Hey! I decided the prolog was too long and tedious so I divided it into three chapters. Hope you find it a little easier to get though. Enjoy!
Prolog - Part One
Garnet was constrained. The corset under her low-cut lilac gown didn't help ease the feeling. All around her, noblemen and women mingled sipping champagne and politely chatting. Nobles waltzed on the dance floor while others munched appetizers. Banners and matching balloons littered the ceiling of Alexandria Castle's royal ballroom. It was the ideal party of the upper class; the kind peasants envisioned attending were they ever to strike it rich.
Garnet loathed being there.
As a girl, she dreamed of running wild in the slums with the street children, as she reached adolescence her idea of an ideal life evolved into joining a band of thieves and going on treasure hunts. She wanted to live the lives she'd read about in so many of the novels found in Alexandria's library. Tonight's celebration, in honor of her fifteenth year (and Tantalus' stunning performance of the annual show, "I Want to be Your Canary") only reminded her of the life she was missing by being confined to the castle. She hadn't even left Alexandria since her father died years ago.
"Garnet, my little gem, are you enjoying yourself?" her mother asked in her shrill voice. The immense queen waddled towards her daughter, tagging along an older gentleman who seemed to be her date for that evening.
"Yes, Mother," Garnet smiled with false politeness and hastily bowed.
"Excellent, my darling," she smiled and wandered to speak with other guests.
Garnet had had enough. As her mother moved onward, she began to slink towards the door, avoiding the question gazes of the nobles around her. Once outside, she picked up her dress and ran, stumbling clumsily in her heels. She didn't care where she was going, just so long as it was away from there. She sprinted down a pathway through Alexandria's gardens, knowing she would never truly escape the moat surrounding the castle. Finally, she collapsed onto a bench over looking the water. Moonlight reflected off the moat creating a peaceful atmosphere. Crickets and frogs drowned out the laughing and music of the ballroom behind her.
Often, when upset, Garnet would sing to herself. She found it a calming way to relieve her troubles. Now certainly wasn't an acceptation.
"La, da, da, daaaah," she sang wordlessly to herself. She couldn't recall where she'd learned it, but it was her favorite melancholy tune.
Tempest Fyrehart sighed, bored. He stood, feeling awkward against the wall, as glass of white wine at hand. He gazed at the couples dancing, eyes lazily unfocused, giving the illusion that the wide array of dress colors were petals in the wind, swaying to an upbeat tune.
"Wanna dance?" asked a busty blonde who appeared in front of him. He eyed her.
"No," Tempest stated plainly, but the girl just giggled in the manner girls do and pulled him towards the dance floor, scarcely giving him time to set his glass down. What a chore, he thought as he placed her hand on her hip and began to sway to the music. Dancing and socials weren't his thing. And they must not be that girl's, either, he thought, amused, as he saw a pretty brunette practically shoving nobles out of her way to get to the door. Or else she had to go to the bathroom. Either way, leaving didn't seem like such a bad idea.
"I'm Dini, my dad is a friend of the queen," his dance partner babbled, seeming pleased to be at the party. "I live in Lindbulm…" She continued to talk about herself until, to Tempest's relief, the song ended. He pardoned himself from Dini and headed outside. The cool night air was a refreshing contrast to the stuffy ballroom. Before him was a marble pathway leading into a large garden, lit by candles in birdcage-like hanging baskets. The garden was mostly empty, save a few men sharing a smoke and a couple oblivious to any onlookers because they were so engrossed in heavy petting. Frowning, the couple was a painful reminder of Kess. She was the only girl he'd cared about in his seventeen years. The mousy Burmecian had called off their relationship suddenly after they'd been dating for several months, leaving Tempest puzzled. Girls… he thought for the hundredth time that day alone. Who got them?
A faint sound caught his attention. Was it singing? Whoever it was, she sure had a fabulous voice. His curiosity sparked, he followed the sound. Tempest approached a path parallel to the moat to see the same girl who'd run out of the ballroom earlier. She sat, back straight with habitual good posture, starring across the moat as she softly sang to herself. A group of fireflies danced over the water, setting the mood, as they cast pale amber light on her features. Tempest observed the girl with fascination. She was a few years his junior, but still was well past puberty. Dark, black-as-night hair draped neatly down her back in a well-kept braid. Her chocolate eyes were evenly set on a heart-shaped face. Her body was petite, her bosom rising with each breath that gave her the illusion of having an hourglass figure, especially from her poofy gown. She looked like a child playing dress up in her mother's clothing. There was such an air of innocence around her that Tempest wondered if there was more to this girl that there appeared to be. She had the look of a caged animal that never knew freedom.
"The caged canary longs for flight," he muttered to himself. The girl, startled, looked up at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir, I did not realize you were present…"