Zelink Short Stories

Suitor

A fun one after what I gave you last time. And this will have a part two because I'm not done. The flow would've been weird if I put it all in the same part.

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I sit in front of my vanity mirror, staring at my reflection angrily with my arms crossed. Diplomatic meeting. I scoffed when Father informed me. I knew what it really meant. Kings don't bring their sons along for "diplomatic meetings" when we already have good relations between our kingdoms. They especially don't bring their unwed sons who are already older than most princes when they marry.

I wince when my maid drags the brush through my hair, yanking through a tangle with such vigor it might as well be a punishment. "Ow!" I yelp when she does it again. I cover my head with my hands in an attempt to keep my hair attached to my scalp.

"Loosen up and maybe it won't hurt." She swats my hands away and continues pulling and yanking out each tangle. I know better than to argue. She's been a maid for longer than I've been alive and she's been tending to me since birth. I wouldn't think to call her anything other than Nonna even if she isn't my actual grandmother. "Why are you so grumpy anyway?"

"I don't want a suitor. Especially not one like him." We've met before years ago at an event so insignificant I've forgotten what it was about. He was short, scrawny, and awkward. His hair had been perfectly combed to the side in a way that didn't suit him at all. I'm not sure what would fix that problem, but he needed something different. And possibly the worst part was how he followed me around like a quiet, obedient puppy. He refused to say anything other than the greetings that were expected of him. As far as I'm concerned, Father is setting me up with a pet rather than a man.

"You haven't even given the poor boy a chance." She finishes brushing my hair and I glance at the brush when she sets it on the vanity to check for yanked hairs. It's a miracle I'm not bald.

"He had a chance," I grumble. "He's weird."

"That was five years ago. Most teenagers are weird and you were no exception." I let my jaw drop. "Don't give me that look. You were a ragamuffin once too."

"I was not!"

"Then what were all those frogs you brought into the castle? Hm?" My brows furrow together in a scowl and I slump in the chair. Loving animals is entirely different than following a princess around and refusing to speak. "That's what I thought," she adds, smoothing out the sleeves of my dress. It's a rather glamorous one she seemed to pull from thin air. The blue is deep and rich with white in the middle of the skirt. The top has an embroidered sweetheart neckline that leads to the long draping sleeves. I am grateful for the lack of unnecessary layers in the skirt. I don't want to spend time with a boy while shuffling in a dress that makes me look like a souffle.

"You're going to be late if you don't go now," she says, shooing me out of the chair.

"What about my braid?" She didn't add the usual braid across the front like a headband. She left all of my hair down, not even adding clips.

"Don't blame me for your laziness to get out of bed this morning. And changing it up a bit can never hurt. I'm sure he's expecting you to look the same as you did back then and this will give him a surprise."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean you're still imagining him to be a weird boy and I'd bet he's still imagining you as a rude girl."

"I am not rude!" I say, turning in my chair to face her. She merely raises her brow, shutting me up without words. Perhaps I'd been a tad rude about his trailing me. I never did apologize for raising my voice at him, embarrassing him in front of everyone. The way his round cheeks reddened had me feeling plenty guilty and I couldn't bring myself to apologize even if I felt bad about it.