This chapter is for Fiona my mate from dancing
Chapter 2; Sand beneath their feet
Lindie stood watching everything running in slow motion. He yawned. 'Maybe' he thought 'staying awake for the whole night last night wasn't such a great idea after all'
He watched as the large ship was fastened to the quay and a walkway was placed down rather agonizingly slow to his mind. The heralds started stating the passenger's titles and he was bound by duty to great every last one of them courteously. There would be no chance for him to escape just yet he'd have to wait for the opportune moment to arise. Suddenly his escape plans were cut short by the herald announcing the arrival of her royal highness Harika of the crescent empire. He gasped at the sight in front of him an angel was walking down towards him she was so small and perfect she had eyes that mirrored his own and pale milky white skin she was so tiny and delicate but by the way she walked it showed that she had her thorns, 'She's the personification of a white rose' he thought. His hand were itching to pull the strip of cloth that covered her hair off, he needed to see it. He stood their watching mesmerized looking at her perfect facial features. 'But why is she wearing such peasant like garments' he pondered and then he noticed the girl walking in front of her wearing a rich embroidered blue dress with raven hair trailing down her back and a silver circlet placed upon her head, in that moment he knew that she was the little girl that he was to marry not the petite vision of perfection that followed daintily behind and a wave of regret washed over him at the fact that. He wasn't going to marry her instead. The dark haired girl reached him and curtsied he gently took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.
"It is a great honor to finally meat the beauty that is to be my wife." He murmured
She smiled not noticing the fingers on his other hand crossed behind his back.
"It is a great honour for me to finally meet you too, my prince."
She said keeping eye contact the whole time. Lindie let out a sigh of relief when she finally moved away from him to stand near her father. Dejectedly he looked around for the other girl but she was nowhere to be found. With a regretful sigh he turned around and sneak back of to a more private place where he could be alone.
Danie smiled squeezing the wet sand between her tiny wet, wrinkled toes. The magic song of the waves reminded her of the song of her home. Carefully she hopped over the sand to find a dry place for her to sit. Laughing she withdrew a knife from her belt and started balancing it on her finger then twisting it around in the air playing with it with a great amount of skill. Lindie watched her in awe. Her mastership off the knife the way her golden red locks glowed in the setting sun, her silvery laugh, she was perfect. He moved to sit down next to her. He was surprised when the little girl didn't react to his accompanying her.
" What took you so long" she asked turning to face him
he gasped her childish face was angular and he was astounded by how beautiful she was.
"i…" he stuttered "hang on what do you mean?" he asked
" You've been watching me now for the best part of two hours," she giggled "I mean how long has it taken you before you joined me."
"It took you long enough." She added as an after thought.
Lindie sat there opened mouthed he couldn't believe it she wasn't what he was expecting her to be like.
" Why are you here." He asked
she tensed
"Don't tell on me please your highness." She suddenly gushed
"well that depends" lindie replied " it depends on why you are here."
She kept silent
"why are you here?" he asked again
"I cant tell you because in doing so I would speak ill of my owner"she said in an inaudible whisper then added "your future wife."
He almost missed the last part of what she said but it was some how magnified in his mind. Lindies mind screamed at the injustice of it all 'No humanbeing had the right to own another human'
But before he could say this the little girl whispered.
"She may have paid a lot of money for me, but she can never have controll over me no matter how violent and harsh she becomes with me. Why or rather how do you think I manage to be here?" She asked.
Standing up and brushing sand off her foreign dress.
"I must get her ready now for tonight's ball, before she becomes angry with me."
Suddenly an idea struck him
"Will you be there tonight?" he shouted to the retreating figure.
She turned her head round over her shoulder
"No your highness. And don't even bother trying to invite me " Its not my type of entertainment anymore"
She gasped at what she had just said and turned and ran as fast as she could.
The words not any more kept reverberating around insidehis head. 'So there was a time when that beautiful creature had been to balls and enjoyed them, maybe it was time for her to stop hiding and show her beauty to the world.' And linden started to plan how he would make it possible for it to happen.
Danie sat submissively removing the heated curlers from Harika's hair. Harika sat complaining and yelping that Danie was hurting her. Danie opened her mouth to tell the other girl that pain means beauty but then closed it again remembering her place in this still alien society. Harika smiled she wouldn't tell Danie this but she had made her look the most beautiful she had seen herself with her hair half up and half down and soft curls gently framing her face, even the rich dark blue dress Danie had chosen was perfect.
"You can go now, my escort will soon be arriving. You can go ask for some food to eat." Harika seemed awkward while she was talking to Danica. Danica left the room wearily. Something was wrong she could sense it. Making shore to tred lightly she found her way back to the private cove were she'd been earlier you could her the music from the ball playing far off in the distance. Danica layback making shore her bandana covered her hair slowly her eyes closed as she remembered how to dance and battled to suppress the urge to do so. She remembered having fun and her friends and family surrounding her they were gone now. Trapped and immortalized in her memory forever. She had a duty a duty that she would strive to fulfill till the very end just like them. As she sat up she looked down to see herself wearing a white dress lined with silver and long flowing sleeves, her hand wandered to her forehead where she found a silver circlet with a beautiful diamond in the center. She gasped this wasn't supposed to happen. Danie glared down at her crescent pendent.
"This isn't me any more" she whispered, "Change me back."
She stood up, nothing happened.
"This is not funny, change me back"
Linden leaned against a palm tree frowning at the little girl now ranting and raving to the thin air.
"Who are you talking to." He asked bemusedly
"Its none off your business" said a disgruntled Danie turning round to face him. He gasped he couldn't help himself she was so perfect like a miniature china doll.
Queen Lela sat on her throne deep in thought in an attempt to block out the none stop chatter of Harika. Where had linden disappeared to? He had been dancing with Harika one minuet then he just disappeared out of the door, for no apparent reason. Maybe she should go and find him to bring him back it was very rude of him to leave like that. She stood up and brushed down her pink skirts, she new exactly where he had disappeared to.
Lela hurried her son had no right to wonder off. As she wandered down the paths through the many green gardens she wondered what mischief her son was getting up to. She gasped as she reached her sons private cove it was deserted. Maybe he just went outside for some air she thought as she turned around and started back towards the palace just then she noticed two sets of footprints heading off down an overgrown path. Lela sighed and began to follow her son's footprints while wondering whom it was that was accompanying him.
"Penny for your thought" said linden as they walked amiably along the over grown path.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked, "I don't like surprises."
"What!" Exclaimed linden " A little girl that doesn't like surprises. What is the world coming to?"
" If half the things that have happened to me had happened to you, you wouldn't like surprises either." Came the curt reply.
"Your mature for your age." Lindie said in a desperate attempt to change the topic of conversation that was making the young girl so distressed.
"I have to be your highness." Danie whispered, " A level of maturity does run in my family but when one has an occupation like mine it helps not to be so childish."
" Call me Lindie please." Linden said as he turned to face his now silent companion. " We are nearly at the place I wanted to show you."
Danie gasped "its beautiful." She stated as a childish grin passed across her face and ran to the double swing in the middle of what appeared to be a marble bandstand with soft pink and white roses trailing gently up the pillars.
"Do you like it?" he asked tentatively
"I love it." she smiled " its perfect I used to have a swing back at home."
"How old are you?" he asked
"Ten but I am eleven in seven days."
" A week, you will still be here then when it's your birthday."
"Birthday?" she asked
"Forget it" Lindie said, " by the way what is your name? It's only fair that I should no it after all you know mine."
"True." said Danica " my name is Danie and would you like to join me on this quite excellent swing linden."
"Thank you Danie for such a beautiful invitation how could I refuse."
She laughed and linden found himself being compelled to laugh too as she shuffled over to the side to leave room for him to join her. For a while both swung with their minds free of any worries about duties they needed to fulfill. Finally linden asked
"Where did you get that dress from?"
" By magic" she whispered enchantingly as she jumped catlike of the swing.
"Try and be serious for a moment please." He told the little girl.
" I was being serious." She told him and then she stood sock still.
" There is a woman approaching us she whispered urgently I've got to go. Thank you."
Lindie stood speechless as he saw the little girl disappear into thin air just as his mother entered the clearing.
"I think you have somewhere that you have to be." She said sternly and with that she turned and walked away, with Linden following quickly behind.
r&r please
