Kingdom Come

Chapter Nineteen: Ball

The next few days before the ball slip past far too quickly. And the morning of the ball, nobles and royals begin to trickle into the castle. I'm expected to greet them ALL. when I'm Queen, my first order of business is gonna be that I don't have to do this crap anymore.

I still smile though, shaking hands with people and greeting them with a polite 'hello'. Today I have on a pale silver-blue dress. This one only goes to halfway down my thigh, with the waist cinched halfway up my stomach. It's sleeveless, but with a piece that circles up around my neck. The fabric is the color of silver ice and seems to ripple down my curves like water. I've also been forced to wear heels that are made out of 'watered' silver, which is really just normal silver made to look like flowing water. My crown is twisted gold with light blue, almost white, gems.

After I finally get to slip away from greeting, it's only to change into my outfit for the ball.

I'm wearing a long pearly white sleeveless dress, with a string of pearls nested against my collar and dark blue gems woven into my hair. The tiara has a dark ember frame, with various white gems. I have on creamy stiletto heels, and a simple sash with our Kingdom's color: a rich, dark blue.

They do my makeup 'naturally'. Which means that though there's a lot of makeup, it's close to my natural skin tone, with only a bit of reddish gloss on my lips, and a touch of eyeshadow and blush. They then paint my nails a soft peach color with the tips a clear white. After they pinch and pull me into this costume, they release me to go to the ball.

I walk down the marble halls, my heels clicking loudly on the floor. I walk at a steady, even pace. My hands are folded slightly together, pulled together in front of me. I feel like a doll, made up to look pretty and perfect, expected to act as commanded.

I look straight ahead, as though focused simply on getting where I want to go. But my mind wanders.

I wonder if someone will break in and try to kill me? I wonder if they'll go for me or for my parents.

Somehow, I know it'll be for me. If they went for my parents, I'd simply take the throne. And my people... have no reason to trust me yet.

I wonder who I'll end up marrying. I need a King, and I don't the luxury of choosing who. I wonder how many suitors I'll be able to coax my parents out of. I doubt it's more than a handful.

I don't sigh, I don't even let my soft smile drop a millimeter.

This is what I've been trained to do: to stay pretty and smiling and loving until I'm behind closed doors.

Only alone may I ever be allowed to be anything besides a perfect princess. Whenever there is a single eye, a single person, I am perfect. There is no other option, only perfection.

I know that, once I am allowed to go back to my room, I'll scream in rage at the injustice of this ball. But for now, I will act as though it's perfectly fine. As though this ball is a nice get-together, not a painfully obvious court of liars and lies.

The walls seem to zip by me far to fast. Before I even know it, I'm at the top of the stairs, my name being read aloud to guests. I feel their eyes as sharp knives digging into my flesh. I ignore it, allowing my smile to become slightly wider, more open. I walk calmly down the stairs, soft mutterings drowned out by the calm even clicking of my high heels. I get to the bottom of the stairs and dip my head only a single inch toward the other royals, and only half a centimeter toward the nobles. I then make my way toward where my parents wait on thrones on a raised platform. I cut through the crowd, forcing it to part before me like water. I make it to the raised platform and ascend the stairs. I do not dip my head toward my parents, instead, I greet them with a smile.

"Hello mother, father," I sit down in the slightly smaller seat at my mothers right. I sit with my back straight, my shoulders back and my eyes looking down my nose at the other royals and nobles as a sign of my superiority while they're here.

It only takes a minute for the Prince's from lesser/poorer kingdoms and noblemen to flood the stairs in front of me, all attempting to dance in order to gain favor with a soon-to-be-Queen of one of the most wealthy and powerful kingdoms. I don't move to stand, watching my mother from the corner of my eye.

She waves her hand like she's nudging a baby bird out of the nest.

I stand. They all jostle each other, knowing not to come up another step, but still wanting to get a bit closer.

My mother waves her hand again like she's shooing them all off to the side.

They quickly move away.

What's meant to happen is that the stairs stay clear for only three seconds before the 'boldest' (richest/most powerful) Princes and nobles ascend the stairs, and then I pick one to dance with.

This time, one person stays, planted firmly on the stairs. He's a young man, maybe a year older than me, and wearing a nice guard uniform. Many people in the crowd mutter angrily. He watches me calmly.

His eyes are a soft hazel, and his hair a messy brown-blonde. My mother waves her hand again. She's no longer smiling.

His eyes shift to her's for only a second, but I see his eyes spark in anger and rebellion. My lips curl up slightly further. His eyes shift back to mine, he raises an eyebrow slightly.

Author Note:

Okay, going back to one chapter a week now!