Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or any of the characters.
A/N: This began as just a rambling little piece for myself, but then it grew into something a little bigger and I decided I wanted to share it with you guys. I don't know how long this will be, but it'll be at least a few chapters, maybe more. Any mistakes in this are mine since this isn't betaed. Thanks!
Ugh, what have I gotten myself into? Why did I agree to come here tonight? I hate these things, Katherine Beckett thought to herself as the carriage came to a halt outside the palace castle. She was dressed in a stunning blue gown that flowed down to her feet. It fit her in all the right places whereas her cousin sitting next to her had one of those dreadful puffed-out dresses on. God, how can that even be comfortable? She knew that by her choice of attire, she would most certainly stand out. Kate couldn't bring herself to care the least bit, though. There was no way in hell she would ever be caught wearing those hideous…things!
Realizing her cousin had said something to her, Kate came back to reality. "I'm sorry, Alissa, what did you say?"
"I said thanks for coming here with me tonight, Kate, even though I know these kind of events aren't really your thing," the other girl told her.
Managing a smile, Kate shrugged and said, "It's not a problem, Alissa. I know you didn't want to go by yourself."
"Still, it was a very generous thing for you to do."
"Don't mention it."
The carriage driver came around to the door and opened it, holding out his hand for one of the ladies to take. Feeling a hand grab his, he helped first Alissa out of the carriage, then Kate. Marveling at the sheer size of castle, Kate found herself slightly impressed.
"C'mon, Kate, don't just stand there," Alissa urged. "Tonight's the Prince's birthday celebration and I don't want to miss anymore than we already have."
Chuckling at her eager cousin, she said, "You do realize that the odds of the Prince choosing you for a bride tonight are slim to none, right?"
"Oh hush, you big pessimist. A girl can dream, can't she?"
"Yes, she can dream, but she must also be careful to not let the fantasy overtake reality."
Alissa rolled her eyes at her older cousin. "Ugh, I don't know why I even bother sometimes."
" 'Cause you love me," came the reply.
"Unfortunately, I do, cousin."
The girls quickly came upon the grand hall where the main part of the celebration was being held. Both were immediately awestruck and stood gaping for a moment at the splendid grandeur with which the hall was decorated. Recovering first, Kate leaned close to whisper in Alissa's ear, "You might want to close your mouth or you'll catch flies." Straightening up, she said, "Besides, you wouldn't want you precious prince to see you like that."
Alissa snapped her mouth shut and said, "Fine, be that way." Pointing to a group of young ladies, she said, "I'll be over there with them. I know you probably hate this, but please just try to have fun. Who knows? Maybe you'll actually enjoy yourself for once." With that she left her cousin standing alone in the entrance to the hall.
Watching the younger woman leave her, Kate decided that she was not going to stand in the middle of the doorway by herself. Finding a niche in the wall, she leaned a shoulder against it and simply observed.
In one corner, there was a group of young men, all staring at a similar group of ladies from across the hall. It looked to Kate like the poor boys were trying to work up the courage to approach them. The middle of the hall was reserved for dancing, and many couples were doing just that. Every lady present was wearing that horrendous puffy, hoop-skirted dress which made Kate want to vomit just from looking at them. She didn't understand what would possess anyone to want to wear those things. She'd tried it on once and would never make the same mistake again. So she wore her slim-fitting, body hugging dresses in lieu of those things.
Her dress tonight was a deep blue and was simple enough. It was made of silk and two thin straps on her shoulders held it in place. It was elegant without being too overbearing, but it was also plain and simple enough without being too casual. She figured for a prince's birthday party, she could've worn something more formal, but it wasn't like he was her prince. This wasn't her kingdom. In fact, she was just visiting her uncle and his family for a few weeks, and was leaving tomorrow, so she hadn't needed to worry about impressing anybody. She had left her hair mostly alone because she thought it was good enough with just her natural chestnut colored curls. Her hazel eyes glanced from person to person, watching, observing.
She had lost track of the amount of time she'd spent in her niche when she felt a presence at her back. Turning slightly, she noticed a young man was standing right beside her. He was tall—nearly half a head taller than her—with brown hair that was cut short for a man at Court. His nose wasn't too large, but it wasn't small either and his mouth was set in a straight line. One eyebrow was raised with polite interest of what was going on in his surroundings. Turning to look at her, she saw he had piercing blue eyes that held a twinkle in them.
Smiling at her, the man said, "Forgive me, my lady, but you seem to have caught my interest."
Quirking an eyebrow, she deadpanned, "Really? And why's that?"
"Well, for one, you're the only one here standing alone. Two, your attire is very…different from that of the other ladies here."
Kate scoffed. "Yes, well, the other ladies here are looking to find a husband in either the Prince or one of the many eager young gentlemen here tonight. I, however, am not."
"Am I permitted to ask why?"
"Because," she said, "I'm merely visiting my cousin for a few weeks."
"So you don't live in Hamptons?" he inquired curiously.
"No, I live—" she cut herself off before she said anything else. Wheeling around to face him, she told him, "Why are you so interested in knowing about me?"
The stranger grinned. "Like I told you, you caught my interest."
Kate let out an un-lady-like snort and said nothing. The two stood in silence for a moment, staring out at the crowd until the man broke it. "I'm Rick, by the way."
Hesitating slightly, she said, "I'm Kate."
"Well, Kate, it's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Rick."
"Would you care to dance?"
Startled, Kate took a step back. "I, uh…no."
Caught off guard by her flat out rejection, Rick stammered out, "But, uh, b-but, why not?"
Kate sighed. "Look, Rick, you're a nice guy, but I'm not here to meet someone."
"Oh, c'mon, Kate," he pleaded. "Just one dance."
"No."
"Please."
"Nuh-uh."
"C'mon."
"Nope."
"Why not? Scared you'll like it?" he practically challenged.
Now it was her turn to be taken aback by his response. "Of course not! That's ridiculous."
Rick shrugged. "Well, if you're not scared, then why don't you have one dance with me? You know you'll enjoy it."
Leaning within inches of his face, Kate told him softly, but forcefully, "I won't."
"You will," was the lightning fast reply.
Kate bit her bottom lip in thought. I guess I could do one dance, she said to herself. What's the harm that could come from one small dance?
Reaching a final decision, she said, "Alright, fine. I'll dance with you. But if I haven't enjoyed myself by the time it's over, then you have to leave me alone for the rest of the night."
"And if you do enjoy it, you have to accompany me for a stroll in the gardens afterwards," Rick replied.
"Deal."
"Deal."
They shook on it and Rick, still holding Kate's hand, led her onto the dance floor where the musicians had struck up a waltz.
Leading her around the dance floor, Rick began a conversation with her. "So is the fact that you're not meeting someone tonight the only reason you're not wearing one of those puffy dresses? Or is there another reason as well?"
She shook her head. "To be quite honest, I think they look absolutely hideous. They're very unflattering and very uncomfortable. I have not clue as to why anyone would want to wear them. I've tried one on once, and I looked positively horrendous in it."
"Well, I don't know how it's possible for you to look awful in anything," he told her. "You're extremely beautiful."
Gazing into his very blue eyes, Kate saw the sincerity of his words and blushed. "Well…you're quite beautiful too," she teased.
He mockingly gasped and said, "Well, thank you, Miss Kate, for your kind words. Do you know how much make-up I put on every morning just so I can show my face to the world?"
They laughed and Kate actually found herself enjoying his company and the dance.
Twirling her around the dance floor, Rick thought, This is the most fun I've had in ages.
The dance came to an end as the musicians finished their piece. Coming to a halt, Kate found that she was reluctant to let go of the man, but forced her hands off of his body anyway.
"So, Kate," Rick started, "did you enjoy yourself?"
Shaking her head, she said, "You have no tact, do you?"
He shrugged his shoulders up and down. "It kind of runs in the family. You're avoiding the question, though?"
Staring into his expectant eyes, Kate said teasingly, "Maybe."
"Kate!" he whined and pouted.
Rolling her eyes, she exclaimed, "Oh, alright, yes! Yes, I had fun. There are you happy now?" Rick's face lit up like the giant chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling. "So as promised," she gestured in the direction the gardens were in with a great flourish, "lead the way."
Beaming at her, he offered his arm and she took it. "Shall we?" he asked. Leading her out of the hall, both were completely unaware that nearly the entire room had been staring at them.
Don't judge or criticize too harshly. This started out as something just for me to write, but I decided to share it with you all. Review, Follow, Favorite, do what you will, but I thank you for taking the time to read this.