The crooked tower

Only when he was certain everyone in the castle was asleep, even the servants and the guards who were meant to stand at his attention at all hours, did Prince Edmund dare to crawl from underneath his linen sheets. His small feet pattered on the stone floor in his chambers, as he snuck towards the window, where he pushed the drapes aside to peer out at the courtyard. It was positively empty, all but a single armored guard, leaning heavily on his spear could be seen. Eddie squinted his eyes, looking up at the crooked tower with the windows covered up with planks of weather worn wood. About two years ago the tower had been abandoned, having been deemed too dangerous to use as sleeping quarters for any guests staying at the castle. It was supposed to get fixed, but the castle had countless other rooms and the queen was fairly uninterested in castle upkeep.

Eddie smiled as he saw the orange glow of a flickering candle, dancing in the wind in the window at the very top of the tower. Alexander had come as he had promised he would, and just for him. There was no more time to waste, hurriedly, yet trying to remain quiet, Eddie dropped down to his knees and pulled out a large chest from beneath his bed. With a key hidden behind one of the posts of his bed, he opened to reveal the secrets kept hidden there. Quickly he dug through it, trying to find Alexanders favorite. Eddie practically shivered with excitement when he found the form fitting, soft pink dress, who’s neckline was so deep as to almost be offensive and whose frills and small details, sewed in to the satin made it one of the prettiest dresses he had ever seen. Eddie slid into it easily, feeling the soft fabric hug against his skin. He had taken of his undergarments before hand, leaving them on the floor of his bedroom. He slid a hand past his hips, gliding it towards his behind and feeling the shape accentuated by the dress. He struggled with the ties behind his neck for a few seconds, but managed to get them all sorted, before running his hands through his blonde hair and bending down to continue digging in the chest.

In a small tin box he found some of the make up he had stolen from his mother, her rouge, her lipstick and some of her jewelry too. Expertly Eddie applied the make-up in the dark, he had been doing so for many, many years. He picked out a delicate pearl necklace and put it around his neck, wishing he had a mirror in his room to look at himself. He hoped that he looked beautiful, he had always wanted to look beautiful. He didn’t dare to put on the heels he kept hidden in the chest, fearing that they would make too much noise around the castle. Instead he slid his feet into small, leather sandals, with straps going up to above his ankles. Eddie twirled once or twice, giggling at how the dress seemed to flow along with him.

Once more he peered out of the window, looking back at the candle at the top of the crooked tower. Butterflies fluttered violently inside his stomach, as he tried to catch his breath and along with it his courage. Tip-toeing to the entrance of his chamber, Eddie pushed open the heavy door and stuck out his face to look into the hallway. If anyone had seen him then, they might’ve never recognized him, maybe they would’ve even thought that some delicate young maiden was sneaking out of the princes’s chambers, after an evening of debauchery. But no one was there, the coast was clear and Eddie pushed himself past the doorway, telling himself that all would be ok, that Alexander was waiting for him. This thought, at the fore front of his mind, motivated him so greatly, that the prince finally dared to close the door behind him and make his way towards the courtyard.