Chapter 3 - First Contact
"Milady, wake up…" Parvati called as she opened the thick curtains, allowing the bright sunlight to bath the whole room and fall on Ginny's face.
"Is it morning already?" she groaned, sitting up in bed with her eyes firmly closed against the light.
"Yes, it is and we must get you ready for breakfast. I've heard the Prince came back last night…" Parvati said, helping Ginny remove the nightgown and made her put on the corset.
Ginny remained silent and focused on getting dressed. She was still confused about what had happened last night. She had refused to serve someone she thought to be a guard, and they ended up making fun of each other. In the end, the knowledge that she had been alone in the kitchen with her fiancee, wearing only a nightgown and her hair uncovered, made her fear the Prince's reaction when he saw her the next morning. Would he recognize her and tell his parents what had happened? Would they expel her from the Palace?
In one hand, that wasn't so bad, she could go back to her humble home and live happily with her family. On the other hand, her father had seemed so happy to see her going to the palace, to become a member of the Royal Family. Well, she would have to wait for the confrontation.
As soon as Ginny was wearing her hair in braids, covered by a white silk scarf, and a light green dress fell at her feet, Ginny headed to the dinning room.
"Good morning…" she said, entering the room with a proper pose, only to find the Queen and the man from last night watching her curiously.
"Good morning, Ginevra! Draco, this is Ginevra Weasley…" Queen Narcissa said with a big smile.
"Nice to meet you, my Prince." Ginny said in a sarcastic voice, bowing before him.
The Prince remained quiet, studying the woman before him with suspicion in his silver eyes. It was obvious that this woman was the same one from the previous night. The white scarf was so thin that the red colour of her hair showed through, the eyes held the same sarcastic and mischievous look in them. It was definitely her.
"Who is she, Mother?" he asked in a cold voice.
"Your bride…"
"My WHAT?" Draco yelled in shock, turning around to glare at his mother, but she just kept on eating her breakfast.
Ginny chuckled when she saw his shocked face and elegantly sat in front of the Queen and of the Prince, starting her meal as well.
"Draco, dear, you were taking too long to get married, so I took the liberty to choose your bride." the Queen replied, caressing his pale face in a motherly fashion. "Isn't she beautiful?"
"Mother, I don't want to marry, yet! Why are you trying to ruin my short time as a bachelor?" he whined, glaring at Ginny when she chuckled at his behaviour. "Am I amusing you?"
"That, you are." she laughed, but kept on eating.
"Draco, I'm not trying to ruin anything. You have always been a selfish prat, ever since you were a little boy. I know I'm at fault - I should have taught you better than that - but I didn't, and now I'm trying to make you see what it is like to be responsible." The Queen said in a cold, angry voice. "You are the heir of the throne, Draco, and you need to learn how to take responsibilities. I'm sure Ginny will help you in that."
"Hey, she's selfish as well. She didn't give me a cookie!" Draco mumbled, his face devoid of any emotion but his voice dripping with anger.
"What are you talking about?" the Queen asked, looking at Ginny with curiosity.
"Last night I woke up because I was hungry and went to the kitchen for a snack. Prince Draco arrived and started
ordering me around as if I was his maid." Ginny explained, a smile on her face directed at the Queen. "When I
refuse to obey him, he wanted to steal my cookies. Of course I didn't let him get my food."
"Selfish, that's what you are…" he mumbled, staring daggers at her.
"You did well, Ginevra…" the Queen chuckled. "Draco, don't expect her to obey to every single order of yours; she's a tough girl."
"She probably has to be, considering her origins." He sneered.
"What do you know about my origins?" Ginny asked with a raised eyebrow. If he had just found out about her presence at the Palace, how could he know anything about her?
"I've never seen you in any of our Debutante's Ball, or any other ball, actually. Weasley is not a high-class name, so, that leaves you to the lower class…" he reasoned, biting on a strawberry.
"Oh, the Prince actually has some brains!" Ginny gasped sarcastically. "Yes, I'm poor, I never had etiquette classes or learned to dance; but I've always had a loving family and will work hard to help my beloved ones. I may have callused hands and I may be no lady, but I sure can try, if only to prove to you that I can be your equal!"
"I believe I've found your weak point, uh?" he chuckled, trying to cover the surprise etched on his face. The girl had guts, he had to admit it. "Mother, when will we hold the wedding?"
"In four weeks, Draco. Next weekend we'll have the engagement party." Queen Narcissa said, surprising the young couple.
"Aren't we in a hurry?" Ginny mumbled, poking the eggs with her fork, causing the egg yolk to spread around the plate.
"Very well…" Prince Draco replied and left the room with a kiss on his mother's cheek and a nod of his head towards Ginny.
"Why's he reacting so well?" Ginny asked herself, but the Queen heard her and took the chance to answer.
"Today, Ginevra, you'll learn how the royal marriages happen. First of all, there is a contract both parts must sign." The Queen began her long explanation to a very attentive Ginevra. "By signing this contract, you are promising to be faithful to your husband, to have his first child within the next two years and if he desires more children, you shall give them to him. If you do not have a child within the time limit, the marriage shall be dissolved and the Prince shall choose a new wife. You must attend social events and behave according to your new status; you must always look like a happy woman, even if you're not. Appearances are everything around these people…"
Ginevra listened to everything, unable to make any comment. She was absolutely perplexed with the rules surrounding the most important members of the society.
"You will have your own bedroom, and Draco will call for you whenever he pleases. You will have no power in a bedroom nor outside of it, for that matter; the education of your children is up to you, but the child will spend most of its time with a nanny." The elder lady kept on explaining everything to Ginny, a look of sadness once again on her face.
"Milady, did you follow all of those rules?" Ginny asked carefully, watching the Queen nod in agreement. "And, did you eventually fall in love with your husband?"
"I believe we should spend some time in the garden. It's a lovely day, isn't it?" the Queen said, avoiding the personal question, and soon, both ladies were walking around the extensive gardens, with the freshly cut grass and the beds of flowers spread sporadically in precise patterns, giving a beautiful colour to the scenery. There were several rosebushes, covered with different coloured blooms. Their wonderful perfume brought a smile in Ginny's lips. "So, what do you think of your future?"
"I don't know what to expect of it, Milady. There are so many restrictions, so many rules to follow, so many impositions to obey… I won't have the freedom I've always loved or a marriage full of love - something I've always dreamed about." Ginny sighed sadly, sitting under a tree's shadow, watching the small city in the distance. The Queen listened to the young woman's sad voice, her own eyes staring off into the distance, remembering how difficult it had been for her to abandon her parents, when she had been chosen to marry Lucius Malfoy. Hopefully, Ginevra would have a different future next to Draco.
After spending a few hours walking around the garden, making light conversation, Ginny and the Queen went back indoors, and had lunch together. Neither the King nor the Prince showed up for the meal.
As soon as lunch was over, all Ginny wanted was to lie down and rest, but the Queen seemed to have different plans and led her to a new part of the Palace Ginny hadn't visited yet. This part of the Palace seemed much more opulent and very richly decorated. There were amazing tapestries on the wall as well as the floor across a hallway that was lined up with beautiful golden torches. Tall windows allowed a breath-taking view of the city and the Palace gardens. When they reached the end of the corridor, the Queen opened its golden double doors leading to the most fascinating room Ginny had ever seen.
When she was here, as a little girl, the party had been held in a small room, near the Palace's kitchens, and now here she was, in the biggest ballroom she could ever imagine. The ceiling was very high and ornamented with frescos of little cherubims, with three huge crystal chandeliers hanging from above; one of the walls was covered in mirrors while the opposite wall had dozen of high-ceiling double doors, allowing an enormous amount of light to shine the room's golden details. The floor was made of a shiny grey marble where you could actually see your own reflection and there was a small stage in one corner of the room. Onstage were four men, each of them holding a chords musical instrument.
"This room is absolutely breath-taking!" Ginevra sighed happily, twirling around in the middle of the room, arms wide open by her sides and head turned up to the ceiling, amber eyes watching the small cherubims, laughing as one of them waved at her.
"This is the ballroom, where we hold every single party for hundreds of guests…" Queen Narcissa explained, slowly walking to the middle of the room, signalled by a large coat of arms on the floor, beneath her feet. The Coat of Arms was round in black marble with a silver "M" in the middle. Two snakes form a circle around the letter, each one with its mouth on the other's tail - a symbol of continuity, infinite. "As you know, we'll hold an engagement party, where Draco will introduce his bride to high society. You'll have to act, look and feel like a perfect woman on that day, because hundreds of people will come here to study you, trying to find a flaw and spread fake rumours about you. Everyone will try to bring you down, Ginevra, but you're strong enough to ignore them."
"I hope so." Ginny mumbled, studying the small golden details near a window.
"Good afternoon, My Queen and Miss Weasley." a female greeted joyfully, surprising Ginny, but the Queen simply smiled.
"Ah, Mrs. Potter, I was wondering when you would be here. I was starting the dance lesson." The Queen smiled, as Mrs. Potter made a small bow and then approached them in the middle of the room. "I will sit and watch."
"Very well, Milady… Now, on with the dance lessons; usually we dance the waltz in these parties, so we'll worry with that one for now." Mrs. Potter said with a gentle smile, before her face turned serious and her tone of voice very professional. "When dancing, you must keep a safe distance from your partner, no body parts touching! Your right hand will be softly holding his shoulder while your left hand will be in his hand; do NOT move your arms at all, maintain them still but elegant. You can't refuse a dance to anyone, no matter how tired you are. In the ball, you should only speak about unimportant things like the weather, the date of the wedding or the beautiful ballroom. Do NOT speak to anyone about your private matters, your opinion on things or the details of this engagement."
Ginny just took a deep breath and stared at Mrs. Potter, trying to understand how cold she would look to the guests if she didn't talk freely with them. Mrs. Potter just kept on dictating rules.
"Now that you know the basics, let's start your dance classes." she said and with a hand signal from her, the four men started playing a soft melody. "Now, close your eyes, feel the music…"
Ginny obeyed, closing her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of listening to a live concerto for the first time in her life. It was beautiful the way the violin could communicate such emotion with those slow notes… it reached her soul, making her heart clench and a shiver run down her spine; it was as if the music was flowing in her blood and Ginny found herself crying without understanding why.
She was so focused on the music, her eyes shut to only feel its vibrations in the wide room, that Ginny didn't even realise as someone held her waist and left hand, and they both began to slowly move on the dance floor, a gentle waltz taking shape with their movements. Ginny remained with her eyes closed, for she was certain she was dancing with Mrs. Potter, but after a quick spin a strong male scent invaded her senses. It was a sweet yet deeply masculine scent, and Ginny loved it. Slowly she opened her eyes and gasped as she realized her partner was Prince Draco. This moment of surprise caused her to trip and she would have fell if it weren't for the Prince's arm surrounding her waist.
"Close your eyes, feel the music and let go…" he whispered in her ear, beginning to dance once again, but Ginny just couldn't concentrate due to their close proximity.
`Is this distance allowed?' Ginny wondered as each breath she took caused her chest to brush his.
"Ginevra, just do what I said…" his deep yet gentle voice whispered in her ear, making her shiver with the feeling of his breath on her sensitive neck.
Trying to relax, she obeyed him. After a few deep breaths Ginny was once again mentally tuned with the music and dancing gracefully in the Prince's arms.
Right then, everything was perfect…
The music stopped and so did the couple. Ginny opened her shiny eyes, her face flushed and a contented smile on her lips. She was absolutely breathtaking at the moment and Prince Draco found himself fascinated with his future wife.
"That was beautiful!" the Queen and Mrs. Potter both said with huge grins on their faces.
The interruption made Ginny and Prince Draco realise that they had been staring at each other for a few moments now, and they immediately took a step back away from each other, a small blush appearing on Ginny's face while the Prince just scowled.
"Ginevra, for a first time, you have danced beautifully…" Mrs. Potter smiled warmly, approaching the couple. "Of course, you could have done much better if it weren't for the awful partner."
"Mrs. Potter, I'm in no mood for your horrid sense of humour right now. Excuse me." Prince Draco spat coldly, turning an angry glare on Mrs. Potter and then, without even looking at Ginny; he kissed his mother's cheek and left the ballroom.
"What happened?" Ginny asked confused with his sudden change of humour. When he had been dancing with her he had been quite gentle but now… he seemed to have rancorous feelings regarding Mrs. Potter.
"Oh, that was just Prince Draco being his old self towards me." Mrs. Potter sighed sadly, taking a seat near a window. "My husband and Prince Draco are not the best of friends and although I try to be his friend, joking with him and trying to reach his good side, Prince Draco just won't let me in, treating me just like what you saw right now."
"Well, that's very rude of him." Ginny mumbled, looking at the door through which he had left the ballroom.
"Don't worry about that. Lets practise some more?" Mrs. Potter smiled warmly and soon both women were dancing together at the sound of wonderful music, forgetting all about a certain ill-behaved Prince.
After spending the whole afternoon dancing with Mrs. Potter, faking a ball situation to show her ability at chitchat, after several attempts on learning to eat at a luxurious table, Ginny was absolutely tired and hardly able to breath. Like the previous night, Ginny got the Queen's permission to retire to her bedroom, but this time, she didn't fell asleep. Her brain was still working at a high rate and all she could do was take a bath with Parvati's help, nibble on some dinner and indulge in a good romance novel, sitting against the bed's headboard with a warm blanket covering her feet.
The romance revealed itself to be a grand piece of work and Ginny never noticed the time, so it was very late when she heard the fast sound of a horse running outside in the garden. At the moment the only light she had in the bedroom was a candle on her bedside table, so she rose from the bed and with the candle in her hand, slowly walking towards the balcony doors. Pushing the curtain aside, Ginny tried to look past the thick glass, identifying a dark figure riding a black horse, but she couldn't see who it was.
Without realising her actions, Ginny opened the double doors and stepped out into the small balcony, the candle's flame shivering menacingly under the gush of wind that ran through her body.
The Palace was a formidable construction although it only had two floors. The Royal Family used the top floor while Ginny stayed at one of the rooms at the ground level. This was the reason why she had easy access to the garden, through her balcony.
While looking at a nearby bed of white roses - her favourite flower - Ginny failed to notice the young rider standing before her.
"You love to break the rules, don't you?" he sneered, distracting her from her quiet stupor.
"I'm not breaking any rules, that I know of…" she spat coldly, not knowing how to behave towards her fiancee. He was so hard to read - If he was acting cold, Ginny would feel angry and behaved coldly towards him, but if he was warm and gentle, like he had been while they were dancing, she was rendered speechless.
"Oh, so, exhibiting your barely covered body around the garden, late at night, without a scarf on your head is allowed by the rules?" Prince Draco scoffed, running his silver eyes over her body, making her shiver inside.
"I just wanted some fresh air while on my room's balcony. Besides, I never intended on showing off my body, like you're implying." She growled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "A true gentleman wouldn't stare at a barely covered woman…"
"I am a man, just not that gentle…" he chuckled, just to see how she would react.
"Why… you annoying little…"
"Silencio!" Prince Draco muttered with a wave of his wand that had been hidden in his sleeve. The spell hit Ginny making her voiceless and even more furious. "If you're going to marry me, you'll have to learn to control your language, your emotions and your impulses. There will be times when you'll be mocked and become a victim of false gossips. Do attempt to act superior to those situations. You must maintain an elegant pose and unaffected appearance at all times. We are both in the same situation, despite our personal opinions, so let's try to keep our heads clear, shall we? Finite Incantatem."
Ginevra stood still in the middle of the balcony, staring at him with both fear and sadness in her eyes. She no longer desired to shout at him, now that she was confronted with his words. Screaming at him wouldn't solve anything; it would only make things worse. They are to be married soon, and it would be easier for both of them if they just tried to get along.
"I'm sorry, My Prince, I shall retire now. Good evening." She whispered softly, bowing before him and then turned around to go back to her bedroom.
Prince Draco had only met this young woman the previous night and already they had fought with each other several times. At those moments, the only emotions in her face were those of mischief, amusement, pride… but now, it was full of sadness, fear, resignation, making her amber eyes look dull and darker than they truly were.
Those emotions made him remember his own mother, a woman who had never been loved by her husband. As he grew up, Prince Draco had never saw his mother cry, but he noticed her downcast eyes, down turned lips, the sadness and the fear in her face whenever the King entered a room she was in. Those feelings were something he didn't desire for his wife to feel. Unfortunately, it would end up happening.
`Yes, but you might as well try to postpone those awkward moments.' he thought to himself, sitting straighter on his horse, Luar.
"Miss Weasley," he called gently, watching her stop. "Would you like to ride for a few minutes?"
"I shouldn't disobey any other rules, my Prince. Besides, I've never been on a horse." she mumbled, although her eyes sparkled with interest.
"Don't worry. Take my hand." Prince Draco smiled, offering her his right hand as he positioned the horse to stand right besides her balcony's railing.
Smiling a little, Ginny extinguished the candle's light and threw it on the floor, before she placed a foot on the low railing and prepared to seat behind the Prince, but he stopped her by placing a hand on her left shoulder.
"Ladies don't ride with parted legs…" he chuckled with a wicked look in his eyes. "They ride sideways…"
Ginny watched him pat the space of horseback in front of him and blushed with the realization of how close they would be, but taking a deep breath, she propelled her body and sat on the velvety black fur, both legs on one side, trying hard to find somewhere to hold to keep her balance.
Letting out a gorgeous laugh at her discomfort, Prince Draco held her hands and placed them around his waist, making her body lean fully against his chest and then the horse started moving before she could change her mind about the ride.
At first, it was so strange, to feel all those powerful muscles working under her legs, but her body pressed so close to the Prince's, his velvety robes soft against her face, his hard chest moving slowly with each breath and his arms surrounding her waist to hold the reins were making her feel light headed. After a few moments of silence, Ginny began to look around her, taking in how different the garden was at night; the sound of water splashing in a nearby stone fountain was somewhat soothing There were several small ponds, surrounded by flowers and other plants at night. Their colours were non-existent but their sweet scents travelled with the wind.
"This is beautiful," she smiled widely, taking a deep breath with her eyes closed and Prince Draco took a moment to study the woman in his arms. "What's his name?"
"Actually, it's a her. Her name is Luar which means moonlight." Draco explained with a soft smile, while he directed the horse through the large lawn to a point from where they could watch the town ahead of them. "She's pregnant at the moment."
"She is? Wow! But, is it alright for her to have us both on her back?" Ginny asked concerned, daring to pat the mare's long neck.
"It's perfectly alright. Would you like to see her baby when it's born?" he asked gently, trying to build a bond between them.
"I would love to, my Prince," Ginny beamed at him, slightly tightened her hold on his waist.
"Draco. Call me Draco. there's no need for formalities between an engaged couple, Ginevra." He corrected, watching her nod in agreement.
Feeling that now was not the moment to analyse his gentleness and politeness towards her, Ginny looked around her and found a nearby garden torch without any flame to illuminate it.
"Can you do something for me?" she asked, trying to sound secure of herself.
"What?"
"Can you allow me to perform a small spell with your wand?" she asked, expecting him to shout at her and to think she was crazy, but none of those actions took place.
"And how would you know anything about casting a spell?" he asked, stunned with her highly unusual request.
"I've been studying magic all my life, without anyone's knowledge." She admitted with a blush on her cheeks. "But because of those stupid laws, I was never able to practise with a wand, and I never will, I guess."
Prince Draco just studied her attentively for a few moments, trying to understand who Ginevra Weasley is, and how many wonderful talents she had yet to reveal.
"What spell do you want to perform?" he asked gently, surprising her with his acceptance.
"Just a small Lumus to light up that torch over there." she said enthusiastically, freeing one hand from his waist to point at the lifeless torch.
"Well, Lumus is a very simple spell, I'm sure there's no problem in you performing it." He agreed, offering her his wand, which Ginny took in her hands as if it were the most precious thing she had ever touched. There was an expression of pure excitement and happiness in her face that made him realise just how different she was from the other women he knew. She was fascinated with things that other women just ignored, as they only cared about looks and gossip.
Taking a deep breath, Ginny raised her arm with the wand safely clutched in her hand and made a swish movement as she said `Lumus' loud and clear. For a moment nothing happened and frustration appeared on her face, but then, surprising them both, the torch suddenly came to life with a small flame that kept on growing until it was uncontrollable and would probably start a fire if it wasn't put out. Seeing Ginny in a state of shock, Draco took hold of his wand and extinguished the scalding fire.
"And that is why women aren't allowed to perform magic." Draco said, trying to hide his surprise behind a cold sneer. "They can't control their emotions!"
"I'm perfectly in control of my emotions! That only happened because I had never performed magic before." Ginny replied, feeling very offended.
"Yes, but you almost burned the garden to ashes. Besides, you could have exploded my wand if your emotions had gotten even more out of control." Draco teased, enjoying seeing her so angry, her flowing red curls framing her pale face where small freckles were sprinkled across her nose and cheeks.
"I'm sorry, ok? I was just trying to show myself that I could do this, but apparently, I can't. It doesn't matter, right? I'm going to live locked up in this Palace, being called whenever my husband wishes to see me like some scarlet woman, and not being able to express my true personality or ideas. I won't need magic to become a sour Princess, will I?" Ginny yelled furiously, finally allowing her frustration about the whole situation to come out of her system.
Feeling the Prince's shocked gaze on her, Ginny felt uncomfortable and with a small impulse she fell from the horse and landed on the grass on fours. Not caring about her bare feet on the wet grass, apparently someone had been watering the garden; she walked back to her bedroom's balcony, wanting to go back to the safety of her bedcovers. She had betrayed her own beliefs that women could perform magic, just like men, and she felt awful to see all of her plans for the future crumble around her.
Prince Draco sat still on his horse, watching his fiancee walk quickly towards her balcony, noticing the curved posture, sign of her sadness and frustration. She who had always seemed so secure of herself was now showing her frail side and all he wanted was to comfort her, just like he used to do for his mother; but he knew that, right now, Ginevra Weasley didn't want to show weakness before him, so it would be better to leave her alone.
At least for now…
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Hello, everyone!
Sorry for taking so long to update, but my BETA, Violet Jersey, is very busy and she takes some time to return the revised chapters, but don't worry, they'll eventually come.
This chapter is too cheesy like my BETA warned me, but it is essential for the plot, to get to know Draco's character better and to prepare what's coming next. So, accept it ok?
Draco is not the usual cold bastard here. Why? Because he loves his mother dearly and he knows how hard it is for her to live with a man she despises. He doesn't want that for his wife, Ginny.
Well, the 3rd chapter is almost finished, then I'll send it to my BETA and post it as soon as it's possible.
Currently I'm studying because I have an exam next Monday, and I'm tired of so many hours sitting on my butt reading about children in the pre-scholar stage.
Thank you for the gorgeous reviews.
Lots of love,
Carina
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