Oneshot Collection

Breaking The Rules: Sophiana

anusha_anchlia01, your Sophiana royalty AU!

This turned out a little long, but it's fluffy so :)

Sophie wasn't the only one wearing a suit, but she was the only woman wearing one, as far as she could see.

She played self-consciously with the edge of her jacket, suddenly regretting her decision to be comfortable as the surrounding crowd eyed her strangely.

It wasn't against the rules for a woman to wear a suit to a royal ball. It wasn't illegal for Sophie to be wearing a tie, a red jacket over a white blouse, and matching red pants.

It was, however, frowned upon, and Sophie considered turning around and going home as one of the frilly-gowned ladies turned away from her, fluttering a fan in disapproval.

But when she turned back, a hand caught her elbow, and Sophie sighed through her nose as Linh held her where she was.

"No," the usually sweet woman said through gritted teeth, her muscled arms easily restraining Sophie as she tried to pull away. "You are not leaving me alone until Marella gets here."

"Linh, I stick out like a dandelion in a sea of roses. This is embarrassing, I don't want to be the only one not wearing a dress-"

"You're not the only one," Linh pointed out. "You're the only lady, maybe-"

"Exactly," Sophie told her. "I don't like people looking at me like... like..."

"Marella will be here soon, she's wearing a suit too, Soph. You won't be alone. But if you leave, she will be."

Sophie opened her mouth to protest but stopped, letting out an annoyed sigh. She'd wanted to make a statement, she'd wanted to prove a point, she'd wanted to...

She wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to do.

The doors next to the thrones on top of the raised platform at the front of the ballroom slid open smoothly, and the crowd hushed as the royal family was announced, making their way through the elaborate doorway and onto their respective thrones.

First came the king and queen themselves; King Alden and Queen Della were artfully and tastefully dressed, if extravagantly, their respective outfits complementing each other. Della draped her midnight blue gown over her legs carefully as she sat down, her gaze warm as she surveyed her subjects.

Next came the crown prince and his current lover; Sophie blinked in surprise as none other than Keefe Sencen, one of the royal guard (as well as the prince's childhood friend) waved from his arm, smirked etched on his face. The two had been in the news for years as reporters debated whether or not they were really involved; even as Fitz dallied with various court ladies and Keefe dated the daughter of the Royal Treasurer. But it looked like there really was something there.

Indeed, when Fitz sat down on his throne (significantly smaller than his parent's), Keefe stood next to him. Not as a member of his personal guard, but more significantly, hand resting on Fitz's shoulder as he stood at attention.

Next came the last and final member of the family, since the ex-crown prince Alvar had been marked as a traitor years back. Princess Biana Vacker was dressed in deep, rich purple, just as extravagant and sparkly as she always was. Sophie swallowed, her throat bobbing as she noticed Biana didn't have anyone on her arm, instead flashing her brilliant smile at no one in particular as she sat on her throne, a smile that was famous but, Sophie had noted, never really reached her eyes.