Cassandra and the other three ladies huddled a smaller window to get a look outside.
Eleven other noble ladies were pushing and pulling as they clustered around a large window in the room and squealed and giggled.
Cassandra wondered what it could be that had attracted the ladies' attention and glee.
Below them were the large training grounds that belonged to the army of knights.
Cassandra heard strict Charlotte sigh with annoyance and could not stop herself from smiling at it.
There were quite a few strong, rather handsome knights below. They were shirtless and glistened with sweat, their toned bodies heaving from the rigorous practice going on.
A few of them looked up in surprise and Charlotte yanked her friends away from the window.
Elizabeth was blushing profusely and Phoebe's eyes were glazed over.
Cassandra giggled at how much this irritated the focused Charlotte.
"Are these ladies out of their minds?" Charlotte hissed making Cassandra start laughing.
Phoebe and Elizabeth seemed to snap put of a trance.
Phoebe blushed whilst Elizabeth bit her full lip.
"They were handsome!"
Charlotte shot the two ladies a warning glance before marching the group toward the door.
Cassandra could see a few maids hustling back.
They entered the room quickly and took their places again, "Will the next five ladies please follow us to the dressing chambers?" they called out.
"Yes!" Charlotte's clear voice rang out.
The maids nodded and made way.
Cassandra had sobered and she corrected her posture as she marched out of the room and followed a maid who was already leading them out into the corridor.
Another young lady joined their party as they all walked solidly and soberly through the corridor.
The sun was out and the birds were chirping loudly outside.
There were no others and Cassandra realized that this part of the palace was probably rather far away from the heart of the royal family.
"This way, my ladies," said the short and plump maid as she led them into a large, sun-bathed room.
It had clear curtains waving around in the wind.
Large mirrors hung across the walls and lace tablecloth was laid out on top of large, ornately carved tables.
The room had a fresh scent. The gorgeous bottles of perfume and lotions caught Cassandra's eye first before her breath was sucked away.
Beside each mirror hung the most beautiful dresses she had ever seen.
They were of vibrant colours with intricate, beautiful detail sewn into them with gold thread. Their cuts and lengths were magnificent, betraying the workmanship of expensive and talented tailors.
From this large dressing room, Casandra could peek a small door. Vibrant and bouncy light was emanating from the small doorway.
"Your bath, my ladies," said the small, plump maid with a smile.
The five noble women nodded.
Cassandra lifted her hands as more maids came in from outside the room and assisted her in removing her clothes.
She was led into the pool room. There were five tubs of water with soaps and powders next to each on a table.
Cassandra allowed the two maids assisting her to gently lay her into the bath. Her shapely legs entered the warm, luxurious water and she slid her slender body slowly into the waters of the tub.
Her dark, curly hair was held up before they could touch the water. The maids, now with their sleeves rolled back, were gently unknotting the locks of her hair while she relaxed in the bath.
The water was reflected on the walls. There were large vases of the most gorgeous flowers in each corner of the room.
Cassandra sighed softly.
Is this what it would be like to finally become a lady-in-waiting to the queen?
Cassandra was used to nobility and wealth but something about the palace humbled her own upbringing.
Every corner of the palace and its practices were detailed with efficiency and eloquence.
Elizabeth hissed, "the water is too perfect! But I am so very hungry, I could eat that vase of flowers!" she whispered.
A smile touched Cassandra's lips.
Even Elizabeth whispered, afraid to upset the mood of the royal proceedings.
"Hush now," Charlotte chided quietly. "We will be led to the breakfast table soon, Elizabeth. Do hold your tongue till then."
The noble ladies chuckled softly at that and serenity reigned once again.
Alaric Stormdew watched the royal knights go at each other in practice.
These were strong men, strengthened and moulded by many days in hard battle.
He watched their movements sharply, noting their attacks through a critical lens.
Each move was precise and could definitely be fatal to the enemy in a real-life situation but there were so many openings and weaknesses that he could easily spot.
Alaric wondered if they were keeping their defenses low since this was only training.
There was still so much he had to learn about the palace and the security it had.
There was a squeal and giggles that he heard. It sounded far off but it got the attention of a good may men in the training ground.
Alaric looked up to see a horde of beautiful women practically hanging out of a large window.
His eyebrows furrowed.
Most of them were in their night clothes and were not at all dressed appropriately. Something about them showed that they were from nobility. It was rather odd how they were acting however. From what he knew, noble ladies were almost brainwashed into presenting only the strictest appearance of themselves.
What could possibly be making them behave such a way.
The knights in training were stunned but it wore off in just a few seconds.
Some returned to their training with a grin, shaking their heads.
Other, more reckless of the men, smirked as they looked up.
A good many of the ladies were striking. They had gorgeous faces and their bodies were mostly naked as they hung out of the window with giggles and squeals.
Alaric could see the heat rising in the knights who looked up at them.
They whistled and looked up at the ladies with large grins.
Alaric looked up at them mostly in an indifferent state.
He could appreciate a beautiful woman but that was not why he was here.
He was here to watch and learn the palace ways and for now, he was not interested in actively taking part in any of the palace ways.
A movement caught his eye, and he glanced to the smaller window near the window that the noble ladies were looking out from.