Midnight

Nine

Chapter nine:

My mind was filled with excitement and worry as my carriage drew closer and closer to the Palace. I could see the brilliant lights from the road and I could almost hear the hundreds of people talking and laughing inside and around the castle.
My carriage was one of the last ones to arrive. I heard the guards shout at each other to keep the gate open as Mr. Goose steered the golden carriage into the Palace courtyard.

When it came to a stop I looked out of the nearest window. My mouth gently fell open and I then realized why Dulcy and my stepsisters had been so excited about going to the Palace. The castle was beautiful, it's walls were bright white and they shone in the dusk. The carriage had stopped right in front of the huge flights of stairs leading to the open front doors.
A footman opened the carriage door and the other one helped me down. I stepped delicately onto the stone of the courtyard and took a deep breath.
Have courage and be kind.

"I'm frightened, Mr. Lizard." I whispered to the nearest footman. He heard me and scooted closer. I sighed and turned my head to look at him.
"I am only a girl, after all. Not a princess."
"And I'm only a lizard. Not a footman." The lizard told me. "Enjoy it while it lasts!"
I smiled at him, thankful for his encouraging words, and looked back up at the huge flight of stairs. Then I took another deep breath and began to walk up. I tried to hurry without looking like I was running, but as I got closer to the castle I could hear a man announcing something.

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, my Lords, Ladies, and Gentleman, distinguished visitors, and people of our land!"
His voice was loud and he sounded much like the man who had announced the ball in the marketplace two weeks ago. His voice grew louder as I got closer to the castle. Once I reached the front doors, they slowly swung open and revealed a beautiful hallway. I didn't take the time to admire the inside of the Palace, although I would have loved to, for I was already late.
"The Prince will now choose his partner for the first dance! Let our ball commence!"
I smiled when I heard the man's final announcement. I thought of my stepsisters who were probably praying to everything they could think of that the Prince would choose them for the first dance. And deep inside, I found myself wishing the same thing for them.

At the end of the long hallway there was a set of double doors that I could hear applause through. Without hesitating in case I changed my mind, I raised my hand and softly knocked on the door. The doors swung open, much like the front doors did, and I was faced with the inside of the enormous ballroom. My eyes widened as I realized that I was standing on the top of another set of stairs that led to the bottom of the ballroom. At the start of the ball, every attender would start here and excitedly walk down, but I was the last visitor to arrive and I was standing by myself. My eyes wandered around the ballroom and I took in everything I could without looking like I was staring. There were huge chandeliers with thousands of candles on them, hanging everywhere throughout the room. The marble floor could hardly be seen by the amount of people standing on it, all dressed in the finest clothes imaginable. And they were all staring at me. But I ignored the wild staccato of my heart and the flushing of my checks as I slowly made my way down the stairs.

At the plateau halfway down, I stopped and remembered my manners. I sank into an elegant curtsy, like the ones I had practiced with my mother and father so many times when I was young. My bright blue dress clouded around my legs and pooled on the floor as I bowed my head in respect. Then I slowly rose and continued my slow decent to the ballroom floor.
The people's eyes never left me and it suddenly occurred to me that the Prince was nowhere in sight. I remembered the announcement that had been made just a moment ago that said the Prince would choose his partner for the first dance. But the Prince, or his partner, were not to be found.

My glass shoes finally landed on the hard marble ballroom floor with a soft tap. The people started making whispering noises and began moving respectfully out of my way. I gently frowned, not being able to think of a reason why they would move for me. Then I saw him, across the large ballroom, smiling the same smile that had been forever in my mind since the first day we met.
Kit. The people were moving out of his way, not mine, and they were all bowing their heads as he passed them on his way to me. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, my mind racing just as quickly as my heart.
Why were the people bowing to Kit?
Where was the Prince?
Unless...
My heart stopped for a moment and I quietly took in a small breath of surprise.
Kit was the Prince.