A Princess Named Harry

Chapter 6

Noise once again flooded the ballroom. Harry could hear all of their comments about how it should be the queen to have the first dance with the king and not her. They even made some nasty comments about her too.

Harry felt saddened by all of it, and she even agreed with them. "Your Majesty," she whispered very quietly. "I think the queen is a better choice for you."

The king looked at her and asked, "And why's that?"

"Because she's more qualified, she's a queen," answered Harry.

"More qualified?" he asked, puzzled.

He wasn't the best at giving support or advice, but still, he tried. "And you are a princess, so you are plenty qualified as well." He had hoped that would cheer her up, but instead, she made a facial expression that confused him greatly.

Nonetheless, the nobles now expected to see them dance together, and he would give them that.

He stepped back and bowed to Harry and, in a loud roaring voice asked, "Princess Harry, will you do me the honor of having the first dance?"

The crowd all gasped; it was true. The king and the princess were really going to have the first dance together. The reason for their dismay was simple, anyone who was anyone knew that the first dance was very important. It was especially important to the royal family. Their dance not only signified their introduction into high society but also introduced their partner, thus the future of the kingdom. The first dance is not usually done between the parent and their child. This was how Harry knew that having the first dance with the king was very important.

"Well, what do you say, Princess?" asked the king.

"How could I say no?" Harry replied.

The two moved towards the middle of the ballroom. All the nobles moved out of their way, they had become quiet, but it was only because they didn't wish to incur the king's wrath.

The king was so tall that Harry was barely able to put her hand on his shoulder. "Now follow me," he said as they glided across the dance floor. "I must confess," Harry said quietly. "I'm not much of a dancer." He smiled at her and replied, "Think of dancing like you're walking but with more pizzazz."

"P-pizzazz?"

"Yeah, just imagine you're dancing with your trusty broom."

"Broom?"

Harry was confused before she suddenly became embarrassed. Back when she was younger, she used to play pretend a lot. She would act like she was a princess, and her perfect prince was her broom. She would dance with her broom while her mother clapped and cheered for her.

"How . . . how did Your Majesty know about that?" she asked, brimming with embarrassment from ear to ear.

"Your mother told me," answered the king.

"But I'm not a good dancer," she repeated.

"On the contrary, I heard you were an excellent dancer," snickered the king.

Harry suddenly felt burned by her mother.

The two then twirled and glided across the ballroom. The situation felt surreal. The nobles' eyes made her feel uncomfortable, so she kept her eyes on the king's.

"You're dancing very well, considering it's your first time dancing with a person."

Harry smiled softly at him and replied,"Actually, I used to dance with my mother, too; she would play the male's part for me."

The king was bewildered. "Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes," Harry replied quickly. "So if you think I'm a good dancer, my mother is even better! She plays her role perfectly-"She suddenly looked down to see her foot on top of the king's foot. She became overwhelmed with embarrassment, and the heat was getting to her, until the king whispered to her, "Relax, the dance is over."

"Yes," Harry replied solemnly. She still felt upset about her mistake. "I'm very sorry for the mistake I made," she said. She knew such a thing would dishonor the king as well. "I know it has also caused dishonor for you, and for that-"

"Enough!" shouted the king. His loudness and aggressiveness startled both Harry and the nobles. He was upset with himself for startling Harry. His head started to sting from it. "Just go on and enjoy the rest of the ball; you do not need to dance anymore."

Harry looked down; she was ashamed of herself. "Yes," she responded. She feared that if she spoke anymore, she might end up crying, thus troubling the king even more.