A New Threat

The Party

"There you are!" Mariana's soft voice broke Eliana out of her thoughts as her friend slipped a silver goblet full of wine into her hand.
"I've been looking for you for ages. I didn't realise your parents had so many goblets! There are hundreds on the table in the dining hall!" Mariana's blue eyes watched Eliana curiously. The Princess seemed to be lost in thought, and Mariana couldn't help but chuckle. Only Eliana could live inside her own head while a party in her honour carried on around her.

"El!" The Princess looked at her friend, a brown eyebrow arching
"What?"
"He'll come, don't worry."
"Who?"
"Benjamín. He likes you. You invited him. He'll come."
"Oh," Eliana forced a smile. She'd not been thinking of Benjamín at all, truthfully, her thoughts were fixed solely on the thick black gunk that she'd coughed up, and the choking sensation she'd felt in the moment before.
"Do you think so?"
"Of course. He likes you, I could tell." Mariana smiled. El gave her a nod, sipping at the wine. The fruity flavour exploded on her tongue, distracting her for a moment until Blanca and Lucía rushed towards them.

"We've been looking for you two for ages!"
"You missed it! Mr Lopez got drunk and declared his undying love for Miss Martinez. His wife was furious," Blanca laughed
"She almost started a fight right in the middle of the dance floor, but the Queen noticed and managed to distract her with conversation while some of the guards took Mr Lopez back home."
"I don't even know how Queen Amaya noticed" Lucía brushed her hair from her face, looking at Eliana
"Your mother seems to notice far more than she lets on, El"
"Yeah, she's always been like that. Papa always called her 'his secret weapon', because she absorbs everything going on around her like a sponge, even when you think that she's not been paying attention."

"El's waiting for Benjamín" Mariana chuckled
"I'm not, I was just thinking..."
"Hey, it's normal to be nervous," Lucía smiled kindly, touching her friend gently on the arm.
"He likes you, and you like him, but he doesn't know who you are yet and this is quite the, erm, piece of information to drop on him."
"What if he doesn't like me? Once he knows who I am?" Eliana's eyes glanced between her three friends, her loyal friends who had been at her side since she was three years old, the only people on the island who knew who she was yet still treated her like a normal person.

"Then he's an idiot." The King's voice made the four girls turn, anxious smiles dancing across each of their lips. The King's eyes twinkled as he looked between the teenagers, an amused look on his face.
"Who are we talking about?"
"Just some boy, papa, nothing to worry about."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Just some boy... that Eliana has a crush on." Blanca chuckled. Magnifico's smile faltered.

"Some boy, hmm?" He frowned. The idea of 'some boy' coming into his daughter's life didn't sit well with him. He knew that she had caught the eye of a few of the boys on the island, but Eliana had never shown any interest in them in return. This was new. It was terrifying. He didn't like it.
"He's no one, Papa, I only just met him, I don't know how I feel yet."
"He's over there... Hey! Benjamín!" Lucía called out to the tall, tanned teenager, and as soon as he noticed the group of girls in the presence of the King, he hesitated.

"Oh, get over here, we don't bite," Mariana rolled her eyes as Benjamín took timid steps, until he stood right before the Princess, a soft blush on his cheeks.
"So, you're the..."
"Princess, yeah" Eliana sighed, wishing the ground would swallow her whole. Still, Benjamín didn't look like he was about to run away just yet, but she wouldn't have blamed him if he did. The sound of her father clearing his throat behind her made El's eyes widen slightly.
"Oh. Benjamín, this is my father, King Magnifico. Papa, this is Benjamín. He's new to Rosas."

Please be nice. Please be nice. Eliana thought as she watched Magnifico's eyes trail over Benjamín's form before a charming smile brushed over the King's lips. To anyone else, it would seem like the King was being his usual kind, friendly self, but Eliana saw the suspicion in her father's eyes.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Benjamín. I hope you enjoy living in my Kingdom. What brings you to Rosas?"
"Oh I, erm, my family was fleeing war. My entire kingdom was—"
"And what Kingdom would that be?" Magnifico arched his eyebrow
"Oh, I.. I don't think you'd know it, Your Majesty, it's just a small, forgettable kingdom on the mainland."
"Try me. I'm quite well-travelled, you know."
"Well, it's—"
"Papa!" Eliana looked at Magnifico, her eyes pleading with him to stop grilling the poor boy.