❆
With feelings of trepidation in the hosts, an uncertainty eating at the guests, and a disappointed Avalone sitting quietly in her room making tiny stitches, the ball looked to be an unfavorable affair.
If the partygoers were nervous about attending such a large and unprecedented ball, the residents of the capital city were torn between overwhelming gratitude and utter misery.
The kingdom was a fair size, stretching across an expanse of land that saw most climates. The far north endured the heaviest of the snow in the winter, and the south reached just far enough to be called tropical in the summer season. The capital was located more to the south and to the east, sitting on the edge of a large forest that divided the more tropical climate region from the rest of the realm. It took a little over two weeks to cross from the southernmost point to the northernmost, and about two weeks to cross from east to west. As far as fiefs were concerned, Avalone's resided almost at the peak of the north, Duke Marshmond's about a week's travel to the north and east of the capital. In any event, the kingdom housed a healthy population.
And with more than half of the entire kingdom visiting across the expanse of two weeks, a surge of guests was invading every possible inn. Every family connection no matter how remote was being abused. This meant a large influx of money into the city, and on all of the transports and inns along the way. Most honored guests, particularly those that had been asked to stay through the event to help even out numbers, were given residence at the palace. Little used apartments, kept by the nobility in town for just such an occasion, suddenly sprang to life and lazy servants were put to their first real work in years. Everyone else had to make the best of the space that was left.
The upcoming event most especially meant a huge influx of females, all very needy. Three days into the extended celebration, not a single innkeeper or shopkeeper could keep his composure.
"Is red meat the only food every served here?"
"I don't care if you don't have shutters, can't you do anything about that horrible noise outside?"
"Do you consider this dress pressed? And just look at this hem! How can I go out like this?"
"I said I wanted my hair flowing, not draping!"
"You expect me to pay how much for this room? Are you insane?"
"Yes, I know I bathed last night. And I will bathe again tonight! And every night I am here! Yes, I know there are others here, but I will not wait and then bathe in lukewarm water!"
The overwhelming stench of perfume was soon inescapable.
The nights of the ball were a nightmare, with carriages, horses, and all other modes of transportation clogging the streets past the dawn of the next morning. Pickpockets did well across the evenings, but they risked life and limb in the process. Stray dogs took to hiding in the deepest corners they could find to avoid the stampede of humanity.
Aleyne was bored within thirty minutes of the first ball. The girls would either flirt viciously with him or try and cross verbal swords. He was polite, but firm, flirting lightly but being more careful than normal to spread his attention around to all his guests. He could feel their eyes on him, judging him.
"You're so tall, Prince! Just like your father." This girl, swimming in pink and draped in jewels, was batting her eyelashes in what she must have thought was a charming manner. She was the fourth girl to have done so that night. And did it have to be his father?
"I've always admired your mother, Prince. She's so graceful! I wish I could dance half as well as she could!" Aleyne's feet wished so too.
"So you've never been on your own outside the palace?" This girl was a little older than he was and kept giving him a dissatisfied look. But that did not stop her from stepping onto the dance floor with him under her mother's baleful glare. or from falling for his bored smile.
"Priiiince..." If he could ever escape from this female, suctioned provocatively onto his arm, halfway drunk, and clearly, from a walk of life he had never even daydreamed of visiting, it would be a miracle.
By the end of the first evening alone he heard at least twenty different comparisons between him and his father.
❆
Back at her home, Avalone was busy packing for the trip that awaited her. Because she would be needed to care for her sisters and be on hand to make last-minute changes to the dresses, she was being brought on the trip. She packed the dresses she meant to remake for herself but took only halfhearted care while packing them. She did not believe she was going to have time, especially since the days of travel would not be days she could work a single stitch.
"Will you have time to finish your dress before the ball," Piper asked one afternoon as Avalone tried to fit what she had completed of the other girl's dress.
"Only if Mother doesn't ask me to reclean the third floor."
"Which is very likely, especially since she made you redo both of the other floors. And you shouldn't bother to call her that," Piper stated coldly. Avalone simply shrugged and tugged at a sleeve and placed a pin near the cuff. Piper's anger suddenly left her. "You could still go, you know." Avalone looked up at her in surprise. "You have some nice dresses, even if they aren't the best. And you don't have to come with us. You could leave later. Even that Witch wouldn't make a scene once you got in. And you know you want to."
Avalone considered this for a minute.
"The truth is, I've grown enough that I don't really fit in any of my nicer dresses anymore. And I'm sure I could show up in rags and they would let me in if I insisted. But I don't think I could do it. It's too..."
"Sloppy," Piper suggested. Avalone nodded.
"Father wouldn't have liked it," she confessed. "He wasn't extravagant, but he took his position seriously. He said that he represented his people and the work they did. If he was sloppy or dirty, it made them look bad. And if he was overdone, it made him look like he didn't know his people or his lands."
"And you really have no desire to be seen at the biggest ball ever hosted in the same dress you used to mop the floor?"
"Well, and that too. Is that too silly?" Piper laughed at the miserable look on her face.
"No. I wouldn't do it either. But it is a pity."
It was a pity, but Avalone did still have some pride left, even after that boy...
It was not that she had any particular desire to catch attention by going to the ball, but she was her father's daughter and had been raised as a noble girl. She had been to parties, worn pretty dresses, had chatted with young ladies and danced with young men. She enjoyed a good party and this could have been her very last chance to attend one. She did not doubt her stepmother would keep her hidden away until the end of time, but this was a royal decree that was summoning her. She cursed her pride for keeping her from her duty.
But there was nothing to be done.
Thankfully, Avalone being a smart girl, the day that the invitation arrived, she sent out to hire rooms for the days that they would be needed for her mother and sisters. Her quick wit meant not only did they each get their own small room but that it was in a well-established area and close to the palace. She had also managed to get rooms at inns along the way.
The day of departure arrived and everyone crammed themselves into the carriage. It was a miserable journey with almost no speaking and any conversations that did start turning quickly into arguments that had to be moderated by Avalone. She was treated as a servant at every stop and got less rest than all of her companions. She never had her own room on the road and usually ended up helping the staff wherever they stopped.
Upon arrival at the capital, she saw her step-family safely bestowed at their temporary residence, then took off to make sure that they would have everything they would need when they awoke. The ball was not for a few more days, and in order to save space in the carriage, they had not brought anything to keep them entertained. Avalone also needed various supplies to finish the dresses, and it never hurt to know the area you were staying in.
The next few days were hectic. It took every trick Avalone knew to keep her stepmother and sisters entertained and less than irritable. She worked hard to make sure the noise of traffic in the late night and early morning would not disturb them. She tried to keep them away from the staff of the inn so that as few people as possible would suffer from their sharp tongues. She worked until her whole body ached and her fingers were bright red from all the attention she had given to the dresses.
❆
The day of the ball arrived and she worked like a demon to get her charges put together. Her dress not started much less finished, sat buried at the bottom of her belongings as she bustled about fixing hair, adjusting hems, finding jewels, and applying perfumes.
When the entourage finally left, several hours early to trudge through the crowded streets, Avalone let out a sigh and collapsed in a chair, only glad that she was no longer required.
She allowed herself to enjoy that feeling for a good ten minutes before the laughing and jostling of traffic outside made her heartache as she had not let it since she had told herself she would never manage to go.
She knew she could not go to the palace, but she could not stay here either. She left, making her path away from traffic and towards the quietest place she could find. She actually left the main part of the city, finding a hill just inside the walls that would allow her to gaze longingly at the building with the party she would not attend.
As if the heavens could feel her disappointment, frozen tears began to fall from the skies, dancing around her. The air was chilling, her breath making puffy, small clouds in front of her face, but she chose to stay put, looking at the palace.
"Just one chance..." she whispered wistfully to the frozen landscape.
To her great surprise, a voice answered.
"Well, that's all I'm allowed to give anyone, really."
Avalone turned in surprise to see a woman, much taller than herself, painted in colors of white, blue and grey. She looked like the Queen of Winter with her beautiful dress made of frozen snowflakes that gave the impression that they were falling endlessly. She had an assortment of tasteful accessories, lovely shoes, and was staring at Avalone with a pot, glowing with a faint blue tinted light.
"I'm sorry," Avalone mumbled. "I didn't mean to bother you."
"You were not, exactly, bothering me. Your sadness brought me to you," came the curt reply while inhuman eyes sized the girl up. "You want to go to the ball, don't you?"
Avalone was taken aback by the woman's words.
"Of course. But I'm afraid that would be impossible."
"Darling, nothing is impossible to me."
Avalone instantly looked skeptical.
"Nothing?"
The Queen sighed.
"Well, lots of things are impossible, especially if it isn't my time to reign," said the Queen, looking a little disgruntled. "But you going to the ball is well within my talents. Especially since it is winter, after all." She continued, playing with the falling snowflakes that seemed to dance joyously around them.
"Really?"
"Of course. You really just need a dress and a quick clean up. Well, and I'll have to get you to the palace since you've walked all the way out here. And I suppose the rest will be up to you. But I don't think you would be happy if I just gave you everything you wanted."
Avalone nodded in agreement to the last statement but still was unsure.
"Why are you helping me?
"I hate sadness when I reign. Everyone seems to be more susceptible to depression in Winter, than in Summer. It is really bothersome. And you earn a favor from me. This is your one chance, so you better go and snag the Prince while you can."
Avalone blinked.
"If you're doing this so that I can meet His Highness, in particular, you should probably help someone else. I just wanted to go to a ball one more time. I appreciate the offer, but I can't imagine wanting to marry the Prince. I've never met him before and a formal party doesn't seem like a good place to get to know him. But thank you for the offer. I'm sorry to waste your time."
The Queen smiled at Avalone and shook her head.
"You don't have to marry the Prince if you don't want to. You don't even have to dance with him. But I am going to send you to the ball. I have a sense for this kind of thing, it comes with the job, and you need to be there. Not just for you, though I'd do it if that were the only benefit. Have fun, relax, and don't worry. You're not taking this from anyone else."
Avalone thought about this for a moment, her brow furrowed and chewing her lower lip. She really did want to go. A glamorous party, lots of beautiful dresses, lilting music, her first chance to see Their Majesties, said to be the most beautiful people anywhere. Her last chance, really. And she was supposed to be there...
"Alright, I accept, Miss..."
"Doesn't matter my name. I have many and they don't mean anything. Just call me Winter." The Queen said smiling mischievously. "Oh, you are a good girl. I haven't had such great material to work with since I don't even know when. You only really need a touch up after all. This is going to be lovely. Close your eyes."
She moved forward suddenly and started circling Avalone, raising her arm slowly as she made her turn. When she finished her circuits, holding a hand just above Avalone's head, she paused to evaluate what she had done so far.
"All finished!" Winter's voice had a singsong quality to it and Avalone felt very heady. Looking down at her arms she saw they were smooth and clean with a few tinkling bracelets hanging gently from her wrists. The fabric of the dress she was now wearing was a beautiful blue that seemed to shimmer into an almost purple shade as she moved in the fading light.
Winter summoned a full-length mirror and held it up for Avalone to see herself in. The dress was gorgeous and flowed softly down around her feet. The jewelry was simple; a silver necklace with a few moderate-sized diamonds, diamond drops in her ears. Her hair was pulled up into a loose bun on her head, her face framed with a few well-placed strands. It had a few well places pins, diamonds in the shape of snowflakes on the sides of the bun.
The only thing that confused her was her shoes. She looked down at her feet, trying to figure out why they felt like they were trapped in cold water.
Her slippers were made entirely of glass, slightly opaque to hide the squished lines of her toes. The slippers were elegant and matched the dress well, and her eyes glowed as she watched them sparkle in the shimmering light coming off of Winter, who had moved behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Why glass? I would think that would be like begging for blisters." Avalone's voice was curious, but her face could only portray an entranced wonder at the mystical creation on her feet.
"It is trouble if you wear them for too long, but you should be alright until the spell wears off. The advantage is they have to be perfectly fitted in order to actually work, so no one else can use them."
"You just said that the spell would end. Why would anyone else get the chance to use them?"
"Oh, any number of reasons. If nothing else, they'll be a great conversation piece. Glass slippers are fairly fascinating after all. Since those are the only ones anywhere."
"When does the spell end?" Avalone was most concerned now about this point.
"It doesn't. But you need to get out before midnight, so I made the spell last until the last stroke of midnight. You need to beat the party goers so that no one sees you. I know about your stepmother and I don't want you to get in trouble." Winter said with a sigh.
"I suppose after walking back, I'll only have a few hours at the actual ball. Oh well. That is still better than how I thought I would be spending the evening. Thank you very much."
Winter laughed.
"I am going to send you to the gates of the palace. You'll get as much time as I can possibly give you. You really should be there, after all. But you'll have to get yourself out. Once I leave, I'm gone and I can't come back. But you should be fine."
Avalone nodded and curtsied beautifully to her benefactress.
"Thank you very much for this chance. I will do my best to be worthy of the gifts you've given me."
Winter just waved off her compliments.
"I don't give them to girls that don't deserve them. You make winter so much more with your joy. You bless me, child, with your warm smile." Winter said before Avalone was swept away by an invisible force.
❆
Avalone appeared little ways away from the front gate of the palace, tucked under the shadow of a building. She was grateful for this since it meant no one had noticed her magical arrival. She smoothed down her dress, patted her hair, and stepped out towards gate where a few other late arrivals were being let in.
It was at this point that she realized that she had no invitation to present to the guards who were standing there. Her heart sank and she tried to imagine how she could have forgotten such an important document.
As she stood fretting over her mistake, one of the guards noticed her and made his way towards her. She flushed as he did, wondering how she would ever explain herself without looking like a complete fool.
He looked kind enough and bowed politely to her when he reached her. She curtsied and hoped that the dim light covered her blush.
"Is something the matter, miss? Everyone else has already been led inside," the guard inquired with a smile, encouraging her.
"Oh, I'm so very sorry. It seems I have wasted a great deal of my time and now I'm wasting yours. The invitation that was received at my house was taken by the others that I came with. They left long before me and I am afraid I was quite stupid to get dressed and come all this way. Oh, I'm so very sorry!"
The guard's smile grew and he extended his hand to her.
"Actually, that will not be a problem, miss. Since the invitation went out to all the young ladies of the realm, you are welcome to come in. As long as one of us has seen you, you don't actually need to have the invitation with you."
Avalone smiled in relief and thanked the man, though she also thought it was a somewhat sloppy way to handle things. She let the guard lead her to the gate and through it. She missed the jealous looks of his companions as she tried to take in the courtyard, but her escort smirked at his friends and winked.
Once they were inside the palace, she was handed off to one of the servants and was escorted the rest of the way to the ballroom. This large space was completely filled with people. Avalone did not blame her escort when he stopped outside the grand doors and let her step in alone. The air was stifling. But the image before her was magnificent.
The far end of the room held a raised dais with a set of steps leading up to it. This held three chairs, currently empty, but which had probably at one point held the royal hosts. The left side of the room actually opened out into the garden, and a number of people streamed out of the building that way in the hopes that the open air would be a relief from the heat of the ballroom. The right wall was lined with tables covered in food and drinks. A number of people lounged in that direction, nibbling on refreshments and chatting. There were seats against most of the walls and a spattering of tables around the edges of the room. The middle of the floor was filled with dancers, completely surrounded by the other guests who simply mingled and visited. Avalone was not sure where the musicians were hiding, but she imagined they could not be very comfortable.
She began to wander through the crowd and instantly began to draw attention. Soon, she had a small entourage of young men surrounding her and was engaged in an insipid conversation. She chattered, was brought refreshments, smiled, giggled, and pretended to be flattered by her companions. She believed none of the compliments given to her, refused to give out her name and quickly became bored with her little group.
She was not pleased with the division that she saw in the crowds. Clearly, the gossiping circles had been based mostly on appearance, the poorer looking girls huddled together admiring the grandeur, the rich looking ones holding up their noses, and the finely, if somewhat scandalously, dressed girls hiding in corners, trying, probably for the first time in long time, to not catch too much attention.
Avalone excused herself and started moving between the little circles, joining in the inane chatter and making herself agreeable to everyone. She shocked the commoners with her knowledge of their skills, amazed the nobility with her grace and tact, and horrified everyone as she spoke with the various groups of shockingly dressed women huddling about the room. But she got along well with everyone she spoke to and was not rejected from any of the circles. She left warm smiles and hushed whispers behind her and enjoyed herself every minute.
From time to time she would be spirited away by some dashing gentleman and allowed to dance. Then she would go back to her circuit of the conversation floor.
During the course of the evening, she spotted the king and queen, dancing together and looking so magnificent that it took Avalone's breath away. The joy and affection on their faces were so intense it made Avalone horribly jealous for a long moment before she scolded herself and turned back to her current companions.
She caught sight of the Prince a few times as he led various girls through dances. She thought he looked splendid in his ball dress, crisp white embroidered in pale gold, but she did not dwell on him. She could not think well of a man who believed he could invite an entire kingdom worth of potential brides to a ball. It showed a degree of vanity she found disturbing. It was almost like he thought he would never be refused.
Although that might be true from what she could see of the other girls hovering around the room, staring at him and whispering.
It made her ill.
Eventually, her stepmother and sisters spotted her.
"Piper, look," Claire tugged on her older sister's sleeve, jerking her head slightly to point at the figure across the room.
"Oh no," Piper groaned as Bethany noticed her daughter's movements and spotted Avalone as well. "She is going to be in so much trouble." Bethany's lips were pursed in a tight line and her eyes were blazing. Avalone turned around at that moment to address someone beside her and spotted her stepfamily. If she recognized them, she gave no hint of it but kept talking. Since no one else from the group looked over, the three woman could only assume she had said nothing about them. Bethany turned to pointedly ignore the young woman, but Piper and Claire noticed her continual glances out of the corner of her eyes.
❆
"Prince, I need a favor," Rufus Federline said as he slung an arm over Aleyne's shoulder. Aleyne ignored him and kept looking for a way to make it to the refreshment table for a drink. "Oh, now really. It will help you fill your quota..."
Rufus was an occasional visitor to the palace, a man with no title but more money and good looks that seemed fair. He had friends in high places, and while Aleyne gave him a grudging respect, Rufus love for beautiful women got him into more trouble than even Aleyne could boast. So it was with reluctance that he gave the other man his attention.
"My quota?"
"You keep checking in with your family's adviser to see how many more of these women you have to say hello to. Don't think I didn't notice. But look, over there." Rufus pointed towards Piper and Claire, a mischievous smile on his face. "They've been dodging men all evening, saying they can't leave the other with no one to talk to. So I say, we grab them both at once."
"Why?"
"Because we are good looking men, and if we can't do this, we have no reason to live."
"I'll take your word for that," Aleyne sighed as he looked for an escape in the press of people.
"Oh come on now. They're prettier than most of the girls here."
"Fine, but I get the taller one." Rufus pouted but acquiesced and the two approached the young ladies. The girls knew they were doomed once Bethany noticed the Prince coming their way. Her look told them clearly that "no" was not the right answer to any questions they were about to be asked.
"Good evening ladies," Rufus bowed. "I can't say that we've seen you around before this evening. Who might you be?"
Claire introduced the two of them. It was asking too much of Piper to be polite just then. She had figured out which one of the men was going to be asking for her hand, and she was not happy.
"You've come from quite far out. And you don't come to the capital often?" Rufus pressed, covering for his mute companion.
"When we were younger, we came more frequently. But not so much anymore," Claire wondered what kind of silent conversation could be passing between the Crown Prince and her sister. Both were staring at each other, and neither seemed too pleased.
"Then now will be the only time that we can steal a dance. Won't you?" Claire gave Rufus a mild smile and placed her hand in his. Aleyne finally spoke.
"Since your sister is engaged, would you do me the honor?" His hand was extended and Piper took it reluctantly, shooting a bitter glare at her mother. Bethany missed this, still observing her stepdaughter out of the corner of her eye and trying to find a way to remove the girl without causing a scene. Nothing came to mind.
Claire gave her sister a pitying look before Rufus led her away. Aleyne took Piper out onto the dance floor and waited for a few minutes for her to start a conversation. When she seemed to be determined to stare over his shoulder, his polite instincts took over and he wracked his brain for something to say.
"You come from the north?" Piper met his eyes, but she was still frowning.
"As far north as you can get and still belong here," she responded coolly. "Have you ever been there?"
"I've visited Duke Marshmond's holding on a few occasions with my family, but I haven't been further north than that. And I've only ever been in the summer."
"Have you ever really been anywhere?" she asked in frustration, and Aleyne instantly tensed.
"I've been to various places around the kingdom."
"So that would be a 'no,'" she told him while rolling her eyes. Aleyne found his anger mounting. He had not had to deal with too many girls that had openly disliked him, but this one grated on him. And it did not seem like he would be able to win her over.
"If you insist," he responded as calmly as he could. They did not speak after that, and his bow to her when the dance was over was very brief.
❆
It was now close to midnight and Aleyne had reached his limits for the evening. He found Percival in a secluded corner and tried to hide a grimace as the man handed him a drink.
"Am I even close to reaching the end of this drudgery?"
"You've still got several hours and a large number of girls left," his friend teased him.
"Lovely. Who's idea was this?"
"Yours," Percival responded with no small amount of satisfaction. "If I could make a suggestion?"
"Certainly. I suppose it involves me not killing any of the young ladies present."
"Well, if I am right, that might be a result, but that was not my suggestion."
"Hmm?"
"The young lady, over there in the corner, in the blue dress and strange company..."
Aleyne looked over in the indicated direction and cocked his eyebrow.
"That is a woman in very strange company. She is much too respectable looking to actually know those girls. Is her gown actually blue, or violet?"
"I couldn't tell you. All I know is that she has been flitting about the room for hours, speaking to every person present. And all of them have been speaking to her, even after she began including some of our more scandalous guests in her conversations."
"Really?"
"She must have some interesting things to talk about since she's been speaking with so many different people."
"Couldn't be any worse than the last young lady I danced with," Aleyne grumbled.
"She's rather lovely, don't you think?" Percival asked, ignoring the comment and looking up at the Prince from the corner of his eyes. Aleyne made an affirmative noise, still watching the girl, who was focused on an intense conversation with her current companions.
He strode over to the group, eyes fixed on his target. She was in the middle of saying something so he waited until the chattering had died down and made his bow.
"I hope you ladies will excuse me, but I'm afraid I'd like to steal this gem from you." He gave them his most winning smile and extended his hand to the girl in the blue gown. Avalone excused herself to her companions, giving them a quick goodbye as well. She knew it was nearing midnight and she would likely have to leave as soon as this dance ended.
"Were you having a good time?" he asked mildly. She did not even glance at him as she replied, but rather looked towards another group of girls.
"Oh yes. They're very nice you know, and so intelligent. I'm hoping they'll go and speak to the girls over there, by the far table. They were complaining earlier about being short of hands to do the work in their area and said they did not mind who came to help them, it was getting so bad. Most of the girls that I've talked to who have been in less favorable kinds of work have wanted other jobs, so I recommended to that group in particular that they speak to the girls by the table, since they live so close- ah, there they go."
She was smiling now, pleased with this development. By this point, Aleyne had led her onto the dance floor and swept her into an easy hold. The music began and she proved immediately to have a light step and an easy grace.
"You're sure it will work out?" She gave him a knowing look as she answered.
"It's true that no one wants loose women moving en masse into their township, but the work they are applying for is needed and people are more forgiving than you would think. The girls also figure since people already talk behind their backs about all the horrible affairs they're involved in, they might as well be doing decent work and have the satisfaction of knowing they are in the right. And I might have suggested to the first group how hard it would be to be living that kind of life."
"The other group accepted you very easily."
"Oh, you can talk to anyone if you're respectful enough. Though I suppose it helps to be sincere. I've always been told that people are just people, and it's best to treat them that way."
"I suppose that explains your indifference," he said mildly, trying to draw her attention to himself. She had the effrontery to laugh at him.
"I'm terribly sorry Your Highness. You were just speaking so normally I forgot to faint in your arms after stumbling over my own name." He laughed at this and apologized.
"By the way, what is your name?" Avalone shook her head.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Your Highness."
"And I'm sure you have a very compelling reason that you can't tell me," he retorted with a mocking tone. Avalone was immediately on the defensive, but she kept her smile in place.
"It's a horrible name and it quite ruins my image."
"Well, we can't possibly have that, now can we."
"It would certainly put a damper on my evening. If I never come back here, people will only remember me for my terrible name. And that would quite shame my family," she told him, smiling. He chuckled and led her into a spin.
The rest of the dance went well enough. They kept a mild conversation going throughout, and Aleyne found himself plenty amused with his strange partner. He complimented the girl on her looks, her address, and her wit. Avalone smiled and thanked him, thinking to herself that he was no more sincere than the boys who had flirted with her earlier. She could see he was trying to flatter her and make her blush. She could recognize this game now, and she was not going to play it.
Aleyne noticed the dance was coming to an end and he was somewhat disappointed. He had other guests he needed to see, but this girl had been the most interesting so far. It would be nice to spend the rest of the evening in her company. His arms, usually tired after a long dance, were warm, and he was reluctant to let her go when the music finally came to a close. He slid his fingers down her arm and caught her hand in his, kissing her fingers lightly and smiling politely.
"Thank you," he murmured and was pleased to see just a touch of color on her face. "I look forward to dancing with you again later."
"Your Highness," she curtsied and drew her hand away, slipping off as quickly as she could. Aleyne was amused and a bit surprised at her hurried departure but shrugged and went in search of his next partner, keeping an eye out for her for the rest of the evening. When he could not, he figured the crowds had been against him.
He would have been disappointed to know she had fled the building as soon as their dance had finished. By the time Avalone had left the ballroom and made it halfway to the courtyard the first toll of the midnight bell was sounding.
She scurried towards the exit, smiling at the few people that she saw along the way and moving as quickly as she could. She marked the tolls with concern as she traveled. She finally removed her slippers and was able to speed up.
She made it all the way through the gate, without anyone stopping her, by the ninth toll and bent down to put her shoes back on. Suddenly the guard who had let her in called out to her. She stumbled and dropped one of the shoes, but took off running as the eleventh bell tolled. She had no more time.
Avalone ran all the way back to the inn, flew up the stairs to her room, and collapsed onto her bed. Her dress was old and dirty again, her jewels were gone, and she could feel her hair hanging limply on her head. The feeling of having returned so quickly to her uncomfortable life depressed her, but she refused to let it overwhelm her. Avalone had had a good evening, after all.
She blinked in surprise as she suddenly noticed her hand still clutched one glass slipper. She stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out why she still had it. Then she decided she was too tired to care, and that it did not matter. She held it tightly the rest of the night. It was the only proof that the whole thing had not all just been a pleasant dream.