The full moon was at it's highest peak in the sky over the magical land of Padaladia. The stars glittered up above like diamonds as the clock came close to midnight. Meanwhile, within the royal palace, the grand ball celebrating Prince Conner's twenty-first birthday was in full swing and splendor.
Silk streamers in his favorite colors, blood red and coal black, hung from every corner of the grand ballroom, strung with rubies and sapphires. The dance floor was crowded with couples, consisting of individuals of royalty and nobility alike. The men all wore identical black bow-tie tuxedos, looking like clones, while the ladies were attired in all sorts of different ballgowns, lighting up the dance floor with all the colors of the rainbow.
In the very front of the room, the royal family watched. Dexter wore a suit of deep blue satin, decorated with gold and silver medals he had earned in wars and peace-making. Around his neck, a faux fur collar held a thick red velvet cape in place as it cascaded down his back, lined with some more faux fur at the end. He wore the crown he saved for special occasions, extra big, crafted of solid gold with extra points and patterned with sapphires the size of walnuts.
Raven wore the most beautiful gown of lavender and wisteria purple silk, adorned with swirls and cascades of silver-gray silk. The torso hugged her curves and showed off her bare shoulders, leaving her arms bare for the glistening sliver elbow gloves that covered them. The gown formed a hoop skirt from the waist down, falling in ruffles just above the shiny floor, hiding her lavender purple silk heels. Around her neck was a necklace glittering with a dozen diamonds, pearls and purple gemstones, and her hair was pinned up, with stray hairs falling in soft curls, framing her face perfectly. Nested in her purple tresses, a hundred tiny diamonds and pearls formed a sparkling tiara, set with a giant purple jewel. She looked as elegant as a queen could be.
Conner wore a prince's uniform, made of deep blue velvet and lined with gold satin, with red satin pants with a gold stripe each. A light gold sash was draped over his shoulder, decorated with medals similar to his father's, and black dress shoes lined with silver. A golden crown circled his forehead. It was smaller and thinner, showing the top of his head, and it had spikes but no jewels, but he didn't mind at all.
He sat on his throne and leaned on his hand as he watched his subjects spin on the dance floor. The King's throne was the biggest of all, made of solid gold and coated in only the softest and finest scarlet red velvet, stuffed with ostrich feathers underneath. The Queen's throne was similar. The differences were that it was smaller, made of silver, and had royal blue velvet instead of red. The others were merely copies. The Princes' thrones were smaller versions of the King's, while the Princesses' were just like the Queen's.
The royal family watched as the music ended, and the lords and ladies all bowed and curtsied to their dance partners. Miles thumped his cane on the ballroom floor, getting everyone's attention as the Dowager Queen Lillian Queen stood beside him. Dexter nudged Conner, who took it as his cue to sit up straight. "We are all gathered here,", Miles called out. "To celebrate the birthday of our beloved Crown Prince, Conner William Charming. Someday in the future, our gracious King Dexterous will retire from the throne, leaving his son to seize his destiny, and take his place. We all know in our hearts that he will be a good, kind and just ruler, just like his father."
He turned back to the royal family, looking at him from their thrones. "But, everyone knows, that behind every good, kind and just king, there is a good, kind and just woman. Isn't that correct, Your Majesties?" Conner looked at his parents with a confused look. Dexter nodded before looking at his dear wife and taking her hand. "Indeed.", he said. "The crown is a heavy responsibility. I would have cracked under the pressure years ago had Raven not been there to ease the burden." They smiled at one another lovingly.
Miles grinned as he got Conner's attention, looking him right in the eye. "Which is why I and the Dowager Queen Lillian, in honor of your twenty-first birthday, present to you, Crown Prince, the greatest gift of all." The heralds blasted their trumpets as the crowds in the ballroom parted into two separate groups to form a path in the very middle of the grand ballroom. Conner got out of his seat and stepped down from the podium and over to the center to get a better look.
The curtains parted to reveal the most beautiful girl, standing tall and proud, looking straight ahead at him and smiling. She was wearing the most elaborate yet elegant gown ever seen. It was a four layer gown, inspired by the snow fox, with an apple red bottom overlayed with a red-glittered chiffon sheer, overlayed with a fox-filigree golden brocade, overlayed with a sheer metallic print and complimented with a faux snow fox fur shrug. She had long, light blond hair that fell in perfect curls past her shoulders, and bright blue eyes to match Conner's exactly. Her skin was as pale and smooth as freshly fallen winter snow, and her perfectly curved lips were as red as human blood itself. There was no doubt about it—this young lady, whoever she was, was a vision of perfection.
She walked towards him, grace in her every step, her gown making soft swishing sounds as she moved closer and closer. She put her ivory-gloved hand in Miles's offered one and did a deep curtsey before Conner. Miles smiled as he looked at Conner, who stared back at him with a blank expression on his face. "Your Royal Highness, may I present, Princess Apple White, daughter of Snow White...your bride-to-be."
Conner's bright blue eyes grew wide. "My WHAT?!" Lillian stepped forward. "Apple here is your mother's old school chum, destined to consume the Poison Apple and be awoken by Prince Charming.", she explained. "Sadly, because of your mother's wishes to write her own story instead of follow mine as the next Evil Queen, that shall never come to pass. But Apple is the fairest one of all, with the purest of royal blood in her veins, and she's trained her whole life to rule. So, we have arranged for you and Apple to be married."
Conner just stood there, frozen in his place, taking it all in. Finally, he forced a smile onto his face. "Can you excuse us for just a minute?" He offered his hand to Apple, who accepted with a smile, her teeth as snowy white as her skin, and led her out of the ballroom and into the parlor, shutting the door behind them.
He looked at her, panic and shock clear on his face. "Apple, is it?" She nodded. He walked over to her. "Are you really okay with this whole arrangement? I mean, we only just met!" Apple only shrugged. "So? Lots of princesses in this dimension don't meet their future husbands until their actual wedding day." She tilted her head. "What's wrong? Don't you want to marry me? Aren't I beautiful?" Conner shook his head. "No, you're very beautiful. But—"
"I am the best suited for your wife.", she told him. "I've been taught everything there is to know about properly ruling a kingdom since as far back as I can remember. That's why Headmaster Grimm and your grandmother have picked me to become your future queen." Conner took off his crown and ran a hand through his hair, now neatly trimmed and styled. He looked at Apple as he put it back on. "I'm sorry, I...I need a moment to take this all in. I'll see you later."
He walked past her and through another door, leading to the hallway around the ballroom. There, he got the attention of Giles Grimm, Miles's younger brother and the royal sorcerer. He bowed low at the waist. "Your Highness." When he looked up, he saw the Crown Prince had his mouth in a firm line and his eyes narrowed a bit. "Giles, tell Miles I wish to see my mother and father in my bedchambers as soon as possible.", he demanded. "In private." And with that, he turned sharply and strode down the hall to his bedroom to wait for his parents.
YOU ARE READING
The Prince & Me
FanfictionTwo years after being adopted into royalty, Conner finds himself missing his old hero days. Keeping his identity a secret, he and all his new brothers and sisters sneak off to the United States, reuniting him with his old friends-and with M'gann...
