A/N

Okay my people!

This is going to be the best chapter ever! (I wish):

Five cool facts that make this chap awesome:

Today is the day before Easter,

Today's date is also the date on the kings invite to the ball (check the previous chap and see if you don't believe me.)

This is the longest chapter I have ever written,

For the first time in all of my stories I have a crowd's POV,

And finally, Today is my birthday!

So as a present to you for my b-day, I am updating! :)

Enjoy!

"Wesley, do you think you could get her down to my buggy?" The doctor asked.

Wess nodded curtly, and then he scooped me up into his arms, holding me like a fragile child. He stood still for a moment as he waited for the door to open. He made it look as though I was as light as a feather. Although, that may be the case, considering how much I had been eating in those last few days.

I watched Wess' face, wondering what he thought of all of this, but it was unreadable, he was concentrating on something. I am sure of that because the only times I do not know what he was thinking was when he was either angry or when he is concentrating. He had that calculating expression, the same one I remembered seeing on my father's face when he was hunting.

Wess walked down the hall, heading for the stairs. The doctor stopped to talk with Bertha, and that is when Wess' expression changed, he looked down at me worriedly. "I'm sorry, I let this happen." He whispered.

"What do you mean?" I asked, appalled that he would blame himself for my mistake.

"I should have taken better care of you. You were under pressure to finish that blasted dress; I should have been paying more attention to how you were treating yourself."

As we reached the top stair, a screech came from Drizzela's room. I rolled my eyes, that scream had begun to show up in my nightmares because of her.

Her door flew open and she looked around, when her eyes landed on us, I automatically flinched back.

"What is it this time?" I thought wearily.

She started towards me. "If she starts ordering me around right now…" My thoughts trailed off when I realized her face was not distorted in the usual frown.

She stopped in front of Wess, she looked down at her feet, and said quietly, "Thank you, Brietta, for the beautiful dress." My eyes widened, that was the nicest thing she had ever said to me.

"You're welcome. Does it fit?" I hoped that it fit, so I would not have to hem it or anything.

She smiled shyly, "I don't know, could you help me get it on?" I was shocked; she was a completely different person.

I looked to Wess, for his permission. He shrugged and tilted his head towards the doctor. I raised my brows at the doctor; he smiled and said, "If you hurry, we need to get you home so you can rest for the ball tomorrow." I frowned but brushed it off for later.

Wess carried me into her room and set me on a rocking chair. As he was straightening, I whispered to him, "Thank you for bringing the dress."

He smirked, and said, "Nate told me to." I laughed as he left.

Bertha came in and shut the door, saying that she got the men settled in the sitting room.

After fifteen minutes of tugging and pulling, Bertha and I stepped back to admire the dress on Drizzela. It really was beautiful,

"Brie you're so talented! It looks much better than the picture. In fact it looks nothing like the pattern." Bertha said as she fingered the dress.

I could not quite place what kind of mood Drizzela was in, the word for it was on the tip of my tongue, not wanting to reveal itself to me.

"It's a little heavier than I thought it was going to be." Drizzela said as she slipped some high heels on.

I almost laughed when I saw that the heels she had were almost a foot high. "These fashion trends are ridiculous!" I thought with a smile.

"What are you wearing Brietta?" Drizzela of all people, asked me.

I sighed, "Here we go again." "I'm not going." I said exasperated.

"Nonsense, if the reason is that you don't have a dress to wear you could always borrow any of my dresses." I gawked at her, and then felt her head to see if she had a fever. She laughed as she brushed my hand away, "I'm just trying to be nice, and after all you worked really hard on my dress."

For the first time I considered the possibility of going. "If it's okay with you… Can I borrow the cream one with golden beads?" I suddenly blurted out. "I guess I'm going then?" I thought.

"That old thing? You can keep that one; I was going to throw it away anyways." She said.

"Why don't you try it on now?" Bertha said excitedly. It was not a question; she was already heading for the trunk on the far side of the room.

In a couple minutes, I was almost as pretty as Drizzela. The dress was knee length, "Part of those new crazy trends." It was a creamy color, and it had tiny golden beads sewn into delicate patterns across the bosom. In addition, the bottom of the dress was flared because of some sort of layered mesh skirt they had stuck on under the dress.

It fit perfectly. Before I knew it, I was being helped down the hall and into the sitting room, to show off our prettiness.

Wess' eyes widened and he stood slowly as he caught sight of us, the doctor started coughing on the cup of tea he had in his hand and Wess reached over with a smile to smack him on the back.

A slow smile spread across the doc's face as he said, "Well, well who are these three lovely ladies?"

I blushed; I had never been called lovely before.

We soon changed into our regular clothes and I was again picked up, and then carried out the door and down the front steps to the awaiting buggy. Bertha followed us out with my new dress, and thanked me before we headed home.

When we arrived, I was surprised to see Nathan and Jacob were still at home. When I asked about it they simply said, "All the schools and businesses are shut down to get ready for the ball." I had not thought of that.

"Well then, are you two going to go to a friend's house then?" I did not want them to go, in fact I really wanted to hold them close for as long as possible. However, they were still children; I was not going to make them grow up any faster than they had to.

"Actually, we were going to take care of you today." Was Jacob's quiet reply. I felt the pinpricks on the backs of my eyes, warning me that I was getting emotional.

I swallowed down tears, as he gave me a loving hug.

We all spent the rest of the day playing games, and being a family. "This day is by far, the best of my life"

I thought happily, as I got beat again, by Wess in a game of cards.

When we finally finished with the game playing, and we were all sitting around thinking about various things, Lyssy climbed on to my lap and yawned. Her cute little blue eyes were drooping, her head slowly lowered onto my shoulder and her arms wrapped around my neck.

I realized that I had not been a very good mother for her, I had been so wrapped up in all my other worries, and I had forgotten what my role in her life was supposed to be. I cradled her head in my hand, and gently started singing a lullaby that I remembered hearing mother and father singing together.

Jacob slowly inched my way when he heard the song I was singing, and I saw some slight movement in Nathan's head as he turned his ear to where he could hear me better. Wess bluntly walked over and sat down Indian style in front of me, I think he remembered that song too. His deeper voice soon joined in to my higher clearer one and we sounded almost exactly like I remembered father and mother sounding together.

There were two things I had not done since father died, the first one was I had not cried, the other was I had not sang. Therefore, you could understand the interest in all my brother's eyes as I hit every note perfectly.

I had inherited my mother's beautiful singing voice, her sweet face features, and her perfectly curled blond hair. However, from my father's side I inherited his brown/gold eyes. I did not think I was very pretty I had many flaws.

We finally neared the end of the soft melody, I looked away from Wess to Nathaniel I cut off the note I was on as I saw the tears in his eyes. I had not seen him cry in a long time.

I glanced at Wesley who had followed my eyes, and was now slowly standing with a sympathetic look on his face. I stood with the now sleeping Lyssy and moved to sit beside Nate.

I gently wiped his tears away,

"What's wrong?" Wess said.

He took a shaky breath, then said, "That was the last song mom sang, she was holding Lyssy, and I was watching her. She didn't know I was there, she had the most beautiful voice" Wess wrapped him in a hug. I watched, my heart slowly breaking for the boy. Then I realized that he had probably seen mother's life slip out of her.

Wess seemed to realize this too, and he stood and walked Nathan out of the room to talk to him. I looked to Jacob; he was watching the doorway with pain etched into his face. Jacob had always been sensitive to other's feelings.

"Could you come with me and open Alyssa's door so I can lay her down?" I asked him, hoping it would be distracting. It was, he stood and quickly left ahead of me. After laying her down, and checking on Wess and Nate. I went to my own room, changing into my comfortable clothes I settled into my bed with a tired sigh. I was fast asleep before I knew it.

I woke with a start; someone was banging on my door. My mind went through all the reasons someone would be waking me, I found none that made sense. The doctor had told me to sleep in, and I had given him my word that I would stay in bed for as long as possible.

"Brie, I'm here to make you pretty!" I heard Bertha's voice call through the door.

"Why would you do that?" I asked grumpily.

She gave what sounded like a scoff and said, "For the ball of course!" I looked out the window and realized it was almost noon. I flipped the covers off and opened the door to let the bubbling Bertha in; she was followed by Isabella and Lyssy, who both wanted to help.

They sat me down in a chair in the middle of the room, and then started walking around me, deciding where to start. I noticed Bertha and Isabelle were both already dressed and prettied up.

They finally started on my hair, their fingers moved diligently over my head, and I watched as a complex looking up-do slowly appeared. There were twists, pins, and curls piled up on my head, resulting in a very flattering hairstyle.

They started on my makeup next, I had never worn makeup a day in my life, so when they were finished the effect was extreme, it did not completely transform my face, but it did make the prettiness more prominent. There was a subtle gold powder on my face, bringing out the gold flecks in my brown eyes.

It was around four when they slipped the dress over my head, then pulled the mesh skirt on under it. I was put in the shortest pair of heels Bertha could find, which were quite high in my standards. They were clear except for the gold lining around them. Finally, I attached the gold locket mother gave me around my neck.

"You look like a doll." Lyssy stated.

I smiled, "It will be easier to blend in now that I look nice." I said as my nerves calmed a bit.

Isabella laughed, "No, it will be harder for you to blend in now." She said happily.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I was completely confused.

"What she means is, you are so beautiful, and you will stand out tonight." Bertha explained.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "At least Drizzela's dress is much prettier than mine, she will take the spotlight."

They both just laughed and Isabella quietly said, "I highly doubt that."

Bertha soon left to go help Drizzela finish getting ready.

Isabella and I were sitting at the table in the dining room, when Wess came down in his white shirt and black vest, "How do you tie this thing?" he said as he held up the yellow/gold bowtie that matched my dress.

Isabella stood and took the tie from his hand, I watched as she reached her arms around his neck, pulling the tie around to the front. Their eyes locked, I smirked when neither of them could break the stare.

It seemed they were lost forever in each other's eyes, until I decided to cough and break the spell. They glanced around, and both of them turned a bit red as Isabella quickly finished tying a perfect bow, and then distanced herself from Wess.

Isabella cleared her throat and said, "Well, I have to go see if my escort is ready. See you two later!" then she bounced, (a little too happily) out the door.

I turned an accusing smile on Wess, he was watching the door she had just closed as if he had no idea what just happened. He looked at me, his eyes asking me what happened. I just shrugged, and said, "That was strange."

He nodded his head and said, "Yeah, she seems all grown up suddenly." She was only a year younger than he was, but he had always seen her as a little sister. I sighed, Wess was not supposed to fall in love; if he fell in love he would leave me alone to raise the kids. That thought scared me, but I didn't want to take anything away from him, so I stayed silent.

His mood changed from confused about Isabella, to excitement about the ball in an instant. "You look beautiful Brie." He complimented me.

"Thank you, you look nice too." I said.

Then he looked at the clock and said, "We best get going, we don't want to be late."

"Nate, we are leaving now." I called up the stairs.

"Yeah, okay see you later." He replied.

We arrived at the castle, and were ushered down a hall, into a room; we gave our names to an announcer, and then were shown through large doors as our name was called out. Then we were announced, along with a few others that had arrived at the same time.

The crowd's POV

Every one in the ballroom stopped to see who had come, and then a few carried on with their business, but most eyes lingered on the attractive couple that had just arrived, arm in arm.

The girl's hair was a beautiful blond color, and her eyes were large and brown. She wore a dazzling cream and gold dress, that perfectly suited her.

The crowd watched eagerly as they made their way around the outside of the ballroom, to a small group of women they seemed to know. She smiled at something one of the girls said, and it seemed to make other people smile as they watched her.

The man that stood beside her was just as attractive, there was a similarity between the two that led people to believe they were related. However, the way she looked jealously at him as he talked to another girl, and the way they stayed glued to each other's sides, confused the onlookers.

Some of the princesses were tittering as they watched the mysterious girl. She was graceful and perfect in every way. In addition, even some of the Princes were watching her in interest, but were hesitant to approach her because of the man on her arm.

Brietta's POV

I was not enjoying myself, Wess and Isabella were flirting with each other and having the time of their lives, but I was left with a sinking feeling every time Wess laughed at something she said.

I felt like I could cry, so soon I tugged on Wess' sleeve and said, "Wess, I think I'm going to go get a drink, I may go out into the gardens later if you need me." He nodded, and then turned back to Isabella.

The crowd's POV

As soon as she stepped away from him, you could visibly see the crowd move towards her, ready to ask for a dance, or even to just see if they could make her smile, because they thought her smile was the most beautiful one ever.

Brietta's POV

When I finally reached the table with the drinks I had been asked to dance six times, all of which I had politely turned down, things were suddenly getting weird. Many people had started talking to me, asking me where I came from and who my family is. I got out of all of those talks, with a few well-placed words and an excuse.

I smiled at the boy behind the table that was dishing out punch for people, he grinned and asked, "What would you like madam?" He had a strange accent that made my smile wider.

"What is that?" I asked as I pointed to a bowel of pink stuff.

He laughed, and then said in hushed tones, "That… is pink lemonade." A laugh bubbled out of me, and as soon as it did, he looked satisfied. :He was hoping to see her smile, but he had gotten much more.

I walked around the ballroom, and soon got angry with myself for leaving Wess' side. I had lost count of how many people had asked me to dance, but I was not going to give in to any of the requests, because I knew if I did, there would be no stopping the string of people wanting to dance with me.

I remembered that I had told Wess I would be in the gardens, and I realized that that would be my escape. I ducked behind a pillar, and hoped I was not seen by anyone.

I then hurried out the closest door to me, and slipped out into the night. I thought I had escaped unnoticed but I soon heard the footsteps of at least three men. "I know I saw her coming out here not two seconds ago." They had not seen me yet, so I crouched down in a clutch of bushes, and waited for them to pass.

I soon stood, but I crouched down again as I saw another shape coming my way, but he seemed to be running… not chasing.

Once he passed, I went in a different direction than them. And found myself in a beautiful little hidden garden, that I had accidentally stumbled upon. I decided it would be quite impossible for them to find me, and I settled down on a white bench.

I was watching the stars when a hand covered my mouth from behind, I was about to scream when I heard a large group of girls, "I think he went this way!" "Are you sure? " "I thought I saw him going that way!"

Then another voice joined them, it was a male voice, and I recognized it to be the man that had said he saw me leaving earlier. "Well hello ladies, what are all of you doing out here?"

"We were looking for Prince Damian, have you seen him?" Said one of the girls.

"No, but we were out here looking for someone ourselves, have any of you happened to see a pretty little blond girl, about this tall?"

I heard some say, "No." and another say, "I thought she was inside." And then the leader girl that had spoken up before said, "Why don't you go ask her beau? I know he is still inside." there were some snickers, and I wondered if they were talking about Wess.

They finally left, and I remembered that there was a hand that still covered my mouth, I had forgotten about it while the people talked.

The person removed their hand and moved around to sit beside me on the bench. I found myself staring into brown eyes that were so dark they were almost black. Then I saw the clothes he was wearing and realized that I was in the presence of none other than the crown prince Damian himself.

I quickly recovered from the initial shock and pulled myself together enough to make a sad attempt at Rhenia's symbol of respect with my hands.

He chuckled quietly, and then whispered, "So you're the one causing all this fuss?"

I smiled and said, "I was led to believe that you were the one causing it." We laughed quietly, and I decided that I rather liked the prince.

He looked at my hair, then said, "Your hair is different, where are you from?" he said this because every one in Rhenia has either straight black hair or straight brown hair.

"I'm from here, but my mother was an Eldemarian." They have blond curly hair and blue eyes.

His face seemed to harden for a second and I stood slowly, "I can leave…" I turned to go the way I came, but was stopped by a grip on my arm,

"Wait, please stay, I just have some grudges against one Eldemarian in particular." He said with an encouraging smile.

I sat back down, hesitantly. But we were soon talking like we had known each other for a long time. We talked for a rather long time; two, maybe three hours.

"What is your name?" he asked, and I was about to answer, when I was suddenly conscious of another being near us.

I put my finger to my mouth, signaling him to hush and listen. He nodded once he heard what I was hearing.

We stood silently, and he positioned me to where I was behind him, he drew his sword, and stalked stealthily towards the noise, with me right on his heals.

He raised a hand, signaling me to stop, and then he quickly pulled back the bushes separating us from whatever it was. His shoulders relaxed, and I peeked around his arm to see a little girl about Lyssy's age, staring with huge eyes at us.

A laugh escaped my lips, then the prince said," Sarah, what are you doing out here?"

This was his little sister, Princess Sarah. She smiled, and then said, "I was looking for you."

He chuckled, "Well, you found me. You are one of the only princesses that I don't mind following me around." He said as he picked her up. I smiled, "He's so caring and gentle with her."

He turned to me, and then said, "I need to get her inside, it was very nice to meet you."

I smiled, "The pleasure was mine, your highness."

He walked me back to the ballroom, and then departed with a smile. I found Wess was still talking to Isabella, but I felt better about it.

Soon I began to hear praise for Drizzela's dress, somehow it had gotten out that I had made it. And it had also gotten out how long it took me to make it. People started asking me if I was a professional stylist.

I soon got tired of socializing, so I told Wess that I wanted to go home, and he agreed that I should get some rest.

As we were leaving we kept getting stopped by random strangers saying goodnight.

When we were finally in the safety of our home I looked at Wess and said, "That… Was… So... Weird. I'm never doing that again." I stated.

He laughed at me, "It's hard being the belle of the ball isn't it?" I gave him a look.

"I was not the belle of the ball. They just… did not see the real me." I finished lamely.

"You have no idea what you are talking about." he said as he pulled his vest off.

I rolled my eyes and hurried up stairs, I washed all the makeup off in the basin near my bed, and felt a bit better.

Then I remembered the garden, and I felt my face flush a bit. "He was very handsome, and kind, and… fun."

I fell asleep with a smile on my lips.

Prince Damian's POV~

I took Sarah up stairs, and read her a quick bedtime story. Then I hurried back to the ball, hoping to have some more time with that girl, I also hoped to find out her name. "Because if things go the way father wants them to…"

My thoughts quickly dropped off, as I searched the faces of the crowd. I realized I could probably see her instantly from high up because of her hair. So I climbed the steps to the balcony, I looked out over the ballroom, and my heart sank.

She was nowhere to be seen. I decided to ask the announcer if he remembered her, because I needed her name if I was going to tell my father about her.

Steven, the announcer, said that he did remember her first one, but the last name had slipped his mind.

That night when I was trying to get to sleep, I whispered her name, "Brietta." It felt right on my tongue. I fell into a deep sleep full of her beautiful moonlit face.

A/N

That is all!

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Until next time,

Ilikemutemath