WILLOCK 66

It was right some years back, that I embraced myself in my first ballroom, to dance, and not to play the piano. As you all know, father never placed me on cue for any dance; he placed me somewhere rather different from my fellow agemates who were then teaching themselves the art of dancing. I was placed behind the piano, it was the place I even once thought I would die seated on, but here I am. Of all ballroom dances I have attended, of all parties I have found myself in, none fits the happiness I find myself in today. I feel really enchanted, embraced, and God-gifted. The princess, I mean the King's family, was the one being waited for in order for the occasion to start. I was excited, and not anxious anymore; mother had made the house flourish, decorating it with the best of flowers. Maybe during my wedding, and my first ballroom party after our wedding, is when I shall invite Amir, for us to enjoy. I will laugh at him when I realize he still is searching for a wife. I had already sent one of the guards to look for Ezron, as I needed to see him seriously. I wanted to know if he was in Wales or he was still working on that great hotel.

"Welcome the King's family, please your majesty…," heard the King being announced as I faced the princess; she was wearing, of course, like a princess, quite different from her sisters for the party was hers. She also looked at me and made a little smile, making me look down in amusement, and then raise my eyes to face her again; she was always beautiful, she always was. Engagement was something easily done, it was parents meeting parents, people dancing; it was more of enjoyment, and after all that was done in this party, I decided to take the princess away from the few visitors she was talking to.

"Good evening, gentlemen, I hope you are enjoying the evening. Can I steal the princess?" I told both of them as a respectful way, they both looked at me as Princess Diana smiled.

"Willock, please meet my brother, Antonia, and this is my cousin, Matteo." I was caught back; she had not told me she had brothers, or rather her brother was coming, however, they did really come in with the King's convoy.

"Hello, I am so much pleased to meet you; you have quite a dazzling sister," I stated. Of course, I was trying to make an implication unto them; they were quite taller, but the cousin was taller than all of us, his brother was more of the same height with the Princess, he was tall, but not taller than me. The princess was always shorter than me; I believe her top head reached my chin's level or my ears, but I liked looking down onto her. It gave me a sense of belonging, and it made me feel that I was the man, and she was... it just showed I am the man; I should protect her, and the family we shall build together.

"You are Willock?" Her brother asked.

"Yes…," I stated, it much felt like an interrogation was yet to knock on this door.

"Where do you work?" He asked.

"I am the Duke's son," I stated, then detailed, "I am the Duke of Viking's son; this is to be my home."

"Where shall you work? We would love to know that my sister will be well catered for under your arms."

"Of course, of course, I am working on the palace of Wales…, in addition to deals with the viscount and the Lake…" I wanted to say the Lake of Tigris, but I felt it would be a little odd; they surely will continue interrogating me on the same, and I might end up spilling all the beans. I wondered if the princess knew all this drama that encompassed my life; if she knew, truth is she never heard it from me. "Now can I?..." Without them answering, the princess took my hand, and we started walking. Her hands felt nice and comfortable on mine; when we are married, I am sure that day I will be as excited to feel how those hands feel without the gloves. "What is on your mind?" She asked, as I took her to my childhood room. It was a room that always had items of my childhood, various things. I had a present I wished to give to her; I would not lock the door, as I did not want anyone thinking evil of both the princess and me. Societal rumors are never beautiful, especially now that the Barons of Wales know that I shall take over the works they were eating from in years; I wonder why his majesty had left out that land.

"I wish to show you all these…" I started after making sure the princess was comfortable with me around and with us being alone. With me, she was really tender and soft; I was happy I was one against the many who made her smile. "Okay, you see this, this whole room, this is where I lived when I came in here. I don't know if you are quite aware, but we used to stay in the Lake of Tigris. Back then, really, it was father and I; we would go together everywhere, and he sometimes taught me hunting and using blades in addition to language and being respectful. Do you know how to play piano?" I asked her, as I made really sure that she was comfortable. The room had enough lighting; it had everything except a bed, for after I changed to sleeping on the upstairs room, father saw no point in putting a bed in it. He always stated that one day his grandchildren will be the ones living there; unfortunately, I guess that won't happen to my children.

"I never took piano classes," she replied, and I somehow wondered why she seemed casual with me, making me go near her, take a chair, make her sit, as I dragged the piano table near us and sat right next to her, and started just clicking on different keys.

"Are you ashamed of me?" I asked, and for the first time, I found myself really feeling anxious and beating myself up inside my brain with questions of why I asked the question.

"No, I... it's just that I am not in belief it is happening," she stated, and I really looked at her, I really did. Sometimes I feel like expounding things about her, since it sometimes feels that people and you, dearest readers, do not understand how much, really how much I wanted and loved, in addition to liked, this girl. It was more or so the greatest dream; I wished never to wake.

"What do you mean, this, us? Or do you mean the room?... If you feel... any embarrassed about us, we sure…," I had already started stuttering things. Of course, it always happened with her. She just smiled after making me shut up by touching my arm slightly and then looked up at me. "It is not you; it has nothing to do with here. It is about the engagement and marriage. I thought you and I would never have any happenings."

"You had a liking of me too?" I asked, already excited.

"You are a good dancer. I see how much you've waited. I just have a liking of your resilience. It is what appeased me most."

"I am to give you something…" I stated, remembering what was the main agenda of bringing her in here. I entered one of the drawers in the right corner, took out a small framed painting and some writing. It was I who had drawn it, and hell, I was nervous. It is like waiting for your mother to come home with presents on the darkest of nights, it is like waiting for a woman to walk down the aisle, it is like waiting for a mother and sister to finish preparing themselves. I was nervous. "… Here, see," I stated and waited for her reaction. She kept quiet and observed the picture, as I saw her touch it, as if feeling the connection of the picture onto the painter and into her, and suddenly I saw tears, one, two… tears, one, two… she was crying, Willock, hell she was crying…

"Hey, is something the matter? You don't like it?" I asked, already worried and afraid that father would come and give me a lecture.

" 'I thought of none but you, I never had the pleasures of days, but my nights read me the best of dreams, for you always fulfilled them… and you always became the girl of my dreams… I have finally met the girl of my dreams… Willock. I love you…' " She read it, in between sobs. She seemed not to contemplate everything that was happening; she was, in my opinion, torn between happiness and excitement. Her cheeks were red… shy, I would say, her eyes were bright, and she looked up at me and smiled. And hell, English never let men hug women; maybe I would have embraced her at this moment, maybe kissed her, and I looked at her cheek, red, but beautiful, and I looked at the door, sure no one would come in, and I closed the gap between her cheek and my lips, making sure my lips were a little wet. I planted my first kiss on her skin, as fast as a brush, and hell, my breath, and hell, my heart… and my eyes, my eyes became teary, my body was suddenly overly excited. I never wanted her to see this, but she was looking at me, maybe wondering what was the matter with me; the little brush on her chin did not seem to matter, her eyes seemed to be crowded, she was concerned of me, and I looked at her, and I smiled. "I… I am to be fun… fine… I hope you like it as much as I loved painting it."

"You hide your emotions onto others, but you should not be of worry when it comes to me," she stated, and I just looked at her, and my eyes lingered on her lips. I wondered how she would taste; this was wrong.

"We should… I… I… I am not in the best of states… it is the wrong of ideas to have you with me… I might lose all my pride," I stated, but she still, she still seemed to not care, and brother's shout made us shift; he was calling on me, which made me reach onto the door.

"Brother…" I called out.

"Oh, here you are. Hello, Princess Diana. Brother, His Majesty seeks a word," he stated, and I looked back to the princess. I feel like calling her my wife or my future wife. What is the best name to call one you feel such an unbound connection with? I felt she was my profound bond, the only truce to my undying suffering… hell. I looked at her, and as if in communication, she led the way, as I followed. I remembered the little kiss, as I saw her touch her cheek; I hope her mind is on that. Hell, I wait the day we shall marry.