Timeless Rendezvous (one-shot)

Timeless Rendezvous

As I take everything in, something -or rather someone- catches my eye and I turn my head. There he is. Prince Thièrry de Boudreaux. Dressed in black finery with gold details, he sits on the dais, leaned back comfortably on his throne beside the queen and the king. A golden crown with red gems is sitting sideways on top of his dark curls. He looks rather bored as he inspects the guests, playing with his rings all the while. His body looks lean as he rests his one leg on top of the other, his fingers long and slender.

"Shall I ask him to dance?" Mimi reappears beside me, breaking my stare and hands me a glass of sparkling champagne, while sipping hers. I follow her gaze and notice a man with short, copper hair, chatting with a couple. He looks young, but I can't see much of his eyes. All male dance partners are required to wear a mask. His is a plain black one.

"Why not? He seems charming."

Mimi winks at me and leaves, but not before pushing me backwards, causing me to stumble and hit something hard behind me. Wide-eyed, I turn around to find a man towering over me, his hand catching my elbow to steady me. I can hear Mimi's laugh.

"Are you hurt?"

The first thing I notice is his mask. He is a dance partner, I think. His eyes appear to be light brown, his hair a deep dark color, and his skin is brilliant golden-brown with freckles complimenting the top of his nose. This man is truly handsome.

I smirk, dropping in a curtsy. "Pardon me, Monsieur. I seem to have lost my balance and I haven't finished my first glass yet."

He chuckles, the sound sending butterflies to my stomach. He bows, still not letting go of my arm and graciously grabs my fingers and presses his lips on my knuckles. "Does that mean you cannot dance? Miss...?"

"Cosette Morel. Are you asking me to dance with you? Monsieur...?"

I notice his neck starting to redden and I laugh, drinking the rest of my champagne and set the glass on the table alongside me. "Indeed I am. And you can call me Luc. Luc Raimond."

Someone taps a glass before I can answer. We turn in unison to find king Hebert standing on the dais, a proud smile on his face. "Mesdames et Messieurs! It is an honor to have you all joining us this lovely evening. Enjoy yourselves and let the dance commence!"

Applauding sounds and cheers echo around the room and the king sits back down on his throne. The prince allows a small grin but doesn't make a move to stand up or speak at all. Suddenly, as if sensing my stare, his eyes find mine and my breath catches. I'm paralyzed. I take a better look at his face and notice his straight nose, full lips and his now narrowed eyes. He studies me as I study him, and I can't help but think of how irritatingly attractive he is.

...

Too soon, they announce our titles and Luc walks me to the center of the ballroom. We greet the royal family properly and I try not to make eye contact with the prince, even though I can feel his eyes burning on my face. When the candles dim and the first rich strings of the violins start, I quit thinking and start moving to the notes of the piece. Luc's arms are strong as he holds my hand and spins me, making my dress swirl. I resist the urge to close my eyes and let the music swallow me whole. Instead, I smile at Luc and we keep spinning and moving across the floor, as if we're floating. I can see my family from the corner of my eye, my sisters waving at me. We gracefully move to the furthest corner as the music comes to a close, so the following couple can dance.