[FoF] and the audacity of this bi-

The further they slipped into the hallways of the castle, leaving the buzzing ballroom further behind them with each step, he knew how ridiculous this felt. But the princess did not seem to mind that a stranger lead her through her own home, as she said: she knew the place. He glanced over her shoulder to her. ‘‘Sst, I'm trying to impress you,’’ he said played-annoyed, a boyish sparkle in his eyes. The drink really made the truth come out more and more. It proved that he was but a man, allured by free champagne and pretty princesses.

Lloyd was standing close behind the princess, guiding her eyes where-ever he spoke about, his head just a bit beside hers. He became less and less humble with the minute, because he finally felt he was in charge of the conversation. Yes, he could lead a princess in a dance, but that was what he was supposed to do. She had come up with snarky comments, whispering sweet nothings that would make the knees of weaker men buckle. Was that what this was? A test? A challenge? Well, he was changing the rules of the game now. The princess complimented their work and he hummed a noise in agreement. Then she started to tell him about the king that had built the castle, 800 years ago. Cygnus the Builder, Architect, King. What a life he would have had. ‘‘I know,’’ he replied to her trivia facts when she turned around again. He also, knew some history. Especially if it had to do with his field of profession. ‘‘I also heard he was as tall as a mountain and could raise walls with his bare hands,’’ he smirked. ‘‘But that might just be a legend.’’

The man looked down at the princess, as she was even so close to him again. But now, not in a dance, or with an audience. It was just them. He heard his mind whisper that he should tred carefully, but he just looked at her as she whispered at him. A smile curled his lips. ‘‘And some day you will be a great queen.’’ He tilted his head slightly. ‘‘Because being princess is just to easy for you, isn't it?’’

Impressed and happily chatting away. Who would have thought? His family would never believe this story if he would tell them the next day. But he would not tell them, he could see the dollar signs in his father's eyes already. And a man like him was inclined to have a secret or two. So when the princess talked about that he really was that tall, if you would believe the portraits, and then joke about that he might have urged the painter. ‘‘You would think he had to compensate for something then,’’ he chuckled. The champagne really started to mess with his head now. Look at him, giggling like a little school girl about a long dead king.

Lloyd followed her eyes and he frowned slightly as she spoke about being queen. She never meant to be queen. He hummed softly. Ah yes, the lost crown prince, one would almost forget when you were so close to the crown princess. It was like a small open door to a person a bit more vulnerable, who was not as confident as she might seem. But, the moment was for a short while, because she ended that notion with something a bit more suggestive. He smiled broadly, his teeth showing for a while. But when her gaze trailed upwards, followed by a small "oh". Another frown as he followed her gaze upwards, and there it was. A small bundle of mistletoe.

Of course did Lloyd know the traditions. But he only knew the daring kisses in an audience, with people who had drank too much and were clapping loudly as they encouraged their mates to steal a little kiss. Not here, not so intimate. He looked back down at her, trying to hide a small, rosy blush he would blame on the champagne. But as their eyes crossed again, and she did not step away, nor did she say anything else. She just waited there, expecting, wondering what he would do. This was not a dance, but it was tradition, was it not? It would be rude not to. So he raised his right hand to her face and with two fingers he carefully brushed past her cheek, towards the direction of her ear where he moved down across her jaw, where his hand ended by her cheek. His thumb laid gently on her chin, as his index finger laid beneath it as he softly guided her face upward. ‘‘Princess,’’ he whispered as he found her eyes again. ‘‘May I?’’

And he thought the dance had been risky. He thought he had been in very, very deep waters then. No, he had barely scratched the surface. And by Ranaan, he just knew there was miles and miles of dark water left to discover. But for now, they were two giddy, young people standing underneath a bushel of leaves that carried way too much meaning. So when they were looking at each other, his hand on her face, they both knew they had already dived in that water. He knew it, she knew it, but the alcohol had not taken him over so much that he did not ask. But it did when she told him he could.

Suddenly he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, as his breathing quickened. No time to think now. Lloyd closed the distance between them, tilting his head to the side to place a gentle kiss on her lips. His left hand went up to her neck as he ever so slightly deepened the kiss. Only for a small moment, because well... she was a princess and he was a nobody, after all. God, what was even happening. He stood here, standing in a desolated hallway, kissing the most beautiful and desired woman on the whole damned festival. Ranaan was looking out for him today. He smiled softly against here lips before pulling away, opening his piercing eyes once again. ‘‘Happy Frostcrown Festival, Arianna.’’

Lloyd was quite proud of himself to not get carried away, how easy it would have been with a woman that only shared half of Arianna's beauty. The wine and champagne had made him a bit more loose than what probably was expected from him. He still could walk and talk straight, but his thoughts were not. He could only look at Arianna as he had pulled away, with that stupid grin on his lips. She had still tasted a bit of champagne, and he would gladly get drunk on it. How tempting it was.

But he had been a wise man. It would be stupid to let himself get dragged in something he had no place being in. It would make things unnecessarily complicated. He dropped his hands from her face, brushing a hand past her upper arm as he retreated. He would never return to this place, this moment. So why not take the opportunity? told his treacherous mind to him. If it was just some irrelevant speck in the universe of things, who would bat an eye. He would. They would. They would remember and scold themselves forever for letting themselves go. So when her sweet words reaches his ears he nodded slightly.

That was it, just happy new year. But she came closer again, closing the distance, speaking about not knowing what to say. His breath became unsteady when she placed her hands on his chests. This woman. She should stop, looking at him like that. But Lloyd did not step away. Because at this moment she was not the crown princess, just Arianna, who wanted to do it again. ‘‘I don't know how many secrets we will survive,’’ he told her. But then he wrapped bots his hands around her middle and closed the whole distance between them, pressing his lips against her once more. But this time it was urgently, with more intend, as he pushed his reservations to the back of his mind.

Too far gone indeed. The boundary had been passed miles ago. The boundary was so far away, it was just a mere line on the horizon. Because Lloyd was pressed against the crown princess way too close and all he could think about was that he did not care anymore how far they would be going from here. She was not a princess anymore in his mind, just to make it easier for him. So he could maybe excuse himself for it later. It had been the champagne, the mistletoe, the way she looked in that dress. And the way how she whispered to his lips that made his hairs stand up straight. His hands trailed farther up her back as her hands moved up his chest. He felt sparks over her body when her fingers touched his neck for the second time this night. But not for the rules of a dance, but for the want and need he started to feel more with each passing second.

So while he still kept his lips on hers, he started to move her back against the stone wall, away from the only thing that still could excuse their entanglement: the red berries and dark green shrub hanging from the ceiling. The night was still Lloyd did not say a word, he only pushed back from her face to look at her for a moment. To look down upon the face of the princess. But his gaze went soon down to her lips again and he did not wait for long to ease his uneven breathing to taste the champagne on her lips again. His hand slid down towards her hip and even a bit further down her thigh.