To Love a Prince
Disclaimer: see chapters one, two and three
Chapter Four
Kate looked around the ballroom, she saw Jayne chatting with a squire, Margaret dancing with a noble and Emma talking with a group of people. Kate paused, reliving what had passed only fifteen minutes before…
Wearing their best dresses Kate and Jayne had been waiting with several other young women in the chambers outside the ballroom's great doors, the tension in the room was at breaking point, they were all trying to make jokes and laugh but the jokes were weak and the laughter put-on. Kate and Jayne had been swapping complements with some other girls when the doors at the head of the stairs swung open.
One by one the ladies had been announced and had gone down from the heights of the huge stairs, greeted the King and Queen, then moved on, into the crowd. Being sisters, and because Kate had flatly refused to go without Jayne, the two sisters of Tare had descended together.
Most eyes had been on Jayne, poised, elegant and beautiful in a dark red dress, compared to her sister; the girl who had almost slipped on the third last step, Jayne was quite a catch, but to Kate, Jayne was what she had always been, the one to take the attention from her younger sister, and Kate was very thankful for that.
One pair of eyes, however, had followed Kate the entire way down; Roald wasn't sure why, there were certainly prettier girls around, but, clad in a pale blue, Kate had seemed more beautiful then anyone else.
Kate frowned when she remembered her meeting with the King and Queen, although she had tried not to, her eyes kept drifting towards Roald, who was seated next to them.
Snapped out of her reverie by Marge, who came bouncing towards the food table flushed from dancing, Kate smiled at her cousin.
"Having fun, darling? You really should dance, I know a few boys who would love to teach you…" Marge stopped realising what she had said. "Oh! Kate, dear, I'm really sorry, of course you know how…I meant…umm…sorry!"
"It's okay, you're not too far from the truth." Kate smiled wryly, always ready to forgive her well-meaning, boisterous cousin.
"Katie, you are the sweetest, kindest girl anyone could ever-" Marge broke off suddenly her eyes becoming wide. Kate turned, wondering what could shock Marge, of all people, into silence.
Roald smiled. "Good evening ladies."
"Good evening Your Highness." Kate bobbed a curtsy, Margaret numbly did the same.
Roald looked at Kate.
"May I have this dance?"
"It would be my honour."
Nodding at the dumbstruck Marge, Roald led Kate to the floor. As the music struck up Roald asked, "are you having a good time?"
"Now I am but, to tell the truth, I find these balls pretty boring."
"Me too. They're always the same, the same food, the same pompous people, it's just so tedious."
Kate looked sympathetically at Roald, she wondered how he could be able to stand it.
"At least when I'm older I'll be able to run away to the country and never come back!"
"Lucky you! Some of Father's knights do the same, you know, Sir Alanna and Sir Raoul in particular."
"No Lioness, today, then?"
"No but Raoul, at least came today, see, up there, and his squire, Keladry of Mindelan talking with your sister."
Kate peered, interested in the second female page for a hundred years.
"She looks nice, has she faced any prejudice?"
"Yes, a bit, but it has mostly stopped now."
"Thats great, you know."
Kate and Roald danced many more dances before Roald's mother beckoned to him.
"Sorry, you'll have to excuse me, I have to go."
"I had a wonderful time."
"Me too." With that Roald turned and disappeared into the crowd. (A/N I know the conversation sounds a bit hollow butI tried my best.)
Kate smiled, then spotting Jayne, still talking with Keladry she headed off in their direction.
The end of this chappie! Sorry, it was a pretty boring one but the next one will be better, I promise!
Everyone, please , review! Review! Just push the button and write "good" or "bad".
Thanks to:
jollyrancher-j2k I'm really glad you like it, I thought the talking bit was cute too. Thanks again!
wild-wizard-women I'm pleased you liked the last chapter, it was one of my favourite so far. I'm updating as frequently as possible, but schools starting again soon, so it's probably going to take longer. The Tare family is kind of like Kel's, they aren't really rich but they get by.