Chapter Text
Čachtice Castle, 1608
Katherine stood at the front of the large ballroom, her three sisters beside her and her brother nowhere to be found. Countless nobles and noblewomen danced on the floor in front of them, their gowns and suits sparkling in the candlelight. "You know, Mother's going to want to marry you off soon." Her sister Ursula said to her. "It's your fourteenth birthday."
Katherine sighed, "I know." She was hoping she'd be able to avoid the topic all night, but there was truth in her sister's words. Both her sisters were already married and her mother had often tried to engage the topic. "I just don't think I'm ready."
"Ready for what?" Her sister asked. "Countless hours of listening to your future husband drone on and on about politics and other things you couldn't possibly care about?" Katherine smiled. "That, and something else."
"And what's that?"
"I don't want to just marry some lord or nobleman's son. I want to marry someone I actually have an interest in."
"Oh sister," Ursula shook her head and sighed. "You know that's not how these things work."
"I know," Katherine admitted. "I just wish it was."
"It doesn't matter what we wish. In the end, it's all our mother's decision. The only thing we get to choose is which one of these handsome money bags we want to be trapped with for the rest of our lives, and that's if we're lucky."
"And some aren't even all that handsome." They both laughed.
Her sister was right, her mother already had several possible suitors introduced to her and was even required to dance with some of them. One such contender was had repeatedly made insulting and disrespectful comments concerning her appearance until she feigned not feeling well in order to escape.
Disrespectful swine! She thought to herself as she made her way out of the ballroom and into one of the castle's courtyards. Smoothing out the skirt of her gown she rushed outside. The cool night air rushed against her, chilling her bare shoulders and face. The air out here was far better than the hot and crowded climate of the ballroom.
"What are you doing out here princess?" A mocking voice asked. She started. She hadn't seen anyone else outside, not to mention, appalled that anyone had the nerve to address her in such a way. She was, in fact, not a princess, but the daughter of a well-respected countess. Whoever this was should have known that and they certainly should have known better than to use such a tone as the one they did.
She turned to find herself facing a boy about her age. He was leaning against the castle wall with a playful smirk on his face.
"Excuse me?" She asked. By the looks of him, he seemed to be no more than a simple servant boy.
"You heard me." He replied. "Shouldn't you be inside dancing or whatever?"
"Why is it any of your business what I do?"
"Just asking." He shrugged and started drawing on a piece of paper he was holding.
"Who are you anyway?" Maybe if she knew his name she'd be able to report his behavior. The disrespect that this boy had was insufferable.
"Nobody important compared to you."
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, if that's the case I hope you know you are speaking to the daughter of a countess." The boy blushed slightly, "My apologies, m'lady." He ran his hand through his messy brown hair and started walking back into the castle. As he did she noticed something where he was standing. She went to call after him, saying he had dropped whatever he was working on but he had already gone inside. Katherine bent over to see what it was. It was too dark to see at the moment but when she picked it up she could see that it was a portrait of someone. She straightened herself and held the drawing closer to one of the many torches outlining the castle's walls and gasped. She stared after the door where the boy had disappeared, clutching the drawing of herself tightly in her hands.