At Least 5 Paragraphs

Loving Allies-UNPUBLISHED 1

"Father please, I know you're stressed out about this ball, but really! There's nothing to worry about," I smiled at my father trying to calm his nerves about my marriage to our neighboring kingdom's Princess Esmeralda of East Corna. I'm not much of a ladies man, but my father said that if I'm going to take the thrown I'd have to be married first.

Our real agreement though came from me wanting the freedom to go visit my birth mother on my birthday. He said he'd allow it, only if I married Esmeralda to conjoin our two kingdoms into one. So he could one day pass it down to me. "Just go! There's no more time to waste!"

He pushed me into the ballroom. As I stumbled out and tried to quickly regain my composure I looked up to see the golden room filled with fancy lights and even fancier people. Women wore puffy ball gowns that made me question how they pull hold out with all of that fabric and men wore tuxedoes that made them look stubborn and ignorant to the war outside the kingdom walls. I inwardly laughed at one man as he was no more than five feet as he asked Lady Annabeth from the Ooo kingdom for a waltz. She had at least half a foot on him.

I watched as everyone else happily danced with the partners they've chosen while I could feel the burning of eyes on the back of my head.

Oh right, Esmeralda!

I searched the room for the dark-haired beauty. When I found spotted her, she was standing with her brother, Prince Arnold of East Corna. They both had perfectly fitting death glares pasted to their faces. At least they didn't try to hide how they felt all the time like other people...

I looked back over to Lady Annabeth and smiled at her from afar.

Such a sweet girl, I do hope her father doesn't choose that short but ancient man as her husband. She deserves a better match than that at least...

I looked back to Esmeralda and straightened my posture.

Well, time to at least try and make peace.

Last time I met with my dear Princess Esmeralda, there seemed to be a very odd misunderstanding between the two of us. To put it into a shorter more pleasant story, I was ordered to dance with her at least once before the clock hit midnight, but when I went to her, I lost my footing and ended up with a huge mess all over her...well y'know. And I, the confused and clumsy gentleman I was at only fifteen years, went to help her clean up but instead, well let's just get back to the present.

I made sure my shoelaces were tucked and didn't drink a drop of champagne before even talking to her. Making my way through the crowd, I kept my hands at my side and approached the two of them carefully, "Hello Princess Esmeralda, I hope you are finding the ball to be to your liking." She launched her hand at me to kiss but before my lips could touch her, she pulled back and huffed.

Looking in the other direction she snobbishly spits out, "let's just get this stupid waltz over with, I'm not in the freakin mood to even look at you right now!" She stomped past me holding her nose high into the air.

Looking at her brother, then turning back and walking towards her I sigh and as nicely as I could state, " my apologies Princess Esmeralda, for the last time we met I have wronged you. I deeply regret my actions and wish to be able to take them back." She didn't look back at me but instead went straight to the middle of the dance floor and began to tap her foot impatiently.

She suddenly stopped and put her head down like she was ashamed of how she was acting. I turned my head around to see her father King Joseph of East Corna giving her a stern stare as he held the hilt of his sword.

Glad that's not my father...

Somewhere deep inside of me I truly felt awful for what happened to the people I'm East Corna, but then I remembered what kind of man the king is. I feel worse for his offspring, both the living and passed.

I shook the thought from my mind and turned to bow to the king that was already a couple of steps away, "hello King Joseph of East Corna, I hope you are feeling well and are enjoying the festivities?" He looked me up and down then broke out into a smile.

This man...

He's always treated me as a sun since the day we met. When my mother had died, he visited every month to make sure I was being taken care of. But what I didn't realize was that in the time that she did pass, East Corna was beginning to fall apart. I didn't realize why until later in life but King Joseph and my mother were supposedly in love before she married my father.

I don't despise him or anything, all I'm trying to say is that he has kids of his own and a kingdom of his own that he should be taking better care of, it's already been almost two decades this happened. He needs to take responsibility and set an example for the next in line to his throne.

He stretches out his arms to me and swallows me in a bear hug, "ah! Samuel my boy! How've ya been? It's been a while since I last visited you and your father, where's that old geezer anyhow?" He lounged his arm around my shoulder as I looked up to the huge throne at the front of the room where my father sat greeting guests. "Ah...I see he still doesn't get up for anyone." He winked at me and we both began to laugh.

"Well, he has sent me to ask Princess Esmeralda for a waltz so I don't want to keep a lady waiting." I bowed to him once more, as did he. I turned towards his daughter and sighed.

If only she was Annabeth...