The Imprisoned Princess

Chapter 5

We walked through the open doors to the balcony that overlooked the ballroom. The ballroom was decorated in a spectacular fashion, all to my Mother's tastes, of course. As we made it to the edge of the balcony, the people below cheered and clapped. My Father raised my arm as if to honor me. Knowing my role, I turned to him and curtsied as low as possible with him still holding my hand. My Father, always ready for a public performance, grabbed my arms and raised me from my curtsy, kissing my head. The crowd cheered even louder at the public affection my Father was showing me. It was an intentional break with decorum. To anyone watching, my parents seemed like loving parents. I'm not sure how the other's would have felt to know the truth. Many probably wouldn't have cared. After all, I was only a girl. My parents had desperately wanted a son. One of my Mother's failures which in turn became one of mine. My Mother came from a large, noble family. She was chosen simply because her Mother had given birth to four sons, my uncles. My Mother had been the only daughter. So, when I was the only child they had, and my Mother never conceived again, it was considered a failure. One heir was a risk and being a girl, well, it wasn't ideal. Still, the crowd knew none of this. All they saw was a loving king, kissing his daughter on her birthday. I should be thankful, right? 

 After my Father's paternal performance was completed, we had to descend the stairs. I took a deep breath to steady myself and held on tightly to my Father's arm. He shot me a quick look but didn't protest. He knew I was clumsy. I am sure he could guess that I was doing my best to elegantly walk down the stairs. I clung to him with one arm as I held my dress up with the other. When we made it to the bottom of the staircase, I exhaled deeply, relieved to have made it. 

 "Happy Birthday to Princess Neoma!" The majordomo boomed again. My father held my hand up again. "Hip, hip, hooray." The crowd chanted in unison. 

 My Mother came and kissed my cheek and laid her hand tenderly on my face. It almost felt comforting. If only it wasn't just an act. The crowd cheered again and my "loving" mother curtsied to my Father and then rushed into his arms for what looked like a loving hug. I struggled not to roll my eyes. The pageantry tonight was next level. 

 Finally the music started and my Father led me out onto the dance floor to open the ball. The music started and I took another breath as my Father started to lead me in the dance. 

"You're doing very well tonight, Neoma. Keep this up and we will all have a pleasant evening." He said. Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one having to dance gracefully in heels. My feet were already killing me but I knew I would just have to deal with it. My parents wouldn't care if my feet were bleeding stubs. I was expected to dance and be merry. 

"Thank you, Father. I will try my best to please you." I said. My Father grunted in response. 

"Remember to behave yourself. I expect you to look happy when we make the announcement." He reminded me. Of course he did. Why wouldn't I be happy? I was getting married. If only I knew who I was marrying. Being too wise to say any of that, however, I simply said:

"Yes, Father." We finished our dance and I curtsied again before taking my leave. I walked to the side of the ballroom, trying my best not to draw attention to myself. 

 I started to walk past a group of women chatting when I caught a little of their conversation. I slowed, straining to hear what they were saying. 

"Did you hear about the attack?" A lady in a dark green dress asked. 

"The one in the western territory? Yes, I heard the rebels had surprising numbers." A lady in a rose pink dress replied. 

"Yes, but our forces quickly forced them back. Now it's time to root them out. I really don't know why they even try… It's pathetic. Like they can stand against our army." Said an older lady in a lilac and cream colored gown. "My husband serves alongside General Ahriman. He told me they plan to wipe out the rebels before the royal wedding." She said. I wanted to keep listening but I was getting too far away to hear anymore. If I stopped walking, it would draw too much attention and they might realize I have been eavesdropping. I couldn't risk the embarrassment. 

 Suddenly I ran into what seemed like a wall and I realized I hadn't been paying attention to where I was walking. I staggered back, about to fall. Terror filled me. Please don't let anyone see me fall. Please don't let the person I ran into be important, I thought. I gasped as I felt two large hands close around my waist, steadying me so I didn't fall. 

 I looked up to see who had rescued me and my eyes met the icy blue eyes of General Ahriman. I suppose you could call his eyes pretty. The color was at least. They were a harsh contrast to the rest of their owner. His coloring was dark. His dark skin tanned from the sun. He had long jet black hair that was currently pulled back. He was clean shaven. I suppose he could be called handsome in a rough sort of way but he was much older than me and was known to be cold. General Ahriman was a large man. Tall and broad, his size alone was intimidating. The fact that he was well known as a ruthless general in my parents army made him even more intimidating. This man was responsible for keeping peace in the kingdom. He was my Father's most trusted advisor and military leader. And I had just walked right into him. 

"Princess Neoma!" The General said, letting go of my waist and bowing. I gawked at him for a second before remembering my manners and curtsying. 

"General Ahriman, please forgive me. I wasn't watching where I was going and I…." I said, desperately hoping the General took pity on me and didn't tell my parents I had been so clumsy. 

"I will gladly forgive you Princess, if I might have this next dance." He said gallantly, extending his hand to me. I had no choice but to say yes. Saying no would have been unforgivably rude especially since I had just ran into the man. But I hated dancing and I wanted nothing more than to decline and find somewhere to hide. Instead I took General Ahriman's outstretched hand and did my best to smile. 

"I'd be honored to dance with you." I said, allowing him to lead me to the dance floor.