[FoF] and the audacity of this bi-

Lloyd would lie if he was saying that he was looking forward to the Festival of Frostcrown. He had enjoyed the first few days of the market, indulging himself to buy some luxury items. Lloyd was raised to not spend his money on things he did not necessarily needed. But he called it investing in Ishgard's economy, and seeing the faces of some happy sellers. Well, it was spending season anyway.

But this was the day he had dreaded. He had prepared for it, but he was still.. well a tiny bit nervous. The Twilight Ball was the grandest festivity of the year. Woman prepared for month to have the perfect gowns ready, men had polished their dancing shoes. Lloyd was no different, because when the royal family opened the doors to the castle, he would be present. It was almost as a dire need to show his face, to show how well his family was doing and that he would do no less than any other young noble.

Lloyd was dressed in a royal blue, his suit perfectly tailored to his body. He had come alone, but it was not his intention to stay alone for a long time. The smell of pine hung thickly in the air, which was a warm greeting. The halls were laden with food and drink, and soon he was standing with a glass wine in hand, gently sipping while examining the grand halls. It was his architect eye, always looking for inspiration, even though he had seen it all before. He was led by the crowd, all moving slowly towards the ballroom, where his eyes went to the dancing couples. Merry music filled the air, as well as laughter and gleeful conservation. It did not take long for a stranger to grab him by the arm and he was dragged to the dancefloor.

Lloyd was on his second - or was it already his third glass of wine? - when his eyes finally dawned on the exquisite semblance of the crown princess. Of course he recognized her, as her beauty was almost non-rivaled and her characteristic Ylindar black hair. Lloyd had come her with a mission, court some high noble woman to maybe, maybe climb up in the social hierarchy a bit more. He had no chance with a princess. But maybe it was the wine, or maybe he just bewitched by that woman, that made him approach her.

‘‘Your highness,’’ he greeted her, placing his hand over his chest and making a small bow. His eyes were drawn up to her face once more, and he cracked a small smirk. ‘‘I see we are both without a dance partner,’’ he remarked boldly. He held out her hand for her, trying to work his magic with the dimples in his cheeks and that bit of that boyish, tipsy spark in his eyes. By Ranaan, what was he trying to achieve? ‘‘If I may be so honoured to have this dance.’’

fitcheck

Lloyd remained as calm as humanly possible. He hid his nerves very well, because in any different situation, he would have never dared to speak to the princess, unless spoken to. He would be nothing more but an humble servant, in service of her father the king. He never spoke to any of them directly, because he was nothing but a fish in the sea of people he ruled. Maybe, in his imagination, he was starting to become a bit of a bigger fish. But as his father still lived, he was not the head of the family. So when the princess reacted, he just kept his cool and that small half-smile, his eyes never wavering from her. And when she agreed to dance, the wrinkles around his eyes appeared when he smiled. ‘‘Wonderful,’’ he noted, when he placed his thumb around her fingers. From over her shoulder he could see the king looking at them, and maybe it was it him being smug, or he would later blame the wine, but he gave the good man a small wink.

Lloyd lead the princess gently towards the dancefloor, casually avoiding the other twirling couples. But when he spotted a room for them he turned towards her, raising his right hand in the proper position and placing his left gingerly on her back, just beneath her shoulder blade. And when he heard the right que in the music, he lead her in the joyous waltzing music.

Lloyd had once learned how to dance in a ballroom. Certainly the princess was used to better, but he could hold a rhythm and keep synchronized with the other couples. But he didn't mind them, he was dancing with the crown princess. A small smirk appeared by the thought of it. ‘‘You've probably heard it for a million times, but you look out of this world tonight, princess,’’ he told her softly, before raising his arm to lead her into a spin. When he placed her arm around her again, he looked down at her again. ‘‘Forgive me for being so bold, but I would have hated myself for skipping a chance to dance with you.’’ He gave her another small smile. ‘‘I'm a lucky man.’’

Lloyd noticed immeadiatly that the princess knew what she was doing more than he did. How could she not? But it made it easier for him. Is was almost as he only had to think what to do, and she was already a step in front of him. It made the whole experience even a greater pleasure. Might he even start enjoy dancing? Lloyd chuckled softly as she told him that he had been the first. ‘‘Well then, shame on everybody else,’’ he told her with his head a bit tilted to the side. He then stepped to the side, placing his left hand behind his back as he extended his right to make her turn half a circle, then pulled on his right to twirl her a whole circle back to him, taking her other hand as she crossed it in front of her body. They danced a few steps side to side, when he eventually made her turn back in their first position.

A boyish grin stood on his face as she called herself lucky, but called him a stranger. But, a valiant one, after all. She shared a smile as well. Getting a compliment from the princess, well he could tick that from his bucket list. But somewhere, in the back of his mind, he head was telling he she was just being nice because she had to. Wasn't he doing that as well? ‘‘Well then, I might want to stay a stranger then,’’ he joked. ‘‘So I can surprise you all night long.’’ And with those words, as the music reached a crescendo, he went a bit through his knees to place both his hands on her hips, and lifted her a few inches in the air.

Suddenly the both of them were a bit closer to each other, her face closer to hers. He could count every single diamond in her crown, something he did not want to wonder what it might have cost. Instead he kept her eyes on hers and tried to find gold in them, little flecks op nuggets, something you could not put a price on. She told him it was the sentiment that counted, so he raised his eyebrows as he gave a small shrug. If he was a better poet, he might be able to tell her in every language how beautiful she looked tonight. But a dance was a challenge on it's own.

Another slightly smug look followed as he made her laugh softly. The sparkle in his eyes showed how amused he was. He kept the dance a bit closer to each other as she spoke to him again, about surprising her. Oh, try as he might. ‘‘Challenge accepted,’’ he agreed to her.He did not know if he was just another addition to her long list of admirers. He never expected to actually have a chance to.. what? But well, who knew where this innocent dance would lead to. He raised his brows slightly when she stepped closer towards him, announcing her intention to know his name at some point. He smiled widely, as their faces got closer next to each other. His hand slid a bit lower towards the small of her back. Somewhere he wanted to yell his name all around this pretty ballroom. That is was Lloyd d'Vrys dancing with the princes. But for know, he would keep his cards close to his chest, as he noticed that it drew the princess in. ‘‘Ishgard,’’ he responded at her question. ‘‘Born and bred.’’ He glanced sideways to the princess, as he lowered their right hands a bit, but continued to fall in line with the other dancing couples. ‘‘Did you expect anything else? I might be a stranger, but no foreigner.’’

Lloyd only now started to notice the looks that were kept on them. He had been so captivated by the princess, he had not taken time to look around. But one quick look over her shoulder told him enough, and suddenly the nerves fluttered in his stomach again. He forced himself to look sideways to the princess again, that was much easier, swaying her from left to right, changing which of his hands he held on his back as he remembered all those lessons from long ago.

The princess looked at him as if he was a puzzle, or a murder mystery from a detective to solve. And every little step forwards, every small but bold and huge movement in his mind he made, only rewarded him with more of those pretty smiles. He kept a cool impression, trying to make it seem that he certainly knew what he was doing, but honestly, he was just improvising as he was moving along. Flexibility was never truly his forte, as he liked to plan every minute detail. And know that bit him in the ass, as she started to unravel him in front of her.

She called him a true Northerner which he answered with a small nod. But when she commented on his accent, his eyes started to widen a small bit. It was the only thing that was hard to lose i his family, certainly as they worked a lot more with the common folk than the posh nobles. If his hands weren't occupied leading the princes in the dance, he would for certain slapped himself straight on the forehead. By Ranaan, he should have lied. Being exotic was much more exciting than a commoner. But the princess called it charming, which made him chuckle. ‘‘Well, you did make me fret for a short moment there, princess,’’ he commented lightheartedly. When the music allowed it so, he then stepped a bit to the side and made the princess lean backwards on his hand, before gently pulling her upwards again. ‘‘But you figured me out,’’ he answered softly as he placed her face closely to the side of her face. ‘‘Very clever.’’

Lloyd kept close to her, there voices were mere whispers underneath the joyous music that was being played. It seemed to build up slowly but certainly, more instruments seemed to join after a couple bars in the song. Lloyd kept himself collective, trying to recognize the right cues in the music, keep his steps in place and to converse with the princess, who distracted him more and more.

Lloyd bit down a smile as the princess commented that she preferred him keeping the accent. He tilted his head a bit to the side. He questioned the motives for her to say it. Did she like authenticity? Or did she just like to have a different cadence of words, just to hear a different tune from time to time. But he only gave her a stark smile. “I think so too,” he agreed with her. “And it's terribly strenuous to unlearn a habit,” he joked, continuing the conservation. “Good or bad.”

Lloyd had to force himself not to look up as he heard the crowd audible gasp when he made the princess lean backwards. He forced himself to keep a cool expression whilst he kept unwavering eye-contact, because it seemed it was he who surprised her again the night. This was some happy little accident and when they were dancing almost cheek to cheek again, he felt the princess shift, taking the reins in the conservation once more.

And what she asked of him was, difficult. It felt like a trap, like there was no good answer to this question. But she whispered it so close to his skin, as if she wanted him to fall for it. He would overstep, or insult, or give an answer that was simply not pleasing enough. She had verbally pushed him in a corner, so he looked at her as he took his time to think. He like the challenge in her eyes. “I think you are much more difficult to figure out them you seem, princess,” he spoke in a hushed voice. “Underneath all the posh manners and pretty dance moves, I think you are much sharper than you make yourself look.” He raised their hands to make her spin around once more. “It would be unwise to underestimate you.” And he might have been guilty to that.

Bad habits. Like asking women way - like way, way, way - above his station to dance. Well, they were hard to unlearn if they were so successful. Here he was, dancing with a crown princess, making the crowd gasp. Somebody might needed to pinch him, in case he was dreaming. But he just kept his calm composer. He only broke character when the princess made him softly laugh.

Her gaze was magnetic and the sentiment seemed to work both ways. Their eyes easily found their way back together, only when they turned ways, switched hands it broke, but they soon found their way back together. And when he spoke his words, carefully picked, scared he might have fallen in that trap she created for him, he just knew he hit the right spot when he saw her face slightly shift. And when he held their hands high to make her twirl, he had this smug little grin on his face, which still happily glowed when she fell back in his arms.

Lloyd stayed at his place, left hand on his back as the dance required of him. The princess had not responded yet, and his head turned with her as she stepped around him. And when she passed behind him, he turned his head the other way to collect her gaze when she came back in his horizon. At the same time as her fingers brushes his neck, he laid his hand on her waist, stepping in rhythm with the music again when they started to spin, her dress glittering in the torchlight. He smiled only with his eyes when she told him he was right, while he slightly bit his underlip. ‘‘I am pleased,’’ he mused softly. He then chuckled softly as she told him he should not tell anybody else. ‘‘Don't worry,’’ he continued with a grin. ‘‘It will be our little secret.’’

The music whipped up one last time. The crescendo that followed made him think that the song was coming to it's end. So he drew his right hand from her side, upwards again. And with his left arm, he now completely wrapped it around her waist, lifting her up slightly from the ground, swirling her to his side. He looked sideways. ‘‘Hold on tight,’’ he warned her softly.  

Lloyd never thought himself the charmer. But somehow, he thought he had made this princess like him. Or maybe they just somehow.. clicked? Them being each other's match. Having innocent little secrets between each other. Like he would ever see her again after this night. Because after all, she was a princess, and he was a wannabe nobleman. He could make all the money in the world, nothing would ever change that.

The princess was really walking the line of boldness and inappropriate. As she was standing closer to him then ever before, so close he almost started to worry that he would trip over her feet. But they were so accustomed to each other by now, he would only have to think and she was moving gracefully with him. But now her chin was ever so close by his neck, and he raised his chin a bit to keep their skin from touching. But the soft words she spoke to him, wanting him to feel content, to cherish their secret. It made his neck hairs stand up. His eyes fluttered to her for only a moment, before making the decision to make the princess leave the ground for a moment.

Lloyd was way out of his league. By Ranaan, he knew he was. But never had he had this many eyes on him, and she made him believe he was the only man in the room. So when she placed her hands on his shoulders, there was no going back. He kept the momentum from their earlier swirl and then he placed both hands on her waist again and raised her high above his head. Lloyd now smiled his teeth bare when a small laugh escaped him. He could not believe what was happening, as he slowly placed one feet behind the other, keeping the princess in the air a while longer, spinning for the whole ballroom to see.  

Lloyd did realize he was a very lucky man. He could not believe his eyes. Well, if this did not get him noticed, he did not know what would. That had been his goal, wasn't it? To show his face, make name and play society like he belonged here. But dancing with royalty was not on the top of his list or would get him business partners. It would only cause rumours. Well, every time people asked who he was, maybe business would come rolling to him.

He softly placed the princess back on her feet. The dance was now truly ending and the princess had this beautiful expression on her face like she had just seen magic for the first time. He raised his eyebrows with broad smile, after which he leaned her back one last time. His breath had become heavier with the intens ending of their dance. And then.. the music came to a conclusion. They just stood there, close together. Again those little whispers. ‘‘The feeling is reciprocal,’’ he told her softly. And then he stepped back, ending their dance with a proper bow. Soon the floor was readying for the next song and he knew he would have to make place. He licked his lip shortly and stood up back straight. Why end this night here?

The man took the princess by her arm and lead her a few steps towards the side of the ballroom. He knew he had to scatter soon, because he saw eyes piercing on him already. And he was not done with impulsive decisions and rather bold actions. ‘‘Can I get you a drink, princess?’’ he asked her softly as he placed his head closer to her ear again, while his fingers softly grazed over her wrist. ‘‘I still owe you a name.’’

Lloyd just needed a few confirming words, don't be too long. He gave a small nod and she felt her fingers brush past his hand. It was the promise that this night was far from over yet. But to be honest, he needed to bolt quickly before he would get swarmed. And, it was quite funny to have the princess struggle to explain what just had happened. ‘‘I won't,’’ he promised. And then they parted ways, him diving in the crowd and avoiding everybody's gazed.

Lloyd did take long. One unfortunate accident with another princess later, and he was finally on his way with two tall glasses of champagne in his hands. And now he just had to find her again. Lloyd was not a specifically tall man, so looking over the crowd was not something he could do. He would only have to catch a glimpse of that sparkly dress. At first, he slowly made his way back to the dancefloor, excusing himself from people who tried to ask him questions. The princess was not where he left her, and he did not dare to ask anybody if they had seen her. He did not want to look that desperate.

And then, he caught a flash of her. Not her sparkly dress, like he imagined, but her sleek raven-black hair. And he saw her flee for an hallway. Lloyd cringed for a while, feeling pretty shitty that he left her waiting for so long. But a promise was a promise, and he would not let this chance slip through his fingers. So he made his way past the crowd and slipped in behind her. The silence was blissful. He had gotten so used to the loud chatting of dozens of people. And now, all there was left was he and.. she.

‘‘Princess,’’ he gently called out to her, raising the glass he had taken for her slightly. He stepped towards her, an apologetic expression on his face. ‘‘I am truly sorry for taking so long. I got swarmed,’’ he explained a matter-of-factually. He would not tell her about that little incident, no - he would rather not. ‘‘Here, for you,’’ he said with a tiny smile when he reached the glass over to her.

Somehow the chill from the gardens was a welcome relieve from the crowded and muggy ballroom. Just as the cool of the crystal glasses in his hands. And he found her standing leaning over the balustrade, looking over to the darkened gardens. He painted that picture in his mind for a moment, a lone princess. It made him look over her shoulder, almost expecting somebody else to show up, as he was not the one she waited for. Because, why would she?

Her face had this amusing and endearing look as she noticed him. It was indeed him. She acted surprised, like if he was not real. Had this been as much as a dream for her as it had been to him? But she regained posture quickly and there was the princess again, quick with words and ever so properly mannered. ‘‘It would be stupid for me to break a promise with a princess,’’ he responded to him maybe vanishing. Luckily he was forgiven. But, there was an ultimatum she made, when she reached her hand to the glass he handed to her. Their fingers touched again, somehow seeing to carrying a spark with them. He chuckled softly. ‘‘You are right,’’ he said with this cheeky spark in his eyes. But, he somehow felt a bit nervous, because she would probably not know him. Maybe. And if not, she would probably research him the next morning, then nothing would be left to the imagination. At least he still had this night. ‘‘It's Lloyd,’’ he started to introduce himself, hesitating a bit if he should tease her with not giving him his last name. Maybe he could haggle another dance out of her. But no, he decided to be a honorable man tonight. ‘‘Lloyd d'Vrys.’’

Lloyd his eyes had that tiny smug twinkle again when she laughed. It was like it was almost forbidden, for a princes to audibly laugh. It were those soft and secretly laughs, like it was not supposed to be heard, but he heard them anyway. It was a pretty picture that he painted in his mind, like he was ever so slightly more charming than he thought he was. But nothing felt more strange then her echoing his name out loud. He nodded slowly, almost hoping for recognition. But he was not disappointing that she did not. He kept silent as she continued to speak, raising his chin slightly. ‘‘I might,’’ he responded. He would, of course. Nothing like speaking to a princess. And she was nothing like he expected. She was witty and funny, even as she raised her hand to him when she introduced himself. It was almost a sketch. He took her hand with his. ‘‘Hmm, I might have heard that one before,’’ he joked, that smug smile on his again.

The man did not drop her hand, because he heard the sound of muffled voices approaching them. He looked quickly over his shoulder, and decided to make another quick decision. He did not intend to be spotted or worse, interrupted. ‘‘May I interest you in a walk?’’ He did not await an answer, expecting the owners of the voices to find them soon if they would stay where they were. And he had some surprises left in store for the princess. ‘‘I'll tell you about myself on the way.’’ And then he tugged softly on her hand, walking further into the empty hallway, pulling her around a corner just before company could spot them. He turned around, walking backwards for a few steps, still her delicate fingers in her hand, sparkling champagne in the other. ‘‘I'm an architect,’’ he then told her. ‘‘I have worked on estates, temples, a castle,’’ he continued. His eyes rolled up to the arches roof of the hallway. Not this wing in particular, but maybe he could show her if they somehow found the way to that old piece of castle he had worked on with his father.  

Arianna Ylindar, nobody would forget the name of their future queen. It was a name often whispered in awe. Everybody seemed to like her, would be pleased to see her as the queen. Well, apart from some of the simpler folk that would prefer a man to take the crown. Lloyd did not much care for which person sat on top of that throne, as the royal family was nothing more than a figurehead. Because they were more concerned what happened in their little bubble than what happened outside. So as long Lloyd could prosper, he was fine. Even making his way inside the bubble more and more, making profit of their limited perspective on the world. That was why people like her did not no people like him. And somehow he would like to know her, even though he was careful to not fall into another trap strung by him by a woman standing above him in name.

The few drinks made him sloppy though. He sipped the champagne happily, liking the way how loose it made him feel. So loose that he suddenly could dance and talk with a woman, and she even seemed to love it. She took in every little world, let him drag her away and even commenting how much "excitement" it was. He chuckled cheerfully. ‘‘Always happy to provide,’’ he mused in a deep voice. Getting caught together would not be such a shame, as they did already had that little dance. But what was the fun in that, while they could prance around the castle?

And she noticed the little hint he had dropped for her. Of course, she had proven herself to be the sharp thinker. And it was really obvious. ‘‘Maybe,’’ he answered with a smirk and raised eyebrows. And when he called him by his name, he bit his lip for a second. He almost regretted telling her. ‘‘Of course. I think I might know the way.’’ He downed the rest of his champagne, leaving the glass standing on the balustrade. He switched the hand he was holding hers with and made another turn, more back into the spine of the castle. It did not take very long for him to recognize a part of the castle, the western wing that needed some pillars and arches replaced.

Lloyd stopped in the middle of the hallway and placed his hands on Arianna's shoulders from behind her, turning her exactly to the part where he had worked on. ‘‘Here,’’ he murmured behind her. ‘‘I had to draw this a hundred of times.’’ He reached his arm beside her and gestured upwards to the decorated arches. ‘‘Those are new,’’ he told her gently. ‘‘And we replaced the foundation of that tower.’’ Lloyd pointed to a narrow door, almost hidden for people who did not know about it. It was an old part of the castle, which had still been been made much less regally than the whole place eventually ended up as.