The Banquet Part 3

The King looked on, seemingly pleased. The Queen was content with William's speech. He managed to win over the guests with a few words. The Crown Prince gradually made his way through the crowd, accepting more congratulations and birthday wishes than he had before. The banquet continued and the band started to play a more upbeat song. The dancers initiated a playful dance. More people gradually started to dance, mainly the younger guests. Even the Princess and Delima made their way to the dance floor.

"Um… would you like to dance? Together? You know, with me?" asked Alexander nervously.

"We don't dance," replied Viola.

"Oh, right… I understand. You guys are powerful warrior-like magicians. Why would you dance?" said Alexander as he laughed awkwardly.

"I, however, don't mind learning."

At first Alexander was stunned but once it sunk in he was overjoyed.

"Okay, great, that is great... I can help with that!"

Alexander did his best to hold back his smile. He took Viola's hand and they made their way to the center of the room. Alexander started moving to the beat of the song. Viola followed along. Alexander gradually introduced different movements which Viola quickly caught on to. They both danced clumsily but it didn't matter to them, as they were both having fun. Some of the guests noticed and started to cheer them on. Viola smiled brightly as she danced. Alexander felt exhilarated. He hadn't enjoyed himself that much in a long time. Just watching was enough to excite the guests. They looked great together. The main focus was now on them and the Crown Prince and Queen quickly noticed. William took the hand of a female guest and started dancing with her. They weren't gaining as much attention. While they danced well, it couldn't match the quirkiness of the other two. The Crown Prince grit his teeth. The woman with the Crown Prince tried to get his attention but to no avail. The Crown Prince suddenly felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned angrily, thinking the woman was still trying to get his attention. He was surprised to see that the woman was no longer there and it was actually one of his mother's ladies in waiting, Tasie Bodum. His anger dissipated. She was the daughter of Earl Joseph Bodum. She was beautiful, had platinum blonde hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. Unlike Gretchen, she hid her true intentions. Although she would be suspected of causing trouble, there was usually little to no evidence against her.

"The Queen requests your presence, Your Highness," said Tasie as she curtsied gracefully.

"Okay, let's go," replied the Crown Prince.

Tasie led the Crown Prince to a storage room which was a short distance from the banquet hall. As she turned to leave, she pretended to trip. The Crown Prince grabbed her and helped her back to her feet. As he held her up, she pressed herself against him. He could see more than her chest thanks to her low cut gown. He blushed briefly at the sight of it. He cleared his throat and looked away.

"You should be more careful," he said.

"Yes, you're right. I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness," said Tasie as she bowed her head.

"As long as you're okay... it's fine."

Tasie lifted her head, revealing a coy smile. She thanked the Crown Prince for helping her and his concern. The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment before turning away from her. He went into the room and closed the room. Tasie smirked as she walked away.

The room was dark. William stretched his hands out to try getting a feel of the room. All of sudden, he felt someone grab his arm. It was the Queen. She quickly covered his mouth before he could make a sound. She was somehow able to easily maneuver in the dark. A light stone then illuminated the room. It was the Queen's personal guard. The Queen slowly removed her hands.

"I'm sure you must've realized by now that those two look like the real master and servant. Your speech was good but their little dance got just as much attention. People will start to talk and soon they may want to see the second prince on the throne instead of you, all because he has the support of the Blossom," said the Queen.

"They can't! Father already ordered them to work for me and even if he does have the Blossom's support, he's still the son of that woman!"

"You should never underestimate your opponent. The moment you do that, you reduce your rate of success and we cannot afford to fail. What you need to do now, is to get the Blossom on your side."

"How do I do that?"

"Oh my innocent boy... Take this and put it in the Blossom's drink," whispered the Queen as she handed a small glass bottle to William.

"What's this?" asked a concerned William.

"It's what will get the Blossom on your side. Don't worry, it won't hurt her. Make sure she drinks it all and she'll be loyal. It's important for you to have her support and this, will ensure that your position is stable," she advised. She lightly gripped his shoulder then left with her guard.

William stood alone in the darkness. He squeezed the bottle in his hand. He was in a pensive mood. At first William was conflicted but then he decided to follow his mother's plan. He couldn't think of another option. He left the room and made his way back to the banquet. Things had slowed down and most guests were seated and eating. Viola and Alexander were at a table of their own, also having some food. William got two drinks from a server and went to a table in the corner of the room. He placed the drinks on the table then looked around several times. Once he felt secure he opened the bottle and focused his attention on the glass. His hand shook as he poured the liquid into the glass. It was colorless and odorless. He looked at the glass for about ten minutes. The banquet would be over soon and it was now or never. William stuck to his decision and took both glasses. He took deep breaths as he walked. He was halfway there.

Viola suddenly felt a brief magical presence. She rose to her feet. She looked up and saw the chandelier wobbling and as she looked down she saw the Crown Prince right beneath it.

"What's wrong?" asked Alexander.

The connective cord of the chandelier suddenly snapped. As the chandelier was about to come down on William, Viola pulled him out of the way. The two glasses he had fell to the ground and shattered. She used her magic to manipulate the air to prevent the chandelier's fall. Once she had it secured, she carefully placed it on the ground. The guests were both shocked and amazed. They applauded Viola. Viola released the Crown Prince and started to walk away. William reached out to her but couldn't get a word out.

"Are you okay? What happened? asked Alexander as he checked for wounds.

"I don't know. I had no control, I simply reacted," said Viola with a perplexed expression.

Alexander was relieved that she was alright. The Queen and Princess rushed over to William. He wouldn't respond regardless of how many times they tried to get him to. At least from checking his body they could see no visible wounds. The Queen pulled William into her arms and held him tightly.

Stefan made his way to the scene. He crouched over the chandelier and examined it. Gretchen made her way through the crowd. She finally found Stefan but couldn't approach him.

"What is it son?" asked Duke Snow.

"This doesn't seem like an accident," said Stefan.

"What makes you say that?" asked the King. He was accompanied by a few guards.

Stefan pointed to the cord used to attach the chandelier. It had a sharp cut and he could detect magic. It had been tampered with.

"It seems the party's over," said the King with a worrying expression.

The King announced that the banquet was over and had the servants and guards escort the guests out. Outside the banquet hall, a hooded figure looked through a window into the banquet hall and smiled.

"What was that?" asked a man in a brown robe as he approached the hooded figure.

"It was only a simple test… Just do as we planned. I'll take care of the rest," said the hooded figure.

The man agreed reluctantly. They both quickly left undetected.

The banquet had an unexpected ending. It would surely be a birthday the Crown Prince would not soon forget.