Author's Note:
Hmm, now something to fill the time until the ball…
Adel stayed among her sisters and Donkey's family in the courtyard until the sky began to grow dark from the late setting sun.
A runner came out from the palace, ignoring the shock of Dragon's appearance in the courtyard, and asked them to dinner.
"Oh Boy!" Donkey and his five children yelped excitedly. Harriet and Iris agreed delightedly with their newfound friends.
"And you, milady?" The runner raised an eyebrow at Adel.
"Please inform King Arthur and Queen Lillian that I will not be attending tonight's dinner, for I am feeling under the weather, and I send my apologies." Adel instructed the runner. She pressed a small silver coin into his palm.
"Yes milady." The runner bowed curtly and then left the courtyard to give Arthur and Lillian his message.
"But, you don't look sick at all Adel." Donkey stated, examining the young woman.
Adel chuckled weakly. "One doesn't need to be sick to feel under the weather." She responded.
"Aw…" The seven young children groaned.
"But Del-Del." Harriet looked up at her older sister with her big beetle black eyes. "They're serving you favourite dessert tonight."
Adel smirked. "They are aren't they?" She narrowed her bright blue eyes playfully. "Then you guys will just have to share my portion of dessert amongst each other." Adel collectedly walked from the courtyard towards the steps down to the palace's docks.
"But Del-Del!" The children called to the cream-dressed princess.
But it was too late, for Adel had disappeared silently into the shadows of the night, leaving the twins, Donkey, Dragon and the five dronkeys standing in the courtyard.
Arthur had to admit, he was usually okay around a lot of people. It was one of the skills that had developed since he had to convince a band of villains not to kill him and his friends.
However, after much time dining just with himself and his aunt Lillian, this was a lot of people for the castle's dining room.
There was him at the head of the table, with Aunt Lillian at his right hand and Shrek at his left hand.
Then there was Fiona, Liam, Kathryn, and Harold beside Shrek.
Donkey and his five dronkies; Éclair, Parfait, Cocoa, Peanut and Banana sat beside most of the Marksworth family, which was; King Fredrick, Queen Ophelia, Harriet and Iris who all sat beside Lillian.
Beside Harold was Princess Siobhan from Ireland with her seven older brothers; Lukas, Jarred, Steven, Cain, Harry, James, and Brent; and Princess Siobhan's parents, the King and Queen of Ireland.
The three princesses of Far Far Away; Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, with each of their husbands; Chad, Michael, and Murray (who went by the name: Ray) beside Iris.
Next to Ray was Princess Betsy from Holland, her younger sister Hilda, her mother Queen Helga of Holland, and her father the King of Holland.
Near the end of the table was Princess Gertrude of New Duloc, her parents; the King and Queen of New Duloc on Shrek's side and Princess Anita from Spain, her little brother Pedro and her parents; the King and Queen of Spain.
There were forty-four people, all in King Arthur's dining hall, and yet there was one princess who wasn't present amongst them.
A runner silently entered into the noisy dining hall after the first course was served. He knelt down on one knee before King Arthur respectfully and delivered Adel's message to him.
Arthur nodded, noting the princess' absence, and sighed. He continued eating his dinner, trying not to be driven to madness from the loud ambient buzz now installed in the dining hall.
The faster this meal was over, the quicker the ball would come, and hopefully, the quicker he would have a marriage arranged and the faster most of these loud people would return to their kingdoms.
The waxing gibbous moon and clear night sky's starlight lit a small pathway down to the beach by Far Far Away's royal boat docks. The smooth faces of the cliffs surround in the sea's bay were bleached chalk white by the natural light.
Adel kept her eyes peeled for any hidden dangers as she walked serenely along the stone pier. She walked the length of the stone docks curving around the natural bend of the sea's bay. Adel sat down at the end of one of the piers, out by Far Far Away's lighthouse. The princess closed her bright blue eyes, breathing in the fresh and salty perfume of the sea's air through her nostrils. She calmly opened her eyes and felt small tears well up in them.
What if her parents arranged her into a marriage with Arthur? Though she herself had until September to find a husband, she could tell by the sudden need for eligible brides and the ball, that Arthur didn't have a similar amount of time.
She wasn't crying because she didn't want to marry Arthur and become queen of Far Far Away… no, she was crying because if she didn't marry Arthur and retained her pickiness for suitors, then she'd be in the same pickle in a few months, when she neared that last few days of being twenty years of age.
Adel tried to find a bright side to this. If her parents did arrange her marriage with Arthur, she would keep her word and do it for the good of her kingdom to start anew and balance off the two kingdoms' previous hatred. She would make her parents proud.
And besides… -she blushed a little at this thought- no woman in her right mind could deny that King Arthur was handsome, and –as Adel saw it- he seemed to be a polite, good-hearted young gentleman with decent values. He was much better than all of the wooing men -who had all persistently tried for her hand in marriage- combined.
The troubled princess sighed and rested against the smooth top of the stone pier. She coolly wiped the diminutive tears from her bright blue eyes and looked up at the night sky.
The stars shone like twinkling diamonds against their dark blue-purple canvas.
"Where's Del-Del?" Liam whispered to Harriet as soon as they were dismissed from the dining table.
"She's not feeling well…" Harriet whispered back.
"Hey you guys." Artie knelt down to the ogrelet and princess' eye-level.
"Yes Uncle Artie?" Liam asked quizzically.
"What is it?" Harriet titled her head to the side.
"I understand that Princess Adel's not feeling well." He looked at them in the eye. "What wrong?"
Harriet shrugged. "Del-Del wasn't sick."
"But she did go down the stairs to the boat place." Liam stated. "I think she's still down there."
Arthur thought collectively to himself for a moment. The royal docks and its beachside could get pretty dangerous and not just by bandits. If anyone down their –who didn't know the place- wasn't paying attention for any given moment, they could very possibly get badly injured.
"Are you going to check on Del-Del?" Harriet enquired softly.
"Well…" Arthur sighed. "I'm going to see if there's anything I can help her with." He smiled gently to the children. "I think you two can play for a few minutes before bedtime, but stay inside the castle."
"Okay…" Harriet agreed cheerfully.
"Bye Uncle Artie!" Liam yelped, then he turned and ran off through the castle with his new best friend.
Arthur nodded determinedly, stood up straight and walked over to his aunt Lillian. "I'm just going out for an evening stroll." He stated; he pulled on his green knee-length cloak, fastening it at his shoulders to his tunic with twin gold lions' head clips that had tiny emeralds for eyes. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He shrugged, turned on the heel of his boot and left the dining room.
Fiddlesworth, who was itching to scorn Artie for something that wasn't entirely kingly, met him in the front hall, leading out to the palace's grounds.
"Your highness I-" Fiddlesworth was cut off when Arthur raised a palm for silence.
"Fiddlesworth this is neither the time nor place to discuss anything." Arthur stated clearly. "I have an issue to address at the moment."
Fiddlesworth frowned slightly. "Then is there anything I can assist you with, my liege?" He narrowed his brown eyes in annoyance.
"Just get this crown polished for tomorrow evening." Arthur said simply as he plucked off his crown and handed it to Fiddlesworth. "That will be all, Fiddlesworth."
"Yes, your majesty." Fiddlesworth bowed at his middle to Arthur, who turned away from him and left the front hall to the palace docks.
Arthur carefully walked down the stone steps to the palace's docks. The light of the moon lit up most of the pathway that he already knew. Sooner than later, Arthur arrived at docks. He looked around; Adel wasn't sitting at any of the closer docks.
He turned, almost ready to leave, when he spotted a pale-dressed figurine sitting at the edge of the farthest dock, its was oblivious to his presence.
Slowly he walked towards it, and then he seen some dark figures stealthily approaching the pale-dressed person.
"Bandits." Arthur whispered under his breath. He picked up his pace, wishing he had brought his sword along with him.
Author's Note:
Tell me if I miscounted the total number of people at the dinner table, because I'm not too sure about it.
Manga Girl #6