Royal Runaway

Chapter Four

The day of the ball arrived and Madeline couldn't be anymore not excited for it. She woke up, just like any normal Saturday. Had her breakfast in silence, trying to mentally prepare herself for the big event. Almost like clockwork, Nancy waltzed into her room at 8:00am, with a cheery smile. Madeline inwardly groaned.

"Alright your Majesty, today is the big day," Nancy said in a sing-song voice as she prepared a bath for Madeline.

"You got that right," Madeline mumbled to herself. Nancy didn't hear the snide comment and continued bustling around the room. She laid out Madeline's dress and got her dressing table all set up for when Madeline's make-up team would come and get her ready for the ball.

Madeline sat at her table, staring at her empty plate, willing herself to get up and get ready. Outside, she tried to put on a brave face and to go be civil with her make-up team. But on the inside, she was terrified and wanted to go right back into her bed and stay there forever. However, being Princess of Ospery meant that she had to go meet her future husband in a few hours. Goodie.

~

The day passed much too slowly for Madeline's liking. She spent the majority of her morning being pampered and pressed, squeezed and pinched. It was absolutely awful. She had spent the first hour of her morning in the bath, which was probably the most enjoyable event of the whole day. YIPE BUBBLES! After that, Nancy rushed her to her wardrobe crew, who tried to squeeze her into her dress. Madeline's dress was a deep royal blue, which suited Madeline's skin tone. The dress, however, was not the most comfortable. Madeline wasn't the skinniest of girls, which is something she beat herself up about and something the rest of the household did too. They always said things like, "Madeline dear, you should try and slim down some," or "Madeline, let's watch what we eat now." It made Madeline sick. She hated being told she was fat, which no one ever said to her face, but she knew that's what they were all thinking.

That's why it infuriated Madeline so, that her wardrobe crew didn't make a dress that fit her body type. They tended to make dresses the fit to snuggly around the chest and stomach area, which made Madeline incredibly uncomfortable. She still looked decent in the dress, it was just difficult to breath, which is sort of a necessity.

After spending almost two hours with her wardrobe crew, Nancy ushered Madeline off to make-up. Madeline didn't mind make-up as much, because makeup was able to be put on quickly and she ended up feeling pretty afterwards.

It was nearly 4 o'clock when she was done. The ball didn't actually start till 7 o'clock (which was another thing Madeline hated about getting ready for the ball, she was ready 4 hours before it even started.) Madeline decided to take a walk around the grounds. She partly wanted to enjoy the shine, but deep down inside she also hoped she could ruin her dress. She exited the palace through one of the many side doors and ended up outside in the courtyard. She started to walk along the paved path, that led around the outskirts of the palace.

It was a beautiful summer's afternoon in Ospery. The sun was at that point in the sky where it wasn't quite evening yet, but the warmth of the earlier day had worn off. The sky shone a bright shade of blue, making all the lovely greenery around the palace stand out more. The palace itself was very large and grand. It didn't look like a castle, necessary . There were no turrets or moats, and it was not made out of gray stone. It rather looked like a huge mansion, with too many doors and windows then were needed. However, the ground of the palace was lovely with little courtyards here and there.

Madeline had made her way towards the front gate of the palace, where a limousine was pulling in. It was certainly too early for guests to be arriving for the ball, but nevertheless, she made her way back indoors to see who the newcomers were.

She went in through one of the many servants entrances, taking a shortcut to get to the front of the palace. She arrived in the back of the room, out of visual site, but she could still see everything. Her parents stood at the base of the grand staircase, waiting patiently for their visitors. The large double doors opened, letting three people walk in. An older gentlemen, a women, and a young man who looked to be about Madeline's age. She couldn't really make out their faces from her distance.

"Ah, Lord James, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person," said Jeffrey, extending his hand toward the older gentlemen. So this must be my "betrothed's" family, Madeline thought to herself.

"The pleasure is all mine, your highness," said Lord James, shaking Jeffery's hand.

Lorelai extended her hand to Lord James, who kissed it. "This is my wife, Lady Rebecca," introduced Lord James. Lady Rebecca gave her hand to Jeffrey, who kissed it as well and then shook hands with Lorelai. "And this is my son, Quinten."

Quinten exchanged the same pleasantries with Madeline's parents as his parents just had. Madeline tried to get a closer look at his face, which was silly since she already knew what he looked like. She mentally debated with herself whether or not she should go and join them. She knew it might be a little rude, since she was not invited too, but she didn't think they would/should mind since they were marrying her off to this boy. She finally decided she should.

Madeline walked gracefully (or as gracefully as she could in heals) up to the group. "Ah, Madeline!" exclaimed Lorelai, as she grabbed her by the hand and brought her closer to the group. "This is Lord James, Lady Rebecca, and their son, Quinten." Madeline exchanged pleasantries with them. It was rather awkward to have Quinten kiss her hand, knowing that she would soon have to marry this boy. She had to admit, he was just as handsome as his picture, but of course she would never admit that outloud.

"It's absolutely wonderful to meet you, your Majesty. Your highness," Lord James turned to Jeffrey, "She's just as beautiful as her picture."

Madeline blushed, which was the polite thing to do. "Why thank you, James," Jeffrey said, wrapping his arm around Madeline. "She definitely is a beauty. She gets it from her mother."

"Oh Jeffrey," her mother said, her cheeks turning red. "Now how about we adults go talk about boring stuff and let the kids get to know each other?" Lorelai had put on her, sweet, motherly, queen voice that she always used in public. All the other adults agreed, much to Madeline's dismay and rushed off leaving Madeline and Quentin in an awkward silence.

Madeline stood there, in her ball gown, trying desperately to think of something to say or do. "Would you like a tour?" she said finally.

Quentin just nodded.

This is going to take a while, she thought to herself and her Quentin made their way out of the palace entrance.