I greeted people who smiled politely at me and a few more woman curtseyed. Everyone was dressed so handsomely and the ladies ball gowns had every colour, shape, size and embroidery imaginable. My heals tapped lightly against the polished gold and white marble floors and the live orchestra begun playing their first song for the night.
"May I have this first dance madam?" Eric smiled down at me, holding out his hand and bowing his head formally.
I nodded softly, "Of corse." I placed my tiny hand in his and we stepped out into the middle of the floor. Guests who didn't want to dance had stepped back to give some space for the people who wanted to dance to the music.
I found my mother, Queen Genevieve and my father, King Tobias also heading to the dance floor, hand in hand.
Eric spun me around and I let out a light chuckle, as I stepped back into him my left hand came upon Eric's shoulder and his right hand gripped my curved waist. We stepped in tune with the instrumental beat and spun in time with everyone else who danced.
"What do you want to to later on? After we run away from here of corse." Eric smiled as our feet guided themselves around the dance floor.
"Lets sail away together and explore the world." I blushed thinking of how free Eric and I would be. We go go anywhere we wanted to and be anything we wanted to be.
"I'm serious." So was I. Eric's arms pulled me closer to his chest and occasionally our torsos would collide.
"Lets get some bread from the bakers in town, they should be still open right?" Eric nodded and I continued, "Then go watch the stars on the hillside, taking Angus and Datch." Angus and Datch are our horses that we rode everywhere when we traveled outside the castle walls. I only rode in the carriage when I traveled with my mother and father.
"That sounds perfect, but why don't we just get the bread from here?" Eric asked, his head tilted down allowing him to be closer to me.
"Nothing beats the village bakers Eric." I replied, grinning as I was spun around once again.
As the song came to an end, a gentleman, Viscount Lionel Mclaney, a friend of my fathers had approached Eric and myself. Sir Mclaney was a middle aged man who lost his wife to consumption four years ago. Though he did have twelve sons to pass on his lineage.
Formally, If I didn't speak first, Viscount Lionel Mclaney wouldn't be able to speak to me and he would be embarrassed in front of everyone.
I wasn't that kind of person to ignore another and Sir Mclaney is a good man at heart.
"Viscount Mclaney." I smiled and he bowed his head reaching out for my hand, I placed it in his and he pecked my knuckles in a polite manner.
"Your royal highness." His foreign accent was thick, as he traveled a lot all over the country and had to learn all the different types of languages. I noticed his black hair line starting to recede from his wrinkled forehead. "May this old family friend have the next dance madam?"
I nodded once, "Of course Lionel." I kept a smile on my lips even though all I wanted was to begin my troubles with Eric. Eric had bowed respectively and left, probably for the food table. The next song started and we danced a different routine to a similar rhythm by the orchestra. More people had joined in the dance for the second song and I smiled when I saw three young children all dancing together out of step. Eric and I used to dance like that together, the first ball he attended Eric was very shy about it all but then I'd made him dance with me and he'd grown more confident. I miss those days of us together so close. I remember the day when Eric and I decided to play dress ups and we 'got married'. We'd told my parents about it then thats when I found out I couldn't marry Eric for he was a commoner and I was a princess. I was crushed when I found out but grew to understand and accept that it is our law. But there is nothing against us being close friends.
"You dance wonderfully madam." Viscount Lionel Mclaney smiled as we stepped off the dance floor. I kept an eye out for Eric but didn't see him yet.
"Thank you sir. If you'll excuse me." Viscount Mclaney bowed his head and I walked around trying to find Eric. Above everyone else's bobbing heads I saw one that stood above the rest. I walked in the direction of the rather tall man and found Eric by the food table eating a biscuit. He grinned and waved once his golden brown eyes landed on my approaching white and gold dressed figure.
"Better not eat all the food before we even have a chance to proceed with our stunt." I giggled as Eric handed me a biscuit.
"Yes but your cooks do make fine biscuits." Eric smirked as I took a bite of the biscuit in my hand. The crunchy biscuit filled my mouth with flavours of chocolate shortbread, I released a quiet moan and Eric laughed at my reaction.
"Lets get started shall we?"
"Mmh." I hummed nodding as my mouth was still fill. I kept watch on the guests who were too busy dancing and talking among themselves to notice what was going on behind them. I waved off a few working servants who had begun approaching the table to fill up their food and drink trays. They bowed and left obviously confused. Glancing back at Eric I saw him standing behind the large three story white cake pouring the gun powder along the bottom of the cake plate. I smirked and turned back to the guests enjoying themselves.
"Plan cake bom is in action, now we just wait for the candles to be lit." Eric grinned standing beside me reaching out for another biscuit.
"You'll turn into a biscuit if you keep eating them." I muttered glaring my eyes playfully at Eric who just smirked and bit into the biscuit.
We both turned to the little desserts and from my hidden pocket tucked away in my dress I pulled out a brown bag, full of beatles. I wasn't sure if all of them were dead yet.
"Want to help or are you going to just keep eating our plan away?" I looked up at Eric as he'd shoved another biscuit into his mouth.
"I can multitask princess." Eric chuckled holding his hand out, his palm facing the roof for me to pour the beatles out onto his hand.
I shook my head at Eric but poured some beatles onto his hand anyway. I picked the rest out from the bag and we placed them all over the soft toppings of the desserts. Since everything included a beatle or two, half hidden away in the toppings to hide the legs, the desserts looked as if they were meant to be like that.
"Isabell, Eric." I heard that all too familiar voice, of my mother. Quickly glancing at Eric I held in a laugh as he ate the rest of yet another chocolate shortbread biscuit.
"Mother, Happy Birthday." I curtseyed and Eric Bowed his head. "Your majesty." Eric greeted my mother, the queen of our kingdom.
"Thank you. Are you both enjoying yourselves? I see Eric has eaten all of the biscuits already." Mother glanced down at the food table, eyeing it off. I saw she was wearing an off the shoulder blue ball gown with loose sleeves hanging to her hips, embroidered with a gold strip along the hem. Embellished with a gold fleece sown over white cloth in the shape of a 'V' ran down her chest, widening out down to the bottom of her dress. Along the edges of the white and gold patterns gold embroidery outlined the blue edging of the dress down her torso in triangles. The gold embroidery continued in a forearms width around the hem of my mothers gown. White silky gloves covered her hands and arms, stopping at her elbows. My mothers brown hair was tied back using pins under a silver, blue crystal crown with a white lace veil trailing down to her back lower back.
"They are too delicious madam." Eric smiled glancing down at me with a wink.
"Yes, we have danced too. I also danced with Viscount Mclaney, has father spoken with him?" I answered keeping my poise as I noticed a few guests turn to look at their Queen and Princess.
"Yes he has, we also have some business involving you Isabell. But for now, just stay out of mischief, alright?" Mothers wise voice was intimidating but I was use to it.
"Of corse." I smiled. Mother glanced between Eric and I and she let out a deep breath.
"Come, the Duke and Duchess Martonsons wish to say hello to you both." Mother rose her plucked brow and gestured her hand out for us to walk. Eric and I followed behind my mother passing the groups of guests standing talking amongst themselves. A blush rose to my cheeks when I felt Eric's hand rest against my lower back guiding me through the crowd.
We talked with Duke Author Martonson and his Duchess Elizabeth, close family friends to my mother. For a while we chatted before Eric and I danced to one last song then it was time for my mothers cake to be lit.
We had already seen guests eat the beatle topping desserts that the working servants had brought around on their trays. Eric and I laughed as some had no clue and others scrunched up their faces in disgust as they tasted the foul beatle.
Eric and I stood to the side of the ball room, right beside the servants entrance ready for an escape. The black dressed butler lit up the candles to the large came surrounded by gun powder and the orchestra played a sweet melody. To set off the gun powder Eric had loosened one of the candles so when lit, it would fall from the cake and land right into the gun power setting off the cake filled blast.
I was nervous and excited for the cake bom, getting in trouble hardly crossed my mind, I just wanted to see the people's reactions and everyone get drenched in cake.
And three seconds later that is exactly what happened. The butler lit the loose candle and it fell to the plate lined with gun powder. My hands shot to my mouth in shock of the blast and a few screams sounded as the guests were splattered with icing and cake. Before I even had a chance to burst out laughing Eric had grabbed onto my arm and pulled me through the servants door out of sight.
"Th-That was incredible!" I laughed picturing all their wide shocked eyes and scrunched up noses. Eric was laughing too.
"Did you see their faces?! Oh my! Come on, lets go before your mother finds us." Eric grinned grabbing my hand, we began to run through the servants hallway and up a set of stairs until we stepped out into the main hall way. Eric and I were still laughing from all the excitement.
"Myra!" I called as I saw my personal maid walk down the hallway with dirty clothes laid in her woven basket.
Her eyes went wide seeing Eric and I running towards her. "Milady! What is it?" She asked, Eric and I slowed to a speed walk and our hands unlinked.
"I need to change, quickly." I rushed out grinning as I took Myra's arm and guided her into my bedroom. Eric stayed out in the hallway by the window, waiting for me.
Taking off my crown I placed it back into its box then unclipped my hair from its braid. My thick brown hair fell down my bare shoulders in curls and waves, ending at my hips. Myra had set her basket down on the ground by the door and grabbed another evening dress for myself from my closet. I kicked off my shoes and replaced them with my dark brown, lace up riding boots.
"You've returned from the ball early milady." Myra spoke as she exited my closet with a simple maroon slip over dress. A motif of little creamy rose buds spread across the dress in a criss cross pattern, along the bottom of the dress were larger bloomed flowers mirroring each other. Dark, burnt orange sleeves, slightly puffed with more rose patterns around the maroon band tightening around my upper arm. The neckline also had a line of a bunch of creamy rose motifs matching the pattern at the very bottom of the dress underneath the mirrored roses. I didn't need my cage crinoline or any panniers to shape my body.
"Yes, Eric and I decided to retire for the evening and go horse riding. I had seen my mother and wished her well so we were free to do what we please." It wasn't a lie, I just didn't speak all of the truth that happened this evening at the ball.
"Well ride safe milady, its a full moon so there should be enough light outside." Myra smiled as I fixed the dress over my body. My corset still made me fell like I was wearing a tight dress but I kept it on since it helped keep my bust secure when I rode Angus. Tying my cloak over my shoulders I thanked Myra then left the to the stables with Eric, exiting by a back door near the portrait hall.
"You think mother and father knows it was us?" I giggled as Eric and I walked through the backyard past the empty clothes lines and turned off water fountain.
Eric shrugged his shoulders, "Might do, your mother always catches on quite quickly."
"I hope we never loose our childlike wonder." I grinned, "We have too much fun." Eric smiled down at me his golden brown eyes seemed darker in the moon lit light. There were lanterns lit around but not many on this side of the castle yards.
"Even when your married off to some prince?" Eric rose a brow and my brow furrowed for a second. I didn't like thinking about getting married, there is no one else I'd rather love to marry than...
"I don't want to marry some prince in the first place." I sighed. I wanted to marry my King. Though that would never be possible. I even talked to my mother about it once before, when I was fifteen I knew who I wanted to marry and I wanted the law changed, but my mother refused to talk to my father about changing it.
Looking up to Eric I saw him concentrating on the dirt below his boots, lost in his own thoughts.
"Why do you keep refusing to marry?" I asked catching Eric's attention. We stopped out the front of the wooden stables and he turned to me.
"For the same reason as you Bell." Eric's face turned serious, yet it was so calm at the same time. My heart started to pick up its pace.
Did Eric really know the reason why I didn't want to marry? Did he refuse to marry because... because...
"I don't believe you." I crossed my arms over my chest. Eric cant have known my true reason for not marrying him because he has no idea that I've been in love with him since we were young children.
A smirk spread across Eric's lips and he let out an airy chuckle. "Lets go get that village bread, you crave so much." Eric pulled open the stable doors and used the candle from inside the lantern attached to the outside wall to illuminate the inside. While Eric lit up more lanterns inside the stables, I stepped into the saddle room. Inside a box chest I pulled out another smaller box with my brown riding pants inside. No one besides the men who worked in the stables and Eric knew I owed these trousers. It was not customary for woman to wear mens pants but I found them so much more comfortable to ride with. I couldn't ride properly by side saddle and having my bare legs over he saddle gave my thighs rashes so I paid Eric to buy me a pair of trousers.
Eric stepped into the saddle room to grab Angus and Datch's saddles while I was re-tying my boots. Folllwing him out the front of the stables I smiled when I saw my chocolate brown horse Agnus and Eric's midnight black horse Dutch. We saddled up our hoses and mounted them with ease. My dress still flowy enough to cover over half of my leg, my cloak and riding boots covered the rest.
"You ready bell." Eric smiled as our horses walked out to the first hill that heads straight down to the city along the waters edge. My eyes had adjusted to the dim light and the full moon allowed me to see enough just like Myra had said.
"Three." I grinned, preparing for the inevitable race.
"Two." Eric counted down with me.
"One!" I kicked my heals against Angus' sides and clicked my tongue signalling for my horse to start cantering. Eric was right beside me as our horses sped up riding down the sloped hill. Eric gained the lead and I frowned, kicking Angus' sides once more he sped up to his full speed. We zoomed past Eric and Datch, my long hair blowing behind me above my cloak, my lungs feeling breathless from the thrill of the speed.
I felt so free. And in moments like these I was.
I grinned as I turned back to Eric, his body risen from his saddle like mine, his giant midnight black horse matching his tall handsome figure. Eric smiled at me looking feeling the same euphoric sensation of freedom.
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Royal From Birth
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Original chapter word count: 1256
Re-written chapter word count: 3039