Sebastian

Chapter Five

This chapter has 1024 words, and you finally get to meet Sebastian! I've been waiting to write this chapter, as this is one of few that I had actually planned out. I'm positive that there are many spelling errors, but I intend to read through in a bit and correct them. Thank you for reading!

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There was an entrance just behind the left staircase, and it was labeled "Food Assignments". I rolled my eyes. Of course the king would control what we ate at a party. Still, I was curious, and I pushed the doors open. I found at least a hundred separate stalls, like one huge public bathroom that you'd find in a fancy restaurant, except the stalls were significantly larger and had labels with names on them. I walked along the long line of single doors, wondering if he really knew the name of everybody who attended, even though none of us sent any forms or filled out any sort of application. Sure enough, about twenty-something stalls down, my name was stuck to the door, and the stall beside it had Kaden's name. I pushed the door, but it was locked. I was confused, and I fiddled with my necklace nervously. I noticed one of the jewels in the necklace was oddly shaped, and in a flash of intuition, I realized that the jewel would open the door. I pulled slightly, and it came out of the necklace with little difficulty. I pushed it into the lock and it worked.

Inside the stall was much more spacious that I assumed it would be, with a small desk and a chair to place your food of choice on. Against the wall stood a longer table with a wide assortment of food. I looked closer and found that it was all my favorites, the kind of food that I would never be lucky enough to get all at once. Maybe, if my family was doing really well, I'd be able to get a red velvet cupcake or the good, expensive kind of meat. However, on the table, there was an entire red velvet cake, steaks, pork chops, a small fountain of chocolate with an arrangement of fluffy marshmallows, salty chips, french fries, fresh fruit, and more. My mouth watered, but it didn't distract me from the fact that the king knew all of my favorites. There was no doubt that in each stall was everyone's individual favorites, and I wondered how in the world he managed to get that information. Beside the food was a space with plates, bowls, and different kinds of silverware. I picked up a plate and began.

I stayed in the stall for a while, but it wasn't long before I remembered my promise to my mom and Kaden. I reluctantly pushed the door open and exited, placing the key-jewel back into my necklace with a small click. Outside the room, everyone laughed and joked and smiled, excited for the opportunity to live a night of luxury. A live band was playing softly in a far corner of the room, and it provided a relaxed atmosphere. I looked for Kaden and found him surrounded by frilly daughters of noblemen, and he flashed them a winning smile, causing the group to erupt in giggles. He caught my eye and grinned, and I smiled back, forming my fingers to look like a gun and pretending to shoot myself. He laughed, and the girls, thinking he was laughing with them, all inched a bit closer. I looked around the crowd, and as the music started to get louder, noticed everyone starting to couple up and dance together. At the same time I noticed this, I felt a tap on my shoulder and voice ask, "May I have this dance?" in a firm voice. My heart dropped, and I turned. I was met with a pair of very human-like, blue eyes. I relaxed and smiled.

"Sure," I said. The man smiled arrogantly, and led me to the floor.

My mother made sure that Kaden and I learned to dance at a young age. She knew that one day, we'd have to attend the king's dances every year until we turned thirty-one. So I was pretty confident in my abilities to dance, and I could tell that the man I was dancing with was just as confident. He smirked at me as he practically dragged me around, and I had to hold back a laugh at his horrible dancing. The thought of how arrogant he was kept making me want double over and laugh until I ached. We clambered around the room until a tall figure grabbed the man's shoulder, causing us both to stop. I was too busy struggling to not laugh that I didn't notice him asking to step in until he took my hand. His hand was cool, and my eyes snapped up and were met with a pair of icy silver orbs. My head came up to just the top of his shoulder; he was tall, but not so tall that he towered over me. He didn't smile.

"You looked like you were fighting a laughing fit," He murmured. His voice wasn't the razor-sharp sound I'd heard in my nightmare. Instead, it was a soft sound that felt more like a caress than the voice of someone. I swallowed and gave a nervous laugh, remembering my promise to Mom and Kaden.

"It's just, he looked and acted so arrogant when in reality he was awful at all of it," I explained, not bothering to hide a snort at the thought. The king's face lifted into a small smile, and my heart leaped. When he smiled, he looked so pure, so unassuming and innocent. He noticed my heat race, and he tilted his head a little.

"Are you nervous?" He asked, spinning us around the room. I swallowed again and cleared my throat.

"I've only just met you," I explained. "I don't know how to properly act towards you, if I should curtsy or call you 'Your Majesty'. I don't meet very many noble-people," I muttered. He nodded.

"I can understand that. For future reference, when I ask you for a dance, the proper thing to do is curtsy, or bow." He informed me. I was confused. He said that as if he planned to have another dance. I nodded nonetheless. His small smile stayed in place, making my heart flip-flop.

"I don't live around here," I scrambled to explain myself. "I'm not used to things like this." I said. He looked at me thoughtfully, and leaned in a little.

"Elizabeth, would you come with me for moment? I'd like to speak with you one-on-one."