The Ball
The week following what Amiera had taken to calling “the incident”, was simultaneously the longest and shortest of her life. She was kept busy with preparations for her ball; the decorations, the menu, the invites, etc. Because of all that, she primarily spoke to people she was bossing around, not the one she was longing for the most.
Since the preparations had started, it seemed as if the gods themselves were pulling the two apart. Whenever Ami tried to talk to Ryn, she was either called away for her input on something irrelevant, or the sorceress had a task to complete and couldn’t stick around. It was beginning to annoy her to no end. All she wanted was one conversation, and she couldn’t even get that!
That would change though, and soon, but she had other matters to attend to. The most pressing one? Picking out her dress for the ball. Even though her and her mother weren’t on speaking terms, she still found a way of bossing her around. Recently, she had taken to sending one of her brothers to carry her messages. So when Elian came to her door asking about her choice of dress, she knew their mother had sent him. Knowing her as well as he did, he knew she didn’t have one yet, and gave her the rest of today to find one that was suitable.
As soon as he left, she immediately went around her room, searching for her “going into town” clothes. In reality, the clothes she typically wore was a long, plain white dress with a vermillion corset and a simple black cloak. Her cloak’s clasp was the most interesting thing about it, the dual silver moons shining in the sunlight. She threw those on along with her brown boots, which were covered by her dress. Quickly, she braided her hair, one on each side of her head, and pulled them both into a single ponytail, which she also braided.
She practically flew out of her room and through the palace, it was nearly midday already and her time was running out fast. She swiftly made it out of the castle, but in her haste, nearly knocked over her brother, who luckily grabbed her arm to stop both of them from falling. She couldn’t tell which one until she looked up and saw twin pools of deep brown staring back at her. Rhys looked down at her, still gripping her arm, his gaze questioning. “And just where are you going in such a hurry?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Kry,” she replied shaking free of his grip. “I can’t stay, I have a deadline,” she rushed out, making her way down to the carriage being hastily prepared for her, leaving a bewildered Rhys in her wake. Before she got in, she turned back towards her still dazed brother and shouted, “Love you, bye!”
She hopped in the carriage and then she was speeding off towards town.
☀︎
She got her escort to drop her off a little ways away from town, to avoid anyone recognizing the royal seal on the side of her carriage. Her walk into town was short, less than a mile, but it gave her time to think over some things. By things, she meant her infatuation with a certain white-haired knight. In particular, she thought about when she realized her feelings for the other woman.
It was about a month after they met, but it felt much shorter than that. That day was the first time Aeryn accompanied her to one of the towns of Decorus, and she had to admit, she was reluctant to let her come. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her, far from it in fact. It was just that she thought of her trips to town as “Amiera time” and would rather go alone. Ryn wouldn’t have that, and insisted that she come with. Looking back, Ami was glad she did. That day they shopped, they ate, they laughed, all as normal people, not as a princess and a knight.
It was on the ride home that she realized that her feelings went deeper than just friendship. Aeryn sat next to her, smiling while gazing out the window and she couldn’t help but notice just how beautiful she was. Even though she wore a simple outfit with her hair in a modest braid, she looked as if she was sculpted by the gods themselves. It was in that moment that she knew; she was in love. And she liked it.
By the time she had finished her trip down memory lane, she was already at the entrance to the town of Kry. Being the one of the closest to the palace, Kry was also one of the largest towns in the kingdom. There were shops, bakeries, a public bath, even a few temples located in the town. Hence why Amiera liked to shop there.
She hurried to her favorite shop; Varda’s Very Exquisite Gowns and Formal Wear. She had been going to Varda’s since she was old enough to go to balls. She’d been there to get dresses for all of the stupid balls her parents hosted, and forged quite a bond with the woman. After finding out she was the princess, she treated her exactly the same, never once questioning her. She was like her second mother, except Ami actually liked her.
“Ami!” the older woman greeted excitedly. She stood on a ladder, reaching for something on a higher shelf. She quickly descended and pulled her into a hug. “How are you, sweet girl?” she asked letting go of the royal. She looked the same as always; long salt-and-pepper hair drawn back in a low ponytail, tanned skin full of smile lines that seemed to be deeper every time she visited, and bright cerulean eyes, always glowing with optimism.
“I’m fine, V.” Amiera replied, happily excepting the woman’s affection. Though she wasn’t there too often, Varda greeted her the same every time.
“What are you looking for today?
“I need a dress for my ball next week, and I’m short on time,” she explained hurriedly, “Can you help me?”
Varda looked almost offended by the question, as though she couldn’t believe Ami would dare ask such a thing. “Can I help?” she asked, “Of course I can help my favorite princess!”
Immediately, she got to work looking through the gowns displayed throughout the shop. She would bring Amiera a dress to try on, but snatch it away before she could, claiming it “wasn’t the one.” The process of picking up, handing over, and snatching away continued for about twenty minutes before Varda finally gave up on the dresses on display. “There’s nothing out here for you,” she’d said, “I have to search in the back for something that suits you just right.”
That had been at least fifteen minutes ago, and Amiera was starting to worry. What if the older woman had fell while she was on a ladder and couldn’t get up? What if she had fainted while back there and Amiera didn’t know? She was just about to go back and find her when she came back, using both hands to carry out a elegant gown. The only thing Ami could see was the color of a newly lit fire, a blazing orange that stood out against every other color in the room. Ami could hardly wait for Varda to hand her the dress before running to the dressing room to try it on.
She rushed to get the dress on, excited to see herself in it. Once it was on, she looked in the mirror and gasped. The dress had no straps, so the neckline formed a heart like shape. Along the bodice and on the top layer of the dress, there were fiery orange stripes. The stripes traced the outline of the bodice and ran through the cups of her breasts. The stripes continued onto the top layer of the skirt, outlining that too in newly birthed flame. The rest of the dress, the parts not bathed in flame, was a beautiful cream color, a stark contrast from the burst of color. They complimented each other perfectly. Since she wasn’t wearing heels, the dress fanned out around her feet, but she didn’t mind a bit. Upon further inspection, she noticed that there were little golden butterflies stitched onto the orange portions of the skirt, glinting in the light. The detail just made her fall even more in love with the dress. She knew this was the one.
Soon after she came to that realization, she heard Varda calling her back out to see the dress. She picked the dress up off the floor before going out to face the older woman. As soon as she laid eyes on Amiera, she smiled and her eyes started to get teary. “So beautiful,” she said, her voice full of emotion. Amiera smiled back at that and said affirmatively, “This is it.” Varda agreed and went to go get a bag for her gown as Amiera went to take it off.
She emerged in her original clothes, which felt plain after she had just had on such a beautiful dress. She handed her dress over to Varda, who bagged it and gave it back, stating that it was on the house. Ami tried to argue, but was quickly shut down by the other woman. Defeated, she took her dress, hugged Varda goodbye, and made her exit. But before she left, she couldn’t help herself; she snuck behind a rack of dresses and hid a sack of coin, enough to cover the dress. After, she flipped up her hood and stepped out onto the busy streets of Kry.
☾
The next week passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was the night before the ball. Given that, she had spent the entire day finalizing preparations. The decorations, seating, menu, and music were all just finished being set up only a few hours ago. She had been running around all day, carrying out errands, giving her input, and making decisions. Because of all this, she was exhausted.
So one could imagine her aggravation when she heard a knock on her door just as she was getting into bed. She flung the covers off herself, and got up to answer the door, cursing whoever it was in several languages. She angrily threw open the door, ready to spit out all kinds of profanities, only to see the one person she had missed the most in the past weeks.
Stood in her doorway, also in her nighttime attire, was Aeryn.
It was easy for Amiera to tell she was tired. There was an entire night sky under her eyes, her shirt was on backwards, and her wavy hair was in a ponytail, which she never did unless she really couldn’t be bothered. Ryn flashed a small smile at her, and Ami felt her eyes starting to water.
“This is the second time we’ve met like this, Princess.” the taller woman all but whispered, “I fear it may be becoming a habit.”
Wasting no time, Amiera pulled the sorceress into her room, closing the door behind her. As soon as it was closed, she threw her arms around Ryn, hugging her tight. Even though all the preparations kept her busy, she had missed her best friend severely. And by the way she hugged back, she thought it was safe to assume that Ryn had missed her too.
After a few seconds, Amiera pulled back to ask why the other was up so late. “I needed to see you,” she responded in a soft voice. “Tomorrow’s the day you get signed away, and I couldn’t let that happen before I got to see you again.” as she was speaking, her hand came up to rest against Ami’s cheek, and she smiled at the gesture. “Just when I’d started to think you’d forgotten about me.” Amiera uttered in the same soft voice, as if she were afraid of being caught at any minute.
“I could never forget about you.” and at that moment, standing in the middle of her room, with moonlight shining through the far window, Amiera knew she truly meant it.
Amiera stared up at the woman in front of her, warring with herself in that moment. Standing before her was the woman she liked, hell maybe even loved, yet she couldn’t do anything about it. She was promised to another. Still, found herself leaning forward, towards the other woman. As she gazed, she saw Ryn leaning towards her too. They were inches apart when Ami turned her head, whispering, “I can’t.”
Ryn looked down at her, a look of gentle understanding in her eyes. She said nothing, just took Amiera in her arms, and they stood there, holding each other tightly.
After that, the room was silent, Amiera savoring the moment, as she was sure she wouldn’t get another.
☀︎
The day of the ball was finally upon her, and Ami couldn’t be any less excited. The past two weeks had been leading up to this day, but the only thing she could feel was dread. Dread at the fact that her fate had been cemented without her say. Dread at the fact that she was being forced to marry. Dread at the fact that she had to marry a man. If she was being honest, that was the part she was most upset about. She didn’t want to marry a man, much less one who only desired to rule both her and her kingdom. Unluckily for her, her ancestors had decided she had to.
She was taken out of her thoughts by a knock on her door, signaling that her ladies had arrived to get her ready for the ball. She sighed, getting up from her vanity to let them in. Upon opening the door she was greeted by four women, each dragging several trucks behind her. Ami was quite familiar with the group, as they had got her ready for all of the balls she had attended over the years. They were the best, and she only trusted them with her look for occasions such as this.
“Good day, ladies,” Amiera greeted. Each woman either greeted her verbally or waved in greeting on their way into the room with their supplies. As soon as the last one was through, Ami closed her door while mentally preparing herself for the work that lied ahead.
No sooner had she closed the door, she was being ushered to her vanity so that Era could start on her hair. Era was about Ami’s height with golden skin and kinky auburn hair that was always pulled back. Her dark brown eyes were big and doe-like but let nothing go unnoticed. Era was twenty-six, the same age as the twins, and had had a brief fling with Rhys when Amiera was sixteen. It only lasted for a few months, but both were devastated when it ended. To this day they don’t speak, despite her being good friends with both Elian and Amiera.
On the other side of her, Cosma was setting up her supplies to do Ami’s makeup. Cosma was much taller than Ami, with ivory skin, pin straight blonde hair that flowed down her back, and hazel eyes that were always filled with wonder and creativity. Cosma was the second oldest, being only two years younger that Era, and acted as if she was the mother of the other three. She was caring and understanding, and Ami loved that about her.
Beside Cosma stood Cairy, who was helping her set up. Cairy was Cosma’s twin sister, and she shared her height and ivory skin, but that was where the similarities ended. Cairy had short, curly, blonde-streaked, brown hair and metallic grey eyes that were calculated and organized. Cairy was the type of girl that did not take bullshit, and she made sure that everyone else was on track, and everything was going according to plan. Even though she was a little strict, she made getting ready both fast and fun.
Lastly, setting up by the wardrobe, was Odessa. Odessa, or Dessi as Amiera called her, was the head of the royal wardrobe department. She had known the royal family her whole life, as she had inherited the position from her mother. Dessi had dark brown skin and eyes and midnight hair with one single streak of gray in it. Her family were descendants of powerful mages, who all had gray hair. Unfortunately, the magic in her veins had long gone dormant, and the only evidence of their lineage was the identical gray streak her entire family possessed. However, with the way she styles the royals, you’d think she was working some magic of her own.
Amiera was finally snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Era speaking to her. “What’ll it be today, Princess?” she asked, already pulling out some of her tools. Amiera thought carefully for a minute, before deciding on two braids, one on each side, leading into a low ponytail, with a few pieces left out to frame her face. Nothing too unusual for her. Era nodded after hearing her decision, and quickly got to work.
On the opposite side of the room, Dessi was working on her dress. Smoothing the wrinkles, choosing the accessories, and using her free time to help out one of the other three women. Cosma and Cairy were now done setting up, and had makeup products of all shapes, sizes, and colors splayed out on her vanity. Seeing as they were both finished, Cosma elected to help Era with Ami’s hair, while Cairy went with Dessi to tidy up here and there.
With the addition of Cosma working on her hair, the service went much faster, and the two were done in a matter of minutes, instead of the usual hour it took to get her hair done. Amiera looked at herself in the mirror, playing with her ponytail. She couldn’t help the smile that started to spread on her face. She just loved when Era did her hair.
As soon as the final touches were added, Era was herded away, and Cairy made her way over to Amiera and her twin. The two of them got started immediately, working in sync to to Ami’s makeup. The twins worked well together, often not even needing to speak to convey what they wanted or needed from each other. Cosma took over doing a look on her eyes, while Cairy settled on doing her base makeup.
In a matter of minutes, Amiera’s entire face was done. The twins had done an amazing job, as they always did. On the inner portion of her eyes, Cosma packed in the same bright orange of her dress. She had also drawn a thick black wing of eyeliner on each side. As for the base, Cairy had made it as smooth as possible, and it looked incredible. The blush, highlighter, eyebrows, and nude lipstick, with a brown lip liner of course, pulled the look together and made the princess look almost as beautiful as the sun goddess herself.
Amiera quickly thanked the twins, and got up from her vanity to finally put on her dress. Dessi had pressed it beautifully, and styled it with a golden tiara, diamonds and fire opals lining its frame. The shoes Dessi picked out were gold as well, with a blocky heel that was about three inches tall. The dress and shoes and tiara all paired together made Amiera truly look and feel like a princess. The other four women in the room each gave her a smile and a thumbs up and quickly ushered her out of the room so that they clean up. Getting the message, Ami hurried out of her room, praying she wouldn’t be late to her own ball.
☾
Amiera all but ran through the empty corridors, rushing to get to the ballroom. She had checked the time on her way out of her room, and she only had about seven minutes to get to her destination. She hurriedly made twists and turns, and soon enough, she reached the heavy ballroom doors. They were thrown open, much to her relief, which made it easy for the herald to see her. Swiftly, the band that was playing stopped, and trumpets rang out. The herald cleared his throat loudly before declaring, “Make way for the honoree, Princess Amiera Kione Nadia Joya Norac.”
Immediately every eye turned to look at Ami. She didn’t let it bother her, she was used to it. At the top of the ballroom stairs stood her brother, Elian. He stood with tears in his eyes and his hand held out, ready to escort her into the ball. She smiled as she took his hand, tucking her arm into his and leaning her head on his shoulder. They walked down the stairs together, all eyes on the two of them. Amiera glanced around, seeing some people she knew, but a plethora she didn’t.
Her eyes landed on Aeryn and she had to remember to keep her composure. Ryn was wearing a simple black gown, the bodice lined with black lace. There was a split on the right side of the dress, also lined with lace. Her hair was straight, parted in the middle and pinned back on both sides. The rust-colored stripe stood out boldly against both the white of her hair and the black of her dress. Ryn looked up, catching the princess’s eye. They stared at each other for a minute, the knight finally looking away, breaking up their moment.
Ami and Elian had finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, where Rhys was standing at the bottom. He held out his arm to her, and she put her unoccupied arm through his. Together, both of the twins walked her to the rose colored throne at the end of the line of thrones. Amiera stood in front of her’s and waited until the twins took their places in front of their’s before she took a seat.
Ami’s mother, who she hadn't noticed was sitting on her own throne, stood up and addressed those in attendance, thanking them for coming and encouraging them to enjoy themselves. It never failed to amaze Amiera just how fake her mother could be. One moment, she would coldly tell Ami off, and the next it was like a whole new person filled her skin.
After her mother’s speech, the band started back up and people started to mingle again. Amiera took that as an opportunity to go find Ryn. Many people came up to her, each offering her a happy birthday. She smiled, thanking each one, but swiftly weaved her way through them to find her knight. In her haste she bumped into someone, which was exactly what she needed at the moment.
She looked, slightly annoyed, to apologize, but stopped in her tracks once she realized who it was.
Prince Henrik Lorcan Mansfield III.
Her betrothed.
Amiera’s eyes widened and she quickly tried to turn around and get as far away from him as possible. Henrik, however, didn’t like that, and grabbed onto her arm. Hard. Ami tried to jerk her arm away, but couldn’t break the man’s vice grip on her arm. Amiera looked around frantically, hoping someone would see her and help her. She locked eyes with Ryn across the room, trying desperately to convey the fact she needed help.
Sooner than Amiera thought possible, Ryn had crossed the room and pinned the arm Henrik used to grab Ami pinned behind his back. Immediately, partygoers from all over the room had weapons drawn and pointed at the three. Amiera looked around shocked, Henrik actually brought soldiers to her ball. She understood he was a prince and he needed protection, but a whole calvary was not necessary.
Aeryn glanced around at the weapons surrounding the group, but made no move to remove herself from the prince. Amiera turned back to Henrik, asking shakily, “What in the gods name are you doing?”
Henrik looked at her, eyes colder than the steel of a blade, and said, “Taking what’s mine.”