happily every after?

2

The ballroom was packed with people, all in huge gowns and crisp suits. The dress code for the visitors was silver and gold so my blue dress stood out. I could feel eyes on me but I didn’t care at that moment. I walked towards my parents who were talking to a tall guy in a grey suit at the corner of the ballroom and they instantly plastered fake smiles over their faces. I inwardly rolled my eyes as I got closer “oh there she is!” my mother said in a high pitched tone pulling me into a hug. “I hope u behave yourself” she whispered into my ear as she pulled away. My hands were sweaty by then and I was nervous as I looked at the infamous Prince James.

He had hazel eyes and blonde hair and I could tell he was well built. His jaw was strong and his lips were pulled into a smirk. Ok he was kind of cute. Probably how’d u describe a prince in a fairytale? He took my hand into his and gently placed his lips to the back of my hand. “You look gorgeous” he said as he pulled away. He had a nice voice but not as nice as the voice of the guard from earlier. The guard also had more striking eyes. Wait why was I thinking about him? I was pulled out of my thoughts by the voice of James.

“Do you mind if I steal your daughter for a bit” he asked my parents, his smirk not fading even the slightest bit as his grip on my hand tightened making me wince however i ignored it. “Of course” my dad smiled at him and walked the other way taking my mom with him. “So would you mind showing me around your home?” he asked dragging me towards the stairs that lead upstairs. He looked at me just like a predator would look at his prey. I had a bad feeling about thid but I shook it off. I nodded and smiled politely at him as I took him upstairs, still hand in hand.

“That’s my dad’s office, it’s where he holds all meetings. Oh and that’s the library” I said showing him the more private areas as the security here was higher but tonight I could barely see any guards outside the gates. Noticing that we had reached the end of the corridor I looked at him and to my surprise he was already looking at me. He had this evil look in his eyes which made me want to shrink away but despite all the bad feelings I pretended everything was normal and didn’t pull my hand away instantly. “Uh I guess we should get downstairs then” I said my voice now lower than before. I knew he could sense my fear as his smirk grew even bigger.

I hated myself foe being so weak at that moment.

“How about no?” he said pulling me towards him. I gasped at the sudden movement. “W-What do you mean” I stammered. “l'm pretty sure your father our deal to you, I’m just trying to make the most of every moment we spend together” he pulled a loose strand of hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear. I looked at him in confusion and then pushed him away aggressively. Bad move. This made him furious as he gripped my arm harshly and slammed my body to his running his hands up and down my arms. We were too close for my liking.

I didn’t fight him off after the first attempt or even try to push him away, I was frozen to my spot. I was never told what to do in such situations. Hot tears streamed down my face as he moved his lips next to mine. It was as if I was stuck in time, everything was happening too slowly. His hand moved up to my bare back as I closed my eyes bracing myself for what was to happen next. But thankfully he wasn’t able to finish what he started as the sound of footsteps was heard. “Stop crying” he muttered as he pulled away and straightened up. I was scared of what he’d do so I did what I was told and smiled weakly. He held my hand tightly again and that was it. One move on his part was all it took for the tears to fall again.

I bowed my head in order to hide my puffy eyes.

The footsteps came closer and stopped right in front of us. I had my head bowed which gave me the opportunity to take a look at the shoes. Two pairs of combat boots. I instantly realized that the shoes belonged to guards and i knew i was safe so with a sigh of relief I looked up. “What’s happening here” the guard on the left asked with a raised eyebrow but I didn’t focus on him for my eyes were locked on the one standing on the right. I could never forget those green orbs. “None of your business” the dimwit (James) next to me replied. “Well clearly it is since she’s our princess and it’s our duty to keep her safe” the guy from earlier today said in a stern tone never taking his gaze off of me.

“And I am her selection, your point is?” James replied. “N-no you’re not” I was shocked at the words leaving my mouth as I pushed myself away from him. James was now glaring at me and I held in a breath. We stood in that position for about 2 minutes until green eyes spoke up “ok this is getting boring” and before any of us could comprehend what was happening, he punched James and knocked him out. “Dude what the hell? Do you know who-” the guy on the left who I’m assuming was his friend hissed but before he could continue green eyes cut him off.

“Oh come on its not like he’ll actually remember when he wakes up, none of them do. Can you carry the rest of the stuff on your own?” he pointed to a huge stack of cardboard box boxes near a table. His friend looked at him and then back at me and then hesitantly nodded. He reached out to grab a box as his eyes narrowed into slits “you owe me one” he said to his green eyed friend who just chuckled folding his arms over his chest.

“You want to get out of here, princess?” the green eyed mystery asked once his friend was out of sight and there was something about him that excited me. I nodded and followed him. “By the way I’m Alex and my friend over there was max” he spoke up in that velvety voice of his which was enough to make me go weak in the knees. Why did he make me feel this way? “Liz or Lizzy or just Elizabeth, nice to meet you” I introduced myself. He just laughed. “What?” I asked. “That’s a cute name” he muttered shaking his head. I smiled and continued trailing behind him like a lost child as he led the way. Little did I know that it was this very night with a guard that would change everything?