to find you suitable clothing, I can't have you looking like you were when you first came in here and the only dresses I have on hand all require corsets."
Doris sighed and turned around to look at herself in the mirror. The dress was quite stunning, it was a dark blue shade in a fabric similar to the ones she'd seen Prince William wear. It hugged at her waist and brought out a bit more of her figure while also being thicker than anything she owned.
It looked nice enough for a lady to wear-not a maid. She supposed they wouldn't have anything for a maid going where she was going, this clothing most likely was designed for a lady. A flash of Melody's furious face crossed her mind. Oh, Doris could only imagine what she would say if she saw her wear a dress suited for a lady. She would probably rip it right off her and make her walk naked in the snow. Better yet, she probably would insist Doris sleep out in the snow too.
Doris frowned. She hadn't once thought to ask if Melody had pulled through or how she was doing. No one around her had brought her up either-Doris was a bit afraid to even ask. Not even Beth had brought her up since everything happened, and she normally would have told Doris everything she'd heard about the gossip.
"Do you like it?" The seamstress asked.
"Oh, yes. Thank you for finding me something in such short notice, I know it must have been a challenge."
The seamstress waved away her words. "These clothes sit all year, none of the ladies have asked to use them. While it may snow here during the winter, it never gets as cold as it does in the north. These will make you sweat after half an hour if it's not freezing where you're going."
"Should I wait until we get there to change into this?" Doris itched her arm, already she was starting to feel a bit hot.
"No, you most likely won't have an opportunity to change until you're somewhere safe. I would recommend wearing it when you leave or at least have it nearby to slip on over your normal dress once you get there. You'd be surprised how freezing it gets within minutes of entering the north."
"Oh my, have you ever been?" Doris asked as she stepped down from the small platform the seamstress made her stand while she tied her corset.
"I have once, but-" The seamstress hesitated. "Never again. Just be careful out there and stay close to those that will guard you."
"I think they'll be more concerned about the prince, but I'll try." Doris said more to herself. The seamstress laughed a little.
"I think that's one of his favorite colors." She gestured to Doris's dress. For a moment, she wanted to take it off and burn it but the feeling passed a lot quicker than it would have the day before. Some of their conversation still swirled in her mind no matter how much she wanted to focus on something else.
Doris took a dose of her medicine before she left the hallway across from the seamstress. Luckily, a guard was nearby and offered to carry the bags to the stables to be loaded when he saw Doris's injured hand. At least there was still some sort of kindness at the palace, even if most of the guards now made her flinch whenever they approached her.
The kitchens had already sent the bags of food they prepared for their journey to the stables by the time she'd gotten there to check. There was only one last thing she needed to do before she left, and that was say goodbye to her friend. Who knew how long she would be gone for or if Beth would even still be here when she returned.
Unfortunately, Beth was no where to be found when she entered their room. She didn't want to leave without seeing her friend, but she knew Prince William would keep true to his word and come looking for her if she didn't return to the stables soon. Doris wrote a short and sweet note to her friend before she packed a few of her personal items in a small bag-as well as the poetry book Prince Martin had given her-before she headed out the door.
Her nerves were on high with worry when her thoughts wouldn't calm. If there was anywhere worse than the palace, it was the north. Doris had only ever heard terrible stories surrounding the area, of all the vicious things the they did to outsiders or people they didn't trust. There was no one they hated more than the royals and she was about to travel with one straight through it. Every step she took made her more nauseous at the thought. What would they do to her if they caught her alone? Would Prince William even bother protecting her, or would she be thrown to the wolves as a distraction for him to get away? She didn't doubt for a second that the guards would use her as bait if they needed to get away-
Doris almost bumped right into Beth the moment she stepped out of the palace. "Oh! Beth, I just came from our room looking for you! Where have you been?"
Beth's eyes were wide and a bit watery, Doris frowned. "What is it? What are you doing out here so late! You'll catch a cold."
"I had to talk to you before you left." Beth said with a shaky voice, she looked as if she were about to cry.
"What did you want to talk about?" Doris rubbed her friends arm and glanced towards the stables. Surely, he could wait a minute or two while she attended to her friend. If not, she would gladly face his wrath to spare her friend a few minutes.
"You'll come back, won't you?" Beth asked, she pushed her hair from her wet eyes.
"Of course I will." Doris hesitated. "If I don't get eaten by the wolves out there, I suppose."
Beth didn't smile or laugh, part of Doris wondered if it was because she was worried about just that exact thing happening to her. "Don't say such a thing." Beth said weakly. "Those are awful packs out there, Doris. I wish you didn't have to go. I wish-I wish anyone else would go for you or he would go alone."
"I wish so too," Doris whispered and glanced around them to make sure Prince William wasn't around to overhear their conversation this time. When she glanced back at Beth, she had thick tears rolling down her cheek. "Oh, please don't worry about me so much, Beth. I'm sure you'll be gone before I even get back!"
"What do you mean?" Beth sniffed.
"Well, I'm sure the amnesty will be signed by then. I just hope you'll be close by for me to find when I return." Doris smiled and rubbed her friends arm. She knew they had always planned to leave together, but she didn't want her friend to wait for her to get back if she was free before then. They'd find each other eventually and continue on with their dreams of some far away place that looked nothing like the palace.
"That's just it, Doris."
Doris furrowed her brow. "What is?"
"Mr. Carson said my name will only be on the list if you come back safely. Otherwise, I might never be free."