Unmasked

Chapter 1

Zelda casually strolled to the throne room. Her parent awaited her beyond the heavy wooden doors. She pushed them open.

Her parents greeted her warmly, and after mere moments of conversing, the topic shifted dramatically.

"Zelda, darling, how will you get married if you keep turning down every possible suitor? Your father and I are not getting any younger, you know, and we need you to marry soon." Her mother's face was pinched with worry.

"I know, mother," she sighed. "But it is hard to seriously consider marrying any of the rich nobles who think I will fall for them and their arrogance in a matter of seconds. They are not even trying to get to know me." She resisted the urge to run frustrated fingers through her neatly done hair.

"That's part of the trial of being royalty," the king responded. "Sorry, but that's just how it ends up. How I ended up with a decent noble to marry was quite a miracle," he said, smiling at the queen. He put his hand on her shoulder and looked back to Zelda.

"If only I could have that luck," she grumbled quietly. "Do you have any advice for me, mother?"

"Well," the queen began, "it will not be easy balancing your duty to your kindgom and balancing the natural yearning for a loving companion."

"That's what has me worried," Zelda replied. "How will I be able to find a suitable man for the kingdom and for me?" She gave another audible sigh of frustration.

"Ah, the troubles of being young. I'm sure you will figure everything out soon enough, dear." The queen gave her a reassuring smile and placed her hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"Oh," the king interrupted, "remember that the Masquerade Ball is tomorrow. You'll have plenty of opportunities to get to know the men there."

"Oh, that's right! And I have a fitting in mere moments. Thank you for reminding me, father. With your permission, I will take my leave."

Her parents nodded in sync, and she began walking back to her room for her fitting. She thought about what her parents had said.

Will it ever be possible to find a man good for both me and the kingdom? Does such a perfect man exist? There was that one suitor. . .no, he was a liar.

What about that other one? He was trustworthy, but couldn't handle responsibility. He gave it up at the drop of a hat.

Or him? No, didn't know anything about current politics. His head was always in a book of some sort, some more useful than others.

She growled a little to herself. How would she be able to commit to marry a man who didn't love her? Could she find a man to love her just for her? Not her title.

Simply wishful thinking at this point.

She entered her room and was then ushered to a platform in the middle of the chamber. She was quickly dressed in a light blue silk dress, skirts hovering just above the platform she stood on. It had a squarish neckline with long, elegant sleeves. She gasped at the simple beauty of the gown. It fit her perfectly.

The seamstresses around her added small details like embroidery and lace to enhance the gown. Zelda stood, admiring herself in the mirror. Dresses like these filled her with a strong desire to be a queen.

The thoughts shocked her slightly. Queen? Her? Of all people, her? But it was true, she would eventually be queen. And that thought filled her with both excitement and dread.

Mostly dread. Especially if she had to marry some stuck up son of a noble.

The seamstresses cooed over her in her beautiful ballgown. Tomorrow would go well. She would dance until her feet broke from blisters. And she would force herself to enjoy it.

She would dance with every suitor she could until she could find one she was interested in courting. She rolled her eys at the thought. Yeah, right. It will be a miracle to find someone suitable to marry in the noble court. But she had a strong sense of hope.

But what if that opportunity never arose? What if all the eligible men had already been married off to other noble ladies? This dread weasled its way into all her thoughts nowadays.

I hope that isn't the case. . . But if it was, she dreaded the thought of marrying someone who didn't care about her. Just the thought made her shiver.

She put a determined smile on her face. This would go well; she would find someone.