Stealing a Princess (A Rise of the Guardians Fanfiction)

Lilies at Lunch

Tooth grumbled as her mother brushed her hair, running the comb over and over again through her long brown hair. Her mother had insisted on dressing her up for her next lunch with Pitch, which her mother would be chaperoning, thankfully.

Although they had made up, her mother still wanted her to get married. She was just looking for a better suitor at the moment. If she agreed to meet Pitch a second time, it gave other potential suitors hope that she would also meet them, without flat-out rejecting them again. Her mother was a smarter woman than she gave her credit for, it seemed.

She had also told Tooth that her father seemed relieved when he heard that Tooth had accepted the invitation to lunch, which a little servant boy had delivered. If her father was happy, then Tooth would endure the horrible company without complaint.

She still loved her father, after all.

Lunch at Pitch’s castle, she could handle. If he tried to kiss her again, she would at least be able to get away from him, as Jack had taught her how to escape from an enemy at their last lesson.

Pitch was at least 2 heads taller than her, and she knew punching him would be no use. So, she had practiced over and over again how to find points of escape, and how to avoid any attacks.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to use the tactics she’d learned at her lessons.

Now, as she glided down the majestic stairs to Pitch’s dining room, she stopped to consider the best way to approach him again. One does not just forget the person who stood idly by while you were knocked out, even though you have invaded their personal space, after all. Would he go crazy, and try to find a way to bring her down?

Unlikely, she thought. Pitch had gone to all the trouble to sending her an invitation, after all. Even while thinking this thought, though, she felt this niggling feeling in the back of her head, one she only got when something unexpected was about to happen. Her mother took notice of her distress, and took her hand in hers comfortingly as she pulled them to a stop.

“I’ll be there. He won’t dare to do anything if you’re not alone,” she told her softly. Tooth managed a nod. Just then, she heard the clicking of dress shoes on the hard marble floor. Raising her head, she spotted Pitch himself standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding a bouquet of flowers.

How cheesy, she thought. Did he think she could be bought over by a couple of flowers? She was not a shallow girl, who could be won over by a few sweet words and a gift, although she did have to admit the flowers were quite beautiful.

Her mother took her elbow in her arm, and the two made their way down towards Pitch. He smiled at her, the very picture of innocence. Looking at him, no one would guess that he was the one who had tried to kiss her in the hallway, with his impeccably ironed formal shirt, and his gentlemanly air as he held the door to the dining terrace open for them.

That was how Pitch had gained power and influence, by pretending to be what the people wanted. His acting skills were commendable, to say the least.

Her mother nodded politely when Pitch swept into an elaborate bow, taking her hand in his and kissing it. Tooth refrained from gagging when he did the same to her, trying not to think about the glimpse of his disgusting teeth she had seen earlier. (Albeit with a bit more trouble than her mother).

If Pitch’s acting skills were good, her mother’s were splendid. She could play the part of the queen who knew nothing of politics, the part of the concerned mother trying her very best to find a suitable suitor, and many other roles. A woman of a thousand faces, she was.

Sandy always said to her, “Keep your thoughts to yourself, Princess. I can read your face like a book.” Of course, he never said the words out loud, as he could not speak, due to a disease called narcolepsy. After many years of having him as her tutor, though, Tooth had learned to understand him through his sign language, and was able to decipher the complicated messages he signed for her.