Killian – Italicized

Emma – Regular

A Dance Just For Two

How many dances one woman could have in one night without sitting, I never knew. It seemed like every time a dance was over and as soon as the prince's lips touched her knuckles another took his place within the same breath. None of them gave her a second look when they approached her, none of them took a moment to step back and admire her everlasting beauty.

None of them even took a breath to just marvel of how a woman like that could be so beautiful and yet have the fire of a warrior. None of them cherished her like I did, only from afar because that's where I could find my peace and find myself taking the time to daydream where I was the actual one to sweep her off her feet. Unfortunately, I was left to just stay put where I was and watch her longingly.

Only if she knew

Emma had been dancing with prince after prince since the music had struck up a cord. It seemed that her poor hand hadn't had a moment to actually hover in the air without someone else grasping it and ripping her right back into a dancing position.

She could feel her own parent's eyes on her, watching her, waiting for her to fall helpless in love with at least one out of the twenty she's danced with tonight. But the more that men tried to win her over with their gold, their livelihood and their massive amount of whatever boasting material they had on handy. Those things were all so trivial to her, unimportant to her and all she wanted was for someone to actually strike up a decent conversation with her.

She was tired of dancing around at the same tune, dancing around with what seemed like the same man but with different faces. She was exhausted trying to figure out which one seemed less boring, she hoped one of them actually asked her on her own opinions on what she liked to do in her own time. None of these men were like him. As she swung around she looked over to see him staring directly at her, like usual she met his crystal gaze.

She tried to ignore her heart ramming itself against her ribcage and ignore the feeling that whenever he looked her way she felt like she could hover off the ground. No one understood this feeling she had, she wasn't even sure he did. It made her sick to her stomach not being able to read someone, not being able to know what their exact thought was on this very moment.

She wanted nothing more than to break away from this prince, this boring man and reach out to him. Grasp his hand and lead her onto the floor. Whisking her away with his charming smile and his kind words that were always inquisitive of whatever she spoke. Whether it was the most boring subjects of all, it seemed that he hung on her every word.

She just wanted him to be the only one she'd dance with tonight.

She found her mind swinging more faster than her own feet at this point, she could feel herself being pulled over at all the dancing and the listening. She couldn't deal with another moment of this damned matching making scheme disguised as a grand ball.

Right on cue the music and stopped and Emma took off before another man could pop out of Gods know where and drag her back onto the ballroom floor. She dove right out the doors and past the maid's stations where they worriedly called out for her. She ignored it, she needed to breath she needed to find solace in figuring out her feelings by herself. She just needed a moment without another damned prince bragging about the pointless things he's done in his life.

Before she knew it she was on the outskirts of the castle right in the woods. She stood for a couple of moments letting her breath catch up with her. Irritated with the fact that her pins dug into her skull, she ripped each one out and threw them out letting each curl fall out. She took another deep breath, letting her body settle to the quiet atmosphere but before she could do so she heard a twig snap.

I watched her eyes scan the room and meet with mine. My heart leapt into my throat as I could only hold the gaze for a couple seconds longer before she was swung back around as another prince tried to impress her once again.

I could only see parts of her face wither from bored to almost panicky. It wasn't until that the song had finally ended that she ran out, I was right on her heels in a moment. I let her take her space ahead of me, the last thing I wanted was to scare her off any further out of the castle.

When she stopped in the woods taking in the scenery, I watched her from afar. Had one of those prince's said something to upset her? Had they been so foolish to upset someone like her? Questions flickered through my mind as I watched her rip out her pins that held her golden hair.

Why I was entrusted to watch a woman like her and not fall in love was something I also didn't understand. I was a man whose heart belonged to someone who would never even look my way. I was only just a knight and she was a future queen to be. How could she fall for someone like me? How could a woman of her status remotely look in my direction?

I had to make sure she was all right, I couldn't just let her run out with that look on her face. I needed to just ask her before she could shoo me off. I just needed to make sure.

She spun on her heel seeing that her body guard, Killian, was standing awkwardly behind her. He stood up straighter once she turned to him. Emma felt her cheeks go hot, had he followed her all the way out here? Was he that concerned about her own well being? It seemed that no other man was concerned about her.

Just him, it would seem.

She then immediately thought that her parents had barked at him to go after her and drag her back right into the castle.

"Did my parents send you to drag me back there?" She asked nervously, she needed to stop playing with her fingers when she was nervous. It was becoming a thing she did whenever she was around Killian, something to keep her mind of stuttering around him.

"No, they didn't," he said firmly.

"Did…did you come here all the way to check on me on your own volition."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness but if you would like me to take my leave I-"

"No!" She said quickly, nearly shouting making Killian stop from turning away from her.

She didn't know what she was doing, she didn't know how words were actually tumbling out of her mouth but she ripped her hands away letting them fall to her side. She wasn't going to bite her tongue any longer around Killian, if there was one thing about her that wasn't ladylike at all, it was her need to be blunt about everything.

"Well, are you all right-"

"I had to dance with nearly fifteen men tonight, and do you know what I thought that entire night?"

"I'm afraid I don't-"

"I thought—no—wished it was you that I spent fifteen dances with."

She had rendered her bodyguard speechless, maybe it from her cutting him off every time he put in a word but she couldn't help it. It felt like every word that came tumbling out of her mouth was all the things she wanted—needed to say to him.

As soon as they came out of her mouth, she felt like half the weight had removed itself off her aching shoulders. Maybe that was the glory of actually telling someone what she was feeling but now she was looking down at the man that she had spent an entire year daydreaming about.

He looked around nervously before he approached her, Emma didn't know if this was either a good or bad sign. She was debating what he would do or what he could say and it was making her heart pound against her chest painfully. She looked up to him when he came up to her, she watched him stick out his hand, his other one already motioning for a dance.

"There's….there isn't any music," she stutters causing Killian to grasp her hand gently, bringing her in close to his chest. Her heart stopped beating while he began to take the lead on the dance.

"We don't need music." He murmurs while gently swinging her around, she found herself instantly melting into the fall of the quietness. It was everything she didn't expect but everything she wanted all at once. She could easily drift away happily right in this small moment.

Slowly, she met his eyes. The look that was written on his face but mostly all the emotion that was in his eyes could nearly turn her into a pile of mush. The way he looked at her in the moment, made her feel like she was the only woman alive or she was a masterpiece that he was taking time to examine. The small crooked smile on his face made her heart swell tightly into chest.

"My feelings…toward you…are unbidden and unchanging." He whispered, Emma smiled up at him feeling a wave of relief crash down on her.

Maybe this was the feeling that her parents always spoke of. Maybe this was the feeling that her parents always had written on their faces when they looked at one another. But somehow this feeling was indescribable and unexplainable. Only the feeling that she could describe in this moment while she slowly danced to utter silence, was the feeling of contentment.

A cute little one shot for the amazing Sarah!

Seriously check out her tumblr, onceuponamirror. She's pretty freaking rad.