Timeless Rendezvous (one-shot)

Timeless Rendezvous

Warning: Mature Content

My sisters' shrieks wake me up. I already know the reason behind their excited murmuring. It is tradition for the royal family to host a ball each year, on the first day of summer. The entire town of Bercenelle has been waiting for this day since the invitations showed up on everyone's doorstep.

"Cosette, come! Our dresses have arrived!" my younger sister, Liliane, shouts from downstairs. I grin and get out of the covers to join them.

I descend the staircase to come across a chaotic living room with all kinds of colorful fabrics spread all over. My sisters are chatting on top of one another while holding up their dresses, admiring their silky quality. My mother catches sight of me first and smiles at me warmly.

"Good morning, maman," I say and kiss her cheek.

Liliane hears me and hurries to pull my hand and drag me to the other side of the room. "Won't you have a look at your dress? I will look like a princess in mine!" she exclaims, gesturing to her pale pink gown, its skirt shimmering. I eye my other two sisters and they share a chuckle. Liliane keeps talking, her blonde hair bouncing all over the place. It's the first ball she's attending to, hence her bubbly energy.

Despite the fact that these sorts of social occasions aren't my thing, I share her enthusiasm. Most of the ladies in Bercenelle consider these annual balls a chance to meet the partner they had always dreamed about. Or even to make the prince fall in love with them. All the eligible ladies can pick a male partner to dance with, for the royal family's and their own entertainment. Given that just ladies from their eighteen to twenty-five years can join the dance, only my sister Margot and I can dance this year. Liliane is eleven and my other sister Maribel is sixteen, so they won't join yet. I have recently turned eighteen and Margot is twenty-three. She hasn't found a suitor yet, despite the fact that she has met quite a few gentlemen.

My thoughts stop when I my eyes fall on my own gown. I'm shocked by its beauty. I touch the dark green velvet material and grin. Yes, this is exactly what I expected. It is cut off the shoulder with a low décolletage and tiny flowers decorating the bodice, it has a fitted defined waist and the hem is flared, giving off a flowy style.

Several hours later, I stand in front of the mirror, in shades of flowing green. My eyes are painted with gold and my lips with rouge. There are more gold threads in my brown hair, wrapped around thin braids that make me look as if I'm wearing a crown. The rest of my hair falls in waves. I resemble a fairy. I feel beautiful, ethereal.

...

The carriage comes to a halt, leaving us before the castle's entrance. Dark brown-grey stone walls, high towers with slit like windows and climbing vines with gorgeous, exotic flowers greet us. Before anyone can say a word, I grab my best friend's hand and we rush together in the ballroom, faces flushing and hearts beating wildly. Mimi and I know each other since we were five, and we've been inseparable since. She's wearing a black sheer gown tonight, looking divine. I can feel my mother's glare from behind me, directed at my unladylike behavior, but I don't care.

We walk into the ballroom and I gasp. I have never been in a space that makes me feel so small. Crystal chandeliers hang down from the arching gold ceiling, illuminating the walls and the shiny floor. The ladies sparkle like gems as they move, and the men look elegant, most of them dressed in plain black suits. Their low chatter accompanies the classical melody that echoes around the room and there's the scent of jasmine in the air. The whole scenery feels and looks like a fairytale.