DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters from Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper. I'm not making money from this story.
Anneliese backed away from the mirror looking at the elegant gown on her body. It was a pale pink ball gown, as always, with thin, white lace accents that shimmered in the light. The sleeves hung slightly off her shoulders and stopped around her forearms. The bodice of the dress was tight fitting; however, not tight enough to show Anneliese's slight bump. It was still too small for anyone to notice, unless they were told. However, the princess was still adamant about no one knowing or finding out her and Julian's surprise until the end of the ball. The skirt was full and, like the top, had lace to cover the infinite layers of tule underneath. She twirled in her dress and watched the white lace lift to reveal the pink material. Then, she leaned into the mirror to check her hair and makeup.
Charlotte had done a magnificent job on her hair. The blonde hair held perfect ringlets, as usual. "This is your ball. No one is going to look better," she had said. She turned the princess away from the mirror as she added numerous gems throughout her hair. When Anneliese turned back around, her blonde hair shimmered, and she was speechless. "Wow," she stated, "It looks beautiful, Charlotte! Thank you!"
Anneliese was taking a last look at her face in the mirror when she heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," she called, while still fixated on the mirror. This time she backed away and turned to view her profile. It was essential that her slight baby bump was hidden from view. She sucked in, sufficiently hiding the bump, and nodded, satisfied. Suddenly, there was another person in the reflection: Julian.
"Looks like I'll be sucking in all night," Anneliese said giggling. "I still can't believe there is a baby growing in me!"
"I can believe it," Julian said and grabbed Anneliese's hands. "He or she is going to have the best mother." He gave her a small peck on the cheek. Anneliese blushed.
"And he or she will have the smartest father," she responded with a smile. Anneliese was about to speak again when Charlotte entered the room.
"Excuse me, milady, but the ball will be starting very shortly and the guests cannot be left waiting. After all, you two are the main event tonight." They nodded in response, while Julian offered his arm to Anneliese. She happily intertwined her arm and they were escorted out of their room.
As they were walking through the corridors on the way to the dining hall, Anneliese was giving last minute tips and etiquette, most of which she learned as a young princess. "Remember, we are starting with dinner, so no loud side conversations or controversial conversations. We want to keep this as neutral as possible." She continued on about everything. From table manners to appropriate topics during dinner to correct ways to address the guests, Anneliese covered almost all of it by the time they entered the dining hall. Julian stared ahead, not showing any emotion. Seeing around thirty royals and nobles made Julian queasy. Anneliese squeezed his hand, "Don't worry, you got this," she whispered. 'Yeah, right,' he thought. He has very limited experience on dinners and balls, especially ones this size. He took a deep breath as two men opened the doors.
He could feel all the eyes on him. The room was silent except a few mumbles. The guests were watching like hawks, judging this new royal as he escorted Anneliese to her place at the table next to Erika and Dominick and pulled out her chair for her. It made a loud screech sound. His face turned red. Anneliese just smiled, but her eyes showed just how much she wanted to laugh. Not being raised in royalty caused Julian much distress. His emotions are always plastered on his face like it is transparent. Anneliese, on the other hand, has had years to perfect hidden emotions, so she held her composure during an awkward and embarrassing moment as this one. He quickly sat in his chair and said nothing until dinner was served.
"That was quite an entrance you made there, Julian," Erika joked.
Julian just rolled his eyes. "The first real public event, and I have already made a fool of myself."
Dominick laughed. "Don't worry, my first real ball, I tripped over a rug and pulled down the tablecloth." He sighed, "It only gets better from here."
"You're kidding, right?" Julian asked, "Weren't you raised for the dinner and ball scene?"
"Hey, everyone can make a mistake when they're nervous," Dominick shrugged.
Anneliese put a hand on his shoulder and turned to him. "Seriously, Julian. It wasn't that bad. Loud? Yes. Humiliating? No," she reassured him. While Julian felt the pressure, the guests chattered amongst themselves.
Throughout the entire dinner Julian could feel eyes on him. He could hear them whispering about him. He could read their judgmental thoughts. Of course, Julian knew this day was coming. Eventually he would have to attend his first official ball. He had previously meet with other royals, just not one hundred of them at a time. He thought it would be a breeze because he taught Anneliese basic etiquette years prior. However, Julian quickly realized teaching royalty and being royalty were two completely different realms.
As the guests were finishing the scrumptious dessert and superficial conversations, Queen Genevieve cleared her throat. Rising from her chair at the head of the table, she stated collectedly, "Excuse me, I would like to make a toast." Everyone lost interest in their cake and conversations and looked at the queen.
"We are gathered this evening to celebrate the one year anniversary of not just my daughter, Anneliese, and Julian, but also of Queen Erika and King Dominick. While the circumstances surrounding our meetings were very unfortunate and bizarre, I am very grateful for how everything fell into place. This ball is thrown in honor of their love and our kingdom's resilience. To the health of the couples and kingdoms!" The guests repeated the toast and clinked glasses before sipping. The dining room once again slipped into undistinguished talk.
Once dinner was over, the guests were escorted to the ballroom. A full orchestra was already playing soothing tunes as the dignitaries flooded into the great room. The servants had trays full of horderves on the finest silver trays. Soon the quiet, empty ballroom burst into life.
The royal hosts were the last to enter the ball room. After being announced, Julian led Anneliese into a circle created by the guests and motioned for Erika and Dominick to do the same. The music for the official first dance began. It was a soft, romantic melody. Both couples danced their way into a rhythm so that they were perfectly in sync. Soon, the partygoers were captivated by their intricate dance moves as they glided across the floor. It had been so long since Anneliese felt such joy at a ball. She always had to dance with snobby, clumsy, or downright unbearable partners. Much to her pleasure, Julian was a fine dancer. She quickly got lost in his blue eyes and he in hers. They paid barely any attention to the other royal couple.
Erika couldn't keep the heat in her cheeks or the smile on her lips. Dancing in Dominick's arms made her think of how lonely she was during her years of travel. Sure, singing across the globe was a worthwhile experience, but her mind continued to drift back to him. And now she is dancing with the man of her dreams. Her smile widened.
Both of the couples were so enamored by each other, that they barely noticed the music stopped; however, they reluctantly stopped dancing and shared the dance floor with the other guests.
A few hours into the ball, everyone was on the dance floor for a traditional dance. Moving from partner to partner, Anneliese soon danced with Dominick and Erika with Julian.
"I must say, Anneliese," Dominick began as they circled each other, "Geodes are becoming quite the fashion statement in Dulcinea. You can definitely expect more business soon."
They stopped circling and bowed. Anneliese responded with a smile, "That is fantastic to hear. Even with the influx of the kingdom's income, we are still struggling to recover the economy. Preminger practically ran the kingdom into bankruptcy with harmful policies. It's crazy to think he had been doing this for years..."
They assumed a dancing position.
"I remember the first time I met him. I thought he was such a creep," Dominick remarked with a laugh. "Crazy that we were almost married because of him."
Dominick and Anneliese laughed. While it was scary at the time, their almost-marriage was a joke to them now.
Next to them, Julian danced with Erika.
"So, how's royal life for you?" he asked mid-bow.
"Even after a year, I'm still adjusting," Erika responded with a sigh. "I just can't believe how many people are ready to do things for me all the time. And don't even get me started on the castle. I still get lost all the time." They laughed then assumed the dancing position.
"I know how you feel. Even though I lived at the castle as a tutor, there were many parts of the castle that were restricted for me. Now I have free range, a million servants, practically anything I want. It's overwhelming. Not to mention, everyone has an opinion about the princess marrying a 'mere pauper.'" He said the last part with an impersonation.
"I know! I feel like my own people hate me... but I don't let that discourage me. I always tell myself 'Dominick chose me.'" She smiled softly. "One day, we are gonna be seen as royalty, too, despite our pasts."
"You're right, one day," Julian agreed.
The guests continued switching partners and chatting away. After dancing for several minutes, the song came to an end. Julian and Anneliese met up. "Do you think now would be a good time for our announcement? The ball is about to end," Julian asked.
"Definitely! I don't know if I can keep it a secret anymore," Anneliese said giddily.
After excusing themselves from Erika and Dominick, Anneliese and Julian walked towards the orchestra on the stage. Julian signaled to hold the next song, and helped Anneliese onto the stage. Everyone looked their way.
"Hello, all. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for attending the ball tonight. I speak on behalf of myself and Julian and Queen Erika and King Dominick that we are glad you could celebrate this wonderful anniversary with us. This year has been one of the best because I have been able to spend it with the man I love. We are working together to mend a broken economy, but we also received some very exciting news. We are expecting a royal baby soon!" Anneliese announced. The guests all gasped in surprised then congratulated the expecting parents. The guests were all overjoyed; however, no one was as ecstatic as the Queen.
"Oh darling!" she rushed to them, "How could you keep this a secret from me?"
"To be fair, your majesty, I was notified only yesterday," Julian joked as he gave Anneliese a piercing glance. She simply smiled back.
"Sorry, mother," Anneliese apologized. "I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone. Only Charlotte knew, but of course, she told all the maids. I am just glad the news did not go past the servants." Then another voice rose above the others.
"How could you not tell me?!"
Anneliese spun around to see Erika.
"Like I told mother, I wanted to surprise everyone, and it looks like I did," she responded and nodded with a laugh.
"How far into the pregnancy are you?"
"About 10 weeks."
As the women continued to blabber on about Anneliese's pregnancy, Julian and Dominic decided to separate from their wives and discuss 'manly' matters.
Just then, a guard hurried in and whispered into the Queen's ear. Her face went pale and tight. While Julian and Dominick did not hear the guard's report, Queen Genevieve's response was quiet but clear, "Evacuate everyone and search the castle and surrounding grounds immediately."
With that, the ball ended unexpectedly early, and the guests left murmuring. Rumors were already beginning to swirl before they even left the room.
A guard escorted the royals to the throne room urgently. "What's going on?" Anneliese inquired. "Mother, please tell me everything is alright." She was trying to calm herself. She had a feeling that her worst nightmare was coming true.
"I'm sorry, darling, but Preminger has escaped the dungeons," the Queen replied, shakily. She continued to pace.
Anneliese's vision started to close in. The tight corset was not helping. 'This can't be happening,' she thought. Her balance was deteriorating. Julian was trying to steady her, calm her down. But she couldn't hear anything. She felt like she was trapped underwater, unable to catch her breath. Then everything went black as she felt herself fall backwards.
A/N: Thanks for reading! I am still new to fanfic writing, so reviews would be very helpful! I'm sorry for the delay in uploading this chapter. It's the end of school, so I should be able to write and upload more! I hope you enjoyed!