Princes are Evil….The Untold Chapter

Brought to you by the sequel:  Royal Predicament (shameless plug ^_^).  Look for it under my profile!  (shameless plug…again…).  Now, enjoy the show…

*Note* :  This is not in Rhian's POV.  Instead, it's in someone else's….

And now…*weird theme song music*….it's time for the untold secret!  ^_^ 

Untold Secret:  (how original)

Nothingness.  Emptiness.  Call it what you want; it's what I've felt for most of my life.  Nothing could bring me laughter.  Absolutely nothing!  I felt no joy.  No happiness.  I was never angry, jealous, sad, surprised.  I felt nothing for anybody, not even my parents.  All this was because of one man….Ludwig Vellhierre.

His very name was enough to bring shivers down the spines of all who lived in the castle.  Not that I cared, but they always repeated the story to me—imprinting it forever in my brain.  A hard feat, considering I had no attention span at all.  It was said that the man was seven feet tall and had a gray white beard that trailed to the ground.  He radiated of evil.  His eyes were a rich violet color—the color (supposedly) of a demonic follower.  He wore a robe as black as his heart.  Some even said that he had the power to turn a person to stone if he wished it.  All the person had to do was look at him the wrong way.

Of course, nobody knew why he cursed me.  Rumors floated about, but I never paid any real attention to them.  Most of them had to do with my father and a….Lady Rhiannon….? 

My life was rather uneventful.  I did what I had to….was the best archer and sword-fighter in all the land, but could care less about it.  I knew the things I was supposed to know.  I never got bored, so I never fell asleep in any lesson.  I would have been the perfect student, had I actually cared about what I was learning. 

Sure, people tended to come from across the country to see me and try to make me laugh.  The curse was against making me laugh, but when you can't laugh, how can you feel anything else?  All emotions basically tended to overlap, resulting in a twisting mess.  Mother often told me that so many came because I was so handsome.  My eyes, I was told, were what captured the hearts of so many.  And, of course, with the handsome looks also came attainable riches and power. 

There were so many beautiful women that came—princesses, duchesses, countesses, even people of higher stature…like queens and empresses.  I supposed if I cared, I might've found them attractive.  To me, they all seemed like bugs, buzzing around my head.  If I let them be, they'd let me be, eventually, and I wouldn't have to worry about it. 

It wasn't until I was seventeen and a half that my parents actually began worrying.  After all, when I turned eighteen, I'd be handed the throne, as was customary in our kingdom.  How would a kingdom prosper when their king didn't care about the people, the land, the economy, and possibly invading kingdoms…?  Mother decided to take action. 

She held a ball, inviting every person of any kind of stature in the kingdom.  Lords and Ladies included.  That was around the time when I first met the girl who would change my life forever.  But let's not go there yet.  There was so much else to tell about.

Like everyone's favorite sibling duo. 

Lana and Collin had been around me since I was a kid.  Lana was actually three years older than me.  Collin was about my age, but because he was male, he was the heir to the throne, thus leaving Lana with nothing to her name but a small dowry.  Of course, if she married me….. 

One would figure with those two around, I would go insane, right?  Well, that was the beauty of being a living vegetable.  You see, I didn't care enough to even speak with them.  I didn't care enough to speak with anybody, really.  That led people to believe I was a mute.  It also led people to believe that when I'd become king, the world was going to end.  After all, how could a mute king run a kingdom?

I only tended to speak when it was a major formality.  Mother would tell me to greet people, and I'd say "hello."  That would be it.  I couldn't hold a conversation.  People would ask me what I thought of things, and I'd only say "I don't care."  Or "do as you wish".  Of course, that didn't help me much with my relationship with my father.  He'd yell at me, scream at me.  But, to him, it was like running into a brick wall.  He couldn't get through no matter how hard he tried. 

Now that we've all had a little insight into my world, I'll finally reveal exactly when Rhian made me fall in love with her.

Mother insisted on a ball, like I had said.  She figured that inviting all the lords and ladies of the land should amount to something.  After all, Lady Rhiannon was among them.  And, according to the ladies of the castle, she was a riot.  But it was not her mother was aiming for.  After all, she had a husband.  It was the woman's daughter.  How strange would it be for me to fall in love with a married woman….and the same woman my father was forever in love with, too?  That's right, too strange.  Mother would have none of that. 

So, there I was, seated by mother and father.  And who do you suppose were the first to arrive? 

Ding, ding, ding!  Give the people a prize!  None other than….Lana and Collin.  As soon as she got there, Lana was trying to hold my attention, and not succeeding.  She tried so hard, too, poor woman. 

We shall pause a moment to discuss her motive for going after me, as that is kind of—not really—complicated.  You see, she wanted to become a queen (and nothing lower!).  Anything other than that would seem horrendous to her.  I was a crowned prince soon to become king.  But that wasn't all.  There were plenty of crowned princes in the world.  My kingdom was also extremely prosperous.  Riches speak louder than words.  After all, so many women marry ugly men for money.  Then, there was also that fact.  I wasn't ugly.  I was actually considered to be one of the handsomest men by many (a little bragging on my part).  Plus there was the proximity to her home.  It was the neighboring kingdom.  She had everything she needed.  It was perfect.

Until….

(resuming the ball)  People soon filled the room—so many after me, it was actually quite disturbing.  I would've been disturbed, too, had I not been the way I was.  My parents had vacated their thrones to speak to various acquaintances. 

The moment she arrived, there was already a commotion.  My mother and father literally raced to them upon the announcement of their names.  Yes, it caught my attention for a moment.  Then it was lost.  I saw no more. 

Sure, the girl was beautiful, but so were so many others.  That meant nothing at all.  The dancers were boring as well, doing a very boring traditional dance.  Lana was out among them because she wasn't buzzing around me like a fly for once.  Perhaps she had found some new target to latch onto.  Collin was out there as well, flirting with some woman, no doubt.  Another conquest. 

That was what he called women….conquests….

I really didn't notice the girl again until mother and father practically dragged her up to me. 

"Lady Rhiannon, this is our heir," mother said, looking at the girl with all the hope in the world. 

Oh yes, she was going to break my spell (sarcasm).  After all, so many had tried and failed.  How could she have been different?

I looked her over once, noting that she was, indeed, as beautiful as the rumors had said she was.  And I really didn't care.  I turned my gaze back to the dancers, ignoring my mother's scathing glare. 

Father went off again, leaving only the three of us.  Then, mother forced the girl into a throne.  As hard as I tried to ignore them, the girl's achievement to make my mother raise her voice, drew my attention once more. 

"Just sit!" mother yelled at the top of her lungs. 

The girl meekly complied.  Then, mother left. 

Not caring once more, I turned my vision away from her.  She was silent for so long, I thought she had left.

"Hi," she said, probably looking at me.

I averted my attention from space, and turned my head to her, as was customary upon being greeted.  She was smiling at me.  I didn't care.  "Hi."  That was it.  I was done.  That was all mother had forced upon me to always do.

"So, you're Prince Gavin," she said.

What a genius.  Did she expect me to make a reply?  I was silent, watching the dancers as they danced to a different traditional dance.  "And you're Lady Rhiannon's daughter," I found the words coming out of my mouth before I knew they had.  That was the first time that had happened.  Once again, I really didn't care.

"Um.  Yes, I am.  And Sir Michael's daughter.  And my name is Lady Rhian.  Not Rhiannon, just Rhian."

"Right."  I didn't care.  So her name was Lady Rhian.  I'd forget it within the hour.  The dance switched again, although it wasn't much of a variation of the previous one.  They all were just blotches of color to me.  Not people at all. 

The girl had gone silent again.  Perhaps she would finally leave.

"Can you dance?" she asked me.

"Yes."  It was a question.  It was customary to answer questions upon being asked at a social gathering.

She sighed.  "Well, I can't."

For once, my interest was stirred.  Dancing was the reason for balls.  What would a person be doing at a ball if they couldn't dance?  It was preposterous.  I looked at her.  Her gaze held no falsity.  Was she lying?  No.  She didn't seem to be.  I had to make sure, though.  "You can't?"  Perhaps I hadn't heard right.

Then, she actually stood and walked in front of me.  For the first time in my life, I was interested in something.  What was she doing? 

"I can't even curtsey, Your Highness," she cried out in a distressed voice, but there was a trace of a smile on her face.  She curtseyed, but did it all wrong, and somehow ended up in a mess on the floor.

What a strange person to do that…  She was so different than any other person I had ever met.  "I see," I said, intrigued. 

"That's not nearly the half of it," she then was on her feet so quickly, I was impressed, despite myself.  She placed her the back of her hand against her forehead, and sounded upset and astounded, "I cannot dance without stepping on somebody else's feet."

"How awful."  My voice was coming out a bit stronger, which was strange.  Was she breaking the curse?  Did I want her to?  If that were to happen, then I would fall in love with her.  I would actually have to listen to what everyone said.  I wouldn't be allowed to ignore Lana and Collin.  They could actually annoy me.  My father could annoy me.  I'd have to listen to him, too.

"And nobody seems to know how to dance correctly," she said, then motioned to the dancers.  "I mean, so boring.  Back-and-forth.  Back-and-forth.  Around-and-around." 

I didn't want the curse broken.  My gaze returned to the crowd, and everything once again melted into just blurs of color.  Mother returned, but I didn't have to pay attention to her until she said my name. 

"Gavin."

That came a little too soon.

 "Why don't you ask Lady Rhiannon to dance?"

I wasn't doing anything anyway…

I stood up and looked at…Lady Rhian…?  "Would you like to dance?"  Not that I cared if she would, but, being a female, she'd jump at the suggestion, proving once and for all that she couldn't break my curse.  She'd me like all the rest of them.

But….she captured my attention once more by shaking her head.  She was declining…a first in my life.  That was unheard of, as I asked so very few to dance.  "No, thank you, Your Majesty.  It seems that Sir Bob would rather dance with me."

Sir Bob….?  Something stirred inside of me.  This strange, unusual girl would rather dance with somebody else than me…?  She curtseyed to thin air, and I sat back in my chair, stumped inside.  I couldn't not watch her. 

She would rather dance with air than me…?  What did she call the air?  Sir Bob?  But there was nobody there!  Nobody at all!  I watched as she pretended to be led to the center of the dance floor.  Then, she started to dance by herself, but for all the world, it looked as if she was dancing with an invisible man. 

Although, she was right.  She danced poorly.  It looked as if she was staggering….as if she was drunk!  The people around her had stopped dancing and were gaping at her, resembling fish rather than people. 

She spun around, nearly falling and landing on her face.   She was alone dancing.  It was only her.  The people around her were muttering amongst themselves.  She was making a complete fool of herself, and she seemed to be having such fun doing it.

That word.  Fun.  It had never existed in my vocabulary.  I had never experienced it for myself.  I suddenly wanted to.  All those worries that I had about fear, anger, and jealousy were nothing compared to the sudden deep desire to be able to enjoy life.  I wanted to be able to enjoy life as she so obviously was.  To be able to make something so trivial as a dance into something enjoyable. 

I watched as she paused and pretended to listen to what her invisible friend was saying, then she threw her head back and laughed.  To me, it was such a foreign sound.

As I could not laugh, mother and father thought it a mockery to laugh in my presence.  They thought it might upset me and forever hinder my ability to someday laugh. 

But this girl.  The way she laughed, it was as if she was inviting me to a new, beautiful land.  All I had to do was accept.  I wanted to accept.  I actually wanted to.  My eyes met hers, and I was drawn in by those beautiful dark eyes she had.  I had never noticed before.  They were so mysterious…

I hardly heard the exclamations that were made.  Such was the extreme desire that I held for her to just make me laugh. 

She looked away from me and stopped dancing.  "Is nobody else dancing?" she asked, looking around the room with an innocently serene gaze.

The crowd grew quiet, and Lana suddenly emerged from the circle of spectators. 

Was this it, then?  Was I never going to be free of this curse?  Was the girl going to be thrown out?

"What display of mockery is this?" she demanded, shooting a glance my way and noticing that I seemed to be watching as well.  Her glare darkened.  She knew that this was the acclaimed Lady Rhiannon's offspring.  She knew the hazardous threat the girl posed to her happiness.  That would have all been more believable if her hair hadn't got stuck in that ridiculously fancy crown she was wearing.

The girl seemed unfazed.  "I was simply dancing with my companion."  She gave an easy smile and motioned to the air.

A strange warmth seemed to tingle within me.

"There is nobody there!" Lana bellowed angrily.

The girl seemed insulted.  "Sir Bob says he doesn't enjoy your presence either.  However, that is no way to treat another guest." 

That warmth grew and was replaced by an even stranger feeling.

"Another… there is no other guest!" Lana said, pointing at the air as if to prove her point.

The girl frowned.  "You must be blind.  Can you not see him at all?"

A soft sound emitted from my mouth.  The first laugh I had ever experienced.  It was like an addiction; I wanted more.  But… at the same time, I didn't want anyone to know.  A furtive glance around proved that nobody had seen the miraculous thing that transpired.  I stood and walked toward the crowd.  I felt a sudden desire to be near her.  It was unsettling.  It wasn't just laughter that was an addiction, it was the girl herself.  But, I had to be careful.  I didn't want anyone knowing until I was sure I was ready for it.  Perhaps I was being selfish.  I didn't want to suddenly be thrown into a chaotic pool of emotions.  I would've most certainly gone insane if I hadn't done what I had. 

The crowd parted for me.  I just needed to act like I had before.  Just stay a vegetable for a while longer.  Lana smiled and fluttered her eyelashes—normal for her.  Did she think I was actually coming out here for her…?

Ignoring her completely, I looked at the girl…Lady Rhian…instead.  "Lady Rhian," I held out my hand, "I believe I have yet to dance with you.  If Sir Bob has no qualms."  I was hoping against hope.  She had turned me down before.  For that, I was grateful, but would she do it again?

She turned to the air, nodded, then turned back and smiled at me.  "Of course, Your Majesty.  Sir Bob decided that he could hardly be any competition, seeing as he is not even there."  That said, she placed her hand in mine. 

I led her to the center of the dance floor.  People were staring.  They were probably commenting about it.  And I didn't care.  I had the choice to care, and I didn't.  I placed my other hand on her waist.  Nobody else was dancing, it seemed.

She looked up at me, suddenly fearful.  Why?

"What I said about not being able to dance…  Well, it's true."

Was that all?  She was worried about embarrassing me…?  Something inside me twisted and I felt like hugging her, but quickly dismissed that.  I would get found out, then.  All I could do was try to assuage her fear a little.  "I know."  I led her in a waltz, a fairly easy dance.  "Just follow my lead."

I was glad her attention was on making sure she was dancing right and not on me.  I was sure I would've given myself away if only she would've looked up at me.  She stepped on my feet a few times and lost her balance more times that I cared to admit, but…all in all….it was the best time I ever had dancing in my life up 'til that point.  When the song ended, I didn't want to let her go.  I felt so right.  Again, I was jealous.  She looked up at me, at first annoyed, but then was startled as she stared at me.  And suddenly my motive for keeping my pretense changed.  I knew I was falling in love with her, but I wanted her to fall in love with me.  It wouldn't be right for her to be swept up in this chaotic whirlwind I would create if they all had known I had laughed. 

"Gavin," my mother called.  I looked toward her and quickly stepped away.  I could do this.  I only had to believe I didn't care.  I wanted to hold her again.  I didn't want her to leave…ever.  Selfish thoughts, but I had only just began unraveling the knot of emotions I had yet to discover.  I hoped the look on my face was like the one I always wore.  All I had to do was pretend I didn't care.  That was it.  How hard could it be…?

"Come with me," mother ordered.

I followed her back to the thrones. 

"I think I shall invite young Lady Rhiannon to stay.  What do you have to say about that…?"

"Do what you want," I replied, keeping my mask while inside I felt like shouting for joy. 

"Then I will.  I believe that she has helped you so much already!"  She walked away to most probably talk to Lady Rhian's parents. 

I was left to myself once more.  I watched as she spoke with a beautiful woman and a handsome man.  She was speaking to them so animatedly.  I wished I could be a part as well.  I wanted to be a part of her life.  And that unnerved me.  How could I feel so strongly about somebody I had only just met that night?  Didn't things like this take time…? 

But no amount of rationality could deter that jealousy I was feeling.  If I felt this strongly about her, she'd have to feel something for me, right? 

Little did I know just how complicated that girl was or how much trouble she'd put me through.  

End!

Author's Note:  So, did that wrap up some loose ends?  Awwww…..  That was a bit too much romance.  I was making myself a little sick when I wrote that.  "I wanted to be a part of her life."  Bleh.  Lame!  Anyway, if you wanted to know something more, just ask me.  Wow.  I even put Lana and It's ages in there…o.O  You have no idea how hard  it was to write this.  A guy's POV…  well, sort of.  Gavin's point of view would be a better term.  Mr. Perfect Guy before Nolan came along and ruined it!  Tsk tsk.  Oh well.  If you liked this story, check out the sequel entitled Royal Predicament.  Again, it's called Royal Predicament….not Princes are Evil 2.  Or Princes are Evil…the Sequel.  Um…*thinks of any other names for sequels*  Princes are Evil Returns…?  Agh, I'm tired.  It's after midnight, and I just got this done.  With my luck, I'll have to get up early tomorrow… 

Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story.  Your comments, support, and/or criticism have motivated me to complete this.  (like I said, it's a sign of the apocalypse.)  It's the reviewers that keep the authors going, and you guys rock!  Thank you all so much.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  ^_^  *wonders why Microsoft Word made the last thank you green…?*  Anyway…that's the end of this story!  It's finally ended.  El Fin!  And Gracias!  Arigato!  Um…I know no other languages….but thank you in those too!  And, as Porky Pig says…Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks!  ^_^