Introductions

Arianelle is introduced to the Hutcaiah Prince

3.

Introductions

 

 

The Sylvan Princess was feeling quite good as the dessert was served.   ‘Prince Lee’ (as she had begun to think of him) seemed to have regained his smugness as he sat chatting with the King and Queen and flirting with the ladies of the court that made every excuse to come to his table.

“So how are you going to stand being around the prince for six months?”   her father asked after observing her for a while.

“Well, to be honest, father, I was going to ask the King and Queen if I could travel to East Point with Uncle Carn and Aunt Amala.    They are going to spend a month starting a bard academy there.”

“In East Point?”   Aedric asked.

“Yes, Carn has been in contact with a retired bard there and he agreed to train some students if Carn and Amala would get the school started.”

“I see; and they asked you to come with them?”

“No, I asked them actually… yesterday evening during dinner.    They said they could use me to run errands and it would give me a chance to finally see the ocean.”

“But why didn’t you just ask your mother and I to go with them instead of saying that you wanted to spend time with your grandparents?”

“I just made up my mind for sure today, after watching Prince Lee strutting around.”

“Arianelle-“

“I don’t mean any disrespect, father - I figure that he’ll settle down and lose some of his cockiness after he’s been here for a month or so, and then he won’t annoy me so much and maybe I can get to know him and will accept him.    So I thought a month away with Uncle Carn and Aunt Amala would give him time to cool down and relax.”

“But you weren’t going to inform your mother and me about your stay in East Point?”

“Yes, I was going to tell you after The King consented to it.”

“So when did you plan on asking Eleazar?”

Arianelle shrugged, trying her best to seem relaxed, for though the central facts were the truth, she had deception schemed and did not want to reveal it to her parents.

“Why don’t you go ask him now?”   King Aedric suggested, perhaps testing her words with action.

“Now?”   She looked over at the king’s table, reluctant to go that near to the Hutcaiah prince, but then, after a moment’s thought, figuring out a way that it would better work into her scheme. “Well, alright, father.      Why don’t you and mother come with me, so you can hear the conversation?   That way everyone will be clear on what I said.”

To her surprise, Aedric agreed, and a few minutes later the three of them approached King Eleazar and Queen Aurei.     Prince Lee almost seemed to have purposely set his back to them as they approached, and was heavily flirting with a buxom young lady in waiting.     Yet Arianelle sensed that he was quite aware of their approach.    ‘He probably is trying to look disinterested, thinking I have come over to introduce myself and maybe apologize for running from him earlier.’   She thought as she bowed to her grandparents.

She repeated the story to them, omitting the comments about Prince Lee (especially since she knew he was listening, though he seemed to be entirely focused on the lady sitting next to him).

“I thought you wanted to be around us,”   Queen Aurei commented when she finished, with a fake teasing pout.

“It would only be for a month or so,”   She replied with a pleasant smile.     Arianelle thought she saw Prince Lee turn his head ever so slightly as if straining to capture every part of the conversation.

“So Carn and Amala know all about this?”    The King asked his granddaughter, turning to look down the table at the two bards, and then gesturing for them to come to him.

“Yes, sir; you can ask them if you doubt me,”   she said with mock shyness, but her Grandfather just smirked a bit.

“I believe you, my dear, but I want to just make sure that Carn and Amala have no reservations.    You are rather young and I don’t want you or either of them to regret letting you join them.”

The two bards reached them at that moment and Eleazar quizzed them about allowing her to go along.    They both told him that they were more than pleased to take her with them if she truly wanted to go.

“Very well then.”   The king turned back to his granddaughter. “You have my blessing, child, if your parents have no objections.”

Aedric and Snoe shook their heads, though Snoe had a hint of motherly worry in her eyes.    Yet she didn’t say anything, much to Arianelle’s relief.     The Princess smiled slightly, pleased that this hurdle had passed.    Of course she had the second part of her plan to begin tomorrow, but for now success satisfied her, along with the knowledge that the nosey prince would think she was going away the following morning.

Perhaps he’d not be so curious about her now.

 

But just as she was about to return with her parents to their table, Prince Lee-Anke-Shinn spun around quickly in his chair and stood up, a friendly, yet proud smile on his face as he stepped forward (rather rudely, in front of King Aedric) and extended his hand to her.

“Hello, I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced yet.    I am Prince Lee-Anke-Shinn.”   He bowed slightly, seemingly quite comfortable with courtly etiquette.   He spoke smoothly without even a trace of a Hutcaiah accent.    

There was no way she could avoid him, for her parents, grandparents and an uncle and aunt surrounded her.      Arianelle put on her best fake smile, curtseyed as would be expected of a Princess and shook his hand.

“I’m Arianelle,”   she simply responded, wanting the encounter to end as quickly as possible and hoping he’d stop at that.

 

To her disgust, he took her hand gently, leaned over and kissed it with a courteous bow. “Ah, from your milky white skin, ruby red lips and silvery white hair, your loveliness clearly was passed fully intact from your mother, the beautiful Queen Snoe, correct?”

Straining with all of her might not to look or act sickened at his ridiculous patronizing compliment, she smiled with great effort.

“Yes, Your Highness, I am King Aedric and Queen Snoe’s daughter.    You are most generous with your compliments, sir; however I am a poor copy of my mother’s beauty.    Still I thank you for flattering me.”     She was impressed with how smooth her response sounded and she even managed to look demurely down at her feet as any proper Princess should in that situation.    

She did it not to defer to the proud Hutcaiah prince but to respect her grandparents and parents whom she deeply loved (though she would have been loath to say it to them so easily).

Her response seemed to greatly please Prince Lee, who now smiled broadly, displaying perfect white teeth. “Princess Arianelle, you are a credit to your station, humble, polite, but most charming.”

He still held her hand and she fought an urge to pull it from him.    His brown eyes gazed intensely into hers and she met his gaze, still wearing a smile, but not submitting to his look.

“I would be most honored if you would consent to dance with me later this evening,”    he finally said, again with a polite bow.

She thought quickly of the best response.

“Thank you, Your Highness, but I must decline this evening.”

“Oh?   Why?”   he demanded, a mixture of surprise and a slight hint of anger at her rejection.   She knew that it was a new response to him.

Arianelle looked at the floor as if a blushing maiden.  “I am leaving on a journey tomorrow with my uncle and aunt and I must make preparations.     I fear I do not have the grace or pose of the many other ladies of the court in the art of dancing and certainly I would be unworthy of His Majesty’s time.    I should certainly not wish to embarrass myself or His Majesty with my childish attempt at a waltz.”

He seemed to believe her response, which he gave a snort to. “Princess, you certainly are understating your dancing skills.    A woman as beautiful as you are, raised in such a fine environment, must be a marvelous dancer.”

Again she feigned shyness. “I am but a girl, Your Majesty, for I will not be formally introduced as a lady of the court for six more years.”

“Six more years?”  he repeated, genuinely surprised, “Does not that occur at age 80 amongst elves in this Kingdom?”

“It does, Your Highness, and I am only 74 years old.     A mere child and not worthy of your time.”

“You certainly seem much older, Princess Arianelle,”   he commented, and for once she sensed that his statement was completely sincere.

“Thank you, Your Highness.    I have noticed that His Majesty has numerous fine ladies that are most eager to share a dance with him.     I am confident that you will find any of them as most pleasant dance partners.    Now if you will excuse me…”   she curtseyed perfectly and then repeated it again for her grandparents, who both were struggling not to show a hint of amusement at her grand performance.

Smiling at her parents, she turned and with deliberate slowness and exaggerated flowing movement, walked back to her place at the other table.   

 

Prince Lee watched her go and then turned to one of five servants that he had brought with him from his home.    The man bowed as soon as his liege cast his eyes on him.    The Hutcaiah prince excused himself from King Eleazar and his court for a moment, and then took the servant off to one side, speaking low in their native Hutcaiah tongue.

“I want to know all about her,”    the prince told his servant, nodding toward the table where Arianelle sat, “I want to know what she likes, loves, fears and hates.    Find out everything about her, but do it most discreetly.    I shall have Quen-Paet follow her.   Never has a woman rejected me!”   His eyes glowed angrily, but there was also a deep fascination there.    The servant bowed quickly and hurried off to do his master’s bidding.

‘She hates me! ‘He thought in pleased puzzlement, as he returned to his place at King Eleazar’s table, ‘She barely kept it concealed!   What a marvelous adversary!   I shall greatly delight in mastering her.’

 

***

 

Arianelle could feel him staring at her, and knew she’d stomped on his toes.     The thought made her smile, for now she could prepare for part two of her plan.      She turned to her food as her parents rejoined her, both of them lightly admonishing her for her over-played act toward the prince.     Arianelle just quietly let them preach to her, as very soon no one would even know who she was.

 

Reviews

[Elina]

"...a friendly, but yet proud smile on his face..." Again, you only need "but" or "yet," both is redundant.
"Arianelle could feel his stare at her..." This should be changed to something like "Arianelle could feel him stare at her."