The True Story Of The Original Witch

Chapter 4: The Ball

The carriage pulled up through the palace gates, alongside other beautiful, golden carriages. As the carriage pulled to a stop, the driver came off the front and opened the door for me.

"Thank you." I said calmly. I had to keep my wit under control here. I was on a thin line with these people, and I hoped to stay on the good side of that line.

I was standing behind two young men, obviously related, and both fairly unattractive. I was ready to make a remark about their looks, but held myself back.

One by one, we were allowed into the grand hall, which was large enough to also be used as a ballroom, at least tonight. Tables were lined up near the sides of the room, lined with various snacks with names I couldn't pronounce, and covered with white tablecloths. I didn't dare go near them. I didn't want to make a fool of myself.

After hovering near the entrance for an awkwardly long amount of time, I finally walked over to the tables at the side of the room. There was another woman there, grabbing a glassful of what appeared to be champagne. No. I was not getting drunk tonight.

After scanning the table for something non-alcoholic, I leaned into a servant. "May I have a glass of water? I can't find anything non-alcoholic on this table."

The servant nodded and calmly walked off. He was doing better than me tonight. In a few minutes, he was back with a champagne flute filled with clean, cold water. I gave a tiny nod to thank him. So far, I felt as if I was doing okay. I scanned the room for Joseph. He wasn't here yet. None of the royals were.

I started to panic. I was going to turn into a creepy wallflower soon. I had to mingle. I had no choice. I spotted three women all gathered in a circle, drinking champagne and different types of white wine. There was nothing red here.

That's when it hit me. There was a dress code. I had already broken the rules. Everyone around me was wearing shades of white or cream, along with accents of black. I was never told about this. That was when I heard one of the women speak.

"The Princess's mother, I swear. Queen Annabelle is a wonderful woman, but this last-second dress code had me all flustered. I understand the need to change the color scheme, but really, two days notice? I, for one, think that the queen is just trying to mess with us," she said. All the women giggled. One of the other women in the group, a tall, blond-haired girl chuckled softly.

"Yes, I should have worn the blue dress that I prepared, just to tease her," she gave a laugh that I couldn't help but find snooty. "I should have had half a mind to wear it anyway. Give the old girl a good shock."

That's when I saw my chance. These women, if I played it right, may accept my wit. "You may still get to, tonight."

All three women turned to me. Despite the fact that all three of them seemed to be staring daggers into me, I turned on my false confidence and smirked, sipping the water out of my glass. All three women gasped, which worried me, but I could see they were smiling. "Oh, you naughty girl!" The first one said with a smile. She took my arm and pulled me into the circle.

"You wore yours anyway?!" The second gasped. "Oh, I should have too, we all could have shocked her right out of her skin!"

"It is a wonderful dress. Where did you have it made?" The third asked.

"It was custom made," I said. I could see they were all waiting for a specific name. I wasn't going to actually tell them, and any excuse would only make me look worse, so I tried something different. "You know, by my fairy godmother? I met with her tonight in the middle of the woods."

The women all laughed. Good. "You are hilarious!" The second said. "I'm Lady Nadine of Pike. These two are Duchess Marie of Yolanda, and Princess Goobersnausage of Smythe."

"Goober-what?"

"It's a long story. But please, call me Sage." the third woman said. She adjusted her blond hair. Wait, was she wearing a wig? Maybe I wasn't the most odd person here. "Anyway, I've never seen you at one of these balls before. Who are you, exactly?"

Okay, here we go. "Miss Elise Brandt, of Proditione."

"Brandt?" asked Marie. "as in, Beau Brandt? Savior of Prince Joseph and hero to nobility?"

"Yes, he's my brother." I said.

"I can't believe it! YOU'RE the sister of Beau Brandt? The war hero who saved this entire kingdom, and possibly many more?"

"Yes."

"Ha! This is quite a night! You, Elise, are going to make tonight the best night of everyone here." Nadine said.

Suddenly, trumpets sounded. We all looked towards the front of the room, opposite the doors we had all come in. "Presenting, his royal majesty, King Claude!" As the king walked onto the platform where the thrones sat, everyone gave a polite applause. "His royal highness, Prince Joseph!" My eyes went wide with surprise. So he was. He was just waiting in the wings with his father. As soon as he stepped out onto the platform beside his father, our eyes met. He smiled. I blushed.

Marie, Nadine, and Sage noticed. Sage elbowed me and whispered into my ear. "So that's who discovered you."

"W-what?" I stammered back.

"No, it's fine. You two would make a very lovely couple." she said.

"Presenting her highness, Queen Annabelle of Tabrine!" The queen walked out, graceful as a swan, and instantly her eyes were on me. But just as quickly, they landed on Marie and Nicole, who sniggered. Clearly, she thought they were behind this. Lucky me. Sage giggled. "Why do you think I'm wearing a wig?" She whispered. "Queen Annabelle isn't a huge fan of my natural hair color."

"What's your natural hair color?" I asked.

"Green."

"What?" I whispered.

"I'll tell you the story sometime. Oh, here she is." We both turned back to the platform.

"And her royal highness, Princess Briar Rose of Tabrine!"

As the little princess stepped out, I could see why Queen Annabelle didn't want any of us wearing real color. Briar Rose was standing there in a beautiful green ball gown. The sleeves were long, with pointed tips that covered her hands, like mine. The dress was a darker shade, adorned with (fake) red roses. She had a gold tiara on that held a red gem. Her long brown hair was gone in a braided updo. She was staring at the ground, clearly too shy to face the crowd of potential suitors. Her mother elbowed her, forcing Briar Rose to look up and face the crowd.

"At this point, all eligible men attending tonight are to line up along the side of the room in order to meet the princess. As for un-eligible men and any women here tonight, a section of the garden has been set aside for the party to continue." at that order, we all went out towards the garden while the men stayed behind to woo Briar Rose. Some of the men came with us as well, with Joseph staring at me the whole time. Tonight was going to be good.