I'm now standing at the doors to the ballroom, waiting to be announced. All of the guests have arrived, and my father has been inside entertaining them until my arrival. I wish the girls could enter with me, but they had to go in with their parents. As far as I know, there are three main suitors here that my father has definitely approved of, but I'm sure all of the bachelors will try their hand at taking mine.
The doors swing open and I am faced with a couple hundred eyes staring at me. Here we go, let's get this over with.
"All hail Princess Estelle Joyce Windsor of Kingdom of Criba, and royal heir to the Criban throne!"
I made my way down the steps and to the throne next to my father. All of the eyes following me. I could hear the whispers of the guests as I went by.
"Wow, she is stunning."
"Look at how gorgeous she is!"
"I love her dress."
"She looks just like her mother."
"She is so beautiful, I wish I had half as much beauty as she does."
As I arrived at the front, I bowed to my father, "Your Majesty." He tilted his head in mutual respect, and I climbed the stairs to join him. He stood next to me as I reached the top, and addressed the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for attending," he began in his booming voice. "Today, we celebrate the eighteenth birthday of our dear Princess Estelle. Today is not only her birthday, but the day she will pick a suitor she decides is fitting for the throne beside her. Tonight, we dine, we dance, we celebrate and drink to the future of Criba!"
Everyone cheered and clapped when he finished. My father was always great at getting the masses excited. I can only hope I can live up to his reputation. We both sat down, and he leaned in next to me.
"Happy Birthday, my little gem. I hope it will be memorable, and I wish you good luck at finding a husband. There are quite a few gentlemen that I'm sure will catch your eye."
"Thank you, father, but how will I know if they are the right one?"
"I wish there was some secret I could let you in on, dear, but I'm afraid that's not the case. The only thing I can tell you is that you will just kind of know. I know it may not make sense right now, but when you find him, you will understand exactly what I mean."
"If you say so, father," I said with a smile.
We made our way to the table to eat, and I looked to the right of my father and saw my friends with their parents. We shared a smile and began to eat. It was all of my favorite foods. Venison, sweet ham, vegetables, and fruits. Instead of cake like most people would have, I preferred tarts. They were ornately designed in the form of different shapes. Today, they were in the shapes of stars and crowns. I wave over one of the servants, and tell them to send for the chefs.
Giddy like a child, I eat to my heart's content. As I am finishing up, the chefs approach.
"Your Highness. You sent for us? We hope everything is to your satisfaction." Chef Geoff greeted me.
"Oh chef, it's all so delicious. You and Beth should be proud of how well it all came out. You have made me the happiest birthday girl." I praised him.
He and Beth beamed with pride. "Thank you, your Highness. It was our honor to cook for your special day." Beth chimed in. "Thank you for the praises." We shared smiles and they took their leave, letting me finish the last bit of food before me.
***
-Unknown POV-
Leaving with the little gift in hand, I made my way back to the tailor. I was ecstatic about what I acquired. It was perfect. The joy was all over my face as I entered the shop.
"Good afternoon, sir! You are just on time. I just completed the alterations."
"Wonderful. I wish to get dressed now and make my way to the castle to do some socializing before the big event."
He helped me into the dashing suit, and I paid him a hefty amount with a generous tip for his hard work and availability. "I wish you good business, sir," and I left.
I took my time to reach the castle. As I made my way up the steps, the doorman greeted me.
"Good afternoon, sire. Are you here for the ball to celebrate our princess?"
"Yes, I wish to present myself as a potential suitor. I know I am quite early, but I wasn't sure if I needed an audience with the king before I did so."
"Let me ask, sir. May I ask what your name is?"
"Stetson Scott, I am a banker's son. I would have sent word sooner, but I just received word about the ball only a few days ago," I claimed. It was a half truth. I may have lied about my identity, but I did only find out about the ball two days ago.
"Alright, well, if you could wait here while I go inside and send for the headmaster. I'm sure he will want to ask you some questions before allowing you to come in and meet with the king."
"Very well, do as you must. I will wait."
It was a few minutes before he came back outside with who I am assuming to be the head master.
"You must be Mr. Scott. I understand you wish to seek an audience with the king?"
"Yes, as I told the doorman, I would have sent word, but I only heard about the ball a few days ago. I know I do not have an invitation, but I am only one man. I wish to present myself as a potential suitor to the princess if the king would allow. I am the son of a banker, and I come from great wealth."
"If what you say is true, then why has the royal court never known of your existance until now?" he questioned.
I knew he would be skeptical. That's why I spent the entire ride here coming up with a backstory. "Well, to simply put it, my family does not own any banks here in the great land of Criba. We do business with the supernatural."
"I see, and you human?"
"Would I be standing here if I wasn't? I was thoroughly questioned at the border, and I understand that it is certain death for any supernatural being that tries to enter."
"You understand correctly. One last question, sir, before I let you see the king. Why do you believe you could be a potential suitor, and why is it Princess Estelle that you seek to marry? If it is just for the crown, you may turn on your heels and go back to where you came from."
"Ah, I do believe that is two questions," I said with a smirk. The headmaster was not amused. I continued, "I wish to seek the princesses hand because I believe I could offer her a life of happiness. I believe my knowledge of the lands outside the kingdom could be of use to her. I do know she grew up ignorant to the supernatural world, and I do not wish to insult her or the king, but a ruler who has no knowledge of any and all of their possible threats has the potential to be the downfall of their kingdom."
He looked at me with scrutiny, eyes squinted, unsure whether to take offense or accept the reality of what I said. "I suppose you are correct, Mr. Scott. However, I advise that you choose your words more carefully when speaking to the king. He does not take the matter you spoke of lightly."
"I understand. Does this mean I am invited in?"
"Yes," he said, turning to the front doors, "you are welcome. Please, follow me."
I grinned. Everything was going according to plan.
Hello all!
We are getting close to the first encounter of Princess Estelle and the Unknown POV! Enjoy reading!
The headmaster leads me through a series of hallways to meet with the king. I am sure he is busy, but I am led into a very masculine parlor. There are bookshelves full of texts, and animal busts on the walls. There's a stand to the side with different types of what I assume to be alcohol, and a box with cigars. The king must be an absolute man's man. Judging by the contents of the bottles, he must entertain quite often. I mean, he is the king, so of course he would. He is well loved by his people.
I don't have to wait long before the king enters. He stares at me expectantly, raising a brow. What am I missing? OH!
"Your Majesty, thank you for your audience on such short notice!" I said with a low bow. I have not bowed to anyone since my father. For a second I forgot my alias, and I almost offended him. That would not have been a good first impression.
"You must be Stetson Scott. My headmaster has relayed everything you told him to me, and I must say, you are very bold to insinuate that my dear princess could potentially be the downfall of our kingdom. Had your words not held truth to them, I would have taken offense. However, you have brought up a subconscious fear of mine. With your bold words, I can only assume you have a solution that no other suitor can bring to the table?"
"Actually, I do. Should the princess choose me to be her future husband, I would teach her everyday about the different supernatural species. And what better way to teach her than to take her beyond her kingdom and introduce her to the different species."
"ABSOLUTELY NOT! I will not have my daughter leave Cribs for any reason! What you suggest is outrageous! If I wanted her to mingle with those scum, I would have never banned them or their magic from the kingdom! Do you even know the reason why I banned them in the first place? THEY MURDERED HER MOTHER! Why would I want to risk subjecting her to the same fate? She is the only heir to the Criban throne! It is preposterous what you have suggested!"
"I understand your hesitations, your Majesty, but because I have a great relationships with plenty of the supernatural beings, she would be well taken care of. She would even be protected by them for fear of losing their standing with my family bank." I know you may not have heard of my family since you have been cut off from the other lands since your queen has died, may she rest in peace, but I do stand by my status amongst the supernatural. If Princess Estelle were to choose me as her beloved, I would be able to protect her with my status. Something a lot of others cannot claim."
He looked at me with scrutiny. Considering my words very carefully. He was still angry, but I'm sure he would realize that what I said held weight. That I was correct in my solution to his fears. He would have to agree.
"You are very bold with your words, Mr. Scott, but you are correct. I suppose that is what makes you a good banker. You tell people the truth, no matter if they will like it. You have my blessing," he said with displeasure.
"Thank you, your Majesty," I started with a bow without trying to smirk. I won. I did it, now all I had to do was win the Princess's hand. It might be hard when I've always had women throwing themselves at my feet for being the prince and then king. "Now, if I may ask, is there anything about the princess that you could share with me that might help? I am a bit mortified to admit that I may have what it takes to strike a deal with a man, but I have no such luck in the wooing of women."
He let out a hearty laugh at my embarrassment. "I suppose every man must have at least one flaw," he picked at me. Come, have a drink with me and we can discuss."
"I would love to share a drink with you, your Majesty, but please, do not take any offense when I say I cannot partake in any of the beverages you may serve. My, uhm, stomach cannot handle them. I have grown up on drinks from outside of Criba, and so I cannot handle those of Criba. I hope you understand, and if I may, I have brought my own for this particular reason," I stated while pulling my flask out of the inside of my jacket and motioning it to him.
He looked at me and shrugged. "I suppose that is a fair reason. There is no offense taken. However," he paused looking at me very seriously and I froze, "can you at least sit on my furniture? Or will it be too soft or too hard for your foreign butt?"
I held his gaze for a moment, unsure what to say. He started to smirk, and I burst out laughing. Here I thought I had really offended him, or even worse he would ask to try my drink. But here he was, poking fun at me. This old king was a riot. "Yes, of course I can have a seat with you," I managed to let out between the fits of laughter.
After finally managing to calm ourselves, we sat down. "My little gem,' he began, "is strong like her mother was. She cannot be controlled. Her dear friends mean everything to her. If you can manage to win them over, you will have no trouble winning her hand. I suggest you befriend them and make a good impression, and then introduce yourself to her. Do not bore her with talk of yourself unless she directly asks. This should be enough."
"Thank you, your Majesty. That is very helpful."
"Now, share with me what you have there in your hand. I assume it is a gift for my little darling?" he questioned.
"Ah, yes, it is. I would show you, but I would have to undo this perfect wrapping. I can tell you what it is though…"
***
-Estelle POV-
I finished my food, and as the guests began their second plates and desserts, my father and I retook our respective thrones. It was time to begin opening gifts. I would open them and the announcer would state to the room who it was from. After each one, a servant would take it, and walk it around the hall to show it off to all of the guests.
The first gift was a small music box. A bit childish for my liking, but I guess until I am married and inherit the throne, people will still treat me as a little princess.
The next couple of gifts were similar to the music box–trinkets and knick-knacks from all over the kingdom. They were all beautiful, however they just weren't…me. You could tell a lot of the guests didn't know me on a personal level, but I still made sure to show my gratitude.
Then came a larger gift. It was rectangular and flat. It was a gift from my father. I tore back the wrapping and gasped. It was a painting of my mother I had never seen before. And as I looked next to her, I saw a current portrait of myself. It was to look as if she was still here, hugging me from behind. My eyes began to well with tears as I looked at my father. He was trying not to cry as well.
"Oh father, it's beautiful. I don't know what else to say. I am speechless."
"It's ok, my little gem. You don't have to say anything. The look in your eyes tells me everything. I love you, my darling. Your mother did too. You look very much like her."
"Oh father." It wasn't customary, but I stood to give him a hug. I squeezed him with all I could, and whispered, "I love you, too."
I sat back down, and was handed another gift. Normally, father's should have been last, but I believe he was too excited to wait. Plus, I think he wanted to get the emotions out of the way and give me time to cheer up with more gifts before the real party started. He was always caring like that, that's why he was so loved by the people.
I reigned in my emotions, and began to open the next large gift in front of me. It was so big, it had to be sat on the floor for me to unwrap. Before me sat a large vase with a bouquet featuring my favorite flowers accented by a bunch of other little ones. However, they didn't seem to be ordinary flowers. Instead, upon further inspection they were made of fabric. Different types of fabric too. It must have been sprayed with a floral scented perfume as well, because it smelled wonderful. I looked at it with awe. It was gorgeous. I loved it, and looked for the guests who had brought it. After finding them I waved and said a huge thank you. You could see the envy in the other guests' eyes at their acknowledgement. I realized what I had done was a bit of a faux pas, but I couldn't help myself. The gift was stunning.
After I was done gushing with the vase of faux flowers, a servant brought me another gift. This one was a bit on the small side, almost tiny. I tore through the perfect wrapping to reveal a hinged box. Opened it and let out a loud gasp. It was a ring, but not just any ring. Who did they say this was from, again? How could–how could they know? I pulled out the small ring and inspected it closer. It was an amethyst with the letter 'L' made of gold sitting firmly on top. But if you looked through the gem to its underside, you could see a sigil. Could it be from the figure I saw through the library windows? No one else here could possibly know my secret other than the girls, and they wouldn't have been able to acquire such a thing. I slipped it onto my smallest gloved finger. It would have to fit on a bigger one when I took them off. I told the servant I would keep this one. I didn't want to risk anyone noticing the sigil.
The next and last of the gifts were all forms of gorgeous jewelry, but I couldn't keep my mind off the one on my finger.
Hello all!
There it is! The gift the Unknown POV gave Princess Estelle! Happy Reading!
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