• She sat alone in the courtyard of her master's castle. She had been dismissed from serving for the night, as did the other servants. Once everyone started dancing, the servants weren't really needed anymore. She never left, though. She always stayed behind and watched the grand ladies dance, their beautiful gowns flowing like air, their gorgeous faces glowing like the sun. She wished she could be that pretty... but that was for the grand ladies of the land. She scanned through the many faces of the young men until she finally spotted him, her master's son. He was
    (beautiful, like an angel)
    sitting at a table, laughing with some friends. One by one, his friends drifted off to ask a lady to dance until he was the only one left. She watched his face from the bench behind the bush she always hid behind. He was smiling, but she could tell that his thoughts were elsewhere. She wondered where, and she wished that she could go with him on his journey of thought. She sighed forlornly and leaned back against the bush, turning her eyes to the stars.
    (so dim compared to his eyes)
    She saw one of the stars shoot from it's heavenly bed and she made a wish. She wished that she could be dancing, just like the grand ladies. That she could dance with him, her prince. She smiled and closed her eyes, simultaneously wiping the sweat from her forehead. She felt a breeze slide across her cheek and she smiled, imagining that it was his hand, rather than the wind.

    "What are you smiling at?"

    She jumped and just barely stopped herself from shrieking. She looked up to scold whoever it was that frightened her, and looked into the face of the man she had been admiring all night. "Oh! I'm sorry, sire, did you want to use this area? I shall move directly." She quickly got up, quickly turning her face away to hide both her hideous state and her red hot blush,

    "No, no. Please, stay where you are." He gently pushed her shoulder down so that she was once again sitting on the bench. She quietly gasped and tried to get her hammering heart under control.

    "Sir, this seems rather improper, for a man of your perfection to be talking to your lowly servant. if you will excuse me..." She tried to make a getaway, her blush deepening with every word she spoke, but she suddenly felt a cool surface around her wrist.

    "Please stay." He said, his tone almost pleading.

    She took in a deep breath, then turned to look at him. His expression startled her. His face matched his tone, it was slightly pleading. For a moment she didn't know what to do, but he gently pulled her down. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. Even in the darkness she could see every feature of his face. It was enough to set her heart racing again. "Y-yes, your highness?" She asked him, giving him room to say what he wanted. His face turned almost sad as he looked away.

    "Please don't call me that." he said quietly.

    "But, you-"

    "Please." He looked back at her, his face now fully and sadly pleading.

    She looked at him with concern as she quietly asked, "Are you alright?"

    He never looked away from her face, but instead took both of her hands in his. "No... I'm not."

    "Are you ill? Shall i fetch you a physician?" She asked with a voice fraught with worry.

    He gave her a half smile and said, "No, I'm not physically ill." She didn't speak, she instead waited for him to speak again. She was really worried about him, and at the same time felt like she was going to faint with how close she was to him. She snapped out of her daze when he finally said, "I'm going to have to marry in a month," She could feel her heart shattering at this remark, but at the same time she wondered why he was telling her this. She also wondered why she felt so crushed, she could have never had him anyway, any hope for it would have been foolish, but she still felt heartbroken all the same.

    "Why...?"

    "Please, would you like to dance?" He asked her with a sad smile forming on his face. She couldn't gasp because she was already breathless, so instead her eyes widened and her mouth opened without letting out any sound. When she finally composed herself she stuttered a breathless "Yes." He laughed and gently pulled her up. He placed one of his hands on her waist and the other clasped her hand. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and they danced. It was a dream come true, she, the lowly maid-servant to the King was dancing with his son, the man she had fallen so truly in love with. She sighed and enjoyed every moment as if it were the last thing she'd ever experience on the mortal earth. When the song ended and they stopped dancing, tears came to her eyes. She angrily pushed them away, but did nothing else. She never wanted to leave this moment. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. It seemed that the prince wanted it too, for he made no move to leave, but instead gazed at her face. "I know it is selfish of me to do this to you," he said to her, studying the palm of the hand he was holding. "but I had to do it before I was married off to someone I don't love." Before she could say anything, he gave her a quick peck on her lips, and he left her. She watched him go, and suddenly turn around to tell her, "You were always a princess in my eyes." then he left. She cried then, she cried until there were no tears left for her body to summon. then when his wedding day came, she cried dry and silent tears of loss.