"You shouldn't eat like that" a female voice said to Arianna and the latter shrugged, completely ignoring her older sister.
"Arianna...." her sister called again, watching with disgust as Arianne stuffed her mouth full of the food on the table, partially using her hands to eat. "You shouldn't eat like a peasant!" she said with a scoff.
Arianna swallowed the last bit of food in her mouth and looked at her sister, her emerald green eyes staring unblinkingly. "Am I disturbing you, Eliza?" she asked with a frown.
"Yes, as a matter of fact you are!" Eliza, her older sister said, throwing down her napkin.
"Well, if I'm that much of a bother why don't you kindly leave my courtyard?" Arianna said, biting into an apple.
"What have gotten into you, Arianna?" Eliza asked.
Arianna flung her braided fiery red hair from her shoulders. "Nothing, I'm just trying to do what I could never do before I'm sold off in marriage"
Eliza rolled her eyes as she gently patted her blonde hair, "You're not being sold, Arianna"she started, "Infact you are being honored, imagine getting married to the third prince of Gordesia himself—"
"Oh please, Eliza!" Arianna said pinching the skin in between her brows, "I could do well without you sugarcoating my predicament"
"I'm not sugarcoating anything, it's the truth, Prince Willow will take good care of you—"
"I don't want him to take care of me!" Arianna said, angrily knocking down a Jar of water and having it spill on the table.
"Arianna, control yourself!" Eliza said standing up, she grabbed her immaculate gloves by her side and hastily wore them, her cornflower blue eyes glaring annoyingly at Arianna who sat across her with a frown, "You should try to be more mature Arianna, this marriage isn't a Joke. Our Lavania and Gordesia will be bonded because of this, you know the third prince is his father's favorite"
Arianna scoffed, she really didn't want to get married, especially when she's forced to be married to some bratty prince—someone she doesn't even know! She glanced at Eliza who stood there fixing her silky blue dress, Eliza seemed to accept this stupid tradition of being forced into marriage, probably cause she was FORCED to marry the man she loved, so it was still a win for her.
"I do not wish to be married" Arianna said, her green eyes wobbling with emotion.
"I'm sorry my darling," Eliza said with a sigh, "But I'm afraid your wishes cannot come true. You are getting married and it is not your decision" She said before walking out of Arianna's courtyard.
"Your highness?" Arianna turned to see the bowing figure of her personal maid.
"What is it, Meena?" she asked.
"I came to know if her highness is presently interested in picking out the dress for the pre–engangment party tonight"
Arianna wiped her pink lips with a napkin and stood up from the table, "I'm not interested Meena, just pick out anyone you'd like for me to wear" she said walking towards her room.
"But, your highness," Meena said walking after her, "It's not my decision to make"
Arianna stopped in her tracks as she remembered Eliza's words, then sighed and said, "It's not my decision as well" she walked away.
For the next few hours after her breakfast with Eliza, Arianna sat in front of a huge mirror as she watched indifferently the way Meena and her beautician worked hard to enhance her already vibrant beauty.
"Oh, you're highness, you look so beautiful!" Meena exclaimed looking at Arianna. Arianna turned her head to look at her hair in the mirror, her red hair had been given a side parting, the bigger part of the front hair, combed to elegantly cover a portion of her face then it had been braided from her ear all the way to the middle of her head and pinned with diamonds. the rest of her hair cascaded down her back in a thick wave, curling gracefully at the tips. Her hair shone beautifully and it enhanced her emerald eyes that shone through her thick dark lashes, her makeup was mild as she requested.
"Thank you Elora" she said to her beautician, who bowed.
"I did nothing your highness, just to slightly enhance your already visible beauty" she praised.
"Princess, your dress" Meena said as she brought the mannequin that had Arianna's dress, it was a light green—almost turquoise silky dress with a long train, made in the original Lavanian style; Long with a side cut and off shouldered with no sleeve—because the people of Lavania who reside in the east always show a little skin in their dressing.
It was when Arianna wore it that the dress seemed to come alive, the dress hugged her body in the right places, enhancing her smooth curves, the dress seemed to have a silver flowery embroidery from the shoulder of her dress till the hem. The dress came with a pair of silver colored slippers with silver ropes that was tied in an X style around her ankles.
"Oh, my...!" Meena exclaimed, "Princess you look so gorgeous!"
Arianna gave a light smile, she didn't care at all. She would have preferred to look as ugly as possible, 'maybe that would have driven that prince away!' she thought as she sighed, upset.
Then all of a sudden there was a knock and the face of Eliza with a young man peeped in her room.
"Oh, wow" Eliza exclaimed, "Perfect!"
The man who came in with Eliza walked up to Arianna with an annoyed look on his face.
"You look beautiful," Eliza said as she neared Arianna, she was wearing her signature blue dress and her hair was braided tightly down her back. "Doesn't she look lovely, Aidan?" Eliza asked the man.
The man turned his face and sighed, "Leave us" he said to Meena and Elora who courtesied and left.
Looking back at Arianna, he said, "He doesn't deserve you"
Arianna sighed as she looked at her older brother, his deep blonde hair combed neatly as he stood wearing his adorned suit with the Lavanian crest. "You think I don't know that?" she said and she sighed again.
"Oh please Aidan don't start" Eliza said pushing him away "Don't start giving her stupid ideas"
"Stupid ideas?" Aidan said with a sigh, "the only thing stupid here is how my little sister is being forced to get married to.....to that jerk!"
"Well, she's not little anymore" Eliza said grabbing Arianna's hand and looking at her, "Come on"
"I hope you don't make it to the wedding," Aidan said as Eliza walked away with Arianna who simply followed obediently. "I hope your wedding will be a total failure"
"Aidan!" Eliza exclaimed as Arianna laughed, "Would you stop that! Why you bringing bad luck on Ari?" Eliza said, calling Arianna by her nickname.
"There's already bad luck here" Aidan murmured, gritting his teeth.
Eliza rolled her eyes, "The wedding is next week thank goodness, I'll have time to pray to the heavens against any bad luck" she said pushing Arianna out the door, followed briskly by Aidan.
"Sorry Ari" Aidan said once they reached the hallway before the throne room, as he walked off.
"stand still" Eliza said as she stood in front of Arianna, using both hands she waved it close to her ears in a circular motions three times and then crossed her thumbs and placed it on Arianna's forehead.
"May the heavenly spirits protect you" she said and Arianna's sighed as she realized what was done to her, it was the Lavanian ritual of inviting good luck to someone and waving of evil.
"Thank you" Arianna mouthed as she Eliza returned to her side.
"Chin up" she heard Eliza whisper when their father walked up to them.
"Good evening Father" they chorused as they courtesied low.
"Rise" the King said with a nod. When they rose, he walked up to Arianna and gave a tight smile. In his right hand was a little diamond tiara which he placed on Arianna's head. In Lavania it was customary for the king to place the Princess's tiara on her head just before her pre–engagement party. It was seen as a way to acknowledge that the king did give his blessing and agreed to the future engagement, if the princess should go to the party without her tiara, it will be known that the king did not give his blessings.
"You look good Arianna" he complimented to receive a courtesy from her.
"I'm happy you're pleased, father" she gave a curt smile. Without another word, the king took his daughter hand and followed closely by Eliza, walked in the direction of the throne room.
Trumpets were blown, their sounds echoing in the castle.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Lords and nobilities, I present to you, Our ruler—King Jodar Evoroy White and his royal daughters; High Princess, Eliza betha White and Princess Arianna Lea White" the herald announced and everyone bowed.
The three royalties stood at the top of the stairs and gazed down at the crowd. Arianna was starting to feel nauseous. A few seconds later, the King walked down the stairs majestically, his gold and diamond crown shinning brightly as it enhanced the deep brown of his hair.
"Fellow Lavanians, I must thank you all for joining the royal family on this wonderful night, the night where we celebrate the first half of the engagement of my daughter; Princess Arianna Lea White to the third prince, Willow blane Greenwood of Gordesia" The king said to recieve an applause, he smiled brightly and looked up the stairs, beckoning on Arianna who walked down as elegantly with Eliza by her side who courtesied before her father and left.
Arianna smiled as brightly as she could as her father pushed her towards the middle of the room.
Soon enough, the trumpets where heard again, "Announcing the presence of King Alexander Lon Greenwood of Gordesia and his son; Third prince Willow blane Greenwood of Gordesia" the herald screamed again.
Arianna looked towards the entrance of the room to see the people coming in, her green eyes wandered across the king who exuded the royal aura she always felt from her father to the young man by his side, he had blonde hair and light blue eyes. His expression was soft, on his royal suit was the emblem of the royal family of Gordesia and on his right hip was a sword that all princes have.
"King Alexander," Arianna heard her father greet with a smile.
"King Jodar" they shook hands.
"Princess Arianna, as beautiful as the rumors" King Alexander said turning to look at Arianna who immediately bowed.
"Your majesty" she said, as her head came up, she saw the gazing eyes of the person next to the king, it was prince willow and he seemed to be shocked. He had heard of the rumors of the strange beauty of the Youngest princess of Lavania, it wasn't that the other princess's beauty wasn't enough to put her in rumors, because Eliza was also beautiful but Arianna's beauty was as strange as it was foreign. He had heard of how her features where like no other, he had of her eyes that seemed to shine like emeralds and her fiery hair and coming so close to see her, he could now say the rumors were more than true—Arianna was gorgeous!
"You're highness, a pleasure" he bowed to see her courtesy.
"The pleasure is all mine, Prince Willow" she said, her face low.
"It is a lovely night and your pre–engagement, you both should enjoy yourselves" King Alexander proposed as he smiled. King Jodar nodded and turned to the crowd.
"It is a merry night, we should enjoy, have fun!" he said to hear cheers and the instant sounds of music.
"If princess Arianna would allow, I would like to have this dance" Prince willow said, already taking Arianna's hand, she gulped as she looked at her father who nodded, and she walked with the prince to the dance floor, shifting uncomfortably as one of his hands placed itself on her waist and the other held her hands.
"It is a beautiful night" he said as the waltzed elegant through the room. Arianna nodded as she looked at his face, he didn't seem like a bad person, his face looked so calm and kind.
"Tell me, prince Willow, was this betrothal you're wish or the king's?" Arianna asked to see the prince's eyebrow move up in surprise, it was rare to see a princess this straightforward and this only made him like Arianna more.
"Forgive me if I'm too straight forward in my questions" Arianna apologized when he was taking a little long to reply.
"No, it's Okay Princess. The truth was that, it was at first my father's idea but seeing you now—I'm in total acceptance, don't you feel the same way?" he asked.
Arianna looked at him, he was as immature as she imagined. Looks deceive, so he meant to tell her that he immediately accepted the betrothal just because of how she looked. Did he consider the future? of whether they can co–exist with each other?
"You don't feel the same way?" he repeated and Arianna gave a fake smile.
"I do" she said.
For the next ten minutes she listened to this charming looking prince talk on and on about things that she didn't care to understand, he was just as empty headed as she thought. Did he really think that his sword fighting or politics could interest a lady in a conversation?
"Please excuse me" she said and disentangled herself from him, gave him a courtesy and ran out of the room. She reached the royal library and leaned her back against a wall, sighing tiredly.
"Is the princess looking for a book?" a hoarse male voice said, it was the royal librarian.
"Frank, you're not at the party" she said, walking to a chair and collapsing into it.
"I had to put away a few books" the man said standing in front of her, he was a middle-aged man with a hunchback. "Her highness doesn't seem excited"
"Am I supposed to?" Arianna Asked as she sighed.
"You're getting engaged, you're highness. Ofcourse you are!"
Arianna sighed again, burying her face in her palms. she wished that she could just disappear from here, so she wouldn't have to get married.
"I wish I had a fairy guardian who can help me wish that prince or myself away" she mumbled.
"That could be possible" came the voice of Frank as he walked to one of the shelves.
"Really?" Arianna said surprised and excited.
"Yes," the man said, picking an old book and hobbling back towards her. "Here it is"
Arianna looked at the book. It was Old and dusty, "What's this?"
"it's called the summoning book" Frank said with a smile. Arianna looked confused.
"I don't understand"
"You said, you wanted a guardian to do you're most heart desired wish, you can summon one" his voice sounded like he was joking.
"Seriously?" Arianna asked, her green gaze on the old book. "Does it work?"
"I wouldn't know, but, before the Lavanians abandoned magic, guardians where usually summoned using books like these when in need ,it was just to read it carefully and it works"
"I can't believe it" she said running her elegant fingers through the covers.
"You can keep it, it's of no use here"
"Thank you" she said picking up the book and leaving the library.
She couldn't tell if this would work or not, but she would try. Little, did Arianna know that this very action she planned with this book was a tool that would change her life forever.
