Zane led me inside the doors, past the two guards who looked anywhere but at me. I blushed. Zane walked with a regal air that reinforced his royal position. Women curtsied in their long dresses, and men bowed as he passed. I trudged along after Zane, keeping my head down. The cloak around me was warm and soft and felt wonderful against my shoulders, but I couldn’t help but feel that I didn’t deserve to wear such a beautiful garment. Zane was pulled aside a few times but he calmly brushed them off and continued on. “Oh, oh,” said a cheerful voice and I looked up in surprise. Van was standing there with a giant smile on his face. Zane recoiled a little from him but gave a sigh of defeat knowing that he couldn’t pass by the other prince without a proper conversation. “You found a lost little lamb,” Van joked as his eyes flicked over the cloak. I pulled it closer just in case. “Are you her kind shepherd?” “Prince Orcello,” Zane said in a warm voice, although his expression did not change. “Let’s retire to a more private room, shall we?” He gestured with a gentle hand towards a door in the back of the room, away from the throngs of people chatting and laughing in the ballroom. “Of course,” Van said smoothly and put his arm over my shoulders. I tensed as Van guided me forward and Zane followed, closing the door behind us. I was dazzled by the fine, delicate decorations lining the hall, the sweet smell of flowers wafting in the air and the soft romantic lights illuminating the elaborate silken tapestries hanging on the walls. Castrum Lilium was as elegant as Zane DeGillus was, and it was absolutely wonderful to get caught up in the flow. “Please change in here,” Zane said, opening a door to a small room off the main hallway. “I will send some garments in momentarily.” A soft knock came on the door as I stood inside the small room, shivering slightly in the cold. It was almost the end of the year after all and I was wearing impractical clothes. “Come in,” I said, pulling the cloak in front of me. A small woman stepped in, pulling a rack behind her. She closed the door and looked me up and down, beady eyes flicking over my limbs and hair and attire. “Yes, yes,” she grumbled as she began unzipping the dress bags that hung on the rack. “This will have to do.” “Oh, excuse me-” I began but suddenly the woman caught my gaze and became a flurry of activity. “Whoa!” I shouted as she pulled the dress up over my head. I didn’t have time to complain as the woman quickly began stuffing my arms and head into fabric. My protests were muffled by lace and silk, the woman busily straightening the fabric around me. My feet were squeezed into heels and I winced. I caught a glimpse of the light overhead and realized at last the woman was zipping me up and stringing diamonds around my neck and arms. “Wait,” I protested again, but the woman just made an annoyed sound and began fluffing my hair. I gasped as she tugged particularly viciously and stumbled backwards but there was nothing to grab onto. The woman shoved me forward and then pulled my hair again. “Done,” the woman said, flinging the door open. Van and Zane stepped backwards, looking embarrassed at being caught right outside the door, yet Van eagerly peered in.
I stepped shakily out of the room and Van was beaming ear to ear. “What a hidden jewel,” he said with a laugh. “You certainly are a princess now.” Zane stared at me with such intensity I couldn’t take it and looked at the ground. “Let’s go back now, they must be worried,” he said, taking the cloak from the woman inside the room. Van straightened and I took a good look at him for the first time. He was dressed in a long royal blue suit with a red sash that complimented his dark hair. If Zane was the shining prince with his long flowing golden locks, Van was the roguish one, his hair trailing in delicate wisps over his shoulders. His eyes sparkled in mischief as he openly stared back. “I’ll take the first dance with the princess,” Van said with a smirk and grabbed my hand. Zane raised a hand to stop us but it was too late. I stumbled clumsily as Van pulled me along. Van opened the door with a flourish and the activity inside the ballroom slowed as people looked towards us. Van stepped inside in an exaggerated manner, pulling me along. I could feel eyes upon me, and my face grew warm. Van bowed to me as the music began again. In a swift motion he pulled me close, and I bumped against a chiseled chest. I was surprised that he was so well built, since he seemed to have such a lithe frame. His arms circled around my waist lightly, and his steps were even and graceful, a reminder of his royal lineage. It was hard to think of Van doing anything properly as he always seemed to avoid these types of events, but he was really very good at them after all. It was to be expected of a prince after all. The flush began spreading down my body as I realized he was pulling me closer, his chest, his stomach, his thighs touching mine. The scoundrel personality suited him in the end. My gaze drifted lazily over the dance floor, and I saw the women from earlier staring my way. The one in white was biting her nails and muttering something. A chill settled in my stomach. Perhaps I was becoming too conspicuous. When the music ended Van continued to hold me but I pulled away forcefully, doing a half curtsy half bow in awkwardness as I retreated. In the midst of the chaos that had happened, I had forgotten that Zane still had my notebook and I needed to get it back quickly. I looked around and saw Zane kissing an elderly woman’s hand as he parted from her. He was very much a gentleman. I started forward but a group of men walked by heading to the refreshment table and I lost sight of the prince. “Looking for something?” said a voice in my ear and I whirled around to see Van standing there. He grinned, his green eyes seeming to see right through me. “Was my dancing that deplorable?”
N-No, of course not.” “Oh?” Van said, his tone not convinced. “Well, if you’re looking for the aristocratic prince, I’ll give you a hand.” He smirked and turned around to face the people who were mingling in the lull of the music. “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” he boomed in a cheerful voice. “Van!” I gasped in surprise, struck still by the sudden announcement. All eyes swung to Van. Van continued, ignoring me. “Our illustrious prince Zaney-poo,” he said with no small amount of amusement at the tittering growing through the crowd at the nickname. “Has set up a rather sporting event to celebrate the centennial…” I caught a glimpse of gold and saw Zane standing in the far corner, visibly shaking with annoyance at Van. He looked highly embarrassed by the nickname, and was slowly crushing the cup in his hand. By proxy I felt mortified as well and moved away from Van surreptitiously. “Please take a tag from the servants circling the room,” Van said casually, twirling a tag about his finger. “One of us is a murderer tonight, and it’s our job to find out who that is.” His eyes sparkled as he pinned the tag upon his jacket. It was obvious that Van was controlling the pace of the entire night, and a woman in a black dress approached me and handed me a tag before continuing off. I saw Zane from the corner of my eye and he was now crushing the tag that he had been handed in his hand while grinding his teeth. Perhaps his weakness was Van, who looked utterly overjoyed at the spectacle. There was a murmur in the crowd as people confusedly adorned their tags, willing to play along if it was a Prince’s will. I looked down at my tag. It said ‘Victim’. I shook my head and pinned it to my dress. I looked back at Van who was cackling wildly. Van began explaining the rules. There would be a prize for the one that found the murderer, who could be captured if they were accused. The murderer could ‘kill’ by tapping a shoulder and reciting a phrase. Those that were ‘dead’ could not be revived and had to remove their tags. It was very childish and silly, but amusing. The lights went out and someone screamed. “Let’s begin,” Van said in a spooky voice. The lights flickered back on and people were left blinking by the brightness. I sighed. Van was very dramatic tonight. I jumped as arms circled around me. “V-Van,” I said in surprise as I turned and saw who it was. “Isn’t this a wonderful distraction?” Van said with a smirk, releasing me from his grip. “Now you can go find your prince.” His tone was bitter, and he seemed unhappy suddenly. “You don’t understand,” I said. “That’s not it.” Van waved me off. “No, don’t explain. When I pursue you on my own,” he caught my gaze with a serious look. “I won’t let you refuse me.” Then he grinned, his expression back to his playful one and sauntered off leaving me staring after him in confusion.
“This is absurd,” Zane was saying as I approached him. He was radiating quiet fury. It made him hard to approach. I tried to think of how I could get close to him to breach the subject on my notebook, but it seemed impossible. A woman bumped into him then and gasped, pulling away. Zane righted her and the two of them apologized to each other. He politely sent the visibly affected woman on her way. Someone tapped my shoulder then and I turned quickly. It was a man in a brown suit. “Are you the killer?” he asked, smiling. I shook my head. “That’s a shame; I wouldn’t mind being killed by an angel.” Even though the line was horribly cheesy I flushed all the same. It was unusual for me to be noticed by anyone, and even more so when I remembered that all of the guests here were mostly celebrities or nobility. As I stammered for a reply, a woman came up behind him and pulled him away rather violently. It seemed she was his wife. My cheeks darkened further. When I turned back to where Zane was, he had disappeared. I looked around the room. The bright red tags were disappearing quickly, and it seemed that whoever the killer was, was very efficient. I clutched my tag closer and looked at the line of 'dead' people against the wall. They seemed amused overall, so it seemed that Van's plan was a success. I saw Zane again on the far side, mingling with one of the 'dead' women who was talking sweetly to him. I sighed and pushed my way towards him. Someone tapped my shoulder and I whirled about, but it seemed to have been an accident. When I got closer to Zane he looked sad. His deep blue eyes were looking into the distance. In a moment he noticed me and bowed his head a little as a greeting from a distance. He was so serious looking suddenly and I hesitated again. Why was he so hard to approach when he looked like that? The lights dimmed and I felt my breath jump up in my throat. Despite thinking how childish this game was, it seemed I had gotten caught up in the atmosphere. "Snow!" someone exclaimed from near the windows. People paused what they were doing and turned to look. Indeed, big fat white flakes were fluttering from the sky, pasting themselves in elaborate patterns upon the windows. It was magnificent in the pitch darkness outside, as they swirled and shook over the vast gardens in front of Castrum Lilium, painting a winter wonderland. My vision was obstructed as long fingers covered my eyes. I blinked and pulled away to see Van standing there. "Van, what are you-" He shushed me. "Well princess, who's the killer?" he asked with a broad grin. "Is it me, is it Zaney-poo, or could it be...?" The killer had taken full advantage of the distraction of the new fallen snow, and now standing in the middle of the ballroom were just Van, Zane and I. Everyone had once again turned their attention to face the scene that had unfolded, and were chattering in a low murmur that filled the empty space. Zane stepped forward and tilted his head to the side as he looked down at me. "Horrendous nicknames aside, I wonder who it is." I caught a glimpse of a small smile on his perfect face. "I-I..." Decision Time <Accuse Van> <Accuse Zane> Voting lasts 24 hours. Popular choice continues the story. In case of a tie, next poster regardless if voted already or not breaks the tie. Vote for only one. If you don't vote, you don't have a say in the story!
Will not be updating for a while. I'm moving across the country ^^ goodbye Michigan, hello California. Thanks for your support thus far, and I'll see you in a little while