OH I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO BE KING. Haha-di-hah. The Lion King is such a great movie.

So I finished Search for the Six, which means that I'll be able to write my other stories now! *gasp* I know! It's amazing!

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and not just because I'm in it. I found it really funny. Hope you like it!

Chapter Four

In Which The Ball Is Over

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As Neal gracefully whirled Kate around the dance floor, he noticed that she was alternating between staring dreamily into his eyes and anxiously scanning the rest of the room over his right shoulder.

"Is something . . . er . . . wrong?" Neal asked tactfully.

"No . . . I'm just looking for someone. Three someones, actually," she answered, still not looking at him.

"Oh," he said uncertainly.

She looked back at his face and laughed at his confusion. "I'm looking for my friends," she explained. "I promised I'd introduce you to them, but actually, I don't really want to, because I'd rather dance with you. So we're going to find them, introduce you, and run away."

"Wait," he said, even more confused. "How did you know who I was?"

"Oh, you know," she said, looking over his shoulder again. "I've heard some stuff about you."

He was contemplating whether this was a good thing or a bad thing when Kate let out a noise that was in between a squeak and a shriek. He had just enough time to give the sound a name (A squreak, he decided,) before Kate grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

She ground to a halt in front of three more court ladies in the middle of a quiet conversation with each other. "All right, Neal, this is Rose and Min and Stacey. Let's go." She turned around and began to march away, but one of them -- he hadn't caught names just yet-- grabbed ahold of her arm and kept her from making a quick getaway.

"Not so fast, Kate," she said firmly, and hauled her back in front of them.

Kate rolled her eyes, bit her lip and sighed. "Fine," she said heavily. "Neal, this is the Lady Stacey. Call her Stacey." She gestured to the lady who had pulled her back. She had dark blonde hair and blue-green eyes, and was the tallest of the group. She wore a dress of bright scarlet that stood out in a crowd of darker colors.

"A pleasure to meet you," she murmured, looking Neal up and down and extending her hand to be kissed. Kate stepped in front of Neal and glared at Stacey before continuing.

"This is the Lady Rose," she announced, motioning to a short, slender lady with pale freckle-spattered skin, gray eyes, and red curly hair. She was garbed in a dress of the palest green, like new growth in springtime. "Call her Rose."

"Charmed, I'm sure," said Rose, nodding deeply. Neal nodded in return.

"And this," Kate said, beckoning to the as-yet-unnamed lady, "is the Lady Min. But call her Min," she added. Min was of middling height, with long, curly, dark hair. She was wearing a dark green gown that set off her skin color.

"It's wonderful to meet you," Min stated pleasantly.

"I'm glad to make your acquaintances," Neal said politely.

"Now, as much fun as this has been," Kate began, "We really must be going. Sorry! Bye, now!" Taking his cue, Neal extended his arm, and she hooked her own through it and allowed herself to be escorted away.

"They seemed nice enough," Neal said once they were out of earshot.

"Urgh. You haven't met them," Kate stated with feeling. Then she laughed. "Don't be fooled, though -- I love them to death! They're wonderful friends to have!"

Another dance started up, and Kel slid her eyes expectantly upwards. Caught unaware, Neal jumped, then grinned. "Milady Kate, would you care to dance again?"

"I would love to," she accepted, and he pulled her close as the dance required.

***

Across the floor, a group of three young men looked at Neal and his dance partner with jealousy.

"How come he always gets a lady to dance with so quickly?" muttered one of them. He was handsome, tall and lean with dark hair that fell into his eyes and begged to be brushed away by a lady's hand.

"Oh, come on, Faleron," muttered another. This young man had red-gold hair – the fiery color of his mother had faded as he got older. His bright green eyes sparked with annoyance. "We could get them if we wanted to. We are . . . choosing to stay over here, in a corner, away from anyone who might want to talk to us."

"I don't understand why we can't just go ask them to dance right now!" piped up the third, looking annoyed. He rolled gray eyes and ran a hand through a tumbled mat of brown curly hair. "I doubt that they would say no, especially to you, Thom!"

"Owen, we can't be sure. That's why it's always better to wait for them to talk to us," finished Thom emphatically.

The group fell into silence once more, glowering at the man easily making his way around the dance floor.

***

"Why does Kate always find someone to dance with so quickly?" muttered Rose, glaring at the young woman whirling carefully around the dance floor. "It doesn't make any sense. She's so strange! Look! She doesn't even have any shoes on!"

"I just don't understand why we have to wait for them to come and talk to us," huffed Stacey for the third time. "If we want to dance, can't we just go ask a man to dance?"

"It's just the rules!" said Min, rolling her eyes. "Besides, it would be awful if we went and asked them and they didn't want to dance!"

"I still think we should go find someone," Stacey muttered. She let her eyes drift across the crowded room, trying to make eye contact with any young man she saw. She failed.

Min sighed. "Does anyone know how long it is until the ball is over?"

***

The orchestra finished their song. Unfor which turned out to be the last song. Reluctantly, Kate let go of Neal's shoulder and stepped back.

"Are you going to be here tomorrow?" Neal asked instantly.

Kate grinned before she answered. "Actually, yes, I am," she told him.

"Well, would you like to go on a walk with me tomorrow afternoon?" he asked.

"No," she replied flatly. Seeing Neal's expression, she explained. "I don't do walks. But a ride would be perfect!"

"Oh," Neal said, recovering. "Then we'll go for a ride. I'll come by your rooms at maybe midday? We could have lunch, and then go for a ride. Would that work for you?"

"It would be absolutely magnificent," Kate accepted graciously.

"Well, then." Neal bowed. "I must be off. My friends are waiting." With that, he swept away.

As soon as he had gone, Stacey, Rose and Min descended on Kate with a flurry of petticoats.

"Well?" Rose demanded. "What happened? Is he nice? Will you ever see him again?"

Kat grinned distractedly and patted her on the head. "No, I wouldn't care for any sausage, but thank you for offering to fry it. Daffodils, however, would be all right, as would a new bunny to play with."

There was a stunned silence. Min groaned, exasperated. "She's hopeless. We'll talk to her tomorrow." With that, they grabbed her arms and led the still-grinning lady off to their rooms.

***

When the orchestra finished their last song, Kel was disinclined to let go of Dom's shoulder, but she did it anyway. They stepped away from each other, feeling uncomfortable yet again.

"So," said Dom, beginning their conversation anew. "What is the beautiful lady going to do for the rest of the night?"

Kel blushed almost imperceptibly. "The beautiful lady is going to her rooms, to sleep, because the beautiful lady is very tired, especially of The King's Birthday Ball."

"Ah," he said, nodding. "I understand. Would you care for an escort?"

"No!" Kel said, too hastily and too high-pitched. "I'm fine!"

Dom shook his head, wagging a finger at her. "Now, Kel, you never know what kind of scary things lurk around the next corner."

"Oh, I'm sure there's nothing I can't handle," she said, somewhat nervously.

"One can never be too sure. Just to be safe, I think I had better come with you. You know," he deadpanned. "To make sure you don't get lost, or eaten by wild dogs on the way to your rooms."

Kel decided that whatever she did, she would not be able to get him to leave her alone, so she accepted. They turned towards the exit, and Kel became suddenly aware that Dom's hand was resting lightly on her waist.

***

"Daine! Daine! Yoohoo!"

Jonathan gestured wildly at Daine as she left the ballroom. He was standing on the left side of the hallway, flanked by two IDIOTS.

Daine blinked. "Excuse me, love," she told Numair, who nodded. "Excuse me . . . er . . . right. . ." she told Agent Dan, who had taken over for Agent Dean. Daine made her way to the king. "Aren't you . . ." she trailed off, confused. She gestured back into the ballroom.

"I was, yes, but these agents came, and let me tell you, if they want you somewhere else, they get you there! Whoosh! You just go! It's amazing!" Jonathan looked immeasurably excited.

One of the agents tapped him on the shoulder. "Um . . . sir? We just walked."

"Yes, I know," Jon said. "Your point is . . ." The agent looked confused, and finished by shrugging his shoulders. "You know," the king said, leaning forward to talk in what he imagined was a conspiratorial whisper to Daine, "sometimes I think these agents are little better than idiots."

"You're right, sir, we're the best of the best," the second agent chimed in. Daine had to think about that for a minute.

Jon, on the other hand, looked amazed. "How could you hear what I said?" he asked.

"You were speaking normally, sir."

"Amazing! Simply amazing! I can't believe you have such good hearing!" Jon turned back to Daine, failing to see the gestures that the agents made towards him. "In any case . . . well, the reason I've called you over is because we have some good news." He beckoned the agents forward.

"Ma'am, regarding the notes you've been getting . . . we've figured out that they've been have been written in ink," he told Daine in a low voice.

Daine blinked. "You what?"

"I know! We've moved so quickly on this case! It's a first!" he told her excitedly.

"You figured out they were written in ink?"

"We have."

"What else would they have been written in, you nut?" she asked.

"You never know," he said darkly.

Daine stared at him for a minute before turning around and walking back to Numair. "We'll keep in touch!" cried the king after her. She heard him ask the agents, "Now, then -- can you do that whoosh thing again?"

"We have an idiot for a king," she told Neal calmly.

"I know," he comforted her. "At least we didn't elect him."

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Heh. Heh. Heh. That was fun to write.

And in case you're wondering, Stacey is Cami of Queenscove, Min is The Blind Assassin, and Rose is RoseFyre.

I can't wait for the next chapter.

Review, please!