Despite herself, Katie stayed calm. She paced back and forth as she thought of a way to give the band time to fix their instruments.
“How long to they need?” Katie asked.
“Ten minutes would suffice. They’re fixing it right now but the guests want music to dance to,” Arden spoke rapidly.
Katie groaned, her shoulders slumping. “Okay, I have an idea but can you play the guitar?”
Arden eyes widened… then a playful and teasing smile tugged at his lips. “I’ll grab one quickly. I’ll see you inside.”
“What are you planning?” Alexander muttered, following Katie as she darted back into the ballroom, where the restless guests were starting to complain.
“Something I never thought I'd do in this setting,” Katie replied.
“You? Wha-”
Alexander watched as the princess ran to the platform where the band was staying and muttered: “The music getting interrupted may have been a little unexpected, I know,” Katie smiled. “But I actually have a little surprise for my fiancée.”
Katie gestured at him, drawing every single pair of eyes on him. He simply stared at her, puzzled. Katie’s eyes were pleading for help so he went along with it and stood close to the elevated platform where the monarchs also stood. Katie smiled gratefully and took a few deep breaths as Arden set up the guitar. The sight of Arden onstage made every woman move closer to the platform, leaving half of the court at the back. Alexander looked up at Katie and, seeing her nervousness, flashed her an “OK” sign.
Katie couldn’t fight back a grin as she lifted the microphone to her lips, gently swaying side to side as she along with the tune Arden played with the guitar. For next few minutes, everyone was silent, in awe of her voice. As expected, it was soft but at the same time, Alexander could feel assertiveness in it as well. Finally, as the impromptu performance ended, the room erupted with eager applause. Katie and Arden bowed to the crowd before leaving the stage, allowing the band to make their entrance again.
The princess ran to Alexander, giggling and strangely energetic. “That was the craziest thing I’ve ever done!” she whispered loudly.
“Katie, compose yourself!” the Queen reminded her.
Katie’s smile faded but she nodded and straightened her posture, flashing a sheepish smile. “I apologize, Your Majesty.”
She noticed King Alaster staring at her intently from the corner of her eye before looking away when the Queen led him away from them. Alexander reached out for Katie’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. “For all it is worth, I think your performance was great. Cheer up.”
“I shouldn’t have let the adrenaline get the better of me,” Katie sighed, correcting her posture when she felt it slump.
Seeing the princess sad gave Alexander the need to cheer her up. As if on cue, the music shifted to a waltz. Immediately, Alexander held out his hand. “I believe we haven’t danced yet. May I have this dance?”
Katie nodded and grasped Alexander’s hand, her cheeks taking on a faint pink color. Alexander led her to the dance floor and they danced, letting themselves get carried away with the music. Soon, more and more pairs started dancing with them, forming a loose circle on the dance floor. Alexander could feel how Katie’s hand trembled in his grasp.
“Are you nervous?” Alexander asked, tightening his grasp to stabilize the princess’ trembling hand.
Katie nodded, shyly glancing up to meet his eyes. “This is the first time anyone danced with me in a ball. Am I doing alright?”
“Relax, you’re fine.”
Katie chuckled, slightly shaking her head. “I’m sorry, you just seem so nice to me… I feel like I’m still dreaming.”
Alexander stared at her, stoic. “You dream-”
“Ahem… I believe it’s time to trade partners,” Arden smiled politely at Alexander.
Alexander smiled at Katie before moving to his new partners. Arden sidled to her side, slipping his hand around her waist like it was the most natural thing for him.
“You guys seem to be getting close,” he muttered. “I assume congratulations are in order?”
Katie chuckled and shook her head no. “I just can’t help but think that the circumstances make him less tough on me.”
“You made these so called ‘circumstances’,” Arden lifted Katie’s chin with his finger, flashing an encouraging smile. “The ball, your amazing performance… it’s you who made them possible. Be more proud of yourself!”
Silence. Slowly, a look of resolve appeared on the princess’ face. “You’re right, I made this happen, with the help of the staff of course,” she started dancing with more spring in her steps. “I managed to help the band, too!”
“You did,” Arden replied.
Looking over Katie’s shoulder, he saw a familiar figure standing beside one of the columns across the room, staring at him intently. Arden wrapped his arm tighter around Katie’s waist and led her to the center of the circle, away from the figure’s sight.
“What is-” Katie barely had time to ask him her question when Alexander arrived at their spot with his partner, an older noble lady who was dying to have Arden as partner.
Arden instantly let go of Katie and whisked Alexander’s partner away, back into the circle of dancers.
“What was that about?” Katie muttered.
“I’m not sure,” Alexander replied, taking a casual glance at the young doctor. “But I thought he needed a switch in partners.”
The waltz ended. Partners stepped back from each other and bowed. As Katie curtsied to Alexander, he noticed a slight look of worry on her face. Arden leaving must have made her feel that way.
For the rest of the party, the princess remained silent, constantly scanning the room. When the party ended, Alexander sidled next to her as they exited the ballroom.
“Something on your mind? You’ve been preoccupied since the dance,” Alexander muttered, keeping his voice down.
“I’ve just never seen Arden so worried,” Katie replied, smiling sheepishly.
So her worry lies with Arden… Alexander thought, an inexplicable tightening in his chest getting stronger.
“But I thought the dance was a little short,” she muttered, chuckling. “I thought it would at least allow us to know about each other more.”
Wait… Does that mean she wanted to dance with me more? Alexander thought, his heartbeat now racing, the tightening now forgotten.
“I imagine there will be more balls,” Alexander rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sure we will have more opportunities to get to know each other.”
Katie pouted and nodded. “You’re right,” she turned to him, stretching out her hand for a handshake. “Prince Alexander, I believe I failed to thank you for giving our circumstances a chance, no matter how unusual it may be.”
Alexander shook her hand with a crooked smile. “But I have to disagree; I believe it’s quite normal in our case.”
“May I interrupt?” the Queen spoke, forcing the pair to stop.
“Aunt!” Katie exclaimed, surprised. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you approach.”
“It’s a good sign that both of you did not notice,” the Queen remarked with a wink. The pair exchanged glances but remained silent. “Anyway, I failed to inform you. Your practice starts tomorrow afternoon after your lectures.”
“For what, Your Majesty?” Alexander inquired.
“For your performance, of course!” the Queen exclaimed, giddy.
The pair shared uneasy expressions. Katie mumbled under her breath before asking: “Our?”
In the morning, after Katie’s lectures in the library, she was left behind by her tutor to self-study. In the silence of the library, the creaking of the large doors opening almost sounded deafening.“Sneak attack!”Every instinct to survive kicked in and she jumped back from her chair, colliding with another table behind her. A heavy broadsword fell upon the table, bouncing on the thick books but it didn’t fail to leave a mark. She jumped over the table and her pursuer did the same. The figure chased her around the library, flipping over tables and chairs, and dropping books left and right. Katie ran toward the door and her pursuer pounced, reaching the door first, blocking the way out. Immediately, the person raised the sword over his head and sliced it downward. Katie crouched down, her hands over her head, and expected the dull sword to crack her head in two. After a few seconds, nothing came.Arden’s laugh echoed in the library
They all sat inside Arden’s car, all silent, none wanting to break the tension. They heard Katie’s breath hitch and she looked away, wiping a tear threatening to stream down her cheek.“We’re going back to the pa-”“Take us to the studio,” Katie said firmly.Alexander’s head whipped toward Katie’s direction, surprised at the princess’ response. He had anticipated she would follow Arden’s advice without question. “Are you sure? You don’t have to force yourself.”“My imagination played a trick on me. I am not injured,” Katie replied opened the door and got out, dropping any further protests.Both men exchanged glances on the rear-view mirror before following Katie. Arden felt irritated that he couldn’t stop Katie from practicing once she had calmed down.Katie slightly threw open the doors, showing aggression but trying to be polite at the sam
A week passed and the dance practice always carried on until late in the night. At the end of each lesson, the students would always request more time to practice in the studio so the instructors would leave first. With how much Arden had stuck with Katie before this week, Alexander wondered why he was nowhere to be found now. Ever since Katie came back from her walk with Arden clutching her bruised arm, he had never seen him around the palace again. Katie had discussed her injury with no one, hiding it with bandages until it eventually faded. The day before the dance, Alexander finally saw Arden in the palace, walking out of the Queen’s study, holding a folder full of papers. Alexander turned toward the stairs, but after a silent argument with himself, spun sharply on his heel and darted toward Arden. The young doctor noticed him and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “What?” Arden asked, mildly irritated. “You were gone for a whole week. Why?
Katie managed to catch Alexander when she saw his body start to slump and set him down gently on the floor. She grabbed his phone and shone the light over his body to check for anything that could explain him losing consciousness so suddenly. She saw blood dripping from his temple and took a closer look at it.“It’s something blunt, probably,” she muttered. “I should get him ou-” she paused when she recalled why they were eating sandwiches in the studio instead of going out. “Crap.”She felt movement around her and she scrambled back, her back against the dance studio mirror, shining the phone’s flashlight. The darkness around her felt as if it now hid something else that wasn’t supposed to be seen. Another movement on her right… then to her left. Summoning all of her courage, she dashed to the door.“Help!” she helplessly pounded on the door in panic.She could almost feel the darkn
“Uh… Your Majesty, why is my ensemble a little less fitting for the ritual?” Alexander called out from inside the dressing room.“That’s because the story happened when the god of war met the goddess of love,” the Queen answered. “The god of war was the leader of a more “civilized” tribe but the goddess of love was a maiden from a different tribe so the clothes aren’t matching.”In the other stall, they heard Katie gasp. “It’s so flowy!” she exclaimed, chuckling to herself. “I feel like I’m living in the wrong time. The sleeves feel like it’ll get in the way of sword, though. This, uh, lower part reaches up to the end of my dress.”“They did say you’re quite the sword user if you finish the dance with no damage to the dress.” The Queen replied. “Although, I don’t think it has anything to do with skill at all. I was not a good
“Thank you for attending the courtship dance, my lords and ladies,” the priest smiled warmly at the gathered crowd. “With the blessing of the gods upon the prince and princess’ engagement, they’ve both considered each others’ kingdom as their responsibility. Now, with your generous donations, Princess Katie believed that it will go where it is truly needed: as an aid to the Kingdom of Anatolia.”The nobles clapped with approval and they all nodded politely at King Alaster. The King greeted back, unable to mask the surprise and gratefulness in his expression. Alexander turned to Katie, his expression identical to his father’s. Katie grinned from ear to ear and nodded shyly.After more felicitations from the nobles, they finally went home. The monarchs watched from their seats as Katie and Alexander displayed a playful fight, probably to shake off their nervousness from the performance. Alexander beamed at the sight o
Intent on exploring the entire passage, they continued on. Alexander and Katie discussed what they heard from the conversation of their guardians.“Maybe he had a sibling who took over?” Alexander suggested.“The story about him was a bit more fantastical than the other kings, really,” Katie muttered, surreptitiously grabbing the end of Alexander’s shirt as she constantly looked behind her. “They say he was this ‘Great Warrior’ who descended from the old temple in mountains of Aelysia. His battle prowess made people believe that he was favored by the god of war, which is why he was able to unite the people. It is also said that he was immune to poison and that he defeated an army of a hundred thousand strong with no weapons in hand.”Alexander scoffed. “With the obvious ego boost aside, that does not prove he didn’t have a sibling.”“That’s because I didn’t say
Terror slowly became evident on their faces and they simultaneously ran out of the room, Katie instinctively grabbing Alexander’s hand as the distance between them started to widen. Alexander gripped her hand tightly and they ran as fast as they could, managing to exit the passageway quickly. When they finally shut the bookshelf, they locked eyes, panting… then they burst out laughing.“Oh… my gods,” Katie muttered between breaths, “I guess I should have expected that with secret passages. I hope I didn’t drag you down.”Alexander shook his head, his hands on his waist. “I wasn’t planning on leaving you behind.”“Ugh,” Katie removed her shoes and glanced at Alexander. “I hope you don’t mind, I’m-”“Perfectly fine,” Alexander shrugged. “You don’t have to apologize for it.”“Thanks,” Katie turned away, stif