“Hey, hey… What’s happening? Is it because of me? Right, you can’t breathe, which means you can’t talk. I’m so sorry- fuck, I shouldn’t have pushed it. You need air. You want to step outside?” I nodded weakly and attempted a step, only to slump back against the column. “Juniper, here. Lean on me, I’ll take you to the garden. Just lean on me until we get into the walkway, and I’ll carry you from there. I know you don’t want people getting in your business.” 

True to his words, once we were out of sight of the ballroom, Theory effortlessly hoisted me into a princess carry and raced out into the garden. Even though I continued to struggle to breathe and hung limply in his arms as he ran, I wasn’t jostled about. He held onto me delicately, yet securely. Once he spotted a bench, he beelined to it and sat me down gently. He kneeled in front of me. His wide eyes frantically searched my face. I placed my hands atop my head, desperately gasping for air and trying to calm myself. 

After a few minutes like that, I began to regain my composure. As soon as I felt I could speak again, I searched Theory’s troubled gaze and whispered, “Are you sure you’re not an Incubus? You literally just took my breath away.”

We just stared at each other for a long moment before Theory began cackling and slumped to sit on the ground with his head between his legs. Wiping a tear from his eye, he returned my question with one of his own, “How can you joke around in this situation? I was so worried."

“How can you laugh in this situation? I’m sure your answer will be the same as mine.” I quipped.

“And what answer is that?” He leaned forward, sitting crisscross-applesauce, and rested his head on his hands as he peered up at me. He seemed like a gigantic kid listening to an interesting story.

“…” I shrugged, slowly adjusting myself to lie down with my back on the bench seat, hoping to get more comfortable. I turned my head to face his, “It felt right.”

“Well, it was one hell of an ice breaker. I’ll give you that. But, were you being serious?” Theory looked at me nervously.

“Serious about what?” I rebutted.

“When you said I took your breath away…” He trailed off and then resumed, “If I overstepped by getting so close to you, and scared you enough to cause a panic attack-”

“You didn’t scare me… Ugh, this is embarrassing. Whatever, I’ve already been blabbing to you about everything else anyway. You know how TV dramas set in the Renaissance era always show some chick fainting after getting overexcited?” I paused, looking at him to confirm he understood. Once he nodded, I continued rambling, “So… When you got close to me and whispered in my ear… Okay, so… Your breath tickled my ear. I could feel your body heat. Then, you whispered in my ear like that… It made me… Overstimulated. Next thing I knew, my body felt like it was dipped in lava, it was hard to breathe, and my head got all dizzy. Happy now?”

“… Alright, Juniper. I’ve decided to unveil my identity to ease your concerns, especially since I almost killed you with my rugged charm.” He tilted his head so that our eyes could meet properly.

“You didn’t almost kill me; I merely swooned. If anything almost killed me, it’d be this goddess be damned corset.” I grumbled, tugging at the front of my dress.

“Hahaha, is that so? Well, I’ll tell you anyway because it feels right. It’s a pleasure to meet you officially, Miss Juniper. My name is Theory Rune Torben. I’m the son of the Ursus for the brown bears of the Central Western American tribe. I’m 27… Hm, is there anything else you’d want to know?” Theory’s semiformal words contrasted with the informal air between us as we openly lounged in the garden.

“So… That means you’re basically like a shifter prince?” My brows rose as I tried to remember the werebear hierarchy.

He chuckled once again, “You could say that. And before you ask, werebears do not have innate seduction abilities.”

“I wasn’t going to ask, smartass…” I grumbled under my breath. I felt silly for suspecting him and for almost collapsing at my debut.

“That’s not a very nice thing to say to a prince. Now that we’re alone, I see you’re even more feisty than you were before. Are you going to leave me hanging? Or do you prefer anonymity?” He smirked.

“… Fair is fair. The pleasure is all mine, Prince Torben. I am Juniper Lenore Bellamy, Maiden of the Fleur De Lis Coven, daughter of the future Crone Mona and High Priest Azlanii. I’m 26 and this is my debut ball.” I imitated a fancy British accent and used one hand to tug at my skirt in a mock curtsy.

“So… You’re pretty much a witchy princess?” Theory retorted, smugly grinning at this verbal Uno reverse. 

“Yeah, yeah… I guess I am.” I bent my knee, twisted to face him, and propped my head on my hand. “Got any more questions for me?”

 “Are you trying to seduce me now?” Blush crept onto his cheeks as he swallowed, and his eyes darted towards my legs.

I glanced sideways and realized that I had somehow managed to uncover the leg I had bent during our chat. My leg was only visible up to the middle of my thigh. A slow smile spread across my face as I studied him. He was trying his best to avoid looking. What a gentleman. I wondered if I could make him as flustered as I was earlier.

“Does my showing a little leg bother you? Or is that the kind of thing you’re into?” I traced invisible patterns with my finger along my thigh. 

“Juniper… We…” He swallowed hard as his eyes trailed toward my leg and continued, “We should head back in now. Someone may have noticed our absence. And you promised me a dance…”

“Alright, alright…” I sighed, seeing him attempting to flee from my feminine wiles stung a bit. “Can you do me a favor first, Theory?”

He stood up, dusted off his suit, and hesitated before responding, “What do you need?”

“Can you lift me up? I can’t stand up on my own because of this stupid fucking corset.” To demonstrate, I attempted to sit up only to raise a couple of inches before flopping back down helplessly. 

Theory stood over me, shaking his head and chuckling at my pitiful state. “Why did you even lie down then?”

“Um, because I thought it would be more comfortable and easier to breathe…” I pouted.

“Was it?” He asked with that glimmer of amusement in his eye.

“… No.” I looked away, not wanting to admit that all my little adjustments were a result of me testing how much I could move on my own before ultimately giving up.

“Juniper Lenore Belamy… I’ve never met anyone like you before.” He continued to stare and smirk down at me.

I pouted at his lack of assistance. Is this handsome asshole enjoying my misery? I guess there was another tactic I could try. I reached out my arms to him, closing and opening my hands to signify that I wanted uppies- just as I’d done to my parents when I was little. His smirk transformed into a dazzling smile that showcased his dimples and his pretty teeth.

“Hah, such a needy little princess. Alright, come here.” He leaned down, covered my legs, and proceeded with lifting me like a princess once more. He began leisurely walking with me in his arms back toward the great hall.

“You don’t have to carry me, you know. I can walk.” I blushed. Since I wasn’t on the verge of passing out like before, I was more aware of his muscles flexing as he walked and just how intimate the situation was.

“As a Prince, I can’t allow a Princess in distress to walk on her own. Especially not when that Princess could exhaust herself before I can claim the dance she promised.” He smiled down at me.

“Sometimes, you act like Prince Charming and other times you come off as a mischievous princeling.” I sighed, gave in, and rested my head on his shoulder. The sky was finally beginning to darken. The debutantes were meant to be introduced at 9 PM. Did that mean it was almost time?

After a short while, Theory spoke up, “Are you really a debutante?”

“Yeah, why?” I glanced at his side profile.

“Well, you said you were 26… Don’t witches usually have their coming-of-age thing earlier than that?” He seemed genuinely curious.

“They typically happen at 21, but after I graduated high school, I convinced my parents to let me go to a human college and experience the world outside of supernatural hierarchies, fate, and a lifetime of responsibilities. I recently graduated. I couldn’t stall fate any longer. Then the moon goddess chose me as the new Maiden of our coven, entrapping me within her fated web. All the things I wanted to avoid found me in the end. Funny, isn’t it?” I sighed warily. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him all that. I probably sounded like such a coward, running away from fate…

“Seems like we’re all fate’s bitch in the end. I get where you’re coming from. I also think that a lot of the supernatural hierarchies and traditions leave much to be desired. I think it’s fine to question how we define freedom and fate. But look on the bright side, if you weren’t here today, you might’ve never met your Prince Charming.” Theory smirked at me.

Externally, I put on a good show of rolling my eyes dramatically. Internally, my heart began to flutter as he referred to himself as MY Prince Charming. But in the back of my mind, something about what he said began to gnaw at me. Was meeting him another trick of fate? Is that why I’ve been so drawn to him? Are these even MY feelings? I began to spiral into a state of existential dread as we drew closer to the Great Hall.