Chapter 3

After breakfast we all were waiting to meet Damon. I watched as Winter and Damon smiled and laughed.

It was so cute! Oh no it's my turn. I am horrified. I walk up and curtsy for him.

"Hello Lady Elizabeth. How are you?"

"I am doing wonderful!"

"That's nice to hear! What caste were you?"

"I was a five, and my career was art, but I always wanted to be a singer."

"Oh that's nice! I love drawing! We should do it sometime...I mean like if you want." He blushed and gave me a boyish smile.

"Prince Damon, I would be honored." He sighed with relief. I never thought he would be nervous like me. I relaxed a little.

"Oh and if you do want to pursue singing while you are here, we have a wonderful music room."

"That would be lovely, thank you!"

"Anytime. I'm afraid we have to get going. But do you want to do the art thing later tonight?"

"Did you just ask me out? Wait did I just say that aloud?" I was blushing madly. He chuckled

"Yes, my dear, I did. And I know I've made an excellent choice."

And then I melted again.

"See you later tonight!"

"Yes at six, my dear!"

It was five o' clock and since I had an hour till my date I thought I would go to the music room.

I was alone in the room with all the wonderful instruments and devices. I sat down at a piano, and started to just sing and play. I didn't know how, I just did it.

"It's a little bit funny

This feeling inside

I'm not one of those who can

Easily hide

I don't have much money

But boy if I did

If buy a big house where we both could live."

I forgot the words from there so I just played and to my surprise someone joined in.

"So excuse me for forgetting but these things I do

You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue." I whipped my head around to see Prince Graham. He has a beautiful voice. Wow. I was surprised but didn't stop playing.

"But any way the thing is, what I really mean

Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen." He sat down next to me on the bench. And a rush of heat went through me. I joined in for the chorus.

"and you can tell everybody this is your song" he made harmonies off the bat. Our voices intertwining together like two strings tied in a knot. "It may be quite simple but now that is done. I hope you don't mind I hope you don't mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is now that you're in the world." And I ended with a chord.

"Hi." He said looking deep into my eyes.

"Hi I'm Elizabeth."

"And you can call me Graham. Or god of singing whichever comes naturally." I laughed at that.

"I didn't know you sang! You're wonderful!" I gushed.

"Thank you! Most people just notice Damon, not me. So I usually hide away in this music room, it's quite amazing!"

"I agree! I have always wanted to sing but I could never find any time. Plus I didn't want to give up art."

"You don't sing for a career!? I find that hard to believe! I feel everyone should know Elizabeth... I don't know your last name."

"It's Herrmann."

"I believe everyone should know Liz Herrmann superstar singer at age..."

"Sixteen."

"Wow you are younger than I thought! I thought you'd be at least my brother's age, nineteen. That's cool. I'm fifteen."

And I felt something click. I really liked this Prince.

"Shoot it's almost six!" Graham cried, "I have a meeting!"

"What?! I have a date!" I cried before I could stop myself. Graham raised his eyebrows.

"Oooh so you're the lucky one my brother has a date with, nice. I got to go but I hope we meet again Liz."

"I hope we do too." He bit his lip in a cute boyish way and left.

I ran down the corridor just in time to meet Damon at my room.

"My dear," Damon said as I curtsied, "these are for you." He handed me a bouquet of flowers.

"Thank you! You really didn't need to do that!"

He escorted me down the hallway and into the art room.

"So what would you like to draw with me?" He asked.

"Well, we could draw each other."

"Lovely idea!" He answered. He handed me paper and we started drawing looking up occasionally. But the thing was with every moment I looked at him I wanted to be back with Graham. This was really awkward. Before I knew it we were both done.

"This is what I drew of you." I smiled and showed him the portrait. He frowned. "Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Oh yes it's a beautiful drawing it just looks almost like... Like..."

"Like what?"

"My brother." My heart stopped as I glanced at the picture and to Damon and back. It did look like Graham.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" I did my best to cover up the mistake.

"Uh it's okay. Uh I have a meeting I have to be at but it was nice being with you my dear."

***Winter's POV***

Damon is acting a little awkward, but still says hi back. I sit down across from him and ask, "Was that your first kiss?"

"…Yeah…was it that bad?"

"I never said it was bad!"

"Well…was it good?"

"Yeah…you could do better though."

"Oh really?!" he raises his eyebrows at me and we both start to laugh.

"No, I was kidding, I've never kissed anyone either…so I wouldn't know!"

"So I guess it was our first for both of us…do you want to take a walk in the gardens tomorrow morning?"

"Ok. What time, so I know to be ready?"

"Ah, how about 8:30?"

"It's a date!" I then stand up and walk back to my seat, some girls were giving me glares and others were just staring at me. I don't get their problem, they're all going to go out with Damon at some point…I think...

I finish breakfast and go back up to my room, I lay down on my bed for a couple minutes, then Annie walks in. I sit up and ask her where the library is. She gives me directions and when I get to the library, well, it's a lot bigger than I expected, I grab a couple books that look interesting and walk down to the woman's room to read.

-Time skip to tomorrow morning-

I wake up the next morning to my maids frantically running around getting makeup ready, getting hair stuff, and doing final touches on my dress, which by the way is amazing I didn't know people had that kind of talent! I get up, take a bath and then my maids put on the simple makeup that I requested, they put my hair up into a bun with pearls laced into it. I finally get to put on my dress which is a stunning dark purple strapless dress, which seemed to float down to the ground and almost touch the floor, but not quite. A few minutes later, Damon knocked on the door, and when I opened it, he seemed to look at me like I was the only girl in the world.

"Well shall we go my dear?" he asks

"I suppose so, but please don't call me my dear"

"Why?" he asks, again

"Well, it just well, kind of, sounds funny."

"Ok, how about darling?"

"Ok, but you can only call me darling."

"Ok, so tell me about your life, all I really know right now is that your name is Winter Benton and you're a 5 from Ottaro, and you also are always hungry."

"Hey! I am not always hungry, but let's see, I dance ballet as my profession, it's really fun, I just wish that I was one of the famous dancers not the dancer that is popular in her hometown but nowhere else. And I live in a small apartment with my parents and younger sister. That pretty much sums up my life"

"Ok, well you will have to dance for me sometime. But I want to know everything about you, what you think, memories, and other stuff."

We enter the gardens and Damon takes me over to a bench. I start to talk.

"You promise you won't laugh at me!?"

"Promise" and I know I can trust Damon.

"Well, ever since I was little I used to always dream about being in the selection and meeting you and we would fall in love and be so happy together I have waited 18 years and when I was selected, and when I met you, you were more than I could ever imagine, and I know I want to know everything about you too, but if you don't feel the same about me…well…"

Before I could say anything else, Damon starts to talk.

"Oh Winter…"

I lean in and we kiss again, except this time it isn't a soft gentle kiss, it's a more passionate kiss.