The celebration for Katrinetta’s eighteenth birthday was the most elaborate affair she’d ever witnessed. Despite her mother’s inability to otherwise show any sort of fondness for her daughter, she had seen that every last detail of both the dinner and the ball that followed were of the utmost regality in both luxury and lavishness.
The dinner had consisted of sixteen courses, including Kit’s favorite, a roasted lamb chop that was the head chef’s specialty, though Kit could hardly take more than a few bites by the time the eighth course was served. Likewise, her favorite chocolate mousse had nearly gone untasted. By the time the dancing began, she was quite certain her elegant blue gown, adorned with thousands of sapphires in various sizes, would burst at the seams, and she was considering ducking away for a few moments so that one of her ladies could loosen her corset.
That wouldn’t do, however, so she tried to take more shallow breaths. The orchestra began playing the moment her slippers crossed the threshold into the opulent ballroom. Thousands of flowers in shades of light blue and gold, meant to match her gown, as well as a soft blush pink that she could only imagine matched the rosiness of her cheeks, stood in large golden vases around the perimeter of the dance floor while the tapestries that hung above them in matching shades might’ve stretched to the ocean, should they be laid end to end. Kit held her breath, which was easy to do now that her belly was full of food, and took everything in. It was certainly the loveliest room she’d ever been in.
“I take it the décor is to your liking?” her mother asked at her elbow.
“Yes, Mother,” Kit confirmed. “You’ve really outdone yourself.”
“Get used to it, darling. Once your Choosing begins, you will be attending dozens of balls, and each of them must be more elaborate than the last.” When her mother smiled, her lips pressed together in a thin line that bowed up at the end, and one eyebrow raised slightly. That was the only indication that she was pleased, and it was so rare, Kit couldn’t think of the last time she’d seen it.
“That sounds delightful, my Queen,” Kit replied. She wasn’t sure how her mother could outdo this particular event. Something told her she would find out in three years when her Choosing began.
The trumpeters sounded at her mother’s signal, and the pair of them were announced to the crowd. Immediately, it seemed, a rush of young men were at her side, offering their hands. Some of them were familiar; others Kit was certain she’d never met before. She took the hand extended most closely to her own and began a waltz, thinking the others would just have to wait their turns, and soon the entire dance floor was full with courtiers swirling about, but it still seemed as if every eye was on her.
“You look radiant, my Princess.” The man whose arm was currently around her was tall with dark blond hair that swept up in the front of his head. He wasn’t unpleasant to look at, but Kit couldn’t place him at all and felt a bit foolish asking his name, so she only thanked him and minded her steps. She wasn’t particularly impressed with his physique either, and she decided fairly quickly that there was no reason to inquire further about him since he would certainly not do for her Exploration. Still, she continued with the dance, hoping not to be rude. But her eyes wandered.
She hadn’t seen Eli at dinner. She supposed he was elsewhere preparing for this elaborate event. As the Commander of the Princess’s Guard, there was much to attend to, Kit supposed, and much of what he was responsible for, she probably never even gave a thought to. Keeping her safe was his paramount duty, one she knew he took most seriously, and even though the ballroom was filled to the brim, she was certain none of these people could harm her even if they wanted to.
Glancing around, she saw several familiar gray and purple uniforms on the periphery, but her eyes could not find his familiar face, and she sighed, wishing she could locate him. Surely, he’d have time for just one dance.
“Is everything all right, my Princess?” her partner asked, his brown eyes narrowed slightly with concern.
“Oh, yes, thank you.” She managed to flash him a smile. “It’s just… there are a lot of people here, aren’t there?”
“Yes, indeed there are. My mother began donating to the queen’s charities months ago in hopes of receiving an invitation. We were lucky to have been chosen.”
Kit raised an eyebrow, and his face shifted, as if he realized he likely wasn’t supposed to give away such information. “How’s that?”
“Well, it’s just… so many noble families from across the realm wanted to come, and the ballroom only fits so many. That’s all.”
“I see.” Kit’s smile was still plastered to her face, but she wondered if her mother was taking bribes or if this was just this man’s mother’s way of ensuring her son would have an opportunity. “And what province are you from?”
“Metfirth, my Princess.” He gave a little bow with his head when he said the name, and she could tell he must be proud of his province.
“Please, you may call me Katrinetta.” She tired of the formalities so quickly. “And what is your name?” She decided she’d likely never met him before, so she may as well ask.
“Pierce de Lunge, at your service my… Katrinetta.” An impish smile broke out with his correction, and Kit couldn’t help but make her own smile more genuine. Perhaps he wasn’t so awful after all.
“What do you do in Metfirth? That’s quite some distance to travel for a ball.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. My mother is one of the town council members, and I am training to join the Royal Guard.”
Realizing his stature must be important in his home province, Kit said, “Congratulations. I hope that you’re able to do so. Are you my age then?” She imagined anyone older would’ve already been in the service, if he had a mind to be.
“Aye, just turned eighteen last month. I hope…” his voice faded as the musicians played the final refrains of the song, which happened to be one of Kit’s favorite tunes. “I hope to see you again, when it is time for your Choosing. I would very much love to represent my province.”
With the ending of the song, Pierce released her and gave a slight bow. Kit stared after him for a moment as he was swallowed up by the crowd, and at least a dozen hands were extended in her direction. She didn’t take one at first, however; his words still hung in the air. Were most of these gentlemen here because they hoped to be Representatives during her Choosing? The idea changed the way she looked at each of them. The Exploration was all about having fun, getting to know what pleased her and what did not, but the Choosing was something else altogether. She’d be looking for a mate, someone to share her life with. Regardless of her mother’s insistence that it was bodily pleasure that should come first and foremost, Kit had never ever accepted that notion, and now, as she looked at the faces around her, she chose more carefully.
The next hand she grasped belonged to a tall man with curly brown hair, and a lopsided grin. There was a sparkle in his green eyes that set her heart aflutter, and when he pulled her in closer and began to twirl her around the dance floor, Kit felt a stirring inside of her, something she’d only felt a few times before, but it was a sensation she welcomed, and she began to think perhaps this process wouldn’t be so terrible after all.
Kit seemed to be enjoying herself. Whether or not that made him happy, Eli wasn’t sure, but he supposed it was better than watching her spend the entire night standing in a corner, shaking like a leaf, or cowering from her mother. The queen, on the other hand, had a heavy eye, and too often it bore down on him, despite the fact that he hadn’t so much as approached the princess the entire duration of the dinner or the ball.He had to admit, it was difficult for him to pull his eyes away from her, though. Part of it was because it was his duty to keep her safe, but mostly it was because she was so exquisite. Kit had always been lovely, delicate like a flower or the wings of a butterfly. Her porcelain skin was smooth as satin, and her dark hair and lashes shined in even the dimmest light. Her sparkling blue eyes had a way of making a person feel completely at ease, be it a friend or a stranger, and when they fell on him, he felt like the most important person in the
Despite the warning glare from the queen, who turned her head fully in their direction now, Eli began to lead the princess around the dance floor. The smile on Kit’s face made it all worth it, even if he would get quite the tongue lashing from the queen later—or perhaps an actual lashing. She had threatened as much before.“This is much more like it,” Kit said next to his ear as he held her close. “None of those other gentlemen have any idea how to dance.”“None of them?” he asked, breathing in the warm scent of honey and lavender, an aroma he’d come to associate with Kit long ago.“Not a single one.” She looked up into his eyes, and he caught a twinkle there. For a moment, she looked more at ease than she had been in as long as he could remember, certainly since before the announcement of her Proem. But then, as if thoughts of the ceremony also filled her mind, the spark that was there faded, and
Kit leaned back against the cold stone wall that protected her from a drop off of over a hundred feet. The barrier reached past her waist, so he was certain she was safe, but he moved toward her anyway, just to be sure, and also because he simply couldn’t stay away from her any longer.“Even after the Proem is over,” Kit began, her eyes downcast, as if she were simply thinking aloud, “I’ll begin my Exploration. And I’m not sure… that is to say, it might be difficult to proposition a man, to invite him to pleasure me. Especially one I do not know.”“I should think it would be easier with the ones you do not know.” He knew his own words did him a disservice, but at the same time, he couldn’t imagine being with her and not getting to keep her. He felt that he’d rather never know what it was like to lay with her than to do so and then quietly slip away as she fell into the embrace of dozens of other m
Kit sat on the low stool in front of the mirror in her chambers as her ladies worked on her hair. Already dressed in the simple white gown she would wear for her Proem Ceremony in less than an hour, she tried not to look at her own reflection or look down at what she was wearing as it served as a reminder of where she would be headed next, and she would just as soon be going anywhere else.Her ladies had both assured her there was nothing to fear and even thought the council’s idea of having one of her guards perform the ceremony rather than the feeble physician was a good one. “He will likely be more capable,” Isla had offered in her meek voice.“He will likely be more fulfilling,” Avinia had joked, and both of her cousins had giggled, though Kit had not. She had reminded them that this was a medical procedure, not a pleasuring, and they both assured her that they were aware; they were only teasing.But there was nothing humorous a
The queen stepped forward so that she was standing at the end of the aisle. Kit continued to make her way in that direction. Avinia and Isla were nudging her forward, the guards staying out in the hallway.Once she somehow managed to reach the front of the room and found herself standing next to her mother, the queen began to say a few words, reminding those in assembly of how important this ceremony was and what it meant to their realm that the heir to the throne would be embarking on a journey to find her mate, which would in turn allow her to create an heir. Kit heard very little of it, however, as she stood with her face frozen in a half-smile, half-grimace she could not control and thought about the table behind her.“For the goddesses and our realm, I call upon you now, Katrinetta Ronatta, Princess of All the Lands East of the Galacial Mountains and Princess of the Provinces South of the Compazional Sea, to fulfill your duty as the heiress to the throne. No
Sunlight infiltrated Kit’s chambers as one of her ladies flung the curtains open, and the princess groaned in protest. She’d stayed up far too late the night before, dancing, drinking wine, and carrying on like a silly girl with her friends at the festival that followed her Proem Ceremony, and now that morning was here, her head ached, and she’d rather bury her face back beneath the downy pillows of her bed than acknowledge the day’s arrival.“Katrinetta,” Avinia’s voice beckoned as her shoulder was shaken, gently at first, and then a bit more violently. “Open your eyes. You need to get up!”Kit couldn’t think of a single reason in the world why she would need to get out of bed. She hadn’t slept well these past several weeks in anticipation of the ceremony, and now that it was over, she longed to make up for all of that lost time. But Avinia was insistent, so Kit opened one eye and looked at her incredul
Aeros, Eli’s horse, who was standing a few feet away, whinnied impatiently. Eli glanced behind him and saw the other two soldiers shifting uncomfortably. Kit assumed they were told to be gone by a certain time or to arrive by a certain hour, and she was delaying them. She caught her breath and fought tears, glancing over her shoulder at Galter and the other man, a tall, agile looking fellow with red hair she couldn’t name.“Listen, Kit, I need to go. But perhaps it’s for the better. We both know….” He paused, looking into her eyes, and she knew what the end of that sentence would be. There was no need for him to say it. They both knew it was never meant to be. Her mother would fight it at every turn, and even if he were to stay for her Exploration, he’d never be part of her Choosing. Kit would even go so far as to say, if he stood a chance at being selected as his province’s Representative, her mother would find some way to man
Two weeks was an eternity of seconds but when assembled together as minutes, hours, and even days, the passage of time seemed to shuffle on at an acceptable pace to the rest of the world. Kit spent too much of that time dreaming about someone she could not have and not enough of it focusing on the task before her.The large barn always called to her in her free moments when she was too restless to sit in the garden, so one afternoon, a week after her Clearing was over, she found herself meandering from stall to stall, petting the horses on the nose and slipping loose bits of hay to those who would chomp it from her hands. The men who ran the stable and their young helpers were used to seeing her and no longer bothered with the courtesies her station demanded. Rather, they bowed slightly or nodded their heads as they passed, bid her good day, and went about their usual tasks of mucking and feeding and other such chores Kit was glad not to be tasked with.A large roan st