Dusk approached rapidly that Friday. Sam planned to ride with his family to the Ball then 'accidentally' lose track of them and search for Duet.

When Sam walked in, he was bombarded by music and bright lights. He stood on the balcony beside the descending staircase, watching the magnificent dancers circling the parlor. After a moment of shock, Sam made his way down the stairs and stood against a wall, looking for Duet.

That's when he saw her, her dance partner twirling her around and her long flowing dress spinning behind her. Her long auburn hair had been half braided and twirled into a bun and the other half fell against her back. Her partner tilted her back, balancing her by placing his hands on the small of her back. He lifted her and the music stopped. He bowed, and Duet curtsied. The line of young men standing along the wall beside Sam all stepped forward, asking for the next dance. Duet smiled politely to all of them, but then spotted Sam.

"I'm sorry. I already have a partner," Duet said, pushing her way through to Sam. "I've been waiting for you. There's something I need to tell you," she whispered, dragging him away. She pulled him around the back of the dance floor and out of one of the huge open doors into the back garden. She looked up with closed eyes and smiled as she was bathed in the light of the full moon.

"Duet, you are so wonderful. I can't believe you even looked at me," Sam said turning her toward him. He placed his hand under her chin, pulled her toward him, and kissed her softly.

"Sam, I have to tell you something," Duet said after they separated.

"I told you you were beautiful. All of those guys wanted to dance with you. I didn't even see the princess, but she can't be as beautiful as you."

"Yeah, see that's the thing. I kinda am—" Duet began but was interrupted by a strawberry blonde boy in his late teens coming up and hugging her from behind.

"Hey, Tersa. How's my little cousin doing on her seventeenth birthday? Oh, and who's this? Someone you've taken fancy to? Someone to make Aunt Brigina happy?" Peregrin Took said, releasing her.

"Pippin?!" Duet said wide eyed.

"Tersa?...As in Princess Tersa? You're the princess?" Sam asked, backing away from them.

"Sam, it's not like that!"

"So, it's true. This was all some joke to you, huh?"

"No! I wasn't lying!"

"Oh really, Duet?!"

"Honest, that is my name. Tersa Duet Took. It's just that—"

"No, Du—I mean Tersa. I don't want to hear your excuses. I—…I loved you." Suddenly, Sam spun around and stormed back into the castle, disappearing into the crowd.

"Sam, WAIT!" Tersa yelled, tears brimming on the edge of her eyes.

"You mean to say that you didn't tell him you were a princess?" Pippin asked. "Did I just mess something up for you?"

"No. It's my fault. I never should have thought someone as wonderful as him could ever care about someone as worthless as me," Tersa sighed.

"Tersa, you are amazing. You're so beautiful, and yet you can't see it. Now I think you have two options. You can either forget about him, or you can go after him."

"But I wouldn't know where to go. I only met him the other day. I don't even know where he lives." Tersa sadly walked over to a beautifully ordained stone bench and sat down, a lone tear falling down her face.

"Do you love him?"

"...yes..."

"Then go where your heart leads you. True love cannot be stopped."

Tersa looked up at her cousin through tear streaked eyes. "You know, Dersi is lucky to have you, Pippin Took. You are wise beyond your years."

"Yeah I am, aren't I?" he joked, making Tersa laugh. "But enough of this mushy, family moment, you have to get Sam back."

"Thanks, Pippin." She stood up and before leaving, she hugged her cousin. "But it wouldn't matter anyway." She wiped her eyes of the remaining tears. "Do I look like I've been crying?"

"No," Pippin sighed sadly. He could tell that this was something his poor cousin would not get over easily. Tersa had not opened her heart to anyone since Aiana had moved away, and being hurt as she had would not be easy for her to get over.

"Okay. Thank you." Tersa smiled briefly at him to show him she would be alright, then curtsied to him and returned to the Ball Room, accepting the hand of the first person who asked her to dance.

"Have you chosen a husband?" Brigina asked a while later. "It is almost time for the Ball to end. Have you found a young man you wish to marry?"

"No."

"No? Tersa, there are plenty of handsome young men. How have you not chosen one? Are there too many to decide between?"

"No."

"Then what is the problem?"

"I do not intend to marry any of these men."

"What?!" the queen said a little louder than she had intended to, causing many people who weren't dancing to stare up at her and Tersa.

"I will not marry any of the men in this castle. Now, I shall retire to my room. Goodnight mother." Tersa curtsied and hurriedly walked through a door that lead into a small service hallway and quickening her pace, rushed down the hallway in the routined path she had often traveled with her sister as a child to escape the formal dinners her parents had regularly thrown when she was younger.

"Wait, Tersa?" Brigina called after her but did not follow her down the hallway. She sighed and returned to face the crowd. She clapped her hands and the music stopped, all the dancers staring at her. "I thank you for coming. This has been a beautiful ball, and I am sure that my daughter loved it very much. Unfortunately, she was feeling a bit light headed and has retired for the night. Once again, I would like to thank you for coming." With that, she turned to leave, her lady in waiting following closely at her tail.