The Third Wedding

Chapter 1: Just One Dance

"You look beautiful tonight, Sondra." The voice was light and airy. It made Sondra jump since she wasn't expecting it.

She turned and saw an old friend. "Ashton!"

Their families had known each other a while.

"It's been a while I haven't seen you in-"

"A year." Ashton smiled. His light blonde hair perfectly framed his face. His ice blue eyes captivated Sondra. To be frank that was new, she'd never looked at him that way before.

She smiled at her friend and tried to ignore the feelings racing through her. "Have you found the right girl to dance with yet?"

"That depends," Ashton said looking at his feet shyly then looked back up at her, "Would you be willing to dance with me?" A light pink dusted his cheeks. His eye had a kind of sparkle that caused Sondra to pause.

"I-" She coughed, "Need a drink!" She disappeared in the crowd finding her way to the refreshment table. She cleared her throat with a drink of water, yet her mind raced.

"What on earth are you doing, Sonny?" Maisey, Sondra's handmaiden, asked. Their friendship defied the years and complications of diplomacy and social scale.

"What are you talking about?" Sonny turned to see Maisey patting out her dress. She saw her older sister and dearest friend Rosalina behind her.

"We were invited to attend this ball in hopes that we'd dance." Rosa said with a knowing smile on her face.

"No, you don't understand," Sondra insisted, "h-he's just a friend." Her cheeks were flushing red since her heart didn't actually believe the words she was saying.

"You've always had a soft spot for him." Rosa rolled her eyes at Sondra as Maisey fixed Sondra's curly dark brown hair.

"I'm older than him, I-it'd be weird!" Sondra protested.

Maisey rolled her eyes, "what an excuse. What did he ask you?"

"Well, I asked him if he'd found the right girl to dance with...and then he asked me." Sondra ran her fingers around one of her curls.

"He likes you!" Maisey smiled happily.

"He does?" Sondra was still in shock over that fact.

"Look, I've worked in this castle for like, ever" Maisey smiled, "every time his family visits he's never treated me with anything but respect, I think you should give him a chance."

"But...I'm-" Sondra felt fear and self doubt race through her.

Rosalina grabbed her sister's shoulders, "Sondra of Emra, you are a princess! You are not afraid of the Prince of Oida! Don't you remember Dorthy Godmothers blessing? You are confident and adventurous! Maybe this is the adventure you needed that confidence for?" Rosa smiled and spun her sister around and pushed her into the crowd.

The words echoed in Sondra's head and it made her mind spin. She was so young when this so called blessing took place. Sondra didn't quite know how much she truly believed in magic, but she needed to believe in herself. She was going to do it. Ashton was her best friend! She had to take that chance and-where'd he go?

She pushed through the people, the sparkles, the laughter until she found herself looking out the ballroom doors. There was a fountain outside on the porch as you entered the ballroom. She saw a beautiful blonde sitting on the rim of the fountain.

She felt the bravery flutter through her stomach as she approached him. She bowed deeply and offered her hand, "Would you be so kind as to give me this dance?" Sondra nervously glanced up.

Ash blinked, his blue eyes tracing her hand then to her face before a small smile curled into place. "It'd be my pleasure," he said softly as she pulled him into a dance.

They laugh and talked, everything felt like new and old times in unison, and it was a feeling Sondra got used to immediately.

"Ash!" Someone pulled him from the dance, "oh sorry!"

Ashton turned a dark red, "A-Ann! Sondra, you remember my sister, Ann,"

Ann was stunning, she had the brightest hazel eyes and fluffy dirty blonde hair that swept just over her shoulders. She looked at Sondra and hid behind Ashton, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt!"

Ash smiled, "don't worry about it, what's wrong?" He seemed so soft and genuine.

"I just...I don't feel like I belong here." Ann looked down.

Ashton knelt down on her level, "can you tell me more?"

"Everyone here is so beautiful and...I'm just me..." Ann sniffed.

"I know what you mean, sometimes it's scary when you compare yourself to people. But you're beautiful Ann, most beautiful person here in fact." Sondra smiled tilting her chin up.

"You're just saying that." She blushed shifting on her heels.

"I'm not."

Ann gave Sondra a big hug before rushing off to find her mother and sister.

Ashton pulled Sondra aside so they'd be off the dance floor, "do-do you really feel like that?"

"Scared because I'm comparing myself? Look around, I wish I was half as beautiful as some of these girls," Sondra scoffed.

Ashton studied her face, "you're more beautiful than all of them combined." His voice was soft and quite steady.

It was a tone he'd never taken with her before. Sondra gulped down the feelings trying to steady the butterflies.

"Do-do you like me or 'like' me?" She asked feeling her heart jitter.

"Yes." He said immediately.

"Like a best friend or romantically?" Sondra clarified.

"Again, yes,"

Sondra felt like the room was getting warm she took his hand and pulled him outside.

"So what do you want? Am I just one of the girls you want to try dating or do you want something?" She began to nervously ramble, "I'm not good at sharing and I-"

Ashton smiled and watched her knowing she needed to work this out.

"I-don't want to have to share you." She admitted feeling her cheeks turn red.

Ash squeezed her hand and stepped closer, "then...don't?"