Chapter 7: A Night at the Ball
1648 Words
“Princess Eiley, may I have this dance?” Warren bowed in front of the princess and held out his hand to her.
Eiley smiled pleasantly and said, “Must we?”
Warren flinched, but quickly smoothed his features. “I think it would be a good showing.”
Eiley sighed then took Warren’s hand with a playful giggle. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, grinned, and said, “Fine.”
She stood and Annabelle straightened her skirts as she walked away. She let Warren lead her to the dancefloor, and she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder when he turned to her.
She let a smile break across her face and looked into Warren’s eyes. “Why are you doing this?” she said coldly.
He flinched again, but recovered quickly. “It will help strengthen our position if we’re seen to be a good match.”
“And what position would that be?” Eiley twirled under his arm, landing back in front of him.
Warren steadied her with a hand on her waist. “I want this to represent a strong alliance between Reslandia and Saint Galame. I think both of our nations can benefit from this.”
Eiley rolled her eyes. “And where do we fall in all of this?”
Warren tilted his head at her. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
Eiley sighed and flashed him a glowing smile. “I mean us as people. Me and you.” She shuddered at the words.
“We’ll get married, as planned. We can lead largely separate lives after the wedding, if that’s what you want.”
Eiley pondered his expression for a moment, but he couldn’t meet her eye. Finally, she said, “If you intend to lead separate lives, why bother with the marriage to begin with?”
“For the alliance.”
“That’s not a good reason to get married, Warren.”
He stepped towards her, following the moves of the dance, and said, “Oh course it is.”
Eiley put a hand on his chest, teasingly. “But what do you want?”
“I want an Alliance?” he said.
Eiley sighed and pulled back her hand. “Maybe Teresa was right.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” They were both silent for a moment, then Eiley said, “Why do you want to marry me?”
Warren furrowed his brow. “I told you. Reslandia needs an alliance with Saint Galame.”
“No, Warren, not me, the Princess of Reslandia. Why do you want to marry me, Eiley?”
“Aren’t those the same thing?”
“No,” she said. “No they’re not.”
The song came to an end, and Eiley stepped away from Warren, politely clapping to the band. She turned to walk away from the dance floor and suppressed a groan when she found Warren at her side.
“We need something to drink,” she announced.
Warren laughed. “Maybe I can introduce you to some of our agua vite some time.”
“Mentioning your agua vite again won’t make me more excited to try it,” she said without looking back at him.
He put a hand on her arm. “What are you talking about?”
She stopped walking and turned back to look at him. “You keep offering me that without actually giving me a glass?”
“No? This is the first time I’ve ever suggested it,” he said, looking at her with concern. “If you’re really that eager, I believe we traveled with a bottle. Perhaps we could have a nightcap after the ball?”
Eiley sneered at him. “I’m not spending any more time with you than I have to.”
Warren looked taken aback, and said, “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”
“Don’t bother,” Eiley snapped, still keeping a smile plastered on her face. “I need a drink.”
She looked toward the bar, but Warren stopped her. “Stay here,” he said. “I’ll get us something.” He darted away, seemingly eager to have an excuse to get away from her.
Eiley took a deep breath, trying to recharge. Her mother caught her eye across the room and nodded vigorously, encouraging her to follow Warren. The Queen smiled with her teeth and pointed to her own cheeks, silently telling Eiley to do the same. Eiley nodded, and when she looked up again, a smile covered her face. The message was clear. She didn’t have to be happy here, she just needed to play the part.
Warren returned to her side, slipping a glass of wine into her hand.
“Thank you, Warren,” she said, already taking a sip.
“Of course,” he answered.
King Nathanial beckoned the pair to join him on the throne pavilion.
Warren offered his arm to Eiley who took it and followed him to the front of the room.
The King hugged his daughter warmly, and for a moment, she sank into his embrace, letting herself relax. Then he turned his attention to Warren, and the moment was gone.
“Thank you, all, for attending the ball to celebrate this royal engagement!” he announced. The thanks was unnecessary. No one here could have declined an invitation, and truthfully, no one had wanted to. The ball was a welcome interruption in the monotony of court life. “I think this represents the start of many generations of prosperity. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for our two great kingdoms.”
Warren put his hand on Eiley’s lower back, and she drained her glass. He smiled down at her, pretending to be the doting fiancé everyone expected him to be. Only a vague surprise registered on his face when she took his glass from his hand and replaced it with her empty one.
He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You should slow down. We’ve got a long night still.”
She looked up to him with a ringing laugh. “Don’t be silly!”
To anyone watching them from afar, they looked like a young couple, utterly infatuated with each other.
“Careful, Eiley,” her mother cautioned her. “Don’t let your guard slip.”
She turned and grinned at her mother. “I would never!” she snapped.
“And, now!” the King announced. “A dance in honor of the young couple!” He took both glasses from the pair and pushed them towards the dance floor.
The band scrambled to pick up a waltz, and Eiley took Warrens hand, letting him lead her through the steps.
“Eiley, are you okay?” Warren asked.
She kept her face serene, but something felt wrong.she kept shooting glances behind her. “Yes, I’m fine,” she said, but she flinched when she said it.
“Would you like to get some air?” he asked. He lifted his hand to push a stray ringlet of hair out of her eyes but stopped himself at the last minute.
“Stop trying to get me alone,” Eiley snapped, but when a rush of dizziness passed over her, she clutched his arm for support.
“I’m going to get you some water,” he said gently.
She nodded, not trusting herself to respond.
“Do you want to meet me on the terrace?”
“Yes,” Eiley said, nodding again.
He squeezed her forearm encouragingly, and she abruptly let go. “I’ll be right back,” he told her.
Eiley started walking towards the terrace doors, taking slow even breaths to ground herself. Every flash of jewelry to swish of skirts struck her attention until she was so disoriented that she almost covered her eyes.
She looked around the room for her friends, and when she couldn’t find them, she searched for Warren. She caught a glimpse of him walking toward her, but someone pushed her shoulder, spinning her around. The room spun and her vision narrowed to a pinhole. Her hands shook with cold despite the roaring fire in the hearth.
“I need to leave,” she whispered, her breath becoming short and labored. She walked towards the doors, and stumbled. She laughed a weak apology to someone as she passed, and took several more steps before she felt a sharp pain in her side.
She gasped and the pain was accompanied by a rush of warmth on her skin. She looked down slowly to see a hilt sticking out of her stomach with blood, dripping onto the marble floor.
She yanked the dagger out of her stomach and heard someone scream nearby.
Eiley took a shallow breath and her vision went black. She felt the world tilt under her and she screamed when her head hit the ground.
Eiley heard movement to her left and grabbed the first thing her fist could find to throw.
Leigha ducked with a yelp, narrowly avoiding the pillow Eiley had thrown.
“I’m sorry your majesty,” she murmured with a deep curtsy. “I can come back for your dress fitting at another time.”
“What?” Eiley said hoarsely.
Lady Leigha was standing in front of her and the purple gown Eiley had been wearing was before her on a dress form. But the sleeves hadn’t been taken in yet. And there was no blood on the bodice.
“I’m so sorry, Princess Eiley, I’ll come back,” Leigha bowed and retreated to the door, shutting it softly behind her.
Eiley stared at the dress, then looked around at her bedroom. After a moment, she ripped off her shift, expecting to find a gaping wound, or at least bandages. But all she found was smooth bare skin.
- Writer
