Nadine

79. Learning To Walk

After I get bumped off a couple tables and trip over something. "Mary this blindfold sucks."

I run into a chair. "Mary give me that sword."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Dipak is getting frustrated. It's making me frustrated.

"Guard."

"Yes miss."

"Summon Advisor Tre to the ball room via Princess Hypatia." Mary is calling in Tre now. Great.

"Yes miss."

"Dipak take her back to the door and try not to run her into anything."

"Tre do an entrance with the princess. Then take the her through all of the tables and chairs. Over the stone and to that chair way up there and sit her down. Dipak stay with them. Listen to how he talks to her and what he says. How he pulls her out of the way of everything and leads her in." Oh this isn't awkward at all. Maybe I'm a little happy I'm blindfolded now.

I stand there holding onto Dipak.

"TRE"

"Hang on a second Mary. I'm taking off my sword. Why are you so mad today?"

"Because they spring this on me the day of. Like you people didn't know about this last week. I could have had more time to train this boy." Thanks for that Mary. I do believe I owe you a few drinks.

Tre takes me from Dipak. Then he pushes part of my dress away from him and steps in close.

"Ok entrance now. Dipak stay with them. Go."

Tre starts moving.

"Turn. Go. Stop. Introduction will come in here. Good job you 2. Introduction done. Ok Tre get her there in 1 piece."

I feel him start to pull me and I go with him.

"Tile to stone princess. Not a big step."

I feel his hand go around my waist and his other hand takes my arm. He guides me around something.

He whispers in my ear. "Chair in the way. Doing good. Almost half way."

"Another chair. It's got a passed out drunk guard in it. Try not to kick this one."

I start to laugh, as he puts his hand back around my waist and slides me over a bit so he is behind me. Still both hands on me. Then he steps back to my side and slides my arm back through his.

"Doing good. Ok we're going to step on to the dance floor. It's about a half inch step down. I got you. Ok right now. Good job."

"Frode is passed out drunk on the floor now. We're going to step on him. No point in going around really."

I start laughing.

"He's about an 8 inch step up. Feel free to dig the heal of your shoe in. He won't notice."

I shake my head. "Stop it."

"Step up coming. Right Now. Good job."

"Few more steps and we have your chair coming up. Good. Ok." I feel his hand move to my hip and push me into my spot. "Good job. I've got the chair. Sit right down into it." He pulls back on my waist a bit.

I hear him with another chair. "Ok I'm on your right. I'm right here." I reach to my right and find his arm. I put mine through it.

"Tre take her straight back to the door. Dipak's turn."

I hear Mary moving some chairs around.

I stand somewhere holding on to Tre with a death grip. "Let's go outside the doors so you get the entrance practice. I'll help you two with it. Mary is pissed. She will actually be shrouded in her apartment and you will leave from there. But hallways aren't really a problem. Make sure you're going at a pace she is comfortable with. And knock anyone out of the way who jumps in front of you." I start to laugh. "I'm serious princess. I knocked 3 guards down 1 day because they popped up in front of you."

I shake my head. "You can also pull me into a stop."

"Knocking down guards is more fun princess."

I feel Tre hand me off to Dipak. "Right here is where it goes full formal. You are about to make the entrance. See this spot by the door."

"Yes."

"This is about where Mary is going to stop you. You stand here until she says go. She will do any last minute touch ups here."

"Ok."

"After she says go. You will move to here and turn. It's only a couple steps. But when you turn they will open the doors. Once they are all the way open, you will come in to about here. Stand here for the introduction. I don't know if they will give you one, but hers can get fairly long at times. Stand still and hold her, she will get shaky. Hold her still as best as you can. After it's over, Mary will give you another go. That's when you escort her to her chair. Let's do that part."

"Take her the start spot. Good. I'm Mary messing with everything I can think of."

I laugh as he messes with my ball gown. I have the bottom half on.

"Go and do the turn. That looked really good. The doors will open stand still. Wait on the go from Mary. And Go. Good you remembered to stop. Introducing the princess of something or other and daughter of some people who do something."

I bust out laughing.

"PRINCESS YOU ARE AT A SERVICE. YOU CAN NOT LAUGH LIKE THAT." Tre is pretending to yell at me. It makes me laugh harder. Dipak even starts to laugh.

"Let's do that part again. Then we can go forward. Take her to the entrance."

I feel myself get pulled back out and lined up.

"Go. Turn. Go. Good. Introducing Hypatia, daughter of a fish. Intro over. Go. ok good. You two got that part fairly well."

"That is the most formal part you'll have for this Dipak. The rest is not throwing her on the floor and getting her ass in a seat. The tricky part about this is going to be keeping her happy and laughing because it keeps her stress down. But you're at a service. Her laughing can't be noticeable."

"So be funny but not to funny." I say it and start laughing again. "Daughter of a fish."

They both laugh at me.

"You're going to guide her off this floor and onto that one. Then through a few of those chairs. You'll have to pick the route to her chair. Once Mary gives you that final go after the intro, it is all you. Pick the route that seems easiest at the event. For right now, you're practicing, so it doesn't matter. We'll start at the go. The introduction is done. Go."

"Changing from tile to stone. Not a big step. Right now. Good job."

I feel him pull me over closer to him. He sort of moves behind me for a second, then comes back up and gets back in the normal spot.

"Ok stop. Right there did you feel her muscles?"

"Yes I did."

"She's tensing up. That's what you don't want. You did good with the move around, but you have to remember she doesn't know what is going on. Make sure you're telling her or make up something funny. If she gets tense she will start to bump into stuff, she'll be focused more on the stress and less on you. Come back here and go around the chair again."

I stumble around blind for a second trying to walk backwards. "Tre you're a really good teacher."

They both chuckle.

"Go."

Dipak guides me around the chair again. "Just walking around Tre's big head."

I start to laugh.

"My big something."

Me and Dipak both lose it. But he doesn't let go.

"PRINCESS YOU ARE AT A SERVICE STOP THAT." Tre pretending to yell again.

Once we stop laughing he starts us again.

After a couple hours I hear Mary.

"Where you been Mary?"

"I was reading. I finished that book. It is really good. You should read it."

"Yea that's why I borrowed it."

"Let's start from the entrance you two. Take her out the door. I will open the doors and do an introduction this time."

"Ok." Dipak seems happy now. Not near as stressed out.

"Stop." I feel Mary start fluffing my gown.

"Get out of my hair Mary."

I bust out laughing.

"SERVICE PRINCESS." They're both messing with me.

"This is the final run through. Either they make it or they don't. Stop making her act up. Both of you."

"Sorry Mary."

I start laughing again. Then they do too.

"Fine get your laughing out. We can wait."

After a couple of minutes. "Go. Stop. Turn."

I hear the doors open this time.

"Go. Stop."

The loud speakers kick on. "Introducing Princess Hypatia Nadine Sandu. Daughter of The Vampire King Miculai Sandu and The Vampire Queen Aurelia Sandu. Royal Hair to the Vampire Thrown." I hear some people clapping. Probably the guards.

"Go."

"Step off the tile. Little step. Now. Good job. Few more steps and we have to move around Tre's big head again." I chuckle a little bit. "And here's Mary passed out drunk again. We should probably go around her. Here comes the book she threw at me. Little step onto the dance floor right Now. Good girl. Going to have to walk around that drunk guard. Good job. Someone really should clear the drunk people out of here." I start to laugh a little bit. "Ok here's Frode again. We're going to walk on him. Big step up. Now. Good job. We're coming up to your chair now." I feel his hand go to my waist and push me a bit. He's different than Tre. He keeps his chest close to me. Then he backs up and grabs my waist. He talks even quieter than Tre. "Sit down baby." He pulls my hips back. I do what he says. Hopefully no one else heard that. He pushes my chair up and I hear another one. "I'm on your right baby. I'm right here." I grab his arm and pull his hand to my lap.

The applause starts.

I reach up into the veil and pull the blindfold off. All the advisors and my dad are sitting at a table by the door. Mary is over by another table. He did that on his own.

"You did it."

He smiles at me. "For you."

"I could kiss you sir."

"I would not turn down a kiss but pretty sure it would get me killed baby."

"Yea, probably wouldn't be the best idea. I'll give you one later."

"Can I have more than one?"

I smile at him.

"That looked good. Advisor Dipak I am giving you the go ahead to escort the princess formally. Leaving is the same. Except no intro. Just leave. Guiding her out. Please don't leave her sitting somewhere."

"I don't think he would forget me Mary."

"I have seen some weird stuff at these events little miss. It wouldn't be the strangest thing I've ever seen."

Mary goes over to my dad. I can't hear what they say. They're to far away.

"I'm getting hungry. You haven't got any grapes do you?"

"Not yet sorry. I'll grab some for tonight. Don't want you getting hungry or thirsty." He stands up and offers me his arm.

"You sure about this?"

"Yea I am baby."

We go over to daddy and the rest of the advisors.

"You two looked good."

"Thank you daddy."

"Advisor Dipak you will report to the princess's room at 5 for escort. You need to leave by 5:20 Her time to be there is 5:30-6:00. Do not leave at an untasteful time." Frode gives him a look. "Remain respectful and leave between speeches or announcements."

"Yes sir." Dipak glances around. "I left my sword somewhere."

"I'm hungry daddy."

"Yes, let's break for lunch. Advisors report to your floor after lunch hour."

Dipak roams back over to me tightening his sword. "Come eat lunch with me baby?"

I smile and take his arm.