Xavier nodded and squeaked, “Yes, sir.”
Chapter 12
The Dance
Xavier’s heart was lodged in his throat as he stood in the center of the rugby pitch with Jeremiah dressed in his royal rugby uniform beside him. Ephraim had gone into the stands to retrieve Ken and Mac for their apology, and they were now strutting cockily across the field toward him. He bit back the intense desire to punch the smirk from Ken’s mouth.
“Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention, please?” his father called over the sound system, and almost immediately, the crowd became quiet. “Thank you. I apologize for the delay in the final rugby match, but your prince has something he wishes to say publicly.”
Jeremiah held out the microphone to Xavier, who simply stared at it as though it carried the plague.
“Son, take the microphone,” his father hissed.
Reluctantly, Xavier took it and cleared his throat. He looked at Mac and Ken and then toward the silent crowd. He cleared his throat again and spoke. “Ah, thanks for giving me this opportunity. You see I’ve done something today that I’m not very proud of. As many of you know, I used one of my abilities to humiliate two fellow citizens. At the time, I felt I was justified because they were dishonoring my father, and they…”
The king nudged him with his elbow and shook his head as the crowd in the stands mumbled.
With a sigh, Xavier continued, “Sorry. I guess it doesn’t matter why I did what I did. I was completely out of line, and I’m ashamed of my actions. That’s not the kind of king I want to be. So I offer my apologies to Kenneth Calhoun and Mackenzie Timmins for inflicting any pain or embarrassment on them. I hope they can accept my apology with the promise that I will never do it again.”
Ken and Mac leered back at him, apparently enjoying his public penance. Jeremiah took the microphone and muttered, “You can go now, boys.”
As Xavier walked across the pitch, Ken and Mac followed him, laughing and whispering. Once Xavier reached the staircase leading to the stands, he sprinted up them two at a time, trying to put as much distance between himself and the other boys. He didn’t slow his pace until he reached the bench where his friends sat waiting.
“Oh, man!” Garrett moaned. “That was absolutely the most degrading spectacle I’ve ever had the misfortune to watch!”
“Imagine how I felt!” Xavier hissed.
“No doubt your old man made you do it,” Beck remarked with sympathy.
“Well, yeah, sort of. It was either that or…I’d be grounded to the palace for the rest of the night.” Xavier’s eyes met Maggie’s and he shrugged.
“Well,” she replied softly once he had sunk onto the bench next to her, “it was the right thing to do, even though they totally deserved what you did to them.”
“Thanks,” Xavier whispered.
The rugby match was absolutely brutal. The Wellington team members were nothing more than a bunch of cheaters. They committed foul after foul that went unnoticed by the officials. One particular foul was so gruesome and so blatantly intentional that the entire stadium erupted in fury. Ephraim, positioned as a halfback which a similar position to that of quarterback in American football, received the ball after a vicious scrum. He backpedaled and tossed the ball to Jeremiah, who was playing a wing position. Jeremiah maneuvered easily around several advancing players, but three Wellington players were in position to box him in if he kept the ball so he tossed it to Loren. This fact didn’t change the course for the three opponents, and they continued to advance on the king as he retreated to another position on the field. He never saw it coming. King Wells was struck from behind, lifted off his feet, and drove into the icy turf.
The stands thundered angrily, and the players erupted in an outright brawl. Loren threw the first punch, striking one offender across the jaw, before lunging at another. Several more Royal players joined in the fight as Jeremiah got to his feet and charged toward the scuffle. He grabbed one of his teammates and threw him off the poor guy he was beating into a pulp. It took several minutes for the fight to be broken up, and as a result, Loren and the three Wellington players were red-carded. When the grisly match finally ended, the Royals won 10 to 7.
Following the match, the kingdom’s citizens eagerly returned to their homes to get ready for the dance. Xavier was nervous, excited, and scared out of his mind all at the same time as he showered and dressed for the dance. Unable to tie the bow tie to his tuxedo, he went in search of his father.
“Dad?” he called, knocking on the king’s bedroom door.
“Yeah, come on in, son,” he beckoned.
Xavier walked into the room and found his father standing in front of his bureau mirror, pulling on his tuxedo jacket and fitting it over his broad shoulders. Xavier stood beside his father, watching his father’s reflection as he ran his hand through his hair in one smooth gesture. Jeremiah was a very big man, just as tall as Loren, but not quite as bulky; his father’s muscles were more chiseled and sleek. Xavier’s gaze fell to his own reflection, and he wondered if he’d ever grow to be as big and strong as his father. Finally, Jeremiah turned to him.
“What’cha need, son?” he asked with a broad smile.
“Ah, I don’t know how to tie a bow tie,” he muttered, placing the tie in his father’s outstretched hand.
Jeremiah had the tie neatly knotted at his neck in a matter of seconds. “There you are! You look dashing!”
Xavier looked at his own reflection uncertainly and shrugged. “I guess. Dad? Could I borrow some of your cologne again?”
“Sure, but let’s not shower in it this time,” he replied, entering his bathroom and returning with two bottles of cologne. He handed Xavier one bottle and kept the other for himself. “Watch,” he instructed softly. Xavier watched his father dab his cologne-coated fingertip to the pulse points on his neck and wrists and then along his jaw.
Xavier mimicked his father’s actions and smiled up at him. “Is that good?” he asked.
Jeremiah leaned in toward the boy, sniffed, and straightened with a smile. “Ah, very good. At least now your cologne won’t cause your date to pass out from its strength when you dance with her.” Xavier glared up at his father as he laughed heartily. “Okay, Casanova! Let’s get a move on! Grab the blankets on the corner of bed there,” he told him, pointing to a pair of plaid blankets folded neatly at the foot of the bed.
“Blankets? Why do we need blankets?” Xavier asked.
“The girls will need them on the sleigh ride to the lake. Women tend to get cold easily, son. Which means we have a duty to keep them warm!” he answered with a wink and a mischievous smile.
“Dad!” Xavier groaned, rolling his eyes.
“Come on.” Jeremiah chuckled. “Let’s get going.”
When they exited the palace, they found a magnificent sleigh drawn by two stunning, white stallions waiting in the drive.
“Where’s the driver?” Xavier asked.
“You’re looking at him,” Jeremiah answered, as they clambered onto the sleigh. “Catherine and I will sit up front and you and Maggie can have the back to yourselves.”
As they pulled up in front of Maggie’s house, Xavier jumped from the sleigh before it came to a complete stop and raced to her door. Maggie opened the door before he could knock.
“Hi.” She smiled bashfully. Xavier’s gaze took in her beautiful hair spilling over her shoulders, her bright expectant eyes, and her lush pink lips. Without a word, Xavier’s gaze fell down her body before floating back up to her eyes.
She gave him a fretful look. “Do I look all right?” she asked quietly.
“Ah…ah, y…you look great!” he stuttered.
She beamed at him, and Xavier’s stomach did somersaults. Finally, he recovered enough to offer her his arm. She took it without hesitation, and he led her to the sleigh where his father waited, grinning. Jeremiah gave Xavier a wink as he helped Maggie into the sleigh and then climbed in beside her. The sleigh began to move again, and mome
nts later, they stopped next to Catherine’s house in the Wellington District. After helping Catherine into the sleigh, Jeremiah climbed onto the buckboard and snapped the reins. As icy air rushed past them, Maggie snuggled closer to Xavier under the blanket and nestled her head on his shoulder. Xavier’s breath caught in his lungs and suddenly he was no longer cold. Heat coursed through his veins, and he had to force himself to exhale slowly.
Finally, the sleigh pulled up to the edge of the Wood and glided to a stop. “Well, this is where we walk,” Jeremiah announced, motioning to the long stone walkway lit by large torches planted in the ground.
Xavier quickly got to his feet both relieved and, strangely, a bit sad that the bittersweet ride had come to an end. He climbed out of the sleigh and turned to help Maggie down. As Jeremiah and Catherine led the way along the path, Xavier brushed his hand against Maggie’s Soon, they entered a breathtaking clearing. Icicles hung like ornaments from the tree limbs that canopied over most of the area and just above their heads, thousands of tiny lights the size of fireflies sparkled in vibrant colors. The ground was covered in iridescent snow, and enormous ice sculptures encircled the lake that was frozen into a solid transparent sheet. Embedded in the ice were orchards and lilies of every imaginable color, giving the dancers the impression they were dancing on a bed of flowers. Although the lake had been transformed into a winter wonderland, oddly, it wasn’t cold. In fact, it was quite comfortable. It was, in a word, magical!
“Xavier!” Court called from the dance floor with Erica. “Come on!”
Xavier looked to Maggie. “You ready to dance?”
She grinned. “You bet!”
The music for the evening was an eclectic mix of different genres. The current selection was jazzy and upbeat. Xavier watched the footwork of the others for a moment before joining in the dance. Several songs later, he looked at Maggie.
“Would you like to sit down and rest a bit?” he asked.
“Sure,” she answered breathlessly.
Xavier took her hand and led her to a small table off to the side of the icy dance floor. He pulled out the chair for her and sat across from her. “Are you having a good time?” he asked.
“A great time! I could use a drink, though,” she told him.
“Oh, okay. I’ll get you one,” he replied, grinning devilishly at her. But instead of walking to the punch and tidbits table, he couldn’t help but show off a bit. He flicked his fingers at the refreshments and two glasses of punch floated into his awaiting hands. He turned and handed one to Maggie, who laughed.
“Thank you,” she murmured, still grinning, and took a sip.
The music on the dance floor changed to a love ballad. Xavier watched his friends on the dance floor dancing awkwardly with their dates and snickered.
“What are you laughing about?” Maggie asked.
“Well, look at them! It’s like watching porcupines dance with each other!” he laughed.
Maggie turned to watch the group, and soon she was laughing along with him. But, Xavier’s laughter caught in his throat the moment his eyes settled on his father and Catherine Stokes. Unlike, his friends, his father was clearly very comfortable with dancing with a woman. They were close, very close, and those who weren’t already on the dance floor dancing watched and smiled as the king spun Catherine in a circle before extravagantly dipping her and pulling her against him again. The group applauded and cheered on their king as Xavier’s face flashed with heated embarrassment. But, what his father did next broke the last of Xavier’s self-control. After another spin and dip, the king pulled his date back into his arms and kissed her in the middle of the dance floor for everybody to see!
Anger pounded in Xavier’s ears and propelled him into action. Cursing under his breath, Xavier stormed across the dance floor and plowed between his father and Catherine, knocking them apart. Catherine staggered and if Jeremiah hadn’t been quick on his feet, she most certainly would have fallen.
“Xavier! What the…” Jeremiah growled after him as he ran off the dance floor and down the path, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the lovebirds. He slowed once the lights behind him had faded from view.
“Xavier! Xavier, wait up!” Maggie called, running after him.
Xavier stopped and waited for her to reach him before continuing down the path, fuming.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“How can I be? Didn’t you see them? Snogging in front of everyone! God! Now, Ken will have even more ammunition to torture me with!”
“What do you want to do?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he muttered miserably.
Maggie took his hand as they continued to walk down the path and out of the woods to the parked sleighs.
“Why don’t we sit in the sleigh for a while?” Maggie suggested.
Still working to squelch his dark emotions, he nodded and helped her into the sleigh before climbing in behind her.
Without a surrounding forest to shelter them, an icy breeze fell over them, and they had to pull the blanket over themselves. The night sky was clear and beautiful. The stars overhead winked down at them, and the moon gleamed like a single, magnificent pearl. As they sat in silence staring at the night sky, Maggie shivered before cuddling up against him. All his anger evaporated instantaneously and was replaced with a very hot, electrifying emotion he couldn’t name. He only knew he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to kiss her so bad he hurt.
Finally, he whispered, “Maggie? I’d like…to…can I kiss you?”
Maggie smiled, which only strengthened his resolve to kiss her all the more. “Yes,” she answered simply.
His heart soared from the sound of that simple word, and he grinned. Maggie gasped softly as his fingertips brushed over her lips. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Electric! Real electricity erupted from him sending sparks above their heads. Stunned, they looked up at the dissolving glittery display. They stared at one another in silent amazement before bursting into a nervous, manic laughter.
Finally, after their laughter died away, Xavier stroked her cheek, the smile disappearing from his face, and he kissed her again. Her lips were sweet as he knew they would be. All he wanted to do was to spend the rest of the night kissing this girl. She made him feel as if everything in his life would work out brilliantly. She was quickly becoming his foundation, his sanity.
“Ah, Xavier,” she muttered, and he pulled away. “We really should get back to the dance.”
Xavier smiled. “Okay, come on,” he replied, taking her by the hand and helping her out of the sleigh. He led her back down the path and onto the dance floor, grinning madly the entire time.
Beck noticed them returning and gave Xavier a thumbs up and mouthed the words, “Go, Prince Wells! Get to third base?”
Xavier smiled uncomfortably back as he searched the area for his father and Catherine. They stood just a few feet away on the side of the dance floor. Jeremiah was speaking to Catherine in low tones and from the looks of it, the conversation was serious. Then Jeremiah’s sober eyes met Xavier’s and his thoughts punched into Xavier’s head. “Son, don’t go far. We need to talk.”
“Later,” Xavier mouthed back as he led Maggie to the opposite end of the dance floor and began dancing. He loved being this close to her. She smelled so good and he loved the way she looked at him just now. But, seconds later, Jeremiah was at Xavier’s side, grasping his elbow.
“Son? We need to talk, now,” he insisted quietly, and then he looked at Maggie. “Please excuse us, Maggie.”
“Yes, sire,” she whispered, stepping out of Xavier’s embrace and leaving father and son.
Jeremiah pulled Xavier off the dance floor and down the path. He didn’t release him until they were well out of earshot.
Xavier spun to face him. “What?”
“What’s with this attitude?” he asked irritably. When Xavier didn’t answer, Jeremiah continued, “What’s going on, Xavier?”
“Nothin
g!” he snapped.
“Nothing? You nearly knocked Catherine over with your little temper tantrum!” Jeremiah barked.
“Temper tantrum! I’m not three!” Xavier spat.
“Then stop acting like you are and start acting your age!” his father barked.
“I am! You’re the one not acting your age!” Xavier bellowed. “You and Catherine making out on the dance floor like a couple of teenagers! How am I supposed to live that down at school come Monday?”
“Please lower your voice, boy,” Jeremiah hissed dangerously.
“Oh, forget it!” Xavier spat back. “You never think about me where Catherine’s concerned, and I don’t care anymore!” Before Jeremiah could say another word, Xavier turned and stormed back to the dance.
Xavier found Maggie standing next to the refreshment table, swaying to the music and watching the other dancers. Xavier approached her determined not to let his father and Catherine ruin his good time.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
Xavier nodded curtly and asked, “Wanna dance some more?”
She gave him a hesitant look but nodded, and suddenly nothing else mattered. He took her hand and turned to lead her to the dance floor, but collided with a solid, unforgiving barrier. He stumbled backwards and peered up at his father’s formidable, uncompromising face.
“Son? We didn’t finish our discussion,” he remarked forcibly, causing several bystanders to stop and watch.
Xavier didn’t care; all he wanted to do was dance with Maggie and let all his problems vanish in her beautiful eyes. He glared up at his father challengingly and muttered under his breath, “Not now, Dad. I’m going to dance with Maggie.” He tried to step around his father, but Jeremiah grabbed his arm.
“Xavier, don’t compel me to take actions that will prove embarrassing for you,” he growled.
The Prince of Warwood and the Fall of the King (Book 2) Page 12
