The candlelight made shadows flicker across the wall, giving the room a warm, cozy feeling. Miley smiled to herself as she felt the comfort of her sheets surround her. She handed Demi the unopened bottle of wine, then gave Taylor and Selena their glasses before grabbing the stack of letter's from her bedside table. She shuffled through them before finding her name. Her fingers grazed over the waxed seal that held it together and she slid her finger under the flap and ripped it open, before pulling out the letter. Her eyes scanned over the neat handwriting, reading every word carefully.

Dear Ms. Cyrus, you and all the eligible maidens are cordially invited to the palace for the next few months as his heinous, the prince, searches for his princess. The events shall start Tuesday night with a ball. The acceptable attire is a ball gown and mask. Please do not come in anything else. See you then.

When she finished reading she let out an annoyed sigh. "This sounds so stupid." She mumbled, pursing her lips and grabbing the glass of wine Demi was offering her. "Who want's to compete for some snobby prince's love?" She whispered, receiving an 'I-do' from all of her friends. She let out a small groan before chugging down what was left of her wine. "I guess this means you guys are dragging me with you?"

"Yup." Demi smirked, taking her glass and filling it up again. They had found the letters and the wine in a basket with a heart shaped ballon tied to it waiting for them on Miley's front porch when they got back from class. "Plus it's not like we're going for you. You know Selena is obsessed." Which was true. Selena had always liked the Prince. Whenever she was on TV she'd force them to watch, which was practically agony for Miley. "You do know what this means though, right?" She asked, smirking a little.

"That I need to go dress shopping with you bitches?" Miley mumbled, finishing her second glass of wine. She absolutely hated dresses. Or anything having to do with them for that matter. All of the girls called her a tomboy but she didn't like classifying herself to that extent, thinking that they were being overdramatic. And they were. She received a nod from all her friends and let out her third groan of the night. "Fine. But I'm wearing them the way I want to."

"Just as long as you don't screw up my chances with him, then fine." Taylor smirked, hugging her letter. "I'm so excited." She squealed as she laid her head down on the pillow. Miley rolled her eyes and adjusted herself, trying to get more comfortable. "Goodnight guys."

"I swear this has got to be the ugliest dress ever." Miley whispered, walking out of the dressing room. She ran her hands down the blue fabric, which was barely hugging anything on her body at all. She looked down, wincing again at he hideous neon pink bow that was in the middle of the dress and the random green pieces of fabric hanging off. She groaned and mentally kicked herself for actually saying yes to her friends. "Can I just have the other one please? This is starting to itch." Demi nodded and handed her the white ballgown. She sighed and walked back into her room and slipping off the dress with ease.

"Hurry up. We need to pack and leave." She heard Taylor mumbled as she slipped into the white dress. She rolled her eyes and opened the door, immediately receiving a gasp from all her friends. The strapless top hugged every curve of her body perfectly, while the bottom cascaded into full, lightly sparkled skirt, which barely touched the floor. Miley ran her hands over the bottom half, grabbing some of the fabric to make it expand more. "Oh my gosh. You look perfect." Taylor whispered, her hand covering her mouth. "You're buying it." She mumbled, pulling out her wallet. "Go change. We'll meet you in the parking lot."

"Thanks." Miley mumbled, grabbing Taylor's card and walking back into the room. She sighed and started taking the dress off. She quickly slipped her original outfit on, and walked out with the dress. "I'd like to buy this." Miley said, walking up to the nearest store clerk. "And that." She smirked, picking up a small black dress from the rack next to her. "Please."

"Alright. Let's go ring you up." The lady smiled taking both dressing and walking up to the counter. She quickly scanned the tags and brought her attention back to Miley. "That'll be $1,200 please" Miley smiled and handed her Taylor's card. After sliding it the clerk handed it to Miley along with the receipt and her bags. "Thank you. Come again." She smiled, before leaving the register to tend to some costumers. Miley smiled and left the store, before heading down to the parking lot and over to her car.

"Miles your car won't start." Selena mumbled, getting out and handing her the keys. "We tried jump starting it too..."

"You're kidding." Miley groaned, walking over and jamming the keys into the ignition.

Nothing.

She tried again, this time putting more force into it. Still nothing. "Oh my god." She mumbled, hitting her head against the steering wheel. "I hate this stupid car." She mumbled, reaching into her bag and pulling out her phone. She quickly called the tow company before getting out and grabbing all the bags from the day. The girls waited a couple of minutes before the truck finally came. The four of them got in and waited till the man loaded the car onto the truck, before getting in and driving them home.

"This place is huge. Holy shit." Miley whispered walking into the palace. The front room had a nice white tiled floor, with the family crest in the middle. The walls were a light brown color, and there was a mural of the family on the ceiling, with Nick in the middle. Miley looked up to see 9 more floors, each with at least 20 different rooms, not including the ones that were in their hallways. "Damn..."

"Can I take your bags Ms. Cyrus?" She heard a voice say, and she took her attention off of the place she'd be living in for the next few months and turned to the source. It was an older man, probably in his 60's. He had a suit on, one that was obviously ironed to to a crisp, and his gray hair was perfectly combed on the top of his head. "I can bring it to your room if you'd like."

"Please. And do we get our own rooms?"

"Yes miss. You're room is number 6. It's right over there." The man whispered, pointing to her room and picking up her bags. Miley smiled and said her goodbyes to everyone, before following him to her room. "You're lucky. This is the best room in the palace that is available to anyone other then the prince." He mumbled, placing the bags down. Miley walked in and let out a small gasp, her eyes scanning the room. Her bed was a full king, it had white silk sheets and was directly across from her balcony which overlooked the ocean. The floor was a nice bamboo hardwood, with some beige rugs that were identical to the paint on the walls. A small hallway led into three other rooms, her small kitchen, her bathroom, and a living room. Miley let out a small squeal and jumped on her bed, snuggling into the pillow. "Your key is on your dresser Ms. Cyrus. The ball is in 2 hours, and your mascaraed masks are in the bathroom." The man mumbled, before slipping out of the room.

Miley smiled and walked over to her bags. She grabbed both of the dresses and pulled them out of their cases. She studied each, trying to decided which one to wear tonight. Of course she was supposed to wear the ballgown...but when did she ever play by the rules? Plus if she was going to be here she was going to do things her way to make the time here actually enjoyable. Miley smirked and put down the ballgown, before walking into the bathroom with the black dress to get ready for the ball. She quickly slipped the dress on and then sat down to do her hair and her makeup. She plugged her curling iron in and started applying her lipgloss, followed by a light shade of blush and eyeshadow. She waited for the curling iron to heat up and then grabbed it before curling her hair, and unplugging it. She ran her hands through her hair and down her dress, making sure everything was perfect before putting her mask on and walking out, and up to Demi's room. "Hey." She smirked, walking in and looking around. Instead of a hallway and three other rooms, Demi's was just a normal hotel-like room.

"What are you wearing?"

"Thought i'd stand out tonight. You know..." Miley mumbled fixing her hair. "I told you. The only way I'd come is if I could do things my way."

"Well your way is going to get you kicked out Miles. You really need to change."

"I'll pass." Miley mumbled. "I'll just meet you guys there. You look great by the way. Maybe if the Prince's brother is single you can snatch him up tonight?" She giggled and smirked, before walking out of her room and down the hall to the ballroom. She sighed as she headed towards the stairs to watch the people that had already arrived dance, their huge ballgowns swaying with every movement. She never liked dances. She always hated the way that it would feel like a huge completion to look the best or to make sure no one had the same dress as you.

Even tough she hated dresses she always loved the whole princess aspect of the ballgowns. But she wasn't going to admit that to any of her friends.

She ran her hand down the banister and took a step down, until she reached the bottom, almost bumping into the mystery man that wasn't there when she had first started walking down the steps. "I'm so sorry." She mumbled, her hand running through her hair to move the bangs out of her face.

"Don't you think you're a little...underdressed?" The husky voice said as Miley took time too look up at him. He wasn't much taller then her, only to the point where if she hugged him her face would fit perfectly in the crook of his neck. She quickly scanned his body, noticing his broad shoulders and curly hair, and then her eyes met his. She felt a soft sting in her heart, and then it skipped a beat, almost causing her to jump back. "I-I mean, not that that's a problem. It helps you stand out, which helped me find you. So that's a good think." The mystery man continued, nibbling on his lip softly. "I like your mask."

"Thanks" She giggled, her cheeks turing a light shade of pink. "I like your's too."

"Thanks." He whispered, smiling down at her. "Would you like to dance?" He asked, causing her heart to skip a beat for the second time that night, which was something she wasn't used to. Especially since she had never talked to whoever this mystery hunk was. He gave her a hopeful glance and held out his hand, which she took. The instant they pads of their fingers touched, a shock went through both of their bodies. He smiled a little and pulled her out to the dance floor, wrapping her arms around her waist, making sure they kept the distance that strangers should keep. "So, do you like it here?"

"It's different." Miley whispered, looking around the ballroom. "I'm not used to a place this big. I'm afraid I'm going to get lost when I try and sneak out to the kitchen to get a late night snack." She giggled, causing him to smile a little. "What about you? Do you like it?"

"It's kinda boring. I wish it was more...teen friendly. It's like you can't have fun here because if you take one step you'll bump into something old and breakable." He chuckled, pulling her a little closer. "Have you met the prince?" The mystery man smirked, throwing Miley off a little.

"No. Not sure if I will either."

"Why not?" He asked, smirking again. "I heard he was really nice. I think they're doing a meeting with him and all the girls tomorrow at breakfast."

"I just haven't had time. I got here and then changed and came straight here." Miley mumbled running a hand trough her hair again. "So. What's your name?"

"It's a secret." He mumbled, spinning her and then pulling her closer, their bodies almost touching. "You can call me Prince Charming for now though."

"So does that mean I have to let you call me Cinderella?"

"Yes." He mumbled, looking down at her. "So, tell me about yourself."

"Well, I grew up in Tennessee and then moved here with my dad a couple of years ago to go to college. He passed away halfway though my first year and now I live in a house with four of my friends...and I like playing the guitar." She mumbled, trying to see if she could think of anything else worth sharing.

"I'm sorry about your dad." He whispered, "But I love guitar too. Do you sing?"

"Yea. A little. I write some songs too but they're not that good."

"I love doing that." He smiled, pulling her closer and eliminating the space between them. "I play piano too."

"I'm just starting to learn. Maybe you can teach me?" She giggled, tightening her grip around his neck. He gave her a nod before pulling away.

"Guess what?" He mumbled looking around to see the ballroom completely empty.

"What?" She whispered, her eyes still locked on him, taking in all of his features again.

"I'm pretty sure the ball is over and we danced all night without even realizing it." He mumbled, smiling at her. "I guess this means we should go? Want me to walk you to your room?"

"Please." She smiled, looking around at the empty ballroom and giggling a little. This was her first time dancing with a boy in a while, and even when she had done it before it was never that fun. And it certainly didn't last that long. 'Prince Charming' grabbed her hand and led her up the steps and to her room.

"Pretty sure you got the best room here." He chuckled, letting go of her hand and kissing her cheek. "I had fun. I'll see you tomorrow ok?" He mumbled, before saying goodnight and walking away. As soon as Miley was sure he was far enough away, she let out a small squeal and then walked into her room. She slipped her dress off and threw her mask in some random place before tying her hair into a messy bun and slipping her pajamas on. She pulled her silk sheets back and climbed in, and the room became still and the sound of the ocean played over and over in her mind until nothing felt real anymore.

A/n: So this was my entry for L0VEisREALx3's contest. I had this story on Youtube and it was one of the first I put out, but I never finished it. So I thought i'd start it over and do it here.

Sorry for any mistakes, hope you liked it:)