"What are you doing, Anna?" One of the dancers whispered when it seemed that their best dancer was going out of the line, slightly disrupting the flow of their performance. Now these dancers had done this numerous times and knew just how to keep the show going even if one of them was slipping away.
Anna on the other hand ignored those who whispered her name from behind, she maintained the choreography even though she was dancing away from the group. Her target finally noticed it, and this was because she danced towards him, very vibrant and energetic.
The closer Anna got to the King's throne, two guards stood on the path, yet she was unfazed and still danced forward. Her eyes were on the king, and his were on her. He signalled the guards to let her pass and they quickly moved aside.
As soon as she was close to the throne, Anna stretched forth her hand toward the king and invited him to dance with her, and he did not hesitate. The crowd cheered as their sovereign stood up from his throne for the first time to dance.
Holding hands with the bold dancer, the king stepped on the dance floor and a smile crept upon his face. He knew nothing about this dance step, but Anna didn't hesitate to show him the way.
The other dancers, upon noticing this new development, surrounded the king in a large circle, all while maintaining the choreography. And as for Anna, she danced gracefully, yet she was careful enough to avoid looking like she was attempting to seduce the king.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the drum stopped, and so did the dancers. They collectively bowed before the king, after which they turned and bowed slightly to the audience who were pleased with their performance.
But just before they exited the state, the King caught Anna by the arm, taking her by surprise and looking straight into her eyes.
"You are bold," He said,
"I could have killed you."
At these words, Anna's heart skipped a bit, come to think of it, she had recently learnt that the king rules with an iron fist, and wasn't fond of women. So her attempt to get his attention could have ended in disaster, but it didn't, thankfully.
"I apologise... my lord." She wanted to kneel, but he stopped her before she could.
"I'm not upset." He said,
"Meet me after the party is over and ask me for anything that you want aside from my kingdom, and I will give it to you."
"My, King... " Before Anna could finish these words, he had returned to his throne, and she just stood alone in front of the crowd, and that was when it occurred to her that all her mates were gone and she had to leave as well.
"I'm so sorry," Anna apologies as she approached her mates in the other hall,
"I know that we didn't plan for that, it was selfish of me to...
"Exactly!" The lead dancer cut her off with a frown,
"This could have ended in disaster, the king could have gotten upset, kicked our team out and that will be the last time we ever get to perform. Thank the gods that it didn't get to that."
"Like I said, I'm very sorry," she apologized again, it was the least she could do since this wasn't entirely her fault. She enjoyed it though, and it would surely get her what she wanted.
"I guess all your shyness was just pretend...
"Priscila!" Another dancer cut her off,
"She already said that she is sorry, so quit it already. It's not like we got banned. If anything, the king might just reward us heavily for her bold move to approach him, and our team will be known as the first to ever get the king off his throne to dance. "
"Ignore her, Anna," the lady smiled at her, an attempt to get a smile on Anna's sobber face,
"Yeah, it was selfish of you to do that, but you were incredible out there, our team suddenly got recognised for the first time because of you."
"Thank you," Anna forced a smile on her face,
"I may not be able to dance with you girls any longer."
"Huh?"
The lady was taken aback, and even those weren't close by drew near when they heard that.
"Why?"
"I'm moving into the castle to serve," she replied,
"I would always see to girls when there is another event, but that's what the King wants me to do, and I have no choice."
"Oh," the lady mumbled in a disappointed tone,
"I wish you all the best within these walls. I swear I've heard of the terrible things that happen in here and I don't wish for anyone to get trapped in here."
"It's okay," said Anna,
"It's my fault for doing too much anyway haha. Let's just see how it goes."
Even before Anna could finish her statement, the young lady enveloped her in a warm hug, and said,
"Even if it is once, I'll always remember you."
"Thanks."
As time passed, the guests departed, leaving the hall less crowded as the King's guard distributed the rewards to the respective groups. Anna's group receive the most, a bag of 200 pieces of gold.
The guard also mentioned that Anna wasn't to partake of their rewards, that the king wanted or see her personally. And it was at this point that she waved goodbye to her team, this might be the last time because based on what she knew about the plot, the castle wasn't her final destination.