A Game of Crowns

“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

-Dr. Seuss

I stood there motionless minutes after Tobias left. Did he say Thelonious killed his family? That couldn’t be true, could it? If it was, how was Thelonious free? Was it because of his position at court? Who were Tobias’ parents? Was I supposed to believe this and stay away from Thelonious? Did I take Tobias at his word? How did he even know he killed them?

I had an endless amount of questions and no one to answer them. These questions pestered me all through lunch and right up until my second lesson with Madame Lorrelle.

We were back in the throne room, but this time we weren’t alone. The guys had joined us. The long table and dishes had been removed. A small quartet of violins sat ready in a corner of the room.

Was this seriously happening? Were we going to have dance lessons? This was just becoming ridiculous.

There were only ten girls; what would the extra guys be doing? The women stood at one end of the hall while the men stood at the other. What was this? Grade school? I laughed a loud remembering the one dance my mother made me attend at my grade school. Our town was so small our school only had forty students of varying ages. The boys stood on one side of the room while the girls stood on the other; no one danced.

Madame Lorrelle stood in the middle of the room with Sir Hawthorne.

“Today we will cover the art of dancing. You must keep your partner engaged, whether it be through conversation while dancing or body language. Body language can be used as a form of communication.”

Was this lady serious?

She was.

She demonstrated a waltz with Sir Hawthorne, where they talked jovially with each other. They then demonstrated something called the Criollo. They said it was the opposite of a waltz. It wouldn’t be something that would be seen in royal balls, but it was an example of dancing and communicating with their bodies.

It was a dance of passion, drama, violence, and romance. I blushed just watching them perform it. How could they possibly expect us to do that with someone?

Their dancing certainly showed there was a way to communicate without words while dancing. There was a fluidity to the entangling of their limbs that made you want to do it, not that I’d ever admit that out loud. Their intertwined bodies spoke of desire, seduction, and need.

I looked around the room, noting that everyone was just as enthralled by the dance. I looked at the guys; who would I be doing this dance with? My gaze found Tobias’s. His startling blue eyes burned as they watched me.

Nope, I was just projecting. This surprised me. Did I want Tobias to notice me? To see me as more than soft and kind? I tore my gaze from him. He wasn’t watching me. He couldn’t have been. Their dance came to an end. They pulled away from each other, but not before giving each other a chaste kiss on the lips. My eyebrows rose in surprise.

Sir Hawthorne chuckled at our expressions. “Madame Lorrelle is my wife, in case you all are curious.”

Everyone laughed as the awkwardness passed.

“Okay everyone, partner up,” yelled Madame Lorrelle.

“Now some of you will be partnerless, get in line. You will rotate until you’ve all had a turn,” Sir Hawthorne advised.

The guys quickly did as they were told.

In front of me stood a tall, awkward body. It seemed he still didn’t know how to walk around in his own body, making me suspect he recently had a growth spurt. He smiled politely. Oh, Priestess, why me?

The first three waltzes were excruciatingly painful. Six stubbed toes and two banged up knees later, I finally had a partner who knew what he was doing; not that I knew what I was doing.

“Hello, I’m Lucas. It’s a pleasure to meet you. What may I call you?”

His hazel eyes were a beautiful hue and hard to look away from. His smile was contagious; I found myself smiling back.

“You can call me Penelope.”

“Well that’s rather long, isn’t it? I think I will call you Penny.”

I rolled my eyes. Why did people have an aversion to my whole name? It was eight letters long; it’s not like it was the whole alphabet.

He grinned at my dislike.

“Yes, Penny it will be.”

We had been dancing for all of a minute without a hitch. Thank the Hidden Realm, he could dance. It looked like I could dance as well, as long as I had an able partner. I looked up at him in wonder. His smile was warm.

“It seems we are a perfect fit, my lucky Penny.”

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or groan in disgust at his endearment. I settled for a raised eyebrow.

He chuckled deeply. It was a lovely rich sound.

Our waltz came to an end, he reluctantly released me.

“Now for the Criollo. Next partner,” yelled out Madame Lorrelle.

Dread ran its course through my body. Lucas looked back at me; his disappointment at no longer being my partner was apparent on his face. If I wasn’t so nervous I might have blushed at the meaning of his look.

A short, bulky guy was to be my next partner. His beady eyes watched me avidly. If I thought the first dance was painful, this one was downright embarrassing.

Madame Lorrelle and Sir Hawthorne walked around the room instructing the correct way to ‘tangle limbs’. I prayed to the Priestess that I didn’t believe in, asking for her to end the lesson quickly. I didn’t think I’d be able to endure it for much longer. The music was wonderful, but my partner was not ideal. I sounded shallow, but it was the truth.

The man kept trying to stealthily lower his hands to places he shouldn’t and it was starting to tick me off. I was about to smack the perverted grin off his face when someone interrupted.

“May I cut in?” Tobias’s silky and powerful voice asked it as a question, but the tone of his voice left no room for any answer other than yes.

The man quickly nodded and left trembling.

Tobias placed one hand in my own and the other just slightly below my spine not quite entering my lower area. His body was flush against mine. His bright blue eyes held my gaze. I couldn’t tear my eyes away even if I tried.

The music swelled and then came to a stop. Well, that was anticlimactic. He raised an eyebrow at me. I groaned aloud in my disappointment. Why was I disappointed? He was a rude jerk...or was he?

I shrugged. He released my body, bowed then left to stand in his original spot. The other dancers disengaged as well. The lesson was over. Well, I did pray for it to be over soon. Darn the Priestess’ timing.

“That’s all for the day. You know the basics, so practice. We will have this class again next week,” Madame Lorrelle said, as she shooed us from the room.

I headed straight for my room. I was done for the day. I didn’t want to socialize with anyone, although I knew I should. Especially if what Georgiana said was true. I’d need allies. I’d deal with that tomorrow.

Right now, my queen-size bed was calling my name.

I opened the door to my suite and rushed for my bed, not bothering to undress. I hurled myself onto the soft bedding and sighed contentedly.

“Long day, my lady?”

I sat up quickly to see Georgiana grinning at me. I smiled sheepishly at her.

“It really was, Georgiana. The day was filled with nonsense, but I guess even nonsense can wear someone out. I’m happy to stay in for the rest of the day.”

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but The Trinity has requested everyone be present at dinner.”

Ugh....

“Do you know what’s going on?”

She shook her head, “No, my lady, no one is talking.”

“Thank you, Georgiana. Will you help me pick out something to wear for dinner?”

***

I stepped into the throne room nervously, not because of what was to come, but because of what I was wearing.

Georgianna put me into an ivory, skin-tight evening gown. The back of the dress was nonexistent, ending above the small of my back.

The dress hugged every curve of my body, not leaving much to the imagination.

My mother loved me in dresses, but if she saw me in this she’d hit me with her wooden spoon for even leaving the room like this. A part of me agreed with her, the dress was risqué, but I had one person’s reaction in mind. I didn’t want to acknowledge it, but a part of me was very intrigued by Tobias.

The hall was full of participants and people I didn’t know. The marble thrones continued to sit empty at the front of the room. The outer edges of the throne room held two long tables that sat thirty people each. At the front of the room was a small table for three; I assumed it was for The Trinity, who had yet to make an appearance.

The middle of the hall was left open for dancing. A full band was playing a soft melody that would continue for the duration of the dinner. I walked to a seat, trying extremely hard not to be noticed, but this darn dress made sure I was noticed plenty. What was I thinking? Gosh, I wasn’t. I only had one person on my mind. Why was he on my mind in the first place? I was being ridiculous.

Several heads turned as I walked towards my seat. I scanned the hall for the one face I wanted to see. A body stood up and walked over to me offering me his arm. It was Thelonious. I hesitated in taking his arm; if I refused publicly, what would that say? I took his offered arm and sat where he led me.

I looked across the room and found the face I was searching for. His searing blue eyes held mine. He had been watching for me too. I felt exposed as his gaze lingered on me. I tore my eyes away from him, knowing I needed to stay away from him. I didn’t need to be tied to this game. I hardly knew him and here I was acting like an infatuated school girl.

I turned my attention to the rest of the room. Everyone was in their finest. Some of the women left in the game were giving me dirty glances. I tried not to think too much on it. I didn’t want to be involved in petty games.

The men looked gallant in their dinner attire and the women looked lovely. There were others in attendance that I hadn’t seen before. I remembered Georgiana mentioned the advisors to the Crown would be present, vying to keep their positions. The new monarchy would be able to hand-choose a new council once they were crowned; everybody was trying to stay in power.

Thelonious had seated me next to him. I hadn’t even noticed until he whispered something in my ear. I was unsure of what I thought of Thelonious. I’d have to wait and see his true colors. If he really was a criminal then it’d come out eventually, along with his agenda.

I took a sip of my wine and savored the flavor and enjoyed what it did to my taste buds. A part of me smiled politely and participated in conversation like society demanded, but just enough to get by. Another part of me was people watching. My eyes zoomed from face to face of the advisors. They were watching the participants with keen attention, trying to choose who to back in the race for The Crown. It was repulsive.

A loud cough emanated from a male servant at the head of the room; he stood elegantly beside The Trinity. They had somehow maneuvered their way into the room without being noticed. They were still as disturbing as I recalled.

They were in their usual color of black. The man wore form fitting pants with loafers and a loose button up shirt with sleeves that stopped at his elbows. His black hair was braided down his back, matching the styles of his sisters’ hair do’s. The sisters wore identical gowns. It had tight sleeves that ended at their elbows as well, the top portion of their gown was tight against their tense bodies while the bottom half of the gown flowed to the ground. They still moved with an unreal harmonization.

One of the sisters glided to the male servant, who gathered our attention, and ran a hand from one of his shoulders to the next. The man convulsed with pleasure. What was it about their touch that made their messengers react that way?

The man opened his mouth and began to act as the mouthpiece of The Trinity.

“Males participating in the game of crowns, please step forward.”

Tobias was the first to stand, followed by the red-headed Lucas, the others were slower to respond, but they did as they were asked.

“You were given a task last night; did you complete it?”

What? They were already given a task? Why so soon? It was supposed to be one a month...

“The task was given to cut down on the male gender and even it out.” Thelonious whispered to me.

Oh....

The servant continued, “The task set forth was to find allies. That is the purpose of the advisors’ presence here these last two days. Advisors and female participants, find your King.”

I felt my heart fall to the pit of my stomach. I looked around the room and everyone was starting to move. Was I the only one not to know about this? Tobias caught my eye and winked. The blush I felt was tremendous. He’d been using me. That was the reason for the change in his behavior. I’d been a fool to fall for his shenanigans.

My temper was at its tipping point. I inhaled and exhaled, trying to regain control. Thelonious eyed me with a curious expression. Tobias was probably lying about Thelonious as well, that lying manipulative... I inhaled again, not finishing that thought. I needed to calm down.

Once my heart was beating normally again, I rose from my chair, held my head high, and pushed my shoulders back. I acted as regally as I thought a regal person would. I knew eyes were still on me so I sashayed a bit for effect, probably getting eyes rolls from some of my fellow competitors. Okay, maybe that sashay wasn’t so regal, but I didn’t care.

The group of the forty males was tight due to the extra bodies of women and advisors standing near their chosen competitor. I made sure to subtly press up against Tobias as I pushed past him to get behind the male competitor I’d be supporting in this Trial. He narrowed his eyes at me. I winked at him. I swear the audacity I had was nerve-wracking. He was so sure of himself. He thought I’d choose him if he flirted a little. Ugh, the nerve of that Neanderthal.

I stood next to Lucas, who looked at me in awe.

I looked back at Tobias, who still watched me with narrowed eyes. I smiled at Lucas warmly, maybe overdoing it a bit. Tobias had the most support with two female participants and three advisors. I should have known Viktorya and Siobhan would have picked him. Lucas had two advisors and me. Several of the male participants had no one. I looked around to see who Thelonious had backed but he had remained seated. He had chosen no one.

“Anyone with less than three are free to go.”

I looked around and heard the rumblings of the disappointed men. I was grateful they didn’t cause any trouble. Soldiers were always on standby if things were to go amiss. I looked back at Lucas. He was still watching me. He took my hand and kissed it shyly.

“You’ve kept me here another month. I would have met the ax if you hadn’t chosen to support me. Thank you,” he said genuinely.

I didn’t know what to think of his gratitude.

“That will be all for tonight. We will reconvene in three weeks.”

The sister let go of the male attendee and he toppled to the ground. The Trinity left without another word. All three of them left in step. No one moved to help the collapsed attendee. I moved towards him and offered my hand. He smiled up at me gratefully and took it. He bowed deeply and left rather shakily. I looked back at our ever-shrinking group; there were nineteen of us left.

The music started up again, food was brought out, and conversation was in full swing. I had lost my appetite and I had the need to be alone. I left the dinner early, giving my apologies to those who tried to start up an exchange with me.

I wandered aimlessly through the palace not sure of where I wanted to go. I knew I didn’t want to return to my suite yet. I walked around until I ended up in the room with the glass ceiling. I sat on one of the few benches in the room and gazed up at the stars.

It was soothing to stare up into the black expanse and watch the canopy of bright lights above me, knowing their place in the sky would never falter. I needed the quiet. I allowed myself to think of home. I missed it fiercely and I missed my parents. I especially missed Thomas.

I sighed and stood. I needed to distract my mind or my heart would break with the weight of the melancholy I was presently feeling.

I could hear the music from dinner trickling through the castle. It was music fit for the criollo. No time like the present to practice. It would be a welcome distraction.

I framed my arms into position for the criollo and I angled my body the way Madame Lorrelle showed us. I took the first step.

“Trying to hide?”

I stopped.

His smooth voice was like music to my ears. The alluring velvety tenor of it sent chills down my spine. What did he want? Did he come to fool me with more of his trickeries?

I started to move again, ignoring his words.

“What? Cat got your tongue?”

I rolled my eyes. I kept moving, swaying to the music. I could feel his eyes rake up and down my body.

Dang this dress for making me feel naked...or was it his gaze that made me feel exposed?

His hands found my waist. He stood behind me following me step for step. This wasn’t what Madame Lorrelle showed us. This was something else. My lungs unevenly exhaled and inhaled. I hadn’t pushed him away and he took it as consent. I closed my eyes and let him lead me in the dance.

The darkness of the room empowered me to let myself go. My misgivings about Tobias were nowhere to be seen. His hands on my waist were the only things my mind could concentrate on. He expertly turned me around to face him. I would not open my eyes. I finally understood what Madame Lorrelle meant by a conversation between bodies. Our bodies were conversing their need for each other.

His mouth was tantalizingly close to my neck. I could feel the heat of his breath tickling the arch of my neckline. I needed to stop this but the greedy part of me wanted it to continue and see where it led. I had never been intimate with a man. I wanted to save myself for marriage, but right now none of that was going through my mind. My body was master of my will. My chest heaved with desire. Tobias’ small chuckle let me know he knew what was going on with my body.

The music came to an end. I stood there in his arms for a few seconds before I finally opened my eyes. The emotion in his eyes matched the intensity of how I felt. His eyes held specks of green in them, making me admire them more. I inhaled and smelled the aroma of his bathing soaps soaked in his skin. I loved the way he smelled. Tobias was my weakness. I lost my moralities around him. I shook my head a little and pushed away from him. My hands lingered on his chest for a millisecond longer than necessary.

The intensity in his eyes slowly began to fade as our minds took control over our bodies. He watched me with a look I didn’t understand. I didn’t dare move for fear I’d reach out and stroke his face or worse, kiss him.

He bowed and left without a single word being said. The absence of his presence left me feeling empty. How had one dance left me feeling more confused than before? It was only a dance...right?