The Princess and the Snake

The Kingdom of Ravena.

Myla watched from a wall as wealthy couples twirled around on the dance floor of the castle ballroom. Glittery gowns and rich colored suit jackets helped create a jubilant vibe to match the celebration, but Myla wasn't feeling too festive. She never had enjoyed being a part of a large group for anything, especially a ball.

She sighed as the string quartet changed from an upbeat tempo to a slow and more lyrical number. She never enjoyed slow dances either.

"Hey," Cameron slid out of the large colorful crowd and leaned against the same wall as her. He wore his Royal Guards Lieutenant uniform with tall brown riding boots, his newly shined sabre, and his perfectly white smile. "What's wrong? You don't like dances?"

Myla rolled her eyes and playfully punched him in the arm. "Of course I don't. You know that better than anyone." He shrugged, but continued to stand next to her for awhile and watch the other guests dance. Finally, he sighed heavily and held out a gloved hand. Myla looked at it, then raised an eyebrow.

"Uhhh..."

"Oh c'mon, Myla! Just one." Cameron grinned. Once again, she rolled her eyes, but took his hand. His grin turned into a smile as he lead her through the crowd and onto the floor.

To be truthful, Myla was perfectly content with watching the dancing, not being a part of it. They lightly floated about the room, the skirt of her white satin gown gliding over the sparkling tile floor. Cameron seemed to notice the slight change in her air and cleared his throat.

"Are you enjoying yourself tonight?"

Myla shrugged. "I suppose. They're all the same, you know." Cameron laughed lightly. At that moment, the dance ended, the couples bowed to each other, and another faster paced song began to play. "That's my sign to get out of here!" Before Cameron could say another word, Myla slipped out of sight into the large crowd towards the entrance hall.

From the entrance hall, she quickly made her way outside of the castle and into the courtyard, where she veered toward the patch of grass where she and Cameron had their sparring match that morning. Turning around to check that no one had followed her, Myla sighed in relief, kicked off her white high-heeled shoes, and lifted the hem of her dress as she waded into the shallows of the pond. She was finally alone.

She smoothed out her dress as she sat down on the shoreline and peered up at the darkening sky. Suddenly, a rustling in the tall grass caught her attention. She watched and held her breath as the grass moved and bent towards her, and as Garrett, the snake from earlier that morning, slid out. Myla finally took a huge breath.

"I'm sorry, love. Did I scare you?"

She quickly shook her head. "No... Well, yes. But not horribly..." There was a slight pause. Garrett's tongue flickered.

"What are you doing out here in such a beautiful dress? You're going to get it dirty."

Myla smiled and shook her head. "No, I don't care about that. I just had to get away from that." She jabbed her thumb back towards the castle.

Garrett nodded his head, slid next to her, and faced the water. "I understand. It's nice to just listen to silence for awhile." Myla only nodded.

For quite awhile the princess and the snake sat in complete silence, listening to the frogs chirp, the buzzing of flies, and the laughter and jollity from the castle in the background in complete happiness. Myla wasn't sure, but there seemed to be a quiet conversation happening between them.

Soon, a cool crisp breeze began to churn the night air, sending shivers up and down Myla's spine. She pulled her feet out of the water and stood up.

"Brrr! It's getting cold out! I should probably head back to the castle-" She was interrupted by Cameron's voice calling out her name from the castle. He was looking for her. Garrett flickered his tongue again.

"Well, that's my signal." He turned to disappear back into the grass, but Myla stopped him.

"Wait! It's getting cold. You're going to freeze out here. Why don't you spend one night in the castle where it's warm?"

Garrett froze and did not move again until Cameron's voice growing closer snapped him out of his trance. He whipped his head around towards Myla. "Are you sure, love? I have this feeling that your friend is not going to like it..."

She shook her head and bent down toward the dark colored snake. "He can deal with it. This is my decision, and he can't testify against me because I'm the princess." She held out her hand to Garrett. "There's nothing to worry about."

Very hesitantly and with a heavy sigh, Garrett wrapped his body gently around her forearm and hand. "Thank you, love. You're as kind as you are beautiful." Myla smiled and stood up.

"You said that last time. And don't mention it. I'm sure everyone will be fine with it."