I was dragged into my room, and was treated like a naughty little girl who had run off for no particular reason. I tuned Winny out. For a creature that was so small, she could managed to screech surprisingly well, though, so that was quite a task.
After a while, she simmered down. Perhaps it was the fact that she was squeezing me into ball gown, and killing me with the corseted bodice. Winny tightened it a little more, and I sucked in a gasp of air. "You're fat. The other ladies of court are generally too small for this dress." I scowled at her. I was quite comfortable with my weight. In fact, some people told me that I was too skinny.
"Thanks," I muttered, trying to work on breathing properly. Corsets really are hellish contraptions. I felt as though my ribs could crack under the pressure.
I flicked one of the short strings of gold beads on the front of this gown I now wore. They lined the first part of the sleeves, and went down in a v-shape down the front of the gown. From those gold beads, the sleeves poofed out in a mauve satiny fabric, and ended the poof at my sleeves in a loose lacy cuff. The corset and gown were mauve brocade, and the slit in the middle revealed a deeper mauve. Really, the colors were gorgeous. The only problem I had was the petticoats and the fact that the lace made my arms itch.
I twirled once, and I noticed Winny roll her eyes and groaned. She could deal with it. I felt like a princess. The little girl in me squealed in delight because of the dress. However the physical pain from wearing it wasn't part of the fantasy that she'd had. Taking another deep breath, I stopped twirling. I placed a hand on my stomach, and sucked in air. Dinner would be fun; talking and dancing with princes, and trying not to pass out. Lucky me.
Winny took this opportunity to snatch up my hair. I was surprised that she could hold my hair like she did, despite the fact that her hands were quite small. In seemingly no time at all, she had my hair up in a neat bun, and was placing a choker with little drop shaped stones along the edge. It drove me crazy, and I knew that I was going to fiddle with it all night.
The pixie flew backwards, and stared at me critically. "Stand still, and don't tug at the choker!" she exclaimed in annoyance. I stopped moving, but kept pulling at the annoying accessory. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she said, "Take it off. You can't wear it if you can't stand it." Grinning because of the small victory, I unclasped the chain on the back, and laid it down on the desk near the mirror.
I caught a glimpse of myself. The faerie princess look suited me well, I guess. I will admit; it was weird seeing my hair pulled back into that perfect bun. My mother had thought it unachievable for my first ballet recital. Yet here it was.
Finally I allowed myself to stand still. I guess I could do that for Winny. I watched her consider me for a few moments before she nodded. "You're good enough. At the very least the court will not laugh at you." Could that be classified as a compliment? Rolling my eyes, I walked away from her.
"Lovely work, Winny!" I heard Marie call. The faerie shook her head in annoyance, and muttered something along the lines of, "You always say that."
I sat down on the bed, and the dress puffed out. It was like sitting in the middle of a bunch of pillows. How the hell was I supposed to sit in this? Growling in annoyance, I cursed the fact that pretty dresses always had something impossibly annoying about them. While I sat there, I felt something against my feet. Startled, I pulled them up and sat crisscross.
"It's me, you idiot! Put your feet back down here. You can't go dancing barefoot!" I glared down at her. Why the hell not? That sounded like just my cup of tea.
"You could have warned me," I stated, as I warily lowered my feet. Shaking her head in annoyance, she slipped on the shoes, which I realized were a, gorgeous b, glass and c, high heeled. How predictably cliché. Like everything in this castle! What was next, a faerie cursing me to sleep for a hundred years if I pricked myself on a spinning wheel? Geez.
With the shoes on, Winny commanded me to stand. "Are you dumb? They're glass. Even though I'm not the heaviest person out there, I'll crush them."
"Just do it, would you? I want to make sure the heels work with the dress." I rolled my eyes. If they shattered, I'd get out of the ball. I stood, expecting to hear cracking and feel sudden pain on the bottom of my feet. It didn't happen. Oh hell. Magic shoes to. "Those will help you. They're supposed to bring good luck. It did for some faerie servant, that Ella person. She got a prince." I froze. Wait, Ella. Like CinderElla? Weird.
One problem with my wearing he shoes; I didn't want good luck. I didn't want a prince. I opened my mouth to tell Winny to take the shoes off when I heard a knock on the door. My heart froze. Let the games begin. I glared down at the shoes. Bring good luck my ass.
"That would be for you." Raising an eyebrow, she gestured for me to go get the door.
"Thanks for all the help," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I stood at the door, and knew that one of three faces would be waiting outside. I took a deep breath. Into the rabbit hole we go, I thought, and opened the door.
The other prince – Tiernan? – stood there. Thank god it wasn't Arion. He had a confident smile on his face, and a pink rose in his hand. "M'lady. A pleasure to see you. A gift," he extended the rose. I glared at the flower. Roses had gotten me into this mess. I wasn't going to accept another one.
"I'll pass, thanks." He stared down at the flower, and shrugged before tossing it behind him.
"Indeed. Well," he held out his arm expectantly. Slowly, I took it. I wanted to roll my eyes. "Let us head off." He flashed me a wide smile. Want to charm with your looks, bucko? Nice try. You're failing miserably. Leading me through the halls, he began to speak about what he liked to do. I think it consisted of fighting, hunting and dancing. Honestly, someone had shipped me a stereotype prince to match my stereotype shoes.
Every now and then he would check back in with me, and I would nod or absent mindedly say how interesting or thank you. I tuned him out otherwise. He had nothing to say, and had proven to know little else other than – woah!
Suddenly, I was swept off my feet and in his arms. It was a ridiculous scene with the dress and all, and I glared at him. "What are you doing?" I demanded in annoyance.
"You were about to stumble over a mess. It would be a pity for you to ruin your looks. May I say you are quite beautiful?" I groaned. Oh no. A mess. What a shame I missed it.
I struggled to get out of the princess carry, and failed. Damn this dress and his strength. He was stronger than his brother. "Would you put me down? I can handle myself."
"What's the matter?" He asked, clearly annoyed, after a few steps. "Most women don't mind this. They are charmed by my protectiveness."
"I'm not a dainty wallflower! Now let me down, mess be damned." He shrugged.
"I swept you over the issue anyhow." He placed me on the ground, and I glanced back. There was a man lying there on the floor. He was barely breathing. Was this the 'mess'? It made me furious that he would refer to a human in distress as such.
"We can't leave him here!" I cried out, as Tiernan began to walk away. He glanced back at the man, and shrugged in a disinterested manner.
"He is not our concern." I was dragged away – almost literally – from that person.
I glared at Tiernan. "You cold-hearted ass," I muttered. He ignored me. Maybe he wasn't all muscles for brains. He had decided to ignore that man with chilling clarity. However, I brushed it off quickly when he began babbling about some fight or another.
We arrived moments later, and I was lead to a long golden table at the head of the room. Then other tables were set in rows. Everyone was garbed in large gowns and extravagant clothing. Sitting in the center of the table was Oberon. He had a frown plastered on his face, and seemed to loom above the crowd.
As courteously as possible, Tiernan lead me to my seat. It was dead silent, and eyes trailed the pair of us. Yes, everyone look at the weird half-human freak that Oberon is going to marry off to one of his sons, I thought, disgusted with this ordeal.
Tiernan pulled out a chair I assumed was mine, and I stepped before it. Like a proper gentleman, he slid the chair underneath me. I sighed. What a well-bred prince. I noticed quickly that Arion was to my left, and Warren was to my right which meant… yes. Tiernan sat down in front of me. Princes, princes, all around. Oh boy. Wouldn't there be an easier way to punish me?
With the two of us settled down, Oberon stood. "Now that our guest has arrived, let the feast begin!" His voice boomed in the room, and little creatures began to carry in plate upon plate of food. The room erupted with noise, as people began to talk.
Well, I thought, ready or not, here they come.