“Alright, alright,” Ava said. “So, if someone talks about something ridiculous, I can say ‘I don’t know about such matters.’”
“Slightly better,” Giselle said. “Evenbetter would be something like… ‘I’m notfamiliarwith such matters.’”
“I’m not familiar with such matters,” Ava repeated. “Have to admit, that does sound a little nicer.”
“Thank the good Lord above,” Oscar said. “She can learn.”
Giselle placed a well-manicured nail on her chin. “I am thinking that language studies might be a little much for our first lesson. To really begin, we ought to start with walking.”
“Walking?” Ava asked. “I can walk just fine. Watch.”
To prove her point, Ava strode forward. Her walk was American through and through, a square shouldered, confident stride that made it clear she wasn’t afraid of anything. As unladylike as it might’ve been, I couldn’t help but like it. Ava was like no woman I’d ever met before.
“My God,” Oscar said. “Where do you even begin with a walk like that?”
Giselle stepped over to the nearby table and picked up a small stack of three books.
“You begin with these, my dear Oscar. You are acting like the princess is the first rough around the edges woman that we’ve had to straighten out.”
“The books,” Oscar said. “Yes, a good place to begin.”
“What’re those for?” Ava asked, striding right over.
“They are for posture,” Giselle answered. “A classic technique that will have you walking correctly in no time.” She marched over to Ava and placed the books on top of her head. “The object is for you to keep them steady on the top of your head as you walk. You will find that in order to do so, you will need to walk a certain way.”
Sure enough, Ava straightened her back to keep the books in place.
“Woah. OK, this is a little trickier than I would’ve guessed.”
“And it is the least of what we need to accomplish in the next four weeks,” Oscar said. “The Harvest Ball will be here before you know it, and that’s when the elite of Edoria will see you for the first time. It will be your first impression, and you only get one of those, you know.”
“Now,” Giselle said, “walk carefully over to that table. Do not let a single book fall from your head.”
“I think I can do this,” Ava said. “Watch me go!”
With that, she started toward the table. I leaned forward on the railing, my eyes on her as she walked with careful steps. Sure enough, she did it. She moved with poise and precision, walking at a steady pace. I held my breath as Ava reached the other table.
“Tada!” she said when she made it all the way, pulling the books off her head and holding them in the air. “Easy!”
Oscar sighed. “Better than nothing. Now, come back to us.”
Ava placed the books on her head once more, making careful steps back toward Giselle and Oscar.
“Is this seriously how a princess is expected to walk?” she asked. “Can’t I do this with a little more, you know, va-va-voom?” To illustrate her point, Ava began swinging her hips widely, the books only lasting about a second before falling off her head and onto the ground.
“Mon Dieu,” Giselle said.
Oscar sighed, pulling out the nearby chair and dropping into it in a defeated sort of way.
“Princess,” Giselle said. “You might be content to treat this as one grand joke, but I can assure you that it is most certainly not. You must make a good impression at the ball. Edoria is in desperate need of a young princess who will set a high standard of quality and be a good role model to young girls.”
“I know, I know. Just not sure how walking like I’ve got a stick up my butt is going to help with that.”
I allowed myself a slight chuckle at the scene before me.
“Having a laugh?” a familiar voice spoke behind me. I turned and was greeted with the sight of Alaric.
He wasn’t amused in the slightest.