You helped lace up the corset of your mistress, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Princess Lydia was a beautiful young woman, with gorgeous flowing strawberry blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. Her porcelain skin was shining and her curvy figure made her look ethereal.
Today, she was to meet Prince Stiles. You've head nothing but great things about the princes that were coming to visit. There were four of them, Stiles, Derek, Isaac, and Scott. They were quite known for their heroic endeavors, but your favorite one had to be Prince Stiles.
You've heard about his generous heart, and how he would never leave anyone behind, regardless of who they were. Your heart hammered at the sight of meeting him, but you settled yourself down. You were only a lady in waiting after all, nothing else.
You were Lady (y/n), the lady in waiting to Princess Lydia. The princes would only go after Princess Lydia and Princess Allison, not you and you were sure of it. You had to keep your place. "Done, my lady." You told her. She smiled and spun in her light pink dress, which hugged her figure well.
"Thank you, (y/n)." She turned around and took your hand in her dainty one. "You're a lovely friend, you know." You noticed something off about Lydia and gave her a look, the one she always cracked under. "I'm nervous to meet the princes."
"I'm sure they'll love you, princess. You're so kind, smart, and beautiful. One of them is bound to love you." You said. She smiled at you and then left.
You looked into the mirror, noticing how your dark green velvet dress hung a bit loosely on you. For a moment, you imagined yourself as Princess (y/n), before you reminded yourself.
You were only Lady (y/n).
XXX
You stood next to Lydia, waiting for the carriages that carried the princes and their travelling parties to arrive. You were anxious, but you clasped your hands and shifted your weight between your feet. You held your head high and straightened your back.
You couldn't wait to meet the princes. You heard the clops of horses and shouts up ahead. You saw the carriages come into view. Your heart hammered inside your chest, eager to see them. You were so eager to meet Prince Stiles. You've heard of his heroism and how handsome he was.
You saw the carriage door open, to reveal a tall man, the eldest looking of them all, exit the carriage. He had dark black hair and light grey eyes. He strode over to the king, Lydia's father, and bowed. "Your Majesty, it is honor for us to be staying at your court."
"Prince Derek, thank you for accepting our invitation. These are my daughters, the Princesses Lydia and Allison." He said. Prince Derek bowed. After, all the other princes were introduced. Prince Isaac and Scott.
The final prince, the youngest looking one, caught your eye. He had beautiful, large brown eyes and dark brown hair to match. He had a warm smile on his face, less rigid than Derek, and brighter than Isaac, more playful than Scott. This must be Stiles.
You felt a small infatuation start to blossom within you. He kissed Lydia's hand and then turned to you. "And who is this, your Majesty?" He asked, looking intrigued. You smiled.
"That's Lydia's lady in waiting, the Lady (y/n)."
"Charmed, my lady." He kissed your knuckles and you nearly giggled. You felt like such a schoolgirl. You forced yourself to be more mature.
"I'm delighted to finally meet you, Prince Stiles." You said, bowing low, a sign of respect for a prince.
"The feeling's mutual, my lady." You felt your heart flutter at his words, but then you brought yourself back to earth. You would not let yourself fall for him. He was a prince, of higher status than yourself, he deserved someone of his status. You were only a lady in waiting.
If you let yourself fall for him, you would fall. He would leave trying to find scattered pieces of yourself. You would not allow yourself to do that. You were a lady in waiting. Lady (y/n). You would not fall, you would rise, but not through Stiles.
if you overreached, you would fall.
You stood at the shore, looking at the horizon, spotting your homeland. You missed it so much. You hadn't seen your family in so long, and each day, you took some time to just stare at your homeland, thinking of when you could visit them again. You missed seeing your sisters, how you would play dress up with them and wear a bunch of different gowns. You missed taking day rides with your mother in the woods of your home. You missed discussing politics and military strategies with your father, in private of course. God forbid that women should be intelligent.
You felt a small tear fall down your cheek and you brushed it away, knowing better than to cry. I have to ask Lydia for a vacation to see my family again... You smacked into someone's chest and stumbled. "I'm so sorry.." You stared up into the face. Stiles, who had a wide smile on his face. You curtsied. "Forgive me, your Highness."
"It's fine. You're Lady (y/n), right?" He asked.
"Just (y/n) will do." you told him, brushing the invisible wrinkles in your dress.
"Fine, than call me just Stiles. No your Highness, or prince, or anything else. I hate titles." Stiles said, and you giggled. He was quite funny.
"Alright, Just Stiles," You teased him. He mocked your face and you laughed even harder.
"A smart ass, I see." He told you jokingly, but then his expression quickly feigned shock, as if he had offended you. You just burst out laughing and nodded.
"Indeed." You told him. Your stomach ached from the laughter, but you couldn't help. You've barely interacted with Stiles and already it felt as if you've established a bond with him. Compose yourself, (y/n). You told yourself. You couldn't fall for him. And you certainly didn't notice the little smile that had stayed on his lips or the way his brown eyes flared with happiness.
"Can I ask what are you doing here?"
"I don't know." You sighed. You dramatically turned to him. "Can you?"
"Alright, still being the smart ass. Well, may I ask what are you doing here?" He countered, raising an eyebrow. You blushed a bit.
"I take time out of the day to just reflect." You pointed to a distant land. "You see that little island, the one that is sort of covered with mist?" Stiles nodded, looking interested. "That's my homeland. I miss it so much."
"Well when was the last time you've been there? About a year?"
"Actually eight." You said, no longer joking.
Stiles gave you a look. "Eight years! You haven't seen your family in eight years?" He asked you and you nodded.
"Well I was practically raised at court. I've seen my father a bit, in the last three years or so, but not very often. Lydia and Allison became my best friends. Don't tell Allison this, but," You leaned in and whispered in Stiles ears, disregarding that he was a prince, and like a schoolchild, "Lydia and I have a more profound bond."
"I can see that." Stiles said. "So, do you come here often?" He looked as if he wanted to mentally slap himself, you nodded anyways. "Do you mind if I start joining you? I don't really know anyone at court and I thought it would be nice-"
"Just be careful." You told him. "Gossip spreads here like wildfire." You said to him. "Then again, that happens at literally any court in any part of the world." You joked.
"I had a feeling." He took your hand, gently, in his, and kissed your knuckles. "I can't wait to see you again, Just (y/n)." You laughed, slightly titling your head back. You felt a dull stomachache once again from the laughter.
"So you think it's your turn to be the smart ass?" You asked.
"How about we take turns?" You leaned in and kissed his cheek, waving goodbye. Your heart hammered as you left the shore.
You couldn't get over the rush, the very feeling of his eyes looking into yours, so brown and beautiful, his smile, laughing at all your jokes. It was so natural. It didn't feel forced and it was so...informal. It was as if Stiles didn't care for being a prince.
You reached Lydia's chambers. Today, you were supposed to be selecting a dress for the party that would be held for the arrival of the princes. You sat on Lydia's bed, her entering your view and then going behind the screen to change.
All you could think about was Stiles, his brown eyes, his beautiful smile, the way he treated you as if you were the only person that he saw in that particular moment. You felt your affection growing deeper, and it was so hard to stop.
Lydia spun out in a vibrant purple dress. "What do you think?" It exposed her shoulders and she looked as if she was ready to show off. You laughed.
"Honestly, I love it." You told her. She looked at you and raised an eyebrow. You tried playing oblivious. "What?"
"You have that look in your eye. Who is it?"
"What?"
"(Y/N), I can obviously see that you have someone on your mind." You walked to Lydia.
"I have to get ready for the ball, my lady. Call me if you need anything." You have her a smug look.
"I'll find out who, I'm pretty good at that, (y/n)."
You rolled your eyes and exited the chamber, eager to see Stiles again. You didn't want to have party, but if it meant you got a chance to speak with Stiles again, you would take it.
You were dressed in the most elegant dress that you could find. The whole court wanted to make a good impression for the princes that had come to stay for a while. You wanted to look good, to impress others. Normally, you would wear some gown, not caring what you wore, but tonight, you wanted to dazzle everyone. You didn't really know why.
You had chosen a beautiful black dress, that had suited your figure beautiful, it hugged your hips and highlighted every fine point of your body. The sleeves were lace and your dress spilled onto the floor. You had your hair up and a silver circlet. You looked like a black swan. Your hair was pinned up as well, held in place by the circlet.
You had entered the banquet hall, where people were already socializing, drinks in hand, dancing, or eating. You headed over to Lydia, who was currently dressed in a navy blue dress, that was large and heavily corseted. She had a gold frown atop her strawberry blonde hair, but she was still gorgeous.
"(Y/N), you look astounding!" She said, hugging you, laughing. You smiled. She noticed a baron had tapped her arm. "Excuse me, I have to go." She said, looking a bit flustered.
You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned. Allison was there, wearing a dark purple gown, same style as Lydia's, but not as risqué, her shoulders were completely bare. Her hair was up as well. "Princess?"
"(Y/N), you can just call me Allison, you know that." She said. She kept stealing glances and you followed it. She was looking at Scott. "You have a thing, for Prince Scott?" You hadn't had the chance to speak with him yet. She blushed.
"Would you keep your voice down, he's right there." Allison said, nearly giggling. You smiled and placed a hand on her arm.
"Go talk to him. I'm sure he'll love bold women." She nodded and went to talk to Scott. They hit it off immediately and you were excited. You heard a voice that made your heart melt.
"Can it be my fair lady?" It was overdramatic and satirical, mocking even. You laughed and turned, raising an eyebrow. It was Stiles, he was wearing a gold vest and long pants to match, his hair was well done, he looked so handsome, but the real marvel was you.
When Stiles saw you, his mouth dropped and he looked shocked, as if a goddess had approached him instead of a mere lady in waiting. "You look-wow."
"Are you at a loss for words, Just Stiles?" You teased, you did a little spin, the dress flaring out. He looked amazed.
"Well how can I not be when this beautiful girl is standing right in front of me?" You blushed, your cheeks going beet red. "Come, dance with me." He gave you an outstretched hand. You've danced before but you didn't want to mess up or step on his toes. "Come on, I promise I won't complain if you step on my toes."
"Alright." You said, taking his hand. He led you onto the dance floor, quite fast. Then, he pulled you to him, placing a hand on the small of your back and taking yours into his. You placed your hand on his shoulder. The song started and you danced, him spinning you seemed very natural. Your (y/e/c) never left his brown ones. "So, what do you think of Beacon Hills?"
"Nice hunting grounds, large. Although, I never really liked hunting. My solution is to just ignore a problem until it goes away." You laughed, you couldn't believe how hilarious Stiles was.
"Is that so? You don't like going on quests?"
"There's other things that I can do besides killing things. I have this horse." When it was time for the trade off in partners, he never let you go, spinning you right back into his arms. The girl merely danced off to the next available partner. "I named him Roscoe and I love riding him, taking care of him. He's kind of old, but I love him."
"Maybe we can go on a ride with him sometime. Or did you not bring him here?" You couldn't believe how forward your were, he made your heart race, but you decided it was a good thing to be forward, it showed you weren't like other girls. But what if he thought that you were interested? His father probably wanted him to marry a princess.
"Yeah. If you know any good trails we can take..." He offered and you nodded.
"I know quite a few. There's one that goes along the shore, you can see the ocean. I love taking that one."
"Then, we'll take that one." He said. The song ended and he bowed as you curtsied. He took your hand in his and kissed it. "How about we sit down, I'm getting kind of tired from dancing."
"It's not really your strong suit, is it, prince?"
"Not at all, lady." He remarked, sending a wink your way.
You sat down at an available table, away from a lot of people. Some lords and ladies did come to chat and say hello to one of the four guest princes, but they didn't really mind him, thinking that Derek was the most interesting one since he was the eldest.
"How does it feel, being a prince?" You asked Stiles, he never let go of your hand, tracing patterns into it. it made you feel giddy, although you put a mask on. You could be friends with this boy, but never a lover. You would not be his mistress when he married Lydia or Allison. You couldn't bear to be a mistress to some man.
"You want to the princely answer or the honest one?" Stiles asked, seeming a bit serious.
"Princely answer?" You asked, with a grin and a raised eyebrow.
"I'll give you both. Princely, I would love to remain loyalty and marry a nice girl. Honest, I'm not interested. I'd rather tend to horses or something and actually have a real friend." Stiles said. You looked at him, waiting to hear more, but didn't press him. "My father sent me here to court one of the princesses, but I don't want to marry either of them. I want a friend. I've never had one."
"What about your brothers?" You asked, softly, not wanting to attract attention. You weren't in the mood to deal with frivolous gossip.
"I barley have time to talk to them, Scott's the only one I'm really close to." He said. You saw how his mood had shifted.
You leaned and whispered into his ear, "Let's ditch this ball. Maybe we can go on that night ride with Roscoe." He smiled, you left the ball, discreetly, making sure that no one was following your or had really noticed and headed to the stables.
Stiles had saddled up Roscoe and was ready to go. You looked at the majestic animal. "He's a beauty." Stiles pet his mane.
"He sure is." He closed the space between you two and you rested your hands on his chest. Your heart was racing even more. You stared at his soft, pink lips, wanting to kiss them so badly, but you knew it was your lust, your infatuation, your desire for him that drove you.
Next thing you knew, his lips were crashing down on yours, pulling you into a long, romantic kiss. You pulled away from Stiles, breathing heavily. You were dizzy and light, you felt as if you were walking on clouds.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. It's not right." Stiles looked at you, hurt, but he tried to let it go. It tore your heart apart to tell him this, but if Stiles was a dreamer, then you had to be a realist. "You're here to marry a princess, I'm just a lady in waiting."
"(Y/N), I'm sorry. Let's just go on the ride." He said, trying to change the subject. He was right about ignoring a problem until it went away. Not wanting to ruin your somewhat perfect night, he placed his hands on your waist and lifted you on to the saddle. Then, he got on and wrapped his arms around your waist.
"Let's have an adventure, I get bored when we go dreadfully slow." You remarked.
"My kind of girl." Stile said, nudging Roscoe to move. You galloped into the night, your heart racing. You leaned back against Stiles' chest and closed your eyes, you never felt so alive.
You opened your eyes, feeling your heart clench and unclench. You had a nightmare, it started out with Stiles, being sweet and loving, listening to you talk and holding your hand, normal, simple, then something had changed about him. His skin paled so much that it was white, and he had dark, purple bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days. He had changed, seeming much older than he really was.
You got out of the bed and noticed that it was still an hour before dawn. You rubbed your eyes, and went to change. You couldn't go back to sleep. After you changed into a simple dress, you opened your window and let the morning air hit you.
You felt much more awake, better, knowing that your nightmare couldn't bother you, except in the recesses of your mind. You closed the window and left the chamber, heading down to the coast, where you could see the sun rise above your homeland.
You watched the sky, growing brighter with shades of orange and yellow, feeling at peace once more. Your heart ached for your family, it's been too long, but you knew that you would see them again, as soon as Lydia granted you that vacation.
You felt a tap on your shoulder and jumped, only to find Stiles right behind you smiling. You tensed up, remembering your dream. How he had called himself a Nogitsune. He told your riddles and spoke about how he feed on pain and hurt. How much he craved it.
"You alright, (y/n)? You look like you just saw a ghost." He said. You nodded, trying to compose yourself. It was a silly nightmare, probably from the adrenaline you had being with Stiles last night.
"You're up awfully early, aren't you, prince?" You asked. Before Stiles could say anything, you nudged him. Some guards were passing through, and you weren't in the mood for gossip, not one bit. This was the best way to avoid it, as best as you could.
He took your hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "Come on, tell me what's wrong. I won't tell anyone," He gave a melodramatic bow. "On my honor." You laughed and made him stand.
"I had a dream, it was silly. I was with someone," You nearly stumbled on your wording, you didn't want to give this relationship a chance to become a romance, it would hurt too much, knowing when he finally married a princess. "Then they turned into this monster, called a Nogitsune." Stiles looked at you, with concern.
"If it makes you feel any better, out of all the monsters I've ever battled, I've never met a Nogitsune." He brushed back a strand of your hair. "I've heard they're myths anyways, well I've assumed."
"Prince! Prince!" You heard a call and turned to find a stable boy. "Your brothers seek your company." The servant to you and gave a swift, clumsy bow. "My lady."
"Duty calls." He said to you. To the servant, he said, "Tell them I'm coming."
You leaned in and whispered into his ear, feeling quite childish, your cheeks turning red. "You said duty."
"Shut up, (y/n)." You watched the young prince run away from your reach. Maybe you could enjoy his presence a little while longer. He doesn't seem in any hurry to find a princess.
XXX
You were walking in an empty corridor, pulling your shawl closer around you. Almost everyone was either in their chambers, still sleeping, in the church, praying, or eating and relaxing on the sunny day. You shivered, it wasn't very hot, but it was still autumn.
You heard a chilling whisper. "(Y/N), would you like to hear a riddle?" You walked faster, feeling your breathing grow ragged. "When is a door not a door? Can you answer that one?"
You shook your head and broke into a full out sprint, looking over your shoulder, you bumped into someone's chest and then backed away. His head was covered in bandages, but his teeth were razor sharp. You blinked once more, trying not to believe this hallucination. It was gone, replaced with a concerned Allison.
"You alright, (y/n)? You look really scared." You nodded, trying to take a deep breath, but it was hard.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."
Allison draped an arm around you and then started to lead you towards your chamber. "Come on, I'll order some hot tea for you." You looked over your shoulder one more time and saw the monster, waving at you, with its smirk baring its teeth.
We're going to have so much fun.
XXX
It was nearly supper time, and Lydia was supposed to attend, with the princes. You felt your heart race because you would be there as well. You were currently adjusting the corset to Lydia's dress. "I think I'm starting to grow a blossoming infatuation with one of the princes."
"You fancy one of them? Which one, princess?" You asked, you were happy that Lydia wanted to find someone and that she wasn't being forced so do so.
"It's Stiles. Today, he approached me and we talked a little bit, small talk really. Then, he took me on a walk in the castle grounds. Finally, a guy who doesn't treat me like some porcelain doll." She said. You felt your heart break a little bit. You should have known better, but you would be happy for Lydia, she deserved happiness.
You saw the Nogitsune, sitting on Lydia's bed. You stiffened, but tried to ignore the hallucination, focusing on Lydia's hair, but you still heard its raspy voice.
If it's any consolation little dove, I think you're much fairer than she. What do you think of my fair lady, little dove?
The Nogitsune appeared right next to you. You bit down on your lip, trying to repress the urge to scream. "It's not real." You whispered under your breath.
I've very real, little dove. Answer me. No words. ANSWER ME.
