Chapter Two Princess Loreena: The Ball

            The ball was held in the larger of the castle's two ballrooms. There hadn't been a feast, but long tables set up against the windows held plates containing dinner and deserts, as well as chalices of champagne. In the far corner an orchestra played.

            Garson and Keeva were at the desert end of the table, the Princess wasn't surprised to find           Princess Loreena didn't doubt that by the night's conclusion Keeva would be sneaking off to one of the castle's many bed chambers with some young woman she'd managed find who was interested in a different kind of touch.

            Kaleo Carver, Keeva's elder brother, was the first to approach the Princess and ask her to dance, which stunned her. Though she was well acquainted with his family, she knew him very little. He had always been quiet but polite.

            All the Princess really knew about him was that he was a ship captain like his father had been prior to his illness. Only he wasn't a fisherman or a crabber, but a hunter of the man-eating mermaids that both their fathers had encountered as they'd sailed across the Delmar Sea. He'd been wed at the age of sixteen to a school teacher, Robin, who'd been twenty at the time. Four years into their union she'd fallen ill with a mysterious sickness, and after a long battle she had passed peacefully away in her husband's arms. Kaleo had sank into a deep depression afterward. In the almost two years that had followed since, he'd become a closed off, angry young man.

            "Just so you're aware," Kaleo began as they gracefully waltz in the center of the floor. He spoke quietly and leaned in close to her ear so that the spectators wouldn't be able to listen into their conversation. "I'm not interested in courting you. I'm only here to please my mother."

            "Your mother wants you to wed me?" Princess Loreena demanded.

            "Well, more my father, I think. They seek to bind our families together through the ultimate union." He said.

            "Ah," The Princess murmured.

            "That isn't going to happen, however, unless you're interested in Koa. He's been instructed to dance with you as well." Kaleo said.

            "Do you find me that repulsive?" Princess Loreena wanted to know. She wasn't offended, merely curious. She was self-assured in her beauty; not proud of it, but confident.

            "No, I think you're a very beautiful young woman, but marriage is the farthest thing from my mind, especially marriage to a future queen." He replied, a bit terse.

            "You find the thought of being consort to a woman demeaning." The Princess guessed. "Which I, personally, find offensive. You're just like your father, aren't you? He followed my father into war, and referred to him as My King, because he believed only a man was fit to lead, not a woman."

            "Call me conventional." Kaleo murmured.

            "I think we're done here." Princess Loreena said stiffly, and their dance abruptly ended.

            Kaleo released her. "I wish you much fortune in finding your betrothed among these pitiful pickings." He gave a bow and bid her a good night before morphing into the surrounding crowd.

            "Would you care to dance?" The high voice of Koa coming from behind startled her. She let out a gasp, clutched at her chest, and slowly turned around. She nearly tripped on the excessive fabric of her dress. She quickly caught herself.

            "I don't think so, Koa." She rejected him. "Kaleo informed me you've been instructed to dance with and attempt to woo me by your parents, but I'm not going to dance with you. I'd rather face off against a dragon...empty handed."

            Koa frowned. "There's no need to be cruel." He said quietly. "I wasn't going to try and woo you, regardless of what my parents wish. I just thought you might like to dance. We were friends, if you recall."

            "There's no need to be cruel..." Princess Loreena laughed darkly. "That's rich coming from you, Koa. I don't want your hands anywhere on my body." She narrowed her eyes into her fiercest glare. From the corner of her eye, she saw Keeva watching the scene play out. She was tight with tension, waiting to see whether or not the Princess would betray her.

            "You should go willingly, before I have one of the guards escort you out." The Princess suggested.

            Koa merely nodded and turned his back. Hs shoulders slumped, and he slinked away. He brushed past Keeva, who recoiled as though his touch had burned her. They avoided eye contact, as per usual.

            Princess Loreena closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't believe Koa had the audacity to approach her and ask her to dance. He should have known better. The two hadn't spoken since his falling out with Keeva. The Princess had been forced to choose, and she'd chosen Keeva; something she'd never regretted. It had been an instantaneous decision; there was no deliberation; no choice at all, really.

            The Princess turned and started towards the window where Garson was seated. Her foot caught on the bottom of her dress and she started to fall. She couldn't stop herself; her arms flailed, but there was nothing to grasp onto to keep her upright.

            She never landed, because a pair of strong, sturdy arms wrapped around her and helped her to her feet. When she glanced upward to see who her savior was she gasped.

            "Hector, what are you doing here?" She demanded breathlessly. "I didn't invite you."

            "I know." Hector replied with a faint smile. "Your grandmother did."

            Princess Loreena groaned and smacked her forehead. "I didn't invite you for a reason." She stated, all too aware that his arms hadn't left her. "I didn't want you to see me this way; in this ridiculous outfit." She pinched a small portion of her dress's fabric.

            "You took exquisite." Hector reassured her. "Though....uncomfortable."

            Princess Loreena giggled; giggled. She was horrified. "I'm not...comfortable." She said. It was hard to concentrate with Hector's hands on her waist.

            "Well, since we've bumped into each other already." He said. "Shall we dance before people begin to wonder about our close proximity?" He winked at her.

            The Princess looked around at the crowd. A few couples were still twirling, but most had retired to the periphery, and their eyes were all on the Princess and Hector, their expressions expectant.

            "Alright," The Princess murmured. She could barely hear herself over the pounding of her own heart and the roaring in her ears. She hoped and prayed she didn't break out into a nervous sweat.

            Their routine began. Hector was slow and careful with her, understanding that her dress limited her mobility greatly. He didn't attempt to spin her, though a part of her wished he would.

            Dancing with Hector, Princess Loreena forgot about the eyes trained on them, and about her garish outfit. She stared up into his dark eyes and was transfixed. The rest of the room melted away until it was just the two of them.

            "I have an important question to ask you." He said softly, breaking the Princess out of her dazed state.

            "What is it?" She wondered. Her pulse quickened with anticipation.

            Hector released her and she removed her hands from around his neck. She was both hurt and confused when he knelt down onto the ground. He reached into his coat's pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box, which he popped open to reveal a small gold ring in the shape of a dragon coiled around itself nested inside.

            Princess Loreena's heart sputtered and, she swore, momentarily stopped beating.

            "I love you, Loreena Levinia Locklin Lenhart Noor. Not because you're my princess, but because you're the most intelligent, kindest, and bravest person I know. You're the only person who shares in my devotion to the magical beasts. I cherish our afternoons together, but I seek even more of your time, for each time I must depart from your company is even more painful than the last." Hector announced. His voice shook ever so slightly from nervousness.

            Princess Loreena's breath caught. She could tell where his speech was leading. Her entire body tingled.

            "Would you, Loreena Noor, do me the incredible honor of wedding me?" He asked her. "Of making me your husband? I swear to you that I will be loyal and true, and that my intentions are pure."

            "I've no doubt of your intentions." The Princess murmured.

            The girl in her was screaming at her to accept the proposal, while the reasonable, rational part of her was calmly listing all the reasons why she should decline. She was at war with herself and her own desires.

            Hector gazed up at her expectantly.

            The giddy, nonsensical girl triumphed. "Yes." She said finally. "I'll marry you."

            Hector beamed and stood. He took the ring from the box and placed it on her ring finger, which he then kissed.

            "Will you escort me to my room?" The Princess requested.

            Hector's eyes widened in surprise. "The night has barely begun." He said. "Are you so tired already? Don't you think it would upset your grandmother if you left? She organized this entire event for you."

            "No, she organized it for herself out of her desire to see me wed." Princess Loreena corrected him. "There are so many people here, she won't even notice we've snuck off, and if she does, then you'll tell her I took ill and decided to retire early."

            "You'd have me lie to the Queen?" Hector said, clearly horrified by the thought. "That would be treason!"

            "You're exaggerating, Hector. She'll never know it isn't the truth. Do you have some strong desire to remain here and watch me dance with other men?" She implored.

            Hector's nostrils flared at the thought. His eyes hardened. "No." He grunted. "I don't particularly wish to see you in another man's arms." He admitted. "It was difficult enough seeing you dance with Kaleo Carver."

            "Come, then." The Princess tugged on his hand and led him slowly across the floor.

            The crowd of gawkers had mostly returned to dancing, though some huddled in close circles, whispering to each other. A few headed back towards the tables to scavenge the leftovers. Only a few pairs of eyes followed the Princess and Hector as they quietly made their escape.

            The hallway was empty; devoid of all life. Princess Loreena managed a few steps before she tripped again. This time, when Hector caught her, he scooped her up into his arms and she let out a surprised cry.

            Their faces were only inches apart; so close the tips of their noses brushed. Princess Loreena's cheeks flamed.

            They reached her bedchambers. With one hand Hector turned the knob and pushed open one of the doors. He set her down on her bed and then shut the door. He stood with his back to her for a moment as he collected himself, and then sat down on her bed beside her.

            Princess Loreena was tempted to kiss him. They were all alone, and she could see no harm in the simple act. Her grandparents had done much more than that prior to their official union. She doubted Hector would feel the same way, though. He was far more traditional, and might feel as though he were taking advantage of her if he touched her before they were wed, even with her consent.

            She wondered where her sudden desire had stemmed from. It disturbed her, how the dormant feelings he brought out of her.

            "I hate to damper the mood." He said then, affectively breaking her trance. "But there's something important we must discuss. It regards the beasts."

            Princess Loreena was immediately alert. "Has something happened?" She demanded, already frantic.

            Hector nodded, his gaze solemn. "The unicorns are gone." He said hoarsely.

            She stiffened. "What do you mean they're gone? How can a herd of twenty five unicorns simply vanish?"

            "They didn't vanish." He shook his head. "They were stolen."

            "No human other than you is permitted access into the forest." Princess Loreena said. Her heart was pounding again, but for a different, more unsettling reason.

            "I've spoken with the beasts." Hector told her. "There seems to be a consensus among those who witnessed it. They all say it was the Corosonian trader Landron Oscowel."

            Princess Loreena hissed.

            "If the other beasts witnessed the taking of the unicorns, why didn't they try and prevent it?" She asked.

            "They claim they were in some sort of a trance." Hector shook his head. "I'm not certain if I believe them. There's a long history of feuding among the different species. Some, such as the dragons, might have been glad to see the unicorns gone."

            "What are we going to do?" The Princess implored of him. "We have to rescue the unicorns and return them to the forest." 

            "I haven't formulated a plan quiet yet." He admitted. "I'll come up with something, though, I promise." He sighed. "I shouldn't have told you; you'll only worry."

            "I want to help you save them." She said.

            "You can't." He rebuffed her. "The beasts won't trust you. I've spoken of you to them, but you're still a stranger and, worse, a human. You entering the forest, even with me there to protect you, could be dangerous. I can't stop one of the dragons if they decide to torch you, or the centaurs if they put an arrow through your heart."

            "I'm not afraid of the beasts." Princess Loreena insisted. "I can speak their tongues. They'll understand I'm there to help, not harm them."

            "No." Hector shook his head fiercely. "I'm sorry, Loreena, but it's out of the question." He said firmly. "Even if you managed to acquire the beasts' trust, Landron might return to the forest, and he's more of a threat than all them combined."

            "What about your safety?" She questioned. "Landron won't like you meddling in his affairs. If he's so much of a threat, then why are you putting your own life at risk?"            

            Hector sighed and rubbed at his temples. "I knew I shouldn't have told you." He muttered under his breath. He gazed at her, his eyes pleading.    

            "I will resolve this; I'll find a way to rescue the unicorns from the traders, I swear. Just promise me you won't become involved."

            "Fine," Princess Loreena agreed reluctantly. "I promise." 

            "I should go." He said. He stood abruptly. "People might start to wonder..."

            Princess Loreena nodded and stood as well. She walked with him to the door.

            "Goodnight, Loreena." He whispered. He bent and kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes and sighed.

            When she opened them, Hector was gone.