Written For:
Quidditch Fanfiction League Competition: Falcons - Round 1
Keeper - Write about someone making the best of a bad situation.
Hogwarts: 365 Prompts
Prompt - Promise
Hogwarts: Writing Club
Love in Motion: Trio: Theodore/Daphne
Disney Challenge: Character 4 - Alternatively, write about someone obsessed with status.
Showtime: 5. That's Your Funeral - (word) Expression
Hogwarts: April Auction
Day 6 - Auction 2 - Trope: Secret Relationship
HPFC: Character Diversity Bootcamp
Character - Theodore, Prompt - Experience
HPFC: Pairing Diversity Bootcamp
Pairing - TheodoreDaphne, Prompt - Event
Betaed by my fabulous teammates, Kim, Ari, and Amber.
Make the Best of It
Princess Daphne stood by herself as the couples waltzed around the ballroom. She tried to smile at her younger sister as Prince Draco swung Astoria around the dance floor, but Daphne knew the expression looked forced.
She couldn't help it. She knew Astoria thought she'd marry her prince and they'd live happily ever after, but from Daphne's past experience, things could change in an instant.
Daphne swallowed past a lump as she remembered the change she had gone through. It was a horrific event she'd never forget.
She, too, had been in love. He hadn't been a prince, but he was a duke—perfectly acceptable by her parents and the kingdom's standards. Then there had been a rebellion, and her duke's family had been slaughtered, leaving him penniless, forced to run. Thankfully, they had spared his life, but he had been banished from the only home he ever knew.
And although it hadn't been her duke's fault, her parents decided he was no longer a worthy husband for the young heiress. And now, Daphne was being forced to choose another man to marry. A man that didn't make her heart beat faster. A man that didn't make her blush and stammer. A man that didn't make her feel faint. A man who would never sweep her off of her feet because she had already been swept. A man that wasn't Theodore.
But if anything, Daphne would make the best of a bad situation.
X
Daphne put on the long skirt and blouse, a simple outfit for a simple girl. She tied her favorite lavender shawl around her body with the hood ready to be lifted to obscure her face from the commoners of her land.
Astoria walked into the room.
Daphne stiffened at the younger princess's presence.
"You're sneaking out."
It wasn't a question, so Daphne didn't answer.
"You're going to see him."
Again, Daphne didn't see the need to reply to her.
"Daph, you can't. What would Mother and Father say?"
That got Daphne's attention. She turned away from the mirror, her blonde ponytail swinging with the motion. "Let me ask you this. What would you do if Mother and Father forbade you from seeing Prince Draco?"
Astoria was silent.
"Would you just accept it, or would you go down fighting? Doing everything you could just to spend a little time with him?"
"I'm not sure," Astoria finally whispered.
"Just don't tell Mother and Father where I'm going."
"I can't lie to them!" Astoria nearly squeaked. She hated lying with a vengeance.
"I'm not asking you to lie. They're so busy that they won't even notice I'm gone. Just don't go running to volunteer the information about my whereabouts. They'll never know."
"What are you going to do? Sneak around to see him forever, even when you're married? What kind of life is that?" Astoria asked, her tone beseeching as her large, almond eyes watered.
Daphne straightened her shawl and lifted the hood up. "I can't worry about that. I'm just living one day at a time. Just don't tell them where I'm going. Promise me," she ordered.
Astoria crossed her arms over her chest. "I have serious misgivings, but I promise."
X
Theodore took the double chocolate fudge cookies out of the oven. The sweet smell wafted up to his nose. Customers milled around, looking at the sweets he had to offer and picking the ones they wanted to take home with them for dessert.
"Ooh, my favorite. Can I have a double chocolate fudge cookie, Mummy?" a young girl with dark pigtails and midnight eyes asked. She threw in a puppy dog pout for good measure.
Her mother didn't stand a chance and shook her head. "How much for three cookies?"
Theodore smiled. "They need to cool for 10 minutes, but if you don't mind waiting, I'll give you five for the price of three."
The woman nodded. "Okay, there's a shop I need to stop at to pick up a dress. We'll be back."
Theodore smiled and waved, putting the baking sheet on a nearby counter, far away from where curious kids could touch and potentially burn themselves.
He took a deep breath, watching all of the happy faces, and he realized something. He felt good. He was relatively happy with his life now. He had thought his life was over after he lost his home and money. He had thought nothing would be okay again. He had never thought he'd like leading the life of a commoner. He didn't have a lot of money, and sometimes it was hard, but he enjoyed baking. It was a simple life, but he had a talent for it, and he always got a positive reception when he tried a new recipe.
A figure passed by, and Theodore saw the figure walk to the back of the bakery, a shawl hiding her from view.
His heart lightened. He knew who that shawl belonged to. He excused himself from the front, trusting the customers to not steal from him.
He entered the back, and she was waiting for him. When she saw him, she lowered the hood and ran to him, grabbing him in a tight hold.
Theodore returned the embrace, squeezing her petite form with all of his might. "I missed you," he whispered against her hair.
Daphne buried her head into his chest. "You have no idea how lonely I've been. Even though I have Astoria, she's caught up with everything Draco-related. She doesn't understand true heartbreak."
Theodore shifted a bit, pressing his hand against the small of her back. "Daphne, don't begrudge her the happiness she has found. Do you really want her to find out what heartbreak is like?"
Daphne tilted her head up. Her lips sought his, and he eagerly allowed them to meet.
Their lips moved together expertly, knowing exactly what the other liked. Their tongues dueled as Theodore's hand shifted down, resting just above the swell of her bottom, but never actually touching it.
Daphne raked her fingers through his auburn hair, twisting the low ponytail in her fist, grabbing hold as she pressed her body against his.
They parted when air became a necessity. Their pants were harsh, their cheeks flushed from the kiss.
"Mother and Father want me to choose a husband," Daphne abruptly said.
Theodore's heart constricted. He knew it was coming. After all, she was a princess, but he forced himself to forget the reality of their situation. Lost in each other's arms, it was easy to forget. Of course, Daphne's words brought everything crashing back down to him.
"It's your duty," he finally said forlornly.
Daphne cupped his cheek. "We can run away together," she said hopefully.
Theodore smiled slightly. "You wouldn't do that. It's not who you are. Princess Daphne always does her duty."
"I thought my duty and happiness would be the same thing. I thought I was going to be able to marry the love of my life. Things have changed, though. Maybe I don't want to perform my duty if I can't be with you."
Theodore pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "You don't mean that. You'll never walk away from your family, from your people. It's one of the things about you I fell in love with."
Daphne averted her eyes. "Fine, I have to marry someone I don't love. But you and I can still be together."
"I'd be your dirty little secret," Theodore accused, even though it wasn't her fault. It was an impossible situation.
"A secret, yes," Daphne agreed. "But you're not dirty, and you're not little. I can't walk away from you. Please, don't ask me to."
Theodore hugged her again. "Maybe it would be easier if we said goodbye, but I can't walk away from you either. I love you too much."
"So we make the best out of a bad situation, right?"
Theodore thought about his bakery. It was born out of a bad situation, but he had managed to find some happiness in it. Maybe he could find some happiness in a secret relationship as well. After all, it meant he still had Daphne. "The best out of a bad situation," he agreed.
XX
(word count: 1,369)