"Wake up Princess! Wake up!"

Kashara woke to someone gently shaking her awake. She rubbed her eyes blearily, and sat up, and was stunned by what she saw.

Unless she was dreaming, her room had just turned into a marketplace. There were a dozen or so maids scuttling here and there with huge bundles of what seemed to be cloth materials, pushing racks of dresses, while some carried suspicious looking bags brimming with god knows what inside.

She stumbled out of the bed, and asked the nearest maid, "What..What's going on?" The maid turned to her, looking very frazzled, carrying an armful of an atrocity she had come to learn was lipstick. The maid replied hurriedly, " Oh, Princess, thank goodness you're awake! Marizbeth, Isanta, is the bathing room ready for her highness?"

Wow...thank you. That totally unanswered my question. Kashara thought annoyed as two maids ran forward and ushered her to the bathroom. After she submitted to a thorough washing, she was half convinced she must have lost half a kilogram of skin from all that scrubbing, she was permitted to put on underclothing and stand in front of a mirror as three seamstresses slipped on huge dresses and stuck pins in to make them not look like she could hide a whole elephant inside her dress.

Someone was holding a plate of delicious breakfast rolls and pastries, and Kashara bemusedly ate a few before, it was snatched away by a frustrated maid who was trying to apply lipstick.

She belatedly recalled Fallon had said her self defence classes were to start today morning. Maybe, this was some kind of test? She wondered if she was supposed to fight them all off or something. Well, she certainly felt like eleven kilogram ballgown was threatening to suffocate her. Though she highly doubted her coming out of this alive if she harmed a stitch on the dress, if the glares of the seamstresses were any indication, when she tried to adjust a ruffle.

Perhaps, this was a tactic of Fallon to put her at a disadvantage during the fight. I knew he was a coward! Kashara thought. Yet her ideas felt suspiciously off the mark, even to her.

Finally the seamstresses were done adjusting her dress and she looked down. She was wearing this flowing, glittery gown that oscillated between shades of champagne and moonlit. She had always thought if a dress ever made her speechless, it would be because it had been stuffed down her mouth. Never because she was actually impressed by it.

She realised somehow her makeup and her hair was also done, and considered maybe she wasn't actually going for a training session. She frowned thoughtfully at the mirror when a particularly irritating voice appeared at her shoulder.

"Well, If my reflection looked like that, I certainly wouldn't be frowning at her." Kashara looked up and found the ever pestilent, ever charming Fallon Eagus was standing behind her, his eyes running up and down her.

"What's happening?" She asked him abruptly.

"Oh, it's a ball. Very short notice." He remarked airily.

"A...a ball?" Kashara asked hesitantly. She tried in vain to not remember the last ball she attended. She could still remember, Lady Feola, giving her an apologetic smile for her abomination of a mother, her eyes crinkling up adorably. She was nearly the same age as her. She wondered, if that was her first ball, for she had been very young.

"It's not going to blow up. I promise." Fallon said slowly, Kashara's eyes snapped back to him.

"Well, forgive me if I don't take your word for it." She snapped at him.

"This is not up for debate, Princess. Get moving." Fallon grabbed her elbow and physically dragged her out.

She tried struggling out of his grasp, but he held too firmly, and she could feel some kind of floating jinx was keeping her feet from touching the ground at all.

"Let me go!!" She cried in frustration, and snapped her hand quickly toward him. A searing wave of magic left her in the form off a stinging jinx, colliding with Fallon's hip.

He swore, not expecting her to attack him, however managed to regain his grip on her tightly, before she could escape. He had only mildly recoiled from the pain, and had never fully let go of her hand. He snapped his free hand, and suddenly both her hands were covered with glowing green plasma like jelly. She tried to dispel them with a jinx, however she felt them furiously feed off any magic she conjured.

"Urgh! You suck!" She said furiously, trying to aim a kick to his shin. " Seriously! Why do you have to be so overbearing! Would it kill you to ask nicely? And is it necessary for me to go to this ball!"

"It's an official ball announcing our engagement. I'm afraid its pretty necessary for the bride to be at her own engagement party."

"What! Since when?" She cried out in shock.

"You thought I kidnapped you as some strange live in pet? I assure you, Demitytes has far better, more pleasant companions of the animal race I would have rather chosen. Did you forget you are actually here to marry me? "

"Well, Considering I never consented to it in the first place, is it so odd I want no part of this?"

"Well, It's a pity I wasn't asking you!" He glibly stated, while leading her down the corridor.

"Considering you need my cooperation to ensure that your precious country people believe this farce of a union, and that I will save the planet in some mysterious inexplicable way, I do think you should be, on your bended knees actually."

Fallon stilled and stopped walking, finally turning around to face her. He looked furious and Kashara gulped. He abruptly grabbed her shoulders and slammed her against the wall and loomed dangerously over her. His eyes glinted darkly as he bore down on her, and bent low against her ear. She could feel his rigid hard muscular frame press into her.

Kashara was sandwiched between the hard wall and Fallon.

"Now listen here, Princess. You are going to get out there and act like we are a happy couple. I will not allow my image to be tarnished." Fallon breathed harshly into her ear as his hands held her firmly against the wall.

Kashara couldn't breathe properly. Fallon's extreme proximity awakened strange flutters, but he wanted nothing to do with her, at least in any romantic sense. He had been rather distant, and aloof ever since the kiss. Sure, he manhandled her, but he made no reference or even hinted towards what had transpi- What in the galloping gargoyles Kashara?! I thought you didn't want to marry the guy! Her snarky inner voice screamed at her indignantly. She thanked her blessed inner conscience that she had been interrupted before she got too derailed.

Seriously, It must be something in the water, she was sure. It was making her absolutely mental. She sighed, finally able to sharply concentrate now that Fallon's distracting presence had reverted to a safe distance away. Yeah a safe distance for him. I'll freaking hara kiri him if he tries anything again. Kashara said determinedly. He's probably doing some weird spell that's affecting me like this. She concluded with an air of finality.

They had made it to the Grand Hall, Kashara hadn't realised she had been walking - all courtesy of the Fallon Piloting. A safe and stress free way to travel in style. She exhaled shortly at that. Fallon stood next to her, holding her hand now.

He glanced down to her shortly, " Remember what I said. I control every aspect of your life here, darling. I would so hate to take away your privileges, because some poor courtier saw or heard something he shouldn't have." Kashara glared at him. "Not to mention, he'll be dead before he digests what he ate in the ball today, if he hears, or sees something he shouldn't. Remember what I said when you first came here. If you spoil my image in anyway. I'll kill who ever knows otherwise, and I will punish you. "

"How lovely. are you always this much of an asshole, or are you just -"

"It would be in your best interests to shut up now" Fallon said in a low voice as the liquid glass doors, slowly parted in the middle and the ballroom opened up to them. She could hear the scribes announcing her arrival, and was promptly concerned with more worrying things.

Kashara could hear the tumultous cheering and chattering from the grand hall. Oh Artemis, someone save her. She sub-consciously felt Fallon leading her down the huge set of stairs as she resigned herself to a day of utter doom.

__ __

"Oh my lady. You look absolutely fantastic." Lord Dalbus exclaimed joyously, bouncing on the balls of his feet, standing in waiting at the foot of the stairs.

Kashara smiled at him politely, she always recalled him fondly - he reminded her of a harmless old grandfather, " Err, you too, Lord Dalbus." She said after a few shocked moments, stunned by his fluorescent orange robes with unicorns and dragons on them. A bit loony, though.

Eraiek and a bunch of other nobles stood next to him, eager to greet the newly engaged Prince and Princess. She smiled at Eraiek, trying not to show how perturbed she was with the tattoo she saw on him.

"You look very beautiful, Kashara. My nephew is a very lucky man." Eraiek stepped forward and kissed her hand, after bowing formally. Kashara was a bit taken aback at that, but realised this was probably a very formal function.

"Lord Eraiek." Fallon greeted shortly.

"My prince." Eraiek inclined his head, his eyes twinkling at Fallon's curt manner. He fell back to let others greet the royal couple, and Kashara wondered if she had sensed some tension or was she imagining it all.

"Kashara can I introduce, my other Uncle, Lord Natik Eagus. He is the Minister for Liaison and Public Policy and an irreplaceable asset to this Kingdom.

What a glowing recommendation...Kashara thought snidely as she extended her hand to Lord Natik. "Pleased to meet you, Lord Natik." She said as the man bowed low over her hand.

"My lady! I have been counting the days till I could meet you!" Lord Natik exclaimed reverently, and suddenly it was all too clear to Kashara, why he had gotten such a glowing report from Fallon. Such a suck up... She thought, rather uncharitably. However, she couldn't help but feel predisposed to dislike the simpering man in front of her

"I thought you were allergic to bullshit." She said in a low voice to Fallon, who gave her just a warning glare. Yet she could see his mouth tilt up just slightly.

Someone called to Fallon and he bent and whispered to her, "I'll be back darling, business calls." Kashara tried to ignore the delicious shivers that ran down her spine from Fallon's voice, murmuring lowly in her ear. He's acting. You heard him. He's playing a part of the image. Kashara said to herself, and faintly shook her head.

Natik was meanwhile exclaiming loudly about something to her, and she tried to nod along, pretending to listen, while grimacing inwards. Why was she always stuck with these loony guys. She groaned to herself.

Natik had finally abandoned his perpetual bow and was finally standing quite straight. It was only then that she noticed just how tall he really was. In fact, he looked suspiciously like a man she had once seen...

Someone in the shadowy corridors of the castle, the man who had a clandestine meeting with one of the kitchen maids. A noble man who had conspired to poison Prince Fallon, and given it to the maid!

Fallon had seen her memory, and had left in a storm. She had then assumed it was to possibly execute the noble and the maid.

However, she was very sure the noble man was Natik. The silhouette was unmistakable. Then, either Fallon had not realised who he was, or knew, but left him alive for some reason. However, Fallon would have surely recognised his uncle, a man he had seen since birth, immediately in her memory.

There was no way Fallon just decided to be merciful to a guy who planned to murder him. She tried to convince herself, for there was no way he was still alive if Fallon wanted him gone. He is alive for a reason, she told herself. Yet she resolved to have a word with Fallon in case he didn't know who it was...

She didn't look forward to his reaction though. If he didn't know his uncle was a traitor, or even if he knew, the issue was very touchy and fragile. Fallon would not respond well to her interference.

She realised with a pang, this was why Fallon was so paranoid. He couldn't even trust his uncle. To always suspect someone was going to turn around stab you in the back. To not even be able to trust your own flesh and blood, was truly a horrifying world to be in.  Suddenly Kashara was glad she never had much family, in the first place.

"It was really terrible, when you could be surrounded by an entire ballroom of people, yet feel like you were all alone," She thought as she watched Fallon's receding back as he walked away with a few Nobles. His shoulders were utterly straight and there was that familiar arrogant tilt to his head as he talked to a Noble. She could tell he was being very condescending from the expression on his face.

How had it been for him? To face such a harsh, cutthroat environment at the young age of fourteen. Forced to be cruel, and ruthless, to be concerned with his vulnerability and mortality at such a young age...

Aware that one wrong move, and even his most trusted relations could take the chance and rid him of his throne, his live.

The crowd soon hid him from her, however Kashara still stood staring at the direction he had stood.

Kashara pondered as Lord Natik talked about his grand role in organising this ball. He was delighted to have held the Queen's attention for so long. Already he was envisioning, a new post, a new chair, just next to the King's in the court room, Royal Inquisitor. It sounded as lovely as his own voice to his ears.

"Would your majesty like a drink?" Natik finally asked, perhaps having felt the pangs of a dry throat after all that talking. Kashara saw her way out.

"Yes, please." She paused. That was too nice for a Queen. "Immediately. I want a juice of a rare orange fruit and a wintery fruit together, shaken not stirred." She added imperiously. That should keep him sufficiently occupied for her to make an escape.

Natik bowed and left in search of the drinks table for her unique request and Kashara bolted.

She wasn't foolish to drink anything he brought her, when she knew him to have attempted to poison Fallon.

She ducked behind a conveniently placed set of curtains for surveillance and reconnaissance. This place was more dangerous than she had thought. Careful strategy was required if she had to survive till the end.

_______

"Do you have any exotic orange coloured fruit? And some winter seasoned fruit?" Natik asked harried, at the third drinks counter. All others had only given him a wide-eyed look. The attendants he meant, not the counters themselves, for that would have been pretty impossible.

"Will oranges do my lord? They are a rare Erthling fruit the prince ordered to be specially grown. And I'm sure winter squash is a winter fruit too." The attendant asked.

"Yes. Yes. The queen will love that it has a fruit from her home planet. Make it." He ordered imperiously, as if he had invented the fruit itself, "And be quick about it. Shaken not stirred"

Under his breath, he muttered, " Whatever that means. Finally though, thank Poseidon. Erthlings have the weirdest drink customs. It sounds positively unappetising."

___

Natik walked back after a while, Kashara's elaborate order in hand, along with a glass of fine Elveshir wine for himself. He stopped abruptly, stunned to find the Queen to be missing, as if he had expected her to be frozen in the same place like a stone sculpture.

"Oh no! My lady? She was just here!" Natik looked around harried. " My Queen! Your Highness!" He called out anxiously, dreams of a private castle with a giant sculpture of him, plummeting to the ground.

"Nooooooo!" He sunk to the floor, oblivious to the stares he was getting.

____________________________

Tada :) Hope you liked my super looong chapter. Consider it as an apology cos I took like freaking eternity to update.

How do you like Natik? Why do you think he is still alive and not languishing in the dungeons?

Let me know what you think!

And there's more good news! I have another update! Tomorrow or possibly the day after! Aren't holidays such fun? Don't forget to comment!

In the meantime, I've got an absolutely horrid exam tomorrow called soft skills. UGH. It's where they teach you social skills and interview office skills, Logic problem solving etc. It's a total bore. But at least there is nothing much to study for that :)

Tom: oh I remember my OWLS and NEWTS in Hogwarts. Such a long time ago, it was...

Loki: Yeah we know you are old grandpa...

Tom: Silence pest! Do not incur the wrath of Lord Voldemort.

Loki: What are you going to do? Throw your silly stick at me?

Tom: Avada Kedavra!

Loki promptly falls down as if struck.

Tom: I..What..I have done it! Let that be a lesson to all who oppose me.

Loki: Oh crap. What, was that? (sit's up dizzy)

Tom: HOW ARE YOU ALIVE ?"

Loki: Errr, I'm a god remember. ( Hold his nose and groans )

Ink: Oh look Tom you've given him a nose bleed.

Tom: Yeah. Freaking awesome. Great. Freak! OMG you suck Ink ! You and PG Rating! I can't even swear properly. Freak. Freak Freak. Freaking Frea—.

Ink: Okay Bye everyone! ( Tom trying to swear in the background.)

Love

Ink on parchment.