So this is one of those chapters where you get to switch POVs multiple times because I wanted to cover a lot of things happening in the ballroom ;)
Golden.
The castle was golden. It did not just look like it was painted to look like pure gold; it was pure gold.
"Apparently Hook was right about King Midas' ability to turn things he touched into gold", Ella remarked as they walked up the stairs, mingling with other guests in fancy dresses, crowns and strange hairdos. She looked down at her own dress; deep red, mermaid skirt and with a layer of lace on top of the original fabric. In fact her left sleeve was just lace.
"Just because he's a pirate it doesn't mean he makes everything up", Wolfgang remarked somewhat behind her. When they had arrived in the Enchanted Forest they had decided to enter the castle in groups of three or four and Ella, Toby, Wolfgang and Jade were the last group. Looking up towards the top of the wide staircase, Ella could see Catriona's deep blue dress from behind as she, Maryse, Arianne and Filipi entered the castle.
"We need fake names", Toby suddenly said. "I'm keeping in touch with Rowan; he, Clarissa and Rachel are almost in, but everyone's being announced by a valet as they enter."
"Can't we use our real ones?" Jade asked.
"Someone might remember them later", Toby replied, "and that might upset the timeline. We can't be too careful here."
"Alright", Wolfgang said, "how about we use the first letter of our prophecy names to come up with a new one?"
"Yes, and then just add some noble honorific", Ella agreed. Toby considered it for a moment before he nodded.
"I'll inform the others."
"Toby says to use the first letter of our prophecy name to conjure a new name and then add a honorific", Rowan whispered. They were almost at the door leading to the ballroom, where a valet announced everyone's arrival.
"Great", Rachel groaned behind him. "I've got a W to work with, then."
"Don't you have any Swedish names you can use?" Clarissa asked.
"Naturally Swedish? Definitely not; W isn't an official letter in the Swedish alphabet. We only use it in imported words and names."
Rowan was about to turn around and suggest a name starting with W when an unknown voice addressed him.
"Greetings."
He quickly turned around and felt Clarissa squeezing his arm. A man stood in front of them wearing a golden tunic adorned with jewels. His hair was the colour of molten gold and he wore a golden crown on his head. The sword he carried in his belt also seemed to be made out of gold.
"I'm King Midas", he continued, confirming Rowan's suspicions of the man's identity, "father of the bride. Whom do I have the honour of welcoming into my home?"
Rowan stared at him for a few moments before a new squeeze from Clarissa caused him to wake up from his thoughts.
"I am... Lord Liam", he quickly said, "and this is..."
He paused again, looking at Clarissa in her orange and white dress. What should he say that she was to him? His sister? His fiancé? His wife?
"Lady Belinda", Clarissa finished for him, without adding any further description of their relationship. She then curtsied for the King, alerting him of the fact that he should probably bow as well.
"An honour to have you both", King Midas said with a smile. He then turned towards the valet they had previously seen announcing everyone's names.
"Announce Lord Liam and Lady Belinda."
Rowan let out a breath of relief as they were announced and allowed to enter the room. Behind him he heard Rachel greeting King Midas with her new name; Princess Weronika.
As the spell concealing their true appearances did not affect them they had no trouble finding each other in the ballroom. Rowan, Clarissa and Rachel had opted for an alcove close to one of the balconies, providing them with both a good view of the room and some privacy.
"Look at the dancers", Clarissa dreamily commented as Wolfgang and Jade, the last pair, approached them. "Rowan, let's go dance! Please?"
Rowan looked absolutely terrified at the mere thought of trying to perform the graceful set of moves that the current dancers displayed.
"Go try it", Arianne said with a smile. Clarissa grinned and pulled Rowan towards the dance floor. Filipi laughed quietly while sipping her drink.
"Poor Rowan", she commented.
"It's a ball", Tessa remarked. "We'll all have to dance at some point, won't we?"
"If we just remain here people will certainly think us a bit suspicious", Indira agreed. "We'll have to both dance and mingle, and enjoy ourselves. Besides, we're not here on some sort of mission. Emma and Hook have that covered by asking Snow to steal Charming's ring."
"Exactly", Miranda agreed. "We should walk around for a bit and talk to some of the other guests, or..."
"Excuse me."
The familiar voice caused them all to spin around. Filipi choked on her drink, causing Tessa and Chris to quickly grab hold of her and pull her away. The man smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting", he said. "I am Prince James, the groom-to-be."
It took the remaining group a few moments to gather their wits and quickly bow or curtsey in the man's direction.
"It's an honour to meet you, Your Highness", Rachel said. The Prince smiled in her direction, before a small frown appeared on his forehead. He studied her for a moment or two before he shook his head.
"I apologize for staring, My Lady, but you seem... familiar, somehow. Have we met before?"
"No", Rachel responded. "No, I don't believe we have. I probably just have that kind of face."
"Maybe", the Prince said, still not entirely convinced. After a brief pause he smiled and bowed again.
"May I have this dance?" he asked. Rachel's eyes widened somewhat and she glanced at Toby, who stood next to her. He nodded slightly; they needed to blend in and if the soon-to-be son-in-law of King Midas asked you to dance you probably should not decline.
"Of course", Rachel said with a smile and accepted the Prince's hand. As he led her towards the dance floor, Indira turned towards Toby.
"How could he have recognized her?" she hissed. Toby shook his head.
"I don't know."
Catriona and Miranda made their way through the room, quietly pointing out various guests they found attractive. To their surprise they received a lot of attention from other guests, mainly women who commented on their dresses and asked where they had had them made. Miranda could feel herself blush every time it happened and that blush deepened considerably when various Princes, Dukes and Knights started to look their way as well.
"If things continue like this, people will start to ask for the Enchanted Forest's equivalent of a phone number", Catriona whispered as they spotted another group of apparent bachelors looking their way.
"Talk about changing history", Miranda whispered back. "Why did Ollivander send us here with these sort of dresses? They're far too different from everyone else's and bound to attract attention. I thought we were supposed to blend in."
Catriona nodded and nudged Miranda in the side, alerting her of an approaching pair of Princes.
"I'm starting to get worried about escaping from here before midnight without anyone noticing."
"Prince Charles and Princess Leia!" the valet by the door announced. Toby immediately looked up.
"Princess Leia?" he questioned. "There is a Princess Leia in the Enchanted Forest?"
"Isn't Prince Charles some British royalty?" Maryse asked, standing on her toes to try and see above the heads of the other guests. This caused her to lose her balance and stumble forwards bumping into a Duke standing nearby. She quickly apologized.
"Not to worry, My Lady", the blonde Duke said with a smile. "Accidents happen. Luckily I was not holding a tray of food; tripping over a servant might have caused a bit more of a scene."
Maryse blushed.
"Whom do I have the honour of speaking to?" the Duke continued.
"I'm... Princess Beverly", Maryse responded. The Duke bowed.
"An honour indeed, Your Highness. Might this lowly Duke ask you for a dance?"
"After I nearly tripped you by just standing here?" Maryse asked. The Duke chuckled.
"I promise; I will not let you fall on the dance floor."
Arianne had to turn to hide her amused smile as her friend, still blushing, was led to the dance floor.
"Guys", Toby said, having kept his attention on the pair that had just been announced, "you are not going to believe this."
"What?" Ella asked.
"Prince Charles and Princess Leia", Toby replied, "they're right over there, by the dance floor."
The others looked in the direction he was pointing out and several of them gaped in surprise. Prince Charles and Princess Leia were none other than Hook and Emma.
Emma had never thought that the balls that David and Mary Margaret had told her about were anything special. Now she could see why they missed these kind of events; the music, the dancing, the smell of exquisite and exotic food drifting from the many buffet tables, people in fancy dresses and suits, crowns and jewellery and adorned swords glimmering in the light of a thousand lights. It was, quite literally, the stuff of fairytales. To her left Hook smiled at her surprised face, then gently led her towards the edge of the dance floor.
"Wait", Emma said, tensing, "are you saying you know how to do... whatever this is?"
"It's called a waltz", Hook replied, placing her right hand on his stiff prosthetic left one, "and there's just one rule."
He placed his functioning right hand on her hip and nodded in the direction of his right shoulder, causing Emma to quickly place her left hand there. Once she had done that the disguised pirate captain smiled.
"Pick a partner who knows what he's doing", he continued.
"So", Rachel said, "I didn't think you'd be allowed to dance with anyone but your fiancée tonight."
Prince James looked away.
"She did not mind me leaving", he admitted.
"You do not seem too happy about your upcoming marriage", Rachel remarked. Prince James met her gaze.
"Is it that obvious?"
"To me, yes", Rachel replied. "I'm quite good at reading people."
Prince James smiled slightly.
"Well, Princess Weronika, I always wanted to follow my mother's advice and marry for love", he explained. "Princess Abigail and I met just yesterday when her father offered me her hand as a reward for saving his kingdom and... my father accepted on my behalf."
"Didn't you try to tell him off?" Rachel asked. Prince James hesitated.
"I did", he eventually said, "but my father told me that this union could help save his... our kingdom."
Rachel glanced over at Princess Abigail, who studied the festivities from afar with a displeased look on her face. Her cold gaze was intensified by her pale blonde hair, her fair skin and her ice-blue dress.
"Well", she said, turning back to Prince James, "a future King should learn to be a shepherd of his people, should he not?"
Prince James stopped in surprise and stared at her. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the dance floor.
"A shepherd", he said, "why did you refer to me as that?"
"It's a saying", Rachel protested. Prince James shook his head.
"No, you said it for a reason. You called me a shepherd for a reason."
He looked around, then stopped a valet passing by with a tray full of invitations that guests had placed there upon their arrival.
"Find me a glass of wine", he ordered. The valet quickly bowed and left. As soon as he was gone, Prince James turned around towards Rachel again, holding a crumpled invitation in his hand; he had swiped it from the valet's tray. Now he folded it up into an envelope, picked a small diamond from his belt and placed it inside.
"Can you find my mother?" he asked.
"Your mother?"
"I can't explain it, not here", Prince James replied. "She lives on a farm, close to the southern border of King Midas' kingdom. Can you find her?"
Rachel hesitated. His mother. Their mother.
"Yes", she answered, "I believe I can."
Emma could not believe it; she was at a royal ball in a fairytale land and she was dancing without making a fool of herself.
"Watch the mocking", she hissed to Hook as she noticed his amused smile, "I'm actually getting the hang of this."
"I'm not mocking you, Swan", Hook replied as he spun her around. "I'm just thinking about what you said in Storybrooke, about not being a princess."
Emma scoffed as he knelt down, allowing her to waltz around him.
"Really?" she asked. "You get my first real dance and my first royal ball and all you can say is 'I told you so'?"
Hook grinned as he rose and bowed to her.
"I believe what I'm trying to say, Your Highness, is that you appear to be a natural."
She could not help but smile at that as she placed her hand on his shoulder once again and allowed him to lead her through the dance. As they turned she spotted a familiar figure by the wall.
"There's Charming", she whispered. Hook glanced in the direction she was looking and nodded discreetly. Emma watched as her father approached Princess Abigail, whom she knew as Kathryn Nolan, and gestured towards the dance floor. Abigail looked vastly uninterested and the strained smile Charming pulled off showed just how much the two disliked their arranged marriage. He said something in reply to her comment, causing her to smile sarcastically and then walk away.
Soon after, the music abruptly stopped and people all around them turned to find out why. When Emma did as well she felt as if her corset had really cut off her airways. In the doorways stood a woman dressed in a low cut, shimmering black dress, matched with a black crown adorned with obsidians. Behind her stood men dressed in black clothes and black armour, their faces covered in black fabric to hide their identities. The Evil Queen and her Black Knights.
"Relax, Swan", Hook murmured. "The King's head would vanish to another realm if he did not invite her."
Emma slowly nodded and focused on breathing.
"Right. Of course."
She turned her attention back to where Charming had been standing moments before and found the spot empty. She quickly looked around, but saw no trace of him anywhere. Squeezing Hook's hand she alerted him of the fact that they had a problem.
"Where's Charming?"