What An Appearance! [Fiction]

King Erastus' moustache, twirled sharply at each end, quivered as he clenched his teeth in anger. He drank the glass of brandy in one gulp, grimacing as it burned its way down his throat.

"The audacity,” he muttered, reading the note once more before squeezing and throwing it into the blazing hearth. “Who dares to threaten me?” he bellowed at the captain of the royal guards standing rigid before him. “Find them. I want their head.”

The captain nodded and hurried out of the king's chamber before he lost his own head.

The king exhaled slowly, and composed himself before stepping out to meet his guests.

Excited chatter in the royal garden softened as the nobles arrived. Chins lifted and noses in the air, they glided through the crowd as servants pressed goblets of wine into their hands.

It was the princess' eighteenth birthday.

Princess Davina had been seen only twice before—at her weaning celebration and on her seventh birthday—and only by the upperclass in the kingdom. Being his only child and heir, King Erastus kept her hidden and heavily guarded.

Among the common folk, rumours of her beauty and brilliance spread. They longed for her reign to begin, hoping their lives might improve under her rule. Her father, the king, was a disappointment who brought poverty and suffering to the people.

Amid the noblemen and women were a handful of foreign entourage from neighbouring kingdoms, some bearing gifts and betrothal prospects.

No one noticed the cloaked figure who shimmered like wavering smoke in their midst. It appeared for a moment, then vanished again.

The blaring sound of the trumpets spurred the singers and drummers into action. The crowd cheered as the court herald announced the princess.

Suddenly, a young lady in flowing gold gown howled and dropped from one of the castle's windows on the top floor onto the garden.

Gasps and shocked looks followed. Some noblewomen placed delicate hands on their pale chests, exclaiming, ‘what an appearance!’

Princess Davina laughed at their stunned faces. She was nothing like they had imagined. Her guards burst into the garden, their eyes darting wildly until they spotted her.

The guests gazed at the king who stood on the balcony, pinching the bridge of his nose in weary resignation. Clearly, the princess was a wild one, nothing like the demure, fragile royal the guests had expected.

Just as the singers resume playing, the cloaked figure appeared at the princess' side. A scream tore through the garden as the figure vanished with the princess. Her crown was left behind.

“Find my daughter!” King Erastus roared.

The joyous birthday occasion in the flower garden dissolved into pandemonium, one that the people of the kingdom would never forget.

I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "what an appearance!".

Thank you for visiting my blog.

^{_{Image credit: Hansuan_Fabregas}}