"What?" Lydia had asked me a question, awakening me from my thoughts and dreams.
"I asked you, how do I look?" She repeated irritated.
"Oh! Sorry, of course you look magnificent," I apologized.
Up until now, I had only known Lydia as a friend of my family's. But now she would become a part of it. She is five years younger than my father, but as many say, 'Love knows no age.' I don't know if this is true, but it does seem to be that way.
Lydia disgusts me.
I am only sixteen; not yet old enough to be wed and no longer considered a child. The age my father feels I should be wed is eighteen, and I feel my eighteenth birthday cannot come soon enough. I am my father's second child from his first wife, Katalina. My sister, Dianis, resembles her with high cheekbones, dark blonde hair, and blue eyes that pierce your soul. I look like my father with dimples in my cheeks and dull, brown hair. My best feature is my green eyes with a halo of brownish-gold near the center.
The day of my father's wedding was nothing extraordinary. The party that followed was everything the wedding was not.
My family is one of the noblest families in the Kingdom of Ticady; therefore the King and Queen were there as was the Prince. Prince Jonathan is seventeen and slightly taller than me with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and beaurifully tan skin.
The party started with the guests lining up to congratulate the newly married couple. There was great feasting followed by elegant dancing. I found the sight of my father dancing with my new stepmother very depressing, so I stepped outside to clear my mind.
"May I join you?" A voice asked over my shoulder.
I turned around and looked up to see the Prince smiling at me. The moment I saw him my heart skipped a beat. I recovered quickly so he wouldn't think me rude.
"Certainly, you Highness," I answered with a curtsy, and nearly fell over.
"What is your name?" He asked me.
"Serena."
We stood there in slence for a few minutes. Thinking he wasn't going to say anymore, I turned toward the lake to look at the moon and stars' reflections.
"I was going to ask you to dance, but I took long debating with myself that you came out here. I hope you don't mind that I followed you," he said all of a sudden.
"It's okay. It would be rude not to accept an offer from the Prince." I replied to late to realize I was being rude.
He looked hurt, and I looked for a way to fix what I had just said. Me and my big mouth, I thought.
"Of course," I said hurridly," I would be honored to dance with you. I'm not trying to be polite, not that I'm not, but dancing would help to clear my mind." Boy, was I flustered.
He smiled at my last sentence and held out his hand. I took it and we walked to the dance floor. I held my dress with my free hand while his free hand went around my waist. The orchestra was playing a uick gavotte and there was only time to concentrate on the steps so I had little to talk or think about. We danced for half an hour. When the music stopped, I left Jonathan to find Dianis. She was hanging on the outskirts of the wallflowers near the food table.
Little did I know that Jonathan had followed me. No sooner had I said "Dianis", that I knew by the look on her face that he was behind me. I turned around just before he could speak to get my attention.
"We didn't say our farewells properly," He explained. He took my hand and kissed it. "Thank you for the dance."
I found his real reason for followng me after I curtsied, when he put a note in my hand as he kissed it.
After telling Dianis every detail about Jonathan, I excused myself to the balcony where I could read teh note in private. It read, in small, evenly compactd lettering:
Meet me on the blacony when the celebration is over.
My sister's suitor, Robert, came over to me and handed me a cup of wine and we stood there for several moments in silence. I was wishing for him to go away when he finally spoke.
"I saw you dancing with the Prince, Serena. You looked, well..., anxious. Like you wanted to get away. Were you?" He gave me a questioning look.
"Who wouldn't be anxiius dancing with the Prince? I mean, if you were dancing with royalty, wouldn't you be anxious?" I answered his questions with two of my own.
"When you stopped dancing, why did you rush away so quickly?" He countered.
"To tell everyone what a horrible dancer he is." He looked surprised. "I went to tell Dianis everything about him." I said in an undertone, defeated.
His look of surprise was replaced with a smirk. "Did you tell her how many freckles he had?" he teased.
I gave him a little push and our conversation ended as he said, "I'm going to find Dianis and dance with her. This happens to be a favorite dance of mine." He left and I was alone with my thoughts and wishes.
