Death's Dance

Chapter 4: Dinner At The Palace

      We stood in awkward silence for I moment before I asked what I should wear to dinner. One of the maids pulled out a dinner dress. Lisha dinner dresses are far less full than their court dresses. My dinner dress was like satin drapery pulled tight and pinned with a large broach made of silver crystals. Both my shoes and dress were made of royal blue satin. The shoes had an area behind the heal made like the broach. My hair was done up in an evening style and a necklace and earring set replaced my other jewels. They looked like they were made of the silver butterflies outside. As they were doing my hair I realized that there was no perfumes or makeup on the vanity.

      "You what is your name," I ask the girl who got my dress out.

      "Yeona, your Highness."

      "No need to be afraid, Yeona. I was just going to ask if you could get me some perfumes."

      Yeona looks nervously at the other girls.

      "I could get some from the store if you would like, your Highness," one of the others answers for Yeona.

      "I would, thank you; and your name would be," I ask the bright eyed girl.

      "Letti, your Highness," she says while curtsying.

      "And this is Lieve," she says while gesturing to the girl putting my butterfly crown on.

      "Your Highness," Lieve says while curtsying.

      "And that is Ximena," Letti finishes while turning to the girl at the door.

      "Your Highness," Ximena says softly, curtsying.

      "Well now that I know all your names when it is just us you may call me Thana; instead of your highness."

      Letti gets a big smile on her face, Yeona blushes, Lieve smiles softly, and Ximena keeps her gaze pinned to the floor.

      "I am sure we will be good friends," I added before heading down stairs for dinner.

      When I got to the stairs I realized that I had no idea where the dinning hall was. Luckily Drazhan was waiting at the bottom wearing a royal blue dinning suit ensemble.

      He looked like he was going to say something then decided against it.

      I descended and we walked to the dining hall. When we arrived, to my surprise, the Queen was not there.

      There was a large table lined with empty places. I wait to be told were to sit. Drazhan talks to who I must assume is the Butler. Then, the butler clapped his hands and servants came to clear the room. While the servants worked hurriedly the Butler told the prince something I could not quite understand.

      "Would you like to go for a walk in the gardens before dinner," Drazhan asks turning to me and smiling.

      "Yes, I would," I answer, not hiding the joy I feel.

      The gardens were like nothing I had ever seen before all shimmery and perfectly manicured, but fake and hollow.

      "It is lovely here," I tell him trying to be polite.

      "I much prefer the woods around were we met," he says, without looking at me.

      "Everything here feels too pristine," I admit.

      "It all lacks color and life," he adds, still not looking at me.

      "Is there something wrong," I blurt, "because you waited for me, then you had the dinning hall cleared, asked me to go for a walk, tell me more about yourself than you have the whole time I have known you, but you won't even look at me?!"

      "I knew you didn't know where the dinning hall was that is why I waited for you. I had the dinning hall cleared because I didn't want you to feel scared and alone. I asked you if you would like to go for a walk because it would take time to set dinner up in a smaller room. And I am not looking at you because," he stops just briefly to contemplate his words, "my mother would be furious."

      I know that is not the real answer, but I know better than to press him. We continue walking in silence.

      After a while the Butler finds us and directs us to another room where dinner has been served. We eat in silence. I don't even remember what the food tastes like. All I can do is mull over what the true reason Drazhan could not look at me might be. When we finished eating Drazhan walked me to the stairs, said good night, and went up the other stairs. I got to my room and almost tripped forgetting that Ximena opened the door for us.

      "I would rather not talk girls," I tell them as Letti opens her mouth to speak. She quickly shuts it and they undress me.

      Yeona helps me into a night dress. Lieve takes my jewels off, then hair down, brushes it, and then lightly braids it. While Letti puts a bed warmer at the end of my bed under the blankets.

      I get into bed, they all say good night, and they leave through a panel door in the wall. I sit up shocked, but quickly lay back down.

      I still have a hard time falling asleep.

      Before I had physical exhaustion to get me to sleep.

      Today I have emotional exhaustion and that just makes me more awake.

      I toss and turn for a while before I eventually get so tired I drift off to sleep.