A tall young man wearing a black suit with gold trimming emerged from the shadows. He was wearing a golden mask with a dragon mark covering half of his face. His hair was as black as the night, and his eyes were as dark blue as the ocean deep.
"Who might the gentleman be?" Isabella asked courteously."I am Ragnar of Avalon," he greeted. "I give my greetings to the third princess of Wales." He bowed down, and she replied with a courtesy."Thank you, Sir Ragnar," she said.He looked at her for a while, and she felt a little awkward. His dark blue eyes were fixed on her, and she started to drown in their depth.Ragnar walked toward her and came closer. She was so surprised at the proximity that she involuntarily stepped back and tripped, but he caught her by the hand and pulled her into his embrace."S-sir..." she said awkwardly."I'm sorry to startle you," Ragnar said. "I just wanted to give you this.""A Purple Passion?" she asked in surprise. Purple passions are the rarest kind. They can only be seen in remote parts of Avalon. It was also their national flower and included in the crest of the royal family of Avalon.Ragnar put the purple passion between her right ear and head."The flower's beauty comes alive when you are wearing it," Ragnar said. She blushed at his compliment."Sir Ragnar..." she said. She was still in his arms and wanted him to let her go."Dance with me," Ragnar said."Huh?" She was confused. It sounded more like an order than a request. He looked like one who never takes no for an answer. Then he pulled her gently inside the ballroom to the dance floor.Once they entered, all eyes were on them. The chattering of the guests slowly stopped. Isabella was a little surprised. "Who might this young man be to make all the people in the ballroom silent?" she thought to herself.The guests who were dancing on the dance floor came to a stop and gave way to them. Once they were at the center, the young man turned toward her and took her into his arms. They were now in the dancing position, ready to hit it."I believe you know how to dance, princess," Isabella caught the teasing smile on the young man's face.Dancing was one of the things she practiced two weeks ago because she wasn't given any princess training. They needed her to practice dancing every day so she wouldn't embarrass them in public. She thought bitterly."Yes, of course," she answered.Then the musicians started playing the music.The young man guided her into dancing. It was like she had been dancing her whole life. She didn't feel like a novice anymore.The feeling was ecstatic. Every twist and turn they did was graceful and elegant. Isabella didn't realize she was wearing a smile on her face. The young man who was leading her smiled while looking at her. She looked into his deep blue eyes, and they were enchanting. She felt like she would be engulfed in them at any time. It was like they were the only ones in the ballroom, in a world of their own.Then the music came to its climax, and they started slowing down until the music stopped. A huge round of applause was heard in the ballroom.They stared at each other for a while before the cheers got to them. The young man bowed in front of her, and she gave him her courtesy."Crown Prince Ragnarok of Avalon," Isabella could hear her father behind them. "It’s a pleasure to grace us with your presence today.""Crown Prince?" I asked. That's why his name sounded so familiar; he was one of the princes of Avalon. I knew that the royal family of Avalon had seven princes fighting for the position of crown prince, but I didn't know that they had chosen their crown prince already. And to think the youngest son was chosen to be the crown prince. As far as I knew, he was twenty years old."It's my pleasure to be here, Your Majesty, King George De Novia of Wales," Ragnar replied."You are very bold, as the rumors had said, stealing the first dance of the third princess tonight from her father." Isa's stepmother, the queen, just arrived at the scene. She was staring daggers at Isabella and Ragnar."I am sorry. I didn't know that there was a custom here in Wales that the first dance of the princess should be with her father," Ragnar said with pride, as if he wasn't sorry at all. "I just thought that I would like to dance with the third princess, so I asked her. I hope this didn't offend you, King Geor
It has been a few days since the grand ball. Isabella's normal life went back to how it was: a life of solitude, except for Phillips.In the last few days, Phillips has been visiting Isabella in her courtyard. They enjoyed one conversation after another. They talked about politics, history, and other stuff that interested them.It was morning, and Isabella had just finished her morning exercise. General Marcus trained her and the crown prince to strengthen their bodies."Sister Isabella," she could hear the voice of Williams, her brother. When she looked behind, she saw him running towards her heartily."Sister!" Williams launched himself at her.He was much heavier than he used to be now, and Isabella nearly lost her balance trying to catch him."Sister, you haven't been visiting me in my courtyard," Williams said, crying. "I have missed you so much.""Hush now, a crown prince must not show his tears to others," Isabella scolded him softly while wiping his tears away."But you are no
"I am well aware, Grandpa. My sisters have their personal guards that follow them wherever they go.Helena has Carlos as her guard, and Camila has Uthred as hers," Isabella said dreamily."I have selected a personal guard just for you," Grandpa said."For me?" she asked with disbelief. "But I thought I wasn't entitled to a personal guard of my own? I remember the queen was against the idea when Father brought it up.""Don't worry about Charlotte. I am the one to select your guard for you. She can't do anything about it," Grandpa reassured her."Thank you, Grandpa." She felt loved by what General Marcus had done. He had always been good to her. Also the crown prince, they were the only ones who treated her with love in the palace. She hoped to pay them back someday."Erik, come here," General Marcus ordered, snapping her out of her thoughts.From the shadows emerged a young man. He had dark brown wavy hair and brown eyes. He was wearing the black knight's uniform.When he came closer,
The sky was starting to get dark, and the sun was setting. Erik accompanied Isabella back to her courtyard."I hope you don't mind, Sir Erik. My courtyard is a little below standard," she said, a little embarrassed.This was the second time she had felt embarrassed about what her courtyard looked like. The other time was when Phil visited her for the first time. It was a good thing that Phil didn't mind either; rather, he visited her every day in her shabby-looking courtyard."It's okay, Princess, I don't mind it," Erik smiled."I don't know if you have heard the stories about me," Isabella asked him.They were now standing at the entrance of her courtyard."I only know that you are the third princess of His Majesty King George II of Wales," Erik said. "Is there more I should know?" he asked."Not much, it's just that I would like to tell you my story rather than you hearing it from others," she said and turned to face him."I am an illegitimate child of the king. My mother was a maid
Maggie was leading Erik along the hallway of the third princess's courtyard."I am happy that General Marcus found a personal guard to serve my princess," Maggie said while walking."I am happy to serve Princess Isabella as well," Erik replied."I hope that the rumors won't get to you. Princess Isabella is a good-hearted young girl. Even though the queen and her daughter are not good to her, she doesn't retaliate or show any ill intentions towards them. She just takes everything they throw at her silently. Her kind is rare," Maggie lamented."Do they always bully Princess Isabella?" Erik asked."When they feel like it, they will just search for her and bully her. I feel sorry for her, but I can't do anything about it. I am only forced to watch as I am just a maid," Maggie sighed."Why can't I see other maids around?" Erik asked."We are just a handful of maids here in the third princess's courtyard. The queen doesn't give our princess as many maids as the other princesses," Maggie sai
It was morning, and the rays of sunshine seeping through the curtains woke Isabella. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She was in her room as usual but she felt different."Good morning, Princess Isabella," Maggie greeted her with a warm smile. "This is the first time in a long while you woke up late. You must have been very tired last night, or maybe you feel more secure now that you have a personal guard.""What time is it?" Isabella asked."It's half past nine, Princess," Maggie answered."What!" Isabella screamed, instantly feeling awake. "This is the first time since my stay in the palace that I am missing my morning routine. Grandpa would not be happy with me," Isabella cried."Don't worry, Princess. It was General Marcus who ordered me not to wake you up. It's the first time you have slept soundly, so he didn't want anyone to interfere with your sleep," Maggie explained, smiling. She was preparing Isabella's clothes to wear.Isabella felt relaxed. "But I still
"What is this I'm feeling? Isabella thought within herself. "Why is my heart pounding so loud and fast?"She could feel the warmth of his hands on hers. She kinda loved the feeling but suddenly felt embarrassed and withdrew her hands from his."Sir Erik, I think it is okay to call me Isa when no one is around," Isabella said shyly, averting her gaze."Then you can call me Erik," Erik said. He gently grabbed her hand and planted a kiss on its back. Isabella blushed even further. This made Erik smile. He loved the effect he was having on her."I think I am hungry now. I will be going inside to eat. How about you?" Isabella tried to change the topic."I have eaten my breakfast already. I will accompany you inside," Erik said with a smile."There is no need for that, I can eat fast," Isabella interjected."It's my job to stay beside you, Isabella," Erik said. Hearing him call her by her name made her heart thump even more. "And after you have finished your breakfast, we will start some le
History and maths lessons were interesting with Erik. He was a strict tutor just like he said, but she loved it. She wouldn't have it any other way. It was a good thing she had been learning with the crown prince; hence, she was able to keep up with Erik's lessons.Erik taught her a lot about the history of Wales and also about the history of Avalon. Wales was surrounded by two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Avalon in the far south and the Kingdom of Geneva in the far north. To the east of Wales lies the great Pacific Ocean 🌊 .Avalon was the biggest of the three kingdoms and also the most powerful. Due to its geographical location in the south, they have provinces that have summer weather for the whole year, which is favorable for cultivating certain crops.The other locations in Avalon are quite cold and are used for cultivating fruits that need cold weather. Avalon was very suitable for raising farm animals, and their geographical location contributed to their thriving economy.Geneva, o