Title: Rhapsody in Blue
Author: Twilightstaruby
Disclaimers: All Nightworld concepts belong to L.J.Smith but the characters that you do not recognize all belong to me! Please do not take them without my permission, thank you!
A/N: Oh dear. Six months went by without me updating. I feel so sheepish...literally (baa...baa)...It has been a hectic year at school for me. I am not even sure if I passed my Promotional Examinations : ( ...On a happier note, new chapters for all my stories are under construction : )...so it shouldn't be long before I update them, one-by-one...
Special thanks to Leila, who went through the trouble of emailing me…
Also to the wonderful incarnated-soul, Raquel, Setus, Lalenna, Dark Angel's Blue Fire and Babe in black...you guys have my adoration forever...
Special note: Eeps...So sorry about the errors before on...Thanks to incarnated-soul and MerlinHalliwell for pointing it out...I was so happy cutting and pasting out of my words document I did not realise the mistakes...my bad... : p
Chapter Three: Finally
Reothe Drache glared at the tree directly in the line of his vision, his emerald eyes practically spitting fire. If looks could kill, the tree would have been struck by lightning, split into half and incinerated several times over. Not really a pleasant way to die, if one were to think about it.
"Your highness?" The words came as a hesitant murmur as Gerald, leader of the elite group of guards sent to protect him while they, his father's advisors and Reothe himself, made their way to the palace of the Second house of Shapeshifters, came up to where he was seething in silent anger at everything, the unfortunate tree in particular.
"Are you unhappy?"
"Do I look happy to you?" he gritted out between clenched teeth.
Gerald took the words at face value and examined Reothe's face with a frown between his brows before answering, "No, your highness."
Reothe could barely resist rolling his eyes in exasperation. Gerald was a nice man and all, but he was inclined to take things said literally.
"May I inquire as to the reason that made your highness unhappy?"
"Does being betrothed to a woman whom I have never met before in my life for political reasons suffice as a reason? Besides the fact that I was never consulted?" Underneath that pleasant tone of voice was an undercurrent of anger that wasn't noted by the all-literal Gerald. His father hadn't even let him have the chance to object. He had simply said that the alliance was important for both clans, for the welfare of their people and the shapeshifters. As a prince, he could, and will not, push away his duty.
"Well, I heard that the princess to whom you are betrothed to is a beauty. It was said her loveliness was to such an extent that it had made even the sky cry."
"It might be just that the weather there happens to be humid." Sarcasm was heavy in Reothe's tone as he answered. If the girl was as beautiful as Gerald had described, he hoped that she had a brain to match her beauty. It was from Reothe's experience that a female is only inclined to possess one of these traits at a time, if one were to judge from the many beautiful but empty-headed ladies paying court at the First House of Shapeshifters.
"Actually, the weather there is quite dry, your highness." Gareld said with a frown on his face as he contemplated Reothe's statement.
Reothe sighed. Sometimes, talking to Gerald can be such a chore.
"Your highness? We are ready to move off." Reothe nodded at the guard, got up from the ground he was seated on and mounted the horse waiting for him.
We'll see when we get there then.
Seraphina couldn't help but fidget as Clarice, her lady's maid, twisted her long ebony locks into an elaborated coiffure. The process had taken far more time than she had thought was humanly possible. At the rate Clarice was going through the pins, Seraphina wondered if there is enough space for yet another pin.
"My Lady!" the censuring tone in Clarice's tone stopped Seraphina's fidgeting, but only for her to start tapping her fingernails against the smooth varnish of the dressing table. Seraphina wasn't sure, but she was positive Clarice muttered something unsavory under her breath.
It was with palpable relief that she stabbed the last pin to hold the coiffure in place.
"We are done! Finally." the last was muttered under Clarice's breath even as she smiled a satisfactory smile while examining her handiwork.
Seraphina stood up and walked towards the full-length mirrors that dominated two sides of her dressing room, looked at her appearance and blinked in surprise. The new pale blue gown she had on emphasized the blue of her eyes and accented what little figure she had.
"I look...very nice!" She exclaimed as she twirled around in front of the full-length mirrors in her dressing room.
"That, my dear Sera, is a master of a understatement," Her brother's amused tone had her spinning around in surprise. Rosabelle and Christian stood in the doorway of her dressing room, smiles on their faces. Rosabelle had tears misting in her eyes as she looked at her younger sister.
"Come on then. Let us march ahead and enter the den of the wolves!" Christian's absurd turn of phrase and the ridiculous way he held his arm up in front of his chest as he said the last earned a burst of laughter from Seraphina and a jab in the sides from Rosabelle.
"Come sister," Rosabelle held up a hand towards Seraphina, who grasped it, "let us go ahead to the meeting room and leave our idiot brother behind."
With that, she glided out of the room, pulling Seraphina along, leaving Christian to splutter in anger at her last phrase.
The room was quiet. Tension was in the air as the royal family of the Second house of Shapeshifters and their advisors awaited the arrival of the representatives from the First house of Shapeshifters to arrive.
Seraphina waited too, though not for the same reasons as her parents, but instead for the first sight of the man she had met five years ago in the forests and was now destined to be betrothed to. She was inexplicably nervous for reasons unbeknownst to her even. She glanced down at the mauled handkerchief in her hands she had been unintentionally twisting and willed her hands to let go of it.
Rosabelle, having noticed her bout of nervousness and restlessness, reached over and took her hand to comfort her. Christian, seated on the other side of her, reached over and took her the other hand. Seraphina smiled softly, grateful for her two siblings, whom, in spite of all the squabbles and fights they might have in the past, still loved each other.
Nerves soothed slightly, Seraphina attempted to take her mind off the horrendous meeting set to take place in this very room a few moments later by studying the room itself. With the tall ceiling and regal decorations in the colours of the Second House of the Shapeshifters, this was a place that was intimidating in the least. A long table with chairs was the only furniture in the entire room. All the representatives and the royal family of the second house of the shapeshifters were seated in one row along the table, with her parents seated in the middle, flanked by Christian on one side and her father's most trusted advisor on the other.
Now all they had to do was to wait for the representatives from the First House to arrive to fill up the table. Then they could have a huge staring competition together, which was something Seraphina was sure they would do given the seating arrangements. She had wondered about the appropriateness of the seating arrangements, something she had voiced out to her brother, who had dismissed it by saying that the advisors know best. She wondered.
"The arrival of the Crown prince First House of Shapeshifters!"
The announcement from the herald at the doorway only served to mount up the already intense tension in the room as everyone turned towards the doors and looked at the approaching figures.
Seraphina saw the prince even before he reached the long table. He had an aura of royalty and inbreed arrogance that set him apart from the rest of the entourage. His green eyes were unfathomable as he swept the occupants of the room. Reaching her parents, he swept into a courtly bow with a murmured, "Your Majesties."
"Please take a seat, Prince Reothe." Her mother's soft voice filled the room as the herald closed the heavy oak doors. Inexplicably, the sound made Seraphina winced.
A heavy scrapping of chairs as the representatives and the prince took their places at the long table sounded loud and oddly distorted in the silent room. As the representatives of the Houses stared at each other with unmistakable apprehension and suspicion in their eyes, Seraphina heaved a heavy mental sigh. It was going to be a long day.
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Reothe listened to the ongoing discussion with half of his attention as he wondered if there was anyway to ease the tension in the room that was beginning to take a toll on him. A glance down the long table ascertained that it was a near impossible thing to do. The members of the First house of Shapeshifters and the Second House of Shapeshifters were looking at each other with mistrust and apprehension in their eyes. Any wrong moves or slip of tongue on either side would ensure a riot and the delicate alliance the two houses had hope to have would go to ruins.
He leaned slightly over to his father's advisor, Kingsley, who had on a monstrous scowl on his face and hissed in the elderly man's ear, "Smile."
A forced smile appeared on the man's face, if one could call it a smile. Kingsley rather looked as though he had swallowed a toad. Reothe rolled his eyes in exasperation. A soft, quickly muffled giggle, a sound largely misplaced in this atmosphere, had him looking up towards the source in amusement. No one else had heard the sound, so it would seem. Most were too busy glaring at the opposition.
Midnight blue eyes danced in amusement as the girl noticed at the absurd smile Kingsley had pasted on under Reothe's command. Since she didn't appear to be one of the representatives of the Second house, she would belong to the royal family itself. A glance at her left and right confirmed his guess. Her gaze flitted to him suddenly and he was caught in the deep colour of her eyes. Her lips turned up in an almost imperceptible smile and she inclined her head slightly at him. Returning the gesture, he decided that he liked her better than either of her siblings, as the brother was glaring at him as though he would like to kill him immediately and the of course, his soon-to-be fiancée.
Gerald had pointed her out discreetly as they had made their way towards the table before. She was beautiful, as Gerald had said, with her long golden hair and sky blue eyes beneath delicately winged eyebrows. As beautiful as the marble statues they had back at the palace. She had not betrayed a single expression through out the entire meeting, a feat that Reothe would highly admire in a statue, not his future wife.
He was beginning to dread the upcoming betrothal.
"…Princess Seraphina, instead of Princess Rosabelle."
He snapped to attention at that. Murmurs started, growing in volume as soon as the King had spoken the words.
Before he could ask what was going on, since no one seemed to be inclined fill him on what was going on, the King had stood up, his piercing gold eyes boring into him as he gestured with a," If you would please, Prince Reothe, can we adjoined to another room where we can talk in private?"
With no choice but to do, (besides doing so would ensure him the answers he wanted) Reothe stood up, gesturing only to Kingsley to follow. He followed the royal family into a smaller room situated at the side of the meeting room. A servant closed the door, giving them the privacy the King sought.
"Prince Reothe," He begun in his deep baritone as soon as everyone had settled down comfortably, "I have to apologize for the change in the plans."
Reothe smiled and accepted the apology even though he had no idea at all what the King was talking about. He decided then that to ask what was going on now was simply not polite as it would only serve to show that he hadn't been listening to what was being said just now. Instead, he decided to wait for the King to continue so that he might get a grasp of what they were talking about.
"My daughter Rosabelle was engaged before this alliance came into place, which is one of the reasons why my younger daughter Seraphina will be taking her place."
Ah, Reothe thought, so this is what all this is about. So he will be instead engaged to the younger daughter.
His gaze shifted as the King gestured for the girl who had laughed at Kingsley to stand up.
"This is my daughter Seraphina," He said as the girl curtsy.
As she did so, he saw the ring attached to her throat by a long thin silver chain and froze.
It was a signet ring. His ring.
A/N: Sorry if there were any errors in this chapter...I had not had the time to check through...I will do so as soon as possible...so in the meantime, please bear with me!
Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated : )