Royally Bound

Chapter 5

This was my worst nightmare.  Red made me look like a tomato and the beading made me look like a Christmas ornament.  How was I going to show my face in public in this dress without blending into the dress itself from embarrassment?  I was not going to meet a queen looking like that and I let it be known

"Nice try.  I'm not wearing that.  What else can I wear?" I demanded.

"Well, you can either wear it or go out in your underwear.  make your choice now so I can either help you get ready or get myself ready," Aggie told me in an agitated tone.

"I guess I don't really have a choice then.  Let's get that dress on me." And with that, we spent what felt like forever pulling and pinching every inch of my body getting the ghastly dress on.  It took Aggie and two of her assistants to finally get me tied, literally, into the dress.

As she looked me over, a frown darkened Aggies face.

"Now that it's on you, I can see that red is definitely not your color," she proclaimed, and snapped her fingers.  The dress instantly changed to a wonderful emerald green color, which helped the silver embellishments stand out even more. "Much better."

"Thank god!  I really didn't want to meet a queen looking like a Christmas ornament."

"Christmas? What's that?" Aggie asked, making me realize just how far from home I really was.

"I'll explain it to you another time.  It's complicated."

"Ok, well I need to get dressed and you need to go meet Jonchristopher in the main hall.  He'll be waiting for you."

"If you insist."

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As I walked through the halls, trying to remember my way back, I felt as if someone was following me.  Every few steps, I would look around trying to catch someone in the act, but I never did.

After wandering around for a while, I finally found someone who could take me to where I needed to go.

As I emerged from the hallway I had originally gone down, Jon's jaw dropped.

"Wow. You look... just wow," he said as I approached him.

"Thank you," I answered witha  smile.

"Are you ready to meet royalty?"

"Not really, but I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope, so let's go," he answered as he looped my arm through his.

As we wound our way through the corridors, they became increasingly crowded.  We went from admiring the lush tapestries of wars long past that adorned the walls to greeting people as we excused ourselves for weaving through the throng.

We took what seemed like a millionth turn and I found myself staring at a gorgeously decorated grand ballroom.  The mosaic tiled floor was covered with men and women dressed in what had to be their most extravagant attire.  The chandelier that hung from the ceiling glowed brilliantly with what looked like hundreds of multicolored candles.  The colors made the walls look like a kaleidoscope.

As soon as we entered the ballroom, everyone went silent and all eyes were focused on me.

"Announcing Sir Christopher and the lovely Christianna, guests of Queen Fayala," a booming voice said from nowhere, scaring me stiff as I felt the questioning glares that threatened to burn holes through me.

"Come on Christy," Jon whispered in my ear as he pulled me further into the room.  "Just ignore the looks.  They are just interested in any new face that shows up.  The queen will explain everything soon enough."

"But, why do they all have to be here for me ot get answers?  I just want to be out of everyones view alreayd," I said in a hushed voice as we pushed through the throngs of people.

"That isn't something I can tell you.  You will get answers soon enough though," he told me as he turned to face the doorway that we had just entered through.

"Announcing Queen Fayala," came the same booming voice that had announced us just moments before.