Ray bowed to his new dance partner as another waltz started. He had lost count of how many women he had danced with already. No one was any different from normal. Some acted like silly girls. Some acted like uptight women. Some were too shy to say anything. Some would not stop talking about mundane things. Others tried talking politics. Every single one of them was trying to show him what they thought he wanted to see. Yet what he wanted to see was someone being themself. His current dance partner wouldn’t stop trying to flirt with him. He couldn’t deny that she was beautiful, but flirting didn’t bring about meaningful connections. He needed someone more efficient if she was going to survive being queen.
As the song finished, Ray thanked the young woman whom he’d already forgotten her name for the dance before heading towards the ballroom exit. Several women swarmed him in anticipation for the next dance.
“I’m sorry, ladies,” Ray politely said. “I must get a quick breath of fresh air if I am to give you all the attention you deserve. If you’ll excuse me.”
As soon as Ray was free of the ballroom, he pressed his back against the door and pulled out the ribbon tying his hair back into a low ponytail. He ran his fingers through his soft, golden hair, giving it a good tossel to relieve the pressure building on his scalp. After a few calming breaths, Ray looked up and was startled to see someone watching him with a small smile.
“Planning a daring escape, I see,” the stranger said with a small chuckle.
Ray had to admit, he was not making the greatest first impression. Instead of responding, he simply stared. He had never seen such a beautiful, confident person before. He was sure this was the person Lara had sent. Either that or there was a new clothing designer he had never heard of before. Of course, the person would have been gorgeous in anything, but the striking suit with a perfect touch of flair without being overtly feminine had Lara written all over it. And for the person wearing it to be so confident! They didn’t look uncomfortable in the unique attire at all. In fact, they radiated confidence, pride, and grace. And Ray could have sworn he’d seen those angular, blue eyes somewhere before.
“Cat got your tongue?”
Ray cleared his throat. “I’m so sorry. You simply caught me off guard. May I ask what you ae doing out here rather than joining the ball?”
“Oh, I’m here as a favor,” the stranger replied. “I have no intention of going in there. I’m sure it’s just a bunch of girls trying to win the favor of an aloof prince.”
“Oh? Have you met him before?”
“Um...no. I haven’t. I just can’t imagine what type of person could think they could choose a spouse after one night together.”
“Honestly, me neither,” Ray admitted. “Seems all a bit silly to me.”
“I’m glad I’m not the only sane person here.”
“Well, that remains to be seen,” Ray chuckled. “Would you like to join me, the other sane person, in a walk around the gardens, ummm, I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what to call you.”
The stranger chuckled as they took Ray’s outstretched arm. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
Ray gave them a quizzical look, to which they chuckled again. “You can call me Friend.”
“Well, Friend, let me show you what this fine palace has to offer,” Ray said as he confidently walked towards the garden doors.
“I see you know your way around this labyrinth.”
“You could say that. I do spend most of my time here.”
“Hmmm, I see. And what did you say your name was?”
Ray paused. Friend didn’t seem to have the best impression of him, so he really didn’t want to be the prince right now.
“You can call me Lanny,” Ray quickly recovered. “Though don’t think I didn’t notice that you did not actually give me your name.”
“Lanny? Interesting name,” Friend said, ignoring that last part.
“My sister couldn’t pronounce my full name when she was a baby, so she started calling me Lanny. It kind of stuck.”
“Well that’s cute. How many siblings do you have?”
“Well, there’s my next youngest sister, who’s 3 years younger than me. Then the sister who came up with Lanny, who’s 5 years younger. And finally, there’s the youngest, my brother. I was 11 when he was born.”
“So you’re the oldest?”
“Unfortunately. What about you? Any siblings?”
“Only if you count my 2 step sisters. My mother died giving birth to me.”
“I’m so sorry. Are you close with your step sisters?”
“Maybe I would have been. We were becoming close after my father married their mother, but he died only a couple years after the marriage and then their attitudes towards me changed.”
“Oh?”
“I’m...a little different than them. I don’t think they understand me.”
“I wouldn’t say different is a bad thing.”
“Neither would I. My stepmother and stepsisters, on the other hand, think the only acceptable outcome for someone who looks like me is to be a proper lady, married off to the highest bidder.”
“And I take it that you don’t feel that way?”
Friend gave Ray a heated glare. “Of course not.”
“Well, I have to say I agree. I’ve met my fair share of proper ladies and I find them kind of boring for the most part.”
Friend laughed. It was the most beautiful sound Ray had ever heard. And their genuine smile was breathtaking. Ray found himself longing to make them smile more.
“Well, here we are,” Ray announced. “The palace’s famous fairy gardens. They’re stunning in the daylight, but I still find them peaceful no matter what time it is.”
“Oh, they’re stunning in the night as well,” Friend cooed. The enchanted night flowers had caught their eye; bell shaped flowers that glimmered in the moonlight.
Friend and Ray strolled through the gardens in a comfortable silence as Friend took in the many plants, enchanted and otherwise. They soon came to a private alcove along one of the palace walls. About a floor up, a window into the ballroom was open. A light minuet could be heard in the gardens.
“Oh, this song is beautiful,” Friend hummed.
“Would you like to dance to it?”
“Only if I get to lead.”
Ray chuckled, and quickly obliged.
---
Izzy jumped away from Lanny as they heard the bell tower begin to chime. It was midnight already! If they had known they would meet someone as fun as Lanny, they would have told Lara a later time!
“I have to go,” Izzy said to a startled Lanny.
“What? Why?”
“I just do. Thank you for a lovely evening.”
Without another word, Izzy turned on their heels and began running back the way they came. They thanked their stellar sense of direction and awareness, so they didn’t have to go all the way back through the weaving garden paths. They had noticed a set of stairs that led to a door propped open near the ballroom hallways. As the bell tolled signalling midnight, Izzy was running down stairs leading from the palace. As the door to their carriage opened, they felt a warm tingle and a weight on their head.
Izzy reached their hand up to feel the usual tangled mess replace the controlled, short, asymmetrical cut Lara had granted them. A little disappointed, but overall thankful to Lara for the magnificent evening, Lara got into the carriage, now in a loose cotton shirt and flowing linen pants. They didn’t even notice that the sudden onslaught of hair had thrown their tiara off their head.
---
Ray watched as a carriage pulled away from the palace gates. With Friend’s golden tiara in hand, Ray decided that he was going to find them. The girl from the grove of trees was completely wiped from his mind. Friend was perfect.
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