Traveling away from the palace...
Riley finds herself in the Alps! Her and Maxwell, along with Drake and Hana, stand on a vista overlooking the Nevrakis chateau.
"Here we are... Welcome to Lythikos! Land of ice, snow, and mountains." Maxwell gestures his hand out to the vast scenery laid out before them.
The fresh snow sparkling in the small rays of sunshine. The mountains and trees coated with the flurries dancing around them.
"This is where Olivia lives?" Riley exclaims, trying to take everything in.
"Some of the time, yeah. She's primarily at Lythikos Hall, which is further south, but she'll host us up here for the social season, so we can take advantage of the snowy festivities..."
"And so she can take advantage of the Prince?"
"She does have the edge here, but that's no reason to admit defeat!" Hana holds her fist to show she's remaining strong.
"That's the spirit!" Maxwell says as they all continue walking around the grounds.
"What happened to your brother, Maxwell? I notice he's not around lecturing Brooks. I thought he hated to miss out on the chance to eat fancy food and rub elbows with the royals..." Drake catches up with them. There was something weird about him calling Riley by her last name. I couldn't explain the feeling.
"Bertrand was called away for some business having to do with our estate."
"Bertrand is gone? This is starting to sound like a real vacation after all." I laugh, breathing in the fresh air and possibilities before me.
"That's one way to put it, Riley. Now we can really enjoy ourselves." Maxwell chuckles and relaxes his shoulders.
All the wonders surrounded by good people, and yet, all Riley wants is Liam by her side. The competition is getting harder, mostly because she feels like a contestant on the Bachelor.
"It's a little colder than expected." The breeze hits Riley's face with an icy sting.
"Didn't you pack anything warmer?"
"Not exactly... I didn't realize it'd be snowing quite this much... but I'll survive. What say we check out the inside of the chateau?"
"Good idea, Riley. Let's go! I can show you where your room is..."
Soon, the party arrives at the Nevrakis chateau. The warmth of the estate begins to comfort Riley's cheeks. She follows Maxwell into the lavish, grand bedroom.
"Come on, Riley! Put your stuff down, so we can go!"
"What's your rush?"
"We've got an entire day in the snow planned out! Plus, I already see Olivia and Liam out there on the ice."
Riley's heart skips a beat and she quickly unzips her bag in search of something to wear.
"Better put on something warm..."
She puts on a white cable knit sweater, a plaid scarf that keeps her toasty, and an elegant brown winter coat that hugs her body just right.
"Here we go."
Back outside, Maxwell leads Riley towards the frozen lake where they put on their ice skates.
"You know how to ice skate, right?"
"Ice skating? I know the basics. Try to stay upright and don't fall?"
"Good enough." Maxwell chuckles and leads Riley over to the ice.
On the ice, several guests are already skating around in pairs, including Prince Liam and Olivia at the center of the lake. Riley listens to their conversation:
..."Don't tell me you've forgotten just how well I can skate." Olivia grabs on to Liam's arm.
"Oh, I very much remember."
Maxwell takes Riley's hand and pushes her onto the ice. She almost falls and completely makes a fool out herself but she balances and glares at Maxwell.
"Remember to keep your eyes on the prize... Now, get out there and grab some time with the Prince while I distract Olivia." Maxwell waves at Olivia from where he stands. "Olivia, you gotta see me do a spin! Don't move!" Turning back to Riley, Maxwell winks and hip-checks her, sending her sailing across the ice. "Go get 'em, princess!"
Shifting her weight around, she manages to firmly balance herself and skates over to Prince Liam.
"Lady Riley, a pleasure to see you, as always. You're a vision of grace on those skates."
"Thank you!"
"I take it you've come to skate with me today?"
"That was my hope."
"Then please, accompany me."
Liam offers Riley his hand. I take it, entwining their fingers together.
"Gladly."
She skates alongside Liam...
"You look very lovely today. And warm."
"Yeah, definitely glad I put on this coat. Do you and the court come out here regularly?"
"Not often. However, when we do, Olivia's always been very generous by having us at her state. But actually, I used to come out here frequently when I was younger. Olivia and I would play in the snow together..."
"You and Olivia, huh? Tell me more about that."
"We'd build little snow forts on the bank and 'catapult' snowballs at each other. The lake was too dangerous to play since we were young, but sometimes, we'd sneak onto the ice in hopes that we could see the fish beneath the surface. We never did, but we had many exciting false finds."
"You two must've been close."
"We were... It's been hard watching her, well, become who she is. I know Olivia can be a tough person to get along with."
"She's basically the opposite of you."
"Olivia had a difficult childhood. Her parents were killed in political assassination when she was only five years old. She was alone, without family at her estate for the better part of the year before my parents and I officially visited. She was supposed to be in the care of her great aunt, but the woman had left her for summer on the Rivera, abandoning her... Olivia didn't have anyone. She was so alone."
"Didn't she have... servants?"
"The servants were doing their best, but they were traditionalists, Nevrakis-family trained for decades. After a lifetime of holding the nobility up on a pedestal, they weren't prepared to give her what she needed the most... Love. The first few days of our visit, she was sullen and withdrawn. I thought she hated me. But one night, I heard her crying through the wall. I actually believed it was a ghost at first, but once I got over my fear, I decided to investigate and there she was... Little five-year-old Olivia, crying and clutching one of her mother's gowns, saying over and over again, 'Come back. Please come back.' I knelt beside her and held her until she cried herself to sleep. I knew we couldn't leave her there. I convinced my parents to invite her to live at the palace with us. For almost two months, she wouldn't leave my side. Just about drove Drake crazy, actually, but- -"
Just then, Olivia skates over, interrupting the conversation, "That Maxwell is a persistent one."
"He can be high energy." Liam laughs and gives Riley a compassionate stare.
"Yes... I can tell." Olivia turns a sharp-toothed smile to Riley. "So Riley, I bet you've never seen the countryside this spectacular. Aren't you impressed?"
"Impressed? Actually, it's gorgeous. Your home is truly lovely. The snow, the lake, the trees... it's absolutely breathtaking."
"...Oh. Well, yes. It is." Olivia gives Riley a stunned look. "I'm glad even someone like you can appreciate the elegance and splendor of nature." She wraps her arm around Liam's "Now, Prince Liam, I believe you owe me a round across the lake."
"Excuse me, Riley... I do owe her... I will see you later."
She nods at Liam and smiles at Olivia. They skate off together and Olivia snakes her hand into Liam's. Riley begins to think in her head, "Learning more about her past sheds new light on who she is. She has had to overcome the worst obstacles imaginable. Liam was so noble to help her out, but does this mean they have a connection that I could never understand? Maybe that would be okay, Olivia needs someone like Liam around her to care if no one else will. I hope one day we all can become friends so she has more people on her side. After all one must keep your enemies closer."
Looking around, she sees the other nobles trying to skate and catches Kiara sliding across the lake on her stomach.
"I don't think I can balance on these." Penelope tries to stand straight but keeps bending her ankles to the side.
"The ice hasn't even been resurfaced! My skates are too expensive for this." Tariq touches his tip of the skate on the ice and looks disgusted.
Hana glides across the ice. Skating backward, she circles around me, "Looks like Olivia stole Liam from you."
"Olivia? It's fine. Liam has obligations. I don't take it personally."
"That's level-headed of you." Hana twirls gracefully before coming to a full stop beside me.
"Where'd you learn to skate like that? It couldn't have been with the other ladies."
"Owwwww! Mon posterieur!" Kiara exclaims as she falls once again.
"Ice skating is one of the things my parents sent me to lessons for." Hana breathes in the fresh air and watches those around her attempt to skate.
"That's an unusual choice. I had soccer and basketball practice."
"It's a skill I learned to appeal to the suitors. I was told 'a display of elegance can go a long way."
"This was a part of your training... but do you even like ice skating?"
"Oh, you know, it's okay."
"That's not very convincing."
"When my parents were selecting my activities, whether or not I enjoyed something wasn't a factor they considered. Now I find myself with all sorts of skills that I honestly haven't much interest in."
Olivia returns with Liam. "All night, everyone. It's time to hit the slopes!"
"Dieu merci!" Kiara quickly got off the ice and tore off her skates.
"Skiing must be earlier than this... right?" Penelope has a worried look on her face.
"Finally, a use for that professional ski equipment I bought three years ago." Tariq turns toward everyone with a snobby smirk.
One ski lift later... Riley and the rest of the group crest the top of the slope. Drake skis up besides Riley.
"So, Brooks, you finally made it to the top of the slopes."
"What's wrong, Drake? Were you starting to miss me?"
"Hardly. I was just getting bored."
"You didn't go skating?"
"Figure skating isn't really my thing."
"Really? I think you'd look good in a tutu." Riley playfully nudges Drake's side and lets out a chuckle.
"Some mental images aren't worth the effort."
"I suppose skiing is manly enough for you."
"I'd hardly call what's going on here skiing. But I'm looking to change that. How about a race?"
"What makes you think I can ski?"
"'Maybe I'm starting to have faith in you, Brooks."
"Drake... you're scaring me with your niceness."
"I'm scaring myself. Anyway, I'm going to start skiing down this slope in a minute, and if I get to the bottom before you... well, let's just say I'm calling that a win and I might never let you hear the end of it. Ready.... set... don't wipe out!"
Drake takes off down the hill.
"Hey!"
Riley chases after him. The wind whips against her as she picks up speed. Drake maintains his pace ahead of her. Off to the side, Riley sees Olivia and Liam gently skiing and talking together. "Oh, Liam, you're so hilarious." Riley decides to take the opportunity to show off as she skis over a mogul and catches air, soaring elegantly by them! She catches a glimpse of Olivia's surprised face and Liam's impressed stare. "Go, Riley!" Liam chants. Riley grins as she lands and picks up speed.
Further down the slope, she sees a large branch. Drake swerves to go around it. "Watch yourself, Summers!" He glances back at her and slows down to make sure she makes it.
She leans to the side, quickly redirecting herself around the branch. Nearing the bottom of the slope, she manages to catch up with Drake and finishes neck and neck with him.
"Not bad, Brooks. We'll call that a draw."
"A draw? You had a head start."
"I think you meant to say you had a late start."
"You just don't want to admit you lost."
"I'm being generous. I had at least a nose or two on you." Drake takes a deep breath, inhaling the cool, crisp mountain air. "This trip hasn't been half so bad so far. Shame that tomorrow it's back to waltzing and bowing and all that."
"At least I can ski better than I can waltz... which is barely at all."
"Wait... you can't waltz? I thought you danced with Liam?"
"Yeah, but he did a lot of the work... Why? Is it important?"
"Oh, Brooks, Brooks, Brooks... what would you do without me? There's a ball tomorrow. All of the ladies are expected to dance to the Cordonian waltz in front of everyone.
"Oh... I'm going to look stupid in front of everyone, aren't I? I'll look bad in front of Liam."
"Hey, on the bright side, it'll probably be too hilarious to watch..."
"Drake! If you're going to go through the trouble of warning me about the waltz, then you should at least tell me how to do it."
"Sadly, I can't help you there. I don't know the steps. You should ask Hana. If anyone knows anything forwards and backwards, it's that one."
"Yeah... maybe."
Drake and Riley glide over to where the rest of the group is meeting after their ski runs...
Olivia gathers everyone's attention, "It's time to head over to my spectacular lodge to warm up."
Drake turns towards Riley, "Thanks for the race. I actually had fun."
"Maybe you're not as bad as you seem."
"You're going soft on me, Brooks."
Riley's feet crunches in the snow with each step as she and Drake follow the crowd to the chateau.
Back at the lodge, Riley sits with Drake, Hana, and Maxwell by the fire as she sips a mug of steaming hot chocolate.
"Did you have fun today, Riley?" Maxwell offers me a warm smile.
"Today was super fun! And now we have hot chocolate."
"This is wonderful. Look, little marshmallows shaped like hearts!" Hana squeals and wraps her hands around the mug.
"Just... just adorable." Drake gives everyone a less convincing smile.
"Watch yourself, we've got incoming." Maxwell whispers towards the group.
Olivia glides over to us, "Well, hello, my dear guests. I hope you're enjoying my spectacular hosting."
Maxwell gives her a giant smile, "I always enjoy my time here with you, Olivia."
"It's... something." Drake still glances down at his hot chocolate, probably wishing it was beer.
Olivia narrows her eyes at him, her smile thin, "Did you see that we have eclairs, Drake? They always remind me of dear, darling little Savannah. She'd gobble them down like a cow at the trough."
"Don't talk about my sister." Drake stands and slams his hot chocolate on the table.
"Why ever not? She was such a fixture at court, and then she just up and disappeared. You never told us what happened, and usually, gossip spreads quickly."
"She left because of people like you." Drake starts to move closer towards her and Riley grabs his arm to hold him back. They both don't either flinch, but the rest of the group looks on with worry.
"She was always the sensitive sort. Ladies like that don't last long here."
Drake's jaw begins to clinch but then he suddenly glances at his watch and relaxes. "You know what? I just remembered I've got somewhere I need to be. If you'll excuse me..."
Drake bows courtly to Riley, Hana, and Olivia, then turns and strides off.
"Wait, Drake, dear! Come back! I wasn't finished with you!" Olivia gives her famous devilish grin and Riley stands up.
"Olivia... leave Drake alone before I slap that fucking smile off your face."
Out the corner of her eye, she sees him hesitant at the door... then he leaves the room. Riley turns back to Olivia frowning.
"Ooh, does Cinderella have a soft spot for the rough-around-the-edges commoner?"
"Maybe I just don't like seeing anyone getting treated like that."
"What a valiant hero to the masses. They must sing songs about you. Now, as charming as this has been, I've got to get back to Prince Liam. I've promised him a private tour of the Lythikos castle. Bye-bye, darlings."
With a wink, she flounces out of the room.
"I can't believe the things Olivia says..." Hana sets her hot chocolate down. "Poor Drake."
"Yeah, he doesn't usually let Olivia get under his skin like that..." Maxwell puts his hand on Riley's arm as she sits down. The fury is still radiating through her palms. "How can someone be such a bitch..." Riley thought.
"Well, I hope he's all right. I saw him go outside, but it's not a good idea to be out there right now. I've heard there's a storm brewing tonight... What can he be thinking?" Hana glances out of the window with a worried look.
As Riley looks outside, she sees the sky darken and take an ominous tone... she stands up, "There's only one way to find out..."
"You mean you're thinking about following him?"
"I'm not wearing this jacket for nothing. I'm going to see what he's doing."
Pulling her coat tighter, she follows Drake off into the dark night.
A way outside the chateau, she spots Drake in a clearing, staring into the woods. She decides to announce herself. "Hey, Drake."
"Riley? What are you doing here?"
"I saw you going off on your own, close to dark with a storm coming, and... I wanted to make sure you were okay. After what Olivia said to you... I could see that it struck something inside you."
"No offense, but you're the last person I need looking out for me."
"Thanks."
"That's not what I... Oh, hell "He puts his head in his hands and seems to get more frustrated. "I'm trying not to be an asshole, Brooks. I only meant that you shouldn't have to worry about me. You should be only looking for yourself."
"What did you come out here to do, exactly?"
"If you really want to know... you'll have to trust me."
"Trust you? I'd trust you... about as far as I can throw you. And you look pretty heavy to me."
"Heh. Well, you're out here alone with me at night, so you must think I'm at least not some kind of murderer."
"The thought crossed my mind."
"Here, I'll make this easy for you..." Drake reaches out and shoves Riley.
"Hey!" For a second, she struggles to keep her footing but then she topples over landing on her back in the soft snow. She looks up to see the most star-filled sky she'd ever laid eyes on. As she watches the shooting stars light up in the sky.
"Drake..."
She hears a thud as Drake lands next to her.
"Yes, my lady?"
"This is surprising, coming from you."
"Really? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just that I wouldn't expect a guy like you to be into star-gazing."
"Nah, you're right. I should just stick to punching tires and rolling around in the mud."
"Punching tires? Is that even a thing?"
"My point stands."
As the two of them stare up at the sky, Riley sees the clouds starting to creep across the stars.
"Looks like we were just in time to see this before the storm comes."
"Yeah, I didn't wanna miss it. I used to do this with my younger sister, Savannah, every year. We used grew up around the royals. My dad used to do security for Liam and his brother, and my sister and I were allowed to hang out with them. Liam and I ended up getting very close, even though I didn't have the lineage to merit it. Savannah, on the other hand, got along with everybody and they were friendly with her. She loved living at the palace when we were kids, being around all the pretty dresses and jewelry... but it got harder when she got older."
"What happened?"
"She... it was hard on her. She couldn't take it, I guess. After what happened with... I... I failed her. I couldn't protect her. I couldn't protect her from this place... or those people." He begins to clench his fists and he puts his hands over his face. He's quiet for a moment, "Sorry, it's... I guess I'm still not ready to talk about it. This is more than I've talked about it with anyone in the last year, actually.
"Really? Does this means we're friends now?"
"Friends... I wouldn't go that far, Brooks." He gives Riley a reassuring grin and she gazes back up at the sky.
"Should we just call it non-enemies then?"
"I guess I can't really stop you can I?"
"Nope".
The two of them just stare at the sky silently for a moment, watching for shooting stars... Riley can't help but wonder what it would be like to see it with Liam. The romance, the alone time. Just him and her and the stars.
As more snowflakes begins to fall, Drake sighs, "We better get back. It's be quite a scandal if I let one of the Prince's suitors freeze to death out here on my watch."
"I'd hate for my untimely demise to cause you any difficulty."
"Not to mention that Maxwell would never let me hear the end of it."
"I'm sure even Bertrand would be be upset, in his own way."
"Bertrand? He's only be upset if he couldn't it into some kind of press event. Now, let's go."
The two of them walks slowly back, trudging through the snow and wind...
Riley stars teases Drake, "The next time you tell me that I'm doing something stupid, I'm going to remind you about your little walk in the blizzard."
"I do plenty of stupid stuff, Brooks. I'm practically the King of stupid."
"Really? I hadn't noticed."
"Really. You just don't know me very well. But... maybe that will change."
"Maybe."
Back at the chateau, as Drake and Riley are about to head up the stairs to their rooms, Riley spots Hana.
"There you are!"
"You're up late."
"I couldn't sleep. With you and Drake out there in the storm..."
"I'm sorry we kept you up."
"Oh, I'm just glad you got back before it really started coming down out there! But you must be freezing, Drake, dressd in that."
"Yeah. I'm going to go get changed. G'night, ladies."
As Drake heads up the staircase, Hana turns to Riley. "I suppose we'd better go to sleep, too. The Cordonian waltz is tomorrow after all and we'll need a good night's rest to pull it off successfully."
"I don't think any amount of sleep is going to improve my chances."
"What do you mean?"
"As Drake reminded me earlier, I don't know the waltz."
"Oh, dear, it's rather late, but I suppose if you wanted to... I can show you?"
"Hana, I would love to waltz with you."
"Lovely!"
Riley follows Hana into her room, and together the two of them push aside the furniture to create space for dancing.
"I appreciate you helping me like this..."
"It's no problem. I'm just sorry that I didn't think to ask if you knew it. It's a good thing Drake's looking out for you."
"Yeah. Alright. The Cordonian waltz. How complicated is this going to be?"
"It depends. Do you consider yourself a good dancer?"
"I dance... like an angel."
"Oh? Then this shouldn't be a problem. If you have a good sense of rhythm, I think you can pick it up easily enough. Now the Cordonian waltz is a choreographed dance with specific steps. As long as you know your part for each of them, you can follow your partner easily. I'll put on some music, and we'll start."
Hana starts a waltz on a portable speaker she's sets up. She turns to Riley, "Ready? I'll be the Prince in this situation, so you can learn your part. Ahem. Lady Riley." She lowers her voice and then lets out a giggle.
"'Prince Liam'".
Riley curtsies to Hana in a over-exaggerated way, making her even laugh more.
"Now we get into position. Let's have you put your left hand on my shoulder..." As Riley does, Hana takes Riley's right hand with her left and puts her other hand on Riley's waist. She starts guiding her... "This is the box step. It's the most basic movement and kind of like a bridge between the other steps..."
"So far, so good."
"Yeah... now the next three steps are the reverse, spin, and twirl. First, I'm going to lead you into the reverse."
Riley feels Hana shift her weight and stride forward... she tries to go forward and bumps into Hana as she strides into her.
"Sorry about that."
"No need to apologize."
They try the reverse again but this time Riley is able to move in a straight line down the length of the room.
"You have to think of the waltz as a communication. You and your partner make a connection, responding to each other to make the dance work. It's kind of romantic... actually, the Cordonian waltz is supposed to be a courtship dance, which is why Olivia undoubtedly chose it for the formal ball tomorrow."
"A courtship dance?"
"Yeah, the last two steps are meant to be the most flirtatious."
Hana then moves so that she's grasping Riley's hand as she begins to swing her around.
"This feels too fun to be a formal dance... Am I doing it right?"
"You're doing it perfectly."
Hana steadies Riley, pulling her back into the box step as she continues her instructions and finally, Hana twirls Riley in perfect execution and brings Riley back to her as the music fades.
"And that's the Cordonian waltz. If you know the steps, you'll be more than fine."
"I feel very confident I can do it tomorrow."
"I'm so glad."
"You're a good teacher. Ice skating, waltzing,... I feel like you can do anything."
"Yes yes, well my parents was pushing me to learn all the courtly and social arts when I was young."
"You must've had no free time."
"Well between school, dance, music lessons, and etiquette classes, my schedule was very full. My parents expects a lot out of me. When they didn't get the son they wanted, they pinned all their hopes and dreams on me. Every day of my life was about me bringing fame and fortune to my family and one day find a noble to marry.
"Olivia said you had a previous engagement."
"Yeah, last year, my parents had arranged a very potential match for me but it didn't work out. A few weeks before the wedding, he pulled out of the engagement. It was rather scandalous and since then my parents have been upset with me and been desperate to find me a match."
"Oh no, that's terrible."
"Yeah, and the thing is that I didn't even love him so if it would have gone through, I would have been in a loveless marriage with a guy I didn't even love."
Hana lets a long slow breath, "But that's all behind me now. My parents are upset with me, but they've given me another chance. Here, now."
"But aren't you worried that history will repeat itself with... Liam?"
"Hopefully not. I want things to turn out differently this time. And I don't want to disappoint my parents again. And it's really not that bad to be honest. They've been pressuring me to spend more time with you."
"Why me?"
"Because you and the Prince share and have a special connection so they thought the closer I am with you, the closer I get to the Prince."
"Wow... that's quite a strategy."
"Yeah, but I want you to know that I like spending time with you, Riley."
"Hana, it's good to have a friend around here."
"Yeah, it sure is. Even though we're competing against each eother, we can be friends."
The sound of the clock on the mantel striking midnight interrupts them.
"I suppose we should get some sleep."
"Yeah... I'll talk to you tomorrow. Thank you for the lessons."
"Good night, Riley."
Hana hugs Riley as Riley leaves putting a grin on her face.
"Good night."