“You’re a difficult person to acquire an audience with, Princess” the Duke gave her an askew smile, flashing his brilliant white teeth.
“Please, call me Gwen” she said to him.
“Alright. Gwen. You can call me Dirk.”
Gwen gave an over the top laugh. “Dirk? Dirk the Duke of Doorn”
The duke’s smile faded. He looked around, stupidly for the joke.
“Alliteration, Dirk. Your name is quite poetic…”
“Thank you, Gwen” he said, smiling charmingly again.
“…in a comical sort of way.” Gwen mumbled.
“You must excuse my lack of intelligence, today” he said. “But your beauty has erased my mind of all logical thought.”
“Black Sabbath…” Elsie whispered behind her book with a giggle.
“Thanks, you should see me when I actually put some effort into it.”
“So, you travelled the world until recently, I’ve heard.”
“You’ve probably heard all about it already.”
“But I haven’t heard it being recalled in your sweet voice.”
Gwen laughed. “Right…”
“You must’ve had the world at your feet. Were you entertained much, by other gentleman, I mean?”
“I was actually and I’ll tell you one thing,” Gwen looked around and dropped her voice, “that thing they say about the French? Totally overrated.”
Dirk didn’t get it. He looked at Gwen confused and then failed at forcing out a laugh.
They sat uncomfortable looking at the roses.
“Do you dance, Dirk?”
The duke pushed out his chest proudly. “I do and I’m a talented singer too.”
“Black Sabbath…”Elsie whispered again unable to control her laughter any longer.
“Tell me, what kind of music do you like?” he asked Gwen and took her hand
“Can’t you guess from my personal style?” Gwen said prying her hand slowly from his grasp. “I like a bit of everything. Linkin Park, Muse and the classics of course.”
“I adore the classics. Mozart, Bach…” he started.
“Queen, The Rolling Stones….and Black Sabbath” Gwen added.
Elsie slammed her book shut and shook her head. The duke looked brain dead once again, searching his ‘erased mind’ for a suitable classic to serenade Gwen with.
“It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Dirk. I unfortunately still have a lot of arrangements to take care of before tomorrow’s ball and will have to cut this date a bit short.”
“I understand.” He moved in to try and steal a kiss but Gwen placed her hand on his lips, stopping him.
“Okay, the pickup lines I could handle but this is too much. Excuse me.”
“Gwen, you didn’t tell me the color of the gown you’ll be wearing to the ball?” he called after her.
“What is it with people and the color of my damn dress?”
“Well, I need to know so I can match my outfit with yours, of course.”
Gwen looked around at him, her eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“It customary for us to match when I escort…”
“I’ll be escorting myself, thank you” Gwen said walking off with clenched fists.
“Oh, you’re back” she barked to Sir Windsbury who were about to serve them with tea.
He gave a little laugh. “Yes, we are. The King’s in his office…”
“Thanks” she stormed up the stairs with Elsie behind her.
Gwen slammed open the doors. “This is crazy!” she yelled at the laughing King. “I’m glad to see that everybody thinks this is a giant joke but I ain’t laughing.”
“I’m taking that your tea with the duke didn’t go well. Well, that’s one down…”
“This is bullshit!” Gwen screamed. “Now you can take your little waiting list, fold it up as small as possible and…”
Elsie covered her ears without being asked. When Gwen’s lips stopped moving eventually she had called the King almost every profane name Elsie had ever heard. The King wasn’t furious this time. He lounged back in his chair sniggering.
“I’m sorry, Gwen” he said finally. “I was just being thrown with all these requests the last few weeks and I didn’t know what to do with them. You even got a marriage proposal but I informed the aged prince that I doubted that he was your type. Would you like to see the list?”
“No” Gwen said abruptly and left the office still swearing.
“She’s really mad, father” Elsie giggled.
“She can take good care of herself. I must say I pity the man she’ll eventually choose.”
“The Queen said that you might have a favorite on that list.”
The King opened his journal at a loose paper full of scribbling and looked at it. “Yes, he was the first to ask my permission to court her actually. I gave him my blessing but then Gwen left the next day to explore the world.”
“Oh,” Elsie said surprised, “have I met him?”
The King closed his journal secretively. “Don’t be nosey now, Elsie” he said with a wink.
Chapter 17
The palace had been a buzz of activity since late the previous evening. The ball room they’ve never used before was dusted, polished, cleaned and polished again. Even the treasure room was being reorganized under strict supervision of Sir Windsbury and Grace.
“This is it!” Elsie jumped onto Gwen’s bed. “Are you as excited as I am?”
Gwen pulled the covers over her head. “Please I didn’t sleep well. I kept having nightmares about a blonde singing giant that was trying to eat me” she groaned.
Elsie looked at a long clothes bag that hung against Gwen’s wardrobe. “Is it your dress?”
“Yes and no, you can’t see it” Gwen said picking up her coffee.
“What’s with all the secrecy around your gown?”
“I’m scared that you or anybody else might say something that makes me change my mind about it.”
“Good morning” Sir Windsbury said cheery at the door.
“Hi” Gwen yawned.
“I’ve brought some jewelry from your collection to choose from for tonight.”
“Yay!” Elsie clapped her hands together as four servants entered carrying boxes of jewels.
“I’ll just have Grandmother’s pearls, the earrings and the bracelet, and my golden tiara. I already have my seal with me.” Gwen opened her bedside table and took out her chunky golden ring. “It just needs a bit of polish.”
“Certainly, Your Highness” one of the servants took the ring from her and left.
“Your golden tiara?’ Elsie asked.
“Mother gave it to me so I’m only wearing it for sentimental value.”
“But we’ve never worn crowns in public. That’s what the seals are for.”
The seal ring collection was a wedding gift to the King and Queen from a wealthy sheik. It was a collection of four, each unique apart from its rose seal. A golden one for the first born, silver for the second. The King’s was gold with two rubies on either side of the rose while the Queen’s was diamond encrusted.
“And I’ll be wearing my seal as well. The tiara will just be an accessory” Gwen said irritated.
Elsie picked out her jewelry and went to put it in her room.
“Did you get it?” Gwen whispered to Sir Windsbury as soon as they were alone.
“I had to literally go and steal it during the night” he whispered back.
“And is it okay?”
“It’s perfect. It’s at the florist being taken care of as we speak.”
Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
“It’s my pleasure” he said picking up a tray with dishes.
“Do you really have to go out tonight?” Gwen asked.
“I’m sorry but so much has been happening around here lately that I’m scared that if I don’t get to it tonight, I might not ever.”
“What’s so important?”
He sighed an
d looked out the window. “I’m one of your servants, Gwen. It’s inappropriate to discuss my private life with you.”
“Ooh, who is she?” Gwen cooed.
“None of your business” he sang.
“Come on, I thought we were friends.”
Sir Windsbury glowered at Gwen. “I thought so too but then you packed up and left without a goodbye” he said and walked out.
The day flew by in blurs of satin draping that obscured the halls and flashes of silver being laid on the round tables. By that afternoon the palace smelled strongly of the freshly picked roses being brought in from the garden.
“All the guests have replied putting us at forty-five for the night” Gwen checked off the last name from her list.
“This might be a bit prematurely but I’m going to congratulate you on a job well done” the King said where they stood in the middle of the ballroom that was unrecognizable. “It looks splendid.”
“Thanks. Well, we should be getting ready then. The guests are set to arrive within the hour. Does Grace have everything under control?” Gwen asked Sir Windsbury without looking at him.
“She’s in a bit of a flat spin but she’ll be fine. We’ve done all we could so she should have all her work laid out for her.”
“I guess, all that remains now is for me to excuse you. I hope we didn’t keep you too long” the King smiled.
“Not at all, Sir. Thank you again and do enjoy the ball.” he bowed to the King and merely nodded in Gwen’s direction.
“I’ll be off then” Gwen excused herself and headed hastily to her room.
“You’re late” Elsie yelled through the bathroom. She was already in her light pink ball gown, hair and makeup done, adjusting her tiara.”
“You’re wearing yours too?”
“Yeah, well, I thought that you shouldn’t be the only one making a statement tonight.”
“A few light curls, out of my face and keep the paint natural” Gwen said to the assistant as she sat down in front of the mirror. Gwen saw Elsie sneak to the wardrobe in the reflection. “Don’t think about it.”
“It’s too late to change your mind now about it” Elsie said and zipped open the bag. “Oh my God, Gwen!” she cried.
“What? Is it awful?” Gwen asked, chewing her lip.
“Heavens no, it’s beautiful.” Elsie touched the dress, jealously. “You’re going to be the belle of the ball, my sister.”
“Yuck, I hope not” Gwen laughed.
“I’m going down to stand in for you so long. How do I look?”
“Like my little sister. Beautiful.”
The King and Queen were already waiting on the couch next to the stairs.
The Queen was wearing the same color dress as Elsie with a diamond necklace around her neck.
“Your tiara” the Queen exclaimed.
“It was Gwen’s idea. You look stunning mother.”
“Thank you, so do you.”
“And you, Father. You look so handsome. Better hold on tight tonight mother” Elsie taunted her parents a little.
“Thank you” the King said pulling down his pink waistcoat. “Elsie? Have you seen Gwen’s dress yet?’ he asked, anxious.
“Have I?” Elsie moaned. “She’s once again going to be the talk of the town tomorrow…”
The King grinded his teeth.
“…for all the right reasons this time.” Elsie added making the King relax his jaw.
The ballroom was starting to fill with guests. Its size amplified the chatter making one believe that there must be hundreds of people inside instead of only a few dozen.
“Shall we go and greet the guests so long?” Elsie asked the King.
“We should actually, but I…”
The sound of heels on the marble echoed towards them and as if she was floating, Gwen came into view. Her long ivory gown almost touched the floor as she stepped down in front of them. Long gloves extended to her bare shoulders and the pearls gleamed in the dim light.
“Oh, my…” the King gasped.
“You look smashing yourself, Sir.”
He smiled and offered his arm to Elsie. “We can go and meet our guests now” his chest was growing like a balloon.
“I have a gift for you, Mother.” Gwen said and sat down on the couch. She produced a small plastic box from her clutch.
The queen frowned at first then tears streamed from her eyes at the sight of what was inside. “Is it…?”
“Yes, from your own Vendela tree” Gwen smiled.
“How?” the Queen asked taking out the corsage.
“I saw the bud a few days ago and nurtured the bush trying to protect it. I feared for it survival at some point but, here it is. Shall I put I put it on for you?”
The Queen handed Gwen the large ivory rose that formed the center of the corsage and Gwen fastened it on her mother’s dress.
“I think we’ve kept our guests waiting long enough, shall we?” Gwen helped the Queen to her feet and they slowly walked to the ballroom.
Rose pink draping hung from the ceiling and the four round tables that lined the walls were adorned with huge arrangements of the Queen’s other roses. An orchestra played background music from the gallery.
“It’s beautiful” the Queen gasped. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you” Gwen said squeezing her mother’s hand as they walked through the guests. They reached the King waiting on the other side of the ballroom.
“Congratulations, once again” he said to Gwen.
“Thank you but I’ve had a lot of help to which I must give the honor, including you.”
“It was nothing” he bent forward and kissed her on the cheek before leading the Queen away to a group of waiting guests. Gwen looked around the ball room.
“It’s really gorgeous, Gwen” Elsie said behind her.
“I couldn’t have done it without you, sis” she put her arm around Elsie’s shoulders and pulled her closer playfully.
She heard the orchestra notes turn into a familiar song and looked up amazed. Slowly, the violin quartet melted together in a dreamy harmony.
“It’s my favorite song” she whispered and swayed to the melody.
“I know” Sir Windsbury replied next to her. He was a vision in his white jacket suit and combed back hair.
Gwen looked at him in shock. “I thought it was your night off? What about your important event?”
“This is it” he smiled. “May I have this dance, Your Highness?” he bowed and held out his hand invitingly.
With a slow and gracious bent of her knee Gwen accepted and they walked onto the empty dance floor. Suddenly Elsie understood all the sarcastic remarks, the secretive smiles, why they never addressed each other by their titles and why Gwen felt offended by the bachelors’ attention. As her sister and the knight glided as one over the gleaming floor it became as clear as crystal through the tenderness of their touch, the way he held her back and the way she leaned into him. Elsie looked towards the King who smiled proudly as he watched them waltz. Gwen had her knight all along.
The guests just looked at them at first and then they joined in. The colorful gowns waving over the floor was dreamlike. She kept watching Gwen and John dancing in and out of view. With each turn they danced slower until they were almost to a complete halt. John was looking into Gwen’s eyes. They were oblivious to the guests around them. He held up her chin to make their courtship official in a true fairytale manner.
A shattering glass caught Elsie’s attention and the dream dissolved in shards.
“DOCTOR!” the King cried kneeling over the Queen lying on the floor.
“GWEN!” Elsie cried not taking her eyes of the scene but Gwen was already next to her. She ran up to her mother and knelt next to the King.
“What happened?” she asked wiping the hair from the Queens face.
“She just said she felt tired and then she fell. I don’t know what happened, it was all so fast” the King rambled.
The Queen groane
d and tried to sit up. The doctor was also by their side now and immediately urged the Queen to remain still.
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