We walked through the corridor, arms linked together in sync. We hadn't even reached the ball yet and the Blackberry decorations were stunning.

Wreaths lined the walls in intricate designs, the smell of the season throughout the halls creating a nostalgic feeling in my stomach. The castle Knights were stationed next to each other nearing the door, giving us odd stares.

Two girls on one boy's arm... oh well!

There was a line of nobles and royals waiting to be announced at the steps and a feeling of nervousness washed over me," They didn't do this at the Masquerade ball."

"Well of corse not, the Masquerade ball is more for underage nobles to have fun and mainly to create connections for their parents." Hazalen stood up straighter.

"The Blackberry ball is a bigger deal, especially because it was Queen Katherine's favorite. Now many royals gather in Deltora in honor of her," Henry sighed. He looked to his right and gasped,"Dad is that you?"

Through the armor, I could see the terrified eyes of the man," No Henry, he's inside! Stop scaring them." Hazalen nudged him through her linked arm.

"Hazalen Star of the Star family," the announcer's voice boomed through the ballroom," Henry Star of the Star family," They made their way down the steps with ease.

"Annalise Woo-"

His eyes lit up in shock, and didn't let me finish," Annalise Woods of the Woods family," his voice boomed louder than before, as many heads turned from hearing my name.

I've never had so many eyes on me since the first day of school in the auditorium.

Royals and nobles alike gazed at me with interest, hearing about the rumors of Darius and I. Many gawked at my dress, whispered in each others ears, and stared me down in jealousy.

I caught up to Henry and Hazalen," Your entrance was a lot easier than mine."

"Well of corse Annalise, nobody has put a face to your name yet."

"Or to the rumors." Henry chuckled. I only glared in response, not liking the attention Damien seemed to create for me.

"How lovely to see you all tonight!" Isabelle chimed in. She held Jack's arm closely, providing no way of escape for him.

"Very lovely indeed." Henry ignored her, staring at a man whom had passed behind her.

"Jack, what are you doing with this floozy?" Hazalen rolled her eyes at Isabelle. Her entire body was draped in jewelry, being as her family trademark was known for the finest jewels in the lands.

"Help me," Jack mouthed to me, but when Isabelle looked up at him he plastered a smile. I giggled profoundly, covering my hand over my mouth.

"What's so funny?" Isabelle asked with a sneer.

I smiled with 'kindness',"The fact that you are talking to me right now because you know there is an audience watching. You grabbed Jack as an excuse, then acted like we were friends to have five seconds of fame. Leave us alone, Isabelle. Don't you dare try anything else, because the prince might have your head."

She glared at all of us, dragged Jack and sauntered away. "Period!" Henry almost shouted, and I triumphantly smiled. I would never let Isabelle Daniels walk over me again. The music stopped as the first dance ended, which meant we cut it close on time for the hosts to enter.

"Now announcing King Egger of Deltora, and Prince Darius of Deltora." Damien and his father emerged from the platform at the front of the ballroom, and everybody bowed besides the royals. As I rose from my curtsy, my eyes were solely set on the prince.

His suit was silver-white obviously matching my gown on purpose. It was lined with black and fit him like the gloves he wore; perfection. His hair was jelled back, controlled and cut, not a single strand out of place. The crown on his head shone in the light, a gold masterpiece that was only worn for special occasions.

He looked dashing.

A true Prince.

"May the Blackberry ball begin," I heard the King announce, but I couldn't keep my eyes off Darius. He was scanning the crowd, looking for me. The music started as he walked into the crowd in a hurry.

I squeaked and turned in the opposite direction, but Hazalen and Henry stopped me," Oh nuh-uh girl! This is your time to shine! Do you not see how great your boobs look in this dress? He's got to see those." Henry pushed me in his direction.

"I agree with Henry for once." Hazalen nodded.

"I don't want the spotlight!"

"Too bad," Henry examined his nails.

"No! I just want the fo-"

"Annalise." His calm voice concluded my conversation with them. I pinched the bridge of my nose then slowly turned around.

Damien.

He ravished me without a care, knowing everyone in the room was gawking at us. He looked everywhere, from the last hair on my head to the polish on my toes.

And yet... I didn't feel uncomfortable under his stare.

I felt beautiful.

"Would you care for a dance," he asked so formally, with a small bow of his head; which royals weren't supposed to do.

Royals only bow to their equal.

His ocean blue eyes stared back at mine with such intent, waiting for an answer. "I was hoping to try a dessert first," I smiled at him and awaited his reaction.

The seriousness washed away as he chuckled deeply, his eyes becoming lighter than I had ever seen in a while," Annalise Woods, you would be the first to refuse a dance from me."

"I was only joking, you know," I took his hand.

"I never quite know when you are." He smiled in return. A flash of his crown from the light grazed my eye, and at that moment I realized he really was a crown prince.

Obviously I knew he was one, but I never treated him any differently. In my eyes he was a boy, one whom could make me smile in a millisecond; he was a person and not a title.

A crown meant nothing to me, only his soul.

Mummers and whispering could be heard all around us as we entered the floor. Damien placed his hand on my waist, and a gloved one in my hand. I started to tremble with nervousness.

"Hey," he grabbed my attention,"Keep your eyes on me, don't pay any attention to them shortcake." He smiled in reassurance.

"But everybody's watching us. I can hear them say my name-"

"None of them matter, Annalise."

"What if I mess up?"

"Don't worry about them. They want to see you fail where they can't succeed. By giving them the reaction they want out of you, they hold the power. Don't let them take such a thing that is rightfully yours," Damien pulled me closer which eased my nervousness. His woodsy cologne overwhelmed my senses, generating a feeling of familiarity.

"Just keep talking to me sweet cheeks, I promise it will help."

"About what?"

"How beautiful you look tonight," he replied with ease,"You look like my mother, in a way," he muttered.

"What a coincidence your suit is the same color, Darius," I gazed at the silver-white.

"I thought it was appropriate for tonight," his steps were sharp and commanding, knowing exactly where to go next. I felt a buzz between us as we danced, a hum only both of us could feel. It drowned out the crowd and pulled me into thoughts only about him.

Could he feel this too?

"You know what else is appropriate?" He gazed at me with a smirk, awaiting my answer," You leaving your Princely duties to come dance with me."

"Anything for you, Princess." He winked.

"I'm not a Princess!" I laughed, wanting to slap him in playfulness but we had to be professional with so many eyes,"Therefore you aren't doing this for me, I'm doing this for you!" I giggled. He only stared at me in wonder.

"Damien?"

"Well," he took a breath, regaining himself,"It's not just that Annalise, I want to enjoy this night with you. This is your first real ball and I want to make it your best." We danced and laughed through three songs, and my feet were aching for a rest.

"Damien?"

"Mhm?" He seemed distracted, his nose notably close to my neck fanning out in hot waves. The music was slow, as was our dance.

"I think my feet are about to fall off."

He chuckled in response," Onto the desserts we go." As he pulled me off the floor, heads perked up again. The sight of the Prince must have been odd with a mysterious, infamous daughter of a dressmaker.

"Darius of Deltora, I would like for you to meet my daughter." A voice boomed to the left of us, halting him in his tracks. It would've been disrespectful to ignore a royal such as himself. "This is Princess Amelia of Tarzla."

She was beautiful and tanned, her wavy black hair contrasting her bright blue eyes. She smiled, her eyes trained on Darius in a seductive way.

"Very pleased to meet you, Princess Amelia." Damien executed his part with ease, playing the perfect Prince for her to wed. I walked away from the scene, my blood boiling. There was no reason for me to watch such a thing.

So this is what he meant by his duty.

He didn't want to greet royals to wed, which many were at the ball; he wanted to spend it with me.

His was putting aside his duties to make sure I was happy.

"How funny, Tarzla has a whole gang of hidden Descuvi and they are unaware. I wonder if Darius knows that." A familiar disturbing voice shook my spine.

"And you are?" My voice was demanding, I couldn't see his face from behind. He was grabbing a handful of food from the banquet table. He mentioned Descuvi in a royal Deltorian ball, I knew this couldn't be good news.

When he turned, I could finally see his face,"You want some? I know it's your favorite." He held out a hand full of chocolates. His teeth were a slight yellow, crooked and missing a few. His hair was unkept, and I could swear his eyes flashed red for a second.

How would he know that.

"No, thank you," and I turned to walk away and find Damien.

"Hey, not so fast! I thought we could have a little talk!" He grabbed my arm, dirty nails in my skin and pulled me back near the food. He handed me a jambo juice,"Drink up, Annalise! It's good for you." I only stared back in shock.

"You don't remember me from the last ball? I asked you for a dance, and you stepped on my toes a couple of times. It seems you've improved since we last met."

"Why have you been watching me?" I grasped the drink tightly in fear.

"Oh?" He moved my hair behind my ear, and my whole body stiffened. I felt a sharp, small object against my neck,"It's not just me, Annalise. There are eyes everywhere."

A shiver ran down my spine and my eyes grew wide. The drink in my hand was about to crack under the pressure of my hold. The sound of the ball faded into the background, as the dancers seemed to slow in a trance.

"What do you want from me?" My voice shook, the cold object as a reminder of the vulnerable state I was in. It was small, but concealed in sleeve.

"You don't know... do you? How about we keep it that way, Annalise. If you truly knew our intentions, our master plan; you would probably flee Deltora at this moment." More pressure was applied to my neck,"And no telling Darius of Deltora of our meeting. If so, he will have to be involved as well."

"Annalise! Annalise!" Hazalen called my name, and I felt the cold object leave my neck. When I turned around, he had disappeared.

Where did he go?

I grabbed her hand," Hazalen, we need to get out of here." My eyes were frantic.

"Annalise, what's wrong?"

"I think somebody is trying to kill me."

She took the drink from my hand with a laugh,"Annalise, you've been drinking too much."

"No, you don't understand-"

Damien appeared behind me,"There you are! You aren't very good at following royal commands, shortcake," he looked into my eyes and immediately knew something was wrong,"Are you alright?"

"Or else he will have to be involved as well."

"Damien, I think she's drank a little too much. She thinks somebody is trying to kill her," Hazalen exclaimed.

His eyes shined with worry,"Is this true, Annalise?"

"Yes, I've just had a few drinks and I was making a few jokes," I laughed it off and glanced to the floor, then to the left.

Yet he kept staring at me, knowing something was wrong,"Now you definitely need to stay by us for the rest of the ball."

I couldn't agree more.

I grabbed a handful of chocolates and started stress eating, shoving them into my face to calm my nerves. I picked up another jambo juice to wash it down, though the flavors didn't mix I needed to relax as best as I could.

They are probably watching right now.

"Annalise, no more!" Hazalen laughed, and took the drink away. She seemed happy, the most joyful I had seen in a while. I didn't want to bring down the mood and ruin the night; I honestly just wanted to forget about the whole event.

"Hazalen, I can have a few drinks if I want to-it's BlackBerry night!" Hazalen rolled her eyes yet agreed, and the more drinks we had the less I thought about the incident. Damien had to attend to royal greetings so Henry joined us, and we all sat down on a bench in the corner of the ball.

"Ladies, it's been one hell of a night." He sat down with a drink, a lop-sided smile on his face. I noticed his hair was a little ruffled, not gelled from when we started the ball.

"Henry! You did not!" My mouth was agape.

"Seems I have finally found my fish in the little pond." He smiled in a daze.

"I can't believe you ran off during the ball. What do you think the other nobles thought!" Hazalen crossed her arms.

"Oh no." Henry suddenly sunk in his seat.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I think father knows." He nodded his head to the elevated part of the ballroom, with the King in his throne viewing over the ball. Henry's father was glaring daggers at him, being the head knight guarding the King; he could see everything.

"Well I am going to need a few more of these!" Henry stopped a server carrying drinks and took two more.

"I've never seen the King before." I stated, glancing over his features. He looked quite like Damien, the sharp jaw and gray eyes. Yet as he was watching the grand tree in the middle he just looked... sad.

Our eyes suddenly met and he furrowed his eyebrows, as if he recognized me. The King sat up in his seat straighter, more alert. I blushed and did a small curtsy then turned away.

What was that all about?

"Well I've heard he's kind, but Damien has never spoke about him." Hazalen remarked.

Damien walked up to us with a sigh, and I couldn't help but staring at his muscular legs though the suit. He winked at me, noticing I was looking,"This won't be a repeat of last time, right?"

"Mhm?" I took a sip of the seasonal nogg juice and smiled.

He took a second to reply, his eyes with something I couldn't quite place," The unicorns and all?" He sounded breathless.

"You know, I saw a unicorn the other day! Her name was Snow." I slipped out, tipsy.

His face erupted in a smile,"Sweet cheeks, you do know how to make me smile."

"I swear I did! In the Unio forest right by this magical waterfall."

"How do you know about that place?" He asked.

"We found it while having a picnic, why?"

"I need to take you there once Green season starts. There's a secret nobody knows about." He whispered in my ear.

"Well..."

"Well what?"

"Tell me you hardass!" I slapped his shoulder with a frown.

He laughed out loud and caught my hand, holding it there. He could tell I was slightly drunk,"Annalise, there are royals near by," he dropped his hand.

"Like you?"

"You can say anything you want around me, sweetheart. I know I can't control you, I've already tried."

"I don't have to abide by your standards, Mr. Prince."

"I know, you're Annalise Woods." We gazed into each other's eyes, and I could feel the pull toward him more then ever.

He glanced at my lips and the look I couldn't place before returned in his eyes,"You look beautiful tonight, Annalise." I just stared back, not knowing what to say.

He's not playing games anymore.

"Will you have one last dance with me?" He held out his hand, looking at the grand clock beside us. It was almost twelve and the ball would come to an end.

"Only because you're not commanding it." I placed my hand in his and we set off for the floor. I could feel Hazalen and Henry's eyes on us, giggling like little children.

The crowd parted as walked toward the floor, and the whispers returned. Yet I couldn't care less after hearing Damien's words, I shouldn't give them the power to create a reaction.

The last dance of the night we spent with no conversation, only enjoying each other's presence; nothing had to be said. Even when I stepped on his toes one time due to the drinks he only smiled. I wanted to intertwine our hands like before, but it wasn't appropriate.

My eyes found his again, and we both couldn't break the trance. It was a battle of green and ocean gray, yet there was no fighting, more of a collision. I knew in that moment he felt the same way I did.

I'm not the only one who feels this insane connection.

The music stopped, and we both took our bows for the night," Meet me by my room after we've changed." And he walked away. My heart danced in my chest after I watched him leave, nervous for what came after the ball.