"Tatyana! Please wake up! Please!" Daryl said while crying his eyes out.
"Your majesty please calm down." Bertrum said while trying to cool him down. The last time i saw him this way was when he was a kid. He was from hearing that his friend had died. Those are the worst moments of my life. Good thing that his mind erased that painful memory for him. He doesn't even remember her.
"Do. Not. Tell. Me. To calm down." He said with a low, terrifying tone. Tatyana slowly opened her eyes to find Daryl with tears cascading down his cheeks.
"Taty! Are you up?" He said while holding her. He slowly let go of her limp form and brought her to a sitting position.
"Yeah. I'm up. Sorry I made you cry Rylls. I fainted out of nowhere."
"Its okay. What matters is that you're okay... You are okay right? Do you have a fever? Are you cold?" He said while holding her head to feel if she had a temperature or not.
"I said I'm fine. How about we be back on our way to lord knows where you were taking me?" She said while pushing his hand away from her forehead. Daryl slowly regained his composure and took some tissues from Bertrum. He stopped worrying when he saw that Tatyana really was fine.
"Why'd you faint?"
"I...dont know actually. I had a strange dream. But now, I can't seem to remember what it was about."
The carriage came to a slow and steady stop in front of the castle. Daryl got out after Bertrum did and reached out his hand for Tatyana to take.
The castle had been decorated very wonderfully. It had streamers on the big gate and it read, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCE DARYL'. Tatyana turned to Daryl with a shocked expression on her face.
"Its your birthday too?"
"As you can see."
"Why didn't you tell me yesterday? I made it all about myself and it was about you too. Oh my gosh! I feel so horrible right now." She said while covering her mouth with her hand. Not believing that they shared the same birthday.
"Hey. No need to feel bad. I enjoyed it. If you asked me, I'd tell you that it's fair. Yesterday was about you and today is about me. Well, to the kingdom it is. But to me, everything is about you. That's why I want to share this day with you."
Once again, he took her hand and they went inside the castle. Before they got far enough Tatyana stopped walking. "Wait, if it's the Metuzan prince's birthday, then the Metuzan king and queen are going to be here. I'm going to see your mother and father!?" She asked while wheezing.
"Calm down. They won't have a problem. So let's go in already." He put her hand on the crook of his elbow.
"What are you going to introduce me as?" She asked while making their way through the crowd.
"My date. Obviously." He said while rolling his eyes.
"Your date!?"
He didn't answer her question. At the corner of the ballroom, Daryl's mother and father were standing talking to a few nobles. He hid her behind his back and walked upto his parents. He cleared his throat to announce his presence. "Mother, father." He said while nodding his head to each of them.
"Well, if it isnt the birthday boy!" His mother cheered up after seeing her son.
"Mother. I think you remember Tatyana, from the last time I came to your quarters. I want you to meet her." He was holding her hand the entire time. He slowly led her in front of him. She took a curtsy. "It is my greatest honor to meet you your Majesties." She said while slowly rising up.
The king and queen choked on their drinks upon seeing Tatyana. They started coughing and excused themselves. "Told you you'd take their breaths away." Daryl said while winking at her. She playfully swatted his arm.
"I thought you said the whole Aruzian royal family died that day. How come this Tatyana is a splitting image of the princess?"
"Dont worry darling we saw them be buried six feet deep underground. You know how those Aruzians are, all their faces are just almost the same. Let's go already." The king reassured his wife and they went back to the two.
"Please, Tatyana call us Marisa and Daniel." The queen said while taking Tatyana's hand.
"Please mother, give me a break. It took her three months for her to get used to calling me by name and not 'your lordship' all the time. So much so, the king and queen?" Daryl said with a mocking tone.
"As you wish Marisa." Tatyana said while giving Daryl a knowing smirk.
"What?! You can't be serious! You took three months to call me Daryl, three whole months! But to them, you didn't even take three minutes!? Absurd!" He said while crossing his arms on his chest. His parents laughed at the way their son was behaving. It had been so long since the last time they saw him act like himself in front of them. He normally acted like they were strangers to him. You know what, if this girl makes my son happy, I don't even care if she's not a noble or a princess. The queen thought.
"Hi birthday boy!" Darryl groaned at the sound of her voice. She clung on to his left arm unannounced.
"Melissa, please get off of me." He said while pushing her away from his arm. "But Dary, I just wanna be with you. I am your date after all." She said while clinging on to his arm once again.
"No you are not. I'm even wondering how you got an invitation to the party." He said while trying to get her off of him again.
"Oh Dary you are so funny."
"Honestly, I wish i was joking." He said while calling Tatyana from his parents interrogation. She excused herself and came over to him. "Melissa, I'd like you to meet my date, Tatyana Jones. Taty, meet Princess Melissa of Arden Kingdom." He said while finally freeing his arm from her grip. "Now, if you'd excuse us, we'd like to enjoy our party." He said while taking Tatyana's hand and leading her away from her.
He sat her on a free table and left to get some drinks. She sat while waiting patiently until a man came and sat on the seat next to her.
"Nice to meet you, I'm prince John Marcus of Arden Kingdom, and you are?" He said while stretching his hand out for Tatyana to shake. "I'm Tatyana Jones. Pleasure to meet you your lordship."
"I must say, even though you dont have a title, you sure do look ravishing." He said while giving her beautiful gloved hand a light kiss. She whispered a thank you and they sat there in an awkward silence until Daryl arrived.
He angrily put the glasses on the table and glared at John Marcus.
"Must you always be everywhere to annoy me? Goodness gracious, I will ask this question again, who on earth gave you Ardenians invitations?! You people annoy me to death!" He said while not letting his eyes off of John.
"Buddy. Cool down. Dont you like it when a friend comes to your party?" John said while comfortably slumping on his seat.
He took Tatyana's hand and was about to leave when he remembered he had one thing left to say.
"Listen here, John. Firstly, I am Prince Daryl to you and secondly, if you don't want me kicking your annoying ass out of our party, try to stay out of my sight. Got it?" He said while leaving and going to another table.
"Hey, Booker, Go to the table with the prince and take him his food."
"On it." Booker said while leaving the kitchen with a tray in his hands. A towel sat at a ninety degree angle on his left arm.His jet black hair was greased back neatly in comparison to his normal messy up do. It made his vibrant green eyes shine bright. He was also wearing a castle uniform. He remembered his last encounter with the prince and it didn't go all that well. He hoped that he didn't remember him.
He walked over to his table with his head facing down. He carefully placed the plates on the table and was about to leave when he heard a painfully familiar voice. Even though it sounded more grown up. "You should say thank you Daryl, for his service."
"Why should I when he's getting paid?...but anyway, thank you for your service my good man."
"Yes. Thank you." The female voice said. He looked up to the voice and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets for he didn't believe what he saw.
"Tatyana is that you?"
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Next up on Hidden Princess:
"Yes, it's me. Do I happen to know you sir?"
"Bells, don't you remember me?! Its me, Booker! But wait....you died. How can you be alive! I saw you be buried!"