Last Wassailia

Last Wassailia, I gave you my heart.

But the very next day, you gave it away.

This year, to save me from tears

I'll give it to someone special.

Hildegard narrowed her eyes almost immediately when she spotted someone she'd hoped she would never lay eyes on again. Prince Irving of Dalesworth was near the buffet table of the Tanguan palace's ballroom with a lovely girl–whom the princess could only assume was one of his current playthings–on his arm. Irving was handsome on the outside, but the inside was a completely different story. He was a lying, unfaithful cad who couldn't be sated with just one girl, a lesson Hildegard had learned the hard way.

She met Irving shortly before Wassailia the previous year when he met with her father to discuss trade with Friezenburg. Hildegard was never one to be easily impressed, but she had to admit that the young man with the curly dark hair was quite interesting. He invited her to the holiday party at his castle, and she'd agreed to go. At the party, Irving had made her feel special by complimenting her beauty and grace. When he suddenly asked if he could court her, she said yes, even though she barely knew him. They shared their first kiss in the garden before he escorted her to the coach that would take her home. The next day, Hildegard returned to Daleswoth with a box of cream cakes, thinking she would surprise her new beau with the treats. She was shown to the library, where she found the prince kissing another princess from the party the previous night…

Remembering all this left a bitter taste in Hildegard's mouth. She hadn't seen Irving since she dumped the box of sticky, creamy cakes on top of him and his lover. She'd made sure to have her father cancel the trade agreement with Dalesworth. She'd hoped never to see the worm again. Yet he was here in Tangu for the holiday ball.

Clio, who had accompanied her best friend to the party, gave her a concerned look. "Hildy, are you okay?"

"Of course I am, Clio," the other princess responded. "Why would you ask that?"

"Oh, well, you were sort of glaring at someone over there," the brunette said, gesturing in the general direction of where Irving was standing. She then sighed wistfully. "I wish Amber and Sofia could have come. It would be nice to see them."

"Yes, well," Hildegard shrugged. "They have their own holiday celebration going on in Enchancia." She smiled and linked arms with her friend. "Come. Let's mingle with the crowd. Perhaps someone will ask one of us for a dance."

They joined a crowd of people from nearby kingdoms. There were several varying topics being discussed at the same time, and Clio soon found herself conversing with a well known playwright, who eventually asked her to dance. As she watched her friend waltz with the older gentleman, Hildegard couldn't help feeling a little envious. She hadn't found anyone talking about fashion or anything that really interested her. Not to mention, no one had asked her to dance yet. With a sigh, the noirette made her way to the buffet table, thinking she would sample some of the treats that were laid out. She put a few things on a plate, walked to a small table, and sat down. Just as she was about to pick up a piece of fudge, a cheerful voice startled her.

"Princess Hildegard, I'm glad you could come to our party."

The princess glanced up to see Prince Zandar standing next to her table. Like all her childhood friends, he had grown up and matured since their years at Royal Prep. He was now tall and handsome, but then Hildegard had always secretly found him rather good looking. He was dressed for the occasion in a silver outfit with a dark red sash around his waist and his usual turban. The girl could feel butterflies start fluttering in her stomach as she gazed up at him.

"Yes, hello, Zandar," she greeted him. "Your party is quite… nice."

"Aloof as always I see," he laughed as he pulled out the only other chair at the table and sat down. "I, for one, think this party is awesome!" He smirked when she rolled her eyes. "Of course, a party you planned would be twice as grand."

She scoffed playfully. "Well, of course."

He shrugged and eyed her plate. "I see you got some fudge. It's the best in the Ever Realm."

"Oh, really?" She picked up the chunk of chocolate she had previously been about to sample and took a dainty bite, chewing thoughtfully. Yes, it delicious–rich and creamy. It was almost perfect. Almost… "I think it would be better without nuts."

"Ah, man," he lamented. "I can never impress you, can I, Hildy?"

You impress me with your good looks. The thought made her flush and look away hastily.

Seeming not to notice the princess's blushing face, Zandar stood up and offered his hand to her, "Would you like to dance?"

"I've been waiting all evening for someone to ask me that," she sighed dramatically, grinning as she accepted his hand. "I'd love to."

"By the way," he said as they made their way to the dance floor. "I like your gown. You look like an ice princess in the desert."

Hildegard blinked and looked down at her dress. It was quite a bit lighter than the shade of blue she usually wore, Due to the warm Tangu weather it had been made with a thin material that showed off some of her womanly curves. She'd designed it herself for the ball, and the fact that Zandar had even noticed it pleased her more than she thought it would.

"Thank you, Zandar," she smiled brightly as she allowed him to put one hand on her waist. She put her right hand in his left one, and they started to waltz. "And might I say that you look quite dashing."

"Thanks, Hildy!" he grinned happily as he spun them around. "That's the first real compliment I've had from you tonight."

Hildegard just shook her head in amusement as they continued to dance.

They danced in silence for a few minutes. The music was sweet and cheery. Hildegard found that she enjoyed dancing with Zandar. He really was a wonderful person. His deep, dark eyes and warm smile caused her heart to flutter. Was she falling in love? Maybe…

Suddenly, something in the noirette girl's peripheral vision caught her attention. She froze and stared toward Clio, who was now dancing with a certain curly haired prince. Oh, no, she thought. She'd never told anyone about her experience with Irving because she had gotten over him pretty quickly; it hadn't even been necessary to tell her father why Friezenburg shouldn't trade with Dalesworth. Now seeing him dance with one if her dearest friends made something inside Hildegard snap. Clio was one of the kindest people in the Ever Realm, and Irving was not going to toy with her.

"Whoa, Hildegard, what–" Zandar began, but he stopped speaking when the princess turned her icy gaze on him.

"Excuse me, Zandar. There's something I need to take care of." She walked away from him before he could say anything more.

"What's gotten into her?" the prince muttered to himself before shrugging and heading to the buffet table.

Hildegard marched right up to Clio and Irving, not caring about the strange stares she gained from couples she passed. She tapped the young man sharply on the shoulder. "Hello, Irving," she smiled sweetly when he turned to her.

'Oh, hello there," he said, cocking his head to one side. "Do I know you?"

Hildegard scoffed and folded her arms. "You don't recognize me? I'm not surprised. It's been a year." As the man blinked and shook his head, a sudden thought crept through the princess's mind, and she couldn't resist asking, "How is your wife, Irving? Is she here? Or are you here alone flirting with all the single girls at the party?"

The color drained from Irving's face. Hildegard had spoken loudly enough that several people had heard and were now staring at him. He glared angrily at Friezenburg's younger princess, but Hildegard was through. She turned to Clio, who had been watching in shocked silence. She grabbed her friend's wrist and dragged her to a less crowded part of the ballroom.

"Hildy, what's going on?" the brunette asked, finally finding her voice. "Do you know that guy? Is he actually married?"

The other girl laughed bitterly. "If he is he's not a faithful husband."

"Um, Hildy…" Clio eyed her friend worriedly, unsure what to say.

Seeing Clio's worried face, Hildegard calmed down and offered her a reassuring smile. "I had a little experience with Irving last year. Let's just say he's not as good as his looks and mannerism might suggest." She reached forward and clasped the other princess's hands. "Clio, you're one of the sweetest, kindest people I know. I don't want to see you get hurt by someone like him. I know I can be pushy when it comes to things I like and don't like, but–" She was cut off when Clio suddenly pulled her hands free and threw her arms around her, squeezing her tightly. Sighing, Hildegard returned the hug.

"I trust you, Hildy," the Corinthian princess whispered. She released her friend and looked at her with shimmering eyes. "Thanks for caring about me. It really means a lot."

"Please don't get mushy on me," the dark haired girl begged, smirking when her friend giggled. Suddenly, something caught her eye, and she gently urged Clio to turn around. "Look! There's the gentleman you were dancing with earlier. I think he's looking for you."

Clio's eyes lit up when she saw the playwright. "Oh, Alfred… You don't mind if I spend more time with him, do you?"

"Of course not." She pushed her in the older man's direction. "He looks nice to me. Go on and have fun with your Alfred." She snickered when Clio blushed. The fact that her friend had used the man's first name was not lost on Hildegard.

Hildegard watched as Clio rejoined the playwright. Soon, the couple was dancing again. The noirette princess sighed, realizing that she was once again left with nothing to do. Just as she was about to walk over to the buffet table to get something to drink, she spotted Zandar coming toward her.

"Is everything okay, Hildegard?" he asked in concern as soon as he reached her. Although he hadn't seen her confront Irving, he did see her talking to Clio.

"Oh, everything is fine," she replied, shrugging.

"That's good." He gave her an easy smile. "So, shall we continue our dance, or–" He stopped speaking and glanced upward when something caught his eye. "Man…"

"What is it?" she asked, curious as to why Zandar's face was turning pink. She glanced up and saw the sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling over them. "Oh…" Her heart raced as butterflies started fluttering around in her stomach once again. She looked at the prince as he gazed back at her. Slowly, he lowered his face toward hers and kissed her lips sweetly. Hildegard's heart felt as if it would burst. She had dreamed of Zandar kissing her for a long time, and it felt just the way she'd always imagined it would.

Zandar broke the kiss and smiled down at her. "Hildy, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Yes?"

"Can I court you?"

A bright smile crossed her face. "Of course you can." Her smile then turned to a playful smirk. "Do you think you can impress me?"

He just laughed. "I think I can manage. Now, how about if we continue the dance from earlier?" He took her hand and led her back to the dance floor, where they spent the rest the evening.

A/N: Merry Christmas Eve! This may not be what some of you expected. In case you couldn't tell, this story is based on the song, Last Christmas. Why did I choose Hildegard? She just felt right for it. also, I suppose I wanted to give Zandegard some attention. I had fun writing for this ship, and I might do it again. Since Zandegard is a ship we can all agree on consider this my gift to everyone. LOL! See you tomorrow with "One Sorcerer, Two Prinesses."