Bloody Chains that Bind

James (9)

Shit. Fuck. Dick. Motherfucking fucker.

They were fucking screaming and announcing my name. Great, now everyone would be looking at me in this uncomfortable navy suit.

Try me bitch.

The doors open and I start walking down the grand staircase. There were thousands of eyes staring at me. Super fucking great.

I start surveying the crowd until I find who I'm looking for.

She's in a dress. That almost makes me drop dead, right here and now. Some pun intended. She has a plastered-on smile, and I can tell that she would rather be anywhere else in the world right now. But then her eyes meet mine, and her shoulders ease up. She's beautiful. So beautiful that I almost trip and fall on my ass like we're in some sappy romantic Wattpad story.

Somehow, I make it to the bottom of the stairs and get swept up by a whirlwind of mingling people, talking about the most frivolous topics. I make my way through the bright-eyed masses to Victoria, but I stop dead in my tracks.

She's dancing. With Dane.

I knew they had something going on. Why else would they be dancing together? Well friends can dance together, my mind argues. Oh yeah? Well he just slid his hand to her lower back! Absolutely not! This is my goddamn ball and I will not allow my guard to take part in such promiscuous acts!

I walk up to them with a smile, "Victoria, can I steal you away for two dances?"

"But we are currently dancing, Your Highness." He was formal but clearly pissed off at me.

"I can speak for myself Lieutenant Dane." She stepped away from him.

"Yes, you may have two dances. But then we must diverge and tend to our own matters James."

Dane looked up, clearly baffled by her use of my first name. I couldn't help but smile at his dissatisfaction. Serves him right for dancing with my guard.

I take her hand and whisk her away to the dance floor, and then decided to keep walking.

"Um, stupid, the dance floor is over there." Victoria pulled against me.

"Well I'm taking you somewhere else, stupid head."

"Stupid head?"

"That's the only comeback I had."

"Whatever. I'm going to have to make it up to Eric later."

I stop and turn around. "Who the hell is Eric?"

"It's, um, Dane's first name."

"You two are together! I knew it!" I felt proud of myself for connecting the dots as well as an incredibly hollow emptiness in my stomach.

"No, we aren't." A wave of relief washed over me, then confusion.

"If you aren't together, why would you be calling him by his first name?"

"We're friends."

"Friend with benefits?"

She looked at the ground and didn't respond. Well, I guess that's my answer. Shit, this gives me a lot to think about but not tonight. Tonight, all I want to do is dance with her.

When did I start feeling this way about Victoria? Who fucking knows? Everything about her is so damn infuriating.

She's a high maintenance prissy bitch diva who yells at me, screams at me, throws shit at me, tells me nothing, lies to me, and oh by the way is sleeping with another guy already!

I wish my brain were logical enough to stay the hell away from her. But I just can't.

In spite of all her flaws, I care about her.

I take her hand and guide her a few more feet until we are in the gardens. We can still hear the music, but we can't be seen by any wandering eyes.

I put my hand around her waist, and for a moment I think I hear her catch her breath. I pull her closer and we gently waltz to the rhythm of the piece.

She puts her head in the crook of my neck and finally, for the first time in forever, relaxes.

I'm so happy. And she seems happy too. No being King, no worried about guarding, none of our responsibilities. Just us, dancing in the moonlight, the scent of the garden's orchids and hydrangeas filling the air.

The song comes to a halt, and I expect her to pull away. She doesn't. I'm glad I asked for two dances instead of one.

The next song is quick, a Paso Doble. I quickly take her in my arms and spin her. Setting her down, I begin doing the intricate footwork the piece requires. She keeps up with me quite well.

"How the hell do you know how to Paso Doble?"

"My grandmother signed me up for ballroom dancing classes when I was a kid."

"Of course."

We continued to leap and kick and jump and twirl until the song was coming to a close. The music suddenly stopped, and we were face to face, both extremely out of breath.

We were both panting, and I could see that her pupils were dilated. Mine probably were too. She brought her hand up to my curls, brushing a few out of my face.

"You need a haircut."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." She ran her fingers through my hair down to the base of my neck, meanwhile, I moved my hand further and further down her back.

I couldn't think of a reason not to kiss her right now. Believe me, I know there are plenty but none were coming to mind at the moment.

Our lips met and reservations started to pass, whether this was just an evening or a thing that would last.

I'm unsure of how long we were standing there in the garden. Not that it mattered. I was thoroughly enjoying myself. She was too.

It was super fucking hot, and at one point, she even softly moaned.

The song had been over for who knows how long, but neither she nor I were ready to go back inside. Uther was probably looking for me and Dane was probably looking for Victoria. None of that mattered right now.

Victoria and I were standing here, kissing, letting the world melt away.

Little did we know that Dane was standing a few yards away, watching us.