I heard a branch snap behind me which startled me, there was never normally anyone around whenever I came through so I panicked and decided to make a run for it. As I made off, I could hear somebody running behind me, I was definitely not the fastest elf in the realm and made the mistake of thinking I could outrun this elf, they were extremely fast and had managed to catch up with me and take me down, we both fell, knocking my bag into the air.
I landed on my back and as this elf was now pinning me down, I tried to scamper for my bag but they were too strong, this was scaring me. I tried to knee them in the side, anything could happen out here to me. "I wouldn't do that if I were you" the stranger warned as she pulled her hood back. I lay there defeated.
All it took were to see the gold strands of hair for me to know who it was. "I am so sorry Princess, I did not realise it was you" I lay defeated. "So we meet again" Princess Lily held on for a moment longer and then let go of me, helping me stand up. She looked different today, she was more dressed down and her hair was completely braid-free, her clothes were as plain as mine. "Why are you in these woods?" I asked, stepping back. "Am I not allowed to be?" she frowned jokingly.
I shook my head, "No, it's just I never normally pass by anyone in these woods" Lily smiled knowingly, she was not what I was expecting, I thought she would have been uptight and not want to associate or speak to the likes of me. "and that is exactly what I like about these woods" just as I was wondering where her security was, we were ambushed by the King's guard and the King himself.
He appeared on a mighty warrior horse and I immediately bowed. "What is the meaning of this Lily?" he questioned her and she stood still, never moving from her spot. She seemed to be thinking about something, eventually, she looked up at him, "I came out for a walk" she responded. I felt so awkward but there were guards right behind me ready to grab me if I so much as moved.
This did not satisfy the King. "You have guards for a reason, to act in this manner is to jeopardize the crown, and to associate with those below your station is not how we do things. You know this, it's now time to come home" For once in her life Lily decided to stand up to her father even though she knew she would face the consequences later. "I came out here for some peace and quiet away from all of this and to be alone, I did not jeopardize anything, these woods are well known for being just that...quiet, which is why I decided to move here" Lily was mostly annoyed and this was ruining her day, she also could tell that I was anxious about all of this.
The King barely looked over at me, it was as if I was not there, "watch who you keep company, I'll at least remind you of that" he spoke angrily before turning around and speeding away, you could tell that as a father he was worried and as a King he was angry. Most of the guards had gone but some stayed behind which frustrated Princess Lily even more.
Once they were in the distance Lily turned to me, but I did not look back, I merely felt her gaze on me before turning and walking away, the guards let me go. Lily wasn't happy with my reaction, "Wait, you are leaving just like that" The tone in her voice sounded hurt. In just a second Lily was in front of me, I had forgotten how fast the royals would be, in fact, it was something I would never have known, which is why it startled me.
"As your father said, you shouldn't associate with the likes of me, it will do you no good, and for me, the consequences are even worse, I want no part in it". I stepped back.
Lily took another step forward. "I am sorry about what happened and I am sorry you feel that way, I did not mean to cause you any trouble" She sincerely apologized and had become very serious. She then stepped aside to let me pass, which I did, "Have a good day your highness" I spoke calmly like a stoic and walked passed her. I returned home straight away but as I had, it felt like I had been watched and whoever was watching me was still out there.
After my incident with the Princess, I did not see her again, weeks if not months had passed and things continued as usual. I had told no one what had happened in the woods, sometimes when I walked in them on a Sunday it felt as though I was being watched. I carried on keeping to myself, going to work, going to the market when I had to.
Summer was in full swing, one of my favorite times of year but it also meant we had the summer ball to attend, it was a big deal because suitors from other kingdoms would attend to try to find their other half at the ball, girls would be dressed in the best outfits they owned, with their hair immaculate and best jewels on show.
Again, this was not something that I was fortunate to be a part of, those who were considered lowly had to work the event, and we were always given different jobs.
This was one of the busiest times of the year as the hotel would be at full capacity due to elves traveling from other Kingdoms, but also because I then had to work some evenings to help set up for the ball and to work the ball itself which was usually in the evening of the Saturday after the market.
This year, the ball was taking place in the grand hall within the castle grounds. I was with Avy helping put up the decorations on one side of the hall, "I wonder if I will meet anyone this year" she pondered. I just laughed at her. "You say this every year" I joked back. She shook her head amusingly, "I don't lose hope, and neither should you", for elves there will only ever be one other half, and it is for life, but it is also very rare that we meet them.
We carried on hanging the banners and other bits of decoration, it was very beautiful what had been set up, there were flowers everywhere, a grand chandelier, and a very large stained glass window. I had decided I would wear a green elven traditional dress that I had made, it would help blend in with everyone else and not draw any attention to me.
The week had gone by very fast and the ball was looming over me tomorrow so I made sure I got some extra sleep to help me get through the day.
First I went to work but mostly I just checked that all of the rooms had what they needed, most of them did not want us near their room as they were busy getting ready, this meant that the sooner I got to the market the sooner I could leave and return home to change before heading to the ball to work. We would only find out when we got there what our job would be for the evening.
Kira, Avy, and I headed to the market after finished, they both decided to dance this week whilst I watched from the sidelines. It made me think about the time I danced with the Princess without even knowing it was her.
I said goodbye to the girls after a while and told them I would see them later, I hurried home, stepping out of my clothes and bathing quickly in order to be ready. It took longer than usual with my hair as I wanted to braid it carefully and not rush it, I decided to do something different with it tonight.
While it was down, I braided it around the back to the point where you could see my ears, which is something I usually hide. Of what little jewellery I own, I placed some of it delicately in my hair and then a couple of old rings on my fingers.
I wrapped my cloak around me and set off to the castle, it was dark as I made my way through the streets but every year I seemed to notice how quiet it would be because everyone was too preoccupied with getting ready.
Once I reached there, the elf guard on the door asked for my name and then gave me an envelope. I opened the envelope to see which station I would be working on tonight. I immediately frowned as I read the words "serving the high elves" This was not good, most of them were awful to serve and now I knew tonight would be a nightmare, it also meant I would be a table over from Princess Lily, whom I hadn't seen in a while, but I guess she had forgotten about me anyhow. "Where are you tonight Gabi?" Kira and Avy asked I turned my card around to show them, they were shocked as well. "Good luck tonight Gabi" Avy spoke sincerely.
I set up the high elves table making sure it was nothing but perfect, everything had a place, and was polished to perfection. As everybody arrived, I saw to it that my table had drinks and that they were kept topped up, I floated around the table and barely stopped until I felt somebody looking at me. It was then that I saw her, the Princess, in the most beautiful deep purple laced dress I had ever seen, she was the depiction of beauty.
Her golden locks were plaited intricately. She quickly looked away as did I, I had a job to attend to and nothing could be short of perfect. This night always had a lot of speeches throughout by the King, elders, or high elves, although our society was not very fair and had its own problems, there was no denying that it was run well and in the best interests of our people.
Every now and then I glanced over at Lily, she was always in conversation with somebody, it was interesting to see this side of her in a social setting, most of the food had been served and eaten and I began clearing the plates away, I was glad things had gone smoothly so far. The high elves were all happy with my service and I had gotten to listen to the dull conversation they were having.
That was until one of the servers from the royal table came over and spoke with another server from my table, they must have been friends. The girl came over to her friend who asked her how it was to be serving royalty, she replied curtly, "It's not too bad, I feel bad for the Princess, she keeps being asked to dance but refuses, saying there is only one person she wants to dance with". I felt my heart drop, surely that could not have been me, definitely not. We only danced one time. "that is unfortunate for her" her friend replied. "yes, the King does not seem happy about it" she replied before returning to the royal's table.
The dancing was the best part of the ball and even the servers got to dance at the end when our shift was over, which was in about 10 minutes. All we had to do was clear the table and re-stock it with the last round of drinks that had been ordered and once that was done I would find Kira and Avy to dance with.
We danced for a little while which was a lot of fun, most of the time everything is very serious which I like, but also it was nice to let go for once. "This has been a lot of fun this year" I beamed to Kira, she gave me a knowing look and twirled me around. "Same time next year then" Avy chipped in and we all laughed.
Not long after I said my goodbyes and began the journey home, they had decided to stay a little later because they lived closer and it wouldn't take them long. I reached the step of my door and was about the open it when I spoke, "Why are you following me?" I called out tiredly. It was annoying me and I knew it had to be another elf, if I had to defend myself I would.