The General's Daughter

Chapter 22

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two Years later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Friends. Honored guests. Thank you for gracing us with your presence on this wonderful occasion," the king addressed the few hundred people who'd come to celebrate Alex's birthday.

"I have a marvelous surprise for you this evening," he continued, making my stomach flip.

"In addition to celebrating my son's birth, we will also be celebrating his upcoming marriage. My friends, you are to be among the first to know the identity of his betrothed."

Delighted gasps and appreciative murmurs rippled across the room. Very few people knew for certain that Alex and I were engaged. In order to preserve my privacy and normalcy for as long as possible, we'd kept our secret for two years, only telling those who absolutely needed to know. Alex was obligated to announce that he'd actually chosen a bride, but we'd taken advantage of the loophole where he had to say who that bride was. It had caused a lot of gossip, speculation, and excitement throughout the kingdom. Even though people pretended to be irritated by the secrecy, they loved the mystery and romance of it.

I'd known this announcement was coming, but now that the moment was here, I was as nervous as ever. In an effort to still the butterflies, I put a hand to my stomach and tried not to fan my face. The temperature seemed suddenly stifling. Mother grasped my free hand under the table and offered a supportive squeeze.

"Over the last few years, I know you have all wished to know the name of your future princess. You have speculated, and some of you have guessed the truth. I am proud to finally announce the name of the young lady who I shall soon call my daughter."

Don't faint, I ordered myself, focusing on keeping my breathing even and the smile on my face.

"That lady is Lord General Graham's lovely daughter, Keira."

Hundreds of eyes turned to me. Some were surprised, some were not. Some seemed happy, some did not. My face burned and I forced the smile to stay firmly planted on my face.

"I'm sure you all share my delight," he said. "We have watched these two grow up together. There's something quite satisfying about seeing them go from childhood friends to husband and wife. Our kingdom's own fairy tale."

There were chuckles and polite remarks from the men, and dreamy sighs from the women.

"Come, join us, Dear," the king beckoned.

I'd been prepared for this literally dozens of times. The happiness that the king was expressing was genuine, but this particular moment was all for show. There had to be a formal presentation to make our engagement official.

Papa stood and offered me his arm. Legs shaking, I rose and placed my arm on his, allowing him to lead me to the dais.

I was very grateful not to have to make this walk alone, but at the same time, I hated it. This was supposed to be the symbolic presentation for everyone else, but I hadn't realized I would feel it too.

Papa had always been my rock. I hadn't always been perfectly content with my life, but I'd rarely ever felt afraid of anything. So long as I could run to Papa, I'd had no real worries.

Now it felt as though I was running away from him. After this, I wouldn't be his to protect any longer. He was largely in control of the palace security, of course, but there were limits. After this, he would have to defer to Alex concerning my welfare.

It was sad and...strange.

Even though I was able to lean on Papa, I still had to mentally recite the instructions I'd been given. Not too fast. Not too slow. Keep breathing. Keep smiling.