Gathering Of The Lands

Cunning, charming and the center of the night.

That was how they would describe Moon Taeha's bright red ball gown, in the middle of plainly colored clothings. She was the embodiment of elegance and grace, not one hair or lace out of place. There was no one better to be put center stage, but her. Just as it was when she entered the room, alone, strong and independent. There was no better place than walking through that door with her bright red dress and unlike all of her peers, greeting the people alone in one of the biggest events of the year.

The gathering of the lands was an annual ball hosted by the 5 royal families of the continent. These families rarely held balls, rarely threw parties and rarely had this amount of people roaming around their grounds, that was why this was such a prestigious ball. At this time of year, everyone who rarely walked these halls would take out their best dresses and flaunt it. Flaunting of wealth and fortune, that was all these balls were now. Long gone was its initial initiative to unite the kingdoms that sat beside one another.

There was no one else who was enjoying this night of extravagance more than the lady at the center of attention. This was her forte, her battle grounds, she walked up to potential suitors, ladies from various lands to hear of rumors and stories that went around in their side of the kingdom.

"Rumor has been going around, your highness," Duchess Jung of the kingdom of Feliz lowers her voice and leans towards the princess. The duchess was merely 20, yet was carrying the child of the Duke, she was a few years younger than the still unwed princess. "Of how count Dong has been looking for a wife," she talks of the famous good looking count from the kingdom of Hwei.

"Is he?" Even the princess's ears perk at the news. There weren't a lot of good looking guys in the marriage market, thus it was an interesting thing to hear when men like them were set to look for a wife. Though, marriage was still off her plate.

"The count of Hwei and my husband have long been friends, since they were in the academy of Maha'ali."

"There is no source more trusted than your husband when it comes to that private count." She nods her head as she turns to the side in order to call over a server to offer her some drinks.

Taeha, as she was the epitome of elegance and grace, turns her head ever so slowly. Her head looks over, but stops as she spots a man quietly standing in the corner.

If rarity in good looks were a thing among nobles, there was a group of siblings that do not fall under this category. Aside from the royal siblings in Feliz, Hwei was known to be a hub for young handsome eligible bachelors. All born from pure noble bloods, there was no denying how powerful and important each of the men in Hwei was. The man she was looking at directly was the crowned prince of Hwei, born from the king and queen himself, he was royalty down to the tip of his toes. The crowned prince was known to be rather quiet, nearly out of the social life, rarely attending balls and showing himself to the noble crowd. Just as his striking white and blue attire stood in the corner, it was nearly impossible for heads not to turn towards him due to being such a rare sight in these events.

"One glass of champagne," she tells one of the servers, who was standing a few tables away from her.

Just as her head turned towards the direction of the server. Talking among noble men were two more bachelors from the kingdom of Hwei. Standing tall among the crowd was the eldest of the bunch, who arrived late into the royal family. His was a face most popular with lines of women asking to be wed to him, it was a rather interesting sight to see that he was being pursued rather than the other way around. Standing right beside him was a man much softer in looks, but was a beauty nonetheless in comparison to his brother. He was known to have much more gentle features than the two of his brothers, as others would note that this may come from his mother rather than his father. Just as the eldest was a late addition to the royal family and so was the youngest, born into a different kingdom and raised in one, his birth and addition to the royal family in Hwei was still a political topic that the leaders of Hwei and Feliz avoided.

Taeha could simply sigh. Though they were the most eligible bachelors in the continent, they were also shrouded with rumors, some as shocking as soon as it reached her ears, while others were claims that were obviously false.

There was a reason why they remained unwed even at the age of marriage especially for a royal family.

Soon enough the hired musicians began playing their piece, and it was there that everyone understood what was about to happen, or heard and read of it from stories of the past. In other normal balls or events, there was no need for a center stage or a huge expensive band and singer, but every once in a while the gathering of the lands was used as a stage to announce engagements among the five kingdoms. It was rare, as it was often practiced that kingdoms do not engage or marry into one another, yet in the rare case that they do it is indicated by a single song playing and able to silence the crowd to a near silence. It was easily a recognizable tune, with the beginning strong and mighty commanding everyone to turn their heads to the center.

Just as it was often practiced, from books that she's read about the event the two leaders would stand in the middle and announce the engagement, before calling over the two who are now engaged and allow them to dance. In history, this has only been successful twice but was attempted several times.

So, it didn't come as a surprise when the first king that walked into the center was the king of Hwei, though much elder everyone could tell where his sons got their looks from. His nose bridge was tall and features truly masculine, it was impossible not to call such a man in his late years good looking. Standing in the center with the same blue and white colors as his sons, but in an outfit much grandiose than all of his sons' combined. He was easily the center of attention. He begins with greetings, just as every leader does, as a way to establish his presence.

"Thus, tonight I would like to call on one of my sons to dance in the center." Almost immediately his eyes moved towards the son that was quietly standing at the back, obviously baffled by the sudden call on him, though his name was still to be uttered by his mouth. "Thus, I would like to call on the crowned prince of Hwei, Huang Guanheng!" The sound of clapping immediately follows. If it weren't for the huge clapping sound echoing through the ball room, Guanheng wouldn't have stood upright from leaning against the wall.

She watched as it took him a moment to come to his senses and begin gently bowing his head in confidence as he walked towards the center. Whispers couldn't help but follow as he walked to the center stage. Among nobles Guanheng wasn't perceived as the perfect ruler, some say he was too soft spoken to take charge, or that he wasn't communicating with others enough. He didn't try to get along with nobles and it was very clear that he wasn't even in the slightest bit interested. He was the crowned prince, but no one truly acknowledged him as the next king of Hwei.

Once he got to the center, it was clear that even with rumors circulating about him, he stood tall. Nearly as if standing at the center stage was a different man from the person leaning against the wall of the ballroom just earlier. Though eyes were on the crowned prince of Hwei, eyes were darting between the four other kings. Anticipating who would walk towards the center stage next.

In all honesty, it wasn't looking too good for her as well.

With a number of royal princesses already married off as soon as they were able to marry, there were only three who could be married with the prince. Aside from herself, there were two more from the kingdom of Feliz. This might be the reason behind the rarity of marrying between kingdoms, the absolute lack of pairs that could be paired.

Just as she was feeling all uneasy, the moment the red cape walked to the center, she knew that the inevitable was about to happen, that it would be her who would be called out next. They have five siblings in total, their eldest has long been married to a count, she was thirty and five years. The following was another lady, thirty years of age, just as their eldest, married. Then followed by their only brother, the crowned prince of the kingdom of Sui, he was twenty and seven, just as it was with the two eldest, married and with children. That was also the case with the other princess that followed. All that was left was her, she was twenty and three, by this age all her sisters were either pregnant with their second child or caring for their children.

It wasn't like she was of no beauty either, she's had suitors and has been engaged a number of times, yet not one lasted longer than a month. It was quite obvious what she had been trying to get across as soon as she turned eighteen, that marriage was the least of her concerns. This was probably her parents' way of forcing her to marry, as her bethronement was now much weightier than any other engagements she has had in the past.

"I am glad to welcome everyone tonight, as this remains a sign of cooperation between the kingdom, each and every nobleman present tonight would stand witness as another feat for peace would be settled with the tying of our two royal children." King Taemu, the king of Sui, smiles at the crowd and turns his head towards the crowned prince standing just as tall as he was. "Thus, I shall call my youngest daughter to the front," Taeha feels her heart drop at the moment, "Princess Moon Taeha!" As if her name was a cursed word, she flinches.

The moment she looked up at her father, triumph was written all over his face. She then quickly scans the crowd as eyes watch her every move, just as they did with the crowned prince of Hwei earlier. However, she doesn't want to repeat the same mistakes that he did, instead of appearing more flustered she takes a deep breath in, even as her hands were shaking she grabs her dress to slightly lift it and walk to the center.

She stood right beside her father and beside the crowned prince, who appeared to be much taller than he looks. With her head held up high and her hands trembling, she couldn't help but glare at her father every chance she got. Though it was unladylike of her, she would rather glare at him now than she dances with her now fiance.

"We hope to invite everyone present tonight in two months in the kingdom of Hwei to celebrate the union of the princess of Sui and the next heir of Hwei!" Immediately the ballroom erupts in cheers and joys from the news, this was probably the first– and most likely the last– in their generation where two great kingdoms were to marry.

"My beloved youngest daughter, princess Taeha and my future son-in-law, prince Guanheng, the two of you may start the dance tonight." As it was tradition for the now engaged couple to dance together first, as a spectacle, a show, a political tool. Tonight, once her hands were placed on top of his shoulders it would mean that escaping this marriage would be nearly impossible.

Thus, when a hand was offered in front of her and the room erupts in murmurs, she knew that there was no way she could think of a way out of this at this moment. Thus, she did what every lady would do when offered with a dance she couldn't refuse, she turned around and bowed towards her father and then to the king before facing the hand held up towards her. Then she bowed towards him.

"I believe, your fathers would leave the two of you to enjoy the stage." The King of Hwei gives them a mischievous smile.

Without uttering another word, the crowned prince acknowledges his father with a simple nod of his head. "Then shall we proceed, princess?" The way he called her 'princess' felt like he was mocking her.

Instead of uttering a word towards the prince who, just as she was, appears to hate every moment this set up gave them, she simply accepts the hand that was held out for a little too long. She forces a smile on her face, but as everyone in this hall has seen her with the same smile earlier, no one could tell that she was annoyed beyond her wits. That is except for the man guiding her down to the center of the dancing area.

They stood there, unsure of what song and routine they would be dancing to. At that moment, Taeha stood upright, just as the crown prince was, and they were finally looking each other in the eye. Indeed, rumors cannot be made up about how good looking the next heir of Hwei looked. His eyes were big and his features strong, he kept himself clean and he, just as she took a whiff earlier, smelled just as clean. She's seen images on painting, but they could not compare to his beauty.

Taeha simply takes a deep breath, in order to calm herself down and stop her from complimenting the prince further. It wasn't long after that the music began playing. In an instant the two well trained royals knew how the dance would go.

With a hand on his shoulders and his hand on her waist, they take steps in tune to the music. The dance originates from the kingdom of Maha'ali, known to be a romantic dance meant for couples to get to know each other as they move. It was slow, and kept them close, but not too close, just enough to converse without anyone other than them to hear their conversation. Intimate enough for only two, but leaves enough space for the dance not to turn awkward.

"Indeed," she mutters as she takes a step, "they've talked about this engagement long before."

"Is it because of the choice of music?" The prince is close enough to hear her mutters.

"The piece is no simple feat to learn, your highness. As my knowledge suffices, there is no band in the land that knows how to play this tune." They do a simple turn, and take a step away from each other.

Yet the distance was closed in a mere second. "And how would you," his eyes scan the band playing in the corner, "know of that, princess?" The way he calls her princess feels like he was swearing at her.

"Noble women always want the most absurd, your highness." She glances over his shoulders when given the opportunity. She would be an absolute rock if she never noticed the envious dagger like stares towards her.

"You speak as if you aren't noble yourself."

"I believe the absurdity of society needs to be called out."

"Indeed," Guanheng simply nods his head.

Then the two begin dancing just as they were taught, with absolute precision and grace. If anyone was in their right mind, they would understand that they were nothing compared to the royal family. Sure they could send envious stares towards the princess, but the famously beautiful and graceful princess suited the crowned prince more than anyone else in this room. It was uncommon for two royal families to marry into one another, but much rare was the marriage of two people of the same age.

"Appears the good looking crown prince has some admirers," she decides to break the ice further by commenting on the stares she's been getting since they've begun to dance.

"Are they admirers of me or are they admirers of my title?" He smiles at her, but one that was obviously forced upon.

Taeha sighs. "Well, not a lot of those women would be married to men the same age, and fewer would be able to marry a crowned prince."

"Indeed," he replies the same as he did earlier, as if he wanted to say more but was holding himself back.

Then they danced once again in silence. Taking steps they've memorized and practiced for as long as they could walk. Holding themselves up in a way that people would describe elegance and grace.

"Does it not occur to you, princess," this time him calling her out was much softer, "that your father simply repressed the bands from playing this difficult tune from Maha'ali for your engagement?"

"Do you think my father is as obsessive as that?"

"Not yours," he pauses, "mine." His eyes slightly grew a bit at that moment. "He can be a little… overbearing as a father."

"Ah," was the princess's reply as they took one last turn on the dance floor. Once she takes a step back to bow towards him once more, she takes notice of how every single pair of eyes were looking at them– not just her.

"Knowing my father, it won't be long until we meet again, princess." Guanheng takes her hand and leaves a light peck on it, it was a universal sign between them that he was bidding his farewell to the lady.

When Guanheng bid her his farewell, she didn't expect things to roll out as quickly as they did.