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The prom had barely started for the evening when Prince Edward appeared before my throne, sweeping that low, graceful bow. With a brilliant smile and a nod, he held out his hand. "Your Wondrousness."
I glanced at the surrounding princes. "I do hope you don't mind if I dance for a while."
They nodded grumpily, glaring at the dashing prince who had already taken every chance of wooing me.
He led me out, and finally we were dancing lithely together, a blur in the ballroom.
"Ah, Alisyn," Edward whispered, starting at me with a smile. Again I was shocked by his use of my name, but I said nothing, and he went on. "I have been waiting to see you ever since we parted yesterday."
"As have I," I admitted softly, looking down. I had been waiting restlessly for each of the interminable five minutes before he had arrived.
His face lit up at this, and he thought for a long time, staring past me with joy in his youthful face.
We both knew the princes were expecting me back. But I simply did not return. We kept dancing, on and on, until it was completely dark outside, and all the while we were chatting and flirting and blushing.
Suddenly, Edward broke off mid-sentence, and his green eyes had a sparkle to them.
"Come with me to the gardens," he murmured.
I hesitated. I'd never had any good experiences with men in the gardens. But Edward was a viable candidate for husband--one that looked more viable every day. And I did want to go, despite my slight misgivings.
"All right," I whispered, and we hurried out of the room before the princes could see us...or even worse, my advisers.
The thought of a queen sneaking off like a rebellious girl was absurd--and yet so amusing. As soon as we were outside, I laughed merrily aloud.
Edward turned to me, his eyes dancing. "Just imagine the look on those stuffy princes' faces when you never come back!" he laughed.
I tried not to smile and failed. "That's--terrible!" I protested weakly. "I'm shirking my duties..."
"You know you're not going to marry them, right? You don't even like them!"
"My feelings--don't matter. What's best for the country--"
"--is for you to be happy. A miserable queen is a poor ruler." Edward shook his head. "I know you won't, anyway," he said triumphantly. "You know you won't. No matter what you think is 'best for your country.' So let's go."
I smiled ruefully, realizing that he already knew me too well. Then we ran off into the gardens like two little children. And there, we talked, and talked, and talked. Before we knew it, it was dawn, and we just began to realize how much lighter it was.
The Prince gave me a mischievous grin. "You'd better run along before people start gossiping." He kissed my hand and was soon gone, leaving me utterly dazzled.
 LadyAlisyn · Wed Jun 03, 2009 @ 07:57pm · 0 Comments |
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