Before we'd begin, I'd like to thank the two lonely reviewers of the first chapter: CocoRocks and Mockingbyrd's Tune. Reviews mean a lot; thank you guys so much!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 2:

It was the first night of the ball, and I was standing at the end of an absurdly long receiving line. It wasn't fun. I was compelled to pay the same compliments to every fair maiden that fluttered her eyelashes at me, maintain the same jovial smile for every proud father who bowed to me, and make the same dashing responses to every talkative mother who shoved her daughter towards me. It was enough to drive any sensible man absolutely mad, and I like to think that I am very close to being sensible.

Never before had I realized the import of my status as a prince. Of course, I had long been aware of the immense royal responsibility that would soon be and in part already was weighing on my shoulders, and yes, thoughts of it often kept me awake at night, but never before had I considered the social rank which a prince possesses. No, this was by no means the first ball I had ever attended, but it was the first at which I was the center, at which everything revolved entirely around me.

It was a peculiar sensation. The idea of my own importance was pleasing, but also a little daunting. When I thought of how charming I was expected to be, I could feel myself begin to quake!

Oh, dear. The line was so very long, and I was expected to remember the name of every guest, no matter how obscure. This, reader, is too much to ask. We royals are not so far above the common people that our powers of recollection are superhuman. On the contrary, I sometimes feel as though my memory is very close to being subhuman.

Two pretty girls were now approaching, with pale skin and bright, hopeful eyes. I asked them their names, and found out that they were called Gretel and Heidi. What boring names, I thought. However, I could not say such a thing to the poor maidens. Nor could I ask them if they really thought it was necessary to slather so much paint on their faces. What did they think was wrong with their looks? Unfortunately, such a question is far from charming.

The sisters left, and my eyes widened in horror as I saw the next guest. It was the spawn of that dignitary. My mother had indeed invited the wretched, petulant foreigner.

"Good evening, Lady Ava," I said gravely, bowing to her. "It is a pleasure to see you again." There. Polite and refined, just as was expected.

"Oh, Prince Maximilian!" she giggled. "You remember my name. I'm very glad."

"You are very difficult to forget, Lady Ava." How true, how true. Too true.

Fortunately, it is impossible to chat for long in a receiving line, so Ava was soon moved aside to make way for the next group of girls. I felt a great surge of affection for the elegant servant who beckoned Ava to "come this way, m'lady."

The next several guests were all unremarkable, and I despaired of ever remembering their names or titles. But then out of nowhere there came a vision of beauty, blonde as anything, clad in silver and gold. I had never before gawked at any lady (I had at least attained that level of refinement), but it was all I could do to resist feasting my eyes on this maiden. Heavens above, she was pretty!

I wasn't quite conscious throughout our brief introduction, but her name stuck with me: Elke. Lovely Elke. I would have to dance with her. Maybe I could spend the whole night dancing with only her. Of course, that would be terribly discourteous to the other ladies, but I felt as though it just didn't matter.

A fearful notion struck me as the receiving line finally began to dwindle: What if Lady Elke's personality proved to be less than lovely? It had been so with Ava. For a time I had thought Ava quite pretty. Then I had actually met her. Horrid, horrid day. She had followed me about the castle like a starving puppy, and she had howled at everybody except me when she met with any discomfort. One of the maidservants swears she saw her steal one of Mother's necklaces.

Glory be, the receiving line had finally ended! It was now my duty to select a partner for the first dance of the ball. Searching for Lady Elke and her gold and silver gown, I carefully scanned the crowd of guests. Where was she? Nowhere, apparently. I vaguely wondered if she was a fairy who could appear and disappear at will.

The foolish notion evaporated as soon as I caught sight of her. She was in the far corner of the ballroom, apparently in hiding. Why she would be concealing her beauty was a mystery to me. She needed to be pulled out into the center of the room, where she could reflect the light from the crystal chandeliers that hung from the lofty ceiling. So, I strode boldly towards her and, bowing, extended my hand.

"Lady Elke, would you care to be my partner for the first dance?" I asked, and immediately congratulated myself. Excellent work, Prince Maximilian, I happily thought. You have succeeded in being charming, if only for one sentence.

Elke blushed, smiled, and accepted my offer. Praise be.

As we danced, she remained puzzlingly quiet, barely answering my eager questions. Maybe I was frightening her by being too forward. It wouldn't be the first time. With this is mind, I withdrew a bit. Yet she did not open up. It was almost as though she had no personality at all. I wanted to shake her into conversation. However, that would be obviously inappropriate, and it would contribute nothing to the charming image that I was trying to cultivate.

The night wore on, and I continued to dance with Lady Elke. I could see Ava glaring at me. Gretel and Heidi, those two sisters whom I had thought rather pretty, looked similarly disgruntled. Mother and Father wore expressions of mild disapproval. But I wanted to dance with Elke, no matter how frustrating she was determined to be. Something was drawing me to her, and I didn't feel like resisting the pull.

Then some upstart tried to cut in.

"She is my partner," I ungraciously told him.

We danced, and we danced, and we danced. Exactly how long did we dance? I don't know. It wasn't particularly enjoyable, yet we continued to dance. Finally Elke pulled away and said quietly, "I'm afraid I must be going now."

"Already?" It was a shame that I was sounding desperate rather than charming. But it couldn't be helped.

"Yes," she said. "I must return home."

"Let me walk you outside, to the gate," I offered, and though she hesitated for some time, she finally accepted.

It was a beautiful night. Sometimes, you know, the stars seem faint and the moon looks blurred. But it was not so on that first night of the ball. The stars were truly bright, and the moon was so clear that it almost seemed as though someone had outlined it with a pen. Remarkable, really. I was very impressed with the heavens. Elke was equally awed, I think, for as she tilted her pretty blonde head back to gaze at the stars she took in a slow breath and seemed to gain a new sparkle in her eyes.

We soon reached the gate, where the guards politely averted their eyes, though they must have been puzzled by the sight of a prince escorting his guest from his ball.

"I assume your carriage is waiting?" I said.

"No, I have no carriage," Elke replied.

No carriage? Odd. Everyone has a carriage. A carriage is a necessity, not a luxury. If Elke was a nobleman's daughter (and she must have been, for otherwise she would not have been invited or granted entry), then surely she would have a carriage.

Apparently not.

An indecorous notion struck me. "May I escort you home?" I asked.

At this, Elke literally sprang away, discarding all the reserved elegance that she had been wearing and giving me an enormous fright. "No, no, absolutely not!" she loudly exclaimed, her eyes frightened. "Thank you for your kindness, Prince, but I really have to leave now!" And she hoisted her skirts and ran, yes, ran away down the street, her blonde hair streaming behind her.

"Heavens above," I murmured as I watched her go. "What does she think she's doing?" Even when she was out of sight, I continued to stare down the empty street. After a while, I swore (it was the only thing I could think to do) and turned to walk back to the palace and my ball. I could hear the guards behind me snickering at Elke's display.

As I walked back along the stone pathway, I met an older man who seemed to be departing. "Good evening, sir," I greeted him. "Are you leaving already?"

"I am, your Highness," he said, staring at me with a puzzled expression. "And you are...returning?"

"I was escorting a young lady to her carriage," I explained, "but then it turned out that she had no carriage, and when I asked if she'd like to be escorted home, she jumped away and tore off down the street." I probably should not have told the old man so much, but it was all so strange that I simply had to tell someone. I'm sure you know the feeling.

First the man seemed baffled, but then his eyes narrowed in a knowing manner. "I see," he said. "She just...jumped away?"

"Yes," I replied, frowning at the man's shrewd expression.

"Well, maidens sometimes behave very strangely," he said as he began to walk briskly away. I couldn't tell whether he was speaking to me or just muttering to himself, so I left him alone and returned to the palace.

"Where have you been?" Mother shrilly demanded as soon as I had reentered the glittering ballroom.

"I was making sure that one of our beautiful guests returned home safely," I informed her, calm as could be. I had rehearsed this on my way up the palace steps.

Mother didn't quite know how to reply, for it sounded as though I had been acting in a rather charming manner. How could she rebuke her only son when he finally behaved according to her wishes?

"Well," she finally huffed, "the ball has not yet ended. Go dance with some other maidens."

"Have no fear; I will," I assured her, turning away. Oh, Heaven preserve me. There was Ava, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. Instantly, my mind set about comparing her with Lady Elke, although I was well aware that such mental comparisons are discourteous and unfair and should be avoided.

It was a baffling situation: Although I had not really enjoyed dancing awkwardly with the silent yet utterly confusing Lady Elke, I did not want to spend the evening with any other girl. I desperately hoped that Lady Elke had liked me. I had tried so hard to impress her!

But no matter what her opinion of me was, my thoughts were quite clear. No other girl would do.

Well, there you have the first night of the ball. Questions? Comments? Corrections?