I sighed and tears started to sting my eyes. I rolled my head over at Daleigh and could see her hand over her mouth and tears had budded in her eyes as well .She knew what sparing had meant to me. A roar went up from the crowd of men as it finally sank in that I had lost. They would see my true face and I wondered what they would do when they found out it was me. Their pride would be severely damaged if they found they lost to a girl, and a princess to make matters worse. In a way they had kind of depended on me to win and this mysterious person took that away from me. He held his hand out to me but I just brushed it off and hopped to my feet on my own. There was no way I was going to give him the satisfaction of that too! I looked around at the cheering crowd and was stunned to see what a crowd our fight had drawn. There not only were knights but pages, and servants, and even my brother Prince Ryan.
Oh this was not good. If it had been just the knights then maybe I could rely on their prides to keep this mum and I could maybe fight again with fresh knights but with my brother and the young boys I was a goner. My mother would kill me as soon as my brother told her or if he didn't because of his pride (I had beat him too) she would definitely hear it from the servants. I sighed again and put my hands to my hood waiting to seal my own doom when his voice stopped me "Wait not here, I wish to see your face in private." WHAT? I had expected him to add to my torture not save me from my fate! I looked at him shocked. Had he seen something during the fight? If so had others? I looked back out to the crowd and saw all of them were forlorn and glaring at the mysterious newcomer. None looked as if they knew my secret so how was it this guy knew? Was it possible he didn't he just wanted to be the envy of all the knights by keeping them in the dark? It had to be the latter. He walked off and I followed him not looking back for Daleigh.
He led to the large rose garden in the middle of the garden and led me through the numerous twists and turns to the very heart of the maze. I took a deep breath as he turned to me and the rose perfume filled my nose. "Why didn't you make me take off my hood in front of the men?" I didn't bother to use that ridiculous guy voice. He would know soon enough so why bother? I looked at his eyes but if he was surprised they gave nothing away but I had the feeling he had known all along and had fought me any way but how? "How did you know who I was?"
He smiled "I was at one of the balls your parents held. I happened to see you sneak outside but decided to let you be, that is until your mother
sent me to find you. I found you out in the courtyard practicing sword play in that very same cloak. Plus your "voice" it needs some work." That's when I remembered Prince Caleb! That was where I knew him from! I had always hated those balls and often snuck out when I couldn't take anymore but I never knew any one had ever seen me before! "May I?" I nodded my head. His hands reached out to my hood and pushed it away from my face. Sun beamed down to my eyes and I had to fight the temptation to block it out with my hand. My eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light and I looked around. Everything looked so different without the hood on.
I felt like a different person too. Like when I had the hood on I was all serious and on high alert all the time but without it I was just the princess out for a walk in the sun. I heard a crack of branches behind me and I whirled around. Oh no! Around the corner walked Daleigh! "Daleigh! You gave me a heart attack! Really you need to stop doing that!" She smiled at me and all the anger melted away from my heart and I could feel a smile form at the corners of my mouth. That girl had the most infectious smile; she could solve any problem between even the worst of enemies just with that smile.
"There you are Sakira! I've been looking everywhere for you! Here give me that cape many of the knights are looking for where Prince Caleb took that mysterious knight and we don't want anyone else to know!" I looked around to see if there was anyone who had been spying on us but the six foot wall of flowers hid us from all prying eyes. I quickly untied the knot from around my neck and handed it to Daleigh who promptly hid it in the purse she always wore.
"I better get going then goodbye Princess Sakira, and mam." He bowed before us and turned to leave the way we came but something made me not want to see him go.
"Wait you can call me Sakira or Kira whichever and this is my friend Daleigh." He turned and gave me a smiled then walked off. Daleigh began to giggle and I looked at her. "What? What is it Daleigh?"
"Nothing! It's just…you like him don't you!?" I was shocked! I barely even knew him how could I like him?
"No!" She nodded but she still giggled and small dimples formed at the sides of her mouth. I've said it before and I'll say it again sometimes that girl. I shook my head at her a little "Come on we better go too." I
grabbed her by the arm and was about to walk out of the little square we were in to the rows of paths leading us back when all of the sudden my brother appeared before me his face red with running.
"Sakira there you are! You know that man that I've told you so much about? Well he finally lost to Prince Caleb! I was so close to seeing his face but then Caleb said he wanted to see the man's face in private! I was so close! Have you happened to see him?" He looked at me with such eager in his face I felt a pang of remorse at not telling him.
"No I haven't seen your mysterious man have you Princess Sakira?" I shook my head no and I saw my brother's excitement fade away. "Okay well any way mother says to bring you to dinner any way. You might want to get cleaned up too. How did you get so dirty?" I looked down and saw my cloak hadn't kept all of me from dirt. There were small streaks of dirt on my dress and my hair was more than likely a mess.
"I tripped on a branch that was sticking up from the ground. Don't worry though I'll get cleaned up so my step-mother won't have to worry okay?" He sighed and nodded at me. For being younger than me by two years sometimes he could be really bossy. He turned around and walked out of the rose maze with me and Daleigh on his heels. I walked out the rose maze and was halfway to the gate to the inside castle when I accidentally ran into my step mother. I was so close to my room! "Sakira! You look horrible! Get dressed as well as you can we have company over! Prince Caleb is here all the way from Taman! You better be dressed and ready in thirty minutes or no dinner for you!" I walked past her head down trying to look ashamed of myself but I smiled as I did it. Everything was the same more or less and my secret was safe. I walked to my room and looked through my closet trying to decide what to wear. The door opened and in walked Daleigh. "No you should wear the blue one! It matches your eyes and looks so beautiful with your brown hair! Speaking of which I have to do something with it! Let's go with an up-do! No wait I have it!" She rushed over to the closet and pulled out a light blue dress with a gold waist band and small golden flowers printed all over the skirt.
I smiled a tortured smile and let Daleigh take over. I knew this side of her very well. She loved doing this and got quite upset if I didn't let her do what she wanted. I got changed into the dress as she braided the first strands of my hair and pulled it back in a ponytail in the back. The rest of my hair she braided down my back so I had three braids in all. She wanted
to do more and add flowers but I had reached my limit and my family might be waiting for me. I walked away from her as she tried to talk me into doing more first but I just kept walking. I took a left from my door and walked until I reached the long staircase that led to the kitchen on the first floor. I walked down as quickly as I could not wanting anyone to wait and almost tripped on the heavy red carpet that lined the staircase. I got halfway down when I looked upon the large table in the center of the room. Caleb was the only one there!
"Am I really that late?" I looked around the room and stepped down on the rock floor. The shoes felt horrible on my feet since I usually always went barefoot. He turned his gaze from a window to my direction and a smile crossed his face.
"No actually you're the first one of your family here! Do they always take this long?"
I laughed and took a seat across the table from him. "Unfortunately only when there's company. Usually they take much longer!" He began to laugh too. I like his laugh, wow were did that come from? I stopped laughing shocked at the thought. Were had that come from?
"Ah there you are. Now we can start dinner!" I looked towards the staircase and saw my father and mother coming down the staircase, my fifteen year old brother right behind them. Kyan sat down next to Caleb and my father pulled out my mother's chair next to me for her before sitting down at the rightful head of the table. Then as if on cue ( which they might have been) servant ladies poured through the doors from the kitchen carrying big silver trays of food laying it carefully on the table among us. They pulled off the silver coverings and left us alone to dine. All my favorite foods were there. Vegetable soup, pheasant, bread, and my favorite, a new candy called chocolate. I loved chocolate the way it was sweet and rich! "Now let us all bow our heads and pray" I bowed my head as my father instructed and heard him pray in his deep, thoughtful voice. The voice I had always loved.
I was almost through with dinner when my mother said "Caleb have you thought very much of marriage? My daughter is about marrying age." My throat closed and I had to fight back a cough. Why was she always bringing that up? I told her I would get married when I found someone I loved. So what if I hadn't found love yet! If she wanted to be a true mother she would care about my happiness first wouldn't she?! My appetite was
gone and I had to ask if I could be excused from the table. I got up from the table and ran up the rock staircase not caring what Caleb would think or what my mother would say later. I ran down the hall until I found the doorway to the outside patio. It was my favorite place to think in the whole castle.
My one place that I could be alone and just look up at the stars. I ran to the rail along the edge and hopped on the railing my legs dangled freely over the edge and I grabbed on tightly to the rail so I wouldn't fall. I looked up into the sky and saw the millions of stars twinkling down on me. The moon sparkled brightly a giant orb of light against the midnight black of the sky. Why did my step mother always have to ruin things? I heard footsteps behind me but didn't pay any attention to them. If it was my step mother then she would get the hint and just move on but these footsteps came closer. I looked over my shoulder and saw Caleb behind me. "Mind if I sit down?" I shrugged and looked back up at the stars wishing they would swoop down and take me up to the heavens with them. Oh how I wished! "Hey your mom didn't mean anything by it. My mom does it to me all the time! Even if I do tell her I will get married someday I just haven't met the right person yet!"
I looked at him and saw he was looking out at the stars, I could see the stars light twinkling in his sea blue eyes. Wait why did I even care about his eyes? I turned my head back to the sky confused. A cold wind blew and small little lumps crawled up my arms. My body shook from the cold trying to warm itself up. "I better head back in and get some sleep. Goodnight Caleb." I was thankful for the chance to get away as I tossed one leg off the rail and the other one quickly followed. I bent down to take off the horrible shoes and wondered why I hadn't done it earlier. The cold tiles felt good against my sore feet and I picked them up in my hand and walked off to my room.
The fire was crackling happily across the room sending shadows to and fro in time with the fires dance. I was tucked in my purple silk covers and laid on my back looking up at the ceiling red from the fires light. I wonder why he didn't just leave me to my fate. I rolled over in my bed and made my mind shut down. I closed my eyes and sleep consumed me.
