looks eerily dark and
quiet. He must have already left. The back veranda of the palace is swarming
with people, and they are all milling about and smiling like they have no other
care in the world.
Twinkling lights are floating all around
and it reminds me of my sprites back home. I really miss them and the times I
would spend with them in my gardens. As soon as I get home, I plan to devote
all my extra time with them. The twinkling lights also remind me of the mortal
realm at Christmas time. We don’t celebrate mortal holidays here, but I guess
you could say this ball is our Christmas celebration, minus all the presents.
This is more of a Winter Court celebration that we are obligated to take part
in.
Walking in the snow in high heeled
sandals may not have been the best idea. My toes are numb and they’ll probably
fall off from frostbite. My temperature runs naturally hot, but the cold still
affects me. It only takes a few minutes to reach the veranda at the back of the
palace. Now that Kalen is the leader of the Winter Court Army, he must have
ordered extra security for the ball tonight. The place is swarming with
warriors.
We enter through the doors and are
motioned toward what I can only assume is the ballroom. I can’t really see
because of the huge mass of people scattered about. There’s a long line of
guests waiting to enter, and I can hear the booming voice of an announcer
calling out each individual’s names. I silently groan and squeeze Finn’s arm to
grab his attention.
“This is going to take forever,” I
whisper to him.
He just smiles and elbows me in the ribs
lightly.
“Look at it this way, Cinderella, at
least you get to make your grand entrance with that beautiful gown of yours.”
He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it softly. “I’m honored to be by your
side tonight.”
But for how long,I think to
myself.
“I heard that,” Ashur says,
interrupting my inner turmoil.
I peek over my shoulder to steal a
glance at him. He’s holding onto Elissa’s arm escorting her just like Finn is
doing with me.
“Kalen wasn’t the one that broke my
heart, Ashur. I’ve hated him for nothing, and because of what the dark sorcerer
did, I closed off my heart and soul to the people that cared about me the most.
I’ve missed out on so much.”
I turn my head forward and we continue
our slow pace to the entryway of the ballroom. Ashur’s voice comes back full
force inside my head.
“You may have closed off your heart
during the past five years, but I feel it beginning to open up again, and I
love the feeling. For the first time since I’ve been your Guardian, I can feel
that spark of happiness trying to come back into your life. The dark sorcerer
made a mistake when he played you for a fool. I hate to say this, but this
experience has opened your eyes and made you a stronger and smarter woman.”
My eyes begin to burn, but I fight it
off.
“I hope so, Ashur. I truly hope so.”
We eventually make our way to the
ballroom doors and the announcer obviously recognizes me.
“Good evening, Your Highness.” He bows
his head and lifts his gentle eyes at Finn and then back to me. “Who, may I
ask, is your escort for the evening?”
“His name is Finn, and he’s a warrior of
the Summer Court,” I kindly respond back.
The announcer is a short, pudgy man
wearing a white tunic and white pants. His rich, black hair and black beard
contrasts greatly with his pale features and white clothes. He gives me a warm
smile as one of the servants approaches me to help me out of my cloak. I hand
over my bow and arrows to Ashur so that I know they are safe while we attend
the ball.
The announcer’s eyes grow wide at the
sight of my dress and it takes him a few seconds to gain his composure before
announcing in his deep booming voice, “I give you Princess Meliantha, and her
escort, Warrior Finn, from
quiet. He must have already left. The back veranda of the palace is swarming
with people, and they are all milling about and smiling like they have no other
care in the world.
Twinkling lights are floating all around
and it reminds me of my sprites back home. I really miss them and the times I
would spend with them in my gardens. As soon as I get home, I plan to devote
all my extra time with them. The twinkling lights also remind me of the mortal
realm at Christmas time. We don’t celebrate mortal holidays here, but I guess
you could say this ball is our Christmas celebration, minus all the presents.
This is more of a Winter Court celebration that we are obligated to take part
in.
Walking in the snow in high heeled
sandals may not have been the best idea. My toes are numb and they’ll probably
fall off from frostbite. My temperature runs naturally hot, but the cold still
affects me. It only takes a few minutes to reach the veranda at the back of the
palace. Now that Kalen is the leader of the Winter Court Army, he must have
ordered extra security for the ball tonight. The place is swarming with
warriors.
We enter through the doors and are
motioned toward what I can only assume is the ballroom. I can’t really see
because of the huge mass of people scattered about. There’s a long line of
guests waiting to enter, and I can hear the booming voice of an announcer
calling out each individual’s names. I silently groan and squeeze Finn’s arm to
grab his attention.
“This is going to take forever,” I
whisper to him.
He just smiles and elbows me in the ribs
lightly.
“Look at it this way, Cinderella, at
least you get to make your grand entrance with that beautiful gown of yours.”
He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it softly. “I’m honored to be by your
side tonight.”
But for how long,I think to
myself.
“I heard that,” Ashur says,
interrupting my inner turmoil.
I peek over my shoulder to steal a
glance at him. He’s holding onto Elissa’s arm escorting her just like Finn is
doing with me.
“Kalen wasn’t the one that broke my
heart, Ashur. I’ve hated him for nothing, and because of what the dark sorcerer
did, I closed off my heart and soul to the people that cared about me the most.
I’ve missed out on so much.”
I turn my head forward and we continue
our slow pace to the entryway of the ballroom. Ashur’s voice comes back full
force inside my head.
“You may have closed off your heart
during the past five years, but I feel it beginning to open up again, and I
love the feeling. For the first time since I’ve been your Guardian, I can feel
that spark of happiness trying to come back into your life. The dark sorcerer
made a mistake when he played you for a fool. I hate to say this, but this
experience has opened your eyes and made you a stronger and smarter woman.”
My eyes begin to burn, but I fight it
off.
“I hope so, Ashur. I truly hope so.”
We eventually make our way to the
ballroom doors and the announcer obviously recognizes me.
“Good evening, Your Highness.” He bows
his head and lifts his gentle eyes at Finn and then back to me. “Who, may I
ask, is your escort for the evening?”
“His name is Finn, and he’s a warrior of
the Summer Court,” I kindly respond back.
The announcer is a short, pudgy man
wearing a white tunic and white pants. His rich, black hair and black beard
contrasts greatly with his pale features and white clothes. He gives me a warm
smile as one of the servants approaches me to help me out of my cloak. I hand
over my bow and arrows to Ashur so that I know they are safe while we attend
the ball.
The announcer’s eyes grow wide at the
sight of my dress and it takes him a few seconds to gain his composure before
announcing in his deep booming voice, “I give you Princess Meliantha, and her
escort, Warrior Finn, from
Similar Books
