The Flame- RETURN OF THE DRAGON HEIR (Book 2)

6. Words & Swords

                         Chapter 6

We had to walk all the way to the adjacent pyramidal building. The palace parlor as the queen described was huge and looked like a place specifically made for the royals to shop. There were tiaras and hats of so many shapes, all kept beautifully in glass racks. There were all accessories one would dream of owning, everything in one place. There was everything... everything except for one. What I never saw was a dress. Adrian was greeted happily into the parlor. A woman, probably in her mid-twenties, the designer or the seamstress I presumed, approached us with a smiley face.

"How are you, Carol?" Adrian asked her merrily, to which she brightened up immediately.

"Very fine, how are you my Prince?", she asked him with a slight now, smiling foolishly at him. It was difficult to ignore the way she was blushing.

"You've got a secret admirer", I whispered to him.

"You know now?", he replied back with a smirk and ran one of his hands over his hair, making it messy.

"Carol, our Princess here needs a dress for tomorrow", he told her, pointing at me.

"Hah! the Guardian Princess", she said bowing before me.

"No, No", I instantly told her, taking a step back involuntarily. It felt strange, every time someone bowed in front of me. It was too much for me to take in.

"Please come here, Guardian Princess", she said directing me to a podium, in which I clambered up clumsily, as if not sure of what to do.

"Now please think about the dress you want to see yourself in", she said smiling sweetly.

"I...I don't know", I told her. My answer was unexpected and wiped out all the smile from her face.

"Pardon me, Princess what did you say?", she asked me, confused.

I was speechless, What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I just do whatever they wanted me to do? Deep down I don't want a dress, that will scream that I am some Princess. I was quite for a few seconds.

Adrian now entered the podium and stared into my eyes directly with great intensity. It felt as if he could read my soul directly. He slightly brushed his fingers in my cheeks. I slightly closed my eyes and tried to calm myself. And like that, there were thousands of small glittering particles around me forming a shape, around me. Dressing me in a turquoise glittery gown. It was like a scene coming out directly from a fairy tale book. Golden beads were being embroidered around golden laces, forming an illusion of 'fire' at the bottom of the gown. The top was fully embedded with alternate turquoise and golden stones, with a sweetheart neckline. The tail of the gown went back forever and ever. I felt like a bride in a big turquoise princess gown.

Carol was rendered speechless at the sight. She left her mouth wide open. Adrian couldn't lift his eyes off me, he just couldn't. I knew that the dress was beautiful, but I didn't know how I looked in it.

'Mirror', Carol called out, and just then a huge mirror starting zooming in towards me from nowhere and stopped right in front of me.

I couldn't believe what I saw. Was that me? Was that my own reflection? What that the same girl, who struggled to buy new clothes at least for Christmas? To whom did that beautiful reflection belong to? It cannot be me. I never considered myself as beautiful, though I was being constantly reminded that I am by Kat and Adrian.

"wow", I said.

"Rose!", he breathed, not taking his eyes off the mirror. He laced his fingers between mine and refused to let go of it for a very long time.