Serendipity

Eret

Naida's pov

Prince Eret was slightly nervous about being seen in a dress and so I snuck him through passageways to get to the second kitchen to bake. After baking cookies we went to the Ballroom to eat and get full use of our dresses.

"When you know you're going to be dancing do you pick a dress that moves more?" Prince Eret asked as we sat in the middle of the huge room eating cookies.

"I do, dancing is so much more fun when you wear a swooshy dress. The dress you're wearing now is a swooshy dress." I replied.

"My cape that you're wearing is fun to dance in too. It's the closest to a swooshy dress that I'm allowed to wear." Prince Eret said.

"Did you just say Swooshy?" I asked surprised.

"Uh yeah... am I not supposed to?" Prince Eret asked concerned.

"No its just, you normally talk so formal and proper that it's odd to hear you say words like that." I replied.

"I don't feel like I need to be formal with you. You're different from all the other princesses I've ever met. They were all overly formal and dressed in big gowns, tiaras and lots of makeup, they would have laughed at me for wanting to wear a dress." Prince Eret explained.

"I wasn't raised like a princess, I was just raised like a normal kid. I grew up baking cookies and jumping on counters, I was taught redstone and astrology and how to fish, I spent every week in a workshop and visited mines and beaches on weekends. I'd set up bakesales in the city with Sam and play tag with all the Palace staff. I used to get yelled at for making obstacle courses in the hallways and stealing my dad's notebooks. I know nothing about being a princess, I'm just me." I said.

"I was the opposite. Every day was scheduled with sword training and archery in the mornings before breakfast and geography and foreign relations until lunch. Lunch was less of a break and more of a dining etiquette class. After lunch I'd be taught ballroom dancing and all the little things I'd need to know about running a kingdom. An off schedule day was a military traing camp or hunting lessons, maybe giving a speech for some kind of holiday I wasn't actually allowed to celebrate. As I got older finding a bride and  embassy work was added to my list of duties. I've never been allowed to be just me but I know everything about becoming king." Prince Eret said, taking another bite of his rainbow cookie.

"Well I don't want to know future king Eret, he's boring and stuck up." I said, earning a disappointed look from the Prince. "I want to know just plain Eret, the man that somehow managed to set butter on fire and has the most flawless nails I've ever seen."

Prince Eret grinned at me. It was the most genuine and beautiful smile I had ever seen on him.

"Are you sure you'll like him? He's not the most conventional person." Prince Eret asked.

"You say that like I haven't dragged you down a safety slide, stolen your cape and built automatic doors." I said.

Prince Eret chuckled.

"I guess that's true. The first thing about the real Eret is that he doesn't respond to Prince, it's his name or nothing. The second thing about the real Eret is that he doesn't waste the opertunity to dance with a pretty Girl." Eret said as he got to his feet and offered me a hand.

I took it and allowed him to pull me to my feet. He kept our two hands clasped together and brought his other hand to my waist. Following his lead I moved my free hand to his shoulder and then we took off in a classic waltz, twirling around the room to imaginary music.

He kept speeding the steps up until it was more of a race than a dance but it made it more enjoyable, our smiles never left our faces. Eventually the hand that was on my waist left and I was getting twirld around until the room was spinning just as much as I was.

Eret barely let me go for half a second and I was stumbling around like a drunk at a Christmas party. Tripping over my feet and being caught in a dip by Eret who was laughing.

"I am drunk, I have experienced drunk, I am a bar." I said.

Eret laughed even harder, almost dropping me.

"It seems Eret's Dancing is much more fun than the normal stuff." I said after regaining my ability to stand up straight.

"I'm glad you think so." Eret said.

"Now let's get out of here, we have more fun stuff to plan and more of the real Eret to see." I said.

"Lets go!" Eret cheered spining towards the door, his dress fanning out around him.

I followed behind him, laughing as he spun out the door and straight into a wall.

"This way, we need the grand staircase for our grand entrance." I said.

Eret seemed a bit hesitant but nodded, Following me along the corridor.  When we got to the main staircase I insisted Eret go up them and strike a pose for me.

"Come on Eret, nothing is better than striking a good pose on a grand staircase, especially in a dress. It makes you feel powerful." I said.

"If you insist but I don't think it's possible for me to be anymore confident right now." Eret said as he began making his way up the staircase.

The next thing happened in the blink of an eye. I hit the floor, a feeling of pain shooting through my back and left shoulder, the sound of screaming and shattering glass flooded my ears, some kind of heat surrounded me and there was a feeling of pressure ontop of me.

"Naida!" A voice exclaimed.

"Princess Naida! What happened!?" Another voice yelled

"Ant! Naida!" A voice called.

There was a loud ringing sound in my ears, everyone's voices merging together into one.