Chapter 10: Morning Glory

London, England, June 1st, 1735.

The morning of the Ball had arrived and preparations were nearly complete. Prince Shizuo was pacing outside in the courtyard of the castle, thinking about

the night. "What shall I do?," he asked himself aloud. "That insidious worm Izaya will be at the Ball tonight. What if I cannot control myself at the Ball? I

do not wish to frighten the ladies, especially not her."He looked into the sunrise, gazing upon its illustrious beauty. The colors were bright, and lit the sky

with shades of orange. Shizuo began thinking of Orihime with her long, silky orange hair, her big, sweet chestnut eyes, and her slender feminine physique

which reminded him of a swan, graceful and majestic. "Her face…," he says as his voice trails off. "Why can I not remove her from my mind?." He begins

pacing again, much more furiously. "Seeing her through her window, hearing her voice, the way she speaks. It is the voice of the angels that speak, no

doubt." Shizuo stops pacing for a moment and begins to think. "All my life I have waited for someone who is like mother," he says. "Could this maiden

be the one I should marry?" Shizuo gathers his thoughts and comes to a conclusion, "I must see her."Shizuo runs to the horses' stables and finds his

noble stead, Charles. He is a large, muscular mustang, well-groomed, with a shining black coat. Shizuo approaches his stead and prepares himself for

a ride. He gently strokes the horse and climbs on its back. "Come now old boy, let's go see the Lady Orihime." With a loud, "HYAH!", Prince Shizuo begins

his ride to the Inoue Estate.

Meanwhile, Orihime was lying in bed, trying to find the strength to rise out of bed. The sun was shining through the bright blush colored curtains of her

room. She blinked her eyes slowly and began imagining Prince Shizuo. Orihime thought of his masculinity, the fierceness of his face, his shining blonde

hair, and his tempting dark brown eyes. The very thought of his gaze sent a shiver down her spine, and made her heart beat quicken. She thought of him as

a handsome man, but was curious of his personality and what he was like.

Just then, a knock came at the door. The butler came in and bowed to her. "Pardon the intrusion, my Lady but it is time for you to rise out of bed, breakfast

will be ready soon." Orihime rolls over and sits up on her bed, "Thank you, I will be down shortly. Please ask the ladies to help me dress." "Yes my Lady,"

he replies bowing to her once more before closing the door softly. She sighs softly and stands up, shaking her head, "Why was I thinking of the Prince just

now?" Still in a daze, Orihime walks into her closet and goes to her mirror. Her reflection shows her hair is curly and slightly messy, her eyes glimmering

with light, her skin flawless and soft, her body, slender and fragile. Orihime gazes at her reflection with wonder. "Why do I look this way?," she asks aloud.

"Is this beauty? If so, is it a blessing or a curse?" Looking at herself again, she begins to feel sad, "Am I only just a pretty face with gifts and nothing

more? Do I have anything else to be proud of? A trait that stands out? What am I to this world?" As Orihime ponders on these questions she looks away

and goes to find a casual dress.

Soon the ladies come to dress her. She wore a tan dress along with her signature pearls and family ring. The ring is sliver with a large, round amethyst

stone. Once she was done dressing, Orihime went down to the dining room where breakfast was being served. As she approached the table, all the

servants bowed to her as one of the butlers pulled her chair out for her. Orihime smiled and sat down with her father at the table. A maid served her a plate

of eggs, sausage, potatoes, and bread. "Tea my Lady," one of the butlers asked. She nodded her head as the butler filled her cup with tea. The Duke looked

at her with a worried expression, "Darling, what is the matter? You are looking sad." Orihime lifted her head and smiled softly, "I am fine Father, I

promise." She picks up her fork and knife and begins to eat. His eyes still lingering in her direction, he touches Orihime's hand gently, "Sweetheart, you

know if there is anything wrong, you can tell me. I am your Father after all." Orihime pauses momentarily and then nods, "I know Father. But really I am

fine, I am just thinking about the Ball tonight." Her father sighed, "Are you feeling nervous about meeting the Prince?" "Not exactly," she answered. He

cocked his head to the side, "Then darling, what troubles you? It is not like you to be thinking too deeply about a matter." Orihime contemplated about

whether or not to tell her father the truth. With careful thought she spoke, "Father I do not understand myself," she paused for a moment then spoke

again, "Why do people only see me as someone who is beautiful with talent? Can I not be loved as a normal person? Why does no one say anything of my

personality or of me as a person?"

Her Father looked shocked at her sudden outburst of questions. Yet he was able to answer, "Sweetheart, you must realize something about people. They

tend to love what is most appealing to them. Some may or may not express their true feelings for you. Take for instance your artwork, many use those

compliments to mask what they truly think of you as a person. For all you know, many may love you as you are, a normal, kind-hearted young woman

whose dreams and passions are of the purest, whose mind is sharp as the iron swords forged by smiths of the land, and whose love is unconditional for all

mankind and its creations. Realize, sweetheart that you are a rare jewel in a chest of silver or gold, one to be valued and treasured for life," he stands then

kneels next to her chair and takes her right hand, "Orihime, I promise you someday, someone out there will make you feel special and loved as you wish to

be. The ambition and path you have set afoot will guide you the right direction as long as you do not waver or sway from your pure desires. Trust me

sweetheart, your dreams will come true and all you have wanted will fall in place in time." There was a long silence that filled the air between them. As

moments passed, her father smiled gently and stood up, "Now do you understand Orihime?" After processing her Father's words, she smiled, "Yes I do

understand, I feel better." She stood from her chair and hugged her Father tightly, "No one loves me more than you do Father," she said as tears welled up

in her eyes. He chuckled softly and stroked the back of her head. After a brief moment, a knock came at the door. The head butler walked in and bowed,

"Pardon me your Grace, my Lady, but it seems there is a visitor for the Lady. "Is it the Lord Izaya?," Orihime asked in confusion. "No my Lady," the butler

replied flatly, "It is Prince Shizuo."