A Chance Encounter

A Proposition

The dinner went as I had expected it to, that was until the King addressed me directly. He had done so already, asking how my embroidery had progressed and if I had continued my studies of modern poetry. This time, however, the conversation took a much more serious tone.  The King was wearing a heavy red, the Royal's alone were allowed to wear this colour, robe that did nothing but accentuate his heavy, stout frame. In fact, stout would be a vast under exaggeration as his build was so vast and his chins so multiple that it was difficult to know where would be appropriate to look. His sharp pale blue eyes were sunk deep into their sockets and his brow was drooped low giving him a permanent frown. His beard was meticulously groomed and clipped, but no matter how much he tried, which was not very much at all, crumbs would fly off his fat lips and onto his greying ginger beard. 

"So Evangeline, have you had any proposals of marriage yet?" he asks getting straight to the point. I was taken back  "A beautiful young woman like yourself would have stood no chance at court in my day!" He snorted in appreciation for what he considered outstanding wit. The man was near to 50 yet winked at me in such a suggestive way that I had to suppress a shudder. He smirked at me and seemed to completely miss my shocked expression and chuckled to himself silently. Aunt had told me of how good looking the King used to be and I wondered how accurate she was being with her compliments as it was more then difficult to imagine how this foul creature could ever be considered anything but disgusting. 

"No, your grace, I have not," I answered quietly and truthfully looking down at my half full plate and playing with my fork in the remnants of roast vegetables.

"Don't you know its rude to mutter, speak up, girl!" He called loudly as if to prove his point. I looked up, bravely in my opinion, and met his small beastly eyes.

"No, your grace, I have not recieved any proposals of marriage," I spoke louder meeting his gaze straight on and tried with all my might not to flinch. He nodded in appreciation of my words and gave out a loud belly laugh.

"Well, no niece of mine will die a spinster," I sensed something terrible was to come out of his mouth next. I was correct. "You shall marry my wife's son!" he exclaimed. My mind almost shut down in shock and I opened my eyes wide in disbelief. I was only sixteen summers old! 

"Do you mean Prince Edmund, my Lord?" Aunt asked incredulously. The surge of emotions I was feeling were all negative, but she looked as if her knight had been victorious at the joust. I glared at her, she told me only last week how I was too young to marry if I didn't want to end up the way Mother had.

"Who else? The boy is only a year or so older and I cannot think of a more suitable person for Evangeline to wed. Its perfect!" He exclaimed slapping his hand on his colossal thighs in appreciation for his own stroke of genius. Aunt was almost overcome with joy. This would mean I would leave this house, a fact she obviously knew and rejoiced in and while I hated it here I couldn't help feel that moving to court would only depress me more. It was stuffy here with Uncle's old way thinking and Aunt's insistence for manners and behaving Good and Proper, but court would be intolerable! There would be the correct way and order to everything, even going to the lavatory. I loathed the heavy restrictive skirts that I was required to wear whenever in polite company here, but at court polite company would be all the time.

"So, niece of mine, what do you think about my little plan?" The King asked, a smug smirk splattered on his grotesque face. There was nothing to do but agree. This was the King and the Prince. I took a deep and hopefully calming breath in an attempt to stop my voice wavering or breaking and sat up straight in my seat.

"I would be honoured, your majesty, but I was so hoping that perhaps Prince Edmund would so please me by asking for my hand himself?" I started strongly, but ended as a question. Aunt released the breath she had been holding since "but". With instant relief came annoyance at my conduct, yet again.

"I am so sorry for Evangeline's unintended impertinance, sire. She would, indeed, love to marry the Prince. I fear the warm sun has affected her judgement," Aunt finished fixing me with a glare,

"Nothing would give her greater pleasure. I believe this has always been her greatest wish, your grace" Uncle added putting his hand on his wife's scrawny one and also shot me a disapproving stare.

"Yes, I am sure it has," the King said in a tone which obviously displayed the fact that he didn't believe a word Aunt or Uncle had said, however his smile clearly showed that it didn't bother him in the slightest.

"Your majesty, every eligible girl, and more besides, would die for the chance to meet Prince Edmund in holy matrimony," Uncle insisted so passionately that he knocked and spilled his wine onto the table cloth. I watched as the red stain slowly but surely seeped into the material, spread and then dripped onto Uncle's previously pristine white dinner shirt. He sprung from his seat and barked orders to the nearest servant about clearing the mess he had made, without once admitting any fault on his own behalf; the table cloth hadn't been placed right, an uneven wineglass had been wrongly selected and the table was clearly not straightened as he had asked it to be. I stared at my lap, as if transfixed by the pattern on the serviettes that I had seen countless times before, but really  I ashamed that I belonged to a family and a culture which treated servants and other normal people the way we did.

"Calm down, John. I understand where the girl's coming from. She obviously wants to meet the Prince again for herself first before joining her life with his for evermore. Can you really blame her?" the King questioned and for one instant I felt more than just nauseous at the sight of him. My motives were not really that innocent. I just wanted to buy enough time to either think about a way out of this marriage or to run away completely, but I couldn't really say that to the leader of the entire Realm, could I? So instead I just nodded sincerely.

"Good good, then its agreed, Edmund will come here and attempt to win your heart. It will do him some good, the girls at court all fawn over him far too much and he needs a healthy chase for once." I had unwittingly set up a visit from the Prince, a boy I had only met twice before, once at Mother and Father's funeral when I was too young to remember and more recently at a coming of age ball of a distant cousin of mine, about four winters ago.  I remember him still. He must have been about  thirteen or fourteen summers old with a face full of red blotches and spots. His voice had squeaked at apparently random moments and he had spent the whole night either ignoring me or stepping on my skirts in an attempt to trip me. He was successful and I ran from the ball, clutching my torn dress with  tears streaming down my face. I did not dislike Edmund, I hated him with a passion.

Author's Note

We have an introduction to the Prince! I hope you like the chapter and if you didn't then don't worry I'll probably bring Rob back next chapter and we will have some action (eww, not that kind of action) Any feedback is welcome!

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