“Mother, I refuse!” Erina stamped her foot in fury at her mother. As it did whenever emotions ran high among fairy kind, the very air shimmered and glittered with the tension between mother and daughter. As Erina struck the floor, the sparkling clouds puffed around her slipper.
“Young lady, you will not embarrass your father tonight, or your station as a princess of this kingdom!” Queen Listra stamped her own foot, sending another shimmering puff out from beneath her high-heeled shoes. She shoved a glimmering gold dress towards her daughter.
Erina shoved the gown away. “I won’t wear that stupid dress and go to that stupid ball just to dance with that stupid boy!”
Erina had always preferred to wear britches rather than dresses. How else could she keep up with her brothers riding, climbing and fishing? Her parents, the King and Queen of the Sky Kingdom, always seemed fine with her tomboy ways.
Now they wanted to force her into a ball gown and join in the Summer Solstice, an evening designed to show off the crop of new marriageable fairy girls. She had no intention of turning into one of those bubble-headed debutantes in the court. Erina Kaylamina was no social butterfly!
Worse, Erina had overheard her father saying how young Prince Davyd would make a fine match for his daughter if they could manage the approval of his parents. Did her father think she was going to put up with something so archaic as an arranged marriage?
It didn’t help that she’d met Prince Davyd when they were younger. She’d only been ten at the time, but was embarrassed to think he might still remember how she tried to jump a huge mud puddle without flying and landed and slipped in it, landing on her bottom.
Her mother said, “You’re growing up. It’s time to accept responsibilities, such as representing our family at these events.”
The young fairy girl whirled around, turning her wings on her mother. She gripped the draperies with a white-knuckled fist as she gazed out the tall arched window of her tower bedroom. She took deep breaths, trying hard to regain control. All her life she had been teased about her fiery temper, called a redheaded shrew too many times by her brothers. She didn’t want to be disrespectful of her mother or push her too far, either: if Erina’s temper was well-known, her mother’s was legendary.
Erina whispered, “It’s unfair.”
Behind her, the queen’s voice softened with fondness. “Erina, darling, your father is under pressure to make this treaty with the Sea Kingdom. You certainly don’t have to marry Prince Davyd but, to support your father’s peacemaking efforts, we must all shoulder our responsibilities like Kaylaminas. When your father–your King–asks that you attend the ball and be sociable with that young man, you will do as requested. End of discussion.”
With that, Queen Listra tossed the golden gown onto Erina’s four-poster bed and flew from the room, trailing a cloud of fairy dust in her wake.
Erina’s cheeks flushed with fury. Her eyes twinkled dangerously. She had half a mind to snatch up that awful dress and toss it out the window!
That was just what she would do.
As she flew to grab the disgustingly opulent dress, Erina’s door swung open. Her older brother, Bobbo, stood on the other side. He alighted, hovering in the air beside her as he exclaimed, “Hoo-hoo! You’ve done it now, Shrew!”
“Go away.” Erina dropped to her feet and walked to her dresser. She did not want to talk to him right then.
Bobbo grinned, delighted. “I’ve never seen Mother so angry! She’s flitting about, tracking dust all over, and muttering about ungrateful daughters. What did you do?”
“Seriously, Shrew,” Bobbo asked, “what happened?”
Erina whirled on Bobbo. “This might be a surprise, but pretending to care would work a lot better if you stopped calling me ‘Shrew’!”
Bobbo stepped back. He stared, then his expression softened.
Erina sighed. “Sorry.”
“No, I pushed you.” Bobbo floated to the ground, shaking his head. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Erina said, “Mother’s mad because I don’t want to go to the ball.”
“This still? You’refifteen now. You knew Summer Solstice was coming.”
“Bobbo, you know I hate wearing dresses. And dancing. And all those air-headed girls in the Debutante Court who want me to be like them.” She shut her eyes, exasperated. “Why can’t I just ride Wind-runner until this stupid party is over? I mean, would anyone even miss me? I don’t think so!”
Bobbo smiled at his little sister. “Getting this mad isn’t solving anything.” He said, “It’s one night of your whole life, Erina. There will be time to ride pegasi and wear britches tomorrow and the day after that.”
Erina crossed her arms over her chest.
He added, “Also, don’t worry about becoming a Debutante. You’d be a terrible fit, and we both know it! But tonight, sis?” Bobbo set a hand on her shoulder as he said, “Put on the dress and try to have fun. Okay?”
“I’ll think about it,” she said, eyes rolling.
“Good. I should get changed myself.” Bobbo and Erina hugged, though her heart wasn’t in it.
With her brother gone, Erina moved to her long oval mirror. She stared, frowning and still contemplating the benefits of tossing that hateful gown out the window.
With a long, heartfelt sigh, Erina gathered up the dress in her arms and trudged toward her bathroom to prepare for the ball.
An hour later, Erina surprised herself with the transformation from scruffy tomboy to lovely young lady.
She’d taken Bobbo’s advice and stuck with the dress—and she was glad for it! What she’d seen as a tacky, gaudy mess was actually a gorgeous confection of gossamer layers, the skirt so full that it floated gracefully from her waist to the floor.
With her riot of red curls freshly washed and tamed and a golden circlet on her brow, she exuded summer strength and beauty. She actually looked like a glamorous fairy princess for a change.
It was a clever deception, but not an illusion she wished to maintain for the rest of her life. She hoped the ball would be over with quickly. Maybe Bobbo would take her fishing the next morning for being such a good sport? With that pleasant thought in mind, Erina lifted her chin, straightened her spine, tucked her opalescent wings back, and headed downstairs to the ballroom.
~*~
Erina descended the wide staircase to the ballroom, where a throng of elegant couples twirled and floated together as they danced intricate patterns around the ballroom. The scent of rose and honeysuckled drifted in from the garden, both sets of glass-paned doors thrown open wide for the occasion.
Over by the dais, her father and her mother, both looking lovely, stood with the Delphinium royal couple. They smiled and nodded politely as they engaged in conversation.
Beside the royal leaders, Prince Davyd Delphinium leaned nonchalantly against the wall. He had on a slightly bored expression as he listened to three teenage fairy girls who had him cornered.
Erina hesitated at the bottom of the staircase. She was expected to make nice with the Delphiniums, but she dreaded interacting with Prince Davyd.
The mud puddle humiliation was still fresh in her mind as she approached the young prince. She forced a smile as she caught him watching her advance.
Davyd stepped out of the circle of girls to meet Erina halfway, hand extended in greeting and a warm smile on his lips.
Erina felt an instant of panic, as she stumbled. Her toe had caught the hem of her gown!
The last thing she saw, before she hit the floor face first, was the prince’s eyes widening in shock as he leapt to catch her. Her forehead smacked the polished hardwood floor like a hammer.
Erina saw stars. “Ow!”
She felt hands on her shoulders and arms, but she shook them off. She pushed up to her hands and knees before staggering to her feet. Those three fairy girls were giggling. Her mother tried to ask if she was all right. Erina didn’t even look at the Prince, knowing was probably laughing with the girls.
Erina gathered up the hateful skirt and flew out a nearby open door into the night, half-blinded by humiliation and tears.
She thought she heard someone call her name, but didn’t stop.
She flew to her refuge: the stables. Her favorite pegasus, Wind-runner, neighed softly as she careened into his stall. Wind-runner lifted his own wings and shifted to enfold his sobbing mistress in his comforting embrace.
Erina cried into his soft mane. “Stupid dress!’ Erina sobbed in a muffled voice against Wind-runner’s shoulder. “Stupid ball! Stupid boy!”
“Actually, my tutor tells me I’m quite intelligent,” said a voice on the other side of the stall door.
“Oh!” Erina gasped. She lifted her tear-stained face to see Prince Davyd leaning casually against the wooden gate. “You. What are you doing here?”
Erina furiously scrubbed her cheeks to wipe away all traces of her tears.
“I came to make sure you were all right.” The young fairy prince asked, “You didn’t get hurt when you fell, did you?”
Erina stepped away from Wind-runner’s side and stood tall. “I’m just fine, thank you. You may go. I’m sure those three young Debutantes are missing you.”
“Well,” Davyd said, stepping closer, “since you are the girl I was waiting to see, I’d rather be here in the stables.”
Erina gazed at him, curious.
Davyd said, “I hate dressing up in these fancy suits and going to balls. Don’t you?”
“Y-yes. I’d have preferred to spend the evening with Wind-runner here.”
Davyd smiled. “The only reason I didn’t mind coming tonight is because I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again. I know it’s been a long time since we played together, but I’ve always had kind of a crush on you.”
“Me?” Erina could not believe her ears! He liked her?
“Is that hard to believe?” Davyd laughed. “Tonight I can see that you are even prettier than you were then. Won’t you come out into the garden? We can sit and talk.”
She was still trying to grasp the news when Davyd reached out and took her hand. He gently drew her out of Wind-runner’s stall to walk beside him towards a stone bench underneath a rose arbor.
It took her a few minutes to get her wits back together and actually join the conversation, but Erina eventually relaxed. She talked to Davyd as if they’d been friends for ages. He told her about his own flying horse, Blaze, and they talked about the differences in fishing the mountain lakes of Sky Kingdom and fishing in the deep ocean of the neighboring Sea Kingdom where Davyd lived.
Before she even knew it, Erina was laughing happily and enjoying herself.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she realized that the sounds of music and laughter from the ballroom had gone silent.
“It sounds like things are winding down in there,” Erina said. She gathered her skirts in her hands. “Should we head back?”
“I hadn’t realized how late it was getting!”
Davyd and Erina stood. They stared at each other in silence, then laughed. Davyd ran his hands through his hair, while Erina shuffled her feet.
“Erina,” Davyd said, “I was wondering…”
“Yes?”
“Would be my date to the Autumn Equinox Ball?”
Erina grinned. “You would actually consider coming to another ball in the Sky Kingdom?”
“Of course!” He smiled and bowed. “I never got the chance to ask you to dance.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cathy Jones lives on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. She loves the beach, reading every type of book ever written, inventing delicious recipes, and making up tall tales.