~*~
I looked like an entirely different girl by the time Tyrone was finished with my makeup. He hadn't done a whole lot, some light contouring to accent my natural facial features and smokey eye shadow that made my red eyes seem to almost glow. Ty had also put some mascara on my lashes that made them seem longer than they really were.
I was still nervous. After our confrontation earlier, my mind had come up with every negative outcome that could possibly happen. Well, that could happen based upon my own imagination. Either way, the end result usually resulted in me turning into a bleeding pile on the floor. Hopefully Dylan had confiscated whatever weapons she still had on her.
"Alright, that should do it," Ty said once he was done with the finishing touches.
I gave myself one last look in the mirror. To say I was pleased with his work would have been an understatement. I finally felt like the princess everyone else kept saying I was. I was almost to the door when Tyrone piped up again.
"Oh, Cello, wait! You almost forgot this!"
I turned around to find him just before me, delicately placing something onto my head. Another look in the mirror revealed it was a silver tiara with ruby flowers woven through it. It only added to the fiery beauty this entire look brought out in my features. It was then it finally hit me, I could have looked like this my whole life. True, the clothes would have been too expensive, but instead of trying to pull off such a dramatic style, I could have accented my natural beauty. I could have highlighted what was already there instead of trying to cover it up.
"There, that oughta do it," Ty said, tousling a few of my curls so they weren't tangled together. "Now you're ready to be presented."
Cue the swarm of butterflies trying to burst free from my stomach. "I have to go out there now, don't I?"
"Afraid so, hun."
"There's no, I dunno, body-double spell?"
He chuckled, "Sweetheart, if there were, I would've used it years ago. You'll be fine, No one will be allowed to lay a finger on you. You'll have Lord Dylan and several body guards posted throughout the room to ensure your safety. Now go on, my art must be displayed."
With that I was shooed out of the room and pushed on toward the large doors that I assumed separated me and what was certain to be a bloody fate. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and slowly walked into the room. It looked like a long banquet hall, someplace that could hold banquets and other such social events, yet double as a war room if needed. The walls were made of gray stone, so different from the bright, and colorful crystal walls I'd seen through the rest of the castle so far. The hall held an ominous air, as if something were lurking behind a corner, waiting for me to let my guard down.
"Boo," whispered the vixen in my ear.
I couldn't hold back my yelp, or stop my body from flinching away from the source. This received a chuckle from the same voice, though when I looked to where I had just been standing there was no one there.
I looked over to the door I'd just walked through to see an exasperated Dylan leaning against the wall. He rolled his eyes and shook his head before walking over to my side. He took my hand and led me over to the long table in the center of the hall, pulling out the end chair for me so I could sit down. I smiled at him as a thank you and took my seat. Dylan then took the chair directly to my left.
Looking further down the table, the princess from earlier seemed to materialize into her place, tipping her chair back with her feet propped up on the table while she cleaned her nails with one of the daggers she'd been carrying earlier. Even in her slob-like position, there was no other word to describe her than regal.
