City of Starlight

Chapter 3 - New arrivals

(Daniella's POV)

We entered the ballroom in pairs from the top of the stairs. As mother was a highly distinguished guest because of her cover as the 'saviour', she would enter last.

I watched Aurelie's face lit up in a nervous yet excited smile as the man standing beside us announced in an official tone, "Presenting...Lady Daniella and Lady Aurelie."

I took Aurelie's hand and gave it a squeeze. Even though she might have taken it as simply a sign of friendship, it meant much more to me. After finding out who she was, I couldn't help but wish to protect her. She smiled back at me and we walked down the stairs into the applauding crowd. When we got down to the bottom and turned around, she whispered, "I feel like a princess..."

I held back a remark for the man then announced, "Presenting...the saviour!"

The applause that mother received was the loudest. It was clear that they had no idea who she really was. However, I could see that something shifted in her eyes and expression. It was true that the citizens of the Enchanted Forest showed much less enthusiasm at the sight of her or even myself. Recently they haven't been glaring as much as they did before the curse or immediately after, but having some degree of adoration would be nice.

After she came down, festive music started playing. She motioned to the Charmings, including Hook, and said to us, "You should go have fun. Dance with Henry, he seems a little lonely over there."

Aurelie nodded and went over in Henry's direction but I stayed behind and said quietly, "Mama you should dance too..."

She raised her eyebrows and gave me a look. "Firefly, you know I don't-"

"The guests would be confused if they didn't see you dance. You have to look like a saviour remember?"

"Daniella Mills. Are you calling me out?"

"Mother!" I exclaimed as I rolled my eyes. She chuckled and said, "I haven't danced in years." Then, I came up with an idea. I took her hand and dragged her over to Henry.

He looked at us and greeted, "Hey Dani, hey mom."

"Henry, why don't you dance with Mama for a bit?" I said. My brother gave me a sly grin and I already knew that did the trick. Mother whispered in my ear, "Alright, you win," as she was lead away by my brother.

As Aurelie and I watched them dance, she commented, "How does everybody know how to dance so well?"

"It's kinda a custom here or even in the Enchanted Forest. Don't tell my mother I told you this, but the reason why I asked Henry to dance with her is because she was reluctant to get on the dance floor."

Aurelie smirked at me and said, "Well you don't look like you wanna be out there in the spotlight either."

I rolled my eyes and explained quickly, "Well, I need to stay here with you."

"Yeah right," she answered with a wink that made my cheeks turn an unsettling hue of pink.

In order to break the silence that hung between us, I decided to ask Aurelie about her parents. It interested me to see how my father has been for the past 14 years it appears. "So umm, tell me about your parents again? You mentioned that your dad works with horses."

"Oh yes, he supervises programmes for new and experienced riders at a riding centre. Mum works in a department store. Sometimes we end up getting discounts if they've overstocked on some products from the previous season."

"That's great," I murmured, thinking how I should somehow direct the conversation back to father. Luckily, Aurelie did that for me. "So you said that your dad also worked with horses? It's a funny coincidence, considering that your name is so close to my own dad."