Hoooooo boy, here we go, buckle up!
It was much too loud in the ballroom as Bill was ushered up towards the front on the room with Dipper in tow. He wasn't exactly walking as much as he was being directed forward by the persistent ebb and flow of the excited crowd. He vaguely felt Dipper squeezing his fingers as he tried to keep pace. They finally exited the crowd at the foot of the short stairs to the platform where Pacifica, her parents, and Bill's parents were standing.
As his mother spotted him exit the crowd, she motioned sharply for him to join them. He hesitated a moment, swallowing thickly, and she motioned again pointing at the floor beside her.
"Stay here," Bill mumbled over his shoulder. He practically forced himself to release Dipper's hand and slowly mounted the steps onto the platform. He walked past his and Pacifica's fathers who were still shaking hands and laughing boisterously, past his mother who nodded pointedly at Pacifica, and to the princesses side.
She turned to face him as he approached with a look on her face Bill couldn't quite decipher. They stood still a moment, seemingly studying each other as if to see who would crack first.
Under the weight of the crowd, the music, and Pacifica's stare, it seemed that it was Bill.
"We don't have to do this," Bill whispered pleadingly.
Pacifica shook her head slowly, a blonde curl falling from it's gold pin and into her eyes. She reached up slowly to push the strand away, her gloved hand shielding her face from the room as she responded. "We do," she responded quietly. She dropped her hand from her face and extended it to the prince.
His eyes dropped from her face to the offered hand and he hesitated a moment before taking it. "Are we nothing alike?" He asked, voice still low.
She released his hand long enough to loop her arm under his and turn both of their bodies to face the room. As they did so, the room erupted once more into cheers. "I thought we were," Bill barely heard her over the noise of the room, "but perhaps we are not."
He looked down at her, though she was looking out to the crowd with a soft smile, and furrowed his brow. He turned slowly back to the room, unable and entirely unwilling to force a smile onto his own face. His eyes scanned across the room slowly, flitting between each face until he landed on Dipper standing where he had left him at the foot of the stairs.
He was being slightly jostled by the people moving around him and had a look of almost panic; eyes wide and brow furrowed, his mouth slightly open. He seemed to be mouthing something at the prince, but Bill could not quite make it out.
He was about to untangle himself from the princess when his soon-to-be father-in-law slung a heavy arm around his shoulders. He was thumped hard on the chest with the flat of the King's hand. "Congratulations, my boy!" He said loudly, delivering another thump. "You could not find a finer bride in all the lands than my Pacifica."
"Oh, father," Pacifica laughed at her father and pulled her arm free. "You're embarrassing me." She extended both hands out to her father and he released Bill's shoulders to pull his daughter into a hug.
Bill took the opportunity to distance himself from them. He felt like he was being suffocated. He made it only two steps before he nearly ran into his own parents who were talking happily to each other. They turned to him as he reached them, both smiling widely.
"Ah, there he is. Good job, son. You've made us so proud!" His father clapped him on the shoulder and Bill almost collapsed under the weight of it. He took a half a step out of his father's grip and shook his head slowly.
"Why?" He whispered harshly at his mother who looked affronted by the question.
She raised a hand to silence him, her smile dropping to a stern expression. "Enough. We will hear none of your objections. I gave you a chance to do it on your own and you did not. You left me no choice."
His breath caught in his throat. As he opened his mouth to protest, Pacifica's father gave another booming announcement to the room. "As a celebration of this joyous occasion, I shall bring out two barrels of my finest wine from the cellars! Drink! Eat! Enjoy the party!" The music began again louder than before and the room was a flurry of movement as the crowd began to dance and cheer once more.
Bill took two quick steps backwards, his eyes flickering between the other people on the platform, before spinning sharply on his heel and practically running down the steps. No one made a move to stop him - much to his surprise - as he made directly for Dipper. He extended a hand as he approached and pulled sharper than he intended on Dipper's hand when it was taken. Dipper made a small sound of surprise as he was pulled through the crowd behind the prince.
"Wait!" Bill vaguely heard Dipper's voice behind him. "Where are we going?"
Bill stopped walking, Dipper nearly running into his back, eyes searching the middle distance. "Where am I going?" He thought, his grip on Dipper's hand slackening. "It's not like I can just leave."
Dipper stepped in front of him. He took hold of both of the prince's upper arms and squeezed lightly. "Hey," he said softly, "look at me." Bill blinked hard before meeting Dipper's gaze. "Breathe." Dipper squeezed his shoulders once more and Bill released a breath he had not realized he was holding. "There, one more time." Bill took another large inhale and exhale. "You back with me, your highness?"
Bill let out a strained smile. "Thank you, I needed that." He relaxed his shoulders into Dipper's touch and took another breath as he looked around the room.
"What do we do now?" Dipper dropped his hands from Bill's shoulders and fisted them at his sides. "You said you weren't marrying her, but it's looking more and more like you don't have a choice."
The blonde shook his head slowly. "I really don't know. I didn't think that..." he paused, eyes travelling to the front of the room once more. "I didn't think they would actually go through with this." He looked back at Dipper who was worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. "I mean, I expected this from my parents. But I suppose I gave Pacifica too much credit." He clenched his hands at his sides.
Dipper sighed and turned his head to look towards the head of the room. "You shouldn't be so hard on her. She's in much the same position as you."
Bill laughed incredulously, calling Dipper's attention back to himself. "You really do surprise me sometimes, Dipper."
"What do you mean?" Dipper quirked an eyebrow at him and shrugged.
"If anyone would be upset in this situation I would think it would be you," Bill explained. He adjusted his suit jacket on his shoulders and sighed. "Regardless, I don't really have a plan anymore."
"One step at a time," Dipper mumbled. He turned around and walked towards the banquet tables.
Bill waited a moment before following behind him. He let out a dry chuckle as they reached the table. "And what is step one, pray tell?"
The brunette grabbed two glasses of wine and offered one to the prince. Bill looked at the offered glass for a moment before taking it and quirking an eyebrow at him. "Step one," Dipper held his glass up and knocked it against Bill's haphazardly, "find the bottom of the glass."
The prince held back a laugh as Dipper tipped back his glass and downed it quickly before grabbing for another. "I thought you didn't like wine?" He questioned.
Dipper pulled a face after taking a large gulp from his glass. He swiped a hand across his mouth quickly and shook his head. "I don't. But that really isn't the point of drinking it, is it?"
"Fair enough, I suppose." Bill shrugged and took a drink from his own glass as he scanned the room. Some were still dancing, but many were milling around the refreshment tables grabbing freshly-poured glasses of wine as servants brought two large barrels into the room. The crowd had thinned slightly from the beginning of the party; many of the older guests seemingly had retired from the festivities for the night.
After a period of silence watching the crowd, Bill felt Dipper grab loosely at the hem of his sleeve and tug on it for his attention. Bill turned to face him and Dipper nodded his head towards the side of the room furthest from the tables where there were less people crowded around. The party showed very little signs of slowing - much to the prince's dismay - and some of the party-goers seemed to have been rejuvenated by both the announcement and the wine. Bill followed behind Dipper until the crowd began to thin around them.
They reached the far wall and Bill turned to lean back against it, facing the crowd. He tilted his head back with a sigh before taking a long drink from his glass. He looked back at Dipper just in time to see him stifle a yawn beneath his hand. "Getting tired?" He questioned.
Dipper gave a half-hearted shrug in response. "A little. It's late." He scrunched up his nose for a moment. "Or early, I suppose?" He gave the prince a lopsided grin.
They stood against the wall watching the party-goers mill around the room and dance across the center of the floor. Every once-in-a-while Bill cast a glance towards the front of the room. His parents were still there with Pacifica's, but he didn't see her up on the platform any longer. He nudged Dipper with his elbow for his attention.
"I wonder where my fiancée has wandered off to," Bill mused as he nodded his head towards the platform.
"Don't act like you care," Dipper scoffed. "You'd be perfectly happy if she disappeared and didn't come back."
Bill quirked an eyebrow at the shorter man. "Careful. You wouldn't want to sound jealous."
"Stop teasing, I'm not in the mood." Dipper scowled at him and nudged him with an elbow to the side.
Bill scooted slightly sideways away from the jab. "Alright, alright, my bad." He chuckled and took another drink, finishing the glass he was holding. "Do you want another?" He gestured to Dipper's own glass that was nearly empty.
Dipper surveyed his glass quietly a moment before shaking his head. "Wine makes me sleepy. I'm tired enough as it is."
"Fair enough, I wouldn't want to have to carry you back to bed." Bill laughed again and gave his glass to a servant walking by with a try of empty glasses.
Dipper shrugged and gave a lopsided smile at the prince. "You've done it before. It wouldn't be so bad."
Bill shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers and leaned back against the wall. "I have?"
"Yeah, you don't remember?" Dipper took another small sip from his glass and leaned back beside the blonde. "The first night. I fell asleep on the floor and woke up in your bed. That wasn't you?"
"Oh." Bill nodded slowly. "Yes, I suppose I did do that. But, you were a bit lighter when I did that. It might be a little more difficult to do after you ate your way through three helpings of dessert." He gave the brunette a playful shove to the shoulder.
"You're one to talk!" Dipper scoffed and shot him a playful glare. "You ate 2 helpings of that roast they brought out."
"Touche," Bill chuckled and settled against the wall again. He surveyed the crowd that seemed to be thinning more and more as people began to filter out of the rooms, some swaying slightly on their feet. "It shouldn't be much longer now, we'll be able to sneak off soon."
Dipper nudged his arm slightly and nodded his head towards the front of the room. "I wouldn't be so sure about that," he mumbled.
Bill looked to where he had been referring and saw his parents clearly watching them from across the room. The prince sighed heavily. "Imagine the look on their face if I really did pick you up and carry you out of here." He gave a dry chuckle that Dipper did not echo.
"They despise me enough without that, thank you very much." Dipper crossed his arms over his chest defensively.
"Hey," Bill said softly, "relax. It's fine, they won't do anything to you in front of all of these people." He placed a gentle hand of Dipper's shoulder. "I wouldn't let them."
Dipper's shoulder's dropped slightly under the prince's hand and he nodded slowly.
The pair lapsed into silence as they watched the ever-thinning crowd in the room. Once or twice Bill caught sight of Pacifica on the dance floor with several partners, and once he caught her watching them from across the room, but he ignored her. Over the span of another hour the music began to take a steadily slower rhythm as the high energy of the room seemed to dwindle and the loud conversation began to dim. Most of the people still remaining on the dance floor seemed to be around Bill's age; younger people still caught up in the excitement of a ball, no doubt.
Out of the corner of his eye, Bill saw Dipper stifle another yawn beneath his hand. He smiled softly before looking towards the head of the room. He once again saw his parents watching them from the raised platform. He nodded his head towards the door in a silent bid for permission. He received a stifled nod from his mother in response and gave a nod and a stilted smile in response.
The prince pushed off the wall, gaining Dipper's attention with the action, and gestured towards the door. "We can go now. We've been given a reprieve."
Dipper rolled his eyes with a scoff as the pair began walking towards he ballroom door. "A temporary one, I think." Dipper remarked blandly. "We'll be remanded into custody again in a few hours."
Bill chuckled at the snide remark but gave no response. The pair exited the ballroom and turned to walk down the empty corridor towards the staircase. As they reached the foot of the stairs, Bill heard the muffled sound of hurried footsteps behind them and stopped on the first step to turn towards the source of the sound - Dipper stopped only one step ahead of him and turned as well.
Behind them in the empty hallway was Pacifica hurrying towards them. Bill paid her no mind and turned to begin ascending the stairs again, gesturing for Dipper to follow. They made it only to the third and fourth step before she called to them.
"William!" Pacifica called out to him, sounding slightly out of breath.
Bill halted, clenching his fists at his sides, before turning to look at her. She had stopped several feet short of the staircase looking up at the pair.
She took several leveling breaths before taking another step forward. It seemed she was attempting to make her face appear impassive, but was not doing very well as she was unbaled to hide the slight flush in her cheeks and the darting of her eyes. "Where are you going? The party isn't over yet."
"We're tired." He gestured to himself and Dipper who had stopped one step below him on the stairs. "If that's all, we'll be going," he said curtly. He attempted to take another step up the stairs but was halted.
"Wait!" Pacifica had taken another step forward. When Bill turned again, she recoiled half a step back and stammered out an apology. "I just wanted to-."
"I really don't care what you want," Bill snapped again. "You clearly don't care what I want."
"Bill," Dipper hissed, drawing his attention. "That's enough."
Bill looked at the brunette for a moment, brow furrowed, before taking a steadying breath and turning back to the princess. "What?" He asked a little more shortly than he intended to. He felt the glare from Dipper but ignored it.
Pacifica looked away momentarily, her hands worrying the top layer of tulle on her gown. "I wanted to apologize." She still wasn't looking at them.
"You already have." Bill took a half step down the stairs towards her. "I already told you I don't want your apology."
Pacifica closed her eyes and took a sharp breath. "I know, I'm not apologizing for that." She whispered.
"What then?" The prince scoffed, his arms crossing over his chest.
Pacifica took another sharp breath before turning to look at them. She looked between the pair a moment, her bottom lip quivering slightly. She opened her mouth as if to speak, looked back down the hall quickly, and back again. She took two quick steps forward onto the bottom step of the staircase just in front of the pair. She looked down at her feet a moment, when she looked back up at them her voice came as a frantic whisper. "For this."
Pacifica lunged forward and grabbed onto one of Dipper's wrists. The brunette cried out and attempted to pull away but before Bill could react, Pacifica had yanked Dipper forward onto her and they fell backwards onto the floor at the foot of the stairs. As they fell, both cried out - though Pacifica much louder. Dipper only just managed to catch himself on his hands and knees with Pacifica on the carpet beneath him. Bill, still in slight shock at the series of events stood several steps behind them on the stairs. Dipper attempted to free himself but Pacifica caught the collar of his jacket in her other hand and held tight, effectively trapping him on top of her. She turned her head to the side and let out another loud shriek.
The thudding of heavy footsteps could be heard down the hall as Bill finally found his senses and descending the short steps to try to help Dipper up.
"Guards! Guards!" Pacifica shrieked again, still holding tight to Dipper's lapel.
"Pacifica!" Dipper sputtered, again trying to yank himself free. "Why are you doing this? Let me go!"
As Bill reached down to grab Dipper's shoulders he looked up to see several armed palace guards running towards them down the corridor. He froze for a moment before pulling hard on Dipper's shoulders.
"Princess!" One of the approaching guards shouted. At that moment, Pacifica released Dipper's lapel and he and the prince stumbled backwards off of her. She sat herself upright and scrambled backwards away from them.
Still sitting on the floor, she turned towards the guards who had reached them and pointed a frantic finger at Dipper. "He attacked me!" The prince saw tears spilling down her flushed face. "I was returning to my room and that- that- that boy set upon me!"
Dipper, eyes wide a breathing heavily, scanned across the faces of the guards and the princess before grappling his hands backwards to reach for the prince. "That... that's not true," Dipper whispered harshly. Bill, to his credit, was still attempting to pull Dipper from the floor.
One of the guards, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a red sash affixed to the front of his chestplate knelt down beside the princess and put an arm around her shoulder. "You're alright now, my lady." He said softly. He turned his head to the other soldiers and barked a command, "seize the servant at once!"
The other guards moved at once. They stepped around the princess and grabbed for Dipper who was still attempting to scoot himself backwards on the floor away from them. One of the armored hands found his forearm and he shouted as he was pulled away from the prince. Bill shouted as Dipper was pulled from his grasp. "Wait"
"No! Let go of me!" Dipper jerked hard away from the man and briefly freed himself before his other arm was seized. "Bill! Bill!" Dipper thrashed against his new captor and managed to turn his body enough to reach out a hand for the prince.
"Dipper!" Bill lunged forward towards Dipper's hand and caught the tips of his fingers. "Release him!" He shouted, attempting to get closer to Dipper's side. His path was blocked as another guard stepped into his way as a third seized Dipper's other arm and their hands were separated. The guard who had blocked the prince's path placed his hands on the prince's shoulders to stop him moving forward. "Release me at once!" Bill shouted, attempting again to move around the soldier.
"Bill!" Dipper cried out again, still thrashing in the soldier's grip on his arms. His eyes were wide and panicky, tears threatening to spill out of the corners, his suit jacket rumpled and askew on his shoulders. The brunette's breathing was coming out in short, labored pants. He pulled hard against the hands on his arms, but the men were much too strong for him. "Bill! Please!" His voice became hoarse as he shouted once more, still being pulled away.
Bill pushed hard against the soldier in front of him and saw Pacifica being pulled from the floor by the red-sashed soldier. "Pacifica! Tell them to let him go!"
Pacifica looked at him for a moment before burying her face in the soldier's chestplate. "Escort the prince to his quarters," the red-sashed soldier snapped.
The soldier in front of him began to push him towards the stairs but he again attempted to get past him to Dipper. "Dipper! You're going to be okay, I promise!" He shouted over the soldier's shoulder.
Dipper, still tugging desperately against his captors, looked to the prince pleadingly. "Don't let them take me! Please!" His voice cracked as he sagged against the pulling hands as he was dragged backwards down the hallway. His whole body was shaking, tears now spilling openly down his cheeks. "Please! Not again!"
"I promise! I'll come for you!" Bill tried to calm his shaky voice as he continued to be ushered up the staircase. "I promise!"
The brunette pulled weakly against the hands once more before giving a shaky nod. He stumbled slightly as he was pulled backwards down the corridor.
Bill watched helplessly as Dipper was dragged around the corner and out of sight.