Whispering waves

Prince Damianos

The ship arrived at dawn; I hadn't slept all night, too anxious to rest. I saw it coming from my window, and everything felt so surreal, even then, while I watched the ship approaching slowly, carried by the fragrant wind.
The sea was calm, and the rising sun gave the sky a pink colour, which slowly turned violet, and then cerulean blue.
I could see clouds in the distance, and fog danced on the surface of the water.
Damianos, my future husband, had finally come to our land.
I considered climbing from the window I was currently standing by and running away into the woods of the west. I knew it was a dumb idea, but it was the only plan my mind could come up with.
I was trapped. Like a caged animal, waiting to be sold.
I knew it was wrong, but I hated my father for what he was doing to me. I also knew that it was tradition, and that I could not spend my whole life in my parent's home.
Still, I wished I would have had more time. I wasn't ready to marry that man, to leave my land, my parents, Doris, my friend and servant.
My world.
Just now Doris was probably waking up, and in a few minutes she'd be knocking at my door and coming in to wake me too.
The moment the ship docked at the harbor, I knew it was only a matter of time. My freedom was crumbling right before my eyes.
The Gods had not listened to my prayers: here I was, still human, prisoner of a destiny chose by others.
•
The meeting with prince Damianos was at noon.
My family and I sat at the long table with him and two of his companions.
I recognised him immediately because of his rich clothes, which could only be worn by aristocrats.
How was he?
Older than I expected. Was he really a prince or was he a king, after all?
His face had an almost square shape; his mouth was thin, and his eyes small, so that at first I thought he was squinting at me. Dirty blond hair fell flat on his forehead, and he kept pushing it behind his ears. I noticed two silver rings on his fingers.
He had olive skin, he was tall, and very slender. In all honesty, he did not look very healthy to me.
He was not... unattractive after all, I guess.
But what made me immediately dislike him was the way he looked at me.
Like he was examining me. It made me feel uneasy, and I did not like it at all.
He made me a bit scared, but I would have never admitted it.
During lunch, I made sure to break every rule my mother had imposed me in the last days. I tried to hide how scared I really was, and spoke loudly, in answer to Damianos' questions, even when my father should have answered in my place. I knew I was pushing the boundaries.
My parents were shooting me warning glances, but I ignored them completely. I would have never given up. I was determined to make Damianos hate me. Maybe he wouldn't have wanted me then.
I knew what men demanded from their wife: an obedient woman, who rarely spoke. I didn't have to try that hard to be exactly the opposite.
We were almost at the end of our meal when Damianos finally gave signs of impatience.
"My lord" he asked, only half joking, turning to face my father "is your darling daughter always this talkative?" I could sense the subtle venom in his voice. I hid my smile.
"No, no, she is just... nervous is all! She forgets how to behave, when she gets nervous, isn't that true, Hebe?" My father tried to quickly make amends, nervously caressing his beard.
My mother glared at me, as if to say "play along". But what else could they do to me?
I smiled sweetly and said, looking at the prince straight in the eyes: "More than nervous, I would say annoyed."
My mother gasped, and so did the two men sitting next to Damianos, who then tried to conceal it as a cough.
The prince's small eyes narrowed, and he grimaced. "Annoyed." He repeated.
My father looked resigned, more than angry. I took it as a good sign.
"If you would excuse me" I said, getting up quickly, before anyone could stop me. I knew that if there was something that annoyed men more than talking without permission, it was leaving a "social gathering" without permission.
Once out of the room, I dropped my arrogant façade and ran past Doris, who was listening outside the dining hall. I ran into my room, and I knew my friend was following me.
I didn't care. When she came in and saw me crouching on the floor she hugged me, and eventually, I broke down crying.