Chapter 8: Bookworm

The tall king rocked back and forth on his heels with his hands behind his back. It would be any moment now for Rosabella to return from school. He was nervous. Has she fit into the school's schedule? Is Tomas treating her right? Were the school children too hard on her?

A cloud of dust rose as a carriage strolled along the dirt highway. It turned onto the cobblestone drive and stopped in front of the manor's stairs. Expecting the cab's door to be flung open, Markus was surprised to find Rosabella climbing down the driver's seat.

A large smile was on the girl's face as she raced to greet the man at the stairs. "Markus, you'll never guess what happened!" Tomas was right behind her with an equally large grin.

Markus smiled at their enthusiasm, "What is it? Did it go well?"

Rosabella nodded vigorously, "Yes, and I made a new friend! Her name is Nora Smithsonian, and she's new, just like me!"

"I've heard of the Smithsonian family before, but I've never met them," Markus remarked, scratching his chin in thought. "Perhaps they will attend the meeting next week."

"What meeting?" the girl asked.

Markus shook his head, "You learn more about it in the coming days. Let's go inside where it's warmer. Tomas, would you like to come with us?"

Tomas bowed his head, "As much as I'd love to, I promised Jimmy that I'd help him unload the horses." Without waiting for a response, the boy ran to meet up with his older brother by the stables.

The king and girl walked through the double doors. "Was Tomas good to you?" Markus asked.

Rosabella nodded, "He stood up to Lacey and introduced me to everyone."

Loud thumping alerted the two of them, casting their gaze toward the staircases. Two ladies frantically rushed down the steps toward them. It was Elaine and Alycia.

Elaine reached Rosabella first, "How did it go?" Frantically, she checked the girl's face and arms for any bumps or wounds.

"I'm alright, and it was fun. My teacher's really nice, and she said that I'm doing well." Rosabella explained when Elaine had finished her exam.

A sigh of relief rose from all three adults. "Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayers!" the blonde woman cried out.

"Do you have any homework to do?" Alycia asked.

Rosabella tilted her head, "Homework?"

"Do you have any work to work on, like reading, spelling practice, memorizing Bible verses?" the caretaker explained.

"I don't think I do," the girl responded, "But I want to practice reading because Nora can already read large books. She told me that she had to learn how to from a young age."

Markus nodded, "Some countries do enforce that onto their people. They must have come from a long way."

"You know what this calls for?" Alycia asked with a sly grin. "The master library."

~~~~~

Green eyes widened in amazement when the double oak doors revealed the library.

It wasn't called the master library for no reason. Towering bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with all sorts of genres. Ladders leaned up against the cases to reach the upper levels. Tall windows allowed the sunlight to seep into the room, reflecting off the blonde wooden floors, giving off a warm glow. Red satin curtains hung from the rails.

A large red circular rug lay in the middle of the room with small comfortable couches surrounding a grand piano. The piano was a polished black with perfect white keys.

By one of the tall windows was an art easel. The artist had a view of the beautiful parts of the garden. In the distance was the stables and pastures, and even farther was the little town of Silvermoor.

"What do you think?" Markus piped up, breaking the girl's amazement.

"It's wonderful!" Rosabella exclaimed, twirling around to get the sense of how grand it was. "There are so many books here! I bet there's a million of them!"

The king gave a light chuckle, "I wouldn't doubt that."

Elaine approached Rosabella and gently began to direct her toward a bookcase. "Here are some of my favorite books. Whenever I have time, I come up here to read." The blonde woman pulled out a pale blue book off the shelf. "Can you read the title?"

"The. Little. Blue. Bird," Rosabella carefully began to sound out the words.

A squeal of happiness burst out from Elaine, "That's wonderful!"

Alycia cleared her throat, "Perhaps you should show her the children's books to start."

"Of course. There behind this corner here." Elaine prompted, leading the small child behind the bookcase.

The black-haired caretaker shook her head, "You'd think she'd start there first,"

"You know she means well." Markus chided.

Alycia sighed, "Yes, I know that." Her brown eyes flickered toward the tall man. "When will you tell her about the meeting with the other kings? She has the right to know."

"I will tell her this Sunday. I do not wish to burden her." Markus reasoned.

"Burden her with what, your majesty?"

Markus' brown eyes hardened, "She will be Silvermoor's representative. She will tell the other kings about the hardships that our people are going through."

The caretaker gave me a baffled look, "You'd think rich noblemen would listen to a six-year-old child?"

"They'll have to if they want me to continue supporting them," Markus asserted, walking inside the library.

"Don't you think you should tell her now so that she can prepare?" Alycia pushed, following her king.

"There's no need to fret about it for the meantime. Let the girl be a child still." Markus responded, placing a calm hand on her shoulder. "Come, it isn't often we can explore the library."

The woman sighed but trailed after him as they headed toward the two excited girls. She couldn't help but feel that the king's plan was going to backfire into his face, and it wasn't going to be pretty.