Fall for Me

six

~ l e o r a

I STRETCHED OUT my legs and squinted through the window of the airplane, the sight of the Aecho airport appearing beneath me. Monumental columns lined the snaking structures of the runways, winding around a colossal glass construction. The plane jolted as it rolled along one of the various spacious runways, speeding past the nearly invisible flashing red lights dotted at the sides. The blur of the buildings and trees which surrounded them suddenly made me feel sick again.

This had been my first ever flight and I deeply loathed it. I had felt nauseous throughout the whole journey, and even now I still had goosebumps trailing along my twitching arms. I had once resisted the urge to throw up over the fitted, red carpet extending across the floor of the plane, forcing down the biscuits I had for breakfast which had been rising up my throat, and to my dismay, there had been none of those paper bags for you to throw up in.

Taking an airplane was considered one of the most expensive and dangerous forms of travel in my village. People usually avoided them if they could and would ride the local coach instead. Father had told me it was because the villagers were afraid of storms raging in the night, which would undeniably affect the flight.

Gradually, the aircraft came to a stop. All the other girls yawned and straightened in their plush, first-class seats, straining their necks to see through the compartment door. A flight attendant wearing a crisp navy suit and skirt emerged from within the drawn curtains and gestured for us to exit the plane before muttering something into the device pinned to the lapel of her suit. After hastily smoothing their dresses which swished around their knees with every movement, and applying more lip gloss onto their already shiny lips, the others shuffled out of their seats.

Staggering to my feet, I grasped the head of the seat in front of me to steady myself, wincing when the strap of one of the heels scratched against my ankle irritatingly. One of the princesses raised an eyebrow at me curiously and I felt my neck heat up in embarrassment. Heading out of the compartment doorway behind the other girls, I bit down on my bottom lip, anxious for what I would come face to face with. 

I had never been outside the village, so I had never learnt how to communicate with outsiders. Judging by the fact that the Aecho royal family had chosen this very airport for us to land, it must've been for only very special members.

A set of metal stairs had been unfolded, connecting the floor of the plane to the ground. Clinging to the rail of the stairs, I cautiously placed one foot before the other, breathing deeply as I made my way down, struggling to keep balance. The princesses were already waiting at the bottom, examining their nails or checking for smudged makeup in compact mirrors. Guards had been commanded to escort us toward the airport. They had rifles in their hands, the tip perching on their shoulders. Their fingers hovered over the trigger, ready to fire when necessary.

To the side of the guards stood an elderly, rotund man, his greasy, gray mustache curling at the ends. His beady eyes roamed over the princesses and he opened his mouth and licked his lips. An unpleasant feeling boiled in the pit of my stomach and I shambled backward slightly. The other girls were too occupied to notice the way the man was studying them.

"Princesses," the man addressed us, his eyes fluttering to me. He unfurled a meaty hand for each of the princesses to shake. 

When he reached me, I tilted my head back and scrunched up my nose as if I smelled something bad before sliding my hand into his. To my disgust, he pressed his slobbery lips onto my skin, giving it a kiss. I flinched and yanked my hand away, not bothering to hide my revulsion as I wiped the back of my hand onto my dress. The man pretended not to notice.

"I hope you all have had a wonderful journey. It is exceptionally early, and I suppose all of you received enough sleep during the flight?" He inquired, rubbing the end of his mustache between his chubby and hairy fingers. 

"Yes, and thank you, Whittigan," the princesses replied in unison, finally stowing away their makeup products and paying attention.

"I am pleased to hear that." He bowed lowly and pivoted on his foot before lifting an arm to his side and lengthened his fingers, directing at the excessively huge building of the airport. "Follow me, princesses."

Doing as he said, we tailed after him, filing through the immense automatic doors. The interior of the building was even more spectacular than the outside. Ridiculously bright chandeliers hooked to the ceiling, reflecting the swollen, naked sun, scattering the light around the structure. A waiting area came into view, and a few men and women clothed in golds and reds accommodated the seats, flipping through stacks of vividly colorful magazines. Some raised their heads to acknowledge us, but others focused on what they were doing. 

A counter lined the right of the first floor, a girl clad in blue scribbling furiously beyond it as she answered the caller on the other end. When the sound of our heels approached her, she looked up and her jaw dropped open. Saying a hasty goodbye through the handset of the telephone, she slammed it back down and stood, bowing.

"Princesses, welcome to Aecho!" She beamed. She was no older than eighteen. I wondered why a girl of such young age was working in an airport. Her lopsided bun bobbed up and down.

"Lise, prepare a vehicle for the princesses," the man, who I now knew was called Whittigan, barked. The girl behind the counter swallowed frighteningly and nodded. 

Whilst she arranged for a car to take us to the palace, Whittigan engaged one of the princesses in a conversation. I recognized her to be Julianne. The others examined the airport terminal, pointing out immaculately beautiful details along the walls to each other. I followed their gazes and found myself looking at an ancient portrait of a petite man and woman, settled on the back wall of the counter. The man had an arm around the woman's shoulder, his hair smoothed back and his beard combed and brushed thoroughly. The woman had been dressed in layers of thick burgundy lace skirts, the bodice was tight around her waist, long sleeves clinging to her plump arms. Their faces were solemn, and a tinge of sorrow gleamed in the man's eyes.

"Sir, the car is here," the girl reported, hanging up the phone. Whittigan offered a chunky arm for Julianne and I cringed inwardly. She took it graciously, giving a soft smile in return.

"This way." Whittigan guided us all around the counter and through a pair of double doors set firmly at the back of the floor, a staircase winding downward.

I inhaled and exhaled, calming myself. I told myself I needed to try not to fall down the entire staircase because of my heels. My hand grasped onto the cool handrail, my fingers sliding across the wood. A minute later, we were through another set of doors. The air suddenly cooled and I realized we were in the underground parking lot. 

Whittigan led us past cylinder-shaped columns etched with the carvings of flowers and animals. The marble glistened, flashing at us almost threateningly. A limo had been parked along the side of the exit, a driver waiting patiently in front of it, a cap pulled over his face. His lips were pressed in a thin line. He bowed at us in a greeting and opened the back door. As we shifted into the seats, he made sure we had our seatbelt on before starting the car and rolling up the ramp, bringing us into the daylight.

~*~

~ l e o r a 

THE PALACE DOORS flung open noiselessly, swinging wide open as they revealed the sight before us. Enormous paintings hung on either side of the vast hall, framed with spirals of gold. Each face watched us, eyes glittering ferociously. Half a dozen maids and butlers hurried over, welcoming us with warmth. A middle-aged woman hushed them and tapped her pen against the head of her clipboard, her dark eyes scrutinizing us dauntingly, her lips pressed in a firm line. She was dressed from head-to-toe in black, causing her white-blonde hair to stand out much more than it should.

Pursing my lips, my fingers clutched the hem of my dress and I tensed under the woman's burning probing, a disconcerting self-consciousness overcoming me. A minute later, the woman motioned for us to follow her and we all obeyed silently, clattering down the hall in a stampede of heels. The noise must have aroused the entire palace by now. It was nearly half-past seven in the morning, and many of the nobles and  the royal family would still be sleeping.

As we headed through the hall, I allowed myself to examine the sublime architecture of the palace. An imposing chandelier dangled from the ceiling, hundreds of thousands of crystals swaying from it, mirroring the light it cast. The wallpaper plastered over the walls were an intense shade of dark blue, formal and serene. A row of statues stood on either side of the hallway, a maiden caressing a child in her bare arms, attired in nothing but a cloth which circled her waist and chest. A crystal ball perched precariously on her fingertips.

The woman halted in her steps to curtsey to someone and the princesses followed suit. An astonishingly tall man strode into the hall, bronze curls twisting atop his head. He was mildly handsome, with auburn eyes and a sharp nose and high cheekbones. When he brushed past, his eyes flickered down to gaze at me, and all of a sudden, I found myself hurriedly bending my knees and sinking into a bow, strands of my hair falling over my face. My hear raced and thundered against my ribcage. 

A moment later, he turned and stalked off. The sound of my somehow labored breathing was accompanied by the noise of his fading footfalls. All the princesses rose from their curtseys and I copied them. The woman explained something, but I wasn't listening. Instead, I had spun so I could watch as the figure of the man turned a corner and was gone. I didn't know why, but there was something oddly familiar about him that left me uneasy.

I hadn't noticed until I heard the sound of faint footsteps that we were to continue on our way. I caught up with everyone else clumsily and straightened my spine, trying my hardest to blend in. We reached two mahogany doors. Around the doors were the meticulous engravings of two lions battling each other, one snaring the other in its muscular jaw, its mighty claws digging into the flesh of the other. The weaker one was frozen in a silent howl.

"Princesses, through this door is the Waiting Room, where you are to wait and prepare for the arrival of the prince. He will be here at around eight," the woman stated. She didn't add how long we were to wait for.

Gripping the handle, the woman jerked and the double doors flung open, exposing to us all of its secrets. Luxurious armchairs and sofas leaned snugly against the walls and wooden coffee tables covered with trays of china cups and teabags had been arranged carefully about the room. The chandeliers hanging from above were similar to those in the hallway not far behind.

Stepping into the room, the princesses and I made ourselves comfortable under the order of the woman, who observed our every move. I lowered myself into an armchair and grabbed for a magazine, carelessly flicking through the pages. They were merely a cloudy blur as my mind drifted elsewhere.

I wondered what my family were doing now. It was not eight yet, which meant my mother and sister were sewing and my brothers were learning sculpturing with my father. I would have been out trading wheat for morsels of bread or bags of vegetables. The thought was like a dagger dragging down my chest.

My eyes wandered around the room and I spotted a grandfather clock ticking gently in a dark corner. The minute hand was centimeters away from the twelve, indicating it was almost eight, which was the time the prince was to arrive and welcome us to his home. The moments passed and before I knew it, the doors burst open just as the clock chimed.

At this very second, most girls would envy me and do anything just to be in my position.

As the crown prince of Aecho marched confidently into the Waiting Room with the same woman from before behind hime, my surroundings seemed to chill, and time seemed to slow. He moved with an air of self-assurance about him, radiating off him like the rays of the sun. His steps never faltered, but grew bolder still, almost daring one of us to stand up to him, to challenge him. With an arrogant grin smothered across his unquestionably handsome face, he regarded us.

"Ladies," he purred slowly, drawing out the word. Unsurprisingly the princesses batted their eyelashes and one of them even giggled. I mentally face-palmed myself. 

We made our way to the center of the room where the prince stood. He bowed at each of us, pecking each one on the hand. I was last. When he finally came to the end, I noticed he stared at me for a moment longer than he did the others. Bowing, he took my hand in his, which was calloused, but gentle and soft at the same time. He tipped his head forward and placed a lingering kiss on the back of my hand, where Whittigan had kissed me. I avoided the urge to scrunch my face up just at the memory, focusing on the prince. He surveyed me through his long eyelashes, trying to read my thoughts. His eyes were a delicate icy silver, a pure reflection of the moon, glowing as they bore into my own. I flushed and an amused smile played on his lips.

"Welcome to Aecho, Princess Leorane," he murmured. I was slightly irritated he had called me Leorane, but I held back from snapping at him.

"It's Leora," I said quietly. He let out a low chuckle which sent a shiver running through me, my stomach abruptly erupting with butterflies.

"Leora." My name rolled along his tongue like the waves rolled along the sandy shore of a beach, and I gulped, my ears echoing with the sound of my erratic breathing and the thumping of my heart. I was suddenly aware of how close our faces were, and that he was still bent over, clutching my hand. I pulled it away.

Squaring his broad shoulders, the prince adjusted his cravat. "Welcome, princesses, to Aecho. I hope you all had an alright journey, and I hope you find your visit here satisfactory. There will be a welcome party late in the afternoon today which is a chance for everyone in the palace to formally welcome you all, and all of you are to attend. If there is anything any of you need, please let the staff know, and make yourselves at home." The prince bowed once more before whispering to the woman standing a few meters away, frowning at something on her clipboard. She nodded quickly and curtseyed as the prince walked off.

"Now, princesses, follow me," she demanded, briskly turning on her heel and treaded through the doors.

We had no choice but to stick to her stern instructions.