The Princess and the Courtesan

Chapter 1

Meandering around the crowds, the princess of Terrasen attempted to try and look at least a little pleased at the revelry going on around her since it was her birthday party after all. Rhoe and Evalin, Aelin's parents, had invited everybody he knew, most of whom she had never spoken to and hoped that she'd never have to.

Swathes of fabric whirled around her, tightly controlled faces pressed in on her, the heat suffocated her; she was reminded why she hated these gatherings more and more each second. Every face was fake, every conversation aimed to benefit whichever guest was trying to manipulate her.

Her dress was custom made especially for this event and it consisted of a plunging sweetheart neckline held by spaghetti straps. The yellow fabric enclosed her chest and stomach so tightly purposefully to enhance her appearance but it also meant that it restricted her breathing. Aelin had to admit that she liked the bottom half which was a yellow tulle skirt that was elegant yet had a fun aspect. The further down the dress, the more gold glitter there was and they were offset by the thousands of candles illuminating the royal ballroom.

"May I have this dance?" Dorian had taken her hand and gently kissed it in the process while she nodded numbly in response. She liked Dorian, more than any other suiter her parents had advised her to mingle with such as Sartaq, the favourite of the Southern Continent's royal children who everyone expects to become emperor when the times comes, and Hiram, Nehemia's brother and heir to Eyllwe, but out of the two only Sartaq was present tonight as his family had business to attend to in the country anyway and Dorian, heir to Adarlan, seemed to spend most of his time here in Terrasen. But she didn't like him in the way that counted, the way that ended in marriage, the way that ended in a binding union of their countries.

"Read any good books lately?" He twirled her around and looked at her expectantly.

"None that you'd like, I garner they'd be too cloying for you."

"I like a bit of romance, the gods know that I need a bit of my own in my life," a roguish smile accompanied his words that were both brash yet bashful in the insinuations of his intentions towards her. It had Aelin feeling guilty for not returning the sentiment. Dorian was a friend and that was all.

She curtsied as a formality and attempted to escape the cage of dancers waltzing around her. She needed a drink.

Aelin found a waiter walking around with a tray of glasses and claimed one for herself. Looking around, Aelin saw everyone milling around the ball with their dates on their arms.

She felt alien to them, abnormal. All her life she had never been in a real relationship and it's not that she didn't want one but she had never met anyone right for her and because of this,she was made to feel as though she was failing at life because she didn't have one and it didn't help that her parents constantly reminded her of that fact.

In reality, most of the people who she felt she connected to the most were people in books and for this reason, she sometimes thought that books were slightly damaging because no-one lived up to her standards derived from war torn dystopian societies and contemporary whirlwind romances. Despite this, she still read avidly and lived many lives of which she could only imagine while confined in her bedroom in the palace, guards lining the walls outside. Books stopped her from being lonely, they let her experience things intangible in her own life, allowed her to form feelings and connections and provided her with a distraction.

Her future was her own, her parents had always wanted her to be independent and have choices, the only things that were inevitable was that she would find a husband, have children and pass the throne on to them. Rhoe and Evalin had made sure that their daughter knew that. Though it was inevitable, she didn't want it. Though her life was mapped out before her, the unknown still scared her.