SwaRon: The Fairy-Tale Affair

5. Nothing Without You

Things were been rushed. All the people at the palace were in a haste.. haste to complete things.. after all the Grand Common Gathering was just a few hours away. And time was flying. The higher authorities were executing the requirements for the gathering. Everything had to be perfect.. just as perfect as the Royals. Above all Queen Rochelle was known for her perfectionist taste. She had supervised various occasions and all with the oh-so unique taste of hers. And this was going to be another addition to her perfect function lists that would be talked about for years together.

Sharon descended the stairs approaching King Martin with affectionate eyes. She slightly bowed to him, with greetings whispered in the air. "You look gorgeous, Princess." King Martin gently stroked the top of her head. Her lips curved into a smile.. a smile every father wishes for her daughter.. heartily smile.. lovingly at him. She knew her father too very well. He was tough from outside which is needed for a King to be.. but at the same time equally soft for his kids.. for her. She mattered to him.. more than the world did. And she would melt with the way he conveys his emotions in those small gestures.

"Thank you, Da.." even before she could complete the word her eyes widened and she recovered, "I mean, Thank you, your majesty." This widened his smile. No matter what her cute antics never failed to amaze him.

Finally it was about time. Various Royal guests had arrived at the borders of their kingdom. People gathered around the palace to seek an entry to the beautiful decorated palace.

Princes and Kings of different territories showed up raising the hope of Queen Rochelle. They greeted each other performing all the rituals. While all this was going on Sharon had a smile pasted on her face though her mind kept lingering at the various ways she might encounter him. There was hardly any time when she would have not thought of him. He ruled her mind. Her soul.

Her eyes searched for a pair of eyes that reflected the similar emotions as hers. Though to her disappointment she couldn't trace it. But there was something that made her uneasy. A pair of dark eyes gazing at her, as though she would fall prey to them. Those eyes had a different hold of emotion that made her shiver.. She shivered out of fear. There was an unknown fear that crossed her. She saw that Queen Rochelle made her way to Sharon long with him. Sharon couldn't help but gulp down the fearful emotion down her throat. She didn't know what made her so scared but she could feel the negative vibes radiating from the person. She regained her senses as she heard the melodious voice laced with politeness of Rochelle, "Princess, meet Louis Richards, the Prince of Australia." Louis held his hand out, asking for hers with a gentle bow. She slid her hand into his, to which his lips reached the back of her palm. Though it was a practice usually carried out for greeting a female. But Sharon found him to be weird because his lips unnecessarily lingered longer than required, on her skin.

"It is my pleasure meeting you, Princess." He held an expression that was difficult to decipher. Sharon for a moment just wanted to run away. His presence was making her feel uneasy.

"Make sure you don't disappoint him, Sharon." That was unbelievingly whispered by Rochelle. Sharon rolled her eyes at her expectant mother to make her understand that she was not comfortable going around with this man. But without any word she left the two alone, greeting others.

Louis tried to gain their attention back, "May I have the pleasure to dance with the beautiful lady, please?" He asked, Seeking the soft rhythm of the instruments played by the various musicians at the place, as an opportunity to spend some time with Sharon. He had found her appealing from the very first glimpse of hers.

Sharon's eyes widened at him with his way too straight question. Dance wasn't anything big he had asked though she found it to be too soon for the question. She preferred time and moreover, understanding the person seemed to be more important. But she thought of it to be too early to judge him. She has hardly met him. And above all maybe she is stressing unnecessarily about the matter.

Maybe, he is just a little different. She thought.

When he didn't get an answer from her, he lowered down, "Rule number 164: It is rude to turn down someone. A Royal has to be polite." Before straightening himself, he rubbed the tip of his nose along the curve of her neck, smelling her. His lips curved wider as he straightened himself, looking at her reaction. He pecked her cheeks dragging her to the centre of the floor. She was highly irate. It was highly unacceptable to have someone behave like this to her. She breathed in order to calm herself. She had to dance. She had no option being a Royal.

Maybe not!

They took their position, bringing their stance to perfection. His hold around her tightened bringing her closer as the music started. They swayed. His eyes feasted upon her while she tried to maintain her composure. With every passing minute, he tried to reduce the gap that prevailed between the two. He tried to swirl her. But that ended up clumsy. And with the clumsy swirl forced, She landed into His arms. Safely. He let out a sigh of relief while she exhaled the breath she held. It was her Swayam!