Kingdoms AU - Alt Storyline

[infringe]

A THOUSAND SHIPS ( joshua, alecto ) The Princess of the Riverlands has been put under a terrible curse. Her childhood friend (and betrothed) seeks to break her free of it. But first, a ball.

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[singinthestorm]

He hears the crowd, notices its shifting and readjustment, like the scattering of a school of fish before the oncoming presence of a predator, before he quite registers what is happening. He'd caught a glimpse of her, from a distance, heard the mutterings and observations of the gathered crowd - how bold and artistic her choice of attire, the careful crafting that had gone into it, how forward and indulged the young Princess of the Riverlands had become, on this occasion of reaching her age of majority - but he had been far more focused on seeing her face, on seeing what he could read in those dark eyes and fine features. She seemed well enough - bored with the ceremony perhaps, gazing out at the attendees with a superior air in a way that was both familiar and not from gatherings in their youth - and he resigns himself to making himself pleasant to the other attendees, only looking at her from afar.

He really wasn't expecting to be approached, the bright, intense tone of her voice commanding - demanding - attention, so it takes a long moment for her actual words to register, and he flushes faintly, cheeks pinking under the scrutiny. My. That word definitely did not mean as much to her as it did to him.

"Princess," he says, ducking his head as he shifts into a courteously graceful bow. "I suppose it is."

He glances up at her as he straightens up again, his eyes briefly flickering down to her attire, before focusing on her face. "I'm glad to see you so well," he says, just a bit too warm to be entirely polite. "Is there something I can do for you this evening?"

[infringe]

"Well. You could be a gentleman and ask me to dance," she teases, extending one fine hand, adorned with several silver rings. They were dainty and bright, shining with coral and navy jewels, the colors of her house.

[singinthestorm]

He takes her extended hand, his own fingers curling around her slender ones, and brings it up to his mouth; his lips just brush against the back of her hand. "You don't usually bother waiting to be asked, when you want to do something," he points out - but that was so long ago. The Alecto of his memories was not shy about dragging any number of childhood compatriots into various schemes and activities whenever it struck her fancy. Of course, it had been some five years now, and anything could have changed.

"May I have this dance, Princess?" He asks, gazing up at her, her hand still grasped gently in his, breath ghosting against her skin. "If nothing else, I've managed to pick up a few more steps since we last met."