"Kayla, please tell me everything is ready for the ball."
"If everything wasn't, would I be up here getting myself ready for it?"
"I suppose not. What dress have you chosen?"
"You'll see my dress when they announce me. Now, about your dresses."
"You're most likely going to outshine us, so why choose something grand for us?"
"Listen here, Susan Anna Pevensie. Even though I do intend to be the belle of the ball tonight, Caspian's eyes will still be on you."
"His eyes have been on her since they met."
"But I've noticed he sees you as a human being and not an object. He looks at you with the admiration you deserve, regardless of the fact that you're royalty. So I promise you, his eyes would not land on me even if you paid him to look."
"Caspian would look at her like that if they were both beggars."
"So, Susan, while I was in Cair Paravel the other day, in an old closet, I found this dress. And it does not look like a dress that we wore in the Golden Age But I think I let Aravis wear this one."
Kayla opened one of her chests from Cair Paravel and pulled out a red velvet off-the-shoulder dress with a white visible underskirt. She laid it on the bed for Susan to wear.
"Kayla, I can't wear this."
"Don't give me that, Susan. I see that gleam in your eyes that says you like this dress. Have I ever put you two in a dress you didn't like?"
"No, you haven't."
"So why would I start now?"
"What about me, Kayla?"
"For you Lucy, I found a light blue lace off-the-shoulder ballgown. Peter would skin me alive if he saw you in the other dress I had picked out. Which in my opinion, was not as revealing as he would say."
"Let me see it."
"It's two pieces. It shows a little skin on the stomach, so I know Peter would skin me alive f you wore it."
"You're right, Kayla. Peter would certainly kill you."
While the girls were in Kayla's chambers getting ready, the boys were already waiting in the ballroom. Caspian was just amazed by the amount of work that had been done in such little time to put the ball together.
"You were right, Peter. She knew what she was doing."
"I still remember the ball at our coronation. She put it together THAT day. It was a simple ball, though. We were just kids then."
"We still are kids, Peter."
"Shut up, Ivar."
Caspian could not help but laugh at how Ivar and Peter would argue as if they were brothers. How he wished to have a family like that.
"Well, Caspian. Should we begin letting everyone in?"
"I suppose we should."
He nodded to the guards to open the doors, and the crowd started pouring in.
"Good evening, everyone. I would just like to say thank you all for attending this ball. I think this ball should be the first sign of unity for us all."
The musicians began playing music that was familiar to the boys and unfamiliar at the same time. Some of the music was brought to the Narnian world by King Frank and Queen Helen, and some of it had been composed over time.
"Announcing her majesty, Queen Lucy the Valiant!"
The doors opened, and Lucy came bouncing into the room like it was her first ball all over again.
"Lucy! We were beginning to think you girls would take longer to get ready."
"Where are the other two?"
"They have names, Edmund?"
"Yes I know, but where are they?"
"Susan and Kayla will be coming in shortly."
"Aww, come on, Edmund. You at least know how Kayla is. She always likes to be the belle of the ball. Especially on the battlefield if she can help it."
"That should thrill you tonight, Ivar."
"What does that mean, Edmund."
"You know what I mean. The whole of this world and our world knows what is going on between you two."
"I don't even know what's going on."
Ivar could only glance over at Peter, who was the only one besides Aslan who knew how Ivar felt about Kayla.
"Announcing her majesty, Queen Susan the Gentle."
At the mention of Susan's name, Caspian immediately looked up at the ballroom doors, and watched her majesty gracefully walk into the room.
"Good evening, your majesty."
Susan put her hand forth, and Caspian placed a kiss on it.
"Good evening to you as well, Caspian. And please, no need to call me your majesty. Just call me by my name."
"As you wish."
"Is Kayla in the hallways, Susan?"
"How should I know? I don't even know what she's going to wear tonight. She picked out mine and Lucy's dress, but didn't even hint at what she would be wearing tonight."
"And besides, Ivar. It's not like Susan and Lucy are glued to Kayla."
"You couldn't glue her to anyone even if you tried. She'd turn you into ashes before you even got started."
"Announcing her highness, Dame Kayla, Baroness of Dancing Lawn, Guardian of the Dancing Trees and the Dryads, and Lady Protector of Narnia."
This time, Kayla herself opened the doors, and all eyes were on her, except for Caspian's. She was wearing a peacock dress. It was a long sleeve v-neck, and the feathers on the skirt of it were in the colours of cerulean blue, aqua blue, and gold. The rest of the dress was gold, and it had embroidery of gold beads all over it with sapphires on the front. She promised she would be the belle of the ball.
"Kayla! Why does that dress look so familiar?"
"Because it was the dress I wore at our last ball in the Golden Age. You know, the one, where Cor and Aravis swore up and down they would not dance with each other, but they did anyways?"
"Oh, the fights between those two."
"I think that's the reason Ram the Great turned out to be so great. He REALLY had the fighting spirit of his parents from what I've read. Where are the musicians?"
"Over there by the balcony."
"I just have a music request for them. And they better know, 'cause I am the one who brought this particular dance to this world."
"Oh, darn."
"I know what dance she means?"
"What dance is that?"
"You'll see, Caspian. But before that dance starts, why don't you go over there and ask Susan for a dance? We might be heading back to our world, so you might not have another chance to dance with her."
Caspian took Ivar's advice and went over to ask Susan for a dance.
"Your majesty, would you do me the honour of a dance?"
"Of course, Caspian."
The dance was a simple waltz, but Caspian could care less if it was a fancy dance or not. He just wanted to dance with Susan. Even though the family preferred he called them all by their names, he did not do that with the girls. His humility would not allow for it.
"Play La Volta!"
To her surprise, the musicians did know the music for this dance.
"Kayla, I knew you were going to ask for this dance."
"Then you have no problem with being my dancing partner, do you Ivar?"
"I was the only person you would dance with for this."
Kayla dragged him onto the dance floor, and they could see Caspian and Susan participating in it as well. Caspian was the only man besides the men in her family who has made Susan smile.
