Behind the Masquerade

Betrothed

Joshua quietly slipped from the balcony, seeing that those two needed some time alone. That girl he had danced with didn't seem particularly happy that the guy had touched her, and he had felt a sudden jolt of protectiveness in him, but it quickly disappeared as it had come.

He made it to a safe spot where he could watch the argument between that girl and the guy without being spotted and labelled "nosy." Something seemed to have happened to them in the past as he eyed the girl whip around and slap the man's hands away from her. Her posture and aura practically sent off warnings to stay away, but the guy didn't seem to notice this, or he just didn't care, as he said something to her.

He watched her clench her fists to her side while the guy said more things to her. Then he observed her grab the glass of wine the man had been holding onto and dump the content over the guy, down the formal clothes and all. Then she threw the glass off the balcony and made her way away from the man, her head held high and her posture stiff as a board.

Joshua lightly chuckled to himself. This girl wasn't as princess-like as she had first seemed. Plus she had the most beautiful blue eyes he had yet to see…

He shook his head almost rapidly and grabbed a glass of wine that a waitress had been holding onto when she had passed him. Downing it in one gulp, he put the glass down on the table next to him and watched the couples dance another slow song.

He was about to just observe the scene before him a bit more, when he spotted the same girl stomp towards him, followed by a wine drenched man. The man seemed to be very angry, and just about ready to hit her, but since they were in a ballroom, Joshua knew that the guy couldn't do anything to the girl. At least anything too drastic.

"Get away from me!" Sophia said, turning around and glaring at the man stalking her around the ballroom. She didn't like meeting him again because it only reminded her of past memories that she would rather forget. Her eyes blazed when he caught up with her, glaring back with those cold, menacing eyes of his.

"You are such a bitch," the guy growled, grabbing Sophia roughly by the arm and making her wince. "You belong to me from the start and till you die. You owe me your life! Remember?"

"Don't touch me! I owe you nothing!" Sophia yelled, and the temptation of kicking the guy in the stomach with her knee sounded incredibly enticing.

"You owe me everything...and I'll come back to reclaim all that is mine!"

"You tricked me then! I hate you! Let me go!"

"Didn't you hear her? Let go of her, creep." Prince Joshua to the rescue! How cheesy...and cliché...but Joshua stalked up to the man and gave the guy a penetrating glare that burned a hole through the head of the guy.

"And who are you to tell me what and what not to do?" the guy challenged back, although he let go of Sophia and stalked up to Joshua, glaring at him straight in the eye.

"Your kind make me sick," Joshua snarled and was about to take a fighting stance to beat the living daylights out of the guy, but Sophia interrupted their manly conversation and dragged him into the midst of the dancing crowd. Again.

She quickly wrung her hands around his neck again and quietly commanded him to put his hands around her waist. Like an obeying puppy, Joshua did just that and looked down at the girl, who had her face hidden in his shoulder. She didn't seem to want to talk or start a conversation any time soon, so Joshua decided to keep quiet, looking around him indolently and sighing every now and then.

They just danced like that the whole time through the song, with her head on his shoulder and him just holding her quietly. He had no idea what had happened between the girl and the man before, but he knew enough that something bad had occurred between them.