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In a sun-soaked ballroom, gilded with gold, mirrors reflecting every facet of her beautiful form, a Princess danced.
Silk clad feet moved in graceful arcs across the parquet floors, her slim arms extended toward a metaphorical partner as her body moved to music only she could hear. Though her dancing only expressed joy and light, the Princess’s features told another story entirely.
Her shadowed eyes and the weary set of her once sun-bright smile could only hint at the exhaustion she felt. For she had been dancing for months now, incapable of stopping or pausing.
The unnatural curse that had made her start to dance one fateful day, also kept her from dying out of exhaustion, providing her with just enough energy to keep moving and dancing. The Princess had learned to rest whatever little she could even as her feet swept across the floor with unerring precision, her body and arms expressing feelings and emotions she definitely did not feel.
As the story of her peculiar curse and her ethereal beauty spread, they had come. Knights and Princes, Kings and Sorcerers… they’d all come to try their luck with the Dancing Princess. All of them had tried to stop her moving feet and arching body with little to no avail.
One by one, each and every one had returned… defeated and empty handed. Except two brave knights from her homeland who volunteered to stay and guard the Princess, for her entire castle along with its people had fallen into the thrall of the evil sorcerer’s curse. Everyone except the Princess was turned to stone, waiting to be awoken when her curse broke.
With a sad smile on her lips and a broken heart that felt heavier with every day that passed, the young Princess danced on wearily, the ever-present music in her head her only constant companion. Still, she held onto the hope that someday, the one who could break her curse would come. And she would live once more. Till then, she danced.
And on it went, fall turned to winter. Snow fell to the ground, blanketing everything in a thick layer of fluffy white. Some knights and sorcerers still showed up at the castle to try their hand at breaking the Princess’s curse. But none so far had succeeded to any extent. The Princess still danced, the curse undaunted by all the attempts to put it asunder.
Then one dark winter’s night, a lone traveler came to the castle. Astride a tall black horse, clad in a hooded cape dark as night, he looked as if Death itself had come knocking. The two knights got ready to protect and defend their Princess if needed, but the stranger stood taller than them, his broad figure taking up half the doorway he walked through.
Even as the two warriors unsheathed their weapons, the tall stranger dismounted and walked into the castle as if unaware of their presence. The knights could do naught but follow as the strange traveler walked through the halls as if in a trance, their calls for his attention going unheard, his steps taking him unerringly to the ballroom where their Princess danced.
As if sensing that its curse may be at an end, the castle reacted to the stranger’s presence, lighting his way and opening doors till he stood at the doorway to the ballroom, eyes rapt upon the slight figure that moved gracefully within. The Princess danced on, aware that someone else had come to probably try their hand at getting her to stop dancing and mentally sighing at the possibility of another knight tasting defeat at the hands of her curse. She tried to not let herself hope, but could feel that somehow this time, something was different.
The tall man who stood at the doorway dropped his black cloak and the Princess’s steps almost faltered as his handsome features were revealed. His hood parted to reveal lush, dark waves crowning strong features. A regal nose, plush lips and warm brown eyes whose gaze fell upon her like a cozy blanket on a winter’s night.
As he stepped up to her, the Princess could feel herself blush, even as exhaustion from the curse threatened to overwhelm her. Now wishing for the Knight’s success wholeheartedly, the Princess watched curiously to see what he would attempt. Unlike the others, this Knight had nothing with him. His hands were bare, he carried no weapons or implements, no rope or magical items to attempt to stop her dancing feet. Unable to guess what the Knight would try, the Princess raised her hazel eyes to his once more, only for her steps to almost falter again.
Because the Knight stood in front of her dancing form, his open hand extended toward her.
Unable to hide her curiosity anymore, she took his hand and to her astonishment, instead of trying to stop her, he started to dance with her.
As soon as their hands touched, the music in her head changed to a slow waltz and as if he could hear it too, the Knight kept perfect time with her.
His eyes drank her in, their light warming her from the inside, his large, capable hands bore her weight as if she were a feather. Dancing with him felt like breathing… no longer a curse, no longer a chore. After months of dancing alone because of the curse, she now danced with her Knight because she wanted to.
Her feet that had ached before, now felt like they could dance for eternity. Her leaden heart that had weighed her down magically felt like it was going to burst for all the happiness she felt. She was all that was joyous and light and magical in the arms of her Knight. Her laugh tinkled like bells as he lifted her high in his arms, his feet missing nary a beat. His answering smile, wide and dimpled made a home for itself in the Princess’s heart. And as the waltz drew to a close, the Princess found herself wishing for more music.
But finally, after months of music inside her head forcing her to dance, as the waltz ended, so did the music. Her mind was blessedly silent and her feet gently came to a stop.
The pair stood as they were, in each other’s arms, gazing into each other’s eyes as the sun broke through the thick clouds, reflecting off the blankets of snow and bathing them in a heavenly glow.
The Princess looked down at her feet, her dancing shoes that had once been shiny and bright, now dull and worn through, and asked her Knight
“How did you know?”
His answer was accompanied by a sheepish smile that only endeared him even more
“I didn’t. I just wanted to dance with you, Princess. If I couldn’t stop your curse, I could at least bear it for you, with you. If that was all I could do, I would dance with you for eternity if I had to.”
Standing on her tippy toes, the Princess kissed her Knight’s cheek softly.
“Rey” she said prompting him to look at her with wide, inquisitive eyes
“My name… is Reyna Kenobi. But people I… people I like call me Rey”
She blushed at how forward she was being but the young man’s eyes shone from within as he straightened and bowed gallantly to her
“And I am Prince Benjamin Organa-Solo Skywalker of Alderaan. But for family and people I love, I am Ben.”
“It is nice to meet you… Ben”
His answering smile was blinding as the prince swept his Princess off her tired feet and into his arms, vowing to bear every single burden for her in their shared future.
One month later, when some knights came looking for the Dancing Princess, they were told by the servants at the castle that their master and mistress were away for their honey-month. And that honey-month would extend for the duration of their entire long and blissful life together.
The Dancing Princess may have been cursed but the King and Queen of Alderaan, as they came to be known later, danced because they were happy as could be. They danced with each other and all their lovely children and lived happily in love till the end of days.