1913 • Tom Branson •

Prologue/Epilogue

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There was still something vaguely unsettling in the ballroom air.

Maybe it was the stares, their majesties brushing by, or the fact that the evening air was blowing through the windows. Years later and it still felt wrong.

How long had they been forced out? Hidden from view of spectators and scandal. The wind blew again, tickling the exposed skin at her collarbone. A reminder that for even longer they had waltzed in secret. So, even though this was not their first ball like all the others it felt strange. People were still prone to watch aghast with the very sight of the couple.

"What is it my darling?" His hand resting on her back pulled her closer. They continued to spin the length of the ballroom stepping in time with one another. And it wasn't the motions that made her dizzy, no those were like second nature. It was looking into his eyes. His eyes which had not changed in the past fourteen years.

"Just reminiscing," she whispered.

The wind pushed in again, and this time when he pulled her closer it was as he shivered. He remembered as well. Dancing in the garage. Past her curfew, a single candle being the only warm light

"Did you ever think we'd be here?"

The music was building around them, and slowly her stamina was slipping, but adrenaline shook her bones. His gaze diverted from her, as he contemplated her question. He always gave such things careful thought.

"Maybe not here, but I always knew you were my future."

She beamed, stealing the spotlight from the chandelier. They deserved to smile. What with the obstacles and heartbreak inflicted upon them for years. Their beginning had never been a "Once Upon a Time," but they were more than their suffering as well. More than a story neatly tied into chapters, and this was not their "Happily Ever After."

Because love, suffering, and joy has no beginning or end.

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I know it's weird to start with the epilogue, but for some reason it felt right. Maybe it's because this is very much a slow burn story. I don't know what my updating schedule looks like, as of right now it's whenever I feel inspired lol.