Fairytale chosen (6 page)

The court erupted into laughter, while Heera insulted criss-crossed her arms before her breast. Her cheeks reddened and her eyes sparkled in Lean's direction. That was his revenge, but strangely he did not enjoy her as much as he would have expected. He had the girl humiliated in front of all and seemed thus to have truly hurt, because for the first time she looked past at him rather than in his eyes.

The king commanded all the laughter to stop. "Both horse and cow be handed over tomorrow to your dear parents," he turned to Heera. She bowed, but it looked like a doll made of wood, whose bodies you had to bend.

She entered without a glance at the Prince to pay tribute to her sister, who was talking excitedly to them. Lean wondered whether she is actually still with his joke, or whether she has already planning the revenge on him as the next of the Twelve was announced.

As all the elect had entered the ballroom, the musicians began to play. It was the Prince to open the dance. He came from the podium, on the throne, and went to the number of female candidates on and off. Each one gave him her warmest and most exciting smile with one exception. But Lean decided that he had tortured Heera enough for that day. He was sure that she danced more miserable than Him. In addition, he would have angered his mother, if he had given the outrageous brat the honour of the first dance. Perhaps Medea? Her wonderful voice still hummed in his ears and she blushed every time he looked at her. But he walked past her. His eyes remained on the graceful Agnes. Her dress was black as night, matching her silky hair. She had an unapproachable aura and looked mysterious to him. Her smile was sublime, as if she knew more about him than he already is and also the one he could only imagine. Erina was fourteen years old, not only the youngest but also the smallest of the girls. Her red dress emphasized her fiery mane of hair. Certainly he would have been pleased with her request, but he would have to spend a whole day with her. She was not only shy, but downright taciturn on him. How could he pass the time with her only? Even her he passed. Finally, he chose the last of the twelve: Xenia. A girl of sixteen years with almond-shaped eyes, and long, brown hair in a plait, fell on the back. The yellow of her dress emphasized her tanned skin. She curtsied to him before he took her hand, giggling and let him lead her to the middle of the dance floor.

Lean was not a good dancer. He spent his time in the woods with his friends rather than in the ballroom with the exasperated teacher. But he was lucky, because Xenia was the better dancer who ironed out his mistakes by a smile. She did not complain once about the fact that he kicked her feet. On the contrary, she seemed to enjoy it. And the prince was So relaxed. He had to admit that he almost took a liking to the dance, as long as he had a girl at his side, which knew how to move. Although all twelve were from middle-class home, they seemed all the dance to have been placed in the cradle. Also his friends Silas and Yanis danced with the elect. Xenia's graceful example was followed by Daphne, who he called as Second and Phoebe as third parties.

Meanwhile Heera explored the buffet. Although a myriad of dishes had been served, she was hardly interested. When the other girls were not dancing, they looked longingly to the prince. The decoration in the castle seemed to serve food. The idea made Heera angry. From the buffet a whole village could have been filled, but instead, the courts would probably end up after the party in the pig trough. Grimly she pushed one of the pies in the mouth. The taste of sweet cream, dark chocolate and pickled in rum cherries spread. She had never eaten anything tastier. If she could, she would have packed everything and brought her little sister Elena. At home she rarely had money for sweets and then it was usually not more than a piece of candy. How could Medea resist the whole food? Although the prince had not yet danced with her, she was barely eliminated from the dance floor. A nobleman called one after the other to dance. Even if Lean should decide against it, it would certainly not even last a week and one of the other courtiers would ask for her hand. Heera pushed a chocolate between her teeth: chocolate with nuts and raisins. Delicious!

"You like it?" She said suddenly on a male voice. Shocked, she went on together and promptly choked. She began to cough, but as a hand touched her gently on the back and all of a sudden she could breathe again. Embarrassed, they looked into the face of her counterpart. He wore a dark blue robe that identified him as the royal court conjuror.

"I have never eaten anything better " she confessed honestly and felt caught.

"If you don't prefer the dance floor as the other? If you're hiding behind the buffet, no one will notice you. And certainly not the prince. "

She grinned. "That was actually my plan."

He looked at her. "I fear that it is already too late. After your insult everyone should know your name."

Heera shrugged her shoulders unimpressed. ""Why don't you dance?"

Amphion seemed surprised by the question. "I? I am a magician and not a dancer! "

"And I am a farmer and not a princess," Heera countered, laughing. "Especially for you as a magician it had to be easy to float, on the floor. You can be whatever you want. Even a dancer, if you feel like it." "

Amphion conjured always what the royal family demanded of him. Ever since he was a boy, he lived in the castle and was the king of services. He never used his magic to give himself an advantage. "No one would dance with me," he answered Heera, before he could think on his words. Despite their rowdy manners he could talk with shame or stuttering as in the presence of young girls often been the case otherwise.

"I know someone," she replied with a meaning smile. He was afraid that she might even think, but she gestured with a nod to her beautiful sister Medea, who came straight out toward her. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair slightly dishevelled from the dance. Amphion came back in a panic, but Heera held him tight at the arms. "Calm down! You do not need to be afraid of her. Medea is not only pretty, but also nice. She likes everyone and everyone likes her! "

The young wizard could not imagine that a girl like Medea would share more than a polite nod to him. She would never dance with him alone Heera’s proposal would make him the laughingstock of the whole room.

But as far as it should not come, because suddenly the tall Agnes put Medea in the way. The girls had a certain similarity with their long black hair, although they were different as night and day. Medea was gentle and reserved, Agnes was confident and demanding. They jostled against her rival and splattered with the contents of her glass. Dark red wine spilled on Medea's blue dress. Tears gathered in her eyes and she stared in disbelief up at Agnes.

She threw her hands theatrically over her mouth and wailed loudly: "Oh no, but I'm sorry!"

Amphion did not take the repentance from second. Nor Heera, the already overcrowded on the onlookers. Medea looked alternately between her dress and Agnes back and forth, unsure what to do next. Finally, she sobbed out loud and ran out of the room crying. Agnes looked at her triumphantly afterwards, but the joy did not last long. Because the next moment, her cheek glowed red of the handprints of Heera.

"You lousy snake!" She said Agnes in rage. Agnes formed eyes to slits and she pulled hard on Heera’s brown hair. These Agnes screamed and kicked in the shins. One blow followed the next. Even grown men have not delivered a better fight. Soon the whole court was gathered around the two girls who stood up to each other, struck, dragged by the hair, torn clothes and scratch the faces. Only Queen Niobe finished the fight.

"Stop it!" She yelled outraged. "That's not a behaviour for a lady, let alone for a future queen."

Agnes ceased from Heera. Her hairstyle was completely ruined and the right sleeve of her dress hung from her shoulder. Heera looked no better. Her cheek, a bloody scratch and brown spots covered pulled the fabric of her dress. However, unlike Agnes she showed no remorse. She seemed entirely right to feel what they now announced more loudly. "I have only defended my sister!"

Niobe was quite pale in the face, gasping for breath outraged. Her husband, the king, came to her for help. "It is not proper for a girl to defend the honour of her sister. There are men! "

Heera laughed out loud. "Men? Tzz ... Where was the prince, as Agnes has poured the wine on Medea?""

All pairs of eyes jumped to Lean. This was an evening entirely to the taste of the court: scandals, intrigue, jealousy and heated verbal exchanges. Heera had to leave, she knew to entertain the onlookers. One can almost think that they did this on purpose.

Prince Lean stepped forward. ""I am sure it was not the intention of Agnes."

Hastily nodded his head while Heera angry grabbed a drink from the buffet and therefore marching on Lean. "Then that's not ..." she began, but she did not continue, because Amphion let them stumble so that she noticed the glass from his hands and shattered on the floor. The liquid splashed on the hem of her dress. That was still better than she spilling the contents over the Prince, as they had planned it. Again broke the audience into laughter and Heera turned red, whether in anger or shame was hard to tell.

She turned on her heel and stormed out of the ballroom. The music started again and all took the dance again. But Niobe took her son aside. "Enough," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Send this girl or I do it! It is an insult to the whole family."

Lean crossed offended her arms across her chest. "I choose my bride or you?"

"This is not a bride! That's not even a real girl, but a crazed fury. I no longer want to see! "

Egeas put his arm around his wife and tried to calm things down. "Now calm down, at least it's entertaining."

"But we do not seek court jester, but a future queen," Niobe snapped applied. How could her husband dare her to fall in the back?

"I decide which girl will remain and which goes," Lean said imperiously. Amphion doubted that he harboured serious interest in Heera. He only estimated the power struggle with it as with an untamed horse. She challenged him and he could not resist the temptation.

"I would rather watch the goat, rather than watching this bumpkin ascends the throne," Niobe teased further and thus brought her son to grin: "Beware of what you wish for, mother. you might get it. "He glanced in the direction of Amphion, who immediately raised his hands defensively. He would never dare to enchant the Queen, not even if Lean Commanded it.

Niobe let out a frustrated cry and retired to her chambers. The king, however, grabbed his son's arm. "Boy, you are not far too young. You've had your fun! Think about it, if you really want to let yourself continue to dance around this girl on the nose. It makes you a laughingstock before your own people."

Egeas meant it only works well with Lean, but he remained stubborn as a donkey. It was only when the king left him alone, Amphion dared to advice his friend. "Lean, should you have?" He asked accusingly.

"I don’t let anyone tell me what I have to do and what I had to!"

"How Stubborn are you?", Amphion scolded him. "Your mother's not wrong. Heera is not the right bride for you. "

"I saw how you talking to her. What were you talking about? "

"Are you listening at all?" The wizard replied angrily.

"Well, tell me!"

"She told me how good the food was" Amphion relented, but left unmentioned that she had promised him a dance with her sister.

Lean kept laughing from the abdomen. All you people dance and enjoy the food. I should have time to do even better things. What do you say?"

"She thinks you're obnoxious!" Amphion reminded him.

"Wonderful, then we are doing the same. It is a real nuisance! "Said the Prince.

"Your mother should spank you. You're behaving worse than any boy who is still wet behind the ears. As king you should bear children, but you are still one. How can you be so unreasonable?"

Lean appeared appeasing and put his arm around his best friend. "Amphion, I still have weeks to decide. Waiting only for the first tests, then Heera is just a wide search. I think for myself something little extra nice. Do we want but let's see how brave she really is! "His grin was no good suspect.

Who is instinctive and good,

Of a
pure heart
and joyful nature,

The  strawberries are to grow in the deepest of winter.

M
edea was crying on her bed. Whenever she calmed down once again, she would think of how Agnes had poured the wine over her dress in front of all the guests and began to sob again. But that's not enough, and then Heera made a scene once again. She knew that her sister is only meant well and probably could not help herself, but they went through her behaviour with Medea into the laughing stock. Everyone now knew that she was the sister of loudmouth Gore without consultation. You probably thought you already have the same bad behaviour. Why Heera could not control herself? Nobody would have talked more about the incident the next day. But now she was on everyone's lips.

Bad enough that Agnes had taken her chance to dance with Prince Lean. Although he had not yet been asked by the time, but she had noticed that he had always looked back to her. Perhaps she would have been the next. You could impress him is positive way, however, he would retain only Heera’s outrageous insults and accusations in memory. Luckily, he was kind and not punishing them for it. From this Medea took him even more appealing. Lean not only looked good but also had a good character. He was charming, courteous, helpful and empathetic - just as she had always imagined him.

It would break her heart if she had to watch him marry another girl. She broke again in loud sobs. Her mother had asked her to rest so that the next morning her eyes would not be swollen, but she was not there to advice Medea. Also their youngest sister Elena was missing her very much. she used to go to bed teasing Medea, her painted hair and she was comforted with whispering words. The only one who remained here was Heera, who could not empathize with them. Heera was right if she was a big brother who defended their honour. But she lacked empathy. She could only speak her fists and fight with her sharp tongue still from head to collar.