Chapter 7: Fire and Ice

Chateau Nevrakis, The Northern Alps, Cordonia. Tuesday, March 30th, 2018

With their bags packed and stored in the stretch limo's trunk, Ridley, Maxwell, Marcella, Hana and Diana traveled away from the Palace and towards the Nevrakis family Chateau in Lythikos, which was located in the Alps of Cordonia in the Country's Northern Region. Bertrand did not join them, as he had matters to deal with back at the Beaumont estate.

The drive to the estate took a few hours, with The Nevrakis limo leading the royal convoy with a Cordonian police car in front for security reasons. Lisette was behind them in the royal limo, Ridley, Marcella and Maxwell's limo came behind them with the other three suitors trailing behind them and Hana's town car at the rear.

About three hours later, the warm weather of the country's central region dissolved and was replaced with falling snow and clouded skies. Some time after that, Ridley, Marcella, Maxwell, Hana and Diana- the latter two having joined them in their limo-were glancing out the window and down the mountainside of a snowy vista that overlooked the Nevrakis family Chateau below.

"Here we are!" Said Maxwell grandly, "Welcome to Lythikos! The Land of Ice, snow and mountains beyond mountains!"

Ridley scanned the snow covered tableau before his eyes. Everything looked so majestic and picturesque: the snow capped mountains and hills that were perfect for winter activity, the ice pond below the vista and, of course, the Chateau itself. Unlike most Chateaus, It wasn't located on top of a mountain or hills, like Ridley expected Instead, it was situated on a patch of wide, open land between a lush mini-forest and the ice pond.

"This is where Olivier lives?" Asked Ridley.

Maxwell nodded, "Some of the time. He and Olivia are primarily based at Lythikos Hall, which is in the nation's southern region, but they'll be hosting us up here for the social season so we can take advantage of the snowy festivities…"

"And Olivier can take advantage of the Princess." finished Ridley.

"She does have that advantage." Admitted Hana. "But that's no reason to admit defeat."

Maxwell Nodded, "Right, Hana."

Diana glanced around the limo, "Where's Bertrand, Maxwell? I thought he hated missing the chance to lecture Ridley, eat fancy food and rub elbows with hate royals."

"Bertrand was called away for some business regarding our estate."

Ridley shrugged, "Great; now it's a real vacation."

"That's one way to put it." smiled Marcella, "Now we can really enjoy ourselves."

Hana scanned the view below. "Well, it is very beautiful out here, even if it's so cold."

Diana noticed Hana's dress, "Is that all you bought to wear?"

Hana shook her head, "Not exactly…I didn't realize it'd be snowing so much upon our arrival, but I'll be alright. What say we check into the Chateau."

"Good Idea," said Maxwell, "Come on, Ridley; let's show you your room."

The limo pulled into the estate's driveway and pulled up in front of the Chateau's polished applewood front double doors. Ridley, accompanied by Maxwell and Marcella, entered the lavish house and followed them into his bedroom. the walls and curtains were a mixture of light purple and navy blue, which matched the trim on the wall length mirror near the closet door as well as the plush comfy couch at the rear of the room.

"Put your things in here," said Maxwell, "Let's go."

Ridley did so, "What's the rush?"

"We've got an big day in the snow planned out."

"Plus" added Marcella, "who was already glancing out the bedroom window," Don't look now, But Olivier and Lisette are already enjoying themselves on the ice. Better suit up for the cold."

The couple stepped outside, leaving Ridley to dress in black jeans, black boots, a white turtleneck sweater, a navy blue peacoat that matched his gloves and a thick multi-colored plaid winter scarf. He re-emerged from the room and met them in the foyer. They, too, had dressed in winter clothing. Maxwell wore a gray peacoat and a blue scarf over his black shirt and pants. Marcella wore a loose, long sleeved, knee length black dress with matching stockings, boots and gloves and a purple peacoat with a white scarf.

"You know how to ice skate, right?" Asked Maxwell, once they reached the ice pond.

Ridley sat on a bench replaced his boots with a pair of ice skates, as did Maxwell and Marcella. "I know the basics." he said slowly, "Try to stay upright and don't fall." He never did much skating when he was younger, be it on ice or otherwise.

Maxwell shrugged, "Good enough."

Ridley got to his feet and scanned the pond. the lords and ladies and other guests were casually skating in pairs; Hana was with Pierre, Kieran with Olivia, Madeleine with Gilderoy, Kiara with Penelope and Lisette with Olivier, the latter of whom were skating in the middle of the pond. Diana, the only not not on the ice, sat on the bench at the edge of the pond packing snowballs.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten how well I can skate." Olivier was saying jokingly to Lisette, who was performing a figure eight with the skill and grace of an olympian.

"Oh, I very much remember." she replied, performing a figure eight that nearly matched his.

Marcella spotted the duo and turned to Ridley while pointing to Lisette, "Remember to keep your eyes on the prize. Good luck." She sent Ridley a wink, grabbed his and Maxwell's arms and dragged them onto the pond. The trio approached Olivier. "Hey, Olivier; That was a great figure eight. Have you done a figure sixteen?"

Olivier frowned, No. And I don't believe such a trick has been attempted."

"Wanna bet?" Marcella posed competitively; she sent two hidden winks to Maxwell and Ridley. Marcella began to skate a figure eight and sent Ridley another wink; Ridley, however, cocked his head in confusion. Maxwell then saw that Olivier was occupied with Marcella, smiled and thrust Ridley towards Lisette.

Cripes, thought Ridley, Could they any less subtle? then he noticed that most of the skating pairs were all heading straight for him; he was as spooked as a novice driver that had accidentally drove into oncoming traffic on a busy highway. He quickly spun around, before they saw him blocking them and skated ahead of him. Unfortunately, he was so focused on getting ahead of them on the pond that his balance practically flew out the window! he soon found himself spinning across the pond, trying to maintain his balance.

His presence startled Madaleine, who had ended up losing her balance and ended up grabbing into him to maintain her balance, which ended up being the wrong thing to do, as it instead made her run into Kieran and Olivia, with the other couples not far behind. Ridley, in all his flailing, noticed Lisette in his sights and headed towards her. "Good day!" he said, frantically.

Lisette noticed him, but before she could offer him her hand to save her, Marcella had nearly finished her figure sixteen when one of her skates, which was in the air, accidentally knocked Lisette off balance. Ridley swerved left to avoid crashing into and injuring her, only to collide head on with Olivier, Olivia, Madeleine, Hana, Pierre and Penelope. Kieran, Kiara and Gilderoy were not in the vicinity, but they did witness it all. Ridley swerved off the pond and into a nearby snow bank that nearly submerged him.

Once the dust was settled, he emerged from the bank, shaking himself until he was free of snow. he shakily glanced back at the others; they were helping each other up, with Lisette readily helping out. So much for grand romantic gestures, he thought stupidly.

Marcella helped Ridley up as Maxwell helped out the others. When the others locked eyes with Ridley, their displeasure clouded their faces, obviously most of them, minus Hana, Ridley thought, believed he did his accident on purpose to screw them all up. Ridley avoided their gazes and hobbled towards the bench to sit down; Diana sat on the other end, lost in her thoughts.

"You'll be alright!" said Marcella brightly, "Just a little rest and you can try again."

Ridley glanced over at Lisette, who was chatting and smiling with Olivier and Pierre. "Forget it." he muttered sadly, "I almost broke every bone in their bodies trying to skate; I'm staying on the sidelines until they all stop thinking about wanting to hit me where it hurts."

Marcella's smile faltered, "On the bright side…" She pointed to the pond, where two eights stood out in the middle of the pond. a figure sixteen, to be precise.

"A gold medal for you, Michelle Kwan." muttered Ridley sarcastically, flopping against the bench's head rest. Marcella sat down beside him and held his hand to comfort him.

Ridley continued to rest on the bench as the others skated; suddenly, from out of nowhere, Lisette skated up to him. Ridley could see her winter outfit clearly. She wore a pure white sweater dress under a purple overcoat with a queen's crown pin pinned to her lapel; she also wore black stockings and white ice skates. Her platinum hair was held up in a variety of snowflake hairpins.

"Are you okay? I didn't see you skate."

Ridley glanced up sheepishly, "After what just happened, I don't think I'll wear ice skates as long as I live."

Lisette gave him a sad, yet sympathetic, look, "It wasn't as bad as you think it was. Ignore what the others think, it's not your fault their feet was better on the ice than yours."

Ridley smiled, thought it wasn't enough to hide his embarrassment, "This place is pretty majestic."

Lisette nodded and sat next to him on the bench, "Olivier and Olivia were glad to host us here. In fact, I used to come here time and time again when I was young. We'd build snow forts and catapult snowballs at each other. Not just that, but we'd try to look through the pond and see if there were fish underneath. Unfortunately, there were none.

"You and Olivier sound like you two were very close."

"We were. That's why it's hard seeing him turning into who he is now. I know he can be a tough person to get along with.

"Ridley stared into his gloved hands, "He's basically your gender swapped polar opposite; Olivia counts too, on account of being his twin."

"I'm not surprised," replied Lisette, "They had a rough childhood. Their parent were killed in a political assassination when they were only five years old. They were alone, without family at their estate for the better part of a year before my parents and I officially visited them." Her face darkened with anger, "They were supposed to be in the care of their great aunt; but the woman had left to spend the summer on the Riviera. Olivia ended up going along with her, but Olivier got left behind. He didn't have anyone; he was all alone."

"He didn't have his fortune?"

"Wealth can solve a good deal of problems, but it couldn't give Olivier what he truly needed: Love, and lots of it. The first few days of our visit, he was sullen and withdrawn. I thought he hated me; but one night, I heard him crying through the wall. I thought it was a ghost, at first, but once I actually investigated, there he was…little five year old him crying into one of his father's favorite suits. He was saying, 'Come back, mother, father and Olivia! please come back!' I knelt beside her and hugged him until he stopped crying and fell asleep. I knew that he didn't deserve to be alone, so I convinced my parents to allow him to live at the palace with us."

"And they granted your request?"

Lisette nodded, "For almost two months, he wouldn't leave my side; that nearly drove Diana crazy."

Ridley thought of something, "Didn't Olivier had servants at the Chateau?"

Lisette sighed, "The servants did their best for him, but they were traditionalists, Nevrakis-family trained for decades. Even after a lifetime holding the nobility on a pedestal. They still didn't give him love, which is what he truly needed-."

Olivier broke up their talk by skating over to them; he shook his head furiously, "That Beaumont couple is so persistent and distracting!"

Lisette smiled, "Maxwell can be high energy."

"I can tell… "he sighed, "Marcella, on the other hand…" She sighed angrily, "Her figure sixteen was impressive; but considering what happened, she should be lucky the pond didn't break! Seriously, what does Maxwell see in her?!" He noticed Ridley and flashed him a sharp smile, "So, Ridley; I bet you've never seen a countryside this spectacular. Impressed?"

Ridley grinned, "Yes, it's gorgeous. Especially the scenery."

Olivier blinked, not expecting the compliment, "Oh…yes it is."

Olivia skated up next to him, "It's nice that even someone like you can appreciate the elegance and splendor of nature, Ridley."

Olivier approached Lisette, "Princess Lisette, Would you join me for a round across the lake?"

Lisette stood. "I do owe you that, Olivier. Excuse me, Ridley." she curtseyed at him and left with Olivier, hooking her arm in his. Once on the pond, Olivier snaked his hands into hers. Olivia and Ridley watched it all. Olivia gestured for Ridley to join her.

"May I have this skate?" asked Olivia.

Ridley shook his head; not wanting to embarrass himself again, "Thanks, but no thanks. Especially after what just happened earlier."

Olivia smiled, "Smart choice. That said, you're not the only one making an ass of yourself out there." She gestured over to the others nobles on the pond. They were trying to skate well and mostly failing; Kiara, in particular, was trying to skate and ended up sliding across the lake on her stomach.

"Ooof!" Exclaimed Kiara.

Penelope was faring better, but her balance wasn't at all steady, "I don't think I can balance on these without a partner…" she said to her brother in embarrassment; Unfortunately, he was now paired with Madaleine.

Even Tara, who was skating with Kieran, was having trouble. "This ice hasn't even been resurfaced! My skates are too expensive for this!"

"Kieran shook his head, "All these complaints…" He grumbled, "I need a new partner." Unfortunately, that caused Tara's balance to go out the window and both of them to tumble onto the pond's surface.

Hana, for her part, skated easily across the pond and went over to Olivia and Ridley. "Looks like Olivier stole Lisette from you, Ridley."

Ridley shrugged, "He's fine. Lisette has obligations; all the other suitors deserve their chances with her. This is Olivier getting his."

"That's very level headed of you." Smiled Hana. She did a graceful twirl before coming to a full stop by the bench.

"Where'd you learn to skate like that? It couldn't have been with the other ladies. No offense, Olivia."

"Oowww! Min Posterieur!" moaned Kiara, Who had landed on their butt.

"None taken." Said Olivia. She looked between Hana and Ridley, "And on that note…" She skated away from them; leaving them alone.

"Ice skating was one of the many thing say parents sent me to lessons for." Said Hana.

"That's unusual." Commented Ridley, "For me, it was Soccer, Baseball, Golf and Basketball practice."

"It's a skill I learned to appeal to suitors. I was told 'a display of elegance can go a long way.'

"That's so cool; especially to have it as part of your training."

"Thank you, that's very sweet of you."

"Did you actually like the activities they selected for you?"

"When my parents were selecting my activities, whether or not I enjoyed something wasn't a factor they considered."

"Any other neat tricks I should know about?"

She shrugged, "Maybe. I Like to keep a surprise or two. What about you?"

Ridley shrugged, "Same here."

Olivier's voice sounded over the entire pond. "Come on, everyone! Time to hit the slopes!"

Kieran sighed in relief, "Dieu merci!" Kiara echoed his response.

Penelope was nervous, "Skiing should be easier than this.. right?"

"Of course!" Said Pierre with a shade more confidence, "In theory…"

Tara sighed in delight, "Finally; a use for that professional ski equipment I bought three years ago."

They each took the ski lift to the top of the steepest mountain slope. Once at the top, Diana stopped beside Ridley; she wore a green peacoat over a red sweater dress with black stockings and matching boots.

"Well, now; you made it to the slopes."

"Starting to Miss me?"

Diana shrugged, "Hardly; I'm just bored."

"You didn't skate?"

"Not my thing, honestly."

Ridley waggled his eyes, "I think you'd look smashing in a tutu!"

Diana rolled her eyes, "I regret opening my mouth."

"So is skiing better?"

"I'd hardly call this skiing." she gestured to the tableau around them, "But I'm willing to change that. How about a race?"

"What makes you think I can ski?"

"Maybe it's because I have faith in you, Knightley."

"You're scaring me with your…niceness" said Ridley uncertainly.

Diana waggled her eyes cheekily, "To me, it's an advantage. Now, In one minute, I will start skiing; if I get to the bottom before you…Let's just say, I will never let you hear the end of it." She readied her skies, "Ready…set…Don't wipe out!" and she was off in an instant.

"Hey!" shouted Ridley; he took off down the slope after her. The wind and snow billowed around his exposed face.

The first obstacle ahead was a tree, which he carefully avoided; he was gaining on Diana, whose brow was furrowed competitively.

"Come on," She breathed.

As Ridley persevered further, he noticed Olivier and Lisette skiing down the hill as well. Unfortunately, he couldn't risk taking his eyes away from in front of him; else he could crash. He was close to Diana, closer and closer. Suddenly, he noticed a large fallen tree ahead of him; too long to bypass and seemingly too thick for a small collision; he had no choice. praying that his skis would stay on, he pushed off the ground and just barely spanned the tree without losing his momentum. he passed Diana at the last minute as he pulled himself to a stop at the bottom of the hill. Diana stopped after him.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, "That's the most cutthroat action I've seen his entire season. And this time, no suitors were involved. You win, Knightley. Great job!"

Ridley shrugged, "At least, I can ski better than I can waltz….which is barely at all."

"Wait..You can't waltz?" exclaimed Diana, "I thought you danced with Lisette!"

"Yeah…but something tells me slow dancing and waltzing are two different ballparks."

Diana shook her head with a sigh, "Knightley, Knightley, Knightley….What would you do with someone to guide you?"

"Excuse me?" he scowled.

"There's a ball being thrown tomorrow at the Chateau and all of the lords and ladies are expected to dance the Cordonian Waltz in front of everyone. It's very complicated."

"I've survived this far; I'll make it work."

Diana shrugged, "Whatever you say, Knightley. Just don't be surprised if I end up laughing at you by the end of the night."

"Okay, then, you tell me; how does one do the Cordonian Waltz?"

Diana shuffled her feet, "Sadly, I'm not good at explaining the steps; you'll have to seek out someone else. Try asking Marcella or Hana; they can help you better than I can."

"Whatever you say."

Olivier called everyone's attention and when they all turned to him, including Ridley and Diana, he spoke up. "I hope you all enjoyed the day's events. Now, let's all go inside to my Chateau's lodge and warm ourselves."

Diana glanced over at Ridley before beginning the walk to the lodge, "Thanks for the race, I had fun."

Ridley followed after her, "Maybe you're not as bad as you think."

Diana shook her head, "You're going soft on me, Knightley." and They followed Olivier and the others back into the Chateau.

Minutes later, Ridley, Diana, Marcella, Maxwell and Hana were enjoying hot drinks by the fireplace inside the living room in the Chateau's Lodge. Ridley was sipping hot caramel apple cider while the others simply did hot cocoa.

"Did you enjoy the day, Ridley?" asked Maxwell.

Ridley nodded, I did; and now, I have a hot apple cider. The best that a snowy getaway can offer."

"Hot apple cider?" asked Marcella.

Ridley gestured to his mug, "Who could ask for anything better?" Marcella stared into her hot chocolate.

Hana smiled, "This is wonderful; Look, little marshmallows shaped like hearts!"

"Just Adorable." replied Diana, sipping her drink softly.

Footsteps sounded from the foyer. "Watch yourself; we've got incoming." muttered Maxwell.

He wasn't wrong. Olivia was walking towards them, wearing a white knee length sweater dress.

"Well, hello, dear guests." She said with a false sweetness that Ridley could discern from the very first word. ""I hope your enjoying our respectable housing."

"I always enjoy my time here with you, Olivia." said Marcella. Olivia didn't return the compliment.

"It's….definitely something." added Diana.

"Where's Olivier?" asked Ridley, "I thought he would check on us; given that this is his place after all."

Olivia cocked her head, "Olivier is currently schmoozing Lisette; so I'm doing the rounds in his stead. And for the record, this is mine too. Specifically, it belongs to our family."

Ridley scowled, "I never noticed; how silly of me!"

Olivia's smiled faded and her face went red, "You seem to have forgotten your manners, Ridley, so if I may offer a refresher; You are a guest, and as such, it is mandatory to show politeness to your hosts."

"He knows that!" said Marcella firmly, "I taught him that before the trip here."

Olivia turned to Marcella, "I'm surprised you told him and not Maxwell, Marcella; after all, you two aren't even married." Marcella held Olivia's piercing gaze, though it was an effort. She knew she was right; She and Maxwell weren't married, at least not yet. And yet, the entire kingdom believed they were. Marcella knew she was Maxwell would have to tell Ridley the truth about why this was so, but not now; not while the competition was in full swing.

"Everything all right over here?" Olivier strode confidently into the area, a hot chocolate in his own hand.

"I believe so. Right, Ridley?" Olivia turned back to Ridley, expecting him to explode and kill the mood; But instead Ridley smiled thinly, "All is well; Thanks, Olivier."

Olivier smiled back lightly, but Olivia was anything but convinced. "Aren't you supposed to be with Lisette?"

Olivier's smiled faded, "Our tour of Lythikos Castle ended just now; She's with Gilderoy now."

Olivia nodded and turned to Drake with narrowed eyes and a thin mirthless smile. "Did you see that we have eclairs here, Diana? They always remind me of dear, darling little Savannah. She's gobble them down like a sow at the trough."

Diana's's entire face was burning like the fire in the fireplace. "Don't talk about my sister." She growled, her was lowered though to ensure the other guests weren't disturbed.

"Why ever not?" Continued Olivia, "She was such a fixture at court and then she up and disappeared without a trace. You never told us what happened; and, as you know, gossip is quick spread around here.

Diana squeezed her mug until her fingers were white. "She left because of people like you, Olivia."

Olivier shot his sister a warning glare, but from what Ridley could see, she either didn't notice or continued on spite of it.

"She has a point, you know, Diana." Said Olivier, turning to face her, "Savannah always was the sensitive sort; and not in a good way. Unfortunately, ladies like that don't last long around here."

Diana scowled at Olivier for a long moment as the latter remained impassive. She briskly set her hot cocoa on the coffee table and lept to her feet. "You know what? I just remembered, There's somewhere I need to be. If you'll all excuse me…"

"Hold on, Diana, dear." said Olivier, grabbing her arm, "I wasn't done talking to you yet." Diana forcefully wretched her arm free of his grip and sauntered away.

Olivia called after her, "Diana!-"

"That's enough, You two!" Snapped Ridley.

Olivier and Olivia spun around to face Ridley; both visibly stunned by his lack of calmness. Diana, who heard it too, stopped at the front door and turned around. Olivier smirked and cocked an eyebrow mockingly, "Bozhe Moy! Does the Bottom of the Barrel would be Prince Charming have a soft spot for the rough around the coattail riding royal?"

Ridley's scowl took on a hue to Match Diana's own from earlier. "Maybe I just don't like seeing anyone get treated like that."

"What a valiant hero to the masses!" said Olivia, "They must sing songs about you."

"As charming as this had been." Said Olivier, "I need to check the kitchen. Dinner is to be served in half an hour and I want to ensure that they are making proper progress."

"And I'm off to continue my rounds. Ta-ta!" the two turned and left the room. Neither of them noticed that Diana have

Hana, Marcella, Maxwell and Ridley were all left shocked, angry and bewildered by the royal twins' brutal behavior, especially towards Diana; whom they just realized had left the room as well.

Hana shook her head sadly. "I can't believe the things Olivier says…Much less what Olivia says."

"Yeah," added Maxwell, "Diana usually doesn't let them get under her skin."

Hana sighed, Well, I hope she's all right. I think I saw her go outside, though it's not a good idea to be out there right now. I've heard it said that there's a storm brewing tonight..."

Ridley glanced out the window behind them; The evening sky turned dark and ominous. "I ought to go out and see if she's alright and bring her back in."

"You're thinking about following her?" asked Hana in surprise.

Ridley glanced outside again to find Diana walking stiffly around the lodge. she was all bundled up and still upset. Ridley wanted to follow her but the unforgiving weather that was coming didn't seen to bother Diana. "You're right," he said, "She needs to be alone; I just hope she comes in."

"We should get to sleep too," Said Marcella, "The Cordonian Waltz is tomorrow and we'll need a good night's rest to pull it off tomorrow."

Ridley stared sadly into his now empty mug, "I don't think any amount of sleep tomorrow will improve my chances."

"What do you mean?" asked Marcella.

"I don't believe Diana told you, but I don't know the waltz."

Hana blinked, Oh, dear! It's rather late, but I could show you if you wish it!"

"I can do it," Said Marcella, "Maxwell and I have danced it countless times; I know it back to front."

Ridley glanced between them both; they were glancing back at him, waiting for his decision. To him, Marcella was a pretty good choices as she and Maxwell were two of his sponsors so it made plenty of sense. However, Hana had been formally and classically trained on many things in life, thanks to her parents, including dancing. Ridley was confident that Hana was the best choice.

"Let's do it, Hana." He said, standing up, "Especially while I still have some energy to burn."

Hana stood up eagerly, "Lovely. Let's practice in your room, if you don't mind."

"I don't."

They walked up to Ridley's room and cleared away some of the furniture until the middle of the room had enough space for dancing. Ridley removed his shoes to ensure that he wouldn't trod on Hana's toes, which, to him, was the biggest faux pax a man could ever commit with a moment. Hana noticed this and removed her heels in response, she,too, knew about too many men stepping on their date's toes due to a lack of coordination on the dance floor.

"I appreciate you helping me like this." Said Ridley.

Hana shrugged, "It's the least I can do after you cheered me up at the Masquerade. I'm just sorry that I didn't think to ask you of you knew it. It's a good thing Diana's looking out for you."

Ridley changed the subject, Alright; The Cordonian Waltz. How complicated is this going to be?"

Hana shrugged, "It depends; Do you consider yourself a good dancer?"

Ridley thought for several moments. He had never often considered his qualifications as a dancer. finally, he told Hana. "When it comes to Slow dancing, i'm surefooted enough that you never have to worry about me stepping on your toes."

Hana grinned, "Oh? Then this should be easy. If you have a good sense of rhythm, I think you can pick up easily enough." She noticed that Ridley's expression didn't carry the same enthusiasm. "What's wrong?"

"When it comes to other dances, particularly waltzes….I have three left feet."

Hana laughed openly, "At least you know your weakness."

Ridley's face clouded with dread, "This is going to be bad, isn't it?"

Hana shook her head, "My dear, I once taught my father favorite hunting dog to a box step on his hind legs. I think I can teach you a few steps of a waltz. Now, The Cordonian Waltz is a choreographed dance with specific steps. A long as you know your part for each of them, you can follow your partner easily. I'll put on some music and we'll start." She started a waltz song on a portable speaker that was set up on her nightstand and turned back to him. "Ready? I'll be the Princess in this situation, so you can learn your part."

Ridley cleared his throat. "Ahem. Princess Lisette."

"Lord Ridley", Hana nodded.

Ridley bowed to her in an exaggerated fashion, which make her laugh.

"Now we'll get into position," instructed Hana, "Let's have you put your left hand on my shoulder. Now put your right hand on my waist while I take your right hand in my left hand."

He did so, "So far so good."

"This is the box step," she continued, "It's the most basic movement and serves as a sort of bridge between the steps.

Hana nodded, "Now the next three steps are the reverse, spin, and the twirl. First, I'm going to lead you into the reverse."

At her prompting He shifted his weight and strode forward, in response to him, she moved backwards. They effortlessly glided in a straight line down the length of the room.

"Perfect" Said Hana, when they finished.

Ridley shrugged, "I mostly just followed your lead."

"That's a good thing, you were able to read me. Did you feel when I put that slight pressure on your hand? It was a cue to move forwards…"

"Yeah," said Ridley, "It's an interesting way of communication."

"Ultimately, the waltz is like a conversation." replied Hana, "You and your partners make a connection, responding to each other to make the dance work. It's kind of romantic, actually; the Cordonian Waltz is supposed to be a courtship dance, which is undoubtedly why Olivia chose it for the formal ball tomorrow."

"A Courtship dance?" Asked Ridley.

"Yeah," said Hana, "The last two steps are meant to be the most flirtatious. Let's do the second move, the spin; I'll take the lead this time, you just relax into it and watch me carefully."

She moved so that she could grasp Ridley's hands and began to swing him around; Ridley relaxed his entire body as she did so, allowing her to spin him effectively.

Ridley smiled.

"This feels to fun to be formal; are you sure I'm doing it right? Trust me, you're doing swimmingly." She steadied him as she pulled him back into the box step.

"Do you ever get a little dizzy from all the spinning?" asked Ridley.

Hana shook her head, "There's a little trick to this; Focus your attention on one thing."

Ridley quickly glanced around the room to find something to look at; unfortunately, there was no one to stare at, so he turned back to Hana; "Okay, I'll focus on you."

Hana blinked, barely able to hide the blush that crept up her face, I suppose that would work." she composed herself and kept her focus on Ridley, "And now for the last step, the twirl!" she twirled Ridley so that he was facing away from her and put her arms around his; the waltz piece soon faded, as it did so, they swayed together. By the time the room was quiet, Hana and Ridley were standing very close together and the former was beaming from ear to ear. Upon releasing this, she cleared her throat and stepped out of the embrace; her face red and flustered. "And that's the Cordonian Waltz." she said; her voice was steady, save for a slight hitch in her tone. "If you know those steps, you'll be more than fine. How do you feel about dancing now?

Ridley thought for a moment, "I feel a lot more confident that I was earlier; that's for sure."

Hana smiled, "That's incredible!"

"Ridley shook his head, "Ice skating, Waltzing…How are you so good at all these things?"

"As much as i'd like to claim it to be natural talent, it's as I said before; my parents have been pushing me to learn all the country and social arts since I was young."

"You must've had no free time, replied Ridley in surprise.

Hana nodded, "Between Schoo,l, dance, music lessons and etiquette lessons, my schedule was very full; my parents expected a lot. They were devastated when my older brother ran away and they had no other sons, so they pinned all their hopes on me. Every day of my life has been about grooming me to bring fame and fortune to my family by winning some prince or noble's hand…For all the good it's done after my last engagement."

Ridley sat down on the couch against the wall and Hana joined him, "Do you mind if I ask what happened with you fiance'?"

Hana was silent for a minute, staring straight ahead. "His name was Peter and he was an english nobleman. He was well off financially and socially and had an ancestral title and home; all of the things my parents always wanted for our family. We'd spend long afternoons horseback riding and sailing. Not only was he was very kind, he's been raised with romantic notions about true love and a lifetime of happily wedded bliss. It should have been perfect."

Ridley's face fell, he knew all too well where this was going, but he knew he had to hear it for Hana's sake. "But?'

Hana's face fell as well, "the simple truth was I didn't truly love him…" she was silent for a moment, but continued talking before Ridley could prompt her, "My parents never asked me what I wanted and never gave me reason to think that I, myself, might also love person I'd want to marry. When Peter proposed, I knew I had to accept. Nothing good would've resulted if I did otherwise." She waited for Ridley to interject, but he didn't; his face was a mask of sadness and maybe even longing, "I tried my best to sell it well and all went well…until he eventually became suspicious. We had our engagement party a month before the wedding day, he cornered me in an empty room and asked me If he was everything I wanted. I told him what he wanted to hear, but my tears shattered the illusion. He knew me well enough to know that despite my claims to the contrary, I was miserable. I don't believe he would've ever understood why i'd have gone through with it; and how could be, he was born into power and privilege." She noticed Ridley's silence, "if you have something to ask, you may do so."

Ridley managed to get in one question, "What was the aftermath?"

Hana turned to Ridley this time when she spoke, "He was a good enough man to not make a big deal about it, but there was a boatload of ugly speculation after we split. Especially because shortly after our engagement fell though, he married another woman." She released a long, slow breath. "That's all behind me now; My parents were upset over all that, but they brushed it aside when they caught wind of Prince Leo being up for grabs in the Cordonian Social season last year and sent me here to win his heart. You already know what became of that."

Ridley nodded. "Were you afraid that history would've repeated itself with Leo?"

Hana stared down at the empty table, "Well…I was hopeful that things would turn around…and I didn't want to disappoint my parents. Even if I didn't want to marry Leo, I wasn't at the top of the list of potential suitors for him so my parents couldn't hold that against me."

"And today?"

"When they received word of the competition for Lisette's heart and hand in marriage, they couldn't send me off as a potential suitor because their respective hardcore traditionalist upbringings wouldn't allow it. However, I was invited to partake in the activities and festivities; and to their glee, They had heard of the male suitors vying for their heart and believed that I would fall for one of them, in particular, whoever did not win Lisette's heart. Ever since i've been here, they've left me alone; But I'm certain they don't want me to visit them without a marriage proposal or a relationship."

Ridley took several minutes to process all that Hana said; Wow, he thought, And I thought Christians and Baptists had it tough in terms of traditions and expectations… "I hope this hasn't crushed your enjoyment of the festivities." he said empathetically.

For the first time that day, Hana smiled brightly; her backstory a distant memory. "Well, it hasn't. In fact, my parents have heard the news report about you during the competition and have pressured me to spend more time with you."

Ridley's heart jumped into his Adam's apple. "Why me? Please don't tell me they think i'm instant marriage material!"

Hana waved her arms to silence him, "Oh, I didn't mean that, Ridley; I just mean that you've got such a special connection with the Princess; and to them, if I'm closer to you, Then maybe…" her voice trailed off, and Ridley knew better than to press further.

Ridley's heart fell from his Adam's apple all the way to his shoes, "Is that all I am? just a ploy to get as close to Lisette as possible?"

"No!" exclaimed Hana, "Please, Ridley; it's not what you think it is, I promise! I like spending time with you. Please believe me!"

Ridley calmed himself, "I believe you, Hana; I like spending time with you as well. it's great to have a true friend in spite of all the cutthroat attitudes that are everywhere here."

Suddenly, the clock in Ridley's bedroom struck midnight and he and Hana turned to see it. Hana sighed, "Time to turn in, it would seem."

"I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Hana."

Hana impulsively stood up and embraced Ridley as he stood up; smiling as she did so. "Goodnight, Ridley."

She slipped out of his room and closed the door, allowing Ridley to change before sliding into his bed for the night.

And there you have it, Chapter 7 is up. Sorry for the delay. will be faster next time. Enjoy!

;)