A Flowers Enigma

16- The Royal Ball (Part Two)

  "Ladies and Gentlemen! I present to you, Prince Jasper of The Bloodwyn Monarchy, Son of King Sebastian The Second and Queen Felicity, Heir to the Blood Throne, and Lady Mays, his betrothed!"

Huge, oak doors open to the ball room. It took at least six men to open them so we could enter, and what befell my gaze was magnificent. Hundreds of people in gowns and robes stared back at us, some even gasping once they saw Jasper and I. Our arms were interlocked, and we stood close together in unity. As I guesstimated earlier, no one looked as good as us. Though some people probably wore gowns and robes that cost an entire fortune, Jasper and I really took the punch.

We walked in slowly as beautiful music blared at the side of the room, staring ahead as if no one were there. People cleared out the way, watching us in awe. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Though, I didn't feel as powerful as I looked. I was shaking, so hard it was difficult to walk in a straight line. Jasper gripped my arm tighter, calming me down and urging me to remain nonchalant at the same time. We had to remain blank, and perfectly poised.

I took a deep breath, following along with him. There was at least a hundred cameras focused on us, and every now and then a flash went off. But why would someone need a flash? The ball room was so bright and beautiful that it blinded me to look at for a long time. The gems and jewels seemed to glow brighter, and the vines were even greener. The smell of fruits and flowers was pungent, clouding my nose. There was a bouquet table nearby, which explained why the room smelt so delicious.

We finally make it to where Queen Felicity and King Sebastian sat, upon two magnificent thrones. It was crafted from gold, molded so that millions of rulers could sit on it. Many before have sat on the throne, and yet it still looked as beautiful as the day it was made. There was two, one larger than the other. There was also crowns to match the thrones, crowns Queen Felicity and King Sebastian were wearing.

Queen Felicity was draped in a black gown that complimented her skin and hair. She wore red makeup to represent House Bloodwyn fully, and her hair was tied up in an intricate bun even I wouldn't attempt to style. King Sebastian looked forced to be there and stay sober. He wore a suit that looked much like Jasper's, but the colors were swapped. Instead of being mostly red, it was mostly black with red engravings. Once we finally reach them, we turn to face the crowd, hand in shaking hand.

"You may now, begin!" Announces King Sebastian with a sense of boredom.

Everyone began either dancing, or making their way towards us. The guards nearby stepped slightly closer, ready to prevent anything. I could feel how antsy everyone was to meet Jasper and I. But we had the rest of the night for introductions. Jasper takes my hand and leads me to a familiar looking Lord to start us off easy.

"Lord Balon, nice to finally see you again! This is Iris, my fiance." I shake his hand, completely masking the nervousness I felt as millions of eyes stared at me. I smiled sweetly, not breaking eye contact with the little man.

"Nice to meet you, Lord Balon! I have heard so much about you. I hope the peaches you export during the summer will be good as always!"

"You love peaches?!" He asks, shocked by my knowledge of him. I could tell he was expecting me to be a dumb troublesome slut the media made me out to be in the span of a couple of days.

"I adore the fruit! I used to nag my mother every year to buy them when they were in season."

He laughs, and I feel an ounce of relief that I am managing to make amends with someone so far. "I will be sure to make sure the freshest of peaches are exported to you!" He says, and waddles away with a glass of wine to talk to King Sebastian.

Jasper takes me to another person, and this time I recognize them immediately. How could I not, when I have seen them in every show and magazine known to mankind?