Odette wandered about the castle, looking for Alex, who had probably gone off with Matthew for a walk, as they often did when they wanted a chance to chat. Odette smiled, thinking of what was growing between those two. They had become close; inseparable, in fact. And every time Matthew saw Alex, his face lit up in a kind of way that had never been seen before her return.

Her mind was caught up with these thoughts, so she was somewhat surprised to nearly run into Derek, who was just as startled. In fact, she was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had even momentarily forgotten what she wanted to say to Alex.

"Something wrong?" Derek asked, looking concerned. Usually Odette was more careful.

"Not at all," Odette replied, remembering what had been on her mind to begin with. "Have you seen Alex?"

"She's with Matthew."

"No big surprise there," she laughed. "Well, could you let her know I'm looking for her next time you see her?"

"Sure, but what's this about?"

Odette smiled a little bit. She seemed embarrassed. "I may have forgotten to tell her about the ball."

Every year, a few days after the festival ended, Odette and Derek would hold a ball, keeping with Uberta's tradition that had been started years before. Knowing everyone would be coming, from princesses to kings, dressed in their finest, Odette wondered if Alex would be nervous – and she probably would, as anyone would be.

"You didn't..." Derek's jaw dropped a little, feeling sympathy for Alex, as he shared Odette's thoughts.

"I did." She thought about it a moment. "We could cancel this year..."

"Yes, but what good would it do? She has to get used to it, you know."

"I know, but she's never done this kind of thing before, and everyone's going to be staring at her. She'll be the center of attention, and she's had enough of a hard time with that already."

Derek nodded in agreement. "I know, but I think it's best to keep things running as normal so she can get used to everything."

"Do you think she can handle it?"

"Odette, if she's anything like you, and she is, I know she can handle it."

XxX

"What do you mean, 'royal ball?'" Alex demanded, suddenly very nervous. She already wasn't used to people treating her differently from everyone else. The last thing she wanted was to be made a circus of.

"Exactly what I say," Matthew replied smoothly. "All the royals are coming here in about a week or two, for the autumn ball."

"My mother doesn't seem like the type…"

"She's not. In fact, she really, really hates it. She only does it every year to appease your grandmother. Now she was a party girl in her day."

"Why haven't I met her yet?" Alex inquired.

"Well, she's getting on in age. She can't do a lot of traveling, but she knows you've been found. She'll probably be at the ball to see you."

"Yay… more relatives."

"Got that right," Matthew laughed. "Don't worry. You can handle this. It's easy."

"Easy for you," she muttered. "Anyway… what does one do at this royal ball?"

She added a dramatic flourish to her words, poking fun at the entire idea. Matthew chuckled, knowing how much he agreed with her. In fact, it seemed that everyone, save Uberta, of course, thought the whole thing was pretty ridiculous. It was more obligation than entertainment.

"Well, the only mildly interesting thing to do is dance, but I've only ever spent my time chatting with other princes."

"What, no princesses for you?"

He grinned. "Are you implying something?"

"Only that you've probably broken more than your fair share of hearts."

"If I did, I promise, it wasn't my intention."

Alex's tone became serious and her voice dropped in curiosity and interest. "Have you ever been in love?"

Matthew's smile faded a bit as he thought of the answer. He was not really quite ready to tell her how he felt, and he was pretty sure she wasn't ready to hear it.

"Not in the past," he said carefully, minding his words. "I've never met the right girl."

They let that hang in the air for a moment. Matthew wondered if he had given away too much, or, worse, pushed her away, and Alex wondered what exactly he was looking for in the 'right girl.' More accurately, she was wondering if he found those attributes in her.

Matthew was the first to come up with a solution for the awkwardness.

He snapped his fingers in a 'eureka' moment.

"What?" Alex asked, startled out of her thoughts.

"I could teach you exactly what to do at a ball."

"Talk with other people… seems simple enough to me."

"What about dancing?" His smile turned sly, hoping she might be interested in dancing with him, when the time came.

Alex blushed a little bit. "I've never actually danced before."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Okay then, I'll show you."

Leading her to a clear spot near the shore of the lake, where they had been walking, he stood in front of her. He grabbed her left hand and placing it on his shoulder. He placed his right hand on her waist and held out his left for her to take. Once they had assumed the proper placement, Matthew started to move his feet.

"One, two, three. One, two, three," he whispered as he counted the steps.

"We're… dancing," Alex said in distracted amazement. True, she had never danced before and was doing well, but the way Matthew was staring into her eyes was even more captivating.

"I knew you could do it," he replied. They waltzed about on the shore, feeling more like they were floating than dancing.

Alex's smile faded a little, though it didn't lead into an unpleasant expression.

"Dizzy?" Matthew asked, almost joking in his tone, but his voice revealing something more about the question.

"No," Alex whispered in reply. Something about him… it was making her heart warm up, like all the years of loneliness were melting away. It was a strange, unknown, and completely pleasant feeling. "Not at all."

They stopped moving. Matthew brought his face down to be closer to Alex's. Slowly, to give her a chance to move away, if she so chose, he brought his lips gradually closer to hers, until they were touching. When he knew she was not repulsed by his lips, he began to kiss her, not stopping until he had to breathe.

They slowly, unwillingly, pulled apart, staring into each other's eyes all the while.

True, Alex had only been back for a short while, but the kiss, being close to each other… it felt right. Somehow, they just knew that it was meant to be, and that they loved each other.

"I'm dizzy now," she laughed breathlessly.

He smiled. "I should bring you back. We need to get you ready, and that probably includes a crash course in how to deal with other royals."

"Will you be teaching?" she asked mischievously. "I think I like your technique…"

He laughed aloud. "No, I think Odette should handle it. I'd get too… distracted. By the way… I think I found the right girl."

She laughed a little. "Oh, have you?"

"I have, Alex. I've fallen hard for you, and I truly believe, as I believe you're a princess, that you are the one for me. And I can only hope I'm the one for you."

She kissed him on the cheek, smiling when she drew back. "If you're not perfect, then the one who is perfect for me is far more than human."

"Looks like you won't be lonely anymore," he noted.

"We all need someone. And even if I did fight being in this family, I'm certainly not going to fight what's between us. This love is just too strong."

XxX

Alex and Matthew tried to be nonchalant as they returned to the castle, refusing the urge to kiss again, or to even hold hands. They weren't sure if they were ready to tell anyone that they were in love, although they knew Derek and Odette would more than approve.

Of course, it wasn't easy. The entire way back, they bumped into each other. This mostly happened when they let their guard down and let their act slip.

But they made it back without drawing attention to themselves. They promised each other before they parted ways that they would meet the next day, same time, same place.

Alex found Odette after receiving a message from her father.

"You wanted to see me?" Alex said as she walked into a rumpus room where Odette was waiting.

"Yes. I wanted to tell you something," Odette began.

Alex cut her off. "About the ball?"

"Yes."

"Matthew told me."

Odette smiled. She thought he would. "Are you nervous?"

"Well, I was. I've never danced before."

"And you're not nervous anymore?"

"Matthew taught me…"

Odette watched Alex's expression change into one of a slight dreaminess when she mentioned the dancing lesson. It was easy to see that she had fallen in love with him, something that was probably destined to happen anyway, judging by how they acted toward each other as children. It was a strange and funny thing for Odette to see one of her children find their true love, but it was a joyous thing at the same time.

"Are you ready for it? There'll be an awful lot of people."

Alex smiled. "Hey, if I can handle having a family that's totally new to me, being a princess, and still keeping my sanity, I can handle a royal ball."

"Thanks, Alex," Odette said, smiling.

"For?"

"For being so understanding."

"That's what you do for a friend... and for family, well, you do more."