Crown

Pālegon Bē-Turning Gears

Cheng and Astrid began to dance, weaving through the other guests under the shimmer lights of the hall, forming a beautiful scene on the dance floor.

"You look beautiful tonight Princess," he whispered.

Astrid's cheeks were suddenly kissed pink, like a spring rose, so cute against her fair skin. She mumbled out a thank you just as the pair broke apart to switch partners. When they did, she was surprised to find that she had spun right into the hands of none other than Albus. He smiled at her wide-eyed visage.

"You look beautiful tonight Astrid," he whispered.

A sudden bout of self-discovery came upon her. In hearing the words said less than a minute ago repeated, she didn't find herself blushing like with Cheng. She did, however, pick up on the little ways her heart fluttered when Albus said her name or the way her skin tingled when he touched her, little things that didn't happen when she was with Cheng.

"Wha...what are you doing here?" She managed to squeak out.

Albus chuckled. "I thought I'd pay you a little visit and enjoy some of the festivities!"

Astrid looked around. "You shouldn't be here!"

"I promise I'm not here to start any trouble. I'm leaving Solaria tomorrow morning. I wanted to see you one last time before I left."

Astrid frowned. "You're leaving? Why?"

"I told you before, I'm a travelling craftsman. I got what I needed from Solaria. Now it's on to the next place."

Astrid wanted to speak more with him but was pulled apart as they switched partners again. Astrid was once again pulled into Cheng's arms. A perplexed look graced his features. It had been less than a few minutes since he was last in front of her, but in that time her mood had changed so much.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

Astrid looked up at him, downcast. "It's nothing."

Cheng wanted to push for answers but he decided to let it go. If she wanted to tell him, she would. At least that's what he would like to believe. For the entire duration of the dance, Astrid kept trying to get back to Albus, but with each transition of partners, he only seemed to get further and further away. Part of her entertained the possibility that it was some kind of sick metaphor from the universe and she definitely did not like it. The dance ended and when it did, Astrid let go of Cheng and all but sprinted off to find Albus. Unbeknownst to her, Cheng was in hot pursuit. She had found Albus heading for the exit. Astrid ran up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going! We haven't even had a chance to properly talk!" She tried to mask the desperation in her voice but failed miserably.

Albus took her hand and gently pried himself from her death-like grip. He stood there holding her hand as they spoke. "A simple dance with you is enough to last a lifetime, Princess."

She scoffed. "You can hardly call that dancing Albus. It was over in a heartbeat." an idea popped into her head, causing her to pull him towards the balcony. "You want to dance right? Come here!"

She pulled him onto the balcony. There were fewer people at this end of the room and everyone was busy dancing and talking so they hadn't noticed when she left the ballroom. Music from inside drifted from the doors to the balcony. Astrid wasted no time in making Albus place one hand on her waist, letting the other hold hers. She placed her free hand on his shoulder and they began to sway to the music.

"I said I wanted to enjoy a dance with you, but why do I get the feeling that you were more excited about this than I am?" Albus said with a laugh.

Astrid smiled. She hadn't known him long and didn't have very many interactions with him, but in the time that she knew him, she always felt cheerful and at ease. It was a different kind of comfort that she had never felt before and she was admittedly saddened that she wouldn't get to indulge in his little jokes or playful banter anymore.

"You're leaving tomorrow. I figured in light of our brief friendship, I should give you a good send-off."

She spoke quietly like if she were to speak any louder, he would hear the unhappiness in her voice. However, much to her dismay, Albus didn't need the shakiness in her voice to tell him that she was upset. Despite the smile on her face, it was the look in her eyes that gave her away. Albus chuckled and pulled her closer, earning him a surprised gasp and reddened cheeks.

"Well, I suppose if the Princess is willing to go out of her way for me like this, it would be rude not to accept such kindness...considering our brief friendship...that is." He laughed, repeating her own words to her.

Her lips curled into a genuine smile and he let her head rest on his shoulder. "Of course. I'm glad you understand." She retorted in jest.

Just on the other side of the doorway to the balcony was Cheng. He stood motionless in the corner, watching the two of them dance together. He was overcome with envy and with dull eyes, left the ballroom and began marching back to his room. Sin had watched the entire scene unfold from where he stood inside. He turned around to let his mother know that Cheng was on the move. Both Illya and Ray had already caught wind before Cheng even set foot outside. For the second time that night, they looked at each other with tensed expressions.

The moment he left the ballroom, both of their eyes flickered. However, they didn't need that vision to know that all the pieces were in place and the gears had begun to turn.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Each step Cheng took felt like he was sinking further into the ground. His feet became heavy and every time his feet hit the ground, the sadness within him grew. Cheng was so engrossed in his own mind that he didn't even notice the figure behind him. They were cloaked but it was definitely the figure of a man. He walked behind Cheng, his footsteps not making so much as a sound. Whispers began to fill the distraught Cheng's head. Whispers that added to his heartache. Whispers that strengthened his feelings of envy and anger.

He stopped walking abruptly and the cloaked man placed a hand on his back. It began to glow an incandescent blue, reminiscent of Henaer's. His eyes lit up in the same hue for a moment.

"You understand what I want. Right?" The man spoke.

"Yes..." His reply was almost automated. It was monotone and immediate.

"Good. You have one month to complete the task. When phase one is complete, wait for further instructions."

"Yes..." Came his reply again.

Cheng blinked. When he did, he found that he was alone. There were no traces of a visitor and nothing to suggest that someone had broken in. Everything was as it should be. Almost as if nothing had happened at all and that's how it was for the next month.