Chained Lanterns

Chapter three

It was only an hour before the carriage arrived at the woodland castle, coming to a stop right at the steps that led up to the large wooden door that had a gold rim with sculptures carved into it, such as wolves and foxes and rabbits, branches and trees, and right above the door was the grand piece. It was a sculpture of the kingdoms crest, a fox with a moon on its forehead and grand antlers.
Esmeray got out of the carriage with the help of a maid, lifting up the hem of her dark blue dress so she could see where she was stepping. She lifted her gaze once her feet were on the ground, and she glanced over at the maid, giving a small nod in thanks. The maid had returned the nod before turning to help Esmeray's mother, in which she turned away and headed up the stairs. Two servants stood at each side of the open doors, along with the princess of which she couldn't remember the name of.   
She simply dipped her head in greeting before walking past and into the castle, heading to the room that was obviously the ballroom. The rim of the doorway, that didn't actually have doors, was the same as the entrance to the castle, and the gold pillars at each corner of the room also had carvings in them, consisting of various forest creatures.
Her gaze drifted over to the choir who was performing up on the stage, velvety red curtains pinned to the sides, before shifting over to the many choices of foods. Then the dance floor. No one was dancing yet of course, seeing as the ball had just barely began and people were still arriving. People had began chatting to others though, all adorned in riches and family crests.

       She had gone over to the wooden and glass food tables, looking at what there was to choose from. She picked out a single mint macaron, popping the small pastry into her mouth as she looked around once again.

Alice stood at the door, greeting people until the arrival of the guests became less frequent. She stood there awhile longer before leaving and walking into the lit ballroom. Of course her first destination was over at the tables, with all the food. She could take some now without having to worry about getting scolded by one of the maids or her mother. She had her eye on the small raspberry cake, so that's what she took first. She grabbed a plate and fork before taking a small slice of the cake. Her gaze had lifted, and she met eyes with another girl on the other side of the table. She looked rather bored..and lovely. The girl had pure white hair that reached her lower back, with black tips. She had hetrecromia, so one eye was a piercing blue, a shade that looked like ice, while the other eye was a deep brown that matched the owls eyes, the one that was perched on the princesses shoulder.
The girl raised her brow, which made Alice realize she'd been staring a bit too long. "Ah! I'm sor-" she was cut off before she could finish her sentence.
"No need to apologize" she said, now turned towards Alice. "Your Alice, correct?" She asked.
      "Yes..it's nice to meet you..."
      "Esmeray"
      "Yes, Esmeray. It's nice to meet you" she said with a small bow, which the other returned. "You look rather bored" Alice commented.
      "Well, there isn't much to do at these events aside from chatting with people and dancing" Esmeray replied with a shrug.
      "I suppose your right" She said with a small chuckle. "Most of the people here aren't very fun to talk with" she said, Esmeray nodding in agreement. "But I rather enjoy the dancing" Alice added
      "Is that so?" Esmeray said, pausing before speaking again, but she seemed to hesitate. "Well..would you care to join me for a dance then?" She asked with a subtle smile, offering her pale manicured hand. Alice was a bit shocked at this, but of course she accepted.