Prologue
The anxious princess stood from her bathwater and held her arms out, waiting for the fabric to be draped over her. The servant did this and the princess wrapped the cloth around her tight. Princess Daphne walked out of the tub and held up her arms once again for the girl to dry her. Normally, Daphne would shoo her away, telling her or whoever was with her, that she had two hands and could do it herself. But, today, she just didn't have it in her, and for once was glad that she could just lift her arms and have someone do the work for her.
Once the servant was done, she was led over to where her dress was hung. As she was quickly fitted into it, she let out an annoyed sigh as the girl tied her corset too tight. Daphne harshly slapped her hands away and tied it herself. The girl seemed to shrink a bit after that, trying to be as far away from the princess as she could be while still helping Daphne get ready. Daphne didn't notice, nor would she have cared. Her mind was on other things; such as the dinner she would be having with the king and prince of Regalia.
The whole dinner sounded so suspicious to her. King Raleigh, king of Regalia, held a very powerful Kingdom. In the last thirty years, he has been conquering Kingdoms left and right, showing no mercy to innocent people in the process. The Kingdom of Illignor, her kingdom, was made to be neighbors with them after they took the previous one two decades back. Daphne's father, King Mortimer, wanted nothing more than peace with the deadly king. Ever since then, King Raleigh would come have dinner in Illignor and the two kings would work out a deal to keep the peace.
However, the prince of Regalia, Prince Vergil, second to the throne, has never come to the dinner. And, there was never a need for Daphne to look her best and for her mother to lecture her for two hours the day before about her manners. Daphne prayed silently that this wasn't going to end with her hand in marriage. It wasn't that Prince Vergil was unattractive, because he was certainly very handsome, but, she had little to no interest in him. She heard that all he really cares about is hunting and finding the perfect prey. Plus, she was already in love.
Daphne was awakened from her thoughts when a knock came at her door. The servant had just finished powdering her face and skittered over to the door, opening it, and revealing Daphne's mother, Queen Cynthia. Her face was stretched into a fake smile and her hand reached up to the necklace she wore, fingering it while she walked over to her daughter. The queen brought down both her arms to her side, then reached over and lifted Daphne from where she was sitting.
"You look beautiful, my song bird," her mother said, kissing the side of her cheek. Daphne smiled at the nickname.
"Same to you, mama," Daphne sang. The queen gave her a small, real smile but Daphne could see the worry and fear in her mother's eyes. Daphne's fear came back again, making her smile drop. The queen frowned at this and moved away from her daughter, her hand going back to her necklace.
"Ready for dinner?" Queen Cynthia asked, turning away from Daphne and walking towards the exit. Daphne didn't answer; she just stepped in line behind her mother, her mind going crazy every second that passed. She knew that she was old enough to get married, but, she thought she would be marrying her true love, not a strange prince. Daphne may be the first born, but, she was a lady, and a lady does not rule a kingdom. Her brother, Prince Dustan, would be the one ruling the Kingdom of Illignor one day. Daphne thought she might have gotten away with marrying whoever she wanted...
Daphne and her mother entered the dining room, first ones there. The servants pulled out their chairs for them, both of them sitting on the right side of the table. The room was large, the tiles decorated with the colors of gold, silver, and red. A silk red tablecloth covered the oak table and china glasses were placed by each seat. The wall in front of Daphne had a huge window, the curtains opened to reveal an astonishing view of the sun setting.
Queen Cynthia attempted to make small talk with the princess, but, Daphne only gave short nods. She was slowly getting over the shock of maybe being given away to Prince Vergil and was now just getting angry at her mother; how could she just let her go marry someone she didn't know? The entrance doors opened the room filling with King Mortimer's laughter. Queen Cynthia got up from her seat to greet her husband, but Daphne continued to sit and stare at her empty plate.
Daphne only moved once her mother came back over to her and tugged a piece of her hair, giving her a glare that said go-greet-them-or-else. Daphne glared back and got up from her seat, walking over to King Raleigh and Prince Vergil. Daphne gave both a curtsy in her baby blue gown. Her father was next to King Raleigh, telling him a story that King Mortimer seemed to find hilarious, because he was laughing up a storm. King Raleigh was hardly listening, staring directly at Daphne. A shiver went down her spine, and she averted her gaze away from him.
Daphne has always, even when she was a young child, found King Raleigh very scary. With his piercing green eyes that seem to be looking straight into your soul and know your greatest fear with just a quick glance. He had an aura of authority that he loved to abuse. Then there was his well known smirk. Daphne has never not seen King Raleigh smiling- no, it wasn't a smile. It was an evil grin. At that moment, Daphne really just wanted to smack it off of his face.
Vergil came up to her than, peering down at her, since he was quite a tall young man. Daphne glared up at him, not caring anymore for her impoliteness. Vergil smirked back at her, that same smirk of his father's. His black hair was spiked upwards and his dark blue eyes had a glint of mischief in them that Daphne would have liked if she also didn't see the same cunning and cruelty she saw in his father's eyes. He quickly snatched up her hand, lifting it up so he could kiss it, his eyes never leaving hers, but Daphne whipped it away from him, scowling. The same smirk never left his lips.
Daphne then looked behind Vergil to see her eleven year old brother, standing there, out of place. Daphne's spirits were lifted somewhat, happy to see someone that would miss her once she left. She stepped around Vergil and walked over to her brother, smiling at him. Dustan smiled back shyly, feeling that Vergil's and King Raleigh's gaze was now on him. King Mortimer cleared his throat, just then acknowledging that he was no longer being listened to.
"How about we all move towards the table? Our chef has prepared a magnificent dinner especially for King Raleigh and Prince Vergil's appearance this evening," King Mortimer said, walking to the head of the table. King Raleigh sat across from him, on the other head. Dustan moved around his sister and Prince Vergil, wanting to get out of the spotlight as fast as possible. Vergil smirked down at Daphne once again, waiting for her to move before he did anything. Daphne ignored him, briskly walking past him, and sitting next to her mother once again. Vergil sat across from her.
Daphne looked down at her plate, trying to ignore the gaze she was getting from Prince Vergil and instead decided to turn towards her mother, wanting to start that small talk now. Though, all she got in return was a dirty look from her mother. Well, fine. Daphne then decided that she was going to give her parents the silent treatment and poke her mother in the side every time she gave her a dirty look. Which includes that dirty look. Queen Cynthia jumped slightly when her daughter poked her, making her left wrist hit the table. The queen would have snapped, if it wasn't for Prince Vergil and his laughing. Dustan, who was sitting next to Prince Vergil, gave him a confused look.
"What is so funny?" he asked, looking at him, and then to his mother. Queen Cynthia turned pink and averted her gaze to her husband. Daphne had to cover her month to stop her smile from showing. Dinner was then placed out in front of each person, a creamy white soup for now. Daphne picked up her spoon and dipped it into the soup. She brought the spoon back out, pressing it against her lips and then slurped the small amount of soup. She had always loved this soup. Her soup tranquility was soon broken though when Prince Vergil spoke up.
"You seem to like that soup a bit too much," he said, grinning. Daphne threw him a glare, then looked over at her father, trying to tell him that she found Vergil's outburst annoying. King Mortimer ignored her. King Raleigh did not.
"Look! The children are already getting along. Oh, I just know your daughter will be a great addition to the Regalia Kingdom, especially with her magical voice I keep hearing rumors about," King Raleigh said, overjoyed and grinning from ear to ear. Daphne snapped her neck around to stare at him, mouth gapping.
She had to bite down on her lip hard not to shout out in astonishment. Than her worst fears were true? Daphne quickly snapped her head back down, not wanting to make eye contact. She had to hold her breath a few times, trying to calm down. She did not want to have a panic attack with these traitors watching her. A spark went through her body has a hand clutched her fingers. She knew it was her mother. Breath, Daphne, breath!
"Is something the matter, Princess?" asked King Raleigh, the first time she has ever heard puzzlement in the man's voice. Though, when she tasted of blood that was when Daphna snapped back into her sense. She unclenched her bottom lip and looked back up into the face of King Raleigh. No trace of confusion, maybe she only imagined it in his words. She lowered her head quickly in retreat; she forgot her manners for a second.
Taking a quick breathe, Daphne let out a shaky "I am just speechless from the surprising news, your majesty." She then gathered herself and gave him a modest smile. But that smile hid all. She wasn't going to marry Vergil. She wasn't going to be locked away in the Regalia Kingdom. She wasn't even going to be in this castle in a few hours.
–
Once Daphne back to her room, Daphne shooed away all her maids. She exclaimed to them, "I just want to be alone! I will sadly be married soon and would like to have a few moments to myself, thank you very much." The princess quickly shut the door after them, hitting the heels of the last girl. Daphne messaged her face for a second, muttering a nursery her mother used to sing to her. She stumbled over to her vanity, looking closely at herself in the mirror.
She saw the wavy haired maiden that has always been on the bit of the rebellious side. She saw the small girl that her mother used to sing to. And she saw the caged bird that has finally found her key to freedom. Daphne took out the knife she had stole from the dining table hours before, and grasped her hair with her other hand. Slowly, pressing as hard as she could, Daphne started sawing her locks of hair off, one strand at a time.
Setting down the knife and brushing the hair off, Daphne looked up at her reflection. She grinned from ear to ear. Her hair choppy to say the least, but under a servant headdress, no one would notice. Now all she needed was a servant outfit… Daphne walked over to her door, knocking on it.
"Maids? Could one of you come in here please?" she sang, knowing that at least a few would be nearby enough to hear the knock. Daphne stepped back behind the door as another knock came and the door opened.
"My lady?" the servant girl called. As she stepped into the room, Daphne quickly closed the door. The maid spun around, her squeak noticeable when she saw her lady's hair.
"Strip down. I need your dress," Daphne said, grinning as she walked closer to the girl. The maid squeaked again and backed up.
"My lady!"
"You are a mere maid, give your royal your dress. Now," Daphne commanded. She had stopped walking, not enjoying scaring the poor girl anymore. The maid, fright in her eyes, slowly stripped off her dress and handed it to the princess. Daphne quickly got out of her overly big dress she was wearing and stepped into her maids outfit. It wasn't even close to a perfect fit; the maid had both slightly larger hips and breast, and Daphne was taller than her by a good two inches, but it would do for the time being.
"Now, I do not want to hear a word out of you. Sit on my bed and stay there. Do not let anyone into the room." Daphne wasted no time to rearrange her bookshelf out of the way to a secret passageway. It was made in case she needed to escape the room quickly, and the door was blocked. Sadly, it went to one of the guest rooms in the castle. Daphne just prayed that it didn't lead to the guest rooms that belonged to the King or his son.
Taking her lamp and heading down the stairs, Daphne stopped for a short second to listen just in case the maid got any strange ideas. Fortunately, all she heard was fast breathing. Daphna slowly made her descend, watching out for uneven steps. After what seemed too long, Daphne came to a door. Checking it and seeing it unlocked, she peeked her eye through to see darkness. Taking a chance, the door squeaked open and Daphne put her lamp inside, revealing her to be in a closet. Smiling, Daphne walked to the opening, flashing the lamp inside the room.. and she quickly moved it back out. Sleeping soundlessly was King Raleigh inside the room. Daphne took a few seconds to collect herself from the shock and peeked in again. She couldn't see anything, but she now heard soft breathing. He was still asleep.
Daphne blew out her lamp and placed it on the ground. Opening the door fully, cringing at the noise the door was making, Daphne tip toed past the horrid king and opened the door. She found two guards stationed. Curing under her breath, she noticed it wasn't any of her own guards. Good. Opening the door fully, Daphne smiled at them.
"I must have got locked in when I was cleaning up his bath," Daphne said. The guards gave little regard towards her, only nodding at her response. Daphne walked down the hall in haste; she has seen most of her maids do this. She needed to get out of the castle before someone recognized her. Quickly, dodging every servant that walked by, Daphne made her way into the kitchen. There, while the cooks were cleaning, she walked out the back near the mote.
Her breathing shallow from walking and worrying, she stopped to look up at the sky, at how beautiful the night sky was at this time, how she could look at each twinkling star and never run out. At least wherever she went, the sky would stay the same. Daphne ripped off her shoes, just noticing she did not change out of her slippers, and threw them in the mote, hoping someone would find them eventually. She wiggled her toes under the soft grass and then continued on. Soon, she came upon a guard. Smiling, she walked up to him and hugged him from behind. The guard jumped a bit in surprise, but, when he looked around, he relaxed and smiled at her. Then he noticed her hair.
"What happened? And why are you dressed as such, my Princess?" he said, turning around to hug her properly.
"I will explain later on. First we must get out of here, Lucas. Now."
Whoo! :D Prologue~ Yeah. I know. I haven't uploaded anything in awhile. ._. BUT I AM WITH THIS STORY. I'm not sure about my other stories, I'm still deciding what I should do with them. Tell me what you think of this one. 83 Reviews equal love, but if you just read through all of this, I love you already. XD