Jinxes and Dances
One of the perks of being the Princess was that you could do something silly on your party and no one would comment on it. Not publicly at least.
Her Royal Highness Princess Allison hid her smile behind her fan. Honestly speaking, she strongly disliked parties, preferring to spend her time on the Exy court. But when the Queen herself ordered you to throw a party, you couldn’t very well say no. But you could make it interesting.
The Princess tried not to laugh when the guests tiptoed gingerly across the floor. She had planted several tripping and slippery jinxes there. So far, a handful of Captains and Barons had tripped over seemingly empty air or slide across suddenly slippery tiles. Unmanly squeaks could be heard from time to time. The only ones safe from the jinxes were the ladies and elderly. The Princess had made sure that the jinxes wouldn’t be triggered by them, even she wasn’t that mean.
It didn’t take long before the guests realized that the floor was spelled. When one of the Ministers came up to ask her about it, Allison only raised an eyebrow in amusement. The Minister winced and sighed but let the matter go.
The Princess was already a handful, but the High Wizard of the Court was worse. When the two of them joined forces, everyone who had half a brain would know not to ask questions and just braved the storm. It was far easier to endure the mostly harmless mischief. Having a literal target spell painted on your back was not worth the risk of calling them out on their (many) stupid pranks.
Unfortunately, the refreshment tables were a hazard for everyone who attended. His Imminent High Wizard Neil Josten had spelled all the drinks to taste sour and all the food to taste salty. Of course it wasn’t proper to waste drinks and foods, so the High Wizard provided the counter spell potions right alongside the dishes.
They were guised as pure lemon juice and salt.
Allison had to smother another fit of laughter when he saw the grimace on the guests’ face. She would wait a couple more hours before she had the High Wizard cancel the spells. In the mean time, she would enjoy the entertainments unfolding before her eyes.
Some might say that Allison was an unfeeling spoiled brat with mean streak and egotistical tendencies. But truthfully, Allison was tired of the pretentiousness of the high society. She had learned from early age not trust any smiles from the noble ranks. Some were sincere but most were faked; pasted there on the white painted faces to disguise the knife behind their backs.
She learned the hard way that people who loudly adored you were also the first ones who would gladly hung you (and took away your throne while they were at it). Her family and she had survived several assassination attempts, had fend off usurpers and fought off invaders. Allison knew betrayals as well as she knew the back of her hand.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the High Wizard conversing with General Wymack, both were sipping drinks with smug expressions. (Well, the General’s had more of exasperation on it, but the little curl of his smile gave away his amusement.) She could feel a matching smile blooming on her face.
“You might want to be careful with that smile Your Highness.” Seth, her guardian knight, said from her shoulder. “You just might send the wrong message to the wrong people.” He added.
Allison let the smile grew wider into a full-fledged grin and didn’t bother to hide it behind her fan.
“Honestly, I don’t care what kind of message they get, Seth. I just want them to know that I enjoy tonight’s party immensely.”
“And it was at their expense.” Seth reminded none too gently. He was one of the few people who she really trusted so he could get away with it.
Allison waved her hand dismissively. “Shush Seth, Count Phillippe is about to take his drink.”
They both watched as Count Phillippe took a sip and promptly scrunched up his face in distaste. He quickly schooled his expression and pretended nothing was wrong. When a servant with a full tray passed by, he quickly disposed of his glass and reached for a new one. The same thing happened again and Count Phillippe looked at his glass incredulously. Another servant passed by and he snatched yet another glass. The look of surprised disgust on his face was hilarious when he found that the third glass was just as bad as the previous two.
“See? These noble men are all the same. They find something wrong and instead of addressing it, they pretend that everything’s alright. They get a glass and it’s sour, so they take another glass, but alas, it’s sour too. They get yet another glass and lo and behold, it’s still sour! And instead of finding out what is wrong with the drinks, they just stand there looking around with stupid expressions on their faces. They can do something, but they won’t. They just expect other people to do it for them.”
Seth snorted. “Minister Knox asked you about it.”
Allison’s smile turned fond. “And that’s why he is a Minister. He’s a good man.”
Allison couldn’t see it, but she knew Seth was rolling his eyes at her. His lack of decorum was what made him dear to her, but she would never admit it out loud. Instead, she made her way to one of the side alcoves.
Before, the guests had swarmed around her, clamoring for her attention. But she had asked them about the drinks and the foods, citing that she was trying out new recipes from the southern region. She had gushed about the fruity taste of the drinks and the subtle blend of herbs of the foods and it quickly became uncomfortable when she asked her audiences about their opinion on the refreshments. Not an hour later, she was free to roam the hall.
“I should do this at every party.’ She said as she (gracefully) plopped herself on the divan. “This is the first time I actually have room to breathe.”
“I imagined Her Majesty will be so thrilled.”
Allison tsk-ed in a very un-princess-like way. “You always spoil my fun.”
Seth was quick to reply. “That’s because your ideas of fun always involve me risking my neck on the chopping block.”
Allison turned sideways and looked into Seth’s eyes. “No one will dare Seth. Not as long as I live. That’s why you have to guard me well Seth. We don’t want anything to happen to that pretty neck of yours.”
Although the lines were delivered nonchalantly, Seth knew that the Princess was serious and sincere. She had that glint of steel in her eyes and the stubborn set to her jaw. Seth felt a fierce sense of protectiveness washed over him, he nodded and stood up straighter. He was loyal to his Princess and he knew that his Princess was loyal to him too.
The somber mood lasted a few seconds longer before the Princess relaxed back into the divan. Just then, the music picked up, signaling the start of the dances. But the floor was glaringly empty and the guests were milling on the sidelines. Not one of them was willing to brave the jinxed infested floor.
Allison didn’t bother to restrain her mocking laugh.
“Look at them, Seth. Look at how brave they are.”
A commotion started on one corner and it was Lieutenant Nicholas Hemmick from the Princess Guards.
“What is that fool doing?” Seth said under his breath.
Although it was obvious that Lieutenant Hemmick was pulling Councilor Erik Klose to the dance floor.
“Ah, it’s always Nicky.” Allison said fondly.
“How long do you think he’d last?” Seth asked.
“For as long as he likes.” She answered. “Don’t sell Nicky short. He has a wicked pair of feet on him. The jinxes are small change compared to the trenches he fought in.”
Seth hummed in agreement. “In the mean time, don’t you think it might be a good time to have His Imminent lifts the spells?”
Allison shrugged. “Maybe in a while. Let Nicky have his moment.”
Seth huffed but he got the hint and fell back into his duty. He had been guarding the Princess for long enough to know where the boundaries lied. He had pushed enough for one night.
Allison watched as Nicky and his partner danced. The Lieutenant had a high sensitivity for spells and jinxes; he easily avoided the traps and guided Erik across the floor. Even from afar, Allison could clearly see the adoration on Nicky’s face and the soft fond look Councilor Klose had on his face.
For a moment, Allison wished he had someone who looked at her that way.
Allison looked away before it got painful, and her eyes fell on someone she never saw before.
Allison knew she never saw that person before, because if she had, she would definitely remember.
The person was a woman with white hair tipped in soft rainbow color. What caught Allison’s attention was the serene smile on her face. Allison looked on as Rainbow (that was what Allison called her in her head) sipped gingerly on her drink.
Rainbow’s eyebrows scrunched as the sour hit her tongue. She looked thoughtfully at her glass then scanned the table near her. She found the pitcher of lemon juice and regarded it carefully. Then understanding dawned on her face and her smile was back full force. Allison watched with rapt attention as Rainbow carefully poured a small amount of lemon juice into her glass. She tried the drink again and the look of victory on her face made Allison lose her breath.
“Oh.” Allison let out involuntarily.
That caught Seth attention and he immediately zeroed in on Rainbow.
“I see that you see something you like.” He teased.
Allison ignored the jab. “Tell me about her.”
“That, I believe, is First Lieutenant Renee Walker. She’s a member of Ambassador Day’s entourage. I was informed that she’s Captain Minyard’s second in command.”
“Captain Minyard? Oh! You meant Andrew.”
Seth snorted. “Yes, I meant Captain Andrew Minyard, Ambassador Day’s Captain Guards.”
“You meant Andrew, Neil’s secret lover.”
Seth huffed. “I meant Captain Andrew Minyard, the one who is currently courting His Imminent.”
“You meant Andrew, --“
“Yes, Your Highness.” Seth cut her off. “Yes! We are talking about the same Andrew.”
“Enough about him. Tell me more about Lieutenant Walker.”
“Not much is known about her. Comes from a good family, good with sword, trustworthy, single.”
Allison threw a dirty look at Seth who was openly grinning.
“She’s interesting. Different.” Allison muttered.
“She’ll be good for you.” Seth remarked.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”
“Aha!” Seth crowed triumphantly. “So the thought has crossed your mind.”
Allison didn’t deign that with a reply. She focused back on Lieutenant Walker (Renee, her mind supplied) who was in the middle of sprinkling some salt on her food.
“She’s smart.” Seth remarked.
Allison nodded in agreement then abruptly stood up. “I’m suddenly in the mood for a dance.”
“Dances.” Seth corrected. “I don’t think one dance will be enough.”
“Yes, yes. You know me so well Seth. Good job.”
Seth wanted to smirk but he schooled his expression instead. They had left the safety of the alcove and were slowly making their way toward Lieutenant Walker. A number of nobles moved to intercept, but Seth gave them a meaningful glare and they backed off immediately. It was all Allison could do to not rush toward Renee. She timed her pace so she reached Renee just as the latter was finished with her plate.
Renee immediately noticed Allison and she hurriedly sketched a bow.
“Your Highness, may I introduce you to Lieutenant Walker from Palmetto Diplomatic Corps.” Seth made the introduction.
“Yes. Good evening Lieutenant Walker. A dance if you’re willing?” Allison went straight to the point.
Seth coughed to hide his laughter while Renee straightened up. She looked baffled although a polite smile softened the edge of her cat eyes.
“Oh.” Allison marveled.
From a distance she couldn’t get a good look at Renee’s eyes. But now that they were face to face, she could clearly see the golden swirl of Renee’s irises. She felt like she could stare at them forever.
“What lovely eyes.” She hurriedly added before Renee could get uncomfortable.
“Thank you Your Highness.” Renee said demurely.
Allison had to close her eyes because Renee’s voice was smooth and silky and she could feel it slide across her skin. Allison came back to herself when Seth pointedly cleared his throat.
Allison extended her hand to Renee. “Shall we dance?”
Renee took a moment to gather herself before she accepted it.
“I am most honored Your Highness.”
Allison led Renee to the dance floor. She had to remind herself not to hold on too tightly. She barely noticed the other guests parted before them. The moment they reached the center, a new piece began to play.
Allison assumed the leading pose and Renee placed her hands accordingly. A quick nod and they were gliding across the floor. A couple of steps later Allison was suddenly reminded of the jinxes, but Renee caught her eyes and smiled sweetly and Allison couldn’t be bothered to care.
It was to her delight when Renee whispered. “Your Knight is speaking to His Imminent, Your Highness. I believe it is about the little surprises someone left on the floor.”
Allison felt a guilty blush took over her face. It was in that moment she knew she was in deep trouble. With just one sentence, Renee managed to make her felt bad about the jinxes. If it was any other person (Seth and Minister Knox notably), she would shrugged it off and felt no remorse whatsoever. But Renee made her want to say ‘I’m sorry, it was unbecoming of me’ and she only knew Renee for a measly five minutes.
“You are a good dancer.” Allison not so subtly changed the topic.
Renee smiled sweetly. “Thank you Your Highness. But I am not as good as you.”
Allison hummed and twirled Renee around. Their conversations, sparse as they were, turned to mundane things. Allison told Renee about her Exy court and in turn, Renee told her about life in the Diplomatic Corps. Allison had to bite her lips to stave off the flood of questions she had. She wanted to know everything about Renee, but most of all, she just wanted to hear Renee’s voice.
They danced for two more song before someone politely interrupted them.
“Your Highness, may I have the next dance?” High Wizard Neil Josten said.
Allison rolled her eyes but let go of Renee. Renee bowed at them before making her way off the dance floor. The next song was a Waltz and Allison had to stomp off her annoyance.
“Why couldn’t they play this song when I was dancing with Renee?” She complained to Neil.
“On a first name basis already?” Neil asked.
“How is your Captain Andrew?” Allison deflected.
Neil scoffed. “He’s having a chat with ‘Renee’.”
“I like her.” Allison didn’t bother to play the subterfuge game with Neil.
“Andrew asked me to talk to you.” Neil didn’t bother playing it with her either.
Allison sighed. “She has lovely eyes.”
Neil took a deep breath. “Andrew just wants you to know that he will make your life miserable if you hurt her.”
“I don’t know Neil. I’ve only met her today.” She answered honestly.
“I know you Princess. I know your heart is always in the right place. It’s why I always follow along with your schemes.”
Allison had to smile at that.
“But I also know that you could be rash at times. Renee is important to Andrew, and Andrew is important to me. So can you please be careful with her?”
Allison leaned closer to Neil. Other than Seth, Neil was the only other person she trusted. She never said it out loud, but she considered Neil to be her closest friend.
“To tell you the truth, I’m scared too.” She whispered.
Neil squeezed her hand, silently encouraging her.
“I felt something for her.” Allison searched for words to describe the feelings Renee invoked inside her. “I want to know everything about her. I like her voice so much I don’t want her to stop speaking. I swear I could spend the rest of my life staring into her eyes.” Allison paused to take a breath. “And this is why I’m scared Neil. She barely did anything and already I’m so gone for her.”
“Oh Allison.” There was a note of understanding in Neil’s voice.
“Is this how you feel toward Andrew?” Allison had to ask.
Neil shrugged. “Among other things.”
“What do I do, Neil? What do I do so as not to hurt her.”
Just then the music came to a close. They stopped dancing and Neil leaned back to look at her.
“You do your best Allison. You do your best.”
Then he escorted Allison to where Seth was waiting.