Gently, he reached for my hand and pulled me from the bench, and together we made haste for the castle. My heart was as light as the cool breeze blowing against my face, and butterflies danced in my stomach. I was about to make a fool of myself, and the thing was, I didn't care. Wait....what was I thinking??? Of course I cared.... right?

We walked in through the threshold of the double doors into the Main Hall, where the chandelier was still lit, but dying, hanging from the dome shaped ceiling, complete with a skylight. The glow of the moon filled the Hall with a quixotic sense that filled a person's soul with passion. One would be foolish to not take a step back and let the grandeur sink in.

"It's breathtaking!" I gasped, "Is it always this beautiful at night?"

"I'm not sure.... I never come down here this late, I have no reason to." William said, his voice giving away his remorse at not doing so.

"You're kidding! Wow, if I had this to look at, I wouldn't be anywhere else. It's like the Heavens opened up their gates and let a portion of their splendor shine upon the world for this night."

As I looked back at him, something in his looks caught my gaze. I couldn't figure what it was, but something there was defiantly familiar.

"Well, are you going to stand there, or are you going to teach me.." I laughed playfully, forgetting my observation.

"Oh, right...well I didn't want to rush you, seeing this is your first time to dance." He stated factually, approaching me.

As he stood in front of me, his face became apparent, and then I noticed his eyes.

"Those eyes....I had seen them before. But where?" I tried to think.

They gave off a sparkle of a blue and green hue underneath the moonlight, and immediately I was drawn to him. I felt a twinge of excitement, and for a moment I became very warm, like a fever swept through my being.

These emotions.... I couldn't explain them....

"Ok Maria.... first thing's first, you must have a sense of rhythm" he said, reaching for my waste. As he pulled me close, I began to hope that I wasn't breathing too hard for him to notice.

"A sense of rhythm....right" I breathed in deep and our hands met.

He had a strong grip, which meant that the rumors of his fencing skills were true. As I sensed his inclination, I began to pray for a sense of rhythm.

"Are you ready?" he smiled, looking eager.

I nodded, trying to be sure of myself.

"Each step comes on a count of the music. Such as, a waltz has three beats in it; so therefore, you would take three steps in completion of a rotation." He explained it as best as anyone could explain the technicalities of dancing

I smiled and nodded, giving off the appearance of understood response, but I don't think I fooled him. With an awry smile he nodded.

"Let's try it. And.....One."

We took a step.

"..Two"

Another.

"And three.....Very good Maria, let's try it again, but faster."

We took off again, and then faster the third time. In twenty minutes we had put all the counts together, and by the end of an hour, we were dancing across the hall, wonderfully or not. Sometimes in my awkwardness, I would step on his foot, and he would wince in pain, but William never gave up on me. He even laughed and made a joke so as to make me feel better. As the better part of two hours passed, we grew tired and sat on the Ballroom floor, and began to talk. Our conversations took us well into the post-morning hours, where they were interrupted by the gradual burning out of the chandelier. He offered to take me home when the last light of the moon shone through the dome.

"Oh, no need. I live here in the castle." I said, gladness in my tone.

"You live here? But... I've never seen you before, have I?? William sounded glad but confused.

"No, I came here when you were still in Berkanlie; I sew gowns for your mother."

"Ahh, now it makes sense." He said, his voice sounding enlightened. "Will you allow me to escort you to your room then, Maria?"

"I suppose" speaking through a yawn.

He helped me to my feet and we sauntered to the wing of the castle that belonged to the servants. Walking through this wing made me a little self-conscious, but William never mentioned it. As we reached my door, I turned to say goodnight, and his eyes caught me.

"Goodnight, Maria."

"Goodnight William, and thank you."

He acknowledged my thanks and turned to leave.

"Wait...." I called to him.

He twisted around, his eyebrows raised

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, did you ever help a woman by a fountain?"

He thought back a moment, "... yes... no more than a few months ago in the village of Swiithe... why?"

"Oh....no reason.... never mind"

He nodded and left.

I knew I had seen those eyes before, but little did I know, this would be the least of my surprises.