Arghh! Late posting again! No excuses here but I promise that I'll update as soon as I can! Do you think I'm dragging it out too long? Drop me a review to let me know what you think. Thank you so much to LacytheRomanWerewolf, Rugbygirrl, Southun Lady and Guest for reviewing. Read and review!
And while our plucky heroine begins her journey to the castle and hopefully, a happy ending, Prince Aaron finds himself besieged by women who want nothing more than to be married to him. So the Prince continues to gracefully dodge the throngs of women, hoping and praying that the Lady Emily would miraculously appear so that he could sweep her of her feet…
The music waltzed on even as Prince Aaron dodged countless overenthusiastic women. He sighed, all the supposedly beautiful women of the land gathered in the castle and yet the one woman he wanted to see was simply not there. The frown on his brow deepened, and the dark cloud hanging over his head darkened all the more as he caught sight of the infuriating brunette trailing his steps the entire night. Mouth tightening, the Prince jerked his head towards a guard, Marshall Samuel to divert the Lady Beth's attention. The guard stifled a smirk and nodded, stepping in between the Prince and the woman, much to Beth's displeasure which she had no problem vocalizing.
Marshall Samuel bowed slightly, "I apologize, my Lady but the Lord Sean wishes you to see the gardens." Lord Sean was the Prince Aaron's younger brother, and while Samuel was somewhat apologetic he had to implicate him in the scheme to get rid of the woman, Samuel thought his actions were rather justified. The haughty brunette spared a glance at the Marshall and sighed; she supposed the Prince's younger brother would do in his absence. Turning her nose up, she nodded once, "Very well, lead the way."
Prince Aaron sighed in relief and shot a smile of gratitude towards his friend. Knowing he could not evade the persistent woman all night, he made his way to where his father was sitting on his throne, most likely bored out of his mind with a goblet of red in his hand. If there was anything David Rossi hated more than his second ex-wife's irritating poodle, it was the pomp and ceremony of such events.
The King raised a brow at his son, "No sign of her yet, then?" The dark haired Prince shook his head; his hopes were fast fading despite his father's incessant hopes. King David merely patted his son on the shoulder; he knew how much badly his boy needed to see Emily tonight and although the Dragon Lady and Lapdog flimsy excuses that she had not been able to attend, Dave could spot a lie a mile away, and he'd be damned if the duo were innocent. His Emily had been prevented from attending the ball, he knew that much. But he also knew his godchild; the woman would never let something as silly as her stepfamily's prohibitions stop her from coming to the ball. If she really wanted to see Aaron, that is. The King was not a stupid man; he knew just how badly his son hurt Emily and he knew much of the fault lay with Aaron. But he hoped that the love that once made his heart constrict with joy would come through, despite all the mistakes and hurts and obstacles before them.
Emily took a deep breath as she stood outside the castle gates. She would never admit it but she was extremely nervous; asides from their brusque meeting during her father's funeral, Emily had not spoken nor laid eyes on him. Jason hooted reassuringly in her ear, "I shall be near, Emily. Worry not, I'll make sure you have a clear path to your Prince." Emily quirked a smile and stroked the owl's head, "Thank you Jason." Sighing, she straightened and slid on a cool, unaffected face. Time for the games to begin.
The entire room came to a standstill when they saw a beautiful woman stand regally at the top of the stairs before sashaying down gracefully. Her dress sparkled and gleamed under the lights and her dark eyes flashed as she stared boldly at everyone present. She took everyone's breaths away, and the women strangely felt an urge to curtsey down to the charismatic woman. Erin and Beth frowned; they could have sworn that they knew the woman and yet her name seemingly floated out of their grasps, eluding their recall. Beth blushed furiously when the woman glided passed her. The nameless woman spared a glance at Beth, a smirk blossoming on her full red lips and Beth felt as though she was being laughed at. Whoever this woman was, Beth felt shamefully less of a woman next to her.
Prince Aaron's eyes widened as the woman stopped before him, dipping into a perfect curtsey. "Your Highness." Her low, sultry voice rang through his ears and despite not being able to place her face, Aaron felt a small smile grace his lips; he knew that voice. Bowing gallantly, he extended his arm to her, murmuring a quiet invitation to dance. The mysterious woman gifted him with a dazzling smile which lit up the entire room, and as the dark haired duo swept onto the dance floor, the crowd parted way automatically. Such beauty should only be watched from afar, and it seemed their dark, good looks were fit only for the gods, and that mortals were not welcomed to dance in their midst.
The orchestra began once more, striking up a slow, austere waltz and all eyes were on the Prince and his companion as they bowed slightly to each other before beginning the dance. They stepped together in harmony; he twirled her around and her wide skirt flared around her, enveloping them in a fiery red halo, making them all the more untouchable. He held her close to him and she sighed, as though in relief and laid her head on his broad shoulders and he tightened his grip on her slender waist. He did not know why his Emily did not look as she did, but he knew without a doubt it was her. The curl of her hair, the strong grip of her slender fingers, the low rasp of her laughter; they were all Emily and no glamour could change the little quirks that made her the woman he loved. Haley might have been the golden princess he yearned for in his youth, but Emily was, and always will be the woman he wanted to spend his life with. He only hoped that his foolish parting of her had not destroyed any chances he might have had with her.