Chasing My Fiancée Across A Fantasy World - Chapter 18

Prince Slethen pulled his jacket and straightened himself in front of the giant doors of Strayvenhoe’s grand dance hall.  His slender assistant Peter nodded to the master of ceremonies before looking at the Prince.  “Your royal highness.  I know your uncle Uther is not your favorite, but this ball was prepared in your honor.”

“He’s a lecherous scoundrel and my father should have had him locked up before I was old enough to learn to hate him.”  He waved his hand at the man handling the party. “Please announce me for the gods’ sake.”

The stout man nodded and opened the doors and yelled at the top of his lungs. “His royal highness, second son of the king,  Prince Slethen!”

The young royal looked into the lavish ballroom.  His eyebrow raised seeing that Strayvenhoe’s decorations were even more ostentatious than his aging father’s back in Neyland City.  Every wooden pillar was gilt and every inch of plaster was painted with  exquisitely painted murals of the kingdom and the world beyond.

Peter flanked the prince as he confidently strode to his uncle, Duke Uther.  Uther smiled at his nephew and hugged him.  

“Slethen!  My dear nephew! I hope the road has treated you well.  How are you my boy?”

“I’m well uncle.  Only one assasination attempt this time.  You’re getting soft in your old age.”

The shock on the duke’s face left it before anyone but Slethen could recognize it.  “Come now, enough teasing.  This is your day.”  He leaned in. “Please keep your accusations to yourself until you have evidence.”

“The assassin is a southerner, a member of the Shattered Maw.  He poisoned himself before I could interrogate him.  I won’t give the next one the chance.”  He stared into his uncle’s eyes.

“You have your father’s overconfidence.”  Uther stared back with eyes that betrayed the darkness that hid behind them. “Come, before the dance begins, I must introduce you to the hero Gunther.  His party members are some of the finest beauties in all the kingdom.”

Slethen nodded.  “Yes, I heard he turned tail and ran at the first encounter in demon held territory.”

They walked as a pair to the corner of the hall where Gunther sat.  He was with three female adventurers, each pretty but also fierce.  As the prince and the duke approached Slethen saw Gunther struggle to stand and lean on a stout cane.  A draconic lady supported him from the other side.  

The overgrown man smiled and nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your royal highness.  I am Gunther and these are my comrades Lizzy, Aneena, and Phlox.”

“Ah Gunther, famed leader of the hero’s party.  News of your exploits has traveled far and wide.”  Slethen looked Gunther up and down. “I see that you’re injured.  What happened?”

Gunther nodded and smiled. “Yes, well you see, ogres ambushed us in a pass through demon territory. A boulder crashed through my leg and tore the leg clean off.  It was only through the assistance of our party’s healer that I’m able to walk again.”

“You lost your leg and now you stand?  That healer sounds like a miracle worker.  Which one of these pretty ladies is the healer?”

Gunther smiled weakly. “Ah,  Tricia, prophet of the goddess of life, is not used to such gala affairs.”

“I see.”  Slethen frowned for a moment. “I suppose that can’t be helped.  Uncle, Gunther, would it be possible for me to meet such a blessed person as Tricia?”

Uther raised his hands.  “I have no say in the matter, but Gunther does say Tricia is quite bashful.  I would venture to say she’s a recluse.  I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Slethen.”

The young prince nodded.  “I won’t push the matter further.  Anyway, it would please me greatly to dance with your remaining party members.  May I have a dance?”

Aneena practically jumped in front of him. “I would love to have a chance to dance with a prince.  Thank you, your royal highness.”

Slethen offered his hand and winked. “Come on, the next song’s just starting.  Uncle, you know how to dance?  Why don’t you take Lizzy?”

Uther made a barely noticeable sneer and glanced at the red head before smiling.  “Of course.  I would love to.  Lizzy, would you like to dance with me?”

Lizzy’s expression matched the duke’s but offered her hand and they walked out under the candlelit chandelier to dance.  Slethen assumed she was doing it more out of obligation than desire.  The duke’s face was right at the height of the amazon’s bosom, so he had to get creative at not looking at it.  He chose to turn his face to the side and stare off into the distance.

Slethen got into a closed position with Aneena and they started to follow the other dancers twirling around the room.  After Slethen saw that Aneena really could dance well, the prince led her in some of the moves he had learned just the other week.  The raven haired witch laughed as she was spun.

“The prince is quite the dancer.”  Aneena said. “I feel like I’m floating on air.”

“I should say the same thing.  It’s not often I get to mingle with powerful adventurers such as yourself.  Tell me, is Gunther’s story about Tricia true?  Is she really that powerful in the ways of healing?”

Aneena winced at hearing Tricia’s name. “Yes, the girl managed to get Gunther’s leg to grow back.  I can heal some, but his leg was shredded.”  

“Is she really that shy?”

“Hah!”  Aneena caught herself. “Well, you see, Gunther is quite enamoured with her.  And since the injury, she seems more withdrawn from the hero.  I think he may be a bit overprotective of her.”  She smirked. “She’s actually at the party. I can introduce you if you’d like.”

“You’d do that for me? Will Gunther get angry?”

“She’s tucked away, and the hero is drinking.  If we keep clear of the duke, you should be fine.”

“The duke likes her too, I take it?”

“Let’s just say I heard his voice from next door.  He’s been very…attentive.”

“Aneena, you’re a conniving minx.  I find you absolutely charming.”  He smiled broadly. “I would love for you to introduce me to the healer.  I always get a kick out of doing things people don’t want me to.”

…

Tricia stared up at the moon from the patio adjacent to the ballroom.  After being told by Gunther that she was to remain out of the ballroom for her own safety, she had kept herself occupied strolling around the terraced gardens and looking at her pretty dress.

“Ah!  Tricia, we’ve found you.”  Tricia turned around to see Aneena smiling mischievously with a handsome man on her arm.

“Tricia, this is his royal highness Prince Slethen.  Prince,  this is the healer Tricia Mazzo.”

Tricia offered her hand. Her heart skipped a beat when she finally found a real prince charming.  He was around the same height and build as John, but a shade taller.  His hair was brown and styled expertly in the local fashion.  His amethyst eyes felt like they were telling her that everything would be all right.  Before Tricia could thank Aneena, she was already walking back into the ballroom waving back at her.

The prince bowed and took her gloved hand and kissed it.  He then looked up and said. “I can see why the hero would want to keep such a beauty all to himself.”

Tricia couldn’t control her giggle.  “Gunther’s brave and kind, but he can be a stick in the mud sometimes.  Slethen, what a unique name.”

“It means luck of the gods.”  He flicked his hair back. “What does Tricia mean?”

“It’s simply Patricia shortened.  In ancient Rome, the nobles were called Patricians.  I guess my ma and pa wanted me to be a noble.”

“Well, you’re definitely pretty enough to be a princess.”  He offered his arm.  Tricia looked at it for a moment and then took it.  They proceeded to descend a staircase and walk through the gardens together.  “I heard of your first taste of battle in the demon lands.  You must have been terrified.”

Tricia hugged his arm close. “Well, I wasn’t all that scared.  Who am I kidding, I was scared out of my wits.  But the girls really do know how to fight.”

“And Gunther, he must have fought bravely as well.”

Tricia put her hand over her mouth. “Oh! Yes, of course.  He fought bravely as well.  He just froze at the wrong moment and the boulder got him.”

“You saved his life.”  He put a hand over hers as they walked.  “Powers like yours come once in a thousand years.  Tricia, where do you come from?”

“I come from Dolono.”  She looked away from him.

“Tricia, I’ve been educated by some of the greatest minds in all of Neyland.  No one has ever told me of any Rome, let alone an ancient one.”

“I misspoke, I didn’t…”

He stopped and looked at her with those eyes again.  “You’re from another world aren’t you.  Tell me how you came to find yourself here.”

Tricia froze, not knowing how to say.  “I…I was camping and they took me.  It was horrible.”  One hand fell over her belly and the hundreds of eggs that were slowly growing inside of her.  She could feel herself become moist reliving the time with the goblins, the slime, and everything else that happened.  She grabbed her chest and squeezed while shutting her eyes and looking away.  “Anyway, I was rescued by…”

“Gunther and the heroes.”

“Well not exactly.  I was rescued by others, but I met Gunther in Dolono.  He said I was meant for greater things.  So he took me into the hero’s party.”  She noticed that the two of them were now very close.

“That I can agree with.  But a girl like you should be in a palace, not fighting monsters in a dungeon.”  He pulled her to face him. “And you definitely shouldn’t be under the thumb of my bastard uncle.”

“The Duke has been nothing but a gentleman to me…”

“Tricia, why would such a pretty mouth tell such an ugly lie?”

“Because the truth is even uglier.”  Her eyes started to water. “Prince Slethen.  I’m not cut out for any of this.  When I was taken, my boyfriend proposed marriage to me that very night.  I’m no adventurer.”

“You just want to go home don’t you?”

Tricia started to tremble. “I just want someone to protect me.”  She looked up at him and closed her eyes, hoping for a kiss.

A moment later she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Tricia.  Darling. Didn’t you say you were tired?”  She heard a tinge of irritation in the duke’s voice.

“Tricia’s been telling me all about her adventures.  But she’s not shy at all.  Are you Tricia?”

Duke Uther harumphed and pushed Tricia aside and got in Slether’s face. “I was protecting her from a heartbreaker like you nephew.  With Gunther crippled no one can take care of her like I can.”

“Is that so?”  The prince stood his ground. “Tricia, have I done anything to cause offense?”

“No!”  Tricia blurted out.  “You’ve been so kind and understanding to me.”

“Heh, that is what makes him so dangerous.  One moment you’re feeling safe with him, and the next your virtue is torn away.”  The duke turned around and walked away grabbing Tricia’s wrist in the process. “Come girl, Gunther and the party is retiring for the night.”  He pulled her up the stairs, causing her to stumble as she was dragged.

“Uncle please, we all know the dance is only getting started.  Tricia hasn’t had a single dance.”

“She needs to train tomorrow.  The prophet of the goddess Leniah is not a toy.”

“Speak for yourself uncle.”  The prince retorted.

“What did you say?”

“Where is your third wife, Uncle?”  Slethen came up to Tricia and pried the duke’s hand from her wrist. “Has she met with an unfortunate end, or have you simply passed her around to your friends enough for her to lose her mind?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.  The duchess is simply taking a long tour of the kingdom.  She’s due back in the next month or so.”

“Yes, I’m sure the servants of your castle are taking bets on whether or not she’ll get home in one piece.”  The prince stood between the duke and Tricia.

“Come girl, Gunther is waiting.”

“I didn’t know you were married.”  Tricia said. She walked to the railing overlooking the garden. “I think I’ll keep dancing.  The prince has promised to teach me how to dance, haven’t you Prince Slethen?”

Slethen grinned and raised his eyebrow. “I forgot, I did promise that.”

“Tricia, you must understand the nuances of noble courtship.  Love is not so cut and dry when people of my stature are wed.  Marriage doesn’t mean love, girl.”  The duke walked to Tricia, but the prince got in the way. 

“You didn’t even tell her?”  Slethen clicked his tongue.  “That’s low, even for you.  Wait till my father hears of this.   His own brother sabotages the latest incarnation of the hero’s party before it can even have its first victory against the demons.  Some would say you’re in legion with the dark ones.”

People were starting to gather at the ballroom entrance and started talking.

“Curse you nephew!”  Uther pushed Slethen and then stormed back to the castle. “We aren’t finished with this.”

Tricia covered her face. “What have I done?!  I’ve rejected a duke in his own castle.  I’m in big trouble!  Oh prince, he’s going to kill me, or worse.”

“Tricia, it’s my duty to protect a maiden in distress.  Don’t worry about my uncle for another moment.”

“But he has access to secret tunnels in the castle, he can…”

“Peter!”  Slethen snapped his fingers and his attendant came running out of nowhere.

“Yes my lord.”

“Have Lady Tricia’s apartment warded against unwanted entry.  Use my personal supply of seals if you have to, make the effect of breaking them as painful as possible.”  Slethen grinned devilishly.

Peter smiled in kind. “It would be my pleasure.  It will be done before the end of the ball, you have my word.”

The prince turned Tricia as Peter returned to the castle. “He’ll have to use that room for old or ugly visitors from now on, all the secret entrances and peep holes will be useless.”

“Oh prince, I could kiss you!”

Slethen grabbed her by the shoulders and planted a closed mouth kiss on Tricia’s lips that melted her heart.  Tricia started to open her mouth to accept his tongue but he pulled away leaving her wanting more.

“Now that dance lesson, I owe you that, don’t I?”  He laughed and offered his arm again.  “Let’s find a quiet corner of the hall and I’ll teach you what I know.”

“I know country two step.  John and I…”  She stopped herself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.  I can’t wait to show me what you can do.”  She giggled as the pair entered the hall.  When she looked, Gunther had already left with Lizzy and Phlox, leaving only Aneena.  The witch winked to Tricia and then mouthed the words ‘good luck’, while the prince wrapped his arm around Tricia.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”