Cleverly Flush
Chapter 2: Throw the Ball
The palace is about an hour away from our town. The ride was silent except for when we would hit pieces of broken concrete on the dirt road. The air is somewhat cold, and I wish that I had a wrap or something. I sat on one side of the carriage that is near the back, and one of the guards sat across from me. We did not speak the entire ride. It does not take long until the carriage suddenly comes to a halt. The doors to the carriage open, and the guard who sat in front of me gets out. I step out of the carriage and a giant palace is before me. It is grandeur and tall enough to reach the stars. Lights are lined up the stairs leading to two large doors. I lift the front of my dress and make my way up the stairs slowly as I try not to trip. I am finally met by the two large doors. They seem to be made from wood with gold trim and swirly designs carved into them. Two more guards stand a post. The doors open, and I am led to a big ballroom by the guard who sat across from me in the carriage. I am led to a giant room that is a white and gold wonderland. There are pillars around the circular room the is lit by multiple golden chandeliers. Many people fill the room. Some of whom I recognize as people from the town. You can tell the difference between who is from town and who is not. Even the wealthiest families from town do not compare to the riches of these out-of-towners. Jamie, whose family owns the only bank in town, is talking to a group of well-dressed men when she spots me. I smile at her hoping that she will not come to speak to me. As usual, I am wrong. She excuses herself from the men and walks towards me with her head held high giving off a show to the men she just left.
“Rose, I am surprised to see you here. Let me guess, your mom gave you her mom’s old dress?” she said in a snarky way.
“Hi, Jamie. Of course, I am here. It is required. Yes, my mother gave me an old dress of hers. She did let me get new shoes, however.” I flashed my shoes at her as her mouth became agape.
“Those are so pretty. Where did you buy them? Oh, wait, probably the only shop in town. I must get myself a pair but with pink stones. Pink is my absolute favorite color.”
“I prefer red. It reminds me of fire which is a great tool for burning down a building like a bank.” I shoot her a snarky look that screams “leave me alone.”
“Well, it was nice seeing you. Don’t get your hopes up, Rose. The king wouldn’t choose someone like you.” With that comment, she turned and walked away. I wouldn’t mind if the king chose her. Maybe I would never have to see or speak to her again. I scan the room for a possible doorway that I can sneak away. All the doors seem to be blocked by guards, but I notice a long hallway off to the side that no one is around. I quickly make my way towards it, hoping to not be seen. I finally make it to the empty hallway. I slide into the hallway and notice a set of stairs leading upwards at the end of it. The walls are lined with portraits of old people, many of whom are probably dead. I do not recognize anyone except the old king. About five years ago, the old king, King James, died suddenly of illness. His son, now King Richard, was quickly coronated as the new king. I go to the stairs and check to make sure no one is around. I take my first step on the stairs, and my shoes make a loud-click noise. I look around scared that someone heard it and decide to take off my shoes. I carry them as I slowly climbed up the staircase. At the top of the stairs, there is another long hallway with many doors. I make my way down the hallway and listen out for people who may become. Complete silence. There is one door that is open towards the end. I make my way to its frame and look around the corner. It is heaven. A room was full of books from the floor to the ceiling. Many shelves with a parade of books of all different colors and shapes. There is a ladder attached to the shelves that I assume is supposed to help reach the top of the shelves. In the middle of the room is a large, wooden desk. It is nearly empty except for land and a blue and green ball on some kind of stand. I look around, and no one is in the room. I cross the doorway into heaven, forgetting all that is going on. I block out the thoughts of the party, thoughts of my brother, thought of Jamie. I block out everything. All I can think of is books. After placing my shoes on the desk, I walk towards the shelves and run my hand across the books. They are in perfect condition. Some look like they have never been touched. I grab a book off the shelf and run my fingers through its pages. It smells like new paper and looks so much better than my dusty books at home. My trance is suddenly interrupted.
“um, excuse me. Can I help you?” said a mysterious voice. I turn and see a tall man dressed in a white suit with gold accents on it standing in the doorway. He is much taller than me with a muscular frame. He has olive skin and dark black hair. His blue eyes twinkle under the dim lights.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was looking for the bathroom and got distracted,” I said with fright in my voice. He looks me up and down stopping at my bare feet.
“You aren’t wearing any shoes,” he said with a suspicious look on his face. I suddenly remember that I am not wearing my shoes, and they are placed on most likely the king’s desk.
“They are extremely uncomfortable. I’ve never worn heels before, and my mother insisted that I wear these. I didn’t think anyone would see me go to the bathroom, so I took them off for a moment,” I manage to spout out of my mouth like water coming out of a firehose. He looked at me still with that suspicion. He started to walk towards me slowly and grabbed the book out of my hand.
“Macbeth by Shakespeare. Have you ever read it?” he said with an inquisitive look. I know this is a trick. We aren’t supposed to read. We aren’t even supposed to know what books are.
“No, I have never seen anything like this. That is why I was so interested in this room. What are these things?” I said as I pointed to the book in his hand. He looked at me and his face became relaxed. Any suspicion seems to be gone from his face.
“They’re useless. They have been here for many generations, but they are never touched. Can you read?”
“I can read recipes, but that’s about it. Unless the words are flour, milk, eggs, and salt, I have no clue what it is,” I say with a slight smile and chuckle. He can probably tell I am lying.
“Interesting, so you cook?” he said more relaxed as he sits on the desk.
“My family owns the bakery in town, and I help out. That is about it,” I said a little more relaxed. We are then interrupted by a guard.
“Your… Oh, I’m sorry. I did not realize you had company. The ball is about to begin,” said the guard with a curious look at him and me.
“It is fine. She had just seen a book for the first time, and I was curious about her. You can take her down to the ball, and I will be there shortly,” said the mystery man as he handed my shoes to me. The guard then motioned me towards the door. I followed the guard back down to the big ballroom. Who has that man? Has he ever read a book? Why did he care to learn about me? I forgot to look for things about my brother. My thoughts are suddenly interrupted again, but this time by a trumpet. I turn towards the two largest donors in the entire room.
“All hear and stay at attention. King Richards has arrived,” yelled one of the guards posted at the door. Finally, I will see the son of the terrible man who took my brother away. The son of the terrible man who ruined our village. The son continues to have all these nice things but lets his people live in poverty.
The doors fling open and out walks a tall man dressed in a white suit with accents of gold. Muscular with olive skin, black hair, and bright blue eyes. It is him, the mysterious man. I catch myself staring with my mouth hanging open. My stomach drops, and I feel like I am going to throw up. The king smiles and waves to the cheering crowd. His eyes scan the room and stop when they meet mine. I feel like I am going to throw up now.
“You are relieved and may go back to what you were doing,” said the guard. I look around the room in a panic as all the things in my stomach begin to come up. I find the first guard closest to me and ask them to show me the bathroom. He points to a door that is on the other side of the room. Through the door and down the hall on the left. I walk quickly that way, trying to avoid the king. My body feels hot, and my stomach hurts. I’m going to faint.
I make it to the bathroom and close the door behind me. I throw up all the bread that I had earlier that day. I start to panic and question “why”. Why did it have to be the king? Why did I go to the library? Why couldn’t I have just gone unnoticed? Can I just hide in the bathroom for the rest of the night? I take a deep breath and realize I can’t stay in here all night. That will only lead to more trouble. I take a moment to collect myself and splash some water on my face. I remember who I am and why I am here.
After a few moments, I walk out the door and back to the ballroom. The look around the sea of people and notice the king talking to a group of women with his back to me. I grab a drink from a passing waiter and go to the farthest corner of the room from the king. Maybe I can wait here unnoticed for the next few hours. After what feels like forever, I feel a tap on my shoulder. My stomach drops again, and I turn around. To my surprise, it is a familiar face, Emilia. Emilia’s family owns the cow farm in town, and she resembles her father greatly. She is short and stocky with ginger hair and brown eyes. She is wearing a brown dress with boots normally meant for the field. She is trying to not be picked.
“Hey Rose, finally your year to be rounded into the pen?” she said with a sweet smile. Emilia is two years older than me and has never been picked as a trial wife. Every year after the ball, she tells me about her experiences. It usually includes a fight amongst men from out of town fueled by alcohol. Girls throw themselves at the richest men they see, many of whom are probably married. The King dances with twenty selected women, and he usually takes a few “special” girls to the garden to get to know them better. I can’t dance, and it's too cold outside.
“Yup, it's my year sadly. Did you see Jamie throwing herself at that group of men?” I said with a snarky smile.
After a giggle, she says “of course, I did. How could you miss it? Maybe we’ll be lucky, and she will get picked.” We make more small talk. Mostly about how our families are doing. She tells me about her brother’s new dog that was gifted to him for his birthday. How her family can afford a pet is beyond my knowledge. As I am finally feeling comfortable, I hear someone clear their throat behind me. Emilia’s face turns white and her eyes get wide. Damnit. I turn around, and a guard is standing behind me. He is older with salt and pepper hair dressed in the usual black suit. The only thing that sets him apart from the other guards is he has a red triangle embroidered on the right side of his chest.
“The king would like to have a dance with you,” he said as he extended his hand towards me.
“Are you sure? You must have the wrong person,” I said hoping there is a mistake.
“Are you the woman from the library?” he said with an eyebrow raised. Defeated, I just nodded and rested my hand on the top of his hand. I hear Emilia whisper, “good luck,” and I am led through the parted sea of people. I am led towards the white-suited man who looks like an angel. However, I know that he is anything but an angel. I am met with a smile and a nod.
“Thank you, Soterios,” he says with a smile. The guard gives him a nod and leaves. A few people are staring. Most are not paying much attention to us. “May I have this dance?” he says as he extends his open hand towards me.
“I don’t know how to dance. I’m sure there is someone here who would be a much better partner, dance partner,” I said through a faked smile. He just stares at me in silence with a frown for what feels like an eternity. All I can hear is my heart pounding in my chest, and I keep praying I hold down whatever bread is left in my stomach. Finally, he smiles at me and takes a step forward with his hand still extended.
“Don’t worry. I can teach you,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes. I grab his hand, and he leads me towards the middle of the dance floor. I notice more people begin to stare. Many have a confused look on their face. Some are smiling. Some, like Jamie, look like they just ate a lemon. He faces me and bows towards my presence. Like a deer in headlights, I stare at him in confusion. He looks at me and whispers “you’re supposed to curtsy.” I do as he says. He walks towards me and grabs my right hand. His left-hand rests on my waist. The bread might come up. I place my free hand on his shoulder mimicking what I saw another woman in the room do. The music starts to play.
“Just follow my lead,” he says with a smile. I stare at his feet and do the opposite of what he does. He steps forward. I step back. Once the song ends, I can take a deep breath. “did you learn anything?” he asks me with that same smile.
“I did. Maybe I’ll be better when I come back next year,” I said through a fake smile. He lets out a small chuckle, and the same guard as before comes up to us with a different girl.
“Soterios, I would like to take,” he pauses and stares at me, “I forgot your name. What was it again?” He stares at me intently waiting for my response like I waited for Joshua to come home.
“Its Rose, Rose Whithers,” I reluctantly answered.
“Yes, Rose. Soterios, I would like to take Rose to the garden, if that is okay with her,” he said without breaking his gaze.
“It's kind of chilly outside, and I forgot to bring a wrap. Plus, I think I’d rather sit and take my shoes off.” I said in hopes of being left alone. I hear a gasp come from the people surrounding us. Many people are now staring at me in disbelief. What? He did ask if I wanted to go, and I don’t.
“Then we will go to the library. I’ll come to get you Soterios when I am ready for another dance,” he says without breaking a gaze. His smile seems tenser than before, and he extends his hand again. I hope no one ever extends their hand towards me again in the way he did. Feeling helpless, I just smiled and grabbed his hand. He led me to a room that seemed familiar, but different at the same time. The wall was lined with books from the floor to the ceiling. There was a faint smell of musk and dust that filled the air. The room seemed colder than the rest of the castle but had spots that warmth expelled upon you. As I gazed around the room, I felt eyes piercing through me. I turned back to the King.
“It's crazy. Even though we were here earlier, it seems like a new place,” I said while trying to contain my excitement.
“Well, it is a new place. This isn’t the same library we met in before. There are multiple libraries built within these walls. What perplexes me is that you know what a library even is,” he said with a raised eyebrow. I felt my stomach drop and heat rush throughout my body. Excuses started to race through my head. What do I say? How do I explain that I know of a place that shouldn’t exist? Why did I take his hand?
“Oh, my brother told me tales of libraries. He said they were rooms filled with things called books. He thought they were interesting,” I said without much thought. Why did I say that?
“Your brother must be a curious one,” he said as he came closer to me.
“He was. Your father required him about 10 years ago. It will be 10 years ago in 8 days to be exact,” I said as I started to tear up as memories of him leaving started to play in my mind. The room was silent. I just stared at the floor, lost in my memories. The feeling of a single drop of water racing down my cheek snapped me out of my thoughts.
“I’m sorry, your highness. He was my best friend,” I fumbled out of my mouth, “So do you read a lot?” I turned back to the books in hopes of changing the subject. Having a full breakdown over my brother in front of the new king is not something I would like to happen. He didn’t answer me. He walked over and grabbed my hands. He stared into my eyes with a look of pity but also something else. He then slowly moved his body closer to mine and wrapped his arms around me. He held me close in silence for a few minutes. It was weird. It felt like a nice, warm hug that you receive from loved ones, but a coldness also radiated from it. I wanted to fully hug back, but a sharpness about it prevented me. As he started to let go, we hear a knock at the door. A familiar face then opens the door. My saving grace, Soterios, takes a few steps in.
“I apologize for the interruption, my king. However, a few people are upset that you have not danced with more of the other woman,” he said with a face made of stone, “What would you like me to tell them?” The king looked at me and gave me a soft smile.
“Don’t say anything. Give me a minute, and I’ll be out there,” he said without taking his eyes off of me. Soterios bowed with a brief response and left the library. I did notice that he left the doors open.
“I hate to cut this short, but it would be rude of me to not meet the other guests. Maybe, I will grab you later once others start to leave,” he said with the same smile and raised an eyebrow. I nodded with a faked smile. I started to pray that we would only see each other in passing. We left the library and parted ways once we reached the ballroom. I spent the rest of the night talking to Emilia and meeting some of her friends. The king would smile at me when he passed by. However, we did not speak for the rest of the night. The other girls kept asking questions about what the king is like alone and where we went. I kept it short, not giving many details. I hoped that the fewer people talked about it, the more likely everyone would forget about me. As the night started to die down, a guard came to gather me. I was worried when he first approached but was relieved when he told me that it was time for me to go. I gathered my things and simply left. I did not pass the king on my way out which was a relief.
Once I got home, I changed into my nightgown. Everyone in the house was asleep. I lay in bed for what seemed like hours as thoughts raced through my mind. The fear of being noticed kept me up all night. Once I finally fell asleep, I heard a loud knock on my bedroom door. My mother barged in with a frantic look on her face. She closed my door and sat on my bed. I have never seen her move so quickly.
“What happened last night?” she said with a worried look.
“Nothing important. I talked to Emilia and her friends mostly. Nothing happened,” I said partially awake. I didn’t want to tell my mother about the king and about going to the library with him. I knew it would just make her fearful.
“Well, if nothing happened, why are there guards at our front door claiming the king is requesting you?” she said with a break in her voice. Well, I’m awake now.
