Chapter Text
Chloe loves Fairytale Fest. It’s a week where you can dress by drawing inspiration from your favourite fairytales without it being weird. Okay too weird. But people seem to be having fun.
Chloe sees a couple channelling their ‘Jalladin’ and waves at them as their surprisingly realistic makeshift flying carpet passes by. She’s dressed in a light green off the shoulder dress that reaches just below the knee. A clear white shawl is draped over her shoulder. Her hair, black and curly, is in a low ponytail that’s held together by a white ribbon that matches the pearl necklace around her neck.
She’s drinking a glass off the Evil Queen’s apple cider when she bumps into someone. The glass shatters on the ground as it spills. The stranger catches her before she has a chance to fall, their hands planted firmly on the sides of her waist.
They’re wearing a bejewelled, purple feline masquerade mask with gold linings.
“Are you okay?” They ask as they set Chloe back in her feet, their voice feminine and soothing.
“Yeah. I’m fine” Chloe says with a warm smile. Her eyes rake over the other girl’s outfit which consists of purple leather pants, a satin white blouse that had more than a few buttons unbuttoned, exposing a generous amount of cleavage, and a black coat that matches the colour of her hair that was wavy, loose and adorned with a bright red streak. A golden heart locket also seems to be hanging from her neck. “Let me guess, Cheshire Cat?”
“Spot on. And you’re Tiana”
“Also spot on. Though that’s not really my name”
The other girl laughs, bowing her head. It’s only then that Chloe notices her nose ring. “Yeah, I figured. What should I call you then? Tell me that your name is as beautiful as you are”
A faint blush taints Chloe’s cheeks. “It’s Chloe”
“Chloe” The stranger repeats, liking the way it rolls off her tongue. “Pretty name for a pretty girl”
Chloe chuckles and looks somewhere else before averting her gaze to the girls in front of her. “What about you? What’s your name?”
The red-streaked girl opens her mouth, but turns her attention to the ballroom after hearing the music shift to something more elegant. She smiles and holds out her hand, “Dance with me and you can call me whatever you like, beautiful”
Chloe narrows her eyes.
The other girl scrunches her nose in embarrassment, hiding her face in her hand. “Did that sound as corny as I think it did?”
“A little,” Chloe says, laughing. Nonetheless, she takes the stranger’s hand, “but you made it work”
The two make their way to the ballroom.
As they start to dance, Chloe can’t help, but be surprised by how naturally she and the stranger move together. It’s as if their bodies instinctively know how to respond to each other, each step, each turn perfectly in sync. The masked stranger's hand is warm and steady on Chloe's back, guiding her effortlessly across the floor. Chloe feels a strange sense of familiarity as if she had known this girl for years, even though they just met.
The girl's gaze never leaves Chloe's face, her brown eyes intense and focused. Chloe finds herself getting lost in those eyes, feeling a connection that’s both exhilarating and unnerving. They move as one, their movements a seamless blend of grace and passion. The music swells around them. Chloe feels as if the rest of the world has disappeared, leaving only the two of them in a cocoon of sound and motion.
As the final notes of the piece begin to fade, the stranger leads Chloe into a slow, sweeping turn before dipping her gently. Chloe's breath gets caught in her throat as she stares up at the girl, their faces inches apart. The world seems to stand still, the moment stretching out endlessly.
Then, without a word, the girl leans down and presses her lips to Chloe's. The kiss is soft and lingering, a gentle exploration that sends a shiver down Chloe's spine. She can feel the warmth of the girl's breath, the softness of her ruby-painted lips, the electricity that seems to crackle between them.
Chloe melts into the kiss, her arms wrapping around the girl's neck to pull her closer. The world around them seems to fade even further, leaving only the two of them in a bubble of shared sensation. When the kiss comes to an end, the girl pulls back just enough to look into Chloe's eyes.
“I have to go” The stranger whispers, her tone final, but tinged with regret.
Chloe's heart sinks. She nods, unable to find her voice. The girl gently releases her and takes a step back, giving Chloe one last lingering look before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
Chloe stands in the centre of the ballroom, the warmth of the girl's kiss still lingering on her lips, the memory of their dance etched into her mind. She feels a mix of emotions. Mostly sadness at the girl's departure, but also a sense of wonder at the connection they shared, however brief.
The next morning, Chloe is having breakfast in the living room with Chad taking up the whole damn couch while she sits on the floor. Thankfully, she doesn’t mind because she has the remote.
She patiently flips through the channels while eating spoonfuls of fruit muesli.
Chad snatches the remote from her hand.
“Hey!”
Chad ignores her and sits up straight as he flips through the channels. “Come on, come on, come on, come on” He mumbles before hitting the remote. “How do you get the news on this thing?”
“You of all people want to watch the news? Did you hit your head? Should we call mom?”
Chad mocks her by pulling annoying faces to which his little sister rolls her eyes. He lets out a sigh of relief when he finally gets the news channel.
Chloe takes a sip of cold water. “Any reason why you’re watching this instead of your cartoons?”
“Shhhh! There she is”
A black SUV comes to a stop in front of a crowd of people that are being held back by security guards. The car door is opened by a man who was sitting at the front of the car in the passenger seat.
A woman with light, curly brown hair wearing an elegant, long-sleeved maroon dress steps out, her hand in that of the man’s as he helps her out of the car. A crown rests on top of her head.
Chloe furrows her brows. “Wait. Is that the Queen?”
“Sure is” Chad answers, dreamily. “Isn’t she beautiful?” He asks, sounding lovestruck.
“She's old enough to be your mom..”
“But she’s not and that’s what matters”
“You’re disgusting” Chloe tells her brother before taking another bite of muesli, her eyes on the tv. “I thought the dinner thing wasn’t until tomorrow”
“It is. I think” Chad says as an afterthought with an uncertain shrug of his shoulders. “You know, for a First Son and First Daughter, we should really know this stuff by now. Dad would be disappointed”
“I know this stuff. I’m just double-checking”
“Right” Chad draws out, completely unconvinced despite it being the truth. He drinks his protein juice and sets the bottle back on the coffee table before crossing his legs and propping his feet up on there as well. “How was Princess Fest? Did your security detail follow you around or did they lay off?”
“Fairytale Fest” Chloe corrects. “And no, they didn’t. Dad actually stayed true to his word”
“Hm. Anything exciting happen?”
“Nope” Chloe answers far too quickly, popping the ‘P’ in there. Her brother doesn’t notice.
She looks back at the tv and almost immediately spits chewed-up bits of her breakfast back into the bowl as they pan to the princess.
A girl in a formal, but stylish pastel pink dress is taking photos with a few teens behind the barricade. There’s a red streak in her black hair.
“Oh my god”
Chad looks at his sister, confused and mildly annoyed. “What?”
Chloe turns to him, somewhat horrified. “I think I kissed the Princess of the United Kingdom”