The secret agreement (part 5)
Planet Krypton- Central palace
The whole ballroom continued with chattered and whispered topic of the disappearing prince. Livius saw that both the King and Queen of Krypton were worried and were anxiously waiting for news of their son. On the other hand, Livius was finally irritated at the wait he had to endure. The dance couldn't begin without the "guest of honour" and it seemed the woman he was planning on asking to dance disappeared as well. He looked around the ballroom in hope that he could spot her at the corner but she seemed to have suddenly disappeared from the princess' line. He took a deep breath and straightened himself; he couldn't allow his impatience to ruin his figure.
Suddenly, claps emerged around the ballroom as the announcer shouted, "His imperial highness, crown Prince Kal-El of Krypton and princess Diana of Themyscira"
Just then, Livius turned to the ballroom entrance and saw the prince of Krypton holding onto the princess's hand. They entered the ballroom with grins on their faces and as the guests cheered at the timely return of the prince, Livius saw, for the first time, how Diana's face glowed with happiness. He had seen her more than a couple of times- since they were children, whenever his father would try to strike a deal with Queen Hyppolytta and failed- but he had never seen her with a smile that seemed to have made the stars dimmed compared to her glowing smile.
Somehow, Livius cringed. He didn't like the sight; perhaps because he wanted it for himself. And as he watched Kal-El and Diana walked towards the middle of the ballroom together, he felt that one small hope of his chance with the princess… slowly disappeared.
"Prince Kal-El of Krypton," the announcer shouted, "has picked princess Diana of Themyscira as his first dance"
Finally, since the "guest of honour" already appeared and picked his first dance, the other princes were allowed to pick their own first dance as well. Livius had intended to ask Diana out on the dance floor first but since she was already taken by another, he had to look for another princess. He scanned the princess' line for a potential princess he could dance with. Suddenly, his eyes fixated themselves on a familiar lady. It was the princess he saw conversing with Kal-El and Diana earlier in the night. Livius noticed her beauty when he first saw her but it was only then, at the dance floor, that he saw how she stood out from the rest of the princesses on the line; especially with her fiery red hair. There were a couple of princes that asked for her hand to dance but she refused them all. It seemed she had one in mind and judging from her earlier interactions with Kal-El and Diana, it was the prince of Krypton she wanted; only… he was already taken.
A sudden idea popped in his head.
Soon after, his name was called out and he was asked to come forward and ask the princess of his choice for a dance. Without hesitation, he walked towards the fiery red-haired princess and bowed to her. He held out his hand and asked her, "Will you do me the honour of dancing with me?"
The man in front of Maxima stood with a smile on his face as he offered his hand to her. Maxima hesitated. She didn't want to dance; especially since the man she wanted to dance with already asked somebody else. And so she declined every prince's offer; but she knew that in order for her reputation and figure to not be ruined, she had to accept at least one so as not to stand out from the rest. Maxima recognized the prince as the person who intervened with her and Diana's heated conversation. She really didn't think anything of him but another prince from a small kingdom. He wasn't worth her time but he was the only prince left she recognised. And so with hesitation, she accepted his hand as she forced a smile.
As she was led to the dance floor, the announcer shouted, "Prince Livius of Arcadia has chosen Princess Maxima of the Planet Almerac"
They stood in the middle of the ballroom with several princes and their princesses next to them. They were both silent as they waited for the others.
Finally, the music began. The music was soft and gentle with a tinge of excitement in its notes. Prince Livius led the dance- just as he was supposed to- which made it all easier for Maxima as all she needed to do was flow along with dance".
"Don't put up such a sad face princess," he suddenly whispered, "I can sense your displeasure from across the room you know"
Maxima kept her eyes over his shoulder and refused to look at his face, "One cannot force a genuine smile on their face if their feelings are bitter; for one must smile genuinely from the sweetness of their heart"
"But a heart is not one with their body" he told her, "for a heart is an entirely different machine that keeps not just the mind and body alive… but the soul as well"
Maxima looked up and glared at him, "If a heart is purely a machine then how can it drive a life into a living soul?"
Livius smirked and nodded his head, "You're right. It seems I got too carried away"
They continued their dance, "What is it that you really want Prince Livius? Why is it that you asked me to dance out of all the other princesses in the ballroom?"
"Is it wrong to ask a princess with beauty such as yours for a simple dance?"
"I can understand that the other princes approached me with that reason. It's because they do not have any interest on the other princesses but you do. The only problem is that she was already taken and so you settled for the woman you saw conversing with her earlier."
"Why can't we just leave it as a simple prince asking for a dance with a beautiful princess?"
"We could," Maxima returned her gaze over his shoulder, "but I know you have an agenda when you asked me; after all… I know you have an interest on Princess Diana"
"What makes you think that?"
"Because you wouldn't have interfered in my heated conversation with Princess Diana earlier if you aren't" she replied, "you didn't want us to start an argument… you wanted us to hold up an argument. After all, an unsettled argument can mostly likely end up as hatred towards each parties. Further proof of this was that instead of talking to her, you talked to the prince; to avert his attention away from us even for a second. You didn't want the tense atmosphere between us earlier to be disturbed by the prince that's why you didn't talk to her."
"And why would I want that?"
"Because you want to act as her ally and not the enemy or the person standing on her way"
Livius silently laughed, "You are very perceptive aren't you? To think you managed to draw out such a conclusion from such little time"
"Of course," she smiled slyly, "I used that trick before… I'm familiar with it"
"Really?" he raised an eyebrow, "you used it on past lovers?"
"No," she glared at him, "past enemies"
Livius looked down on Maxima with uncertainty. Her fierce eyes were like that of a hungry predator; and her looks were frightening. Her actions were too unpredictable and Livius feared that she might act out suddenly. Still, Livius kept his chin held high and looked down at her.
"Princess," he began, "I can't help but feel that you see me as nothing more but an enemy."
Maxima kept her glaring eyes on him. Livius smirked, "I am not a threat to you."
"I decide who the threat is Prince Livius,"she told him, "I am the princess of Almerac and in order for me to lead my people, I cut down every threat I see standing in my way"
"I admire your sense of… responsibility, princess but… unlike the other threats on your way, I know something valuable about you"
Maxima furrowed her eyebrows, "What is it?"
"Only if you listen first to my proposition"
"And what might that be?"
"An alliance between your kingdom and mine."
Maxima laughed silently, "It seems the drinks in the palace have made you slightly delusional prince Livius. What makes you think that a power such as my planet will forge an alliance with yours? We do not like our time and treasures being wasted. Besides, I have no interest in marrying you"
"So do I" Livius shot her a look, "It is not an alliance by marriage but an alliance by trade. Your planet might have technologies- almost equal to that of the Kryptonians- but you do not have weapons. I know that your people have extraordinary psychic powers that you use as an advantage during battles but even minds tire themselves out"
Maxima didn't look convinced and so he continued, "Our lands have resources; we are rich in soil that can produce foods that gives strong men strength; just as it does with the Amazons- our neighbours. With our products, your army will be strong both in mind and body- a perfect group of super soldiers"
"How is it that you know about our planet?"
"We have records on all planet histories in our archives, our ancestors have recorded every gossip and news that have occurred during their time" he leaned closer to her ear, "I know secrets from different planets you could never have imagined… even from Krypton and Almerac"
"…."
Livius looked at her, "I even know information that will definitely help you get what you want"
"What is it that I want then? What is this valuable information you have on me?"
Livius stopped and so did Maxima. They stood in the midst of the dancing prince and princesses and glared at each other.
He smirked and raised an eyebrow, "You have fallen for the Prince of Krypton… haven't you?"
As Clark and Diana continued their dance, Clark kept his eyes down on his feet the whole time. He was struggling to keep up with Diana's pace that he literally had to watch her feet move so that he was at the same pace as her. He felt embarrassed because he was taught that it was the man that should lead the woman when dancing; instead, it was Diana leading him.
"Clark?" Diana had her left hand on Clark's shoulder while her right on his left hand, "be honest… you don't know how to dance don't you?"
Clark's head shot up and looked at her, "Of course I do! I'm just trying to keep up with your fast pace"
"It should be me keeping up with you" Diana raised him an eyebrow
Clark sighed, "I know… fine. You're right I don't know how to dance" they stopped dancing, "Raya was too harsh in teaching me that I couldn't concentrate properly"
Diana gave out a muffled laugh to which Clark blushed from embarrassment. Diana put her hand on his cheek and told him, "Then I'll teach you myself"
"Really? How will you be able to teach me?"
"Simple," Diana signalled him to return to their dancing position; Clark did as he was told and the two resumed their dance, "loosen your shoulders; don't drag your feet; keep your chin up and… look only at me"
Clark did everything that he was told to do and when Diana told him to look at her only, his eyes met hers quickly. He was slightly confused but at the same time, he was happy. He gazed into her gentle blue eyes and she did the same.
"I'm looking at you" Clark smiled
"Good" she smiled back, "then can you feel it? That light feeling in your body"
He did. Clark's whole body felt light; even his mind. It was as if he was floating. He nodded to her.
"Dancing is not only an art or a hobby," Diana explained as they continued to dance, "it is an essence of mind and body; your feelings are reflected in your every move"
"That must be why I feel like I'm flying then," Clark hugged her, "because you're right here with me"
"And I'll always be with you" Diana rested her head on Clark's shoulder
"You're a very good teacher you know that?" Clark told her, "perhaps you can teach me more"
"It's fine by me since," Diana pulled herself away from him and gazed into his eyes, "we have the rest of our lives to spend with each other"
Clark pulled her for a kiss after which, he leaned his forehead on hers, "Together we will reign for a very long time; during and after which, I will love you deeply with all my heart"
"Don't wait till then," Diana closed her eyes, "love me now with all your heart just as I do right now with you"
"I will… my princess"
The couple kept their foreheads on each other as they continued their dance. They didn't dance with the music that was playing… they were dancing with their own. It was as if everything around them stopped; and they were the only ones moving. Time stopped; everything stopped except for them. They were on their own little world.
"I wish it could be like this all the time" Clark said
Diana lifted her head and looked up at him, "As much as I would like to as well, we need to go back to reality. And speaking of that, when do you suppose we announce our engagement?"
"I don't mind when, as long as people know but how about you? Is there any certain time you want to?"
Diana smiled and shook her head, "I don't care when, either"
Clark grinned and kissed her, "Then it's settled"
"What is?"
Clark held out his hand to her, "Come with me"
Livius and Maxima stopped their dance. Both of them stood on the dance floor, with dancing royals around them. They glared at each other…
"What is it that made you arrive to that assumption?" Maxima eyed Livius as she asked the question
"I am not blind princess," Livius smirked, "and I would appreciate it if you stop thinking of me as a fool as well. We both know that there is something between Prince Kal-El and Princess Diana; and your encounter with both of them proved my theory about you when I first saw you with the prince before the royal's introduction"
"…."
"So what about it?" Livius continued, "Do you agree with such an alliance?"
Maxima kept her chin up high, "No. My planet will not make such an alliance. Our soldiers are strong and powerful enough to battle against threats to our planet. And information can easily be held if you have money and resources"
Livius took a deep breath as he gave off a disapproving glare to Maxima. Maxima, on the other hand, kept a straight face on the whole time.
"If there's nothing else then I shall take my leave." Maxima curtsied
But before Maxima could leave the dance floor, the whole room's attention was caught by a sudden voice. They all turned and saw that it was Prince Kal-El standing on top of the ballroom stairs. Maxima's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. She suddenly became excited but at the same time… depressed. What's the matter with me? She thought to herself.
There was a massive grin on the prince's face as he cleared his throat and prepared to talk. Maxima could tell that everyone's attention was on him but Maxima's attention was suddenly averted when she saw a familiar figure beside Kal-El…. Princess Diana.
"I want to thank you all for honouring me and my family with your time in coming here tonight," he began, "we are all delighted to see all of you here tonight and we hope that all of our kingdoms can live peacefully with each other."
Everyone in the room clapped. Kal-El cleared his throat again. Maxima saw a slight blush on the prince's face. It was understandable since it must've been the first time for him to come up in front of such a crowd and talked.
"And now I have an announcement to make" he continued. This caught everyone's attention again.
The prince held out his hand to the princess beside him and as she took it, he announced, "The beautiful princess Diana of Themyscira of the planet Gaia beside me has graciously given me her hand in marriage."
Once again, everyone in the room clapped and there were shouts of "Congratulations" but Maxima saw the whispers and shocked faces of most of the guests in the room: especially Kal-El's parents and a woman- a Queen, Maxima thought- who stood next to the Kryptonian Emperor and Empress. The woman wore the same type of clothing as Princess Diana did and her facial expression featured the most shocked expression out of everyone in the room; which led Maxima to believe that she was Princess Diana's mother.
Maxima's heart dropped after hearing the sudden announcement. She knew she was going to lose on the challenge she presented Diana earlier. She just didn't know how low she would lose. It was then that Maxima finally realized…
Prince Kal-El of Krypton was truly and deeply in love with Princess Diana of Themyscira. And there was nothing she could do about it….
To be continued...
Hey! I'm really sorry for the late update but things have been busy and will continue to be busy for the next couple of weeks with all the exams so please bear with me.
I can assure you this arc is almost finished so we can go to some of the other main events of the story :)
Hoped you liked this chapter and please please leave a review! They are greatly appreciated! Thank you :)
:D