A/N: I send gratitude to those who have read and reviewed my story! Some of you seem to be rather confused, but all shall be clear in due time. Don't worry about it. Just read on and your questions will hopefully be answered in this chapter or later chapters...


Joy's Unhappiness

Chapter 4

xxxxx Joy's POV xxxxx

A couple of minutes before the end of the last chapter

I danced so much that I got tired. Really tired. Unfortunately, there were still men asking to dance. As soon as the last man let me go, I went straight towards Lilah. That way men would feel like they were rude if they were intruding on a women's conversation.

Prince Caelan wasn't anywhere in sight and that was a good thing because I wouldn't want to intrude on them either. I had gotten a letter from Lilah, informing me of their engagement. When I received it, my first thought was: 'About time!'. How many years has it been since Caelan first started courting her? Many years...

As I approached her, I noticed that she looked a little forlorn. When she turned to see me coming she perked up. "Joy! It's been a while hasn't it?"

I wondered if what I saw earlier was my imagination but decided to save it for later. "Yes, it has been. Lilah! I want to say, congratulations on your engagement with Caelan! After many years of denial you finally realised your own feelings! I'm so glad for you!" I giggled.

Lilah turned pink. Nevertheless she smiled. "You don't have to tease me so! And save all it for the wedding! We still have a few months to come!"

I grinned at her. "You can't wait, can you?"

"Nope. I get even more excited day by day!"

We both laughed. When our laughter subsided, my face turned serious.

"You know, this party came as a complete surprise to me, even more so when I saw royalty in it."

She grinned. "Mission accomplished then."

"How long did you know of it?" I asked.

Lilah thought for a moment before answering. "A few weeks ago when I received a letter from your elders. As soon as I got it, I brought a carriage and servants also bringing Caelan with me. We arrived early so we also helped prepare. Your happiness means a lot to all of us after all!"

I was - once again - very touched that they cared about me so much. My eyes watered up and I hugged Lilah. She patted my back soothingly as I buried my head into her shoulder, although taking great care not to wet it with tears.

"Thank you so much, Lilah. And everyone else too..."

"Mm-hm."

Just as we let go of each other, a name was announced. "Prince Darwin of Fairadore!" The music that was playing, stopped.

I curiously looked up at the top of the staircase. There stood a dark haired prince looking calmly at everyone in the ballroom. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was a little off with his expression. I heard a few snickers at the side.

Lilah giggled. "Darwin is late! Way to look cool at his first ball, huh?"

"His first ball?" I repeated incredulously. He looked about my age and I found it highly unusual to have not been to a ball before! I started going when I was five years old!

"Yes... Due to his circumstances..." I was very curious but I didn't want to pry into something that wasn't any of my business. The music started up again. People started to dance. I think I know this song...

"Oh! I've wanted to do this dance with Caelan! Come with me and help me find him, Joy!" Then I remembered that this song was popular for giving a romantic feel to any ball. I saw King Tobias and Queen Ida dancing together as well as many other couples.

Lilah walked towards the staircase and I followed. "He's really good friends with Darwin, so surely he would be first to greet him." she explained.

She was getting faster and faster with every step and I remained walking at the same pace. Soon, she was picking up her skirts and running. Caelan was (good-heartedly?) arguing with the prince from before. Lilah called out to him. "Caelan, darling!"

She just about threw herself at him and Caelan responded with a loving embrace. "Lilah, my sweet!"

It was actually kind of funny to see them acting like a couple when, not a long time ago, Lilah would reject all of Caelan's advances and say that he was being a pest.

The late prince from before was standing next to Caelan. I looked at him and our eyes met. His eyes were a pretty, steel grey colour but he was staring at me with them so intently, that I began to worry if there was something wrong with my appearance. His gaze makes me feel quite self-conscious...

Oh no! Now he's walking towards me! My heart beat faster and I wondered what he was going say.

He bowed courteously and held out a hand. "Fair lady, would you give me the honour of having this dance?"

Oh, I didn't see that coming. Well, I am the reason for the ball after all. This shouldn't surprise me...

"Um... I'm sorry. I cannot accept your invitation." I didn't accept his invitation because I still felt tired from dancing.

The prince looked rather dejected. I smiled at him gently. "But, would you like to go outside with me for a moment? For a chat perhaps?" I did feel very guilty for misinterpreting his intentions. He did seem like a good guy after all.

He smiled happily at me. "Of course." he said.

I linked my arm with his and led him to a side exit. I opened the glass door and we went to the gardens together.

The garden outside of the ballroom is the best in the castle. It wasn't, however, the best in the kingdom. That garden is located somewhere near the edge of the kingdom but nevertheless, this garden is fairly well admired.

We walked on a round stone path. It was night but the light from the ballroom gave a some light to the garden. On both sides of us were bushes with red and yellow roses dotted on it. Behind them were white willow trees, whose branches hung so close to us but beyond my reach. At the end of the path, a small stone fountain was in sight.

"This is a lovely garden isn't it?" Darwin commented.

"Yes... it is. I often came here with my mother as a child." I paused briefly in my walking and changed the subject. I didn't want to talk about my mother at the moment. "So... you're friends with Lilah and Caelan? They have never told me about you before..."

His eyebrows rose. "Really? I've known Caelan for at least ten years now. Lilah, for about two years. I can guess why they didn't tell you about me though."

I looked at him curiously. "Why? If you don't mind me asking." We reached the fountain and I sat down on the edge. Darwin sat next to me.

"It is fine. The thing is... I haven't been a 'prince' for very long."

This confused me greatly. "How so?"

"My mother wasn't of high status and the elders never approved of the affair. So I was put in a village, away from the castle with my mother. When I was seventeen, my older sister had an accident and... died. Then I, as the last remaining healthy heir, became crown prince."

"Oh." Then those was the circumstances that Lilah was talking about... "I'm sorry about your sister..."

"You don't have to be sorry. I didn't know her very well anyway. But I kind of wish I did and yet I'm kind of glad I didn't. Do you I know what I mean?"

I nodded sadly. If you find out that you have a sibling, you would naturally want to know about them. But if they died... perhaps it would be good thing to not know, to avoid the pain...

"After that, I spent a few years just learning of the ways of being a prince. Speech and manners and the like. Which reminds me; forgive me if I have said something wrong. I am very certain I have."

He sounded so ashamed of himself that I almost jumped up. "Oh no! You've been the perfect prince this evening, really! I never could have guessed that you weren't raised as a prince, until you told me so!" I smiled brightly at him. "Besides, even if you don't sound like a prince yet, you have other qualities that make a good prince!"

His face told me that he had difficulty believing what I said. "For example?"

I was prepared for his question, but I wasn't entirely sure how to answer it. "I haven't known you for so long, but I can tell you are caring. And there's a good thing about being raised in a village you know. You'll be able to understand your subjects much better than us. You'll be likeable! Being liked is very important when becoming a ruler. Furthermore," I grinned playfully at him.

"I think that you are very charming."

He blushed at that. I couldn't help thinking that he looked so adorable with an embarrassed blush on his face. My grin widened. "Now you and I both know that being charming is the most famous trait among princes!"

We both burst out laughing at that and his blush faded away. It was an inside joke, in a way, between royalty. It had something to do with an actual prince named Charming, but it was a wild guess of mine that Darwin even knew about it.

Then we heard a new song coming from the ballroom. It had a slow and sweet melody. I stood up.

"This might sound a little strange coming from me, after rejecting your invitation but... Shall we dance?"

Darwin smiled. "It would be my pleasure."

We took up the ballroom dance posture. He laid one hand on my waist and I laid one hand on his shoulder. The free hands joined up.

Step by step, we slowly began to dance.

Darwin did his part really well. Although, when I looked up to his face, I could see that he was concentrating really hard. His eyebrows furrowed.

I gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "You are very good at this, so relax Darwin."

He visibly relaxed. "I'm just glad that I'm not stepping on your toes..."

I laughed.

We kept on dancing. They were simple steps. Stepping around in a circle, Darwin twirling me round a few times. Some may say that it was boring, but I had a brilliant time. It felt really nice doing this with Darwin.

The song came to an end and I curtseyed while Darwin bowed at the same time. After a bit, a new song played.

"What do you say to staying in touch after this, Darwin?" I asked suddenly. "I feel like we've become great friends!"

I caught a strange look of disappointment on his face before it sprung up into a smile. "Of course."

His face perked up like as if he had realised something. "How did you know my name? I don't believe I've told you before..."

"The announcer... announced your name and title when you came in, did he not?"

"Ah yes. How could I forget?"

Now it was my turn to realise something. "...Do you know my name?" I asked slowly. The look on his face confirmed my suspicions "Oh no! How could I be so rude as to not tell you my name when I already knew yours?"

"Don't worry, it is quite all right-" he began.

I cut him off. "No, it was really terrible of me. I shall tell you. I am Prin-" I hesitated. I only just remembered that I was not a princess anymore... I am a queen. A married queen. This shouldn't be a problem... I shouldn't be hesitating to tell Darwin... But for some reason I found it really difficult to do so...

Then something odd happened. The music from the ballroom stopped abruptly and I thought I heard a scream.

"What's going on?" Now I was feeling rather scared...

"I don't know..." He squeezed my shoulders in a reassuring way. "Stay here. I'll go check."

I was about to nod when we both heard a loud smash. It sounded like glass. And it sounded very close.

We looked at the ballroom. What I saw, frightened me to the point that I froze on the spot.

The glass door was smashed to bits. It was beyond repair. In the doorway, stood Father, looking absolutely livid. No, that word isn't enough to describe his face. If that didn't resemble the look of the Devil then I don't know what else would.

"GET. YOUR. HANDS. OFF. HER. NOW!" he roared.

Darwin let go of me but he raised an arm in front of me. As if to somehow protect me from Father. It was really sweet of him to try, but I knew that it would be futile. The outcome of this will be inevitable...

Father stormed up us and glared down at Darwin. And I mean down. Father was so monstrously tall that most of the doorways of the castle had to be altered to fit his height.

He was intimidated by Father's height, but Darwin bravely fought him off with a steely glare of his own.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice much more steady than mine could ever be in Father's presence.

I have never known anybody who could stand up to Father as well as that. Still, this was no time to be impressed.

I could see Father getting ready to backhand Darwin. "No! Father don't do it!" I pushed Darwin aside to take the hit.

xxxxx Lilah's POV xxxxx

Caelan and I watched in fear as Joy's father went inside the gardens where Darwin and Joy were.

I could feel Caelan's grip on my hand tighten. He wanted to do something to help but he couldn't. Unless he wanted a war to start between the knigdoms.

We both felt so useless.

When Joy's father burst in the ballroom doors, we knew that the cat was most definitely out of the bag. The party was over the second he came in.

I heard little Princess Elina scream in fright at the sight of him. I barely managed to resist screaming myself.

Joy's father was a terrifying sight. I had never seen a more scarier thing. This was definitely the man who slayed a dragon in his younger years. He had battle scars on his face and his build was enormous. This wasn't the first time I'd seen him but back then, he was so... jolly. He used to always have a grin on his face.

And this is the first time I'd seen him after Joy's mother passed away...

Now, I can see him coming in the ballroom. He harshly dragged Joy behind him.

When I saw Joy, I felt like crying.

Joy kept her head down so I couldn't see her expression. But her face was shining with fresh tears. She held a hand to her cheek. It was obviously injured and I had more than just a suspicion of who inflicted it on her. And I was certain that it wasn't Darwin.

Nobody moved an inch. Nobody tried to stop King Herald drag his daughter up the stairs and out of the ballroom.

It was only when we couldn't hear their footsteps anymore that anybody dared to move. Caelan and I raced towards the gardens.

There stood Darwin, by the fountain, with a look of utter shock on his face.

"S-she is married to her father?"

xxxxx Joy's POV xxxxx

I let myself be led by Father even though I hate him. I hate him.

I was walking too slowly for Father's liking so he kept pulling me forward forcefully. I didn't care.

My cheek hurt so much. I think it might have be swelling. But the pain didn't even distract me from the hatred that I held for Father right now.

Father has been dragging me about to who knows where for a while. I didn't even bother keeping track of where he was taking me.

He stopped in front of a door. That's Father and Mother's bedroom...

Is my nightmare going to come true?

I tried to tug my hand away but his grip was too strong. Not again...

"Father, you overgrown pig, what do you think you are doing?"

"I'll have you know that we are currently husband and wife." he said, his voice surprisingly calm.

I burst out. "No! You are my father and I am your daughter! Don't get things wrong!" I should have known better than to deny it like I did. It was useless. But that's how it has always been in my mind.

"No, don't you get this wrong, Clarissa!" Father's eyes widened at what he said.

"Oh. So that's who you see me as? Mother?" My voice grew cold. "Have you always seen me as Mother? Do need your eyes checked?"

Father stayed quiet.

I went on. "Do you know what I've been doing since you've cooped yourself up in your room? I've been signing your documents. I've been doing your work. All you have been doing is mourn Mother everyday."

Then I went on to say something that I knew I would regret. "Mother is gone! Dead! It's about time you moved on!"

I wrenched my hand away from Father's now weak grip and ran off.


A/N: I made Joy seem so heartless in the end of this chapter... Anyway... Hopefully this chapter answered some your questions.

Joy has not exactly fallen in love with Darwin... yet. I have things planned out on a piece of paper.

Also (I hope I won't be asking for too much) I would like it if some of you said something to... aid me? In the reviews. Like a little bit of criticism? It makes me so happy hearing about how much you liked it but I know that my story isn't flawless. Although, I understand if you are too busy or perhaps see nothing wrong with it. Even saying parts that you liked would help me too!