Summary: A desperate monarch makes a pact with another king that will one day force him to give his headstrong daughter to the king's harsh son. Within the castle walls lay many secrets, including a deadly curse with one year to break. Let the fairytale begin.
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Chapter Six
Breakfast was, as expected, pretty much unbearable.
It started out tame enough. As the ten girls were being led to breakfast, everyone was silent, and Cecilia was surprised to see that Keleigh stayed in the back of the group.
The dining hall was spacious and elegant, with a long, rectangular, mahogany table in the center. Tapestries and portraits draped the walls and Cecilia could not help but be reminded of her own dining hall. They were all seated, in no particular order, though everyone noted that Keleigh ended up towards the chairs of the Freench monarchs.
The girls sat down, waiting patiently for the Queen and Prince. Marguerite entered first, smiling as the girls rose to greet her. "I trust everyone had a good night's sleep," she remarked.
Various murmurs of "yes's" and "of course's" were heard throughout the table.
"Excellent," the regal queen replied. Turning to a nearby butler, she asked, "Would you tell me where Derek is?"
"I believe he is in his study, Majesty. May I fetch him?"
Her face briefly revealing an annoyed look, Marguerite sighed and said, "Yes, please."
Catching the expression, Ana asked, "Is he in his study often?"
Marguerite confirmed it with an exasperating nod. "His life is his work. Even worse than his father was."
Taking this with a note of surprise, Cecilia said, "Well… at least he is dedicated. I have met other young royals whose main priorities are attending balls and hunting animals." The Infamous Four started to scoff and were silenced with a look from Keleigh, who was rather quiet herself..
Though not for long. The doors suddenly burst open, revealing a flushed Prince Derek. For the most part, his appearance was impeccable, though his hair was slightly unruly and shirt was tucked in messily. He bowed to the ladies and said, "Terribly sorry I'm tardy," he went to kiss his disgruntled mother's cheek. "There was a proposal that had to be looked over."
"Well, 'twas terribly rude of you to keep us all waiting. You know we can't eat without you."
Scowling, Derek said, "Of course you can. I don't care about those stuffy rules." Just as his mother began to reprimand him—
"I know, aren't they awfully ridiculous," came a sultry voice. Heads turned, including Derek's, to the speaker, Countess Keleigh.
Derek merely blinked. "Um… Yes, Lady…?"
"Keleigh," the woman in question simpered. "Countess Keleigh."
"Well, pleasure to make your acquaintance," he bowed slightly. "I don't believe we had the honor of meeting last night."
"I was caught in the most dreadful storm and did not arrive until five til midnight," she purred. "Luckily I just made the time constraints."
"And I am glad you did," he said, inclining his head. To everyone else he said, "Good morning, Ladies."
Soft replies were echoed around the table. The food was finally served and everyone began to eat, except Keleigh, who was busy watching the prince.
The conversations were maintained by the queen, but Keleigh monopolized any conversation with Derek for herself. She did nothing terribly slovenly, but her smooth voice and calculated answers were enough to arouse suspicion in the girls. The queen herself seemed to eye the girl in dislike.
Luckily, Derek, quite uneasy, gave short, one word answers at best and left Keleigh thoroughly disgruntled. It was obvious he was irritated at the thought of being distracted at breakfast. Almost immediately after he was finished, he stood up abruptly, bowed, and said, "I must leave you all, I'm afraid. Lots of business to attend to. Please, enjoy yourselves." Then he promptly left the room, leaving a shocked group of girls.
With another sigh, the queen said, "I apologize for my son. His work is, as I mentioned earlier, of utmost importance to him. However, do as he says and enjoy yourselves. With the exceptions of mine and Derek's quarters in the East wing, you have free roam of the castle. If you would like to go into town, please notify someone before you do. Midday meal is served promptly at one o' clock and if you need anything, please, don't hesitate to inquire."
As soon as her little speech was over, the Infamous Four, led by Countess Keleigh, traipsed out of the room. Princesses Tessa and Fiona went in search of the armory. Walking towards the queen, Cecilia had a question in mind. It surprised her that Ana and Princess Heidi were there as well.
"Your Majesty," Heidi said, "do you happen to have horses here?"
With a delicate laugh, Queen Marguerite replied, "Of course, my dear. Would you like to take a turn about the grounds?"
"I would like that very much," Heidi replied, and looked the most pleasant Cecilia had ever seen her.
"You may choose whichever horse you like," the queen replied generously. "Just please take someone with you." After giving the girl directions to the stables, Heidi nodded graciously and departed.
Ana was next in line. "Pray tell, Your Majesty," she began, "but do you have a music room?"
"You play music! Wonderful. What do you play, my dear?"
"The piano and lute, Majesty."
"Delightful. We have both instruments here. You must grace us with a concert one of these days."
"Of course, Majesty," Ana looked extremely excited. "I thank you."
"It is of no trouble at all, dear" replied the graceful queen. "It's in the North Wing—right hall, third door on your left."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," curtseyed Ana, and with a smile at Cecilia, left as well.
"And what do you need, Cecilia?"
"Would you please tell me where the library is?"
A small, knowing smile made its way to Marguerite's face. "Yes… I do," the queen seemed to ponder for a moment. "It's in the East Wing. Left hall, second door on your right."
Cecilia frowned. "Isn't the East Wing where yours and Prince Derek's quarters are, Majesty?"
Marguerite waved her hand flippantly. "I assure you Cecilia that the library is far enough away from mine and Derek's quarters so that we would not be uncomfortable with your presence. You just go ahead and find your books."
"If you insist," replied the younger woman. "But I thank you so much."
"Anything for Dominique's daughter," the queen said to the girl, and watched as she seemed to glide out of the room.
That was when that same mischievous smile came forth once again.
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Making her way down the left hallway of the East Wing, Cecilia couldn't help but have an uneasy feeling bubbling in the pit of her stomach. The portraits on the walls of the hall seemed to glare down on her through their aristocratic noses. She felt as though she were on display; nonetheless, she kept her back ramrod straight, her gaze forward, and her shoulders back.
Stopping at the second door on her right, she waited a moment before turning the handle. Although she knew the queen would have no reason to lie to her, Cecilia couldn't help but wonder…
Three… two… one… In one fluid motion, she twisted the handle. Almost as if on its own, the door flung open. Inside was a good-sized room. The walls merely shelves filled with books. Hundreds and hundreds of books.
The library was far from large, however. For such a handsome castle, Cecilia was surprised that the library wouldn't be grander. Although, it was such a charming little room, decorated in burgundy and gold, that Cecilia hardly minded the least. An elegant fireplace was on the West wall, with two comfortable, burgundy reading chairs beneath a beautiful rug. Near the North wall was a mahogany desk, perfect for writing letters to. The East Wall held what seemed to be a few buckets, filled with ice and champagne. Interesting.
Stepping out from the doorway, Cecilia let the door close softly behind her. Crossing the room, she stopped in front of the North shelf and wondered where she should begin. Her question was answered momentarily, however, when her gaze settled on a thick navy book with silver lettering. Pulling it out, she read the title: Magical Creatures and the Enchantments that Bind Them. Interesting.
Just as she turned the page, however, the door swung open and a voice demanded, "What are you doing here?"
Whirling around, Cecilia faced the imposing figure that filled the doorway.
"I said, what are you doing here?" Derek demanded, stepping closer to her.
For a moment, a flash of fear ran over her, but then she stopped. She had no reason to be afraid of him. "Last time I checked," she began dryly, "this was the library."
Derek stopped mid-stride. A frown of confusion settled over his handsome features. "Who told you that?"
Cecilia raised an eyebrow. "Your mother," she told him, filing away his odd reaction for further analyzing.
An indecipherable look swept his features but in an instant it was gone. "Er, well, then," he took a deep breath, trying to calm his temper. "I apologize then… no one is usually in the… library other than myself."
She could only blinked at him, stunned. Was this an actual apology coming from the haughty, cocky man she had met the day before? Instead of voicing this question out loud, however, she merely nodded her head and replied, "Your apology is accepted, sir."
An awkward moment seemed to creep up on them just then, and both were wracking their brains for some polite conversation to make. Derek, upon seeing a book in her hand, spoke first. "Er… what book are you reading?"
The question came to an unsuspecting Cecilia, and she had to glance down at the title before replying, "Magical Creatures and the Enchantments that Bind Them." Was it just her or did Derek's gaze narrow just a tad?
But, he responded calmly. "And why did that book pique your interest?"
"I… don't know, really. When I first entered the room I really didn't know where to start looking for a good read; your collection is fairly extensive. To be honest, I suppose I was drawn to it."
"Do you know much on the subject?" He asked, starting to move about the room slowly.
"Nothing much really," she confessed. "My education on the subject was postponed when the war began… my tutor went off to fight."
With an almost teasing tone, Derek replied, "What? The Great Princess Cecilia, supposedly the most knowledgeable princess of the continent, not an expert on magical creatures?" Was she blushing?
" 'Tis not my fault!" She protested. "Besides, I'm making up for it now, aren't I?"
"I suppose you are," he conceded. In one quick gesture, he grabbed a book off a shelf he was standing near and went to an armchair by the fire. "Come on, I'm sure it's much more comfortable over here than there."
Wondering why he was being so nice to her, Cecilia sat down, her skirts swishing about her legs. "What are you reading?" she enquired.
He showed her the title. "Hamlett?" She said. He nodded. "By Wilem Shakespure?"
"The very one," he confirmed.
"Is it good? I've never read his tragedies," she admitted.
"It's very good," he told her. "Lots of court drama, scandal, murder, etc. Sort of depressing, actually."
"I think I've had enough depressing tales," Cecilia said grimly. "Besides, I like to read his comedies."
"They are quite good, aren't they?" He grinned. "They're much better as plays, though."
"They are," she said. "Although they're only performed in Inglin."
"It's too bad," he agreed.
The two were silent for a good while, absorbed in their respective books, until Cecilia finally blurted what she had been dying to know. "Why are you being so agreeable today?" She asked, "when you were so rude earlier?"
To her surprise, Derek raised an eyebrow. "Subtlety is definitely not your forte, is it, Princess?" He said dryly.
Scowling, Cecilia threw her hands up in frustration. "That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Another awkward moment of silence ensued, as Cecilia waited for the same answer Derek was trying to articulate in his mind.
With a sigh, Derek's expression turned serious. "Just before I came here, my mother demanded to see me and reprimanded me for my rude and 'beast-like' behavior." Here a scowl came. "And as I was representing all of Fraanc, I needed to become more—at the least—diplomatic to my guests. As you were the next person I came across, I decided that I should be quite kind to you as I was hardly welcoming when we met." He shifted a tad uneasily. "Besides, it's not as if you're an extremely difficult person to talk to."
Smiling at the backhanded compliment, Cecilia decided to go a bit further. "You have been quite aloof with myself and the other girls," she said. "And yet you were so… forward and cocky when we met. Why?"
"I didn't like the fact that your father refused to send you here. As I had the power to make him send you, I kind of wanted to revel in it. I suppose when I saw you I… felt triumphant. That I really did have power… And I wanted you to know it, as well," apparently the old saying that honesty is the best policy didn't seem to apply here.
A flush of anger swept over Cecilia. "You—you—swine!" She shouted, furious, uncaring that she wasn't being ladylike. "How dare you be so ungentlemanly and stupid! How dare you make my father give me up! I was needed at home."
At first he was rather shocked at the turn of events, but he was swift in response. With a sneer, Derek retaliated quickly, saying, "You're lucky I saved you! You wouldn't have been let out of your castle for the next decade if your father had his way!"
"That's just because he's worried that something would happen to me," she shouted at him. The two were out of their chairs at this point and right in each other's faces. "Surely you can't find fault with that!"
"I understand the fact that anyone would want to keep their children safe," he gritted out, "but he was being entirely unreasonable and paranoid! Keeping children captive in their own homes is hardly living."
Cecilia silently agreed with this, but would never admit to it. Instead she responded, disdain in her narrowed eyes, "And I suppose that if you had been my father, you would've been a 'better' parent! Because you're so perfect and everything."
For whatever reason, that commented caused the fire to evaporate out of Derek, his eyes empty except for a trace of bitterness. "Let us make one thing clear," he said, a forced politeness in his tone, "I may be a lot of things, but I am certainly not perfect."
Stalking towards the door, he wrenched it open. Right before it slammed shut, she heard a, "Good day, Princess."
With a huff, Cecilia sat back down in the chair, folding her arms stubbornly. He hadn't changed at all. He was still a stubborn, hateful man.
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She refused to look at him a dinner that night.
He was absent at lunch, sending a rather fancy message, articulately begging their pardons but he had urgent business that needed to be taken care of and that he couldn't wait to be graced with their presence at dinner.
Savage pack of lies, viciously thought Cecilia, dreading the evening meal.
But there she was, and she couldn't do a thing about it. Worse off, they were seated right across each other, with the queen at the head, Derek at her left and Cecilia on her right. Keleigh was seated on Derek's left, much to her pleasure, while Ana was seated on Cecilia's right, much to her pleasure.
All Cecilia could think about was how much she didn't want to be there. So much so that she completely tuned out any voices she heard around her. Especially if they turned out to be his.
Unsurprisingly, he talked little throughout the meal. This did not deter people such as Keleigh or the Infamous Four on commenting every five seconds. But not everyone disrupted the prince. Tessa and Fiona chatted amongst themselves, Heidi said not a word, but openly eyed everything in distaste. Ana made polite conversation with the queen, who was as gracious and modest as ever.
However, all awkward moments must come to an end. As the queen cleared her throat, Cecilia's wandering attentions immediately focused in on Fraanc's sovereign.
"As Derek and I were so thrilled that you all would be staying with us for the year," she began, "we knew there was much to celebrate. So, we have decided upon welcoming you with a ball."
All of the girls, albeit Tessa and Cecilia, started to perk up at the idea of a ball. With a pleased smile, Marguerite continued, "All of your family will be invited and hopefully they will attend. For all of you who get homesick easily, here is a chance to see them again. Many noblemen and noblewomen across Europa will be invited as well. Derek and I are hoping for everyone to be merry and just have a wonderful time."
"When will the ball be held, Your Majesty?" Keleigh wondered.
"It will be held a month's time," replied the queen. "The invitations went out yesterday."
The other ladies continued to chatter, but Cecilia thought she was going to be sick. She absolutely loathed balls. All the fatal corsets and ludicrous amount of petticoats and nauseating gossip and odious suitors… oh, it was revolting.
Unknowingly, Cecilia glanced at the man sitting across from her. He too looked rather pale. If it were any other time, she would be rather triumphant. As it was, they seemed to be in the same boat.
A sigh from her directed his gaze to focus in on her face. He gave her a tired little half smile. They had just declared a temporary truce and all over a tedious, ridiculous ball.
Heaven help them all.
Last Edited: 2/7/09
