Waiting For Spring
Chapter 28

We never had the chance to continue our discussion. The King was away so long that eventually Marla came to his rooms to fetch me and begin preparations for the ball later on that night. By the time we reached my rooms, it was already late afternoon and Marla was worrying that she wouldn’t have enough time to get me ready.

Upon entering my rooms, Marla rushed me through to the bathing room, where the overwhelming scent of vanilla and rose assaulted my senses. Georgia and Georgette made quick work of my day dress, probing hands pushing me into the soothing, warm water. My skin was glowing by the time I was hurried out of the bath, dried and wrapped in layers of silk and skirts. The red was vivid against my pale skin, as deep and rich as blood against me. Glancing down at the dress as I was pushed towards the dressing table, I saw that it was woven with gold thread that caught the light with every swish of the full skirt.

Sitting before the looking glass Marla began her magic. She pulled and poked and tugged my hair until it was exactly how she needed it to be, swept back from my face while loose curls cascaded down my back. Unlike the first time Marla dressed me, there were no arguments about my locket, but Marla matched them with gold and ruby earrings that pulled on my ears with their weight.

When my hair was perfect, she began on my face but thankfully she just brushed my cheeks with powder and rimmed my eyes with kohl.

Marla was rearranging my skirts when a gentle knock came at the door. Moments later, my brother appeared at the threshold of my chambers and I felt an uncontrollable smile spread across my face.

“David,” I exclaimed rushing over to him, but stopping short of hugging him when I noticed he was holding an ornate wooden box. Frowning I studied it to replace Paca Territorus’s crest burned into the wood.

“You are beautiful, Arlarose,” my brother breathed, and I looked up to see him watching me with an unfamiliar warmth in his eyes. It was similar to how he looked at me when I first met him this morning, like he couldn’t believe I was here.

“Do I look like a princess?” I asked, nervously. Rearranging the ruffles of my skirt and pushing back the curls escaping and brushing against my cheeks.

“Not quite. You’re missing just one more thing.”

Smiling, he moved into my room and took the box to my dressing table and set it beside the jewels the King had sent down, that Marla had surreptitiously ignored. I had been wrong to think she followed the King blindly. If anything, she was the one who challenged him most of all.

Walking over to my brother slowly, I watched avidly as he reverently lifted the lid of the box and my eyes were immediately entranced by what lay inside.

“Several years after you went missing,” my brother began. “There was word that there had been a sighting, that you had reappeared in the port town of Sannot. Hope spread through the kingdom as many waited for the news that you had been found and were finally being returned home.”

There was so much sorrow in my brother’s voice, I felt his pain slice through my heart and burned tears in my eyes. I reached out and took his hand, desperate to feel him and remind him that I was here. That even after all these years and all that misplaced hoped, I had been found and he was never going to have to mourn my absence again.

Smiling down at me, he continued, “Marcus visited the town. He commanded that I stay home, at the palace. He didn’t believe you were found. He only went at my insistence.” He frowned, glancing back at the wooden box and saying, “And he was right. No one had found you. It was an orphan girl who had stowed away on one of the fishing boats when it had docked at the islands. She was too young to be you, but she had your hair and the people were desperate to believe.

“When Marcus returned home, he called off the searches. Our father and mother had been dead for over a year and the war was at its most vicious. He commanded I train for the army. He believed I hadn’t been taking my duties seriously. He forbade me from searching for you. I had been so angry at him. I challenged him to a duel. I told him if I won, I could continue searching and if he won I would do as he wished.”

“What did he do?” I knew David was several years younger than Marcus and I had overheard several of the guards that Marcus’s swordsmanship was unparalleled. Second, only to their own King, James.

“He beat me within minutes,” David laughed, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “Then he took me to the royal jeweler. Marcus had commissioned him to make a tiara for our lost sister. When it was complete, Marcus placed it in our throne room, beside our own, where it would wait for your return.” Smiling, he gently released my hand and picked up the tiara sitting inside.

Gasping, my eyes grew round as I saw the rubies catch in the candlelight of my room. My brother turned and held the tiara out for me to inspect and said, “The rubies are set into golden roses, in memory of our sister who spent her life lost in the palace gardens. It was only fitting that our Rose have a tiara that matched her love.”

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, running my fingers over the smooth rubies embedded in the gold.

David slowly walked around me, and I watched in the looking glass as he raised the tiara above my head before gently resting it on my golden head of curls.

“You will always be a princess of Paca Territorus.”

“Thank you, David.” The tears that had been threatening to fall finally burst free and I quickly wiped the away.

“Everyone should know who you are, Rose. You are as strong as the cliffs that stand against the waves crashing beneath our palace. Never let anyone tell you you’re weak or make you feel small. A roses beauty can never be denied.”

Spinning, I wrapped David tightly in my arms and reveled in the warmth of his embrace. Eventually, he pulled back and said, “We should get you to your ball, Arlarose. Otherwise, that angry King of yours will have my head.”

Stepping back, he reached out and took my arm, tucking it neatly into his before leading us from my room. When we made it to the corridor, Sam and Mantai fell into step behind us. Every step we took, I felt nervous a fluttering in my chest.

“Do you think there will be lots of people there?” I anxiously tugged at the skirts of my dress and ran my thumb against the crest of my locket.

“I suppose,” David answered, leading us down the final corridor which I knew would lead us to the doors of the ballroom. I could already hear the low din of voices drifting towards us and the faint click of heels against the marble floors.

“I don’t think I can do it,” I announced, suddenly coming to a stop and tugging my arm free of my brother’s as he continued to walk.

“Rose?” He turned back to face me, concern marring his features as he took the two steps back to stand in front of me. Gently he took my hands in his, ducking down to get my eyes to focus on him. Then he continued, “You will not be alone tonight.”

When I remained still, he said, “If it all gets too much we’ll just run away. We’ll run to the gardens and hide among the stars until the sun chases them away.”

“Promise?” I asked, feeling some of the knots in my stomach start to loosen.

“I’d do anything for you, Arlarose,” he answered, taking my arm in his again and moving us slowly towards the approaching ballroom doors. I could now see couples entering the ballroom.

As we approached, there was only one couple ahead of us, waiting to be announced, and I didn’t miss the way the woman wrapped in a silver gown kept throwing curious looks over her shoulder at me and then at my brother, then back again.

When her and her partner’s names were announced, she tripped over her feet causing her partner to send her an annoyed look before she straightened, and they entered.

Then it was our turn to stand in the glow of the ballroom. Standing at the top of the marble staircase, I looked out at the magnificence of the ballroom. My brother whispered in my ear, “Too late to back out now.”

I knew he was trying to calm my nerves, but the grandeur of the room felt as if it were pressing down on my chest until it was impossible to squeeze in a breath of air. The large crystal and gold chandeliers hung heavily from the ceiling, casting the numerous extravagant guests in a soft ambient glow. There were dresses of every color, style and fabric, filling the floor with a rainbow of beautiful women. Only now did I notice over the roaring of my own heart that the room had gone silent and all those eyes had turned to me.

Just as I was about to take a step back from all their stares, a booming voice at my side stopped me in my tracks.

“His royal Highness, Prince David Maclinar and her Royal Highness Princess Arlarose Maclinar of Paca Territorus.” A collective gasp raced through the ballroom, an undulating wave of dresses and movement sweeping across the crowd as people stretched and craned to get a better look or whisper something to their neighbor. I noticed several cast me speculative looks, while others were looking at me in awe, as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

I scanned the room in search of a familiar face, ignoring all the guests pointing accusatory fingers at me, with looks of contempt. Instinctively, my shoulders straightened, and my chin lifted a fraction higher. I felt my brother’s arm pull me a little closer and I glanced up to see him watching me with a look of pride and wonder.

Without speaking, he began to lead us down the marble stairs. The loudest noise in the room was the clicking of heels with every step I took closer to the ballroom floor. Glancing around, my eyes finally rested on his and I felt the rest of the room fall away. Suddenly, it didn’t matter how many people were questioning my identity or how many people were shooting me derisive looks. All that mattered was him and every step he too closer to me.

I barely noticed the crowd part to allow him to move across the dance floor. He was beyond handsome, my heart expanding in my chest until it was almost too uncomfortable to bear. His dark hair sat perfectly, framing his beautiful face. His tall frame clad in the royal blue, emphasizing his broad shoulders and making his brown eyes appear almost black in the soft glow of the ballroom. They were tracking my every move and I felt their warm caress against my skin, setting it alight as we drew closer to one another. Something in my expression must have amused him, drawing a knowing smirk across his face as he passed the final few people separating us. Seeing his smirk sent my stomach into a flurry of activity and I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive this night.

Just as I reached the bottom of the marble staircase, he came to a stop. I curtseyed and he bowed, again sending the room into stunned silence as everyone attempted to catch a glimpse of the scene that was unfolding. If it wasn’t for my brother’s arm again pulling me close to his side, I would have forgotten he was there at all.

I knew my brother had nothing but anger for the King and despite our chat today I knew deep down there was that same anger festering inside of me. I knew I couldn’t trust him. I knew all that he had done to me since I had arrived in the palace, but tonight…

Tonight, I wanted to believe in the fairytale. I wanted to believe in the promise of safety and protection I could see swirling through his eyes. I wanted to believe in the promise of something more. Something I had never dreamed of, only months before. I just wanted to believe in hope again.

“Thank you for escorting her, Prince David.” James’s voice had an edge as he regarded the sour look on my brother’s face. Obviously, there was no love lost between the two of them and if I was certain of my future, I would have been disappointed that my future husband and my brother didn’t get along.

“Princess Arlarose,” having shifted his attention to me, his face had softened, and I felt warmth rush through my body expelling any thoughts and ill feelings from my mind. “Will you do me the honor of this dance?”

Extending his hand to me, I chanced a glance at my brother’s expression to see him regarding the hand with the same contempt one might look at a scuff on their boots. Frowning, I turned back to the King and gingerly rested my hand in his.

I felt the reluctance in my brother as he released me from his hold, and I didn’t miss the triumphant look that king shot in his direction.

Pressing a soft kiss to my cheek, David drifted back into the crowd as King James pulled me closer. Then, all my attention was focused on the King as he led me through the throngs of people as they cleared to create a dance floor. I didn’t dare look at any of their faces. Instead, I focused my attention on the man holding me in his arms and drawing me close.

“You are breathtaking, my Rose,” and I felt my body tense at his familiar term of endearment. Just as the first melody of the music drifted above the heads of the crowd our feet began to skate across the dance floor in a flurry of movement. The two of us were quickly surrounded by a whirlwind of red and gold and suddenly all the eyes that had been tracking us from the crowd seemed to drop away. Until there was nothing but us, the melody and our beating hearts.