Cinder-Mari

The Ball!

A/N OHMYGOSH I can't believe it's the ball already!!!! *Wipes tear* Oh crap, my little characters are growing up so fast, what will I do with myself once this fanfiction is finished? ...PSYCH!!! Just kidding, I've been working on plenty of other miraculous fanfictions, some on Google Docs and some on paper. I hope to publish them soon, so stay tuned!!! Also...*sigh* I hope to keep writing in my free time once I start college, but it isn't for certain. Me and my mom have agreed that it would be much easier to keep from procrastinating while going to school if I spend free time writing, reading and drawing instead of watching Netflix, watching YouTube and gaming. That's only so to speak if I have free time during school, *cough cough finals not wanting to blatantly fail cough cough* but I'm trying to remain hopeful because writing has been such a big part of my life for so long, and it's literally saved my life so many times. I seriously don't know what I would do without it, so thank you once again for making me feel like my stories matter. Everyone who reads this chapter is officially in my HARD ROCK COOL BOOK!!! You know who you are! ;-)

After a few hours, the carriage came to a stop in front of the royal palace. Marinette and her friends had spent much time marveling at the wonders of the french capital, but were glad to stretch their legs and go in. 

Alya, Rose, Juleka and Mylene jumped out; happily skipping and talking amongst themselves. However, Marinette hung back, staring nervously up at the Palace of Versailles, where the royal family and their servants called home. She'd wanted to see this her whole life, but now it looked imposing and intimidating beyond words.

"What's wrong, Miss Marinette?" Wayzz jumped down to offer a hand to her, a look of concern on his face. "Oh Wayzz, I'm only a girl, not a princess." He contemplated her words with much focus, then smiled. "Well, I'm only a mouse, that has spent his whole life dodging traps and poison before finding his way to your heavenly abode. Enjoy it while it lasts!"

She looked at him with surprise before nodding, taking his hand and joining her friends. Since they were maybe three hours late, the festivities had been long going on. Rose squealed at the beautiful decorations even outside of the palace, expressing her wonderment at how the inside must look.

The palace guards opened the doors with kind smiles that the girls returned, and soon they were washed over with a wave of music, light and color. Marinette could hardly hold in her wonder at it all, there was so much to see, smell and hear. If only I had more eyes, I want to see everything and everyone. Marinette thought with awe. 

Soon Rose was asked to dance by a dark skinned man who introduced himself as Prince Ali, and Mylene worked up the courage to go over to Ivan. That left Alya, Marinette and Juleka to explore the ball together. Even if you didn't have a dance partner, there was still plenty to occupy the senses, from the fine decorations and clothing to the food laid out on a long table.

Adrien was lounging on a throne elevated high above the dance floor, leaning on a fist and scanning the people below. King Gabriel eyed his son, feeling both curiosity and amusement. "Who are you looking for, Adrien? Your woodland sprite, perhaps?" Adrien looked up, caught off guard and slightly embarrassed.

"Of course not, Father. I don't know why you keep bringing her up, you've made it very clear how much my feelings matter. I'd rather we just forget the whole thing ever happened." Gabriel looked at the prince with surprise, very rarely did Adrien speak to him with such force and contempt. "Very well, as you wish. As you can see, Princess Lila and her father have arrived. Please go greet them."

Adrien stood abruptly, bowing slightly and turning to leave. Gabriel watched his son walk down the stairs to the main level, greeting the Roman royalty politely. He turned to a painting on his right, a portrait of the late queen. "Oh, Emilie, what am I to do? I only want to secure my kingdom before I am gone, but our son has fallen in love with a commoner."

The picture of his beloved only stared back at him, the smile soft and green eyes bright. It only made him more at a loss at what to do. This portrait was painted by the cleverest painter of his time, but it made a poor substitute for the beautiful, fearless and confident woman that it was modeled after.

"Princess Lila, how do you like our small kingdom? I know it is nothing compared to Rome and all its luxuries, but I hope it's not too confining." Lila smiled, pleased to finally have the undivided attention of Adrien Agreste, the most handsome and desirable prince in all of Europe. "It is an adorable little hamlet, your majesty." She then held out her hand, and Adrien kissed it as etiquette demanded.

Once he did though, he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. Adrien looked up, eyes growing wider at what he saw. A thin wisp of a girl, with shoulder length black hair, wearing a red polka dotted gown and mask. Is that...Bugaboo? He wondered, then looked back to Lila. "I apologize, but there is something I must attend to posthaste. Please enjoy the rest of the night, princess."

Marinette was about to bite into a berry tart when she saw a man coming over to her, dressed all in black, with a cat mask covering his face. He looked at her with wonder in his eyes, his cheeks slightly red. She set down the tart, realizing at once that this must be Chaton. "I-it's you, isn't it?" He asked softly.

Marinette nodded gently, blushing as well. She tried to walk towards him, but felt her feet somehow rooted to the ground. After a few moments, Alya laughed and pushed her towards Chaton, who rushed to catch her upon seeing her stumbling. Marinette closed her eyes, preparing herself for the crash on the marble floor, but felt nothing but strong arms and a muscular chest.

She looked up, her face slowly turning to match her dress as she realized Chaton caught her, before quickly standing on her own feet. "I-i'm so sorry!" He looked embarrassed as well, smiling softly and rubbing the back of his neck. "It's all right, would you like to accompany me on the next dance?"

Marinette blushed and nodded, and at that moment the music ended for that set and everyone applauded the orchestra. Chaton took her hand, and led her to the center of the dance floor once the music started back up. Marinette nervously looked at her feet, having not ever done that specific dance before, and not wanting to do anything wrong. 

Adrien chuckled at Bugaboo, gently lifting her chin to look up at him. He gazed adoringly into those endless blue eyes, wishing to see every beautiful landscape those beautiful eyes had seen, to experience every emotion she had felt. He never wanted to let go of this beautiful, kind, sweet girl. No matter what anyone said, as far as he was concerned, she was a princess in every possible respect.

As the kind of prince every girl dreams about at one point in her life, there were quite a few girls jealous of the girl who had captured Adrien's affections. However, there was one girl in particular who watched Prince Adrien with a fiery anger, as he swept across the polished floor with this enchanting girl. Princess Lila felt that this girl had stolen this once in a lifetime chance away from her, and that would not go unchecked.

This was supposed to be her night, when Prince Adrien would propose to her and she would finally get everything she ever wanted: the man she loved, a castle to rule over and everything else she deserved. "Are you jealous of the fact that they're dancing too?" Lila looked up to see a dark haired man, who she recognized as the grand duke of France.

"Yes, how do you know?" He shrugged, giving the Roman princess a nonchalant smile. "You look like me, completely put out. Though, I'm covetous of Adrien, while you seem to envy the mystery princess." 

Lila laughed scathingly. "Is that what they're calling her? She isn't deserving of such a whimsical title if you ask me. Though, if you desire her for yourself, we may be able to strike up a bargain." Theodore looked at her for a second, then stuck out his hand with a mysterious smile. "You have yourself a deal."

Marinette felt she was floating on a cloud, in Chaton's arms, feeling like her feet didn't touch the floor. She looked around for a second, nervous at the amount of people gathered just to watch them dance. "Chaton, they're all looking you." He smiled, and shook his head as he spun her around. "No, they're all looking at you."