14. Last Days

I made the most of my time with Anna. I showed her around town, and she caught me up on the happenings in Draeden. We talked and laughed and had a great time. I was so thankful I had a friend like Anna who could make me forget my worries.

On Thursday afternoon, Emily, Carolyn and Anna crowded into my room to help me pick out a dress for the ball. Emily had already chosen her dress weeks ago, though she didn't have a date. She was hoping to dance with a prince. I had been so excited about going with Aaron that I had forgotten there'd be royalty there. This made me nervous; for I'd never met a prince before, but Emily assured me that we'd have a great time. When I'd told Emily that I was going with Aaron, she seemed happy for me. The only time she'd heard of Aaron was from all the letters he wrote me after our fight. She didn't bring up Gavin, and I was grateful. Carolyn did not seem surprised. She told me she was glad that I was happy and that's all that mattered. She did not realize how true that statement was.

We all took turns trying on dresses. Even Carolyn tried some on. We'd go into the bathroom, put on a dress, march into the room and strike a pose. Then the rest of us would applaud and give our opinions, make jokes and laugh. I was having a blast.

Several hours and several dresses later, I had finally settled on one. It was my favorite by far. This dress was a strapless blush silk ball gown with a beaded bodice and an elegant gathered skirt. I twirled around in it, feeling just like a princess.

Anna applauded. "Briden, that dress is beautiful on you."

"Gorgeous," Emily agreed.

"Perfect choice," Carolyn voiced.

Emily straightened up in the chair she was sitting in. "How are you going to wear your hair?"

I turned away from the mirror and shrugged. "Hmm... I don't know." We all sat in silence for a minute, contemplating.

"I know!" Anna said. She came over to me and started messing with my hair. "Something like this..." She twisted my hair into a knot at the back of my head. It was simple yet elegant.

"Wow, that's perfect!"

"Now, what about jewelry..." Carolyn mused.

"Oh I can help with that." Emily hurried out of the room and came back carrying the biggest jewelry box I had ever seen. She held it out to me. "Take your pick!"

"Wow, thanks Emily." There was so much to choose from. I settled on a pair of simple pearl drop earrings and a woven silver choker with a pearl in the middle. Once I had my outfit picked out, the four of us had dinner. Then Emily, Anna and I spent the rest of the night coming up with ideas for my birthday party on Saturday. By the time we went to bed, I was actually excited about the party plans, but I tried to remind myself I wouldn't be there.

Friday came way too quickly. A letter arrived in the morning from Aaron, saying he would be waiting for me inside the doors of the Grand Hall at 9 o'clock. At first I was unsure about this. I would've much rather preferred to see him before the ball. After all, I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could before midnight came around. But I wrote back, agreeing with the plan. I didn't care how he told me his secret, as long as he told me it soon. I had decided that I would tell him about the spell when it came closer to saying goodbye. He deserved to know the truth, and to know how I felt about him.

After lunch, I was sitting in the window seat gazing out at the castle, thinking, when Anna came into the room wearing a blue dress.

"I think I'm gong to wear this one to your party tomorrow." She spun around. "What do you think?"

I glanced over at her. "It's fine."

She stopped and looked at me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I tried to put on a smile.

"Oh, I know what's wrong. You're nervous about tonight. Don't worry Bri, you'll get your kiss." She came over and hugged me, and then joined me on the window seat.

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Listen. You told me not to be worried, so why are you worried?"

"I'm not," I insisted, staring back out the window. "Tonight will be great. I guess I'm just nervous about the dancing. I've never been to a royal ball before, and you know how I am with crowds. Plus, the King and Queen will be there. It's a big deal."

Anna shook her head. "Briden. You are the bravest person I know. You've always been quiet, but that's never stopped you from doing everything you set your mind to. Aaron will be there. Just focus on him. And I'll be here waiting to hear all about it when you get back. Relax. Everything will be fine."

Anna always knew the right thing to say. I felt my confidence building and took a deep breath. "Thanks Anna."

"What are friends for?" She stood up. "Now, let's get you ready for the ball!" Anna's cheery mood cheered me up significantly. We spent the rest of the afternoon goofing around and gradually getting me ready for tonight. We danced around in our dresses and rehearsed what I would say when I saw Aaron. We also thought of scenarios that might happen if I met the royal family. When I told Anna that there were two princes she'd squealed excitedly. She reminded me of Emily. Or maybe that's how all girls were supposed to react at the word prince. I didn't care though—I'd already found my prince charming.

"Please promise you'll try to dance with one of them," Anna begged. "For me."

"Okay," I assented. "I'll try. But the princes will probably have a whole line of girls waiting to dance with them, and besides, I won't be—" I chose my words carefully. "I mean, I might not have time."

"I know, but you have to admit it would be neat to dance with royalty."

"Yes it would. Okay, I'll do my best."

Anna beamed. She seemed more excited about tonight then I did. I was extremely excited about seeing Aaron and having a wonderful night of dancing, but as 9 o'clock grew nearer, I became more and more nervous.

Finally, my dress was on, my hair and makeup were done, my jewelry and shoes were secure, and I was ready to go. We all gathered at the front door. Emily's dress was, of course, pink. Then I heard the carriage pull up outside. I took a deep breath and fought hard not to cry as I hugged Carolyn.

"Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Carolyn. It has been wonderful living here."

Carolyn smiled. "You look beautiful Briden. You're going to have an amazing time tonight. You'll have to tell me all about it when you get home, okay?"

I nodded. She had no clue. It was so hard to say goodbye without actually using the words. I gave her another quick hug. She had been like a mother to me this past month. I thanked my lucky stars for her.

Then I hugged Emily. She hopped up and down excitedly. "We're going to have a great time Briden. Aren't you excited?"

"Uh-huh." I turned to Anna, who stood looking both nervous and happy. I hugged her like it would be the last time.

"Anna. You're my best friend and I love you for it. Thanks for helping me through all this."

"Well I'm just glad it'll all be over with tonight. You deserve this Bri. I am so happy for you."

I hugged her again and felt the tears coming. I blinked them away and let go of my friend.

I took a deep breath and smoothed my dress. "Okay, let's go!" I said, forcing enthusiasm into my voice.

Emily and I stepped out into the cool spring night and made our way down the path to the carriage. After we both climbed in, I looked back. I waved at Carolyn and Anna in the doorway, savoring my last look at them. I would miss them dearly. Then the carriage took off and the house disappeared from view. Emily filled the silence with excited chatter. I was so nervous, I couldn't speak, only nod in response to Emily. I gripped my skirts and focused on breathing.

We arrived at the castle way too soon. Had that really been a ten-minute ride? As the driver helped us out of the carriage, I stared at the castle in awe. It was even more beautiful up close. The golden castle stood out against the dark blue sky, light shining from every window. A wide stone path cut through an intricate rose garden. The Grand Hall stood open before us. I couldn't believe I was actually about to enter the castle of Bast.

A/N: Please review!!! Pretty please???