The Prince and I
Chapter One ~ A Complex Mixture of Consternation and Intrusiveness
I was in New York. Don't ask me why, I wouldn't fully understand the answer that I would presumably give you. It was something to do with my sister's brother-in-law's birthday? Or was it an engagement party?
The details are irrelevant. All I knew was that I was sat in the far corners of the ballroom, dressed from head to foot in the finest items of clothing I owned and shipped with me half way across the globe for this ravish party here in the 'big apple.'
To be honest, New York had never held any attraction to me. It wasn't this city in particular, not at all, but every god-forsaken city on the planet. To me, they were just immoral concrete squares with drones for inhabitants. Pointless existences. I inwardly despised those who dug up and overturned the grass and soil for slabs of pavement and tarmac. It hit a nerve - a strong nerve. And since I can remember, I've had a hidden loathing for a race that seems to purely exist to destroy the natural blessing that this earth is.
Mankind.
Of course, I would never display these feelings to those around me. It probably holds little surprise when I say that I never had many friends. And even less true friends I might add. So my feelings continued to lay deep inside of me, I never presumed they would surface – even less did I predict that someone would be the direct cause for this, and it not just be the slip of my tongue or outburst of emotion.
To everyone else, I appeared faultless and simple. I was happy and pleasant; never asked too many questions; never asked too few; was always able to make someone smile; had an ability to empathize to those who were crying. At least this is what I had been told on a few occasions when my curiosity had gotten the better of me. It had always astounded me when I have been told of my positive exterior; when inside, I was screaming.
The party was just an excuse for me to get out of the town I live in at home in England as well as an incentive to try and get me to socialize with men from all over the globe. My status had remained single for many years now - again with the surprise, right? Unfortunately, the gathering in the extravagant hall before me consisted of rich, powerful humans who controlled some form of industry dotted around continents. I was yet to spot my family, but then again – I was never one to join in with them on these occasions. As I said, it was merely an excuse.
Only when I caught the sight of a cousin I vaguely remembered from Christmas's past did I stand from my seat and begin to tread the dimly lit hall to the circle of people busy gossiping and gloating their wealth to one another. Their concern for the true purpose of this celebration was never evident whilst out of the company of the host. How utterly charming these people were.
I hesitantly beamed a smile in their direction as I was motioned further towards them by the supposed relative, my eyes focused upon their face under the dark light and I began to doubt their relation to myself. My memories of family became hazy as soon as I got the opportunity to leave home. It would be humane to say I regret this, but their lack of care and affection for me lead me to believe that I would not miss much in their absence.
Before arriving with a painted smile, my attention was distracted by the people stood at the side. I squinted, again the light did not aid my curiosity, but I could have sworn that they were bartering. I saw a few suited servants by their side, opening and shutting briefcases, occasionally swapping them and congratulating their trade by a firm (and what they probably imagined as a 'manly') handshake.
My interest was soon snapped back up to my current situation as I joined the group of unknown foreigners and began the excruciating ordeal of introductions. The trick is to smile, nod and occasionally act as if a name rings a bell; if the party still remains uneasy with your presence, a simple bat of the eyelashes or an extra friendly smirk should do nicely. It was never difficult to manipulate such people into believing you are someone that they need no concern for – especially when they view the entire population (minus themselves) that way.
And there I was, on the verge of commenting upon some insignificant detail of the evening when the lights cut and we were left in black. The shimmering windows reflected shatters of the moonlight as the rain drummed heavily outside, drowned out by the sound of screams and shouts from the confused party within the building. My eyes struggled to adjust so instantaneously but they soon did. I always had a keen sense of eyesight.
I paid little attention to those who were squabbling and scrambling around me, especially as soon as the doors to the far corner of the ballroom were smashed open. The crowd split and edged around the outside cautiously; they were one congregated form of cowardice. My natural intrigue begged me to get a closer look as to what exactly was going on; alas the surge of human bodies escaping the door's perimeter forced me towards the double doors in the opposing corner. Damn them.
My short stature made little difference – even with my highest heels. I stood on tiptoe with slight difficulty, but like a bird in a cage, I was captive behind these humans. The shock of the crowd died down to a dead silence as I could detect footsteps entering the room – soft, yet definite. They were soon accompanied by multiple deafening thuds of heavier footsteps, incredibly heavier. I needed no boost of height to see who (or indeed 'what') owned those.
Shrouded within the darkness of the hall, I could not make out the features of the beast but it was huge, and it was not human. I was still to see the figure in which stepped in first though. Instead – I heard it.
"Good evening." The politeness of the intruder only rattled my curiosity in its cage and I attempted to squeeze between those around me to get a view, but failure was my result. I closed my eyes; head tilted downwards to block out the surrounding distractions and listened to this imposing character.
"The briefcases." It demanded. My mind momentarily skipped over images of the men previously swapping suitcases in the shadows. It didn't concern me for long – I was far too busy thinking of that voice. It was entrancing. It was male; I knew that for sure, at a guess in his mid twenties although my estimation skills have never been something to brag about.
I detected shuffling as I managed to steal a glimpse between an alignment of heads to see the suited men hand over their leathery briefcases to the stranger, and then immediately stand back. On the brink of questioning their sudden loss of authority, my eyes caught sight of some sort of weapon, a sword perhaps, in the figure's grasp; the way in which the blade was held immediately portrayed the stance of someone who knew how to use a weapon and even worse, would favorably do so.
The soft clicking of the briefcases opening were soon interrupted by the harsh slamming of their lids and discard to the marble flooring. The harsh disappointment of the object's contents was noticeable from the wandering eyes of the imposter. And what eyes they were – I had never beheld such a shade of colour before. Amber. Pure amber. If I had not seen them placed within the face of living being I would have mistaken them for gems, pinpointed with deeply black pupils and glittering with the striking moonlight. They were beautiful but fierce - so fierce, and the beholder's gaze, darting over the heads of the guests and around the hall, gave me the hint at to what his parting words would be; he began his headfirst stride directly through the crowd towards the door behind me. They split like sheep around a wolf, following one another in a blind panic to escape what they believed to be a threat. Their predictable actions held me back against the wall; I shadowed away from the crowd but still hid. I was not foolish enough to doubt that that blade could easily tear the skin from my bones if it were given the correct provocation.
The weak lighting stopped me from witnessing the true identity of the manlike figure – I was desperately uncertain to call him human – and I convinced myself that to stay ignorant of the beast that followed behind would keep my mind as sane as it could ever possibly be.
The character halted a few paces from the door, gave a nod to the monstrous being over his shoulder and turned to once again scan the occupants of the room. The beast knelt slightly and placed a large, peculiarly decorated chest on the ballroom floor and stood up with a satisfactory grunt.
"It is not here Wink…you know what to do," the male figure turned away from his hellish servant and headed straight for the doors, until his stride broke in front of me and his sudden halt caused my breathing to cease and my hazel eyes to focus upon the amber iris's penetrating my vision.
I saw him.
The light striking through the window lit up his pale, marked face as his lips burned black upon his cheeks. His skin seemed worn with age but those eyes were alive with youth and power. The two single dots of his pupils remained transfixed upon myself as he slowly raised the hand that was closest to me; his hand, similarly pale but worn, unfolded with his palm upright towards me. Was it a signal? What was he doing? More importantly, what was I doing to attract his attention? The thoughts coursed through my mind. I had not done anything to disturb him. I had not done anything to disrupt anyone here. It was only me - insignificant me. I was one to blend in with the crowd, swallowed up in the human existence, then and only then could I isolate myself in my hatred for who they are and what they do.
It was with that exact thought that those pupils shot into two distraught and confused pinpoints of emotion. He withdrew his hand with alarming speed, inhaling quickly as I gasped with a crushing sense of fear. He swiftly drew closer to me and grasped my wrist within his fingers, leading me from the ballroom and through the double doors ahead.
My instinctive reaction was to run back into the company of those who I knew opposed to this stranger. Yet, I couldn't. I remained within his clutch as I followed him down the flights of stone steps to the rain swept streets of Manhattan. My geographical knowledge failed me, bar the United Kingdom, and my natural fear of the unknown – in this case the extreme unknown – sent wave after wave of panic and fear through my nerve system. Like a drug substance, the inconceivable idea of the present situation began to drown all conscious thought and I lost pace with the figure dragging me from the building. My legs buckled with uncertainty and gravity inevitably stole my balance.
I only felt the oncoming sensation of vertigo for a millisecond before my body was supported by alternate means. Struggling, I pushed back my eyelids with the remaining energy fueled by a complex mixture of consternation and intrusiveness. The rain fell upon my face as I focused my impairing vision upon those two circles of amber, watching me from above. Oddly, I could have sworn that they foretold an emotion.
Anxiety?