A/N: Inspired by the movies Cinderella 3 and Enchanted.

The characters will be mildly OOC.

Please also note that they come from an alternate universe era where there might be a mix of traditional and modern terminology.

Many thanks to bornfreeonekiss, WinterFairy7337 and Anne for their wonderful and invaluable beta help.

I do not own Austin & Ally.

Austin and Dez had only just stepped into the massive hallway and were immediately welcomed by the former's parents.

"King Michael, Queen Mimi," Dez bowed in greeting.

Mimi smiled at her son and his best friend while Mike questioned their day's report.

"Under disguise, we have visited the marketplace every day for the past week and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, Father. I do not think that the rumours of a black market are valid," stated Austin.

King Mike nodded his head, his expression grave as he pondered over his son's words, "Very well. However, such things must not be taken lightly. Strict monitoring must still be maintained," he added, his firm gaze fixed on Dez.

"Of course, Michael. We wouldn't dream of letting our guard down," was Dez's reply.

"Now, I'm sure the boys are tired after a long day. Let them go back to their loves," Mimi placed a gentle hand on her husband's shoulder.

Mike chuckled, "Oh yes, the girls are waiting for you in the small gallery behind the study room. They are rather excited for the upcoming ball, I should say."

The two young men's countenances lit up with happiness, and they scurried away as fast as etiquette could allow them while Austin's parents found amusement in their actions.

As Dez and Austin hurried towards their fiancées, all the two could think about were how much they had missed them. The week had been rough, with the threats of a black market affecting taxes and inflation in their economy.

Prince Austin Monica Moon was heir to Northern Neilaz and the only son of King Michael 'Mike' and Queen Mimi. The main industry of their merry kingdom was the export of plant-based textile fibres, such as cotton and flax. The people also had traditions encompassing music of all sorts, allowing them to produce generations of masters in the art.

Prince Dezmond 'Dez' Wade was heir to Southern Neilaz and best friend to Prince Austin Moon. He was the son of King Dennis and Queen Donna, and brother to a younger sister, affectionately nicknamed Didi. Their jovial kingdom produced animal-based textile fibres, such as alpaca fleece and llama wool. Their kingdom also encouraged imagination and creativity, enabling the creation of masters in the art of illustration and illusion.

With affiliations that had spanned for centuries, the two neighbouring kingdoms had forged an almost ironclad defence against ill-bearing adversaries.

And of course, who could forget to mention the light of their lives?

Princess Allyson 'Ally' Dawson was the only daughter of King Lester and Queen Penelope 'Penny'. Austin and she had met at a small music festival in Neilaz. Her family owned a small cluster of islands off the coast that boasted of world-class veterinary skills and great wealth management, courtesy of her parents' talents.

Her own talents came in handy when assisting Austin with daily royal duties, as well as being able to keep track and organise the perfect systematic way of hierarchy in the palace, which increased efficiency by more than one hundred percent, despite Ally's insistence that it was mathematically impossible to exceed a hundred percent. Education and finances within the palace showed top results and returns. It also didn't hurt that Ally had matching musical abilities that attracted Austin to her in the first place along with her kind-heartedness.

Princess Patricia 'Trish' Maria de la Rosa came from a large family, inclusive of a little brother and a long line of extended relatives. Dez had run into her while he was helping one of his commoner farmers herd their cattle, and she just so happened to be touring the countryside. The literal run-in had resulted in the headstrong girl ranting at him and the beginning of a love-hate relationship, which ultimately blossomed into true love.

Thanks to Trish's large family, her kingdom —whose main trade was tourism and consumerism— had connections via marriages and immigrations that many states coveted. Her adeptness at organising events and entertaining foreign ambassadors were also greatly cherished by the princes. Not to mention her unique sense of fashion that got all the ambassadors' wives returning. Dez also was very much in love with the confidence that she exuded; the confidence that came not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.

"Ally!" Austin exclaimed as he entered the room.

A young lady with brown, wavy hair and bright eyes looked up from the piano that she had been playing a moment ago and smiled at her fiancée who had just stepped into the room.

She stood up from the bench and they ran at each other with a hug. Austin picked Ally up and twirled her around joyously. He then put her down slowly and kissed her all over her face tenderly while she giggled with shyness.

"Now, I am not against public displays of affection, but was that really necessary?" an amused voice sounded from behind Austin.

The blonde prince turned around, grinning at his best friend's fiancée, who was also his fiancée's best friend.

The olive-skinned lady with pinned-back ebony curls stood there, smirking, surrounded by yards of lace and silk. "Jealous, Trish?" teased Austin.

Trish scoffed as Dez made his way over to her and placed a kiss on her cheek after stumbling several times over the materials.

"If Dez ever tried that, I would smother him with the lace you see right here," she said as she waved a piece of the fabric at Austin.

Dez looked startled at her words. Trish looked up at him, smirked and tiptoed, for he was very much taller than her, and placed a small peck on his lips. He beamed widely.

Austin and Ally shook their heads as they smiled at the couple. It was truly fortunate that the two had ended up together, for they had taken much effort and time to match-make their best friends. And good lord, the two of them had been incredibly stubborn at each other's supposed affections until Austin and Ally had shoved the two into a barn to talk their feelings out. Ally had heard later that Trish initially tried to use one of the horses in there to smash their way out. Thankfully, Dez had managed to 'rescue' her from the stampeding animal in time, resulting in the two getting past their bickering and to finally start courting.

"I see that you ladies are doing well in the preparation for the upcoming celebration," laughed Austin as he lightly plucked a feather out of Ally's hair.

"Well, it is the announcement of our engagements after all. I am trying to finish a few music pieces for the ensemble to play at the event," revealed Ally. "But Trish was having an absolute conniption at the 'hideous interior decoration and flaky tailoring of the incompetent freelancers who had been hired.'"

"Well, they did have incredibly bad taste," defended Trish, crossing her arms, her head held high.

As the happy couples continued their discussion about the engagement ball, none of them noticed the pair of dark, soulless eyes promising impending despair and hopelessness, watching them from a hidden balcony in the room...

-end-

Sneak preview of the next chapter:

"I beg your pardon, miss," Austin bowed to the little girl. She was startled at first, but she then giggled at his behaviour. "Could you possibly tell us where we are?" he asked.

"You're in Miami, silly!"

A/N: Please review and share your thoughts on this story so far! :)

Did you notice that each kingdom's best trade is based on their families/individual talents? ;)

Oh! And a trivia question! Do you guys know how the fictional kingdom of Neilaz was so named?

I also had to use full names for the purpose of this story hence I went with the most suitable ones despite them not being verified in the actual show yet.