The Suitor's Ball

The palace was bedecked in all shades of blue and gold. The floors were immaculately polished, so much so, one could see their reflection anywhere in the castle. There were garland strands strung about the ceiling, dripping in jewels. Not a single inch of the place was plain.

The king had requested the absolute best, hiring a team of party planners to make sure everything was perfect for the suitor's ball. Every invitation had strict instructions on attire, etiquette, and placement. King Azure was dead set on making sure that his eldest daughter would find someone worth marrying tonight.

The biggest threat to his plan, however, was his daughter. Elencia Azure was perhaps the pickiest when it came to men. Her father had yet to discover what exactly she was looking for in a life partner. She was always shut away in her corner of the palace, and the king just supposed it was hard to understand a teenager's interests. Whatever her hesitation was, she would need to get over it.

The highest class guests were the first to arrive, with different tiers arriving as the party progressed. Nobles and socialites from across the kingdom filed into the the first entertainment room where they were greeted with a grand spectacle. The room was sparkling and shimmering in all sorts of colors. All around the space were performers who were spelled to create optical illusions. Hanging from the ceiling, were dancers glowing from head to toe and sporting glittery wings. Among the guests were tumblers shifting from one form to another.

In the background, there was lilting music coming from seemingly nowhere. The chatter of the people was filling the room in a low rumble. Most of the wealthy elite were either distracted by the other guests or by their spelled phones. It seemed as if none were interested in the show, and just wanting to get to the main attraction.

The main attraction was in the next room, the grand ballroom. It was decorated in sharp contrast from the dark and flashing features of the entertainment room. The hall was enormous and nothing short of fabulous. This room was more traditional. The grand room was glowing, but in a bright, gold tone. There were jewels hanging from the ceiling, sparkling at every angle.

Servants were dressed in black suits and white masks, roaming about the room with silver and gold platters filled with sparkling wine and delectable food. In the corner was a live string orchestra readying to play the entire night, dressed in the same black outfits as the servers. Around the edge of the hall were gilded tables and plush chairs for anyone who might need to rest.

At the front of the grand room was a dais decorated from front to bottom with flowing blue fabric and gold trimmings. Atop the dais were two thrones, one starkly larger than the other. Both were made of gold with sapphire embellishments. Off to the side was another, more plain throne, though still gold.

Elencia Azure sat in one of her finest gowns, resting her head upon her hand, propping up her elbow on the arm of her throne. As far as she was concerned, this party might as well be over. The fact that her father had even arranged the whole thing was laughable. She would never find her mate amongst these people. Her heart belonged to one person, and he had turned down the invitation to come to the royal palace.

Elencia toyed with the silk folds of her deep ocean dress. This dressed was made specifically to show off what her attendants called "her best and juiciest features" whatever that was supposed to mean. To Elencia, however, it was stiff and constricting and not at all her style. She would have preferred something looser and less poufy. At least she had won the battle and was able to pick out her diamond necklace and matching earrings. Her stylist decided that the tight ringlets pinned to the back of her head, gently dangling down the nape of her neck was a compromise to the bun that Elencia had wanted to wear. Her life was full of "compromises."

One of Elencia's attendants scurried to the base of the dais. "Your highness," she spoke with a deep curtsy, "his majesty requests your presence at the top of the staircase." She again curtsied and rushed out of sight.

Elencia let out a big groan as she stood up and gathered her skirts. According to what her father had told her, this whole ball was supposed to be a "low commitment." She was beginning to regret even agreeing to this. Her delicate heels clicked on the stone as she climbed the grand staircase. This was already too much work in her opinion.

When she reached the top of the staircase, two palace guards opened the doors into the hallway. Standing there, in matching colors to Elencia's disapproval, was her father in an elegant suit. The intricate embroidery of her father's outfit mirrored that of her dress.

He reached out his arms, waiting for an embrace, only getting a stiff wrapping of her arms around his torso. "How is my little angel?" he cooed, examining her dress. "Wow, you look... you look so..." His voice cracked a bit as he chocked up, earning an eyeroll from Elencia. "so grown up. It seems as if you have turned from a boyish little girl to a beautiful young lady."

"Ugh," Elencia moaned as she stepped away from the king. "Please don't embarrass me father. I have been an adult for a while now. I'm nineteen years old, and I can take care of myself." At this she stood up straighter and lifted her chin.

The king beamed back at his daughter. "A reality I am struggling to accept. To me you will always be my little princess." He looked down at the timepiece on his wrist. "It is almost time, guards, send in the guests. We will make our entrance in five minutes on the dot." The two guards nodded and relayed the message downstairs, causing a rumble as guests entered the grand room. "Are you ready my darling?" He looked at her with wet eyes.

Elencia sighed as she said, "Let's get this over with. I have something I want to do after this that I can't put off."

"That's my little pumpkin, always has projects going on." The king put out his arm out for Elencia to grab onto. "Be careful going down the steps, you don't want to slip." He looked down at her shoes. "You would think they would put you in something more sturdy. What happens if you trip and fall? It hurts just thinking about it."

"Calm down father. I will be perfectly fine." Elencia was already loosing her patience. "Remember how you agreed to not embarrass me? Yeah, that starts with you chilling out a bit." She rested her hand on his forearm.

"I'm your father, Elencia. I will always worry about you." With that he straightened and looked toward the doors. "They should be announcing us right about now."

From the ballroom came a booming voice, "Attention my lords, ladies, and everything in between, it is with great honor I announce to you his majesty, King Francis Azure, and her highness, princess Elencia Azure!" The doors swung open to a packed ballroom with hundreds of expectant gazes fixated on them.

Elencia descended the staircase with her father, plastering on the smile she was trained to hold in public. They made their way to the dais as applause filled the room. It continued until the King and Elencia stood in front of their thrones and he raised his hand to silence the crowd. "Good evening my loyal subjects. We have met here today for one purpose, to find a suitable groom for my dear princess." He gestured around the room. "Each and every one of you was hand-picked by my staff, and I expect only the best from those in attendance." His gaze swept across the room. The king was known for his meticulous personality. Stepping out of line, especially where his daughter was involved could be dangerous. "Now, all of the suitors should line up behind the velvet rope over here in the order in which they are to meet with us. Please, enjoy the party." With that he sat down, Elencia following suit.

There was a flurry of motion as the eligible men began to line up off to the side of the dais, itching to get audience with the royal family. Elencia decided to ignore this as she turned to her father. "May I at least eat before I must endure the boring bragging of these boys?" A servant stepped up onto the dais and presented some hors d'oeuvres to the princess. As the servant walked away, she said, "And by the way, where in the world is Clove?" She looked over toward the other throne.

"Well," the king started, "she does not have to be here for the whole ball." Elencia let out a huff at this. "She is much younger than you and wouldn't be able to handle the peacocking."

Elencia crossed her arms. "That is so not fair. Why do I have to sit through all of this?"

"Well my dearest Elencia," her father sighed, "this whole ball is for you. Since you have denied all of the suitors I have presented thus far, I've had to resort to drastic measures." He looked at her disgruntled face. "Surely you must find someone here to your liking. I have brought here all of the best for you." As he finished speaking, he waved the first suitor up towards them.

They went through gentleman after gentleman, Elencia waving off every single one. As she had expected, each one only wished to puff out their feathers and brag as to how amazing they were. In her opinion, they were all terrible bores, each one worse than the last.

As the night progressed, Elencia got more and more irritated. After about the hundredth suitor, Elencia turned toward her father and practically begged, "father, I am feeling quite tired. May we continue this at a latter time?"

"But sweetie," her father said looking at his watch, "It is barely past nine, your sister has just arrived and is dancing with some gentlemen on the dance floor."

"But I don't care father," Elencia sneered. "I want to go to bed. I have already talked to just about every man in this room."

"Sweetheart, once you leave the party will be over. Everyone is having such an amazing time." He looked out into the room filled with laughter, dancing, and chatter. "We put so much effort into this, maybe just a bit longer." His eyes were pleading her to stay.

"Alright father, but only if I have a glass of wine." She gestured for a servant to bring her a glass.

"You are far too young to be drinking any alcohol," her father scolded.

Elencia grabbed the glass and took a sip. "You said yourself that I am an adult now. It's only one glass, and I will stay for a little while longer.

The king let out a conceding breath as he looked back at the line of suitors. "At least there are many handsome men for you to meet here. Who knew our kingdom was this blessed with beauty?" He continued talking when Elencia didn't respond. "Have any of these fine people caught your eye? Any sparks of romance flying tonight?"

"Father," Elencia put her fingers to her temple in frustration. "I have told you time and time again, that my heart belongs to one man." She sighed as she pictured his face. "I will only marry Axel Carter. He is the one I long to be with."

Her father paused before he began, "Dear, you know that I have reached out to this Axel fellow, and he has denied my request every time. Why are you so dead set on this man? I may be king, but I am not going to marry my daughter off to anyone who doesn't even respect you."

"You take that back!" Elencia shouted. The room quieted as the guests turned to stare at the king and the princess.

"I'm sorry my princess. I did not mean it in that way. All I meant is that you are absolutely perfect, and any man should be chomping at the bit in order to have your hand in marriage."

Elencia loosed a rough breath. "Once he sees me, he will immediately see the connection between the two of us." She clasped her hands looking up at the ceiling. "It is destiny that we shall be together." She shot her father a piercing look. "He WILL be mine and that is that." With that, she stood up and gathered her skirts. "Father, I will be retiring for the night. Please give my dearest good evenings to the guests at the party. I have no more reason to be here."

Elencia exited the room at a side door, followed by quizzical glances. She didn't care. She knew that all of this pomp and circumstance was all for naught. She just KNEW that Axel was going to realize their fated connection. There was no other option.

She walked through the palace, ditching her heels shortly in. When she finally got to her chamber, she had her handmaiden undress her and put her into her silken night gown. Before she closed her eyes to sleep, she looked up at her favorite picture of Axel taped onto the canopy of her bed. She let his bewitching features lull her into a deep sleep.