Whispers and Waltzes

"Are you just going to watch or would you like to dance?" The lord asked as he held out his hand to Isabella. His obsidian and gold mask still sat snuggly on his nose, hiding his expression.

"Are you going to let me fall?" Isabella shot back unexpectedly.

"That depends if you step on my foot or not." He chuckled, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him.

He gently placed his hand on her waist, as she cautiously placed her hand into his. He lead the way to the center of the hall, as she fell into pace with him easily. Isabella's heart softened as she took pleasure in the dance. She glanced over at the lord again, his obsidian and gold mask shimmering as they spun around the hall together.

With her hand on the lord's bicep she could feel the material of his suit, she was sure that he was royalty of the kingdom of Arcoi, but she could not risk being wrong. Isabella decided to watch her words around this lord.

"You are quite the lead, my Lord." Isabella complimented him earnestly.

"You are not too bad yourself, my Lady.' He smirked and kissed her fingers quickly, before releasing her. "I have business with the King, perhaps we will meet again for a dance later."

Isabella barely managed to start protesting the kiss on her fingers before he had all but vanished. Her cheeks grew hotter and butterflies circled her stomach as she recalled his last words to her. She moved toward the banquet table to enjoy a morsel and some refreshments.

She enjoyed the texture of the calamari this evening, but she avoided hard liquor as she knew she was sure to spend all night dancing. Several lords asked if they could dance with Isabella, and as much as she enjoyed dancing, she found herself longing for another waltz with the first masked lord. Though she allowed each lord that asked to dance with her, she smiled and listened to each of the lords chatter about their wealth and status.

"Good evening my dear lady, I would love the pleasure of this dance with you." said an older Lord, his mask was a midnight blue, lacking any intricate patterns.

"Of course my lord," She took a hold of his outstretched hand and followed his lead.

He placed his hand on her side and they danced around the room. She had danced with so many guests, and said the same thing repeatedly. She could feel her limits being reached but she persisted and remained smiling and laughing as the lord led her all around the room.

"My lady, you would make a charming wife, when will your father have you marry?" The midnight blue masked lord asked with a chuckle, oblivious to the fact that she was the princess.

"Oh my, why thank you." Isabella laughed politely, the lord had clearly drunk too much. "I'm sure he will find me a suitor when he is ready."

She decided it was time to take her leave from the lord before things escalated. Isabella excused herself to the ladies room before continuing her duty of keeping the guests happy and entertained.

She made her way through the room chatting with the ladies until she noticed a letter being passed from one lady to another. Isabella watched as they whispered and laughed causally, but her instincts told her to be cautious. She made her way past the two ladies that she found suspicious, she couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"I heard the Prince of Arcoi is here tonight, I thought Verdesaint would never allow them into this ball." the lady giggled to her counterpart.

"Maybe he snuck in uninvited!" the other shivered in delight. "This is why I never miss a royal party."

"I wonder if they will throw him out, or even better, throw him into prison!" They continued laughing together.

Isabella made her way to her mother, she could not stand the gossip she overheard. Yes, Verdesaint and Arcoi were on bad terms, but surely her parents would not do something so rash as to throw him into prison.

She found her mother sitting on a pedestal watching over the sea of nobles as they danced and mingled amongst themselves. Before she could reach the Queen she ran into Sir Edmund, the royal adviser. He was a loyal adviser that often gave his wisdom and reason, even if she didn't want to hear it at the time.

"Sir Edmund, I was hoping to have a word with the Queen in private if I may." Isabella curtseyed as she requested to see her mother.

"Princess Isabella, you know that we need to be present, or else this is all for naught. The King has already been asked for an audience with an uninvited guest, the Queen simply cannot leave now as well." Sir Edmund opposed her request.

"An uninvited guest? Are the rumors true then, about the prince of Arcoi sneaking in?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"Unfortunately yes, although we do not appreciate the unexpected arrival, the kingdom of Arcoi has been pestering us for an audience for some time, and we do not wish to cause a commotion tonight. The King decided to see him privately." he replied softly. "We will discuss this later, please tend to the nobles as the Queen has requested of you."

"I understand. Thank you my Lord." Isabella curtseyed in greeting and left to continue mingling with the nobles. She felt relieved knowing that no person would be thrown into prison tonight.

A noble lady with blond, bouncy curls rushed towards Isabella with a masked lord in each arm. Isabella braced herself for a possible collision with the lady and two lords, however the Lady stopped right in front of Isabella, panting with excitement.

"Princess Isabella! I have been everywhere looking for you!" Lady Sophia said, taking in a deep breath. "Look at these two charming Lords, I thought we should have a dance together."