Flashing in a thousand shimmering shades beneath its milky surface. The opal before my eyes took my breath away.
Nestled in the center of a delicate gold band. The oval-shaped stone was haloed by four diamond-sprinkled flower petals that brought an added shimmer to the already dazzling gem.
"It's beautiful." My voice sounded more like a breath than actual speech.
"I didn't know what kind of jewel you would like, and the jeweler said that this stone promotes good health, so I thought this would be adequate. It also signifies hope..." His mouth continued to move, but no other words came out, so he just finished his statement with a shrug.
"I love it. It's perfect."
"That's good." A shy smile broke across his face, and taking the ring out of the box, his hand moved to hand me the ring. I outstretched my hand, but suddenly, he pulled his hand back. "Wait."
"Oh," Heat rose to my cheeks, and I dropped my hand to my side.
"Wait, no, that's not what I-" Panic flashed in his eyes, and he outstretched his hand again, only to pull back again when my hand got close. "It's just,"
Our hands floundered about until-not able to withstand the awkwardness of the moment-we burst out in laughter.
Cold fingers wrapped around my left hand, sending a jolt of delightful electricity up my arm to my heart. "What I mean is," Zander carefully enounced every word as his eyes locked into mine. "It's only proper for me as the man to place the ring on your finger. It's the least I could do since we didn't even have an actual wedding."
"Oh, okay," I said between breaths and watched as he carefully slid the ring on my finger.
"There," He smiled.
My body felt as light as a feather. Waiting in the queue to go inside the grand ballroom. I wiggled my toes, trying to contain the euphoric impulse to burst out in dance. The ring on my left hand seemed to have a gravitational pull of its own, attracting my eyes, fingers, and thoughts toward its center.
My fingers pinched the fabric around Zander's arm and tugged to call his attention. He bent his head and torso slightly sideways, bringing his ear close to me. "How much longer do we have to wait?" I whispered, and he shrugged. "Is it too late to make our escape?" With a chuckle, he turned his face to look at me. "There are so many people here that I doubt they'll miss us." Throwing a conspiratorial look around me, I said, "We could tell them we have food poisoning." He smiled, and before he could respond, the royal chamberlain shouted the order to walk inside.
The Grand Ballroom was something I'd never seen in my life. It was huge. So huge that I could get lost for days. Made from white marble and gold. The ballroom seemed to glow under the light of the chandelier that hung in the middle of the room.
Walking through the floral garlands that hung from the indoor balcony balustrades. I saw The King standing at the top of the grand stairs.
"Welcome, everyone!" He grinned. "You already know why we're here, and I can't wait for the ball to start. So, let's just skip the speech and go straight to the party, alright? " The guests laughed and applauded. Music was played, and a swarm of people started to dance. Others crowded the tables full of food and pastries.
I linked my arm with Zander's, afraid of getting lost in the crowd, and almost like a reflex, he immediately went to the farthest corner of the room. There, where the walls meet. Where the light wasn't so bright, and the music wasn't so loud. A feeling of great comfort and safety washed over me.
My eyes darted around the room, looking for the closest exit. "We need to get out of here." Zander was as still as a statue.
"I knew I would find you here." A voice approached from behind a pillar. "You always hide. Oh. Good evening, Duchess." The king greeted with a stiff smile that didn't reach his eyes. Hmm, so what I thought about our first meeting was right. He doesn't seem to like me.
Placing my right hand in the middle of my chest and holding my skirt slightly to the side with the other, I evenly descended with both knees. "Good evening, Your Majesty."
He looked down his nose and nodded, acknowledging my curtsy. Turning back to Zander, he asked. "So, are you ready for tomorrow?"
Tomorrow? What's going to happen tomorrow? Not another party, please.
Zander glanced at me before responding, "Yes, You're Majesty."
"Alright, remember you have to wait for the others before you leave for the camp."
Camp? Wait. Is he going on a mission? So soon? But he recently started to sleep again.
Zander nodded.
"Ok, well, I'll leave you two to whatever you were doing before I intruded." His smile was fake as he went to talk to the people standing by the tables.
"You're going away?"
"I-"
"Supreme Commander," A gravelly voice called from within a group of men a few feet away from us. "Come join us." Stepping into our line of sight. A bald man with a long beard and a face as rugged as his voice waved Zander over while the men surrounding him shot some odd looks at Zander. Their eyes trying to tell him something I couldn't decipher.
"One moment, Grand General." He glanced at me with furrowed brows.
"Go, don't worry about me. I'll just go and get some strawberries from the table."
After a minute of hesitation, he walked to the group of men.
⚜⚜⚜
I groaned inwardly, finding myself stuck between a busty brunette and a smarmy blonde.
"So, you're the new Duchess of Nubilus." The blonde's tone of voice was exaggeratedly friendly as she spoke with an ear-to-ear smile.
"Yes," I deadpanned.
"Oh, I'm so happy for you." Said the brunette as she placed her hand under the huge center emerald on her thick diamond choker. How does she not fall forward with the weight of that huge green rock on her neck? I do not know.
"Who would have guessed? That the big, ruthless, bloodthirsty Supreme Commander found himself a wife?" The blonde commented. Bloodthirsty? Ruthless? That teddy bear? The woman continued, "Anyways, I love your style. It's so minimal."
"Thanks. I like your dress. It sparkles."
She threw her head back and laughed as if I had said the funniest thing in the world. Her large teardrop sapphire earrings swung back and forth with the motion. Stretching her earlobes to the point that I had to suppress a wince. Lord, give strength to this woman's earlobes.
"So, tell us your love story." The brunette requested.
"What love story," A voice that made my hair stand on end and want to hiss as an angry cat came from behind me. "She's just a maid that got lucky." Daisy sneered.
With a self-satisfied grin on my face, I bowed my head in respect. "Nice to see you again, Lady Adelysia."
She rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me, ladies." Zander cut in. The women's demeanor changed instantly, and they excused themselves, claiming they were being called elsewhere.
With a sigh of relief, my fingers grabbed onto his forearm to ground my rising anxiety. "Thank you."
"She was trying to stir up trouble, wasn't she?" He smirked.
"She was." I gulped down what was left of my champagne.
A woman followed after a little girl who was running through the crowds. "Elaine!"
"Oh!" I exclaimed as the girl came to a sudden halt in front of Zander.
"Hi," the little girl greeted in a sweet tiny voice.
Recognition sparked in Zander's eyes, and he crouched to her level, "Elaine, it's so nice to see you again."
The girl hummed in affirmation with downcast eyes, and her little head leaned to the side while she swung her arms.
"How are you? Have you been a good girl and listened to your mom and dad?" She shook her head. "No?" He laughed. My heart swelled at the tender picture.
Her eyes raised to meet mine, and she pointed at me.
Turning his head to see what she was pointing at, he said, "Oh, sorry, I didn't tell you who she was. Her name is Leyla. Leyla, this is Elaine. I met her when we evacuated one of the towns some years ago."
"Hi, Elaine." I waved at her with a smile on my face.
"She's my wife." He added. Oh, she didn't like that. Her face fell at the word wife and with a pout, she turned to her mother who was standing right behind her.
"Elaine, don't be rude." Her mother chastised her as she tried to pry the girl away from her legs.
With a confused face, Zander stood up. "Don't worry about it. I think she's just being shy."
Elaine's mother apologized for her daughter's behavior with an awkward chuckle and returned to her husband's side.
"You broke that poor girl's heart." I tsked.
"What?"He asked, confusion and worry written all across his face.
"That girl has a crush on you. And I, without knowing, stole her prince."
Is the candlelight playing tricks on my eyes, or is he blushing right now? "Uh, no, I don't think that's it. She's just shy." No way, yes, he's blushing, and it complements those cute freckles enchantingly.
Swiveling my forearm towards him, I said, "Hold this." He obediently took the empty champagne flute from my hands, and I walked to the girl. Crouching to her level, I smiled, "Hi, sweetheart. I'm sorry I upset you." The girl refused to look at me. "How about I make it up to you? Would you like to dance with him?"
The girl's eyes lit up, and I finally was able to hear her sweet voice, "Really? Like a princess?"
In a very formal tone, I responded, "Yes, prince Iskander would like to dance with princess Elaine. What does princess Elaine say?"
"Yes!" The girl bounced on her toes.
"Perfect! I'll be right back." Sauntering over to Zander's side, I plucked the glass flute from his hands. "Well, go and get your dancing partner."
His eyes went as large as the hors d'oeuvres plates at the pastry table. "What."
"You heard me, go. Make things right."
"B-but."
"Look at her, she's so happy, and you don't have to dance with her in the middle. You can just do it here at the side."
He glanced at Elaine, and with a resigned sigh, he walked to her.
It was so sweet. The girls' giggles could be heard across the room and would become flat-out laughter when he spun her. After the dizziness would wear off, she would yell 'Again', making him follow suit with a grin on his handsome face. I wonder if this is how it'll be when we have kids. My face grew hot. Leyla, what are you thinking? He hasn't agreed to anything of the sort. So, don't get your hopes up.
A flash of blue in the corner of my eye got my attention. It was the king's robe, trailing behind him as he walked into a hallway behind the stairs. Should I? I argued with myself. Should I not? A waiter passed by, and I placed the empty flute on his tray. I need to talk to him. Even if he doesn't like me, he is Zander's friend, and as a friend, you look out for each other's wellbeing. Zander is not in any condition to go back to work. He needs to rest a bit more. I marched after the king.
The hallway was dim and so silent you could hear a pin drop. Now, where did he go? Taking some cautious steps forward, I searched for some signs of life. Rows of closed doors lined both sides, with candleholders placed between each. For some reason, every one to two candles was lit. Why is this place so creepy? I shivered. The hallway seemed to get darker and darker farther in. The loose curls framing my face caressed my jaw as a soft draft blew from somewhere around me. Where is he going? The hall seemed to stretch out for miles.
"Your Majesty?" I called, but the man continued his journey down the hall.
A hand jerked me back, and a squeal escaped my lips. "What are you doing here, young lady?" The angry-looking High Priest asked, holding a lit candelabra in his hands.
"Uh, I was trying to speak with the king." I gulped.
The poorly lit hallway made his eyes look like shiny beads. "Women shouldn't be in places like this." His face was stoic as he spoke in an uncomfortably calm way.
"Oh! Okay," I responded stupidly.
"You better go now."
Not waiting for him to repeat himself. I ran back to the ballroom. My eyes wanted to burst out of their sockets as I walked back to the dancing crowd and hugged the nearest column. "That was weird," I muttered between my pants. My heart and body jumped when a hand made contact with my shoulder.
Zander's unimpressed face came into my line of sight. "You think you can hide and get away with this?"
"Uh." A smile crept across my face. "Yes." He tugged me towards the dancing crowd. "Wait, no, you didn't want to dance before. Why do you want to now?"
"Well, I already made a fool of myself, and you dislike it as much as I do. So..." A mischievous smile-an expression that I had never seen before on his face in the time I've known him-split his face. He dragged me to the middle of the room and pulled me close.
Resting my left hand on his upper arm and holding his outstretched hand in the other, we glided around the dancefloor. One, two, three. One, two, three. I chanted in my head. Making sure each step I took was correct as Brigitte and Annie showed me. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and looking at our clasped hands, I thought, Maybe dancing it's not so bad.