Chapter 10: An Unexpected Dance Partner

The grand duke rushed to the king's side before kneeling to ear level,

"Your majesty the young ladies are getting impatient. There are whispers circling the ballroom that your son isn't being a most welcoming host because he has yet to invite anyone to dance" he whispered and the king sighed before rolling his eyes as he looked at Rumple sympathetically,

"I'm sorry Rumple… But you must ask someone to dance" he said and Rumple sighed,

"There's only one person I want to dance with….. And she didn't come" he said sadly and his father patted his shoulder comfortingly,

"It's only for good manners Rumple… You're only expected to dance with someone not marry them" he teased gently which made Rumple chuckle before looking at the clock and saw that it was now 10:00pm and he looked down at Bae with a smile,

"Time for you to go to bed Bae" he told his son gently and Bae pouted,

"Awwwwww Papa I want to dance with someone too" he said innocently and his grandfather chuckled amused at the young prince's innocence. Rumple chuckled before kneeling down so he was eye level with Bae and he ruffled his hair,

"Maybe at the next ball Bae but right now it's time for little prince's to go to sleep" he said and Bae pouted but giggled when his papa ruffled his hair,

"Ok papa" he said before hugging him and Rumple instantly hugged his son back which caused numerous sighs of admiration from young ladies in the crowded ballroom. The grand duke came to young Bae's side,

"I will see your son safely to his bed chamber your highness" he assured him and Rumple smiled gratefully before nodding,

"Thank you" he said before watching as the grand duke led little Bae out of the ballroom and took a deep breath before stepping off the royal platform to find a dance partner.

Belle's carriage pulled up outside the castle at the foot of the grand steps that led to the grand doors and she took a deep breath. Mary the recently transformed horse neighed in encouragement as Belle poked her head slightly out of the carriage window and she took a deep breath,

"Ok…. I can do this" she whispered to herself and as if by magic the carriage doors opened gently with grace and Belle stepped out. The clink of her glass slipper as it touched the gravel was like music.

The grand duke had been babbling away as Bae followed him to his room,

"Don't worry my young Prince….. One day when you're older you'll be hosting balls and wooing young ladies just you wait and…." He said before turning to see that Bae was gone,

"Prince Bae?... Prince Bae?" he began to panic as he checked behind the tapestry that hung next to him and he became terrified,

"Oh no his grandfather is going to kill me and then worse his father will kill me… I'm going to be executed twice. PRINCE BAE?!" he yelled as he ran back down the corridor to look for him. He didn't notice how Bae popped his head out from behind a marble pillar on the other side of the hall and he giggled before running off.

Belle had walked passed the ceremonial guards. She looked around at the grand architecture and was mesmerised. It was almost exactly how she had dreamed it would look like. She followed the corridor. How on earth was she going to find the ballroom in a castle so huge?

Bae was giggling as he ran around trying to find a place to hide. To him it was a huge game of hide and seek between him and the grand duke. He looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was chasing him and he suddenly bumped right into Belle who looked stunned when she saw him,

"Bae" she said and Bae looked at her before smiling brightly and he jumped at her and hugged her waist tightly,

"Miss Belle! You did come!" he said brightly and Belle smiled as she knelt down to hug him back. Bae pulled back and his eyes widened when he saw her stunning ocean blue dress and how her brunette curls were complimented with crystal gems and he smiled,

"You look really pretty" he said and Belle blushed gently before smiling softly,

"Why thank you. What are you doing out here? Why aren't you with your papa?" she asked and Bae pouted and folded his arms stubbornly,

"It was my bed time but I'm not tired" he wined and Belle giggled,

"I wanted to stay with my papa and dance with someone like him" he said and Belle smiled softly before thinking,

"Well….. I suppose one dance before you go to bed won't hurt… And I do need someone to show me the way to the ballroom" she reasoned softly with a hint of teasing which caused Bae to smile brightly,

"Really Miss Belle? You'll dance with me?" he asked excitedly and Belle smiled as she stood before curtsying in a teasing yet polite manner,

"It would be my honour Prince Bae" she said gently and Bae giggled as he bowed to her before taking her hand and led the way to the ballroom.

Rumple made his way through the guests as he greeted them all properly and he became relieved when he saw his old friend charming,

"Charming good to see you old friend" he said and Charming smiled brightly before patting his old friend's shoulder in greeting,

"Good to see you too Rumpy" he said which made Rumple roll his eyes,

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" he asked teasing and Charming chuckled,

"How many times have I ignored you?" he responded which caused Rumple to chuckle and he put his arm around Charming's shoulder,

"Listen Charming, I need a favour" he said quietly and his friend nodded,

"Anything" he replied and Rumple smiled awkwardly,

"I need a dance partner but I don't feel comfortable dancing with a stranger" he explained and Charming looked at him sceptically,

"Alright but you're gonna have to buy me a drink first" he said and Rumple rolled his eyes,

"Not you numbskull. Your wife" he said and Charming chuckled,

"I know. I'm just teasing. Snow?" he called over her shoulder and she came to his side whilst holding a blond haired young girl and Rumple smiled,

"This must be young Princess Emma" he said politely but the little girl hid her face in her mother's shoulder shyly causing Snow to giggle before nodding,

"Yes she's 5 now" she explained and Rumple chuckled,

"Same age as my Bae" he said and Charming smiled at Snow,

"Rumple needs a dance partner. Would you mind my dear?" he asked and Snow smiled before handing Emma to her father,

"Of course. Anything for one of my husband's old friends" she said and Rumple smiled brightly before bowing politely to Snow as she curtsied,

"Thank you Snow. You're a life saver" he said causing her to giggle as she took his hand,

"I can assure you my husband has told me that many times" she said whilst looking at Charming teasingly as Rumple led her to the dancefloor.

Belle's eyes widened when she saw the size of the ballroom and the number of guests,

"Wow….. I….. I didn't expect there to be so many people" she said nervously and Bae giggled as he held her hand,

"Don't worry Miss Belle" he said encouragingly,

"It's just a party" he said which made Belle smile softly but became curious as he let go of her hand before approaching a servant and tugging on his coat for attention. The servant instantly knelt down to Bae who whispered in the servant's ear who smiled brightly before nodding and Bae giggled as he ran back to Belle's side and retook her hand. Belle looked at him,

"What did you do?" she asked curiously before looking as the servant banged his staff against the tile floor causing the sound to echo around the ballroom and everyone looked towards the staircase including Rumple who was just about to start dancing,

"Introducing Young Prince Bae and Princess Belle" he announced and Belle looked at Bae shocked which caused him to giggle so she just smiled softly and began to walk down the staircase with him.

Rumple was mesmerised as he watched his son escort the beauty down the grand staircase,

"She came" he whispered to himself.

Ooooooooooo I am so cruel hehe *Evil Dark One Giggle* :D Please review and let me know what you think in order to unlock the next chapter :D

Kind Regards,

TheAuthor1996