Bab 2: Clash of Fire and Ice.

A minute had ticked by, but there was no sign of the second Princess.

"Tardy, isn't she?" Prince Edward commented.

The sound of shoes clicking on the marble floor had everyone's gaze moving up towards the stairs. There was a particular door that had been reserved for the princesses to walk through, but Raziah had gotten lost inside the huge castle and had ended up coming down through the grand stairs.

The room had fallen silent, as the Princess wearing a Hazel masquerade mask, with drawings of butterflies all over it came into view. It had feathers perched, and arranged beautifully on one side, and her gorgeous Hazel eyes stood out through the eye-opening of the mask. Her dress was utterly flawless on her body, and she blinked at everyone.

Aragon watched silently as she awkwardly walked down the stairs. Her satin-covered hand reached out and scratched her temple, lips set in a thin line with her big eyes scanning around.

Even the presenter had lost himself for a second there, "Princess Raziah Octavius of Naria!" He introduced to the crowd, but the eyes behind the mask didn't look any bit interested in what was happening.

Her eyes continued to stare around the ballroom, till they landed on what she was looking for. Her maids, who stood by the side watched in horror as the princess strode over to where the dishes were lined up on a long table. Raziah picked up a plate and served herself, munching on a chicken lap.

Ms. Ophelia stared at her with disbelief, and the only person that approached her was Malcolm. Her brows creased when she saw him moving closer to her, "What are you doing?" He mouthed.

"Eating. I'm hungry." She mouthed back, and quickly stepped back before he got to where she was. Malcolm found it hard to believe that over this short period of time that she was left alone, she had managed to disentangle some of her bun from its place, and some locks of her golden hair had fallen over her face.

"Drop it." He warned.

With an eye roll, she eyed the meal hungrily before she dropped it back. Malcolm had gotten to where she stood, and he sighed deeply.

"You know you shouldn't eat, and why did you come down the stairs?"

"This castle is too big." Came her reply, her tongue darting out to lick her lips thoroughly, before disappearing back inside her mouth.

"And what is with the mask?"

"How am I supposed to know?! No one told me this wasn't a masquerade ball."

"Well Take it off your highness, everyone keeps looking at you."

Raziah raised her chin defiantly. She was already one of the princesses to be courted tonight, so whether or not she put on the mask, everyone was still gonna look at her. Plus, this mask was special to her.

"Your Highness," Came a masculine voice from behind them. Turning around, Raziah found a Prince standing there with a smile on his features. Malcolm kindly excused himself, leaving Raziah alone who was now being escorted to the dance floor by the prince.

Behind the curtain, Aragon's hawk eyes watched every move, every twirl, every touch, every whisper, every closeness. Something told him this woman wasn't like anyone he's ever come across, starting from the uninterested look she had in those deep hazel eyes.

"Who is she?" Aragon muttered the question.

"Princess Raziah Octavius. She is the unknown fourth child of King Severus Octavius of Naria, and she is also known as snow-white. She never leaves her room, not even the castle. Because of her nature, she hardly cares about anything, and the only people she is close to are the guard who was with her earlier - Malcolm Reed and Ophelia Barton, the Palace's Caretaker. "

So this strange princess was only accompanied by a guard and caretaker. Plus, Aragon has been to Naria more than three times in the past, so why has he never heard of this Fourth child? As far as he knows, The King only gave birth to Three princes.

How strange.

The next second, Aragon stood up from where he sat.

"Your Majesty?" Felix fixed his eyes on the King's standing form. He wasn't putting on anything that shouted of who he really was, but he still had so much presence.

"Stay here." Aragon Instructed.

"Yes, your Majesty." Felix nodded sharply, but because he was the king's guard, he still had to know where the King was heading since they aren't in Erandell for safety reasons. Plus, the man wasn't using his 'other side' on him right now so he had the nerve to ask, "But where are you going?"

"Where else?" The king's lips curved into a devious smile, "It's the day of her introduction. I'm about to go and gift her back."

The confused guard watched as the king strode out of the curtains and into the huge and beautiful decorated hall. The current prince dancing with the princess was saying something to her, but the look in her eyes was so spaced out and distant - as if she wasn't even aware that she was in the midst of people right now.

As soon as the waltz was over, they disengaged from each other. The Prince was about to say something else to Raziah when a stranger suddenly cut in. She felt her small body whipped around, pulling her body towards his so graciously that she didn't even know how to react. The fact was that it looked so natural to everyone else because her body suddenly went towards his smoothly, and their bodies locked and moved together with the music that was now on.

Just to be sure that it was a human that had stolen her away from the other man, Raziah's face looked up to the tall man who reeked of a citrus-like scent, and their eyes met in a clash of fire and ice. He had the most steepest and penetrating Olive eyes she's ever seen before.

For the first time that night, Raziah's eyes actually stayed on someone's for at least five seconds before she abruptly looked away, beginning to space out once again.

"Don't take those Hazel globes away from mine, Princess."

The sound of a low and incredibly husky voice pulled her attention back to his burning olives, and she had to admit that this man was definitely something. If anyone told her that darkness could burn, she never would have believed but here she was, actually witnessing it.

"That's much better." He added.

Plus, she immediately noticed that he was a little different than the others. First of all, his clothes did tell her he was royalty, but he wasn't putting on anything flashy like the other princes around, and his dark pinned hair was so very long, longer than her short ones, "Burning olives, how do you make them burn like that?" She asked, a little curious.

He leaned in a bit, his arm around her small waist gripping her a little bit harder, "Burning...olives?"

"No one has ever called you that? They should." She responded simply.

He twirled her around, and she moved according to his directions before pulling her back close to him. Aragon didn't even realize that his hands had already circled her waist completely, caging her into the undeniable warmth of his closeness, "And what do they call you?"

"Snow-white." She replied.

"Are you really...?"

"I'm Nothing like her though, don't get the wrong Information"

"But..."

"Say it," she urged. Wait, why was she so chatty with this man?

"But, you're a little bit like her."

"The Skin? It's gonna get real old the second I get married."

"Well, that firmly depends on the type of person you marry."

"And it also depends on my decisions and what I do after I get married." she added, still staring at him through the mask. They moved as one, her body perfectly molding and moving with his through the dancefloor. Raziah's uninterested look was slowly fading away the more she stared at the mysterious man who had this cunning smile on his strong features. Then, she saw the dust on his left cheek.

"Have we met before? Hazel?" He asked for the first time.

"I don't think so," she answered his question with a soft voice, but her eyes moved back to his cheeks again, wondering how he had gotten something there. And for some ridiculous reason, something kept telling her that someone had slapped him there, "Hazel? Is that my nickname?"

"I think it fits you, even more than Raziah."

"And I think your name should be Olive burner." She retorted, her brows raising up as if daring him.

Just as he was about to speak, Aragon watched as her attention snapped towards the entrance of the ball, and her Keen eyes narrowed slightly. Raziah's fists clenched around his shoulders unsettlingly for a moment, before she turned back to him again.

Did she notice it too?

"I guess it's decided then," He said with that devious smile again, "Burning olives and his Hazel bride, what do you say?"

She matched his burning eyes with her icy stare, "I guess you're the one whisking me away tonight then, your Majesty."