XXX

Madeleine and Francis considered themselves to be Catholic, but Maddie knew that her cousin was no saint. Even when they were younger he had a queer fascination with the opposite sex; playing innocent games in the grass would soon lead his young mind to doing something more. On dares he would somehow make the most timid of children to kiss another; on his most ostentatious days, Maddie even remembered him kissing another boy. She found his voracious nature somewhat surprising, since his parents rarely showed each other any sort of physical affection at all. She figured that a run in with some nanny and their serving boy one day set her cousin off; forever in pursuit of things so taboo in high society.

Francis Bonnefoy was a rebellious child, though he seemed to have a lot of influence regarding what was 'done' and what was not. Everything he did was simultaneously scandalous and yet so incredibly "in" that it was no wonder the ladies could not stay away. There was a certain allure, to be sure, with being immodest and yet in style all at once. It was akin to being virginal and being sexually promiscuous all at once; surely, a paradox that many women entertained on the daily.

But just because she had never kissed a man before, did not mean she didn't ever want it was hard to see your self as being free when the man you lived with broke all barriers. It was hard to break out of a prison when the only thing that kept you back was yourself. So Maddie looked on after her cousin, a face of indifference on her tall perch of the balcony level of the ballroom, watching as he went from noblewoman to noblewoman in trying to determine what his next prey should be. It seemed already that that night would be like any other night while staying with the infamous Lord Bonnefoy...

This might have been true, were she only accounting for herself.

XXX

'Vash is back," her mother muttered, a hall and a partly-open bedroom-door away. Three days before the Ball, Lili Zwingli wasn't eaves-dropping on them per-se; though she had strayed rather close to their door on her way to her room. "Have him go with her!"

"And what good would that do?" rumbled her father. "Grown men like him don't just stand around their sisters like they have nothing else to do!"

"If anyone was to see to her protection, it would be Vash," said her mother. "Besides, it's not like we have another lady's maid on hand. . ."

"What about that young servant who helps you dress?" said her father. "Feliciana, was it?"

"Oh—no." Her mother couldn't say it fast enough. "She's not up to the job."

"And why not?"

"She's not a very good houseworker," said her mother. "Dropping things all the time—a mess."

"Then why in the world did you hire her?"

"She lost her home—poor girl. I felt bad for her."

Her father 'hmmph'd'. "Perhaps she'll make a better lady's maid, then."

"Oh, sweetheart—it hardly works like that."

"How hard can it be? All she need to do is follow the girl the whole night."

"Perhaps if we'd only ask Vash . . ."

"How many times must I say it?" Her father's temper. It reared its ugly head without provocation at times like these. "The boy just got back; he has no use for such trivial matters!"

In hindsight, Lili wished that her mother possessed a bit more backbone in getting her father to see things in his wife's perspective. Growing up, her parents had made the mistake of telling Lili that Vash was their favorite, if not for the simple fact that he was a male, but because he was so much more focused and took things so much more seriously than she. Yet Lili adored her brother, and had ever since she was a little girl. She knew that she'd much prefer having him around for company than some maid that she hardly knew, but, like with many things, the matter was very much out of her hands.

And that was the conversation that precluded Lili's second outing since acquiring her marriageable status; the one that allowed her to attend the Ball of the oh-so-famous Lord Francis Bonnefoy all the way in Northern France. One trip to the tailor to fit both her and the new maid later, the two of them jostled back and forth in the closed carriage that would take them to the French countryside. Lili couldn't believe how quickly things had progressed, from getting starting her menstrual cycle for the first time to her debutante party. And then to this.

She rather felt like a package to be mailed out and then sent back in more favorable condition.

XXX

Lili was nervous.

(And, really, she had every right to be.)

First of all, her brother wasn't there. She always felt more comfortable when her brother was around; whether her parents appreciated it or not.

Lili's parents had always thought that she was too attached to Vash. Lili found that she couldn't care less. Vash was the absolute most greatest thing in her life that God had blessed her with, and she had vowed long ago that nothing anyone could say would be allowed to dissuade her from being with those whom she loved.

There was another reason why young Lili was so nervous, however. She had tried to ignore it, but it still pervaded her thoughts. She was of marrying age, and this was practically her second time out looking for a suitor. From here on out, every time she went out, she would be on the market for a nobleman's son or an earl or a duke to bring home to her mother and father. She would have to have expectations, something that she never considered having up until now.

Because, above all, Lili listened to her heart. It was a trait of hers that her mother foretold would lead to her downfall, but she found that she couldn't care less. Their world did not have enough emotion in it, she felt, and it was love that truly brought people together. This whole Enlightenment deal was all good and dandy to her, but really, she thought, would it all last?

Lili did not think it would. And that was why, perhaps, she held her true feelings all the more pertinent to her own personal philosophy.

XXX

Attending the ball with a stand-in lady's maid had made her parents more uncomfortable than she had ever seen them. It was something about the host that made up the bulk of their unease, she felt; something about the reputation of one Lord Francis Bonnefoy that kept them on edge.

But, whatever his history, Herr and Frau Zwingli were absolutely dedicated to getting her there. It would be the perfect opportunity for Lili to stretch her limbs and become a more versatile lady in the sphere of the rich; because Lord knew she needed the practice.

Whenever they brought up her incompetence, Lili couldn't see what about her parents found fault with. In her own mind, she seemed a perfectly capable human being, worthy of her family's title with musical knowledge regarding both the flute and the piano. She knew three different languages- German, English and French—so it wasn't as if she was deficient in her communication skills. Sure, she would never be the most attractive person in the room—she still had that girlish way about her that her mother and father both prayed would fall away soon—but at least she wasn't hard to look at. Lili rarely grew nervous around large groups of people, and knew how to talk so that the people closest could hear; she knew how to use the voice that God had given her, and when she had an opinion, she had no reason why she couldn't say it-especially while around people that she knew.

But what her parents saw and what Lili saw were two different things. Lili did not grow nervous around large groups of people, because she rarely surrounded herself with large groups of people. She rarely tied herself in the laborious task of small talk at events such as the one she was heading towards now, because she couldn't stand small talk with people she hardly knew. Lili was a daydreamer, reflective to a fault, and enjoyed the intimacy of a conversation that only two to three people could supply. So, qualities in her that Herr and Frau Zwingli saw as fault , Lili saw as the most likeable things about herself.

Conflicting expectations aside, Lili was going to the Ball no matter what. And since this is essentially a flashback of the main character's personal life anyway, there was nothing that analyzing the actions of the Zwingli family could do about changing Fraulein Zwingli's fate. In the end, Lili was going to Francis Bonnefoy's ball. Despite what the ensuing consequences might have be.

XXX

"What do you usually look for in a suitor?"

Her lady's maid for the night looked at her in alarm. The girl was quite pretty, Lili thought, once she was given the proper clothes to wear. It had turned out that she and Feliciana wore exactly the same size; no need for them to go out and purchase a dress for a chambermaid that would only be stepping out as nobility once, her father had said. But after Lili's parents had stepped out of the room, Lili had told Feliciana that she could keep the thing. It was, after all, just fabric and thread.

Feliciana almost broke down and cried just then. Lili felt bad, then told her to hold in her tears until the dress was off, lest it be ruined. Feliciana did as she was asked, and then proceeded to fall into Lili's arms, sobbing hard in only her corset and chemise.

Feliciana Vargas was not your typical chamber maid. As said before, Lili's mother only adopted her into the household because of the fact that she felt sorry for her and her family. Living out on the streets with her two remaining siblings, the three of them applied for jobs with the most queer of qualifications. For what working class girl knew how to speak Spanish, English, German, Italian and French, Don Quixote by heart, and the entirety of Italian/Spanish history, but did not even know how to carry a tray up stairs without dropping it and all of its contents on the floor? It was a mystifying ordeal, that was for sure, but she had agreed to work for them at almost a third of the usual pay for being a chambermaid, so that was that.

Lili thought that the young woman's secret history made her rather fascinating, and on the off-chance that they would see each other, Lili would enjoy trying to steal in the odd word or two to discover more about her. Where was she from, who was her family? All she had gotten were nervous responses in German that she was from Northern Italy. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

But now, Lili had her to herself. This was her chance, and she knew that once she had had spoken the question, that Feliciana knew it too.

Feliciana gave a fleeting little smile and looked down at her hands. "I don't know, fraulein. I never went out much."

Feliciana was an adept liar. "With a face like yours? I highly doubt that, Feli!"

Feliciana brightened at that. Whether it was the casual way she had given her family's maid such an easy-to-say moniker, or simply the fact that Lili was talking with her in such an easy-going manner, Lili couldn't really tell. All she knew was, Feliciana finally seemed obliged to talk.

"Well, I guess there have been a few times. . . " Feliciana tilted her head in thought. "I am only seventeen, as you may know, fraulein, but some of my childhood friends ended up being very dear to me." Feliciana pursed her lips. "I think that perhaps what attracts me the most is someone who is sincere in what he says . . . and who follows commitments." And this, Feli gave a sure nod of the head.

"It seems as though you've had a lot of falling out with men who didn't live up to your expectations."

"I wouldn't say 'falling out' with!" Feli defended. "But I do rather . . . dislike it when a man says one thing and does the opposite other."

Lili nodded sagely, then looked at her maid with a twinkle in her eye. "And what about . . . physical characteristics?"

Feliciana blushed at that. "Wh-what do you mean, fraulein?"

Lili's smile grew. Feli's blush deepened.

"W-well, matters such as that shouldn't hold much importance, should it?" Feli asked, though Lili knew by her reaction that she really didn't mean what she had just said. "I-I mean, it's what's inside that counts, no?"

"Of course," said Lili. "But I mean – hypothetically- if you found man with a good heart and good looks, what would those good looks be?"

"Um—well. I think I may be alone in this, my being an Italian and all, but I really think that blue eyes are the best," said Feli at last. "There's a depth to them that really excites me, you know? And people with blue eyes—well. I want to wake up with someone eyes unlike mine. I want to wake up next to someone and feel as though I'm staring at the sky."

She and the maid locked gazes with each other. Lili wasn't sure how it had happened, but it seemed as though a real understanding had passed between them. Whether from the mention of the blue eyes or something more, Lili was glad it happened. It's been a while since I've had a real friend, Lili thought.

"I think," Lili began, "that's something that I'd like in a suitor, as well."

XXX

At the Ball now, Lili found herself submitting to the strain of the orchestra, its harmony making her sway side to side like a tree to a particularly strong gale. The violin, her favorite-though she couldn't very well explain that to her parents, for the violin was seen as a very intense instrument to go and handle, and really only played by men-stirred her right down to her very soul, and she closed her eyes, letting it take her to a world far, far beyond her own small piece of it.

"Hello."

Lili got scared easily. It wasn't a very lady-like trait that her parents were very comfortable with her having, and she really did try to get rid of it. But when she was off like this, being carried away into her own little world, it got hard at times. The jolt back into reality was discomforting at best, when she realized things were still back to being the same as they always were.

But waking up from her little daydream, she felt as though reality was beginning to seem a little less route.

Looking at her was the most beautiful man she had ever encountered. Long, blonde hair, fair and luscious, cascaded past his ears and into a ponytail at the back of his head. He was tall too, with a strong, prominent nose that somehow didn't seem to get in the way of the rest of his graceful features. His whole face was smooth, all the way down to the stubble on his chin. It was the stubble and his long nose that made his more masculine features stand out above the rest; making Lili see a man more in control with his feelings than anyone else with such feminine features as he.

But he's so gorgeous, thought Lili- not so much in adoring fashion, but more as matter of fact. And his eyes...they were like the river at sunset, the light around them refracting against them in a way that somehow made the moment all the more singular and pristine.

"Um, hi. Monsieur. Hello." She curtsied.

The man's smile grew. "I saw you swaying to the music over there. Do you like the orchestra?"

"I really do, yes." She felt that if she looked at him too long, she would go blind at the image of his brilliance. "My family really has never had anything like it."

"And who is your family?"

"House Zwingli. We live in Switzerland, monsieur."

"All the way over there!" The man seemed truly surprised. "I suppose I should feel sort of honored."

"Honored?" Lili almost choked, trying to get her next words out. "You-you are the host?

"But of course!" He said, flashing her with his teeth, spreading out his hands before him to make the point that, yes, everything that she saw here was owned and put on by him himself.

Lili was a bit disoriented, she had to admit. Not for the last time, she wished her companion for the night were there, so that she could provide for her some smelling salts or something of the sort to keep her on her feet.

"It's spectacular!" Said Lili, the first thing on her mind. "And you-you're so young-"

Lord Francis Bonnefoy gave a lovely laugh in response-not too brash, not to girlish, but just the right combination of mirth and heart.

Lili blushed. "I mean to say-where is the elder lord?"

Francis' laugh almost stopped immediately. "Oh, he's dead," he said, almost nonchalant.

"I- I am terribly sorry," she muttered, unable at that moment to meet his eyes.

"It's quite alright," Francis said, and his eyes were twinkling again. "You're quite young too, though, non?

Lili hardly knew what to say. The fact that there were plenty of other women around that Francis could have been chatting with-and that she was of age- left her quite flustered. Coupled with the fact that this was the very first time that she had actually dared to try and flirt with someone-was it normal to feel like such a fool? "I-I suppose I am," said Lili, trying to sound a little older than her sixteen year old self. "But not too young to be here, with you."

Francis' eyebrow quirked up, and Lili wanted to die. She had NOT meant to say that- curse her and her excited little brain! She succeeded in rectifying her burst of courage with a tumble of temerity. "I...um..."

"Where is your chaperone, ma fleur?" Francis asked cordially. "You did not arrive by yourself, non?"

Lili didn't, but she kept her mouth quiet. She didn't quite know how to proceed without outright lying, knowing that the first thing she would say would get him onto her faster than anything before.

Oh, but who was she kidding? She had been presented with the chance to be bold for once-to venture and do something that she had never done before. And what was the harm in it, in reinventing herself for this stranger? She felt as if she could be anything with him.

"Here you go now, acting like a concerned uncle," she lamented, looking down at her own nervous hands. "And here I thought you saw me capable of standing a conversation on my own."

Lord Francis' eyes brightened then, amused. "Not at all, mon cher," he replied. "Just worried - you should have someone looking after you on a special night such as this one."

Her stomach sprouted butterflies. "Am I really that obvious?"

"It's simply adorable," the lord assured her. "I feel as though I could talk to you all day."

"You could teach me," said Lili, still marveling at her boldness. Stuttering, she added, "So I don't look completely inept when conversing with some of the other nobles."

"It would be an honor," Francis said, giving a little bow, and try hard as she did to quell the bubbliness in her stomach that came as a reaction to his comforting hand at her elbow, she could not squash the feeling completely. But maybe that was a good thing, for once.

She could go for a good sweeping off her feet that night.

XXX

A/N: Augh. That took too long to post.

I have a lot of this story already figured out. But I thought that Lili should probably get a little more character exposition before I go full throttle with everything. Saying that to say . . . the prologue's going to be sectioned off in three to four parts.

YARGH this chapter ended up being more than three-thousand words! Don't get your expectations up, though. From here on out, I'm not posting another chapter this long!

More details on why the hell Feliciana bailed on her charge NEXT on "Between Two Lungs!"

Hopefully the next chapter won't take a freaking month to develop. That was really, really bad. I'm sorry, guys.