Enter Prince Pendragon

Cerulean. Aquamarine. Sapphire. This was the sacred trinity of generic descriptions for gorgeous blond haired men with sea blue eyes, and all of these colors swirled in the piercing gaze of Prince Pendragon.

Everyone in the banquet hall fell to their knees before his stern expression, while his knights attending the party arranged themselves on his flanks. Even the atmosphere of the party bowed to the prince. The violin quartet changed their tune to be more fitting for a royal’s presence, and a half dozen more maids and butlers entered the hall with ornamental desserts and treats.

Then, there was the girl. The commoner stood with diminutive poise besides the prince, dressed in a shiny emerald gown clearly picked out by the royal family. Yet, she wore her designated clothes with grace and noble purpose. Her auburn hair, cropped short, fell just halfway past her temples, where a pair of jade ornaments dangled from her ears.

All this time, when I finally met the prince, I had wanted to stare at him and feel superior. Just a small part of me wanted to entertain the thought that the hype around the prince was puffed up. And if I was better than the prince in some conceivable way, then Vivian would notice too.

But really, what was I expecting? That regal appearance with jawbones chiseled by a professional sculptor. The magnanimous presence he commanded when he walked into the room. That…manly manliness of a man. Meanwhile, I was nothing more than digital ether.

“Everyone,” the prince’s voice boomed in the hall, “Please, please, don’t mind me. Get up and continue as you were.”

The crowd rose and dispersed and the pathway between Vivian and the prince became nothing more but a straight line.

“Lady Greymoor,” the prince approached, “Fancy seeing you here.”

“My prince,” Vivian bowed deeply, then turned to the commoner girl, “Miss Veridian.”

“Vivian.”

“And where are Stefan and Vladimir?” the prince asked, “If you’re here, the two of them are not far behind.”

“Drinking with the magisters, I imagine,” Vivian shrugged, “What brings you here?”

“The Royal Ball is just a week away and I’ve been cooped up in my quarters on father’s orders,” the prince feigned a yawn and stretch, “I thought I might return to the scene now that the drama of our engagement has largely been forgotten.”

“Welcome back,” Vivian’s smile did little to hide her thinly veiled contempt, but the prince seemed not to notice. “Say, Guin–”

“Artimael Pendragon!” shouted a familiar voice from behind.

"The Astral Viscountess," the prince turned, "Diane to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh it's not you I'm after, get out of the way," despite there being plenty of room, Diane shoved herself between the prince and his lover to reach Vivian, "I’m just confused as to why you’re stealing the life of the party. Come with me, Vivian.”

Diane led Vivian away.

“What are you doing?” she hissed.

“Were you not looking?” Vivian said, “He’s the one that approached me!”

“No, not that. That sinister smile you gave him? Addressing the lover girl? Do you want to feud with the royal family again?”

“So I lost a little bit of control,” Vivian pouted, “He didn’t even notice.”

“You’re lucky he’s a bit of a dolt,” Diane sighed. They had stopped at the punch table, “Shall I pour you a cold beverage? Cool off? Oh, Vivian, you need to stop feeling so angry whenever he’s around, remember?”

“Right, right, I’m sorry,” Vivian sipped a glass of iced lemonade that Diane offered her, “Forgive me.”

“Well, either way,” Diane leaned against the table with her own glass, “You riled him up one way or another. I don’t know if this is part of your revenge, but if it is, it’s working.”

“Riled who up? The prince?”

“For the last half hour, the prince was waiting in the lobby on the other side of the banquet doors, waiting for a few key individuals to come greet him,” Diane smirked, “But none of them showed up.”

“They were busy talking to me?”

“More like seething at you, Vivian,” Diane chuckled, “Anyway the prince doesn’t fancy his inner circle being shamed by his ex-fiance and more importantly isn’t happy when his knights orbit women he doesn’t fancy. By the way, do you fancy any of them?”

Diane shot a playful glance in my direction. Why did she always have to do this?

“No, they’re all different kinds of insufferable,” Vivian shook her head, “I don’t know how you put up with any of them.”

Diane grinned and winked at me. Please stop. Please. What was it that you expected me to do? Confess a love with my speechless lips?

“Well anyway, my husband is the one that entertains them,” Diane shrugged, “I’m surprised you knew about the Simone family’s textile business. They’ve kept it under wraps very well, but I guess you can’t beat Stefan.”

“There’s more where that came from,” Lady Greymoor grinned, “But this helps my father as well. The aristocracy is failing, Diane, you know this probably better than anyone. The more the rest of them know it, the less likely that they’ll think waging war is the solution.”

“Oh, the Greymoor family, always the idealists,” Diane replied, “Convince us aristocracy of our wrongdoings and we’ll self-reflect. I think, Vivian, you will find that these people are going to war to forget their problems at home.”

Diane patted Vivian on the shoulders and turned to leave.

“One more thing,” Diane said, “How are you and the bracelet faring? Warming up to him?”

“Your advice was perfect,” Vivian said, “We talk every night now, and it’s been super helpful. You know, just the other night, it even gave me some advice about love.”

“Really? I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear that.”

“He?”

“Nothing,” Diane laughed, “I’ll see you at the ball, Lady Greymoor.”

Diane made her exit. The rest of the party proceeded uneventfully. Vivian chose to steer clear of the prince, who became the center of the event. Every time I looked over, however, the prince seemed rather uncomfortable under the spotlight. Many of the attendees around him were those that Vivian had publicly shamed, and the prince stood on the receiving end of their anger and ire.

“His first appearance in a month and he has to listen to gossip about you,” Stefan laughed later that night in the carriage, “That’s rich.”

“I wonder how his lover felt,” Vladimir said.

“If you ask me, she’s wasted on him,” Stefan said, “She’s gorgeous, for starters. And from what I hear, she’s very thoughtful and lovely in conversation, not that she got to talk much tonight. I don’t know what she’s doing with the prince, but now that all the glamor and sheen are wearing off, I wonder if she realizes perhaps she’s in too deep.”

“Stefan.”

“Vladdy, don’t be jealous.”

“No, Vivian’s here, remember?” Vladimir rolled his eyes, “What’s with that look? You’re the one who wants me to quip less.”

“It’s okay, Vlad,” Vivian took a deep breath, “I think…I think tonight’s the last night I’ll let Artimael get to me like that.”

“That’s what I’ve been wanting to hear, sis.”

“Agreed,” Vladimir leaned back in the cushions and closed his eyes, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to doze off for a little while before we get home.”

Brother and sister shared some silence together. Outside, they gazed at the radiant cosmos above the carriage. For me, it was always a marvel to see so many stars. The city I originally worked in cast too much pollution for me to see anything. I had plotted many of the stars in this world in my database, as the constellations and star systems differed from my old world. I wondered where they led, if intelligent life existed out there, and what meaning the humans of this world derived from the orientation of this universe.

“Things are going to be different after the ball,” Stefan finally said, “Different, maybe forever. We will have to be ready for anything.”

“Are things that bad?”

“Maybe worse,” Stefan smiled weakly, “But we’ll make it through, Viv, I just want to make sure you know to be prepared. Just a shame to see the empire in this sorry state.”

The carriage fell quiet. Stefan and Vivian shared a brief embrace before covering themselves in silk blankets and falling asleep. I was left alone to contemplate in this silence, under the starry sky and uncertain future. I considered what Stefan said about needing to be prepared for anything. For the last month, I had only ever focused on preparing Vivian’s attributes for the Royal Ball. That was all I had thought about, because of course the Royal Ball was the big in-game event, when the climactic clash would come to a head. If Vivian emerged victorious with the right build, then that would be it. Happily ever after. For her and for me.

But what if I had been wrong?

About everything?