Wells Penn

The light from the morning sun shone through the large stained-glass windows, casting a gold hue across the ballroom of Gladsco Castle. Joan stole a quick glance in the mirror, taking in her appearance. Her chestnut brown hair was up in an intricate and looping bun, a slight rouge on her lips and cheeks. She wore a new floor-length evening gown for the upcoming festivities. It had a fitted bodice and princess neckline, creating an elegant silhouette. The skirt was made from the finest tulle in a light purple, with laced accents and sewn-in pearls. As she moved, the dress floated with her, and she thought she looked quite powerful. It was the perfect dress for this day. She took a deep breath and tried to exhale out her nervousness. Today was the day she would prove to the kingdom—and more importantly, her parents, King Simon and Queen Castelle of Gladsco—that she was responsible and ready to take on more duty as Princess. She was ready to get to work.

The large ballroom was bustling with activity. Servants were frantically scrambling to get tables and cloths set up, the finest glass flutes and silverware were being placed on delicate tablecloths. Joan jumped right in, helping to arrange tables and chairs, set up seating cards, and straighten the odd fork that had drifted from its place in the frantic hustle. Every detail counted for this event; each silver knife needed to be polished to perfection, the chairs needed to be even, the flowers by the entrance needed to be arranged with diligence.

In the Kingdom of Gladsco, it was tradition for the guests to sit nearest to the large brick hearth and next to the hosting party as a sign of mutual respect. This was a symbol of warmth and prosperity for the visiting kingdom representatives. Joan made sure the table here was especially perfected. She had spent weeks preparing for this banquet, memorizing names, titles, and ranks of the visiting kingdom to avoid any mishap. She noticed, towards the entrance of the ballroom, her parents standing still in their day clothes, looking on with love and pride in their eyes at her progress so far. She had always been close with them and wanted to prove she was deserving of her title for them more than anything. They had only been able to have one child—and a girl, no less—so Joan had spent her life trying to overachieve at everything to show that, despite her gender, she would be a worthy heir.

She walked back through the ballroom to evaluate the setup. Everything looked perfect. The final touches, the traditional banquet flowers, were being arranged in ornate vases as centerpieces. Yellow roses were a sign of peace in the Kingdom of Esalia, the approaching visitors. Historically, the two kingdoms had gotten along well; however, a poorly executed diplomatic banquet could change that quickly. Joan knew the importance of this going well.

The sound of distant hooves clattering rang through the hall as the first carriage arrived, wheels thumping over the cobblestone of the courtyard. The foreign guests of honor had arrived: the Esalia royal family. Joan quickly reviewed their names and titles, then exited the ballroom to greet them. First to emerge from the carriage was a large man, in height and size. He was traditionally handsome, dark tanned skin from the sun of their kingdom, blond hair, and a trim white beard. His blue eyes sparkled and his large smile was a comforting sight. This was King Toma, known for his friendly appearance but strict rule. Next to emerge was a woman who exuded elegance. Joan watched as she stepped delicately out of the carriage and seemingly floated down onto the cobblestone. Queen Dana was known for her beauty, and Joan understood why. She had waist-length jet black hair and grey eyes; she was a bit paler than her husband, with delicate features. Her gown was red, to match her husband’s suit. They made quite the pair. Next, Princess Sera emerged, tall and lithe, a scowl on her face. She matched her mother in appearance but was as tall as her father. And finally, Prince Enzo emerged. He had the black hair of his mother and the blue eyes of his father. He flashed a swoonworthy smile at Joan as he hopped down from the carriage and took his place standing beside his sister.

“Welcome to Kingdom Gladsco, we are honored to host you,” Joan said, bowing deeply, first to the queen, then the king, then the princess, then the prince, in the tradition of Esalia. The Esalians returned the gesture, bowing past her to her mother the queen, then the king, then finally to Joan herself. As a group, they then turned to the sun shining down and bowed deeply. This was the traditional greeting of Esalia: to honor the mother that birthed you, the father that led you, and the sun that lit your way.

“Princess Joan, King Simon, Queen Castelle. Thank you for your gracious hosting. We are eager to see the banquet you’ve set up. Princess Joan, we’ve been informed this is your first time leading the preparations,” King Toma spoke commandingly, with a deep voice.

“It is. I hope our dinner and accommodations are to your taste,” Joan replied, gesturing for the visitors to follow her. She knew this was the first time they had seen her since she was a young girl. She was now an adult, 20 years of age, and she wanted them to know as such.

The royal families entered the ballroom from the courtyard entrance; it had been decorated with an arch of flowers, highlighted by the yellow roses to match the ones in the centerpieces. Joan stole a quick glance at the queen and saw a stoic but approving look as the queen observed this gesture. She caught Prince Enzo looking at her, and as she made eye contact, he winked at her. She blushed and quickly glanced back down, mind racing. Did he mean to wink at her or did she mistake the gesture, she wondered?

With Joan leading them, the Esalians followed. She glanced ahead to make sure the large table set for the two families was prepped. She noticed something. The centerpiece of that table was tilted, the flowers that had been inside now crushed underneath the side. This was a nightmare. Those flowers were extremely important to the Esalians. She glanced back, and as the visiting King and Queen were engrossed in the vision of beauty that was the gilded ballroom, she sneakily grabbed a still-intact centerpiece from another table. As they approached, and the King and Queen were still occupied, she subtly removed the crushed flowers and tilted vase, passing it to a servant who was walking by with a glare, and placed the healthy one back on the table. She looked back over to the royals, and they were none the wiser. As the two families sat down, Joan breathed out a sigh of relief. She looked up and saw Prince Enzo watching her with intensity. Had he seen the swap, she questioned herself? Her cheeks warmed. Oh well, she couldn’t dwell on it. The first crisis had been averted. Now she just had to get through the rest of this dinner.

“The decorations are beautiful, Princess Joan, we are truly honored to be a part of your first diplomacy banquet,” Queen Dana said.

“Thank you, Queen Dana. Your words mean a lot to me, and may I say your family is lovely, I am blessed to host you,” Joan replied.

The servants started to bring in the first course of food to the royals and the surrounding tables of lords and ladies who were filling in the other tables. It was plates of fruit, piled high with mangoes, bananas, kiwi, and others. As the first tray was set down, she saw something that was not supposed to be there. An orange. Princess Sera was known to have an allergy. This would look to be an insult or complete negligence on Joan’s part. She had told the kitchen strictly no oranges. So how had one ended up here? At this moment, she saw that the Esalians noticed it was there.

“My deepest apologies,” Joan rushed out as she stood and grabbed the orange from the pile. “This was not supposed to be there. I mean no offense to you, Princess Sera.”

“Oh, it’s fine, it happens from time to time. Thanks for taking it away; the juice makes me ill for a time,” Princess Sera said. She was only a few months older than Joan and had likely hosted her own first banquet within the last year.

Joan’s heart beat quickly and she was flushed when she turned to King Toma and Queen Dana. “Take a breath, Princess. You’ve honored us well so far,” King Toma stated, while his queen next to him nodded her agreement.

Joan had a serf take the orange away, and the party proceeded with casual conversation, talk of borders, conflict with other kingdoms, trade, and recent marriages. While this went on, Joan had a moment to reflect. Everything seemed to be going well. She felt eyes on her and looked up. Prince Enzo was looking at her again, a curious smirk on his face. She saw him mouth the words, “Calm down, Princess,” and wink again. Joan knew it was intentional this time. Her face turned bright red once more. This day had been nerve-wracking.

Eventually, the next courses came and went without a hitch, and the night was wrapping up. She led the royals back to their carriage, which was waiting for them once more. She bowed to them in their tradition and said her goodbyes: to King Toma, then Queen Dana, then Princess Sera. Prince Enzo approached the carriage and began to step up. At the last second, he quickly hopped off and strode to Joan.

In a voice low enough that the family around her couldn’t hear, she heard him whisper, “You’ll be hearing from me soon, Princess. Thank you for your hospitality… your beauty is one I will think of every minute until we meet again.” And with that, he hopped onto the carriage and closed the door.

Joan stood there with her jaw slightly askew. What did that mean, she’d be hearing from him soon? He was handsome and suave, and she could tell she had the beginnings of a crush forming. She shook the thought from her head and looked at the King and Queen. Mom and Dad. She walked over to them and folded them both into her arms. She had succeeded. She was on her way to becoming a royal worthy of the title. They hugged her back, with sweet whispers of pride on their breath.