Within the folds of the flowing green dress she wore,
Shirayuki felt almost light
despite the weightedness of fabric
that fell all around her,
and maybe it isn't the dress
that passes lightness straight to her heart,
but rather something far prettier,
right now,
Zen's gloved hand is in hers,
and as she twirls
and follows his lead,
she feels warm,
like a bunny tucked neatly away in a burrow,
familiar and warm,
and here,
she spins with Zen,
knowing that while eyes are on them,
more importantly a future is found in Zen's eyes,
like the ocean's calming rush towards the shore,
she feels calm amid the immensity of their future,
she is an herbalist,
a fact that won't be negated
by all of the eyes that are on her,
and yet more importantly than that,
she is Shirayuki,
and no matter what happens,
she'll still be herself,
even as she grows,
and together,
she and Zen are secure
with their future,
no matter all the odds and ends
that will come up
and gladly show up with time,
because for now,
they are holding their breath for their wedding,
and their engagement has even been announced,
and it's what called for this ball,
for the crowds with their steady eyes,
trying to determine what a future princess might be like,
whether Shirayuki and Zen, together,
will be good for this kingdom,
and Shirayuki's learned to stand strong
even under their steady and complete gaze,
that may or may not find her worthy
by the end of this ball,
but will get the chance to see what she does
from here forward