To Keep a Promise

.19.

'Your Majesties, honoured guests, noble men and women. Presenting, Princess Sapphira of the Kingdom Stedor'

There was a hush until the Princess walked through the door, then the low hum of voices as she was judged and found adequate or wanting by the room. She was quite lovely. Her skin had the expected Stedor colouring, perhaps the darkest skin in the room. The bright orange of her dress stand out, highlighting the accents of red in her dark hair.

She descended the stair case with poise, coming to a stop at the landing and dropping into a low curtsy as required. The crowd appeared to judge her adequate by the expressions of those around me.

From where I stood I could see her raise her eyes up to Mason almost seductively as she rose back from the curtsy. The King nodded, indicating his approval, and she stepped to the side of the thrones, in a space reserved for royal visitors.

I let my eyes wander to Mason and saw that after she was out of his line of sight, his gaze did not return to her at all. Instead I could see him searching the crowd under the guise of observing the room.

I moved slightly so that I could see him better, and the movement of my dress in the light created a beacon. He stared at me intently, silently demanding that I meet his eyes.

After resisting for as long as I could, thoughts of my father seeing anything stopping me, I lifted my eyes.

The stern expression did not leave his face but his features softened slightly and his eyes danced across my face. He trapped me in a sea of green for so long that I almost missed the arrival of Princess Heleana, of Aririd.

I had heard many things about Heleana, the main one being that she was exceedingly dull. When she stepped out onto the landing the overwhelming sight was the lavender dress that she wore, which overpowered her petite frame.

She was led carefully down the stairs, trying not to trip as she went. Like princess Saphirra she dropped into a low curtsy and waited to be prompted before she stood up. Her face was lovely but had little impact on Masons expression. He appeared to be unimpressed by the offerings so far.

The King looked bored, the Queen worried, and Aria clearly was trying not to laugh. The most worrying thing was the relaxed look on my fathers face. He knew that the women so far, even if they did marry Mason, were no threat to the stability of Nadora. As long as Mason did not choose well, Father believed that Corisan would not be a threat to his rule, and Prince Anthony would have time to produce an heir to continue the line.

However, I knew who was coming next, and Father would not like it.

The Princess of Proemysta had come to Nadora one day a few years ago, expressing an interest in a marriage with my brother Anthony. Not only was she was kind and incredibly beautiful, but also because Proemysta was a wealthy Kingdom, with their largest export being jewels. There was hope that she would choose to marry Anthony, but no one really believed that she would.

No one was surprised when an agreement could not be reached, and many believed it was because she had met him and demanded to leave immediately, refusing to marry such an arrogant, unkind man.

This time I caught Mason's eye and despite his bewilderment at my sudden intensity, he held the stare and smiled at me genuinely. I committed that look to memory, because I knew that if anyone could be a genuine match for him, it was Princess Anne. From the corner of my eye I saw my father following Masons line of sight to me, and I bowed my head before he could determine the meaning of the moment.

'The Princess Anne, of Proemysta'

Again the doors swung open and the Princess glided into the ballroom. Mason turned to see her and I watched his eyes widen and his jaw drop just a little bit.