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Chandeliers with candles lit brightly upon dancing figures. The doors of the castle remained wide open for the rest of the late hours,guests dressed in fancy clothing,expressions hidden beneath colorful masks. One could not recognize the other,interactions between strangers to strangers. That,is what made this night all the more interesting.
The orchestra in the very front of the ball room played slow tunes,ones that could be accompanied by dancing. Some danced,some stayed by the buffet,others chatted away with a glass of wine in hand. Some others,though... lingered. And searched.
"Excuse me- Pardon me– Apologies!—"
Sorry's and excuses were passed back and forth by the one trying to make his way through the crowd,eyes tracing around the room. To others it seemed like he was in a rush for somewhere,and maybe he was .. in reality,he was trying to find something. Or,more specifically,someone.
A white,old fashioned blouse,topped with a color-matching vest complimented the male's figure,golden details on the area of his chest adding a higher class looking elegance to the prince. Blonde hair,usually in a ponytail,were now let down to fall among his shoulders,whereas the thin rope of a mask was wrapped around his head in order to keep it in place on his face. The mask was matched with his outfit,engraved with golden colors. One eye exposed,whereas the other remained hidden.
It's not like he picked the outfit. He never did. Nor did he care about such a materialistic thing.
Stopping in his tracks,the people around did not seem to pay any mind to him. It was better this way,he didn't recognize any of the guests anyway. A masquerade as it was,all men and women kept their identities to themselves. It's what made this so much harder.
On the other side of the ball room,with the same exact eagerness,another royal was searching the crowd with his eyes. His attire,on the other hand.. seemed a tad bit more elegant. A set of black and red.
Vest and pants remained black,with golden accessories complimenting the fabric. The undershirt was a velvet red,whereas all the outfit was topped with a long,black thin coat,ending on the male's knees. The mask that came along resembled the same combination of colors,black,golden and red. A black mask that hid away both eyes,golden engraved above,with a red ruby resting at the very center. Hair,once let free and giving more of a fluffy air were slightly slicked back,an elegant vibe coming off the free spirited King. That,is something that for one night only,was hidden. And he was about to take full advantage of it.
Speaking was mostly prohibited between guests,for the sake and more fun of the rule of secret identities. Some obviously broke that rule,but its not like they fully cared about it.
The music playing by the orchestra at the front shifted songs,once hitting off a more upbeat rhythm,before it slowly changed to one of which you would dance waltz in.
"Ahem."
Blonde hair shifted upon shoulders as his head perked up faintly,a single sound of someone clearing his throat among the crowd enough to have him turning his entire body around. Hamlet recognized it.
Smiling brighter than he should,the more darkly dressed of the two royals took a moment to take in the sight of his secret companion. There were so many things he wanted to say,and do,but he could only do so much among so many people.
The King cleared his throat once more,mustering courage,before he bowed his body to the prince,hand placed out.
"Would your majesty be willing to offer me a hand to this dance..?"
They both wore masks. Their identities weren't recognizable to the rest. And yet,to Fugitive,that familiar blonde hair,the movement of his body..To Hamlet,that recognizable voice,his way of standing.. all too familiar to both to pass by as some simple strangers.
Stifling the smallest of laughs from threatening to escape,Hamlet raised a hand to his lips,watching his dearest friend ask for his hand. Stepping closer,he smiled behind his fingers,before his other hand lowered down upon Fugitive's,allowing him to take it.
"I would be honored,my lord."
The last bid was spoken in such a quiet tone that indicated secret irony. For those two to call one another such high titles,when they both knew what they truly wanted to say,but couldn't.
A smile of joy formed on the King's face as he gave the blonde's hand a gentle squeeze. Standing up straight,he stepped backwards with slow motions,his eyes behind the dark mask glued on emerald green ones. As they made it to the middle of the ball room,they stayed on the side,not wishing to attract attention.
Changing their placement of hands,Fugitive allowed one palm to rest upon Hamlet's side,whereas the other one slowly slid to pick up one of the prince's hands,rising it to shoulders' length. Hamlet found his other hand resting on the darker one's shoulder, unable to contain his smile.
"They will look."
"Let them."
His smile only grew.
The music grew louder when the dancing began. Figures moved swiftly across the floor,swirling,swaying. Upon all the pairs,the one who stood out were the two men,who,in comparison with the rest,were dancing full of joy. Laughing,some times making mistakes,laughing again about it. Royals that barely knew how to dance,who would've thought?
It felt beautiful. Once they erased the existence of the nobles around them,once they only had eyes for the other,only then they felt free. They weren't,they never would be. But maybe,just maybe,for those few moments of the dance,they could play pretend.
And they did. They danced,they laughed,they took in one another,embraced themselves for as long as they could.
Yet when the song came to an end,when they stepped back,holding one another's hand as if to end the dance,and bowing their heads... their throats tightened,along with their grips,and they stood back up,and let eachother go.
And the whole world blurred it's way back in,the talks of the crowd,the loud noises,heels clicking.
And they realized where they should've been by now,where they belonged,and their joy turned into dread.
And as the dance came to an end,the crowd became one once more as they only stood there,staring at eachother,while guests and fabrics appeared in their vision. And before they knew it,before they could bid one another goodbye,they felt so far away,that their hands could not reach to meet.