I sucked in a sharp breath as Agnes tightened the laces on my bodice. The gown seemed too tight, although it was no tighter than usual. I exhaled as Agnes stepped back to examine her work and I turned to her, waiting as she scrutinized me, her lips turned downward in a concentrated frown.

"How do I look, Agnes?" I asked her.

Her eyes met mine and she smiled. "You look absolutely beautiful, Miss." She said proudly.

I had been afraid to look in the mirror. I did not want to see what I would look like going to the ball where my sister's engagement to William would be announced. I did not want to go. I had not finished preparing the speech I would have to give. I was not ready. You'll never be ready, a voice whispered inside my head.

I stepped into the view of the mirror and met the eyes of my reflection. I looked beautiful, as Agnes had said. I wore a dark blue gown threaded with pearls, so that it looked as though I wore the sky at midnight. It was elegant, framing me nicely. It clung to my hips, making my waist look smaller and curvier, and it was tight at my chest, accentuating my breasts. I wore midnight blue slippers to match and pearls were woven into my curled hair. My face was powdered, my lips painted red, kohl lined my eyes, and my cheeks were flushed red. But the look in my eyes could not be hidden. There was a sadness in their depths that told a story of loss that words could not describe.

I had not cried on the days leading up to today, but at this moment, I wanted to. I turned back to Agnes, my lip trembling slightly.

Her eyes softened, her proud smile fading, when she saw my face. She took my hand in both of hers and squeeze tightly. "I know," she whispered.

And there was a look in her eyes that told me she understood. She did know. She felt my pain. "How did you lose him, Agnes?" I asked her softly.

She swallowed and gave me a sad smile. "I was not noble born, and he was. He went off to marry a lady, with a title, and lands, and power."

"I'm sorry." I said, and I was. I could now empathize with her, since my situation was quite similar to hers.

She loosed a breath and tucked a stray hair behind my ears. "You must go, or you will be late." She said, pushing me gently toward my bedroom door.

I hugged her quickly. "Thank you, Agnes," I murmured.

She nodded her head, smiling at me, patting my cheek. "Don't forget to smile, Miss." She replied.

I nodded, before hurrying down the stairs to meet the rest of my family. Father was waiting at the door; Mother and Alice were nowhere to be seen.

My father smiled at me. "You look lovely, Erika," he said.

I inclined my head slightly. "Thank you, Father."

After another few minutes, Mother and Alice met us at the base of the stairs. Alice looked beautiful, as always. Her golden hair was done up in a bun, with a few curls escaping to frame her face. She wore a beautiful red gown with long, tight sleeves and gold lace. Beautiful diamond patterns trailed town the skirt and along the waist line, and her red satin slippers had diamonds threaded on them as well.

Her eyes were rimmed red, as though she'd been crying, for she probably had been. She offered me a faint smile and I returned it.

"You look beautiful, Alice." I said.

She looked down, nodding. "Thank you. As do you. That dress is stunning." Her compliment caused me to blush slightly. She had never been one to give compliments freely, if at all.

"Shall we get going?" Mother asked, breaking the awkward silence that seemed to settle over the room.

We walked out to the carriage where Walter waited to drive us to the ball. When we had all settled in the cramped carriage space, Mother began speaking, and she hardly seemed to take a breath for the entire ride to the palace. She chatted eagerly about the wedding, and about Prince William, and about what was to transpire this evening.

No one else had anything to say, or had time to speak between Mother's short pauses, where she took a breath. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she was nervous. But, of course, I did know better.

The carriage ride seemed to drag on for an unbearably long time. When we finally arrived, it was a relief to be able to get out and away from Mother. We were announced as we entered the ballroom, and everyone turned to watch Alice descend the stairs into the room. I ducked out of the way, hurrying down the stairs and to a corner, where I could watch the festivities alone.

The room was very extravagantly decorated, with polished marble statues that I had not seen before, and a large candlelit chandelier where strings of diamonds dangled, twinkling in the light. Men and women were dressed in finest attire, dancing merrily to the music that the musicians played. The king and queen sat on their thrones on the raised dais, as usual. I noticed Prince William was not on the dais with his parents, and I could not see him in the crowd of dancers.

It would not be long before I would have to go stand before these people and speak. I would have to tell them how please I was that my sister was marrying Prince William, how happy Alice was to be marrying him. Both statements were false.

My mouth felt dry and chalky at the thoughts swimming through my head. I was nervous. My hands were sweating and I kept them pressed against the skirt of my gown to keep them from trembling.

I saw Alice, surrounded by a group of handsome suitors, all vying for her only a moment of her attention. She smiled and spoke with one of them: an attractive blond, the muscles bulging under his dark doublet.

"Erika," a voice said softly from beside me. I had not even noticed anyone near me.

I turned to William and curtsied. "Good evening, Your Highness." I murmured, meeting his eyes.

The corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile. Even that small gesture sent my heart racing. "You look beautiful." He murmured, his eyes never leaving mine.

I felt my cheeks flush at the compliment, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. I looked away, silently scolding myself for still feeling this way about him. He was not mine. I pressed my lips together and did not reply.

He exhaled slowly, nodding. "My apologies for . . . engaging you . . ." He bowed and stepped away.

I swallowed, my throat aching. I wanted to cry as I watched his retreating figure vanish from sight. I pressed my hands together, listening to the jubilant music that seemed to echo in every corner of the room.

It felt as though no time had gone by, but, soon enough, King Henry was standing at the front of the raised dais. The crowd immediately fell silent, everyone turning to listen to their sovereign speak.

"Thank you all for attending the engagement ball of my son, William, and Alice Lovet of Locksley." He began, his voice reverberating off the walls, heard in every corner of the room. No one made a sound as the king continued to speak about the love between his son and Alice, and how they were meant to be, and how Alice would be a fantastic queen.

Once he had finished, everyone in the room cheered loudly. His speech had riled them up, given them hopes and expectations for the future, for what was to come.

With each word that passed from his lips, my heart felt heavier and heavier, and by the time he had finished speaking, I felt as though I could crash through the marble floor with the weight of my misery.

And then his eyes fell on me, even with the hundreds of people around me. He smiled, but it was a cold, menacing smile.

Bastard. I thought bitterly.

"Alice's younger sister, Erika Lovet, has requested to speak about all of this from her point of view. I am sure she will have nothing but good things to say." His eyes flashed when they met mine. A threat. Only good things to say.

I made my way toward the king, and the walk felt like it lasted an eternity. The men and women stepped back so that I could get through. I could feel all of their eyes on me, the weight of their stares propelling me forward. The silence in the large room was deafening. My own footsteps echoed too loudly in my ears as I strode forward.

The raised dais seemed to be getting further and further away with each step I took. My palms were sweating once more, and I was shaking slightly. It was unbearably warm in this room, but I felt cold all over. Nerves. Only nerves. I would survive. The room began spinning around me, black dots dancing before my eyes. My heart beat erratically in my chest, my breath coming fast. My bodice was too tight and did not allow for my unreasonable anxieties. And then I tripped. And I was falling . . . falling . . .

I hit the ground and everything went black.

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Hey! Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I was trying to decide whether I post this chapter now or come up with more filler. But of course you don't want to read meaningless shit written by someone because they want to drag it out. So I just cut that part out and got to the point!

Please vote, comment, or fan! Follow me for updates on First at Last! Thanks for reading!

P.S. Just a reminder: I know I've published this on the website, but I am still going to edit it as I go, because I am still working on it. I haven't even finished writing it yet :P