Enchanting to Meet You
"There." The last glittering rose was placed in Weiss' hair, and she stood up, bringing one pale hand to stroke a couple of strands of her hair. "You look beautiful, Miss Schnee."
"Thank you, Lisa," the heiress said daintily, smoothing out the fabric of her dress. "And thank you… for getting me ready." She smiled politely at the maid, who took a respectful step back as the young girl advanced towards the door, her high-heeled walk perfected with years of practice.
There was an enormous party going on in the Schnee household, and anyone who was anybody was there. Weiss' father had a business deal going with a large mass producer of Dust clothing, and as anyone who lives in a fancy home will know, the best way to make a good impression was to throw a party. Weiss was invited, of course, along with her older sister, Winter, but she couldn't make it. So Weiss had to attend the party all alone. Her mother would be flirting with other men, her father would be bickering with business partners, and Weiss would be left to dance with some awful cousin she didn't know.
The white-haired girl was certainly very beautiful. At fifteen, Weiss Schnee was a sight for sore eyes. She was dressed in a strapless white dress that flared into a glittering silver skirt with a froth of petticoats. There was Dust woven into the fabric, so it seemed to sparkle all shades of pale, icy blue when she moved. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders in loose, white curls, and she had a glittering white rose pinned into it.
Weiss paused at the top of the staircase and gazed down at the party below her, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes, and then reopening them. She slowly began to walk down the stairs, head held high, back straight, one hand on the banister, glad that nobody was looking at her. She was terrified of tripping in her impractical glass-slipper style shoes. She'd loved the legend of Cinderella, but she didn't really understand how she moved in her shoes. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she scoured the room, and was quickly approached by her vile cousin, Charles.
"So, Weiss," he said, through his enormous braces. He always spoke like he had a crippling case of the plague. "Would you like to dance?" Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed her and started to pull her around the room. Weiss grit her teeth and held it out through three dances, until she heard a voice behind Charles.
"May I have the next dance?" Her cousin turned and took a step back, intimidated by the boy that stood before him. He was tall, muscular, with ginger-brown hair.
"I… uh… sure." Charles dropped Weiss' hand, and she wiped it down on her dress, anxious to get the sweat off of it. The other boy took her hands and slowly led her away from Charles, who scurried off to find someone else to harass.
"Weiss Schnee, huh?" Weiss looked up at the boy.
"Yes," she said, in as refined a voice as she could manage when she was dancing with someone she'd never met. "And who are you?"
"Cardin Winchester," he responded, looking down at her. "I'm the son of that guy your dad is trying to get in with."
"That's it," Weiss said, remembering. "Winchester Dust Clothing - We'll make you look as fabulous as your fighting skill." Cardin looked a little sheepish, and Weiss' lip curled upwards at the cheesy tagline.
"Yeah, well, I didn't come up with it," Cardin said roughly, sounding a little aggressive.
"So, do you think your dad is going to get the deal with mine?" The two of them were dancing properly now, spinning round the room.
"Nope." Cardin shook his head. "Mine isn't exactly the most suave businessman, and your dad is, so far, incredibly unimpressed." He laughed darkly. "I actually just escaped from having to dance with my cousin Melissa. I decided I'd come and save you from yours."
"Thanks," Weiss said, raising an eyebrow. "But I'm perfectly competent, you know. I don't exactly need a knight in shining armour."
"I'm sure you don't," Cardin murmured, spinning her under his arm.
The song came to a stop, and Weiss and Cardin found themselves pressed to one another. Awkwardly, they separated, and Cardin rubbed the back of his neck.
"Do you want to go get something to eat? I think I can see banoffee pie on the canapé table." Weiss raised a hand to her mouth, the diamond bracelet on her wrist slipping up and down, and then laughed.
"Yeah, there are some," she murmured. "But actually, I don't like them much."
"So what do you like?" Cardin looked curiously down at her, and Weiss blushed a soft rose pink.
"It's embarrassing."
"Go ahead, I won't tell anyone."
"Well… I actually really like… I really like strawberry ice-cream, and Oreos."
"Why's that embarrassing?" He seemed confused.
"They're not exactly 'refined', are they? And… caviar… is disgusting."
"Well, can we raid your kitchen, then?" Weiss' face broke into a smile, and she nodded.
"Come on, it's this way."
The two of them crept towards the door, smiling at one another. Just as they were about to step out, a hand was laid on Cardin's shoulder, and one on Weiss'. They both turned, eyes widening. Mr Schnee, and Mr Winchester, were stood before them, both looking severe.
"Come on, Cardin," his father snapped. "We're leaving."
"But father-"
"I said we're leaving!" The tall boy, who had once seemed so confident and cheeky, bowed his head and meekly followed his father. As they walked away, Weiss heard Mr Winchester speak.
"I don't ever want to see you with that girl again. Do you hear me, Cardin? We want nothing to do with her, and her family."
"Father?" Weiss turned towards the man. "Did you get the deal?"
"No, Weiss, I didn't," he said coldly. "Now, I suggest you retire and dance with someone more suitable than that vagabond. The likes of him are almost as bad as the White Fang. Charles is over there. Make yourself scarce; I'm ashamed of your actions." Weiss nodded slowly and walked away from her father. But she didn't approach Charles - instead, she walked up the stairs again, and into her bedroom.
"Well, Cardin Winchester," she whispered into her pillow. "It was enchanting to meet you."
Cardin gazed out the window of the car he was in, and sighed.
"Weiss Schnee," he whispered as quietly as he could, so his father wouldn't hear. "I was enchanted to meet you."