Rosalie's Kingdom {OLD VERSION- INCOMPLETE}

Chapter 8

The ball was planned for saturday evening, with the final fitting for her dress on friday. She kept being poked with pins when she moved; she couldn't help being excited, since Corvin said he would be there Friday. As the thought crossed her mind, there was a knock at the door. "Myrtle, could you get that?" Ro asked, her heart beating faster.

She could hear Myrtle talking to someone at the door. It was muffled since the fitting was in her bedroom. A moment later, King Gaius poked his head through the door. Ro's face fell. "What, thought I was someone else?" he teased.

"Maybe," she grumbled. She looked at herself in the mirror. The seamstress was still adjusting the hem.

"Ro, you shouldn't be like that," said Corvin, sauntering through the door. Ro stuck her tongue out and folded her arms, not-so-secretly happy he was there. Corvin laughed.

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" she said. "I'd punch your shoulder, but I get stuck with a needle every time I move more than an inch.

"The dress looks lovely," Gaius complimented the seamstress.

"Thank you, your majesty; it was an honor to make another gown for royalty," she thanked.

"I'm sorry for not making things easier," Ro apologized. "I'll admit I had completely forgotten what you had designed once you left, but this is truly a beautiful gown."

The woman laughed and shook her head. "A gown is only as beautiful as the woman wearing it." That made Rosalie blush, muttering a small 'thank you'. "I'm finished. You can get down now." Ro stepped off the small stool she had been standing on and looked in the mirror.

"Woah," was all she could say. The pale yellow fabric shimmered slightly and draped elegantly. Ro slowly spun, trying to take it all in. "This is...stunning." The seamstress smiled as Ro gave her a hug. "You did an amazing job. Thanks for not making me look like a canary," Ro joked. The woman patted the girl's back and left, taking her supplies with her. "Now's the real challenge: dancing in it without killing myself."

Gaius, who until then had been leaning against the wall, slipped away unnoticed at some point. "Coward," Ro muttered.

"Do you know how to dance?" Corvin asked. Ro shook her head, making him laugh. "Come here, and I'll show you enough to keep you from killing yourself." He held out his hands to her.

She gave a dramatic sigh. "Oh, alright. I know I'm not going to escape this, so I might as well," she conceded. "One hand on your shoulder, and the other in your hand, right?" He nodded. "I've seen enough teeny-bopper movies to know how to do this..." she said quietly.

"I'm not quite sure what you said, but I'm going to assume it wasn't important," Corvin smiled, placing a hand on her waist.

"Ohhhhhh boy. That feels weird," Ro squirmed at his touch.

"Stop being silly," he chided. "If you just let your partner lead, you'll be fine." He stepped back, counting in time. "Most men just go in a simple square."

"So I'm just gonna be doing this all night?" she asked. Corvin smirked and swung her around, taking on a faster pace, spinning her around and making her dress flow. Her face soured, making him laugh. He led them in a wide circle around her room and stopped in the middle.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" he finally said.

"If you spin me like that tonight, I'm going to kick you in the shin."

"All you need to do is follow my lead, and you'll survive," he repeated. They stood there for another moment, her glaring and him smirking back. She broke away first, taking her hand off his shoulder and slipping away.