I Knew Her As August

twenty-three: masquerade

Nicki felt like she had exchanged her soul for that of a ghost. She wondered the halls with her feet barely touching the ground. She didn't come back to reality until the sun began to set and she knew she needed to get ready for the party. She wasn't even sure that she wanted to go, but she couldn't stay here and sulk.

She wanted to dress more elegantly than she ever had before, and that meant digging through the queen's closet. Before her father died, Nicki remembered her parents holding vast and luxurious parties that lasted all night. Her mother always wore the best dress of the evening, but they'd been sitting in the closet collecting dust ever since.

She shoved aside tons of colorful fabric but didn't see anything that stood out to her. Unexpectedly, she stumbled upon a coat of her father's. It was thick and stiff, he would only wear it on the coldest nights when the chill was too much to bare.

After his death, her mother had packed away all of his clothing; she couldn't stand the sight of them. Nicki felt herself grimace as she remembered what her mother was like when he died. She was never the same; she'd lost her husband and her king all at once and she was completely lost within herself without him. She was so submerged in her own despair that she could hardly raise her children, let alone run a kingdom. Captain Milo had to assist her in most decisions and duties to keep the kingdom from crumbling.

Nicki pulled the sleeve of the winter coat to her face and inhaled the scent deeply. It was like pine and charcoal and everything Nicki had been missing in her life. If her father was alive everything would be different. Everything would be better.

Nicki gritted her teeth and shoved the coat aside roughly. Behind the coat hung a dress that she instantly knew was what she was going to wear. She wondered where her mother got it from and why she never wore it — it was far better than anything she'd ever seen.

She tugged it off the hanger and smuggled it back to her room. She couldn't slip into it fast enough and nearly fell as she struggled to get to the mirror. The dress was floor length with a low cut back and front, making Nicki look seven feet tall. It was the color of a twilight sky and even held its own stars that twinkled and shined. Nicki twirled and felt herself smile, an odd feeling. She piled her hair to the top of her head and instantly reminded herself of her mother when she was younger, like in the photos from her parents' wedding.

"Here goes nothing, Nicki girl," said he said to the mirror once she was ready in makeup, shoes, jewelry — the whole shabang.

She strutted around the castle until she found the guard least likely to ask questions and tried to put on her sweetest and flirtiest smile.

"Hi Thomas, how are you doing tonight?" she chirped as she approached him guarding the doors to the throne room. He had been an obedient statue until she walked up, his composure completely turning to soft pudding.

"Good evening, your highness. Are you in need of a ride?" he inquired. Nicki tilted her head to the side.

"How did you know?" she asked. Thomas stumbled and was visibly uncomfortable.

"King Copenhagen told me you had somewhere to be tonight," He blurted out.

"Oh." Nicki tried to think of when Copenhagen had time to tell a guard about their plans, let alone the very one she was going to ask. She didn't pester though, and figured it was less explaining she had to do.

Thomas insisted on taking an SUV, despite Nicki's desire to take the red convertible. He claimed it was better to keep a low profile at this time of night, and guards weren't allowed to drive the king's cars. Nicki made a mental note to really learn how to drive.

The car ride was silent until they had rounded the mountain and the glamorous city of Bountiful came into view. The lights from houses climbed up the mountain all the way to the very top, where the most expensive homes sat above everyone elses.