"Today we have the great pleasure of announcing the engagement of the princess, Helena of Malp and Duke Hector."
The audience applauded, demanding the couple stand and kiss.
The groom, a perfectly toned individual, beamed as he turned to his future wife. She gave him the slightest bit of a smile that pinched my heart internally.
I cursed myself internally, for the indignity of it all.
He crouched down to lay a kiss on her lips that I could have sworn she slightly recoiled from. Although I don't miss much, I'm sure I'm mistaken.
"But first, entertainment," the speaker demanded. "You foolish jester, come here."
Me, the court jester, dressed in bells and bright colors, get pushed in to the front of the stage. The orchestra players began to sing their usual routine. They knew I liked to improvise, so they usually added a little something extra.
Expected to dance, I did a double flip and made my way by circling back to the audience. They howled at me with excitement. They are only waiting for my next trick, my next breath. All captured was in my charm, within my steps.
The sound of the bells, the music stirred something in me. I began to dance to the sound of its movement.
I started losing myself to the music. The beats began to tighten around my chest and beat to the music. My pulse was flying high, so fast and so hard that I nearly ached from the pain, ready to release it all into the air. I didn't even dare to start breathing until....
Until the music stopped.
The moment between the music and the silence, it's like the whole world stops breathing.
And I start breathing. I could live in this moment forever.
I hear the applause of the audience, it's barely a noise. I'm just drowning in the moment.
Breath.