Page 124 of Bride of the Gilded Prince

My skirt billowed out around me, and I moved across the room. Passionate, primal, and intoxicating, the music flowed through me, filling me with energy. I moved without even realizing it, my feet carrying me across the room. I weaved in and out of the dancers, spinning and twirling. The skirt of my dress flared out around me as I moved, and I laughed as the fabric billowed in the breeze.

A courtier, by the name of lord Macinco, twirled me and I found myself pressed up against him. He was a tall man, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. His eyes were piercing blue, and his hair was a dark brown. He stared down at me, a smirk on his face.

“Princess,” he said, his voice low and husky. “May I have this dance?”

Prince Maedras appeared out of nowhere and placed a hand on lord Macinco’s shoulder. “I’m afraid the princess is promised to me,” he said, his voice laced with ice.

Lord Macinco stepped away from me, and I was pulled into Prince Maedras’ arms. He stared down at me, his eyes boring into mine. “You’re mine,” he said, his voice filled with possession.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I looked away from him. His grip on me tightened, and he pulled me closer to him. The hard muscles of his chest pressed against me, and his thigh brushed against mine.

He took my hand and led me out onto the center of the dance floor. We moved, our bodies following the music. We spun and twirled, our feet moving in time with the beat. The other couples around us blurred as we moved faster and faster. The room was a whirl of color and sound, and my head spun.

I was dizzy, but I didn’t care. I felt alive and free, and I never wanted the moment to end. But eventually, the music slowed down and the other couples around us came back into focus. Prince Maedras slowed our pace as well, and then he came to a stop. He bowed to me, and I curtseyed.

My chest heaved. “Thank you for the dance, PrinceMaedras.”

“The pleasure was all mine, princess,” he replied. He took my hand and kissed it gently, his eyes never leaving mine. Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Flushed, I looked away, my heart pounding in my chest from the dance. I weaved my way through the crowd, wanting to put some distance between myself and the prince.

The music changed in tone. This time, there was a more familiar sound. Reed flutes, drums, and familiar strings. It was a folk tune from the south of Midar. But fiddles and accordions joined in and the sounds shifted. Slowly, guests left the dance floor. Some of them left the ballroom altogether, while others moved to the sides of the room to watch.

I turned to see what was happening and saw that the Queen and Prince Aldaren took their places on the stage at the front of the room. A dancer in a white shirt and black pants with a red scarf wrapped around his waist stepped onto the stage. The dancer from Lanthove Darith suggested.

He bowed to the Queen and then turned to the crowd. The music started when he raised his arms. He danced, and his movements mesmerized me. He spun and leaped, his feet moving so fast they were a blur. His shirt billowed out around him, and the scarf flowed behind him like a cape. He looked like a whirling dervish, and the crowd was rapt with attention. Magic filled the air, and I felt it tingling in my skin.

The man danced faster, and faster, and the music reached a crescendo. He leaped into the air and spun, his arms outstretched. A burst of light surrounded him, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The crowd erupted into applause, and I clapped along with them. He appeared on top of the ceiling, and the crowd gasped. He walked across the ceiling, his feet sticking to it as if it were solid ground. Then he leaped down, flipping in the air before landing on the stage in a crouch. The Queen and Prince Aldaren both smiled, and the courtiers whispered to each other excitedly.

The dancer bowed again and then left the stage. The music started up again, this time a slower tune. Couples moved onto the dance floor, and cages were lowered from the ceiling. Birds flew out of them, twittering and tweeting. They swooped around the room, and I ducked as a purple one flew too close to my head. They sang, and their voices blended with the music.

The Queen and Prince Aldaren danced, and the crowd parted to give them room. They moved gracefully around the floor, their feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Water rose around them, and they danced on top of it. The water rose higher and higher until they were dancing on a platform of water that was at least 10 feet off the ground.

The other couples stopped dancing and moved to the edges of the room to watch. I stood at the back of the room. Lady Kanna made her way toward me. In her hand was a glass. She offered it to me as she approached me.

She smiled. “I believe this is yours, princess.”

I took the glass from her and sipped on it. Melons and grapes. A few courtiers stared at us as I drank, and I met their gaze defiantly.

Surprise. They didn’t think the ex-lover of the prince and his future wife would be friends, did they?

“Thank you, lady Kanna,” I said, my voice betraying my fatigue.

“You’re welcome, Princess Thimsal,” she replied. Then she leaned in and whispered, “He’s quite good, isn’t he?”

I nodded my head. Prince Maedras was an excellent dancer. A renaissance man, as my father would say. He was good at everything he put his mind to.

“It seems you have had quite a night,” she said, her eyes twinkling. “I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

“I did, thank you,” I replied. “How are you enjoying the party?”

“I am having a lovely time.” She moved the mask over her face, and a smile peeked behind her mask. “I must say, your party is much more exciting than the other balls I have attended.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

I yawned, and she laughed.

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