[oo6] gossip girl : storybook endings
Title: Storybook Endings
Author: In Fair Verona
Genre: Romance + Adventure
Pairing: CBN
Rating: T
Summary: Blair Waldorf never believed in fairy-tales. However, weeks after her best friend left for boarding school, Blair finds herself enthralled by the pages of an old book, and is thrown in the midst of a strange new world, at the center of a war, and in between a prince and a knight.
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
A/N: This chapter is much longer than the last one. I don't know if that's good or bad!
"Sorry to disappoint." Charles Bass brushed past the haughty brunette, nudging her a little to the side as he made his way up to the throne, falling into the chair on the left. He crossed his right leg over his left knee and looked up at Blair expectantly. He was judging her. "...Now, who are you?" More importantly, why wasn't she on her knees?
Dan beat Blair to the punch, quickly jumping to his feet and approaching the throne. "She's from another world." Dan announced. This seemed to peak the interest of both the prince and Nathaniel, who stood from his place on the floor. Dan persisted, "She's a queen." Now all three men exchanged alarmed looks, which left Blair even more puzzled. Why was everyone so worked up about this 'queen' business? There were many queens in the world. There were prom queens, drag queens, Queens, NY. What was the big deal?
"Is this true?" Nathaniel asked. Realizing that the handsome one was speaking to her, Blair stammered slightly before regaining her composure.
"Well, of Constance Billiard Academy." Blair added, trying to put the title into context for the three. "Why?"
They ignored her question. Nathaniel had joined Charles by the throne, kneeling at his right side. They were whispering to one another, and Blair could barely grasp at the words. However, one thing she heard for sure... prophecy. Charles looked up at Daniel. "Humphrey, you better not be wasting my time."
"Do you really think I would be in your company otherwise?" Dan rebutted, and Blair noted the tinge of hostility and annoyance between the two. Blair highly doubted that there was a "Gossip Girl" here in Dal-what-sca, but wouldn't it be convenient if there was because she would love to know the back story behind that exchange.
She felt Charles eyeing her with scrutiny and she hated to admit it, but it made her uncomfortable. Blair was good at feigning her tenacity in public, but his gaze was beginning to wear her down. It was her thighs, wasn't it? Too large. Her neck? Probably too wide. Blair forced herself to take control of her thoughts - no need for these three, especially that Nathaniel, to think of her as a total basket case. "Look," Blair began, forcing herself to think not of her appearance but of the real problem at hand: how to get home. "I need to return to Manhattan. I'm not really sure where I am or how I got here, but Dorota's making her raisin-nut-apple crisp for dessert and it's no good when it's cold, so..." They weren't following. "I have a test on Friday!" Blair exclaimed, looking at Charles pleadingly. "Will you help me get home? Please."
The prince shifted in his seat. "Blair." He began smoothly, "Have you heard of the prophecy of the first four?" Blair looked at him thoughtfully. If she recalled, there was something in that book Miss Carr had given her. There were a lot of things, actually, that were here, that were in the book. Now, Blair was a realist, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore this horrible sneaking suspicion.
That Blair Waldorf was trapped inside a book.
Ridiculous, right? Blair mentally admonished herself. That would be impossible, and there was no way that Blair Waldorf was going to allow herself to be trapped in between those crusty yellow pages. Not without a gallon of bleach. "I have." Blair replied. "It's about a royal woman, right? A royal woman from another world who saves the day..." Oh. Oh.
"Is that all you know of the prophecy?" Charles inquired, resting his chin on his hand.
"As far as I know. Why, is there more?" Blair asked, furrowing her brow. Daniel looked as though he was about to speak, however Charles quickly cut the boy off.
"No. There isn't." He explained succinctly, leaning forward in his seat. There was a pause before he extended his offer, "Blair. I have reason to believe that you may be the girl in the prophecy." There was that chilling drawl again. "If you help me unite our two neighbor kingdoms and defeat our enemy... I will make sure you get home."
"Well, that's very nice and all, but I think forging alliances is going to take a considerable amount of time." Blair would know. Manipulation wasn't easy. "Time is what I don't have. Raisin-nut-apple-crisp. Mid-terms. Not to mention that if I'm not back soon, my mother is going to totally freak out." That was a lie. Eleanor probably wouldn't even realize that Blair was missing... but Dorota would.
"Well, it's very likely that whatever world you are from flows on a different axis in time," Dan reasoned, "While you may be here for months or weeks at a time, you may realize that only a few days has passed in your world."
"There is no other way." Charles added defiantly. "That's my offer. Take it or leave it. I hardly believe you'll be able to fare better anywhere else." He eyed her intently. Blair was really beginning to dislike that penetrating stare of his. Blair pouted, knotting her hands together nervously. If I don't go, I wouldn't know who to trust. At least Dan has proven himself to be a decent person, and I don't know if the rest of this world would be the same. Plus, it's doubtful that anybody else here would have the financial means to help me. However, if I go with them... I'm pretty much putting myself on the front lines of a war. Either way, this wasn't going to be easy. Blair would feel better in the company of these three than with those bandits from earlier, but it was a matter of time. If this were her world, Blair would have had the upper hand, manipulated the situation in her favor to get what she wanted without having to sacrifice anything of herself. But this wasn't her world, and it wasn't her playing field. Blair had no cards, no upper hand.
"You promise that you will help me return home?" Blair repeated firmly. A part of her didn't trust Charles, but despite the tension between them, Dan seemed to... and though Blair didn't really know him too well, this put her at ease.
"I promise."
"One condition." Blair added, earning a look of interest from the prince. "Wherever I go, Daniel goes." Blair folded her arms, looking at the other boy. It was a means to protect herself, of course. Daniel was trustworthy, but Charles didn't seem to buying the idea. Though that was only more incentive for Blair to bring the other boy along - he clearly got on the prince's nerves. "He's a scribe," Blair explained. "If we're going to be making history, we can't rely on those who weren't there to distort the facts. We need a first-hand account."
"Fine." Chuck groaned, glaring at Dan. He turned to Nathaniel, "Tell the chefs to prepare a celebratory feast, and for the maids to light up the palace. Have the guards spread the word amongst the townspeople that we have found the girl from the prophecy, and that there will be a celebration in her honor." Nathaniel gave Chuck a questioning look, to which the prince replied, "We have to boost morale, Nathaniel. This is just what we need to get the people behind our efforts, not to mention the other kingdoms. Make sure the word has spread to both Ivalice and Alexandria by tomorrow." He glanced up at Blair, her ridiculous skirt and dusty cape. "Take her to one of the guest rooms and please, have the maids draw her a bath."
Blair's jaw dropped. Asshole.
Prince Charles was an asshole, but the bath was much needed. The water was piping hot, and Blair sank into it, closing her eyes and pretending that she was home in her own tub. It was just another Friday night soak before the girls would come over and they would french braid each other's hair while watching Audrey and gossiping about their peers. A faint knock on the door drew Blair from her treasured memories and she hastily pulled herself out of the hot bath, grabbing the pink silk robe that had been left for her and wrapping it around herself before heading over to the door.
It was Nathaniel. Blair's heart fluttered a little. Just a little.
"Hi. May I come inside?" He asked, to which Blair could only nod as she opened the door further to allow him entrance. "I brought over your old clothes, they've been cleaned. Also, this..." Nathaniel placed her blouse, skirt, cape and knee socks onto the bed and revealed at the bottom of the pile a folded length of silk fabric, "It's the Dalmascan ceremonial dress. Chuck insisted you wear it." Nathaniel explained. Blair eyed the garment suspiciously. "It once belonged to the Queen." He added hopefully. "Charles' mother." He motioned behind her, to the portrait which hung on the wall of the guest room. Blair hadn't really noticed it before, but the woman in the portrait looked absolutely regal... and she did look a lot like the prince.
"She's beautiful." Blair mumbled. Well, if she wore it, then Blair supposed it couldn't be too horrible.
"Look, about Charles..." Nathaniel began, alerting Blair's attention. "I know he can come off a little abrasive, and cold, but... he means well." Nathaniel reasoned, "His father was harmed in battle a month ago, and he's been bed-ridden ever since. Up until then, Charles didn't have much interest in ruling Dalmasca, but... he didn't really have a choice. This is all really new to him." He further explained.
"Nathaniel," Blair looked at him softly. "You don't need to justify his behavior for him." Nathaniel opened his mouth to reply but Blair cut him off, "...but it's nice that you would." It made Blair think of her own best friend. All the times that Serena had backed Blair up, even when she knew that Blair was in the wrong. Until she left. "Um, would you mind staying?" Blair asked Nathaniel as she unravelled the garment, "This looks a little complicated. I may need some help." Nate nodded dutifully and Blair disappeared behind the folded paper screen at the corner of the room. Tossing her robe over the screen, she made her best attempt to wiggle into the cryptic carnation pink gown. There were six to eight long ribbons, all in different colors, not to mention two very long sleeves and excessive amounts of fabric. Not knowing what else to do but improvise, Blair managed to tightly wrap each sleeve and ribbon around herself, resulting in a piece of work that would have made Herve Leger proud.
It made Nathaniel alarmed. "That's not supposed to go there." Nathaniel explained, trying to hold back his laughter. If she walked out there like that, the whole kingdom would be ballistic. Blair could only look at him helplessly. "Here," he carefully reached around her little form, gently untying the sleeves and ribbons until they hung loosely from the dress. "I think that these," Nathaniel held up a sleeve, "belong here." He gently slid the fabric over her arm and shoulder and did the same to the opposite side. Blair could now see that the sleeves were supposed to form a wide boatneck of sorts, though the appearance of the garment was now lost on her. She was too busy focusing on Nate's proximity as he reached around her, pulling ribbons together and knotting them around her waist. He had the lightest touch, which made him appear even more unreal than Blair already believed him to be. At first, Blair had been disappointed to discover that Nate wasn't her prince charming, but a knight in shining armor was just as good.
"Will you fasten the back for me?" Blair asked innocently, perhaps a little too breathlessly as she turned her back to him. Admittedly, she had that one in her arsenal for awhile. Most men would have been all thumbs with this sort of thing, but she could tell that Nathaniel Archibald held a rare grace. His hands would just barely graze the skin on her back, and rather than chilling her as Prince Charles had done, Blair was warmed. The buttons had been all been fastened for awhile now, but his hand rested at the nape of her neck for a good minute before Nathaniel broke the reverie.
"I should go." He was gone before she had even turned around. Blair groaned, and turned again to face the mirror behind her.
She looked like a cupcake.
The palace was ablaze with light, music, and activity. All of the village had flooded the courtyard to catch a glimpse at the rumored girl who was expected to fulfill the prophecy and save Astoria. They danced with glee, pouring wine, pouring ale and pouring their hearts out into song. Blair watched from the balcony, entranced by the sight. It was just so surreal. She had never seen this many people so happy before. Especially over her.
"Nervous?" A voice drawled from behind. Blair didn't even need to look. After only having known Charles for a few hours, Blair had committed that voice to memory. It was the only thing that made her feel as uneasy as she did with a full stomach.
"Never." Blair replied, watching as a magician delighted the village children with firecrackers. A thought suddenly crossed her mind and she turned to face the prince. "You know, I don't really take you for a Charles."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He replied with mild curiosity, arching an eyebrow at her as he leaned against the balcony railing.
"It means that from now on, you're Chuck." Blair explained. No need to elaborate in further detail that the association was being drawn from the uncomfortable feeling of upchucking, but it fit and frankly it suited him far more than 'Charles' ever would. "Chuck... Bass, was it?"
Chuck was speechless. "My name is Charles. To you, Prince Charles. Prince Charles Bartholomew Bass." He defied firmly. He was getting fumed and Blair was loving every minute of it. "You ought to remember the title, and remember to bow next time I enter the room." He added icily. Blair was aghast. The girl removed herself from the balcony ledge to face him square in the eye. Her perfectly manicured nail poked him in the chest.
"I don't bow to you because in case you forgot, I'm a queen, and last I checked, queens are higher than princes." Chuck was at a loss for words, so Blair persisted. "You need me just as much as I need you, so as far as I'm concerned there will be no bowing. Not now or ever. If you ever bring it up again, I'll crush your little prophecy into cocaine powder so you can sniff up the remains of the mess you made."
Ouch. Before the prince had a chance for rebuttal, the pair where blinded by a burst of bright light - the aerial spotlight had fallen upon them and all the villagers below had taken notice. It was their first glimpse at the rumored girl and they loved her. They were rejoicing, chanting her name, coming up with songs in her praise right on the spot! This was so much better than high school. Blair turned back to the prince, "I'm glad we've reached an understanding, Chuck." She made sure to enunciate each of the few syllables, offering a him a victorious smirk before slinking back to the balcony to revel in her adoring public.
Chuck was dumbfounded. When he first saw her, he had taken her for the flighty type. Nothing more than an insipid little girl. He had been gravely mistaken - to the point that instead of feeling the anger and frustration he knew would be natural, he couldn't help but respect her. Of course, five minutes later the impact of her words would resound in his head and this time succeed in their desired effect. He was a little pissed.
Blair emerged through the palace front doors, absolutely glowing. They love me, they really love me! The girl twirled a rose in between her fingers and practically danced her way into the dining hall where the three men were awaiting her. Much to her surprise, they weren't alone. There were a gaggle of half-clothed women swarming the room. A few were dancing, a few were drinking, one was giving Prince Chuck a back massage while another fed him grapes, and a third was resting her head in his lap, laughing idiotically. It was all so uncouth. Blair rolled her eyes, taking a seat besides Daniel, who appeared stiff as ever. "I didn't realize this was a bachelor party." Blair mumbled under her breath, "What is this, Dan, a harem?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Dan nodded in agreement, looking at his plate awkwardly. Blair glanced at Nathaniel. At least he wasn't partaking in this debauchery. Although he did appear to very amused at the whole ordeal. "Did you just call me 'Dan'?"
"Didn't you get the memo, everyone gets a nickname. If you protest I'll shorten it to a D, or worse, Lonely Boy." Blair replied nonchalantly, leaning in closer, "His is Chuck. It drives him mad. I can tell." Blair grinned evilly. Now Dan's moral core was made of teflon, but he always caved when Charles - or Chuck was concerned. He wasn't able to hide his own little grin.
"Chuck," Blair called loudly. Chuck froze. A few of the harem girls looked at the prince oddly. Nathaniel almost choked on his wine. Happy to have everyone's attention, she proceeded. "Don't you think we should discuss our course of action?" Blair suggested, watching him smugly.
"Of course." Chuck replied tightly. "Ladies, would you excuse us?" Chuck asked, flashing them all a cunning grin. The harem girls giggled as they bounced out of the hall, their beaded bodices jingling as they went. When the room had emptied, Chuck leaned forward to address the other three. "Tomorrow morning, we will leave the village and head for Ivalice." He pulled out a map from under the table, unravelling it to illustrate their path. "We will travel through the Dalmascan forest, through Ipsen's cavern. Their castle is hidden on the other side of the mountain, there's no other way to access it without heading into Zaibach territory." He explained. "But first, we have another stop in the forest," Nathaniel and Dan both looked at Chuck questioningly. "We need to get the seer." Chuck explained.
"What's a seer?" Blair inquired, leaning forward in her seat.
"A seer receives visions of future events." Nathaniel explained, "This one in particular... he's an artist. He illustrates his premonitions. If I'm correct, he's also an Ivalician exile." Chuck nodded in affirmation.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Dan spoke up. "Do you really trust an exile? Not to mention it would be safer if we kept this party as small as possible."
"The only reason this party is bigger than it ought to be is because her highness over here insisted on you coming." Chuck reminded him. "It will be beneficial to have the seer on our side." Truthfully, while Chuck was away from the kingdom he needed immediate eyes and ears... if anything were to happen to his father... "Not to mention", he mocked Dan's words, "that the only way we'll make it through the mountains to Ivalice is with someone who has already survived the trip. If we make one wrong move up there... it's all over." Chuck looked at the other three Darkly. "So. Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." Blair repeated, drawing a shaky breath. Tonight had been fun, filled with festivity. Tomorrow would be different. It was nice while it had lasted.
CHAPTER THREE
Song
Andrew Bird - Fake Palindromes CB encounter on the balcony...
Author: In Fair Verona
Genre: Romance + Adventure
Pairing: CBN
Rating: T
Summary: Blair Waldorf never believed in fairy-tales. However, weeks after her best friend left for boarding school, Blair finds herself enthralled by the pages of an old book, and is thrown in the midst of a strange new world, at the center of a war, and in between a prince and a knight.
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
A/N: This chapter is much longer than the last one. I don't know if that's good or bad!
"Sorry to disappoint." Charles Bass brushed past the haughty brunette, nudging her a little to the side as he made his way up to the throne, falling into the chair on the left. He crossed his right leg over his left knee and looked up at Blair expectantly. He was judging her. "...Now, who are you?" More importantly, why wasn't she on her knees?
Dan beat Blair to the punch, quickly jumping to his feet and approaching the throne. "She's from another world." Dan announced. This seemed to peak the interest of both the prince and Nathaniel, who stood from his place on the floor. Dan persisted, "She's a queen." Now all three men exchanged alarmed looks, which left Blair even more puzzled. Why was everyone so worked up about this 'queen' business? There were many queens in the world. There were prom queens, drag queens, Queens, NY. What was the big deal?
"Is this true?" Nathaniel asked. Realizing that the handsome one was speaking to her, Blair stammered slightly before regaining her composure.
"Well, of Constance Billiard Academy." Blair added, trying to put the title into context for the three. "Why?"
They ignored her question. Nathaniel had joined Charles by the throne, kneeling at his right side. They were whispering to one another, and Blair could barely grasp at the words. However, one thing she heard for sure... prophecy. Charles looked up at Daniel. "Humphrey, you better not be wasting my time."
"Do you really think I would be in your company otherwise?" Dan rebutted, and Blair noted the tinge of hostility and annoyance between the two. Blair highly doubted that there was a "Gossip Girl" here in Dal-what-sca, but wouldn't it be convenient if there was because she would love to know the back story behind that exchange.
She felt Charles eyeing her with scrutiny and she hated to admit it, but it made her uncomfortable. Blair was good at feigning her tenacity in public, but his gaze was beginning to wear her down. It was her thighs, wasn't it? Too large. Her neck? Probably too wide. Blair forced herself to take control of her thoughts - no need for these three, especially that Nathaniel, to think of her as a total basket case. "Look," Blair began, forcing herself to think not of her appearance but of the real problem at hand: how to get home. "I need to return to Manhattan. I'm not really sure where I am or how I got here, but Dorota's making her raisin-nut-apple crisp for dessert and it's no good when it's cold, so..." They weren't following. "I have a test on Friday!" Blair exclaimed, looking at Charles pleadingly. "Will you help me get home? Please."
The prince shifted in his seat. "Blair." He began smoothly, "Have you heard of the prophecy of the first four?" Blair looked at him thoughtfully. If she recalled, there was something in that book Miss Carr had given her. There were a lot of things, actually, that were here, that were in the book. Now, Blair was a realist, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore this horrible sneaking suspicion.
That Blair Waldorf was trapped inside a book.
Ridiculous, right? Blair mentally admonished herself. That would be impossible, and there was no way that Blair Waldorf was going to allow herself to be trapped in between those crusty yellow pages. Not without a gallon of bleach. "I have." Blair replied. "It's about a royal woman, right? A royal woman from another world who saves the day..." Oh. Oh.
"Is that all you know of the prophecy?" Charles inquired, resting his chin on his hand.
"As far as I know. Why, is there more?" Blair asked, furrowing her brow. Daniel looked as though he was about to speak, however Charles quickly cut the boy off.
"No. There isn't." He explained succinctly, leaning forward in his seat. There was a pause before he extended his offer, "Blair. I have reason to believe that you may be the girl in the prophecy." There was that chilling drawl again. "If you help me unite our two neighbor kingdoms and defeat our enemy... I will make sure you get home."
"Well, that's very nice and all, but I think forging alliances is going to take a considerable amount of time." Blair would know. Manipulation wasn't easy. "Time is what I don't have. Raisin-nut-apple-crisp. Mid-terms. Not to mention that if I'm not back soon, my mother is going to totally freak out." That was a lie. Eleanor probably wouldn't even realize that Blair was missing... but Dorota would.
"Well, it's very likely that whatever world you are from flows on a different axis in time," Dan reasoned, "While you may be here for months or weeks at a time, you may realize that only a few days has passed in your world."
"There is no other way." Charles added defiantly. "That's my offer. Take it or leave it. I hardly believe you'll be able to fare better anywhere else." He eyed her intently. Blair was really beginning to dislike that penetrating stare of his. Blair pouted, knotting her hands together nervously. If I don't go, I wouldn't know who to trust. At least Dan has proven himself to be a decent person, and I don't know if the rest of this world would be the same. Plus, it's doubtful that anybody else here would have the financial means to help me. However, if I go with them... I'm pretty much putting myself on the front lines of a war. Either way, this wasn't going to be easy. Blair would feel better in the company of these three than with those bandits from earlier, but it was a matter of time. If this were her world, Blair would have had the upper hand, manipulated the situation in her favor to get what she wanted without having to sacrifice anything of herself. But this wasn't her world, and it wasn't her playing field. Blair had no cards, no upper hand.
"You promise that you will help me return home?" Blair repeated firmly. A part of her didn't trust Charles, but despite the tension between them, Dan seemed to... and though Blair didn't really know him too well, this put her at ease.
"I promise."
"One condition." Blair added, earning a look of interest from the prince. "Wherever I go, Daniel goes." Blair folded her arms, looking at the other boy. It was a means to protect herself, of course. Daniel was trustworthy, but Charles didn't seem to buying the idea. Though that was only more incentive for Blair to bring the other boy along - he clearly got on the prince's nerves. "He's a scribe," Blair explained. "If we're going to be making history, we can't rely on those who weren't there to distort the facts. We need a first-hand account."
"Fine." Chuck groaned, glaring at Dan. He turned to Nathaniel, "Tell the chefs to prepare a celebratory feast, and for the maids to light up the palace. Have the guards spread the word amongst the townspeople that we have found the girl from the prophecy, and that there will be a celebration in her honor." Nathaniel gave Chuck a questioning look, to which the prince replied, "We have to boost morale, Nathaniel. This is just what we need to get the people behind our efforts, not to mention the other kingdoms. Make sure the word has spread to both Ivalice and Alexandria by tomorrow." He glanced up at Blair, her ridiculous skirt and dusty cape. "Take her to one of the guest rooms and please, have the maids draw her a bath."
Blair's jaw dropped. Asshole.
Prince Charles was an asshole, but the bath was much needed. The water was piping hot, and Blair sank into it, closing her eyes and pretending that she was home in her own tub. It was just another Friday night soak before the girls would come over and they would french braid each other's hair while watching Audrey and gossiping about their peers. A faint knock on the door drew Blair from her treasured memories and she hastily pulled herself out of the hot bath, grabbing the pink silk robe that had been left for her and wrapping it around herself before heading over to the door.
It was Nathaniel. Blair's heart fluttered a little. Just a little.
"Hi. May I come inside?" He asked, to which Blair could only nod as she opened the door further to allow him entrance. "I brought over your old clothes, they've been cleaned. Also, this..." Nathaniel placed her blouse, skirt, cape and knee socks onto the bed and revealed at the bottom of the pile a folded length of silk fabric, "It's the Dalmascan ceremonial dress. Chuck insisted you wear it." Nathaniel explained. Blair eyed the garment suspiciously. "It once belonged to the Queen." He added hopefully. "Charles' mother." He motioned behind her, to the portrait which hung on the wall of the guest room. Blair hadn't really noticed it before, but the woman in the portrait looked absolutely regal... and she did look a lot like the prince.
"She's beautiful." Blair mumbled. Well, if she wore it, then Blair supposed it couldn't be too horrible.
"Look, about Charles..." Nathaniel began, alerting Blair's attention. "I know he can come off a little abrasive, and cold, but... he means well." Nathaniel reasoned, "His father was harmed in battle a month ago, and he's been bed-ridden ever since. Up until then, Charles didn't have much interest in ruling Dalmasca, but... he didn't really have a choice. This is all really new to him." He further explained.
"Nathaniel," Blair looked at him softly. "You don't need to justify his behavior for him." Nathaniel opened his mouth to reply but Blair cut him off, "...but it's nice that you would." It made Blair think of her own best friend. All the times that Serena had backed Blair up, even when she knew that Blair was in the wrong. Until she left. "Um, would you mind staying?" Blair asked Nathaniel as she unravelled the garment, "This looks a little complicated. I may need some help." Nate nodded dutifully and Blair disappeared behind the folded paper screen at the corner of the room. Tossing her robe over the screen, she made her best attempt to wiggle into the cryptic carnation pink gown. There were six to eight long ribbons, all in different colors, not to mention two very long sleeves and excessive amounts of fabric. Not knowing what else to do but improvise, Blair managed to tightly wrap each sleeve and ribbon around herself, resulting in a piece of work that would have made Herve Leger proud.
It made Nathaniel alarmed. "That's not supposed to go there." Nathaniel explained, trying to hold back his laughter. If she walked out there like that, the whole kingdom would be ballistic. Blair could only look at him helplessly. "Here," he carefully reached around her little form, gently untying the sleeves and ribbons until they hung loosely from the dress. "I think that these," Nathaniel held up a sleeve, "belong here." He gently slid the fabric over her arm and shoulder and did the same to the opposite side. Blair could now see that the sleeves were supposed to form a wide boatneck of sorts, though the appearance of the garment was now lost on her. She was too busy focusing on Nate's proximity as he reached around her, pulling ribbons together and knotting them around her waist. He had the lightest touch, which made him appear even more unreal than Blair already believed him to be. At first, Blair had been disappointed to discover that Nate wasn't her prince charming, but a knight in shining armor was just as good.
"Will you fasten the back for me?" Blair asked innocently, perhaps a little too breathlessly as she turned her back to him. Admittedly, she had that one in her arsenal for awhile. Most men would have been all thumbs with this sort of thing, but she could tell that Nathaniel Archibald held a rare grace. His hands would just barely graze the skin on her back, and rather than chilling her as Prince Charles had done, Blair was warmed. The buttons had been all been fastened for awhile now, but his hand rested at the nape of her neck for a good minute before Nathaniel broke the reverie.
"I should go." He was gone before she had even turned around. Blair groaned, and turned again to face the mirror behind her.
She looked like a cupcake.
The palace was ablaze with light, music, and activity. All of the village had flooded the courtyard to catch a glimpse at the rumored girl who was expected to fulfill the prophecy and save Astoria. They danced with glee, pouring wine, pouring ale and pouring their hearts out into song. Blair watched from the balcony, entranced by the sight. It was just so surreal. She had never seen this many people so happy before. Especially over her.
"Nervous?" A voice drawled from behind. Blair didn't even need to look. After only having known Charles for a few hours, Blair had committed that voice to memory. It was the only thing that made her feel as uneasy as she did with a full stomach.
"Never." Blair replied, watching as a magician delighted the village children with firecrackers. A thought suddenly crossed her mind and she turned to face the prince. "You know, I don't really take you for a Charles."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He replied with mild curiosity, arching an eyebrow at her as he leaned against the balcony railing.
"It means that from now on, you're Chuck." Blair explained. No need to elaborate in further detail that the association was being drawn from the uncomfortable feeling of upchucking, but it fit and frankly it suited him far more than 'Charles' ever would. "Chuck... Bass, was it?"
Chuck was speechless. "My name is Charles. To you, Prince Charles. Prince Charles Bartholomew Bass." He defied firmly. He was getting fumed and Blair was loving every minute of it. "You ought to remember the title, and remember to bow next time I enter the room." He added icily. Blair was aghast. The girl removed herself from the balcony ledge to face him square in the eye. Her perfectly manicured nail poked him in the chest.
"I don't bow to you because in case you forgot, I'm a queen, and last I checked, queens are higher than princes." Chuck was at a loss for words, so Blair persisted. "You need me just as much as I need you, so as far as I'm concerned there will be no bowing. Not now or ever. If you ever bring it up again, I'll crush your little prophecy into cocaine powder so you can sniff up the remains of the mess you made."
Ouch. Before the prince had a chance for rebuttal, the pair where blinded by a burst of bright light - the aerial spotlight had fallen upon them and all the villagers below had taken notice. It was their first glimpse at the rumored girl and they loved her. They were rejoicing, chanting her name, coming up with songs in her praise right on the spot! This was so much better than high school. Blair turned back to the prince, "I'm glad we've reached an understanding, Chuck." She made sure to enunciate each of the few syllables, offering a him a victorious smirk before slinking back to the balcony to revel in her adoring public.
Chuck was dumbfounded. When he first saw her, he had taken her for the flighty type. Nothing more than an insipid little girl. He had been gravely mistaken - to the point that instead of feeling the anger and frustration he knew would be natural, he couldn't help but respect her. Of course, five minutes later the impact of her words would resound in his head and this time succeed in their desired effect. He was a little pissed.
Blair emerged through the palace front doors, absolutely glowing. They love me, they really love me! The girl twirled a rose in between her fingers and practically danced her way into the dining hall where the three men were awaiting her. Much to her surprise, they weren't alone. There were a gaggle of half-clothed women swarming the room. A few were dancing, a few were drinking, one was giving Prince Chuck a back massage while another fed him grapes, and a third was resting her head in his lap, laughing idiotically. It was all so uncouth. Blair rolled her eyes, taking a seat besides Daniel, who appeared stiff as ever. "I didn't realize this was a bachelor party." Blair mumbled under her breath, "What is this, Dan, a harem?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Dan nodded in agreement, looking at his plate awkwardly. Blair glanced at Nathaniel. At least he wasn't partaking in this debauchery. Although he did appear to very amused at the whole ordeal. "Did you just call me 'Dan'?"
"Didn't you get the memo, everyone gets a nickname. If you protest I'll shorten it to a D, or worse, Lonely Boy." Blair replied nonchalantly, leaning in closer, "His is Chuck. It drives him mad. I can tell." Blair grinned evilly. Now Dan's moral core was made of teflon, but he always caved when Charles - or Chuck was concerned. He wasn't able to hide his own little grin.
"Chuck," Blair called loudly. Chuck froze. A few of the harem girls looked at the prince oddly. Nathaniel almost choked on his wine. Happy to have everyone's attention, she proceeded. "Don't you think we should discuss our course of action?" Blair suggested, watching him smugly.
"Of course." Chuck replied tightly. "Ladies, would you excuse us?" Chuck asked, flashing them all a cunning grin. The harem girls giggled as they bounced out of the hall, their beaded bodices jingling as they went. When the room had emptied, Chuck leaned forward to address the other three. "Tomorrow morning, we will leave the village and head for Ivalice." He pulled out a map from under the table, unravelling it to illustrate their path. "We will travel through the Dalmascan forest, through Ipsen's cavern. Their castle is hidden on the other side of the mountain, there's no other way to access it without heading into Zaibach territory." He explained. "But first, we have another stop in the forest," Nathaniel and Dan both looked at Chuck questioningly. "We need to get the seer." Chuck explained.
"What's a seer?" Blair inquired, leaning forward in her seat.
"A seer receives visions of future events." Nathaniel explained, "This one in particular... he's an artist. He illustrates his premonitions. If I'm correct, he's also an Ivalician exile." Chuck nodded in affirmation.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Dan spoke up. "Do you really trust an exile? Not to mention it would be safer if we kept this party as small as possible."
"The only reason this party is bigger than it ought to be is because her highness over here insisted on you coming." Chuck reminded him. "It will be beneficial to have the seer on our side." Truthfully, while Chuck was away from the kingdom he needed immediate eyes and ears... if anything were to happen to his father... "Not to mention", he mocked Dan's words, "that the only way we'll make it through the mountains to Ivalice is with someone who has already survived the trip. If we make one wrong move up there... it's all over." Chuck looked at the other three Darkly. "So. Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." Blair repeated, drawing a shaky breath. Tonight had been fun, filled with festivity. Tomorrow would be different. It was nice while it had lasted.
CHAPTER THREE
Song
Andrew Bird - Fake Palindromes CB encounter on the balcony...