STOP RIGHT THERE

The taxi dropped in front of the palace and I quickly alighted. I stared at the gates of the palace, my body consumed by apprehension and excitement at the same time.

I stood outside for what seemed like ages as different scenarios of what would happen if I went through that gate kept playing in my mind. After collecting my emotions and gathering the needed courage, I went into the palace. Ivonne had been expecting me and the fact that I had dallied was a great source of worry for her.

The second she saw me, relief washed over her face and she ran towards me and enveloped me in a hug, "look at you, Amy. You look so beautiful and elegant. If it weren't because I've known you all my life, I would have surely mistaken you for someone else."

My cheeks flushed crimson, not just because of the excitement in Ivy's voice but also because all the other maids were now staring at me.

"You guys seem to have the palace all to yourselves" I whispered after taking note of the fact that Ivy had freely expressed her happiness when I walked in and even the other servants seem to be idling about.

"Do not worry" Ivy assured me quietly. "Your prince charming is up in his room, he seems to be expecting someone so I'm sure you can get a glimpse of him before leaving. Meanwhile, the head maid is not around which is why we are so happy and free.

Just feel at home because today is your lucky day."

"I resisted the urge to squeal in excitement. I couldn't believe I almost lost such a golden opportunity. I told Ivy all about how a driver splashed dirty water on me and I ended up with Mabel's beautiful gown.

Ivy took me into her room and said, "you are lucky to have a sister like Mabel. I know you are very excited to see your crush. I would have told you what I want to say now over the phone but I felt that it would be better to tell you in person. I have also wanted to tell you this for a long time but you are always so excited that I end up swallowing my words.

However, today I must tell you the truth. This is going to hurt you Amy but you need to give up on prince Bastian because he doesn't deserve your one-sided love."

I stared at Ivy in shock as my heart began to palpitate once again. "What are you saying to me, Ivy? I am not mistaken about my status and I know that prince Bastian would never look at me. But, how can you rub salt in my wounds like this?

If I was from a wealthy family, surely prince Bastian would deserve someone like me but I know I am poor and I'm under no illusions. I do not expect anything from him and I'm content with the fact that I can love him from a distance. How can my best friend belittle me so much?"

Ivy got up from her seat and sat beside me. "You have misunderstood me, Amy. When I said that prince Bastian doesn't deserve you, I wasn't looking down on you or saying that you are no match for him.

What I meant was that you deserve better. Prince Bastian is a jerk and you are too good for him. Do not waste your love on him because he doesn't deserve it."

Now I was beyond shocked. I got up from my seat and stared at Ivy. It would have been better if her words held the first meaning I had thought they did."

"What - did - prince - Bastian - do?" I asked with my lips quivering and my heart feeling like it had been pricked by the sharpest arrow ever made.

Ivy got up to give me a reply but one of the maids knocked on the door and said, "Ivy, the prince needs your attention."

Ivy quickly left the room to attend to the prince, leaving me to my imagination which only made me feel like throwing up.

I paced up and down the room, my palms moist from perspiration, my mood completely ruined and all my previous fantasies destroyed before my very eyes.

The more Ivy delayed, the more anxious I felt. Time seemed to have stopped moving as it felt as though I had waited in Ivy's room for days. I suddenly felt like crying but I didn't want to let myself break down. Mabel would be disappointed in me and my purpose of coming to the palace would be defeated.

An idea suddenly came to my mind and I became hopeful. Ivy and I pranked each other all the time so she could just be messing with me.

But then we always joked around with unserious things. Why would Ivy joke with something like this when she knew that prince Bastian was the very breath I took? Wouldn't that be cruel?

I needed to find out for myself. I could not leave without getting a glimpse of prince Bastian. Ivy could explain what she meant later on but this uneasy feeling in my heart would only be quenched if I could drink in prince Bastian's handsome looks to my heart's content.

I came out of Ivy's room and stood for a while with no sign of her. I went to one of the maids and asked her about Ivy and she said that she was out running an errand for the prince.

I looked at the door that led into the palace, two servants were standing by the door while the others roamed around the palace. I wondered if I would get a chance to look at prince Bastian without Ivy's help.

I looked at my time, it was already past six and I knew that it was time for me to leave if I wanted to make it back home before midnight. I knew that if I could get in through those doors, I would be able to figure out prince Bastian's room on my own and I intended to do just that.

A new emotion overtook me as I feared that I would be punished if I was caught inside. I couldn't let this feeling of dread keep me away from my happiness. I gave myself the needed courage and plotted how to make it past the servants.

When the maid saw that I kept looking at the door, she came closer to me and asked, "what's the problem? Why do you look so anxious?

My eyes quickly darted repeatedly from left to right as I struggled to come up with a lie, which was something I wasn't good at.

I finally thought of a lie and in an effort to seem in control, I chortled, "actually, Ivy was supposed to take me to the prince because he wanted to ask me some questions. Time is against me and I'm thinking of leaving but I'm afraid that the prince will be mad at Ivy if he found out that I left without seeing him."

The maid easily believed my words. I couldn't understand why at first but I will eventually learn the reason the hard way. "It's okay, I'll take you" she replied and gestured for me to go with her.

My brain did a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree movement as I couldn't decide if the weakness I felt in my knees was due to excitement or fear.

I walked beside the maid until we got to the door. She smiled at the guards and they smiled back. There was a mischievous gleam in their eyes and one even shook his head in disbelief before opening the doors for me.

I was too naive to understand what was going on as I deliberately delivered myself into the lion's den. When we entered the palace, the maid took me upstairs. There were so many rooms that I couldn't on my tell which was the princes'.

The maid was kind enough to point a finger at one of the doors, "that is prince Bastian's room, although I doubt that you will be able to go back home today."

Still too stupid to understand what she meant, I flashed her a smile of gratitude and began walking to Prince Bastian's door with confidence. When I got to the front of his door, I turned my back to look at her and realized she was gone. I couldn't believe I pulled that off without tripping even once. I felt proud of myself.

I stood in front of the door wondering how I would get to see the prince when I heard his voice. He seemed to be talking to someone and I feared that he was going to open the door.

I quickly looked around for a place to hide. There were four large flower pots beside the wall, not too far off from his room. I ran and hid behind the pots before he came out.

He was on the phone with someone and his other hand held a bottle of wine which he drank from. My heart seemed to skip a million beats as I stared at him while he spoke on the phone. From where I squatted, I got a very good view of him.

He looked so divine and for a moment, I felt like I wasn't even worthy to look upon him.

His hair was like a massive gold bush surrounding two wide, emerald green eyes. His thick and bushy eyebrows made him look like a rugged warrior who was invincible in battle. His lips were a shade of light pink and I could not help but once again wonder what it would feel like if they were miraculously pressed against mine. His jawline was uniformly carved and when he smiled, I was privileged to behold a set of snow-white teeth.

He was tall and sturdy, and even while he spoke on the phone and moved about, his body exuded elegance and power. He wore a light blue colored shirt that clung close to his body, showing off every rippling muscle underneath and leaving nothing to be desired.

I knew I would never get enough of prince Bastian, I could stare at him forever. However, I had fed my eyes enough and photographed his face in my heart to enable me to survive the next few weeks. I would make the arrangement to see him again some other time but for now, my happiness knew no bounds and I was ready to leave.

I just needed to wait for him to move back into his room so I can quickly run out of the palace. As if he read my mind, his call suddenly came to an end and he turned around and got back into his room before shutting his door.

I heaved a sigh of relief and smiled contentedly to myself before getting up as quietly as I could. I slowly walked out, careful not to make a sound to alert the prince. However, just before I got to the stairs, I heard prince Bastian's voice say, "stop right there."