The Hidden Kingdom

Chapter 10

As we were walking, it occurred to me, I still didn't know his name. I was about to ask, but the castle soon came into my line of vision and distracted me. To say it was gigantic was an understatement. There were so many stories, I couldn't keep count. What amazed me the most was that it looked so old yet so modern. The walls were made of tinted glass. It was too dark to see inside, but there was no doubt you can see from the inside out. The top circular corners of the castle were made of gold. Together, the effect was breathtaking.

I had been staring in awe that I had completely stopped walking. He had gently nudged me forward, reminding me he was on a schedule, and we began moving again.

As we neared the entrance, he quickly faced me. "Do you have an invitation?" He asked urgently.

"No, but I can just tell them I'm here with Lilith." I said puzzled. "Do I need one?"

He sighed "Yes." He seemed agitated for a second though not exactly with me. Odd. As if a sudden idea had hit him, his face immediately brightened. "Okay, I have a plan. Follow my lead." He said as he hooked is arm through mine. My eyes widened, knowing exactly what kind of charade we'd be doing. I'd never had a boyfriend before so I had no clue how to act. He smirked, probably amused at my surprised expression.

At the entrance, there were 4 men. Only one of them appeared to be the greeter. The next two , I thought, looked like guards in their 30's 40,s. The last one appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. He wore clothes resembling that of a knight with light chain links not full blown armor. He stood there next to the drab looking greeter. Regardless of their position,their eyes were focused on us. Their gazes following our every move, causing me discomfort. I peered up at mystery hottie. Oh bleep. Did I just think that? I didn't help that at that particular moment, the knight decided to lift an eyebrow at my companion.

The boring greeter addressed us in a monotonous voice as he said, "Hello. Welcome the Prince Damien's 17th birthday ball. State your names and present your invitations and then you may proceed."

In a posh and almost arrogant manner, he said, "You may address me as The prince's royal guard." I tried to keep my composure in check although I was shocked at how quickly his demeanor changed. He nodded in my direction. "And this is my companion for the night..." He seemed to grasp at straws as he realized neither of us knew each other's name.

"Zamirah." I said in the most elegant manner I could muster as I smiled politely. The greeter didn't even have to think about asking for the invitations. It's as if mystery hottie held more power than I realized.

Just as we were about to pass, the knight grabbed Mystery hottie's upper arm roughly. Oh no! what if he was going to kick us out? what if he only kicked me out? I would never find my way back. I can't even use a gps without getting lost. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. But still.

"You never told me you had a girlfriend." He teased. It took almost all of my self control to not sigh audibly with relief, but it looked like mystery hottie was exercising a lot more restraint than I. his facial features seemed smoothed over; fake. His posture was perfect and muscles tense almost as if he was trying to impress him- no- show superiority. Although I don't know them well, I could just tell there was an underlying unspoken rivalry.

"No. she isn't, But that doesn't mean I can't take her to a ball does it?" He retorted, annoyed at the knight's prying.

"Well then," he looked at me, "you wouldn't mind if I borrowed your beautiful companion later when my watch is over." Oh god, this guy was playing it on thick. He really wanted to get under his skin. Too bad he didn't know we had just met so there was no point in goading him.

Although he was addressing him, the knight was staring at me, prompting me to respond. Carefully responding as to not offend, I said, "That would be lovely; however, I can't stay too long. I have a certain... Situation I must address."

He looked a bit dumbfounded, as if he was not used to being rejected. I could see how other girls might find him attractive, but he was not my type. Even if he had been interested in me, he's not really my type. Plus he's like 10 years older than me.

After a terse nod, the knight stepped away and let us through. As we passed through the gates, my heart pounded in excitement. The music became louder and louder until, finally, we were inside a ballroom packed with people in black and white attire. To my surprise, they were dancing to modern music. I had come in expecting a medieval classical ball with classical music.

He suddenly let go of my arm and turned to me. "Please don't let me regret this." He said and whirled around and disappeared into the mass of Swaying bodies. His voice had still been that of a proper person. The way he was talking now was vaguely familiar, yet so elusive.

Speaking of elusive, I tried looking over the crowd to see if I could catch a glimpse of Lilith, Eliza, or Damien. After an unsatisfactory search, I began walking through the throngs of people.

Suddenly, it hit me. I was all alone. In a place I'd never even heard of. In a place full of rich important people. And I have absolutely no experience or power here. Well, besides my wizarding ones.

But something told me that compared to everyone else here, it wasn't enough.

Panic began to set in, and the people began getting closer and closer. Okay, I told myself, it's just a gathering of people. Nothing too bad. As long as I don't draw attention to myself I ... A pompous looking female smacked right into me causing me to fall on my butt. Everyone's eyes shifted to us. The uber blond leered at me as I slowly rose to stand.

"Watch where you're going! You're not a peasant, so don't act like one!" what did she mean? Had she somehow mistaken me for another?

"I'm quite sorry." I said, albeit not being the cause of the collision. "I did not see you there." I said trying not to seethe. I didn't see why being a peasant would matter. Heck, even a hobo could be less clumsy then me!

"It's alright, but we wouldn't want it happening again. Do we?" She said in a sickly sweet tone. If she had full out lashed at me, it wouldn't even be half as scary as this girl. I almost felt like giving her a piece of my mind, but refrained. Just as I did so, I looked up to see who her companion was. It was no other than the vainglorious prince himself.

I was just about to ask him to speak with me, but blondie here must've noticed and quickly whisked him away. The crowds no longer stared at us, but their whisperea followed me everywhere as I began walking to the nearest exit. I couldn't take it anymore. How could I? I've never been to a school dance, much less a royal ball. Who was I kidding thinking that I could even get the Prince to help us. I should have taken the chance to go back to Lilith's home when it was offered. Then this whole ordeal would have never happened!

I grabbed the handle of the first door I saw and stepped through, not caring whether it was allowed or not. That's when I noticed a very pregnant women struggling to keep a little boy of about 6 and a girl about 12 under control. She seemed out of breath and pale, as if she was almost in labor. Her pained expression further proved my theory. Feeling sorry for her, I said, "I think you should leave and get some rest. It must not be healthy to be under so much pressure for you right now."

She gave me a wry smile and muttered, "If only I could."

"You can leave them here with me. When you feel better, you can come and get them." I offered, knowing I might regret it later. She considered my offer carefully. I could almost see the wheels turning within her mind. Needing to reassure her, I softly said, "Trust me. I won't let anything happen to them."

Surprisingly, she snorted. "It's not them I'm worried about. It's those who they'll terrorize." We both grinned, and she then looked at me solemnly. "Oddly enough girl, I trust you. You don't know how much this means to me. I do warn you though, do not let them cause chaos for then we'll both be in trouble. Keep them out of sight unless the the royal family specifically asks for their appearance." With an appreciative glance. She left me alone with the children. Turning around, I thought, "Well this won't be that bad. I mean, they're just children."

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