Midnight

Nine

I looked at him with realization and I could see his smile widen and move up to enlighten his blue eyes. He started moving towards me and I met him in the middle of the ballroom.
The people had created a circle around us, and I could almost feel their anticipation. Kit's smile hadn't faded and I began to smile at him as well.
He looked incredibly handsome, dressed in a white uniform with light blue accents, and his silver sword was strapped around his waist as decoration. His dark brown hair still had the curls in it, even though it was neatly combed out of his face.
I found myself wondering if I looked anywhere as beautiful as Kit was handsome, but then promptly remembered my fairy godmother's help. She wouldn't have made a dress for me that wasn't beautiful, so I pushed the silly thought from my head and focused on Kit.

He was standing only a foot away from me and he looked like he was still having trouble believing that I really stood in front of him. It occurred to me that he might have been waiting for me, like I had been waiting for him.
"Mister Kit." I whispered with a small smile. He sighed, his blue eyes never leaving my face.
"It's you." He whispered back in what sounded to be relief. "Isn't it?"
I gave him a small nod and watched as he began to smile again.
"Just so." My voice was soft, letting only him hear what I had said. The people around us were now almost completely silent and I worried that Kit would be able to hear my heart beating.

"Your Highness," Kit began breathlessly. I breathed out a quiet laugh at the title that felt so strange to me. "If I may, that is, it would give me the greatest pleasure if you would do me the honor of letting me lead you through this first..." He trailed off, his eyes still taking me in as if he thought I was just an apparition in front of him that would soon disappear. I waited for him to finish his sentence, but when he didn't I finished it for him.
"...dance?" I asked him softly. He smiled again and then voiced a quiet laugh.
"Yes, that's it. Dance."
I found myself loving the way his eyes lit up when he laughed and I wished I could see him do it all the time.
I nodded at him, and he took a step forwards, our noses almost touching.

At his first movement I immediately knew what dance we would be performing. It was a dance I had actually learned from my father from watching him and my mother do it in our parlor so many time.
Kit placed his hand on the small of my back and gently drew me closer to him. My face flushed at the contact and the corners of Kit's mouth turned up. The beautiful music started playing as soon as the Prince had placed his hand on me.
The music matched the dance I had guessed we were dancing, and I tried to remember how exactly the dance was carried out. Kit certainly knew what he was doing, and he placed his other hand behind his back. My hands remained at my side for the time being as Kit and I slowly started swaying to the music.
My dress swished beautifully from side to side and I heard many Ladies gasp and whisper at what I was wearing.
"It's so beautiful." They were saying.
"How elegant."

But despite the whispers I was hearing I somehow knew that many of the Ladies were not looking at me, but at the Prince. I wasn't at all surprised by the fact, if I weren't dancing with him right now I too would be watching him. Kit turned us in a small circle and as we turned I caught sight of my two stepsisters and my stepmother. All three of them were watching us with the upmost astonishment, and both of my stepsisters were staring at the Prince. I knew they didn't recognize me, due to my fairy godmother, and I allowed myself to smile as we turned.
When I faced Kit again I was sure that he could see the blush on my checks.
"They're all looking at you." I told him. He smiled and shook his head at me, his blue eyes radiating confidence.
"Believe me," he said "they're all looking at you."

The Prince gently spun me out from him and then pulled me back, following the dance my father had taught me. Then his left arm came out from behind his back and he placed it under my right hand. Our hands swung upwards and then downwards and Kit took his hand from my back and placed it behind him.
I was slightly relieved that he was leading the dance, not I, because the memory of the routine was not coming back as easily as I had thought it might.