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It had been hours since he'd seen her last. His stomach was bubbling with anticipation. Even though he had this much time to think about it, Clark still couldn't come up with the right words to tell Lana everything. He stayed locked in the bathroom, looking at his expression in the mirror as he spoke possible lines to use while in "The Big Conversation" with Lana.
"Listen, Lana, I'm gonna tell ya straight out – I'm an alien, sent here to Earth during the meteor shower sixteen years ago."
He shook his head and sighed, thankful Lana hadn't heard that version.
"Lana, I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life…" He stopped and cringed angrily at the reflection in the mirror. "That sounds like I want to marry her…I don't want her to get the wrong impression."
Just as he was about to open his mouth to try his luck on another approach at his current problem, he heard a tap on the bathroom door and a voice shortly followed it.
"Master Clark! Mistress Lana and everyone else are awaiting your presence in the ballroom! Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm ready, Viren. Be there in a sec."
Clark looked at himself in the mirror one last time before heading out.
"Tally-ho."
The excitement was almost too much for Clark. Even walking through the empty hallway back into the entrance seemed scary. Not only was the mere thought of meeting the entire realm of Sogni Dromen still spinning unsteadily in his mind, he hadn't found the right words to use while talking to Lana. Maybe coming straight out with Pete worked, but Lana was definitely not Pete.
After considering the possible reactions of Lana and finding no comfort in any of them, Clark began to feel light-headed and told himself to stop thinking before he passed out.
"Now, Master Clark, when we reached the top of the stairs, you will be introduced to everyone. You'll walk down the steps and meet Mistress Lana at the bottom. Don't be frightened if people come up to speak to you. They all are so anxious and heard so many wonderful things…" Viren said as they continued down the corridor.
"People as in elves and fairies, right?"
"Those and so much more. There will be a great feast and a toast in your honor and every kind of being in existence will help celebrate with you. It is our hope you will never forget what you see here."
Clark swallowed as they passed the last tapestry on the wall. The stairway would be before him at any moment…
They turned the corner and Clark's jaw fell loose.
Silver and gold streamers hung from the chandelier and flared out in all directions. Even the poles of the balcony and the walls had a soft silvery hue to them (most likely compliments of the fairies).
Looking down, Clark realized that the floor was no longer visible – it was completely covered with creatures and beings of every shape and size. As soon as they saw Clark at the top of the stairway, Viren spoke up in a voice that echoed throughout the room.
"Citizens of Sogni Dromen! I present to you – Prince Clark!"
The entire castle roared in praise, applauding mercilessly. Clark felt a burst of ecstasy and smiled broadly.
"Now descend the steps to Mistress Lana," Viren whispered with a smile to Clark.
Clark searched the crowd eagerly to try to find her. In a matter of seconds, her beauty caught his eye and he almost forgot to breathe.
Her gown was white with a lace-like fabric covering the top, making a v-shape at the hips. The straps were pulled back and tied behind her neck and the bottom of the dress fell about her legs, covering up her toes. She wore a pair of silk gloves and her smooth, brown hair was curled and twisted into a look that a princess in the olden times would have adored. Her make-up was perfect. Her dress was perfect. Her smile was perfect.
But Clark wasn't even thinking about that. His mind was thinking about how much he truly loved her and finally…after so many years of doubt and pain…he would finally get the chance to tell her everything on his mind. Everything that had been eating him inside for the past seventeen years. The fact that she looked more dazzling than a china doll was merely a bonus factor.
He quickly descended the stairs, taking the time to mentally remind himself not to fall or trip in front of everyone.
When he reached her, Lana could hardly comprehend what was happening. Clark was wearing a black tuxedo that looked as though it was tailored just for him. His hair was cut into the style in which his brown locks fell about his face, just above his eyes. And his eyes…Viren must've done a charm to make them sparkle and twinkle their blue radiance more than usual…
"Hey," Clark stated softly to Lana - his princess Lana.
"Hey, Clark," she retorted with her smile still clearly visible.
"You're - "
"I already know I'm beautiful," Lana broke in. "I have a mirror."
Clark smiled at her joke. "No, I wasn't going to say that. Not that I don't think you look incredibly stunning…I just wanted to say you're a princess now. How does it feel?"
She was taken back by his statement, which was very different from what she had thought it would be. Another example of how amazingly unpredictable Clark Kent was.
"Well, I'm not sure…"
Just then, a set of doors opened slowly behind the joyous crowd and everyone began to file in. Music could be heard from inside.
"…I have to have a dance with the prince first."
Clark's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah," Lana confirmed, as if Clark had said something completely ridiculous, "Aimee told me through those doors is a gigantic ballroom. It looks just like a traditional one. I'll feel just like Cinderella."
"Okay, maybe I would agree to a dance if they were playing something like 'Hey Ya', but…" Clark trailed off as he listened to the slow, classical music floating in the air.
Laughing, Lana grabbed his hand. "It's Laendler – an Austrian folk dance. Haven't you ever seen The Sound of Music?"
"Yeah…"
"It's the dance Captain Van Trap and Fraulein Maria share during the party at the Van Tramp home." She began to weave through the crowd, tugging Clark along.
Nervous, Clark decided to speak up. "Lana…I don't have any idea how to do that dance…"
"I'll show you. Hurry up."
Two minutes in and already Clark felt like he couldn't do this. Not only did he have to worry about something horrible happening to Lana and telling her his secret, he also had to make sure he didn't trip over her while doing an extremely complicated dance.
They passed through the wide open doors and into the ballroom. Lana was right – it looked exactly like the room in which Cinderella met her Prince Charming.
The ceiling rose up high above them like a cathedral and was made of glittering gold. To the right were four more marble pillars and beyond them were a series of tables overflowing with expensive-looking food. Butlers hovered over everything, making sure it was perfectly set and prepared. The wall on the left was nothing but windows, which revealed the bright beautiful, moon and stars in all their glory. Small candles were set in the wall, giving off an elegant evening glow and in the far corner Clark noticed a band of dwarves – including Noam on viola - who provided the music happily.
As they walked through the dancing couples, Clark and Lana were stopped multiple times by all sorts of creatures who thanked them for coming. It got a little repetitive after a while, but they kept a smile and continued on their way.
"This is so weird. I don't even feel like Clark Kent anymore," Clark whispered to Lana as soon as they felt another one of their "adoring fans".
"Is that a good thing or a bad one?" Lana wondered curiously.
"I'm not exactly sure yet…"
Lana quickly turned around and stopped in front of him. She laughed as she looked at his confused expression. "It's time for your first dancing lesson."
"Come on, Lana…there's like a million steps to this dance. I'll never get it," Clark explained pessimistically.
"Don't cancel yourself out just yet." She grabbed his hands, holding one and placing the other on the lower part of her back. His fingers grazed her bare skin and sent unexpected shivers up both of their spines. She quickly looked downwards, trying to focus on the dance. "Okay, just look at the tiles on the floor. It'll help you remember where to move and when."
Clark swallowed, feeling like he did the night she'd kissed him on the cheek before Homecoming. He took one last sheepish glance at her and then looked down obediently.
As expected, Clark stepped on Lana's dress (as well as other women's dresses nearby) during more then a few tries. He ended up blushing so many times his cheeks stayed a natural pink during the rest of the dance until Lana began to tease him about it and the pink gradually changed to a deep cherry red. She laughed at how sweet Clark could be without even meaning to be.
However, after a while, Clark did begin to relax. He even got to the point where he could look up at Lana and still dance correctly without the use of the tiles. He spun her around, awed by how amazing she made him feel right now. They obliviously began to dance closer together as the music continued, and eventually they stopped moving all together, caught in each others' gaze.
'Well, it's now or never I guess…' Clark thought, feeling as though he was about to skydive into a minefield.
"Lana, I need to – "
"There you two are!"
Both Lana and Clark reluctantly left the intense moment to turn and see a tall, jet black-haired guy with deep set eyes and a mysteriously captivating grin.
"Hi, I'm Lana," Lana spoke nicely, holding out her hand. This was obviously another citizen who just had to tell them how grateful they were.
"Of course, Madam." The young man took her hand and pressed his lips upon the silk glove.
"And I'm Clark. Nice to meet you." He shook the boy's hand, trying to ignore the idea of punching him just for kissing Lana like that.
The boy stared at Clark seriously, then pulled off a slight smile. "Yes. And I'm Jake. I believe you may have heard of me. I'm one of the guys who got stuck here before you. Been looking for the Mist for four years now."
"Oh, wow. That must be terrible for you…" Lana said sympathetically.
Clark refrained from rolling his eyes.
"On the contrary, Lana, it's been quite an adventure."
"You don't miss your family or your friends?" Clark asked. 'Maybe he's a hit man who murdered his parents and became a fugitive until he came here…'
"Actually…I really didn't have any friends…and my parents…" Jake looked away, then shook it off with a forced smile, "well…I'm sure they've moved on all right by now…"
'Okay, now he makes me feel bad…' Clark glanced over at Lana and felt even worse when he noticed she looked extremely caring towards Jake. Clark sighed. Even with Jason and Whitney not here he couldn't get a break…
"Anyway, when I found out that you two were here I just knew I had to meet you. I realized that if we didn't get some new hope soon…Sogni Dromen would be lost…" Jake stared imparticular at Lana, looking at her as Clark did not moments before.
"Well, again, it was great meeting you – "
"Do you think maybe…I could have a dance with the princess?" Jake asked, not even looking at Clark as he spoke. "It's been so long since I've danced…I…I think this would be a good time as ever to start again."
Jealously bubbled and boiled through Clark's veins almost to the point where he was mentally sure he was high on red kryptonite. He opened his mouth, but Lana gave him a look that was both sympathetic, yet apologetic. Clark sighed. Well, the guy had been living in a dream world for four years…and it was just one…tiny dance…
"Sure. I'll – uh – I'll be over there…talking to Viren…"
"Thanks, Clark," Jake mumbled as he took Lana's hands.
"Don't run off too far, though," Lana added almost devilishly to Clark.
Clark was taken back by Lana's tone of voice and let another goofy smile form on his face. He then meandered over to the corner, somehow feeling happy al though Lana wasn't with him.
"Hey Viren," Clark stated when he found the elf standing next to the tables of food.
Viren turned around, confused, but then smiled when he recognized the voice.
"Oh, Master Clark!" He whirled around and picked up something, handing it to his friend. "How's the evening been treating you?"
Taking what Viren had given him, Clark realized it was a handful of the fruit he'd had back in Noam's home. He thanked Viren and chucked down the food as he answered the elf's question.
"It's fantastic. Everything's so…" – Clark's eyes absentmindedly turned to look at Lana who snuck him a sweet grin which he returned – "…beautiful…"
"If I may be so bold…Mistress Lana looks simply stunning. Wouldn't you agree?" Viren asked looking up at Clark curiously.
"Yeah…" Suddenly Clark realized he hadn't been looking at anything accept Lana since he ate the fruit. He quickly turned around to Viren and swallowed the last of it. "I mean…you know…of course she's pretty…she's a princess after all…"
Viren smirked and grunted a laugh. "If only you two could see…"
"See what?"
"How you react around one another. It's no surprise that Rolf gave you that suite. You would make the perfect couple."
Clark showed a sour smile and looked down at the ground. "Yeah…well we might look that way…but there's a lot more to it then looks."
"You would do anything for her, no?"
Upon hearing this, Clark looked up at Viren. The memory of his dream came back into his mind…
"Plans will not go as they are set. Something terribly unexpected will happen and Lana will be in danger…You will try to save her, but you will receive a most unfortunate and possibly fatal scar if you do…"
Just then, he thought he heard it…the pounding from his dream…
"Master Clark, are you all right?"
"Something's not right…" Clark mumbled, looking around him. Everything looked the same, but it felt different…like the feeling an actor might get the second before the curtains open and the play begins…
pound…pound…
"Viren, I think…everyone needs to leave…now."
"Leave? Whatever for!"
pound…POUND…
Clark slowly turned around to the windows, fear clearly rising in his veins. The deep blue shade of the sky was now pure black and angry gray clouds hovered over head. A rumbling of thunder could be heard.
"They're coming..."