The Princess Promise

The Round Table of Lunch

"Are you the one who is named, Nikola Freehand?"

I blinked, hoping the boy on one knee next to my locker was merely a figment of my imagination. I don't exactly know what I was expecting after the events of the morning but a random stranger, wearing bubblegum pink tights and a denim blue tunic, wasn't anywhere on the list.

"Um...yes?" I answered, sheepishly scratching the back of my neck. "How long have you been sitting here?" I asked, gesturing around to the overflowing hallway that was quickly compacting around my locker.

The boy shook his head but seemed surprised by the questioned. "That is not of your importance." With a flourish, he pulled a piece of parchment paper from his messenger bag.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," I grumbled, dropping my head in my hands.

"The Knights of Canvas High formally invite you to join them at the Round Table." The boy read, his eyes skimming over each word in determined concentration. Instantly the crowd broke out into series of whispers and dramatic gasps.

The Knights, though not as popular as the Princes, Princesses, or the King, still held a higher ranking than the rest of the students. The majority of the Knights included the football team with one or two nerds scattered in there. For "balance," they claimed but the rule book of Canvas High called for perfect order among the school. That's not to say that the Principal was any better.

If anything, she was worse.

"If you wish to join them, please say 'aye.' If you decline this offer, please say-"

"No," I announced, slamming my locker shut. My response seemed to startle the poor kid more than the sound did. His acne covered face paled and he looked about ready to pass out. Along with the crowd of students parked in front of my locker.

"No?" They echoed back in sync as if they were possessed and never heard of the word.

"No," I repeated, shoving my way through the frozen crowd and into the cafeteria, which someone coincidentally decided to place next to my locker.

The Round Table stood out from the normal, dirty, beige colored tables. Placed in the center of the room, the burgundy colored circle shone brightly, each window hitting it almost too perfectly. There were 25 seats, enough for each Knight to be seated. Apparently, the King, Princesses, and Princes had an entirely different room to themselves.

I remembered the time when a tiny freshman made a mistake of sitting at the head of the table-Arthur's seat. (Literally; our football captain, the star quarterback was named Arthur.) The whole room had stopped before he even took the seat. Everyone watched his travel to the table, hesitant to correct his fatal error.  When he took the seat, it became too late. The mistake was already made, the damage done. The freshman didn't come back for sophomore year.

Shaking my head, I walked past the Round Table, digging my bagged lunch out of my bag. I didn't trust the school lunch enough to actually eat any of it. Apparently, half the student population disagreed with me, inhaling the slob the lunch lady put together like it was oxygen. Sitting down at an empty table, several feet away from the Round Table, I shoved a hand into my brown, paper bag. Pulling out a bag of nori, I smiled contentedly.

Someone plopped down across from me and I peeked up at the uninvited guest through my red fringe. A crooked but adorable nose crinkled up as brown eyes stared at the plastic bag in my hands questioningly. More to the point, the contents of the bag.

"What is that?" Arthur Brooke asked, either not noticing or not minding my mild shock. His British accent made the English words seem heavier and he said them slowly as if tasting the words before he said them. Realizing that my mouth was hanging open, I snapped my mouth shut, picking a single green sheet out of the bag.

"It's nori," I informed him, ripping the sheet in half and cautiously held a piece out to him. He raised an eyebrow out me taking the piece from my hand, his pinky finger lightly brushing the back of my palm. I drew my hand back quickly, almost dropping my own piece. I was acting like a school girl with a crush. The lunchroom went deadly silent in a collective expression of alarm. Only the Knights seemed unaffected by the change in the seating arrangement.

"What's nori?" He pronounced it, 'Nor-ee.'

"Edible seaweed," I explained, unable to meet his eyes. A red curl fell forward in between my eyes and I glanced at it, cross-eyed. Chuckling to himself, Arthur scooted closer to my on the bench, his empty hand coming close to my face. I drew in a breath, unable to move as he fingered the curl, pushing it behind my ear.

Breathing is important, why again?

If looks could kill, I would be buried 50 feet under. Girls not popular enough to be considered Princesses but scary enough to be powerful, hated when even more attention was drawn away from them. They especially hated it because when a Princess, a Prince or a Knight talked to a Norm, the person was talked about and to, for the week. When the week was over, his/her fame faded away into a mere memory. A Norm talking directly to the King was unheard of and I was glad there were no witnesses for that moment in the hall.

A poke to my ribs alerted me that I had zoned out and Arthur was staring me, a smile, weird smile on his face.

"What did the poor seaweed do to you?" He joked. Without meaning to, I had been tearing my half of the nori into tiny green pieces sprinkled across the surface of the table. Blushing, I brushed the last couple of pieces off my hands and hid them underneath the table. Sneakily I had the rising suspicion that he was the one who invited me to sit at the Round Table. Somehow he had drawn closer but I didn't mind his closeness as much as I minded Ethan's.

When did I start referring to the 'King' by the first name?

Speaking of the devil, Ethan himself walked into the ajar doors of the cafeteria, instantly hushing all conversation. None of his group followed behind him but the fact didn't faze him. His green eyes swept across the diameter of the room, searching for something; or someone. Multiple girls tried to emphasize the size of their breasts or made some part of their body visible to their precious King. His eyes landed on my table and he took in Arthur's being, a frown disrupting his otherwise perfect features. He strode over to the table and I could feel my eyes widen. He stopped right in front of me, glaring down at the British boy. To my great surprise, Arthur was glaring back at him like he couldn't stand the sight of him.

If I thought the room was in awe at Arthur, they were going to have a heart attack as Ethan got involved. Mumbling something under his breath, Ethan tugged me out of my seat. I barely had the time to pick up my lunch and my bookbag as Ethan dragged me out the room, not bothered by the slack-jawed stares that were quickly accumulating.

Once the doors shut behind me, my back was pressed to the black lockers with Ethan's enormous frame covering me.

"You stay away from him," Ethan demanded, something cold and protective in his eyes.

"Why?"

Unaware from where the confidence had come from, I watched him closely, waiting for an answer. He skillfully avoided the subject, "You wouldn't make a good princess."

That stung a bit. I knew I wasn't perfect enough to be with Ivory or Clover or any of the other princesses. I didn't need to be constantly reminded. I stared up blankly at him, shoving him back. He moved but I doubted it was because I pushed him.

It was most likely because of the couple coming down the hall, staring at each other affectionately, the male whispering something into the girl's ear that caused her to giggle. A strong sense of longing hit me and my eyes followed the couple until they turned the corner and were gone.

"Let's make a bet," he breathed once they were gone. I looked back at him, my eyebrow raised in a silent question. "I bet that you couldn't last as a princess for the 5 months until prom. If you can, not only will I go to prom with you but you get to order me to do one thing during prom," he smirked, already smug. "That's a promise."

I paused, considering my pros and cons. It's the stupidest thing I could agree to, I was aware of that; I couldn't even be a princess for 1 week. Still, the once in a lifetime opportunity to knock the King from his throne called out to me.

"You have yourself a deal jackass."