Enemies and Lovers

The Ball

Wanda walked into Sarah’s room, a little after lunch, sitting on the diwan.

“I give up, I simply give up. Help me Sarah,” she said, shaking her head at Sarah.

“What’s wrong,” Sarah asked, sitting beside Wanda.

“It’s Mei, I don’t know what to do about her, and Razah of course, speaks of you in glowing terms. He says you’re very wise, and so tell me what to do.”

“Um.. what is this about?”

Sarah felt unsure what she was advising Wanda about.

“I love her, completely, it’s terrifying, but I don’t think she feels that way and I can’t tell her anything and I can’t not tell her anything.”

“Well that’s very easy, you ask her out, you don’t have to tell her about your love for her yet, just show her that you do.”

“Ask her out in what way.”

“You know –“ Sarah wondered what the equivalent of a coffee date was. “You could ask her to have a walk with you, and then maybe tea or something. I’m not very good with these things.”

“No no, it sounds perfect, a walk, and if things go well then we can have tea, but what if she says no?”

“You are one of the kindest prettiest people I’ve known, and if she turns you down at least you’ll no longer be tormented by the thought that you didn’t do anything.”

“But then it’ll be like something has changed between us.”

“You know, sometimes it’s better to tell people how you feel about them, because it’s very precious, that feeling, you don’t want to waste time around thinking about what ifs, if my little sister were asking me for advice, this is what I would’ve told her.”

Wanda sprang up from the diwan , a big smile on her face.

“I see now why he likes you.”

“Who likes me?”

“Razah, you silly.”

Sarah looked at Wanda with wide eyes, shocked.

“Oh, you didn’t know, I heard about the letters from one of the girls,” Wanda whispered.

“The letters are reports, Wanda, it’s code for how things are, if I have seen any unusual activity, or if someone you’re corresponding with has been acting suspicious, things like that.”

“Ah, I was mistaken then, it’s just he speaks so highly of you, I should get going now, and thank you, it’s good to have someone to talk about things with.”

**

Sarah returned to her room exhausted. After Wanda left, she had gone straight to make sure that Mei was not a threat to Wanda. The task had taken her longer than she’d thought, and when she returned to her room, Anne and Emma were already waiting for her.

She mumbled some excuses about being with Wanda and then jumped into the bathroom to take a quick bath.

Anne and Emma complained about her being too late as they combed through her hair and dressed her up.

The dress was blood red, with a gold embroidered bodice that hung tightly to her body, flaring into a long bouffant skirt. The dress felt lavish, with its sweeping skirt and soft gleaming material that shone under the lights.

Emma took thin strands of her hair and pinned them at the back with a brooch, deigned to form a knife and let the rest of her hair fall down in soft waves.

Her velvet shoes had tiny roses embroidered onto them, and she smiled as she slipped them on. Anne and Emma left her, and she walked out onto the balcony.

The moon was not up and the stars gleamed brightly against the dark sky. The smell of jasmines filled the air, and she remembered Razah’s smile as he had spoken of them. A blush crept over her face as she thought of what Wanda had spoken of.

She twirled and giggled, thinking about the times she had dressed up as a princess with her sister. None of those dresses had been even close to the one she was wearing in their elegance.

It was crazy for her to even think about the fact that a royal ball was being organized in her honor and she felt that she might run away from the palace just to avoid it.

“Mom, Dad, Cynthia, I wish you were here,” she said out into the universe. It was the only way she could talk to them. “I wish you were here to dance with me and then to go back home and eat ice cream with me. I wish I could hug you and feel like myself again, because I don’t. I don’t understand anything. I feel so lost. I wish if you meet me again ,you recognize me and I wish you haven’t stopped loving me, because I love you all so much. I wish was with you.”

**

Sarah couldn’t remember any of the names or the faces that Wanda spoke of. She recognized the King when he opened the ball, dancing with her. He had looked sad, like a part of him was missing. She guessed that was what happened when you lost someone you loved. His smile never reached his eyes. Wanda had forced him to do it. Sarah had been terrible at the dance. She didn’t know what a ball would mean, she didn’t have much knowledge of them beyond fairytales and Jane Austen, but she didn’t know she would have to dance with the King in front of noble families from all over the Empire. The King had been pleasant about it, and had assured her it was good to give the people something bad to talk about, or they simply invented it.

She recognized Wanda’s daily acquaintances, all looking regal.

Sarah wore no jewellery except for the pendent she had been wearing when she had reached the town gates. And amidst all the splendor she felt terribly underdressed. She couldn’t even seek refuge in the shadows as all the eyes were turned towards her.

She tried to keep her eyes on Wanda at all times, but it proved to be difficult as she was constantly whisked away to dance. She checked all of the drinks Wanda drank and had more than once almost yelled at some young prince who tried to dance with her. Wanda had managed to place herself in the most dangerous situation possible and then had made it impossible for Sarah to do her job.

“Where was the princess hiding you all these years?”

She smiled at Malik, Wanda’s cousin. She hated him instantly; by the way he blocked her perfectly good view of Wanda.

“I just met her a month ago, on her travels.” Being polite was terribly hard when she was so exhausted and stressed.

“You know you’re the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.” He placed a hand on his heart.

Sarah wanted to gag.

“I’m sure every woman is the prettiest woman you’ve ever seen. It was lovely meeting you”.

She moved to walk past him, but he held her hand. Instinctively she freed her hand.

He laughed.

“ At least give me a chance to teach you the proper dance.”

“Thank you, but I would literally rather die.”

She fought the urge to flip him off, even though he might not have understood it, it would’ve given her great satisfaction.

She looked for Wanda, smiling and greeting people as she moved.

She spotted Wanda talking with Mei, and smiled as she walked toward them.

She bumped into Razah, and cursed.

“It is great seeing you too.” He grinned, and bit his lip. “You look very- very beautiful, um very lovely”

She smiled.

“It is not bad running into you, I was just trying to keep a watch on Wanda, you know the working hours on my job are terrible,”

He chuckled, a sound that made her heart leap.

“Most times, I do not understand a word of what you’re speaking”

He looked stunning, wearing a long sleeved gold embroidered kurta. A white turban oh his head, his hair, escaping loosely on his forehead.

“It’s nothing, your cousin Malik, just accosted me, you have a lovely family.”

“Malik is harmless, he is a bit of a romantic I’m afraid. prone to poetic outbursts. I’ll let him know he would end with a knife in his heart if he gave it to you.”

She bit her lip.

“You should’ve warned me you know, about the dance this morning.”

“But then how would I have seen that disaster, Baba loved you, that was the most I have seen him laugh in a long time.”

“How do you remember everyone’s name, I think all the faces have just merged into one in my head.”

“It gets easy, Wanda is the real hero, she knows everyone, oh speak of the devil, darling sister.”

He kissed Wanda on her cheek.

“You cannot stand here and talk, if you want to talk to her, you’ll have to dance with her, or you can go and sit with Jasper, Adrian and Ramiro, I’m sure they miss you and Sarah you did not tell me you cannot dance, one day you will have to tell me which civilization doesn’t teach it’s people how to dance.”

Sarah looked at Razah and saw him smiling at her. He turned away and cleared his throat as she looked.

“I know how to dance, just not whatever this is, I’ll show you my dance moves, it’s just less formal, and I can’t dance now, I have to look after you.”

Wanda rolled her eyes.

She grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her towards more awkward conversation.

Sarah turned and waved at Razah.

Wanda introduced her to Mei and Sarah pretended as if she hadn’t spent her afternoon breaking into Mei’s house and finding out about her.

Wanda wore a light pink gown, with a sweeping tulle skirt. She wore a tiara on her head, with rubies in it. Her head was coiled up, and a diamond necklace was perched on her neck.

Wanda’s dimpled smile deepened as she spoke with Mei. Sarah watched as that bright smile fall when a man asked Wanda to dance. Wanda hesitated in taking his outstretched hand and Sarah decided to step in. The least she could do for Wanda’s kindness was to give her a few moments with a girl she liked.

“I would love to dance with you,” Sarah said, lowering her voice and tossing back her hair. Putting up the same stupid act she did with her victims. She watched the man’s smile falter and then, with a stupid grin, he took Sarah’s hand.

“Don’t move,” she mouthed to Wanda, as the man led Sarah away to dance.

**