Pariah

Chapter Six

Two days later, the prince, Anthony and John once again set out on a bride-seeking journey, and this time, they were to visit Princess Brianna of Miner Islands, the second princess on the list.
As they came out of the royal carriage and set foot at the grand palace of Miner Islands, they saw a small group of people already waiting at the entrance with garlands in their hands to welcome them. That was a much better first impression, Damian thought.
At the centre was a young woman, beautiful and uniquely dressed so they assumed her to be the princess.
John came forward and said to her in a tone of respect, "Thank you so much for the warm welcome, Princess Brianna."
"Oh no- I'm Flora," she waved her hands in correction. "I'm already engaged to be married. But here is my little sister, Brianna."
Then, she cleared the way to reveal the real lady of the day.
Brianna was wearing a flowing long pink gown with simple floral embroidery in silver. A small silver necklace was pretty much the only jewellery she had on. Her hair was tied up, and reaching above her elbows from the tip of her fingers was a pair of silver gloves.
"We're sorry for the confusion, Princess Brianna. John quickly apologised.
"It's all right," Brianna chuckled modestly. "It's happened many times before anyway."
"Let's go inside, shall we, gentlemen?" Princess Flora announced, motioning for everyone to follow her.
They went into a brightly lit hall that had couches instead of the regular dinner table with chairs. It was a sort of living room for the royal family.
They had hardly spent a minute in the hall when John stood up and said, "Prince, if you need us, we'll be outside waiting."
Damian frowned, "But Sir John...?"
"We'll be outside," John repeated in a lower tone as he pushed Anthony forward until they had made their way out.
At the same time, Flora turned to Damian and Brianna with a wide smile, "We'll leave you two to it now. The rest of us have something we should be attending to at the moment."
Then, everybody else rose to leave too under the umbrella of Princess Flora's excuse. Now, it was just Damian and Brianna left sitting.
Brianna chuckled, "My family can be funny at times. Look at how they just completely embarrassed us. I apologise on their behalf."
Damian turned to face her in a smooth glide and beamed a smile, "I thought I was the only one who noticed. But it's fine. I can't be angry at my hosts."
Then, Brianna propped her chin on her palm, "And from the look on your face- let me guess- you must be under a lot of pressure at the moment, having to choose a bride here and there."
"It's like you read my mind," Damian's mouth hung open in amazement. "How did you know?"
"I could tell," Brianna shrugged. "I've been meeting suitors non-stop for the past month myself! The most annoying part of it is having to say no to every single one of them." She grunted, "It's really exhausting."
"I'm tired of it too. I just can't play that rejection game any more. I've had it up to here," Damian said holding his hand up to the top of his neck. Then, he heaved a sigh of relief, "It's been really nice talking to you, Brianna. You read me like a book. And you just saved me the trouble of trying to find a light way to reject this proposal."
"Actually, I was planning to say yes this time."
"Huh?" Damian's eyes widened.
"You heard me," Brianna rolled hers. "I actually was going to accept your proposal."
"Oh... I'm sorry," Damian blinked awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact. Why did he have to say so much?
"You don't have to be," Brianna waved it away. "Let's just say I'm having a taste of my own medicine. I have rejected many people, and now it's my turn to be rejected."
"But we can still be friends," she added. "That would be a real pleasure."
"Of course," the prince nodded. "Thank you for understanding."
Then, he asked, "Brianna, can you show me around the palace a bit? I can't go back home this early, or my mother will start asking questions."
"No problem," Brianna smiled. "Follow me."
They took another door which was hidden behind the curtains and landed on the east wing of the palace. From there, they could see the gates.
"Right next to the gates are the royal stables, beside that is the carriage house, and then, my father's garden," Brianna began, pointing to each place.
Then, Damian walked ahead to get a better view of the garden. "We have one just like this at the palace of Amaden, you know."
Brianna smiled, "Is that so? It must be  bigger than this one."
"It's smaller actually," Damian corrected.
Brianna nodded then said in a tour guide's tone, "Shall we proceed?"
"Yes, of course," the prince warmed up for the tour.
As they trod on, their words trod on with them like waves. It was as if they had known each other, not for a day, but for ages.
Inspired by the status they shared, they set their discussion on what it was like to be born into a royal family.
Damian led with a sigh, "Being part of a royal family is both a blessing and a curse. Which one depends on the time." Then, he lowered his head. "I'm in my bad time at the moment. My people expect so much from me, and I must not disappoint. All the expectation is just so... overwhelming."
Brianna followed him, nodding, "You're right. When you're royalty, you have a lot of responsibilities on your neck. You're envied by the rest of the world, but in secret, you envy the rest of the world. At least, they don't have to live in a web of blessings and curses like we do."
"True," the prince put a thumb up in agreement.
"But let's not forget the bright side now," Brianna smiled. "We still have a lot to be grateful for as royalty. Like me- I can't imagine being born anywhere else. I love it here at the palace."
"Likewise; I love my home a lot too," Damian nodded. Then, he chuckled, "We seem to have a lot in common, don't we?"
"Oh yes," Brianna nodded along. "It's a sign. It shows we'll make good friends."
Their laughter echoed off the palace walls, then Brianna changed the topic. "Damian, can I say something?"
"Go on."
"It won't just be to me or the other ladies you have said no to- I don't think you'll ever say yes to anyone you visit."
"What makes you say that?" Damian was puzzled.
"Because you've already shut your heart away from people like me," Brianna crossed her arms.
"What?" the prince was still puzzled.
"Yes, you've shut your heart away because you already have someone in your heart," Brianna pointed a finger at his chest.
"Mmm, no- I don't have anybody in my heart," Damian shook his head.
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"Should I prove it to you?"
" Of course- go ahead and prove it."
The princess pointed to his wrist, "That band on your wrist is the only thing on you that doesn't look expensive." Then, she steadied her gaze on him. "Look me in the eyes, and tell me that that lady you love so much didn't gift you this."
Damian burst into laughter, "Oh no, you've got this wrong. This band is a souvenir. I got it at a wrestling match two days ago."
"You do know you're not fooling anyone with that excuse, right?" Brianna arched an eyebrow.
Damian waved his hand, still laughing, "That's probably because I'm not trying to fool anyone. I honestly got this band at a wrestling match. It's a uniform for the fans there." He lifted the band up to the princess's eyes. "If it was gifted to me by the lady you said, it would have a heart on it, not a lightning bolt, at least."
"Oh..." Brianna clapped a hand to her head in realisation. "I'm so sorry. I thought-"
"We're friends now, aren't we?" Damian cut in on her. "That's not something a friend has to apologise for."
"Right," the princess chuckled.
This went on for hours, though to them, it didn't feel quite as long. As soon as they realised it was getting dark, they quickly steered the day's chat to an end.
Brianna said in a valedictory tone, "I guess I'll see you another time, Damian. Take care till then."
"Till then," Damian returned. Then, he spun around to leave.
He had only moved a few steps away when Brianna scurried ahead and caught up with him.
"Do you mind if I start sending you letters from the island?"
"Not at all," Damian shook his head. "It's a good way to keep our friendship alive."
"The letters will be under the name 'Rose'," Brianna added. "That's my middle name."
"All right!" Damian nodded. "I'll expect your letters." Then, he turned again to leave.
As he walked, he muttered the name 'Brianna Rose Miner', and a friendly smile flashed across his face.
When John and Anthony saw the prince coming back, they stood up from their seats and stared intently at him.
John was first to ask, "Your Majesty, you talked to Princess Brianna from noon till sunset so willingly- does that mean it's a yes this time?"
"The answer's still no, Sir John," Damian shook his head.
"Then, what were you two talking about all day?" Anthony wondered.
"Words of friendship, Anthony," the prince replied. "I may not have found a bride, but I made a new friend. At least, my journey to the island wasn't a waste of time."
"Prince, if you go on this way..." John snarled at Damian, only barely stopping himself from giving him an earful.
Then, they all silently went into the carriage.