Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Disney. All OCs and non-original names belong to me.

Chapter 8 – A Perfect Night

Kit could barely contain his excitement upon seeing the girl from the forest again. Turning, he came face-to-face with Princess Chelina, who appeared to be expecting him to ask her to join him for the first dance.

"Excuse me," Kit said quickly, bowing his head politely. Princess Chelina curtsied, but Kit hardly noticed. He was already making his way towards the flight of concealed stairs that went down to the throne room floor. Behind him, he could hear some confusion over his abrupt departure.

"A thousand apologies, Your Royal Highness," Gregory was saying to Princess Chelina. "I don't know what happened."

Of course, you don't! Kit thought as he hurried down the stairs. Who cares what he thinks now? She's here! She's actually here!

Meanwhile, King Frederick watched closely as the latecomer gracefully made her way down the grand staircase. The girl had all the elegance and charm of a Princess, but he had never seen her before, so he had no idea who she was.

She can't be a commoner, King Frederick thought as the girl sank into a very low curtsy on the stairs for him. Commoners wouldn't know how to curtsy that deeply in a dress like that. They'd only fall over themselves trying!

The girl continued to walk elegantly down the stairs. Or rather, she glided elegantly down the stairs. The sight even made King Frederick's old heart flutter. It reminded him of the first time he'd seen Kit's mother. She'd stood out from all of the other Princesses because of her dignity and natural elegance. That was something which could not be taught.

Kit emerged on the throne room floor just as the girl reached the base of the stairs. She looked around for a moment, as though she was looking for someone in particular. Kit knew that she was looking for him, so he kept his eyes focused on her, hoping she'd see him soon.

She did. For a moment, her smile faded, but Kit's didn't. It was as though the girl was unsure of what she should do next. Her unspoken question was answered when the guests began to move aside. It was just like the parting of the Red Sea. Within seconds, the way had been made clear for Kit and the girl to meet, right in the heart of the throne room. Boldly, they walked towards each other, not daring to look at anyone else. It was as though an invisible thread was pulling them together at last.

By the time they were face-to-face with each other, the girl was smiling again.

"Mister Kit," the girl said softly, fulling recognising him now.

Kit was almost breathless. "It's you, isn't it?" Not that I really need to ask…

The girl shrugged slightly. "Just so."

Breathe, Kit! Kit reminded himself, and he promptly inhaled sharply. She's a Princess! She has to be, considering her manner and how stunning she looks! Choosing to err on the side of caution, Kit said, "Your Highness…"

The girl chuckled slightly, but not reading anything into it, Kit continued.

"If I may…that is…" Get a hold of yourself, Kit! He forced himself to stand up a little straighter. "It would give me the greatest pleasure if you would do me the honour of leading you through this…the first…" Stop stumbling over your words, Kit! She'll think you're stupid or something! Drat! Now I've forgotten what I wanted to say next…

"Dance?" the girl supplied, smiling slightly in amusement.

Kit breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Yes, dance!" Smiling broadly, he laughed at his own folly. The girl laughed too. Kit shook his head slightly, trying to clear it. "That's it."

To his great relief, the girl nodded her acceptance of his muddled request. Drawing in a deep breath, Kit leaned forwards, and he boldly placed his right hand around the girl's waist. The elegant material of her dress crinkled beneath his fingers, making the girl gasp in excited anticipation.

At that moment, the orchestra began playing La Valse de L'Amour. Kit instinctively swayed in time to the beat, and the girl moved with him; her gorgeous blue dress swaying like waves on the ocean. As they spun around, the girl noticed that everyone was still watching them.

"They're all looking at you," she whispered.

Kit smiled warmly. "Believe me. They're all looking at you!"

Undaunted by the watching audience, Kit and the girl danced gracefully together as if they were completely alone in the vast throne room. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle 'swish' of the girl's voluptuous skirt whenever she twirled or jumped in the air. Kit, for his part, held onto her firmly, yet gently, whenever she jumped or twirled around him. Occasionally, the girl would giggle, so she was obviously enjoying herself.

Up on the royal balcony, Princess Chelina watched the happy couple closely, not in the least bit envious. "Who is she?" she asked quietly, not wishing to break the spell that had fallen over the room.

"I have no idea," the Grand Duke muttered bitterly.

Angus didn't say anything, but he knew who this girl was – the girl from the forest. He was delighted to see Kit looking so happy at last. They really are a perfect couple! I hope she does have a sister…

King Frederick was also watching the dance intently. Maybe I underestimated this girl. If this is Kit's girl from the forest, she is exactly as he described her. They are perfect for each other, and I can see that he is in love with her. We must find out exactly who she is! If she really is a Princess, Kit and I will both be happy. He'll have done his duty to the Kingdom and found true love.

As the dancing between Kit and the girl intensified, the guests moved back to give them more room to move. The girl laughed again. Clearly, she was enjoying herself immensely. Kit couldn't wipe the smile off his face. It thrilled him to see his special girl having so much fun.

All too soon, the music came to an end. The girl sank to the ground, curtsying deeply to Kit. Kit placed his right hand over his chest, hoping to calm his racing heart. The other guests applauded loudly.

After a moment, the orchestra began to play the next dance, la Valse Champagne. Being a much more lively dance, many other couples gladly joined in. Kit decided that now would be a good chance for them to escape.

"Come with me," he told the girl, grabbing her hand. Willingly, she followed him.

Pushing their way through the crowd of dancers and onlookers, Kit took the girl through the door at the far end of the throne room. They emerged inside the portrait room, where the picture of Kit's mother hung, along with countless other royal portraits.

"So you're the Prince!" the girl exclaimed, gasping in astonishment as Kit quickly closed the doors behind them, silencing all sounds of the ball.

Kit chuckled, amazed that the girl had only just figured that out. Feeling playful, he decided to tease her a bit. "Well, not the Prince exactly. There are plenty of Princes in the world. I'm only a Prince."

"But… Your name's not really 'Kit'." The girl sounded a little disappointed.

"Certainly, it is! Uh, my father still calls me that when he's especially unpeeved at me."

The girl laughed. "But…you're no apprentice."

Kit was quick to come to his own defence. "I am! An apprentice monarch! Still learning my trade."

The girl gasped as she tried hard not to laugh hysterically. "Oh, gosh!"

"Please, forgive me." Kit begged as they began to make their way around the room. "I thought you might treat me differently if you knew. I mistook you for a good, honest country girl. Now I see that you didn't want to overawe a plain soldier."

"Little chance of that!"

Kit held out his hand. "No more surprises?"

The girl shook his hand. "No more surprises," she agreed. Her eyes darted up to a large portrait hanging on the wall behind Kit. "Is that you?"

They walked over to the painting.

"I hate myself in paintings," Kit bemoaned. "Don't you?"

The girl chuckled. "No one has ever painted my portrait."

"No? Well, they should." It'd be a crime for any artist to miss capturing your beauty!

The girl flushed profusely. "Ah… What were you doing?"

"That?" Kit glanced up at the portrait again. "Oh, I was about to charge the enemy." He held out his hand in a silent suggestion that it was time for them to move on.

"How terrible!" the girl gasped as she headed over to the doorway.

Kit was surprised! "Most people would say 'how exciting!'"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're right. It is terrible." Extremely! "I'm not supposed to say that, but it is."

Two footmen ran into the room behind them. "Your Royal Highness!" one of them called out anxiously. Turning, Kit held up his hands to stop them.

"Thank you," he said firmly. Then, he closed the doors. It was his way of ordering the footmen not to follow them.

Once Kit and the girl were more-or-less alone outside, they walked along the paths, side-by-side, admiring the perfectly manicured gardens.

"Here is where I played a war when I was little," Kit reminisced to the girl. He didn't want to think about the wars tonight, but it was difficult not to talk about them; especially since he'd now found someone who hated fighting just as much as he did. "It was different then. You could always bring the soldiers back to life, and they had no one to grieve for them."

The girl seemed to realise that Kit was talking about a particularly sensitive subject, so she decided to alter the topic slightly. "With whom did you play?"

"The Captain of the Guard, kind fellow that he was. He always spared time for me. And you? Who did you have to play with?"

"Oh, I had so many playmates! Sheep and geese, and all the mice, of course."

"Of course," Kit agreed, even though it sounded so strange to him. Then, not wishing to offend the girl, he asked, "Are they good company?"

The girl chuckled. "They are excellent listeners."

Kit gestured to the left, indicating the direction he wanted to go. "Please."

"Thank you," the girl said quietly, going ahead for a moment. They entered another section of the gardens, where they could be completely alone, away from prying eyes. The path they had taken was lit with flaming torches, giving the garden a romantic ambiance.

"How beautiful!" the girl breathed.

"My mother loved it here," Kit said. "Since she died, my father can't bring himself to visit the gardens."

"My mother is in heaven too. Do you suppose they know each other?"

Kit grinned, bemused by the thought. "I don't see why not!"

"I think heaven is like the Palace ball. Everyone is invited."

"That's because of you. I made sure everyone could come because I hoped to see you again."

The girl blushed, and she dropped her gaze. "I came to see Mr Kit," she said quietly.

"Not the Prince?"

"Oh, no. The Prince is far too grand." She was teasing, and Kit knew it.

"Surely not for someone like you. I don't suppose you have a large army?"

"I'm afraid I have no army at all."

Well, that would've made things easier…

"Won't they miss you at the ball?" the girl asked.

"Maybe… But let's not go back just yet." Kit fiddled with the hilt of his sword.

"What's wrong?"

Kit was surprised that the girl had noticed his nervous habit. "When I go back, they will try to pair me off with a lady of their choosing," he replied bitterly. "I am expected to marry for advantage."

"Oh! Well, who's advantage?"

"That is a good question!" Kit smiled thoughtfully.

"Surely you have a right to your own heart!"

"But I must weigh that against the King's wishes. He is a wise ruler, and a loving father."

"Perhaps he will change his mind."

"I fear he hasn't much time to do so," Kit said sadly.

The girl looked crushed, which meant that she'd understood the hidden meaning in Kit's words. "Poor Kit!" she whispered.

Moving on, Kit escorted the girl to his secret garden. "I've never shown this place to anyone," he told her excitedly. He opened the wooden door, and they entered the garden.

"A secret garden!" the girl gasped in astonishment. Without hesitating, she ventured further into the small, walled garden. "Oh, I love it!"

When Kit saw her admiring his swing, he gestured for her to sit. "Please," he invited.

"No, I shouldn't!"

"You should!" Kit insisted.

"I shouldn't!"

"You should!"

"Shouldn't!"

"You should!"

"I will!"

Kit grinned when the girl finally gave in. That friendly banter had been like the ones he always enjoyed having with his father, whenever they'd disagreed on something. Kit politely held the swing steady as the girl sat herself down on it.

"May I?" he asked once she was settled.

"Please!"

Placing his hand in the small of the girl's back, Kit gave her a gently push. She chuckled as she began to swing back and forth, propelled by Kit's gentle pushes. The skirt of her stunning ball gown floated like a soft blue cloud every time the swing reached the peak of its arc.

On the third swing, Kit heard a soft 'clink!'. "Oh!" the girl gasped, and she stopped the swing. Looking down, Kit saw that her shoe had fallen off. He instinctively went to retrieve it for her.

Kneeling in the lush green grass, Kit was amazed by what he saw. Wanting to ensure his eyes weren't deceiving him in the moonlight, he carefully picked up the shoe. Sure enough, his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

"It's made of glass!" he said in astonishment.

Chuckling, the girl shrugged. "And why not?" She made it sound as if glass shoes were just as common as teapots.

"Allow me?" Kit asked, still not forgetting his gentlemanly manners.

"Thank you," the girl acquiesced.

Kit respectfully lifted up the hem of the girl's skirt, so he could see her foot. Then, with great love and tenderness, he eased the glass slipper back onto her foot. It fit her like a glove. Almost as though the shoe was moulded onto her foot when it was made, he mused.

Smiling, Kit looked up at her. "There."

The girl exhaled deeply as she brought the swing down closer to Kit.

"Won't you tell me who you really are?" he asked. He just had to know who this girl was! After all, she'd had several hours to tell him the truth.

"If I do, I think everything might be different," the girl replied with a tone of sadness in her voice.

"I don't understand. Can you at least tell me your name?" Kit pressed.

"My name is…" the girl began, but then she paused. Looking up at the Palace clock, she saw that it was two minutes to midnight. Her eyes sparkled as she gasped in disbelief. "I have to leave!"

Thank you so much to those of you who so kindly left a review! I'm sorry my updates haven't been as consistent as I'm sure we'd all like them to be, but sometimes 'life' just gets in the way. I sincerely hope this chapter was well worth the wait, because I've really enjoyed writing it.