Silence hung heavy in the room. The golden-haired girl sat motionless, staring at a large window. Maids would appear soon to dress her to meet her betrothed. Perhaps she should've taken Kat's offer to run away together. As a little girl, she had dreamt of being a princess, but as an adult, the loss of freedom was crippling.
Swiftly, Lily got to her feet and bolted from the room. The gilded walls and waxed floors passed in a blur as she ran, trying to get lost in the labyrinth of hallways. Vacant suits of armor and impassive portraits of royalty long since passed stared as she passed.
"Oof!" She choked as the wind was knocked out of her.
Lily fell onto her butt and looked up stupidly at the cause of injury. A tall, handsome man with dark hair stared down at her. He was dressed in lavish clothing and had a sort of devil-may-care look about him. His clothing and wicked appearance didn't quite match, and yet Lily had no trouble believing the man before her was royalty. Hastily, she got to her feet and then continued gawking at the man. Could this be her betrothed?
"You must be here to fetch me," the man said, straightening his shoulders.
"Oh, um, no, I-" Lily began but paused.
What exactly had she been doing? Suddenly she couldn't remember. What the man, or rather, the prince had said didn't sound right though.
"Are you only here to gawk, then?" he asked, unamused.
Her jaw dropped open. Sure, she had been staring, but he didn't have to be so rude about it.
"No, I was just leaving," She snapped, turning on her heel.
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Am I?"
"I haven't dismissed you yet. I'm not sure what customs you have here, but in my country, you must be dismissed by those of higher rank than you. We usually expect to be addressed with respect as well, but I guess you value equality here."
Lily scoffed, unable to believe her ears. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came. Should she tell him she held the same rank as him? Or simply insult him and be on her way? If Kat were here, Lily was sure she'd have already scolded the man for insulting her. Voices approached from down the hall and Lily found herself out of options.
More concerned with being caught and wrangled back into her new royal bedroom, she scampered down the hall.
YOU ARE READING
K&L: A shifting story
FantasyThis story is based on my shared fairytale DR with a close friend. The first half will be scenarios and the main timeline, whereas the second half will be written post-shift and will be in the style of storytimes. This DR is based loosely on Disney'...
