Episode 2: St. Patrick's Day
"Eric!" Ariel called as she searched the castle for her husband. Carlata and Louis hadn't seen the prince and Ariel grew concerned. "Eric!"
"Hey mom. What's kickin?" Melody asked, having heard her mother's calls for her father.
"Oh hi sweetheart. You didn't happen to see your father today did you?" Ariel asked.
"I think he might have been in the...study Mom. Is something wrong?"
"No sweetheart, I have to talk to him about something. I'll explain later." Ariel left and headed for the study. She found Eric sitting at his desk writing a few things in the record books. "Eric?"
Eric looked up from his paper work. "Oh hello dear. What is it?"
"We got an invitation to a party at Snow White's castle." Ariel informed him. She strode to his desk and handed him the note and he opened it.
Dear Friends,
You are cordially invited to the castle of Snow White and David for our St. Patrick's Day celebration. Festivities will start at 6 pm and slight alcohol will be provided, as well as a separate room for the children. Please RSVP by March 10th.
Snow White
Snow White dashed madly around the castle, straightening up every last decoration in sight. David walked through the threshold of the dining room and found his wife fixing the centerpieces. "Snow, don't you think you're going overboard?"
"No I don't. I'm making sure everything is perfect and there is nothing wrong with that." Snow fixed the last centerpiece and put on her green leperchaun hat that she had taken off several times during her rearranging. "Perfect."
David giggles. The doorbell rings to reveal Aurora and Phillip. "Hello Phillip. Usually you arrive closer to 6:15 than right on time."
"Very funny. Can we come in?" Phillip asked. David didn't utter a word as he stepped aside for his guests to enter. Aurora ran over to Snow and hugged her.
"Snow, I have wonderful news that I must tell you."
"Why don't you come with me into the kitchen? I have to make sure the wine and beer are set for the party." Snow grabbed Aurora's arm and lead her to the kitchen. Meanwhile, David and Phillip escaped to the main living room. "So, what is your important news?" Snow asked as she pulled out the tray of wine glasses.
"Well, first of all, you should remove one wine glass."
"You aren't drinking tonight?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Aurora bit her lip in antisipation. "I'm pregnant!" Snow nearly dropped the tray of glasses in her surprise. She set down the tray on the counter before screaming at the top of her lungs. "Yes! Phillip and I are expecting."
"That is so wonderful! You two must be so happy." Snow said.
"Phillip was so overjoyed. He can't wait to be a father. I'm sure he's telling David as we speak."
"Well, should we throw you a baby shower?" Snow offered.
"Oh no! We'll see to that. Besides, I'd rather you were a guest than the planner."
Shortly after Snow set the glasses on the table, Mulan and Shang, Ariel, Eric, and Melody, and Milo and Kida arrived. Snow White showed Melody to the children's room where Emma sat, playing by herself. Emma immediately got up and ran to Melody as she walked through the door. "Melody! Come play with me."
"Play nicely Emma." Snow said.
"Yes Mommy."
Phoebus, Esmeralda, and Zepher arrived at 6:30 with Cinderella, Thomas, and Alexandra. "Snow, thank you so much for throwing the St. Patrick's Day party. It was so nice of you." Esmeralda thanked her.
"It was my pleasure. I'd love to see your place Esmeralda. I hadn't been there since you and Phoebus settled there."
"Oh yes. You must come see it. I've done so much more work to it." Zepher disappeared with Alexandra and they made their way to Emma's bedroom.
Pocahontas and John Ralph, Aladdin and Jasmine, Meg and Hercules arrived, sporting adorable St. Patrick's day outfits. "Oh you girls look amazing!" Snow gushed.
"Thank you so much. You look wonderful." Pocahontas greeted.
"You gentlemen look darling as well." Snow said.
Belle and Adam, Naveen and Tiana, and Rapunzel and Flynn were the last ones to arrive. Snow White lead all of her guests to her dining room. Once again, the children sat at the end of the table opposite the adults. Snow's butler served the children their juice before he began to serve the wine.
"Your highness, the rest of the alcohol you requested is in the kitchen. After the meal, I shall take it to the dining room."
"Thank you very much. After you have completed that, you may spend the rest of the holiday off." Snow said.
He bowed politely and disappeared into the kitchen. The couples sipped their wine and awaited the butler to bring out the meal. On the menu, was a roasted chicken dinner with hand-mashed potatoes and vegetables. The butler brought everything out and set it on the table.
David rose from his chair. "Dearest friends, Snow and I would like to thank you all for coming here today to celebrate with us. For tonight, Snow and I have planned a ball."
"Why is it always a ball?" Jasmine whispered to Aladdin. He smirked and shushed her.
Aurora was the next to stand. "Phillip and I also want to share an announcement with our very dearest friends."
"What is it Aurora?" Mulan asked.
"We're….pregnant." They said. Everyone burst into applause.
"Congratulations Aurora." Kida said.
"You guys will have a really cute kid." Shang added.
"Thank you all so much. We'll be having a baby shower in a few months, and we're hoping you all will be able to come." Aurora said. "But enough about us and our baby, you guys are here to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with everyone so why don't we go back to tonight's agenda."
"Okay so for now, we'll just have dinner. Then we will be shuffled into the ballroom for dancing and drinking. Snow has beautifully decorated the entire ballroom, all to her design, and she did most of it." David said.
"Like you were going to help." Snow teased.
David laughed and continued. "The children will have their own set up in the second ballroom close to Emma's room. Emma helped her mother put a bunch of toys and music in there for them to do and Emma helped decorate it, didn't you sweetheart?"
"I sure did Daddy." Emma said taking a sip of her grape juice.
"Well, to make a long speech shorter, we'll have music and games and it should be a really good time." David toasted his friends, just as he had a month ago. Each of them raised their glasses and drank. An awkward silence followed as everyone dug into their food, Kida decided to forget her awkwardness and try to start a conversation.
"So Aurora, when will you be having your little one?" Kida asked.
"Oh, well, I just found out last week so hopefully we'll have the baby about November or early December we're hoping." Aurora said after she finished the bite in her mouth.
"That is wonderful isn't it Milo? They are creating a family." Kida said.
"Yes, yes it is." Milo coughed a little, startled by the sudden shift to him. "Yes, it is wonderful Aurora. It's kind of like getting a baby for Christmas….be…before Christmas….or…something." Milo stuffed another bite in to end his embarrassing stammering. The others chuckled at Milo began to gush over children.
"When Phoebus and I had Zepher," Esmeralda chimed in, "I was so scared. I had no idea what I was doing. But you'll find the best help from your friends Aurora trust me. You and Phillip will do a wonderful job raising your child together."
"Thank you so much Esmeralda."
"Have you decided on any baby names yet?" Ariel asked.
"Darling, don't you think it's a little early to be thinking about that?" Eric asked.
"No, no she's right. There's nothing wrong with planning ahead. Any thoughts Aurora?" Phillip asked.
"Well, not at this moment. But don't worry, we'll think of something." Everyone finished their meal, chatting about how cute each other's babies are or were going to be. The children finished first. Emma walked up to Snow White and tapped on her shoulder.
"Mommy can we go to my room now?"
"Yes Emma. Why don't you get the rest of the toys and games out of your room and take them to the ballroom and when I'm finished eating I'll check on you okay?" Snow said.
"Okay Mommy." Emma kissed her cheek and the kids followed her to her room.
"She really looks up to you doesn't she Snow?" Jasmine said.
Snow smiled. "She reminds me of myself when I was her age. My mother could do no wrong in my eyes. My mother was my guardian angel." David placed his hand on Snow's and smiled.
"I can't wait until we can have kids." Pocahontas said, nearly causing John Ralph to spit his wine out of his mouth.
"Um Pocahontas, that's something we still need to discuss." He hardly managed to choke out.
"Caught ya off guard huh chief?" Flynn teased.
"Watch yourself there Rider." John Ralph said.
"Well, if everyone is finished eating, why don't we make our way to the ballroom." David said.
"Let's get our drink on!" Naveen jokingly cheered. Everyone laughed and hurried to the ballroom. David wasn't exaggerating when he told everyone Snow had gone all out with planning, decorating, and such. Glittering green clovers hung everywhere, green lights and streamers hung from the banisters. Green lights turned the whole room green. Wine and beer sat on a green table in the corner.
Naveen whistled. "You went all out for this ball didn't you?"
"I spared no expense." Snow said.
"Snow, this looks fantastic!" Tianna gushed.
"I love what you've done." Rapunzel said.
"Well let's not just stand here looking at it. Let's get this party started." Belle said. The music started and each couple pulled each other in real close. As the tempo increased, the men turned into wallflowers as the women grouped together. The men drank beer after beer, getting just a tad tipsy before midnight.
Snow hadn't had that much to drink so she stopped the music briefly. "You guys, since we have all of this alcohol, I think we should all put our keys in this bucket and spend the night here."
"That's fine." Flynn stumbled. "We can man…age….a night…by…."
"Shh. Flynn, it's okay. Why don't you sit down and take it easy?" Rapunzel suggested. "You have enough room for all of us Snow?"
"Oh yes, there are lots of spare bedrooms and such. You're all welcome to them." Snow reassured her.
Snow turned the music back on and they danced until they began to fall around midnight. As each of the men dropped, the remaining men helped them and their wives to a guest room. By 1 am, the only couples left were Snow White and David, Aurora and Phillip, and Milo and Kida. Kida had requested that the music be turned off and that was when Snow decided to go check on the children.
The rest of them sat around the small tables and chatted amongst themselves. Snow eventually returned and David gave her the seat he saved. "How are the kids?"
"They're all asleep." She reported. "Emma and Alexandra went back to her room and are asleep. And the rest of them are sleeping separately in the ballroom. From the looks of it, they've been out for awhile."
"Well at least they're all okay. So, Kida, let's get to know you more." David said.
"Me?"
"We haven't had the pleasure of getting to know you. We would really love to." David explained.
"Well, you all know that I grew up in Atlantis. Our city was sunken by the Great Flood. My people were suffering for years and then Milo came along." They linked hands. "Milo saved my people and he also saved me. We've been married ever since."
"That is so sweet." Snow said.
"What do you do for fun?" Aurora asked.
"I don't usually have time for fun. I have taken my father's place as Queen of Atlantis. My father was killed during Milo's visit."
"Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that." Snow said. "I know what it's like to lose a father."
"You are all so wonderful. I'm glad Milo met Thomas. It is a truly great honor to have met you all." Kida said.
"Well, I think that we should call it a night. Those drinking games have me whipped." Phillip said.
"Good night everyone." Aurora said.
"I thought Aurora could not drink because of the baby." Kida asked.
"She couldn't but that certainly didn't stop Phillip." David said. "Well Snow, shall we go to bed too?"
"Absolutely. I'm very tired. Milo, Kida, have you picked out a guest room?"
"Um, actually we're going to head back now." Milo said.
"But weren't you two drinking?"
"Oh no. I…I was driving so I knew I shouldn't drink and well….Kida's not really into that so we just…stuck to water. But hey thanks for the offer and um, we'll see you…."
"Probably Easter. I don't know yet who is going to be elected to host that party but we'll come up with something." David said.
"Hey, you know….I was talking to John Ralph and he said that the backyard he and Pocahontas have would be great to have an Easter egg hunt for the kids and they'd be happy to have us for Easter."
"Oh well that's wonderful. Thanks for telling us Milo." Snow said.
"Alright well, Kida, are you ready to go sweetheart?"
"Yes. Thank you for hosting us." Kida bowed and exited the house with Milo nervously following. Snow and David turned out the lights in the ballroom and walked back to their bedroom. They quietly and quickly changed into night clothes and climbed into bed.
"The party turned out wonderful sweetheart." David said. "You did a really good job."
"Thank you. You are still quite the dancer I see." Snow said. David chuckled, kissed his wife goodnight and they went to sleep.