#*fic*

Another pair of arms join the hug, “the house is so quiet without you,” Evan says.

We stay like that for what feels like hours.

“Darcy you look gorgeous,” my dad says as he spins me around.

“Yeah you clean up pretty well,” Evan says with a wink.

I smile at my dad before shooting my brother a deadly look, “maybe you should try it too then.”

“Oh,” I says with a smirk on my face, “look what I can do.”

I take a few steps away from them and then start walking.

“You can walk?” Evan says, “I think we already knew that, Darce.”

The smile isn’t leaving my face, “no look,” I lift the hem of my dress and show the heels I’m wearing.

My dad claps his hands, “wow look at you.” His eyes glint a little, “my baby girl.”

Evan puts his arm around my dad’s shoulder, god how much I’ve missed them.

I walk some more to show them that I’m actually capable of doing this. Thanks to Aran.

“Wow Darcy, so you can actually be like a girl.” Evan says, but it’s obvious that he’s impressed.

A third voice joins the conversation, “she’s practically a pro now.”

I lift my head and see a familiar head pop up behind my family. My face flushes a little, “I'm not actually, have you seen Danielle? She's the pro.”

I stop walking and introduce them to each other. “Dad, Evan, this is Ben. And Ben, this is my dad Patrick and this is my brother Evan.”

Ben shakes my dad’s hands first and then Evan’s, the smile not leaving his face. That damn smile. “Nice to meet the both of you, been looking forward to it.”

“Likewise, and I can see you've been treating my daughter pretty well.” My dad says, and it makes me smile.

“I’ve done my very best,” Ben chuckles, “you’ve obviously done the same for the past 19 years.”

I can tell my dad  appreciates the joke, he always does. “I see room for improvement.”

Evan leans in and whispers in my ear, “at least one child turned out perfectly fine.” I nudge him in the side. Hard. He winces a little, but tries not to show.

A short laugh comes out of Ben. “Well then I hope we’ve helped with those while she’s been here.”

My dad shortly glances over at me, “she's always been wonderful in my eyes, but now I feel like the whole world sees it too.” It’s weird to hear your dad say stuff like that, especially when you’re right there. I feel my face flush a little but the smile remains.

Ben nods once, “it’s been wonderful to get to know her while she’s been here.”

Now I’m definitely  going to interfere, “okaay, enough about me.” I nudge my brother in the side, this time softly, “Evan say something.”

I know Evan is not a fan of this direct approach, but I don’t know what else to say and he has been awfully quiet. Evan runs a hand through his hair, “uhhh I like your... outfit?”

Ben laughs as he tugs at his cuffs, “thank you. Highly uncomfortable but I suffer through it nonetheless.”

I don’t recognize my brother in this moment, and apparently my dad is confused as well.

Evan leans in to take a closer look I guess. “You look very hot, how many layers are you wearing?”

Did he just call Ben hot?

I know he meant temperature-wise, but this just sounded so weird. And he will not hear the end of this. Definitely not. I will remember him of this moment forever.

Ben doesn’t seem to mind, “three including the jacket. Tie doesn’t exactly help,” he smoothes it down with a sigh. “Still, today was a day to dress more formally so here I am.”

“Yeah I see, you look great though,” my brother says with a small uncomfortable smile on his face. I can’t stop myself from chuckling. I’ve never heard my brother say anything like that. To another guy.

I hear Ben laugh again, “appreciate the compliment. You’re looking sharp yourself.”

Evan mutters something that sounds like a thanks man.

“This is a weird situation isn't it? You're meeting the parents, times six.” I say to Ben.

“I’ve never been more nervous to meet a dad in my life, especially six.” He manages a chuckle as he rubs the back of his neck.

Aw poor boy. “But you're doing great,” I turn to my dad, “dad, how's Ben doing?”

My dad gets the hint, “you're doing wonderful, son.”

Ben lets out a small breath and straightens his posture. “That’s a relief, thank you.”

After Ben has left to the next parents, I chat some more to my family.

“Evan, you called him hot,” I tease him, “and you said he looked good.”

My brother brings his hand to his face, “Darcy seriously?”

I laugh, even my dad can’t seem to keep it in.

“You forced me to say something.”

“Son,” my dad says once he somewhat managed to contain his laughter, “you tried.”

“You could’ve talked about literally anything, but you decided to flirt with him.” I wink at him.

Evan’s face turns red, “I… I was not flirting with him.”

They’re calling us for dinner. I would lie if I say I wasn’t hungry.

Let’s be honest I’m always up for food.

I feel a gently nudge suddenly, “I did taste the cookies this time,” Danielle laughs softly.

“And weren't they like they best thing you've ever put in your mouth?” I say as I smile up at her.

There’s an amused look on her face, “... they were really good!” her voice then drops down into a whisper as she discreetly gestures to the gorgeous woman next to her, “I wish she was that good at baking.”

I see the woman raise an eyebrow, “what are you saying about me now?”

Danielle says, “um... Hey Darcy, this is ma mére, Corine LeBlanc.” Of course my goddess friend has an angelic looking mother. “and mére this is my friend Darcy...”

I smile at Danielle’s mom and shake her hand, “so nice to meet you.”

The woman smiles politely at me. These people have amazing genes, holy cow both Danielle and her mom are beautiful. “Nice to meet you too, lady Darcy I have watched you all on TV,” she looks around before turning back to me, “but is nice to see you in person.”

“It must be quite strange to see your own child on TV.” I gesture towards Danielle.

Corine says, “not really, she doesn’t look that bad,” she places a quick kiss on Danielle’s head. They’re cute.

Someone clears his throat behind me. Oops. Introducing my own family might be the nice thing to do. I turn around, “oh sorry this is my dad Patrick, and that's my brother Evan.” I tell Danielle and her mom as I gesture towards my dad and brother.

My dad smiles kindly at both women and extends his hand to both of them, “pleasure to meet you.”

I don’t know what has gotten into Evan, or why he thinks he needs to bow like some kind of jester. “Lady Danielle, or should I say lady Beautiful?”

What on earth?

“Nice to meet you Mr. Duncan,” Danielle’s mom says to my dad as she shakes his hand. Evan gets a quick hello. Well what did he expect? He’s making a fool out of himself..

Danielle follows her mom as she shakes my dad’s hand and smiles a little. She then turns to Evan and frowns, “No, you really shouldn’t. But... hi.” Danielle turns to me looking confused.

Evan doesn’t seem to get the hint. He keeps smiling at her, “lady Gorgeous then?”

I nudge him in the side and mutter to him, “Evan behave.”

From the corner of my eye, I can see my dad shaking his head. First his son flirts with Ben and now with Danielle. Why?

“Danielle. Just Danielle.” Bless her for trying to stay polite. “We should get going.”

We all start walking together, “It must have been a long trip from Honduragua,” Danielle’s mom asks my dad.

“Yes it was quite the trip. Especially when you've never left your hometown before. How was your trip from... Kent if I remember correctly?” now that my dad is talking to Danielle’s mom, I decide to talk some sense into my dumbass brother.

I softly say, “can you please act normal please?”

Evan doesn’t get the softly part, he blurts out, “I think I might be in love.”

My eyebrows fly up as a response. “You've only just met her?”

A snicker from Danielle pulls be back into the normal conversation, “I have heard the south is a nice zone to live.”

“I don't know about the other southern provinces but Honduragua is nice. You should visit one day,” my dad says.

Evan smiles at Danielle, “I can show you around, lady Dazzling.”

I can’t believe him right now.

Danielle lets out a breath, “ I’m confused cause I already told you my name but you must have missed it...” my friend looks at me with an apologetic expression on her face. I feel bad for her. Why can’t Evan act normal? Or at least try to be normal?

“Don’t pay attention to him,” I tell Danielle.

I feel something pinch my arm. Or should I say someone. “You’re my sister you’re supposed to help me,” Evan mutters in my ear.

I pick up little sentences of the conversation between my dad and Danielle’s mom. But I can’t really join in on it, because I can’t leave Evan alone. He’ll chase Danielle away, and I can’t let that happen.

“...Your dad is nice and you are like the complete opposite of your brother, so what went wrong with him?” There’s a little joking tone in Danielle’s voice, but she has a good point. Evan is supposed to be the wise older brother, and now he’s acting like some crazy fangirl.

“I’ve never seen him like this, I think he has hit his head or something.” That’s literally the only possible explanation for his weird behaviour.

Evan is still smiling at Danielle, “you're funny, lady Charming.”

Danielle reaches for her shoulder, her mom has her hand there and judging by Danielle’s face she’s in a little bit of pain. “Can I ask-um ... what happened to your mom?” her voice is like a whisper.

I glance in my dad’s direction, he seems to be having an interesting conversation. And Danielle’s mom is chuckling. Wow. I’m impressed.

I lean forward a bit. Danielle is sitting across from me and I don’t want the entire room to hear our conversation. “Our mom left a couple of months after I was born, never heard from her again.”

I lean back in my chair again, letting my hands rest on the table. I look over to my dad, he’s the best dad in the world. He has had to raise 2 kids on his own, that’s hard. And then there’s the caste situation. Life has never been easy for him.

From the corner of my eye, I see Evan staring at Danielle. Idiot. He looks like a hungry turtle looking at some lettuce. There’s some passion in his eyes. Gross.

“Oh...” Danielle clears her throat, “I’m sorry to hear that.” She has a concerned look on her face.

Danielle’s mom turns to us, “is everything okay?”

I smile a little, “yes thank you everything is fine thank you.”

My dad notices Evan staring at Danielle, “Evan you're making the girl feel uncomfortable, stop it.”

But my silly brother doesn’t listen, it doesn’t even seem like he’s trying at all. “I can't, her face is like a magnet and I can't seem to pull away.”

Danielle leans an elbow on the table to block Evan, poor girl. “You probably won’t see me around much these days...”

I kick Evan under the table, “thanks a lot, now you've chased away the only friend I have in here.”

He doesn’t flinch at all, there’s not even a hint of pain in his face. How? The shin is rather painful to kick, and he doesn’t even react? Instead he is still staring at Danielle with that stupid smile on his face. “No she means you won't see her, because she'll spend all her time with me, right lady Marvelous?”

I drop my head in my hands. I can’t believe this is my brother.

“Not a very clever idea to flirt with a selected, boy.” Danielle’s mom says in the most calm way ever. And she also gestures to the guards positioned all around the room.

Evan finally turns his attention away from Danielle, but now his sweet smile is directed towards her mom. “I highly appreciate the warning for the guards, I'll continue more discreetly,” and he turns back to Danielle again, and he actually winks. God why?

“Evan!” I nudge him full force in his side, “stop being a creep or I'll go get the guards myself.”

My dad is chuckling, I guess we’re quite the entertainment.

“It’s okay I can just ignore him.” Danielle says to me.

I sigh and shake my head, “I promise, he normally isn't like this.”

I hear my dad mutter something to Evan, “she doesn’t seem interested in you, son.”

Evan is still looking at Danielle, he mumbles back, “that's what they call playing hard-to-get, at some point her act will vanish”

We chat some more during the rest of the meal. I try my hardest to keep Evan in check, but it’s no use. He can’t be tamed.

My dad on the other hand seems to have a great time, he keeps talking with Danielle’s mom. I can’t help but smile at him.

It has been a couple of days since us all were witnesses of the fight between Ben and Wyatt. It was definitely hard and awkward to see, but it did remind me of the fights I’ve had with Evan. No matter how bad the fights were, the family bond remains and the grudges will vanish.

What did surprise me was Ben saying he wanted to end the selection. The thought of going home didn’t necessarily scare me, but to hear those words out of Ben’s mouth did come as a surprise.

I’m looking out of my bedroom window. The view of the garden is still the most beautiful view I’ve ever had.

The flowers are still blossoming. All those colours.

Two knocks on my door startle me. I have a feeling who this might be.

I walk over and open the door. Not knowing what else to do with myself, I decide to wave a little, “hey.”

Ben smiles a little, “hi. Is it okay if we talk for a bit?”

“Yeah yeah come in,” I open the door a bit more so he can actually enter the room.

“I just thought I'd come say sorry for what I said the other day. It wasn't... okay of me to say what I did.” Ben I standing there, scratching his nape.

I close the door and decide to head for my bed. I feel a little awkward and sitting is always better than standing. “Do you really want us all to leave?”

He shakes his head, “not at all. I was speaking from a place stress. I just needed some space and would’ve done practically anything to get it.” Ben sighs as he runs a hand through his hair, “it wasn’t right, but it’s the truth.”

My fingers fidget, I seem to do that all the time lately. “I get it, and I'm sorry for all the stress.”

He lifts a shoulder, “it's not your fault. I need to learn to manage it better is all.”

I suddenly realize Ben’s still standing, “please sit if you want to,” I say as I gesture to all seating options available in my room. “You know you don't have to do it all on your own, there are people who can help.”

Ben decides to sit in a chair facing my bed, “I know that now. Learned the hard way.” there’s a sad smile on his face.

I feel so bad for him. Things have definitely not been easy lately.

“Sometimes that has to happen though, learning the hard way I mean.” I remember the time I thought I could lift a steal beam by myself. But then it crushed my foot and I literally learned the hard way to never do that again.

Ben nods a bit. “Hopefully not too often anymore,” a tired laugh leaves his mouth as he slumps back into the chair.

I narrow my eyes at him, he looks very bad. “Are you okay?”

“Yes and no. I should be... eventually.”

Eventually? “Ben you're worrying me. You don't have to tell me anything, but maybe you should talk to someone?” I look down at my fingers, I can’t seem to keep them still.

“Talking to you girls has actually helped.,” I hear him let out a breath, “I mostly just need time, to fix things. Or at least try to.”

I look up again, “you'll be able to fix everything, I'm sure. Like I've said, you're a good person Ben.”

A crooked smile appears on his face, “I appreciate that, Darcy.”

“I'm happy to see you can still smile.” I reach up to put a strand of hair behind my ear, “also if you ever feel stressed again you should try yoga, I think you'd be really good at it.” It’s a tiny joke, but I strongly feel the need to lighten the mood.

He laughs a bit, “my body doesn’t bend that way, but thanks for the suggestion.”

“Oh you just need to stretch the muscles first and then after a while you'll be way more flexible.” Like I’m the yoga expert here?

“I’ll let you know how that works out for me,” Ben says as he points at me.

I can only imagine him actually doing that, the thought makes me chuckle. “Oh please do, Bennet.”

Ben tilts his head. “How are you doing? Everything alright?”

No.

I’m not even fine.

But instead I say, “yeah I'm good I'm good thanks.” I fidget the fabric of my dress between my fingers.

I haven’t slept properly since the attack.

There hasn’t been one night without the nightmares.

My pillow is soaked from my tears every morning.

And my scarred arm freaking hurts. But that’s the least of my problems right now.

“You sure? The same offer stands that you can talk to me, but only if you feel comfortable.” Ben says.

No I’m not okay, is what I want to scream. But I can’t bring myself. “But I don't want to bother you with my silly stuff when you've already got so much on your plate.”

“You sharing this with me is not a burden. I care about you, Darcy.”

I stare down at my hands. The fabric of my dress is all wrinkled up in my fingers. “You do?”

“You're all important to me.” I look up to find him smiling a bit.

“But some more than others, am I right?” my gaze quickly lowers again, I can’t bear to look at him.

“More like... important to me in different ways. If that makes sense.”

And I know exactly what he means. “No I think I get it, there's the romantic way and there's the platonic way.” I force myself to look up again.

“And I have a feeling where this is going.” He’s smiling a bit, but the only emotion present is sadness.

“What? No Ben I like you and I'd do anything for you. But I'm also not blind, I see the way you look at the others.” Did I really just say that?

“No I... I know what you meant. That’s what makes me sad because,” he sucks in a breath, “I’m sorry that I don’t feel the same way you do for me. You’re wonderful, Darcy.”

“It's okay,” I smile a little. Strangely enough my heart is not breaking, it’s just my ego being hurt. But my heart is still one piece. Yes I do like the guy, I mean how could you not. But I’ve noticed the glances at the other girls, and I think that’s what prepared me for all of this. “ I really truly hope you find what you're looking for, you deserve that.”

“I hope you do too. Genuinely.” He smiles a bit as he stands with his hands in his pockets.

“Thanks for everything,” I walk over to open the door, “I'll pack up my stuff and go back home and you won't be bothered by me anymore.”

Ben walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder, “you don't have to rush. Take your time. And you were never a bother to me.” There’s a genuine smile on his face.

I smile a little, this guy is honestly the kindest person ever. “Thanks and good luck with everything.”

“You too. Goodbye, Darcy.” He smiles one last time before he steps out and closes the door.  

Wow so that’s it I guess.

I’m going home.

The thought doesn’t scare me, not even a little. On the contrary, I get a warm feeling in my stomach. I’m going to be with my dad and Evan again. Walk around freely wherever and whenever I want to. And most importantly I don’t have to wear heels anymore.

I decide to start packing, even if Ben said I didn’t have to rush.

It just seems a little weird to me, to stay here when I’m no longer in the running.

This room. I’ll never see it again.

And the view... I’m going to miss it.

I sit down on the windowsill and let out a sigh.

What a wild ride this has been.

Suddenly I realize something and I hurry to the bathroom.

I open one of the drawers, grab a washcloth, make it a little wet and start rubbing the inside of my upper arm. There it is. My tattoo. My beautiful wild flowers.

Ladies were not supposed to have tattoos, especially not in visible places. That’s what they told me on the day I got here.

A huge relief washes over me, I feel like myself again.

No matter how much fun I’ve had these past months and how much I’ve learned, this life just isn’t for me. I’m not one to wear pretty dresses and heels. Give me some sneakers, jeans and an oversized shirt and I’m completely happy.

With that feeling I lay down on my bed. Well it’s technically not my bed anymore, but who cares.

I wake up feeling revived. I haven’t had a good night of sleep in so long. And no nightmares. That’s something new.

I get up, knowing that there’s only one more thing for me to do here before I go.

Gently I knock on Danielle’s door.

The door opens quickly after, “hey!” Danielle frowns at me with confusion. “... ready for breakfast?”

How do I tell her this? I’ll miss this girl. Like a lot. “There’s something you should know.” I feel myself fidgeting with my fingers again.

There’s an alarmed look on her face, but she speaks rather calmly when she says, “O-K. Come in.” She gestures for me to enter, “is everything okay?”

“Thank you,” I say as I step inside, “uhm I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to say it, I’m out.”

I didn’t even realize Danielle’s maids were here until the moment they leave the room.

Danielle’s eyebrows are up on her forehead, “Out?! But- no. W-why?”

“Ben doesn’t like me, it’s as simple as that,” I say as I shrug.

She puts some of her hair behind her ear before looking back up at me again. “...are you okay? I mean... how do you feel?”

“I’m okay actually,” I nod my head and smile a little, “I kinda saw it coming anyway.”

Danielle frowns at me again, “um... I’m sorry.” She puts a hand on my shoulder before she goes in for a hug.

I hug her back, “thank you for being my friend here.”

She chuckles over my shoulder, “thank you... You actually stood for a lot of sarcasm and silly jokes.”

A soft laugh leaves my mouth, “you’re so funny though, I had a great time.”

Danielle leans back, “but we are going to see each other again, right? If I can vis-” she pauses for a second, “um... please visit me when you can.”

“Yes you should visit, and don’t worry I’ll make sure Evan is not around then.” I know the moment to say goodbye is here and I’m not ready for it. My face turns a little sad, “I’ll miss you.”

She presses her lips together and there’s an embarrassed expression on her face. Poor girl is traumatized by Evan. “Okay! Then, yes I will.” Another small pause, “I will miss you too,” she says as she lets out a breath.

I give her another hug, “good luck with everything Danielle!”

She tightens the hug for just a little second, “thanks. Good luck for you, too!”

I can feel I’m about to cry, but I’m trying to keep myself together.

“Um... you need help with anything?” Danielle asks.

“Thank you, but I’m all ready to go.” I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat. “Have fun at breakfast and with the rest of this.”

I open the door, “I’ll see you.”

Danielle nods once, “see you soon.” She waves but there’s a sad smile on her face.

“Bye,” I say before I close the door behind me.

I walk through the hallway, past my now old-room, down the stairs and through the front door.

A car is waiting to bring me to the airport, but before I get in I turn around once more.

Goodbye palace.

I don’t even know why I’m nervous. Is it because I’ll see Ben again? Or just because I don’t know what we’ll be doing?

As I make my way over to the door, I decide to go for the latter options. I’ve never been that big of a fan of surprises, mostly because they always appear when you don’t expect them. Like the day my name got drawn for the selection.

I take a deep breath and open the door.

“Ben,” I nod my head a little and curtsy.

Or something that is supposed to be a curtsy. I definitely need more help to get the hang of this.

He smiles a bit, “hi, all ready for our date?”

“Yes I think so.” I close my door. I don’t want anyone lurking in there when I’m not around. “Are you ready for it?” I turn around and take the arm he’s offering.

“If I’m being honest... I’m actually a little nervous for ours” He chuckles as we start walking down the hallway. “ And you don’t have to curtsy by the way.”

That is such a relief, no more making a fool of myself. “Okay thank you, I won't do that again.” I smile, “why are you nervous? Are we doing something scary or..?”

“Not exactly. We’re doing a painting class,” he lets out a sigh with a tired laugh, “and I’m terrible at anything artistic.”

“Oh I'm sure you're not that bad,” I tilt my head a little so I get a proper side view of him. “But we'll see about that later.”

“Whatever I paint, I guarantee you’ll have no idea what it is.” He returns my side glance, god those eyes.

A soft chuckle leaves my mouth, “nooo it can't be that bad.”

All of a sudden something hits me and I stop walking. “But first we need to talk about something. Because I put a really high value to honesty. And this is probably not the right time but then again I don't know if the right time will ever come.” I don’t know what to do or where to look, so I turn my full attention to the ground. What a gorgeous carpet.

From the corner of my eye, I can see Ben nods his head. It takes a few seconds before he says anything, but it feels like hours are passing by. “You’re not alone in valuing honesty. What’s on your mind?”

I take another deep breath as I try to order my thoughts and form sentences. A word vomit is the result.

“Please don't be mad at me, and know that I am really grateful for being here. But I didn't put my own name in for the selection. My friends applied for me. At first I didn't want to go but my brother showed me the opportunities so I decided to roll with it and just go. And now that I'm here, I've realized how thankful I am about everything.”

I’m still pinning my gaze to the floor. Am I still breathing?

“I couldn’t be mad at you for that. But... if you do want to go home, that’s okay with me too. I’d hate for you to be forced to be here when you didn’t want to.”

He couldn’t be mad at me for that. He couldn’t be mad at me for that. A shower of relief falls over me.

“No no no, I don't want to go home anymore.” I force myself to leave the floor as it is and look at Ben again. “Okay that sounds creepy, I mean you can still eliminate me if you want but I won't leave on my own.”I sigh, why can’t I talk like a normal person? “I'm not helping my case here sorry, but do you get what I mean?”

He chuckles as he puts a hand over mine on his. This gesture makes me realize I’m still clinging onto his arm. “Yes, I do. And as of now, I don’t plan on eliminating you.” He smiles at me and pats my hand.

I’m happy I got this off my chest and it’s all out in the open now.

We continue walking and I can’t help but feel at ease. “Thanks that's such a relief. I meant to tell you the other day at the introduction interview thing but I just forgot about it.” Truth is: I had so much fun during the introduction that it didn’t even cross my mind once.

Ben lifts a shoulder. “You told me now, no harm done.” I can feel he looks down at me, but I can’t look away since I see some stairs coming closer. “Bold move by your friends though.”

“Yeah, it was more of joke and they believed Sevens wouldn't stand a chance anyway. But then my name got picked.”

“You know everything really /was/ random right? Caste had no influence on who was Selected.”

I did not mean to step on anyone’s toes or talk badly about the selection. “Yes I know I know. Castes are just a number anyway, they don't say anything about a person.”

That’s something I’ve been told my entire life. By my parents and friends at least. People from other castes do not always agree.

“You’re right. They don’t.” I quickly look up to see he’s smiling. “I could have been completely awful.”

I chuckle softly, “maybe you are, but no-one has told you yet.” I nudge him with my shoulder.  

I’m just happy the rough talk is over so now we I can go back to laughing and enjoying this date.

“And are you going to be the first person to tell me?” he smirks a little.

“Well now that I'm being honest,” I pretend to think for a second, “you're not that awful.”

“I’m not that awful. I’d consider an achievement for today,” he’s smiling again, but this time the amusement is visible in his eyes.

Talking to Ben feels like I’m talking to my friends back home. We were always joking and being sarcastic, it was awesome. I miss them. “Perhaps I'll have to adjust my opinion after this date.”

“Hopefully not lowered in any way.” He sticks his free hand his pocket. For some reason I feel like a child clinging to her parent’s arm, scared to lose them. I guess I’m still not used to this whole selection thing.

I ask him how he has been doing. And he tells me he’s doing just ‘peachy’. This is something I’ve never heard anyone say before. I’m not even sure what it means, but judging by his joking voice I guess it’s a good thing?

Just as I’m wondering where we’re actually going to, we reach our destination.

Ben smiles as he opens the door. We walk inside some sort of sitting room. Chairs and tables are moved back to the walls. Right in the middle of the room are 2 easels standing next to each other. As I come closer, I see there are tubes with paint in every possible colour.

A man is standing in front of the easels. He bows as we come in, “Your Highness, Lady Darcy.”

I cringe a bit at the Lady thing. It’s weird to hear people call you that, when you’re used to being the outcast of society.

Again, I don’t know what to do with myself, so I decide to go for a curtsy/head-bow/hello combination. I look around the room, “impressive.”

Ben says something but I’m not really paying attention anymore. I’m just too amazed by the grandness of this all. I’m being guided closer to the easels. There are brushes in every possible size. Who even needs that many brushes?

The teacher, who is called Gabriel, has a very serious expression on his face. “I won’t be taking up too much of your time, simply showing you your still life piece and recommending some techniques.”

I don’t even know why I am this excited. I have never done painting before, so all tips are welcome. And this teacher looks like he knows everything about it. He could be Gauguin himself. “Oh I can’t wait,” I clap my hands softly.

Ben is handing me something. A smock. “To limit at least some paint we might spill,” he chuckles.

“Clever thinking, thank you.” I take the smock from him and put it on. “How do I look?” I smile and make a little twirl. Since when am I so girly? Something or someone is bringing out a different side of me.

He grins at me, “like a Selected ready to paint some art with a mediocre prince.”

Gabriel the teacher lets out a laugh. I had forgotten he was in the room. He clears his throat. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

Ben puts on his smock and for some reason that feels very intimate so I turn to face the teacher. “It is. Those techniques you’re about to show us? Useless in my case.”

“You're so optimistic,” I chuckle. I’m not sure what to expect from his painting now. “Perhaps those techniques will bring out your inner Picasso.”

“And perhaps you’re in for a really awful surprise.” He glances at me from the side as he sits down on his stool.

I should probably sit down as well. “We'll see about that.”

The teacher steps forward and takes off a sheet to reveal the object we’ll be painting. I hear Ben suppress a laugh. “Today you’ll be painting a very common subject for beginners.” A bowl of mixed fruit.

I stare at the fruit bowl. There’s a red apple, a green pear, an orange, some grapes, a banana. Gabriel is going on and on about how to create the perfect light and shadow in a painting. Which brush stroke to use for each brush. How to mix paint together to create the perfect colour. I think at some point he even says, “you have to be the object you paint.”

How does one know so much about painting? He really is Rembrandt.

I try to take up all the information he’s giving us. However the person on my side is zoning out, he’s even glancing at me at some point.

Mister Monet explains some more about how to make the painting look realistic, until he claps his hands once. “Wonderful. Any questions?”

I’m staring at the teacher as I’m ordering all the information in my head.

Ben calls out my name.

“Uh yes actually, do I first draw it with a pencil as some sort of guideline or do I just start painting right away?” Wow Darcy, great question. What do you think all the famous painters did?

Gabriel nods his head, “I would recommend that, yes. It will help in painting a more concise canvas for your first time.”

I nod my head in return. “Yes I understand, thank you. I don't have any other questions.” I turn to Ben, “what about you?”

He presses his lips together, “Um, I think I’m good for now.” He turns to the teacher, “thanks, we’ll see how it goes.”

“Of course, Your Highness. Best of luck.” Gabriel bows and slips out of the room.

“He's a really good teacher and he seems really kind.” I stand up from her stool and walk over to the fruit bowl to get a closer look of the fruit arrangement. “Are you ready for this?”

“He is. A little dramatic but kind.” A small laugh leaves his mouth. “And I suppose ready as I’ll ever be.”

I rearrange the fruit a little bit. “Have you ever done this before?”

“Not successfully. I’m more into looking at art than creating it.”

“Ah I see.” The arrangement pleases me so I walk back to my easel and sit down. “Do you have a favourite artist or a favourite art object?”

“Paintings. All kinds, especially the ones we have in the art gallery.” I see he picks up a paintbrush and fiddles with it.

I let my eye fall on the pencils and pick up one that looks promising. “Oh that's cool. It sounds like a private museum or something.” I look at the fruit bowl and then focus back on the canvas in front of me. I bring the pencil to the canvas and attempt to draw it on there.

“Private museum to the palace if that’s a way to think about it.”  I can’t really see what he’s doing since I’m too focused on my canvas but I’m guessing he picked up a pencil as well. “I could show it to you sometime.”

However there’s one thing that did catch my eye. “That'd be fun, I'd love to see it.” I put my pencil down and turn to face Ben. “Also I saw the face you made, it was like…” I try to imitate it as best as I can, but make it approximately a billion times worse, followed by a laugh.

Ben laughs as well, “I know my talents. This isn’t one of them.” but then the laugh turns into a sigh.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad. But perhaps some paint can make it better?” I don’t even know.

“Better in that it looks like more a fifth grader’s work than kindergartener’s.” He spares me an amused glance before he works some more on his sketch.

“Yes exactly, you get it.” I shake my while smiling as I continue working on my own sketch.

I glance in his direction to see that he’s painting something, that I’m guessing is supposed to be the apple, red. “See, you’re doing great!” I feel like such a mom.

“So you've mentioned painting is not your strong suit. But what are your other talents?”

“I feel like a broken record,” he smiles a bit, “but surfing is one. I’d say I’m half decent at my job too.”

I feel so dumb. The question about hobbies and talents is like the most standard one ever. Of course he has to talk about it with all the other girls. I want to facepalm myself.

One final look between my drawing and the actual fruit bowl, before I decide it’s alright as it is. “Oh of course everyone asks that, sorry.” I grab some purple paint and start working on the grapes, “being good at your job is nice though, that can definitely come in handy when you're working.”

“Don’t be sorry, it’s an important question.” He chuckles, but I still feel like a stupid fool. “Besides that I’ve always been good at school if that counts. I love to learn.”

“I've never heard anyone mention school before when asked about talents. But sure, okay. What was your favourite subject?” In the meantime I continue painting. My fruit bowl is kinda coming alive. But I’m not sure if it’s looking good or not.

I also find out that Ben’s favourite school subjects are English, history and math. The guy likes almost everything. Except, of course, my favourite subject: physics.

It might not sound as the most interesting subject when being compared to history for example. But it sure is useful. Especially when you’re working in the steel construction business. You need to keep all things in mind: gravity, wear and tear of materials, weather conditions. You can’t afford to make a single mistake.

“What are you doing?” I ask when I see Ben’s putting splatters on his canvas.

He tilts his head, “what do you mean?” He then turns to his painting and sighs with a laugh. “Apparently everything wrong.”

“No no don't say that. Your painting is definitely unique!” One thing I learned about myself today is that I am surprisingly optimistic.

Ben looks at me with an amused expression on his face. “If you want to be nice about it.” He looks at his painting again, “might as well make it an abstract.” Then he gets even more paint on his brush and creates splatters all over his canvas.

I’m laughing once again, “you're creating some real art here.” Honestly I had never thought he could be this funny.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I get professionally commissioned in the future.” He jokes some more.

“Agree,” I’m still laughing, “if this whole royal thing doesn't work out, you can always become an artist.”

He snorts, “that’d be a real shock to my family. I’d never hear the end of it.”

“I think the entire planet would be shocked.” I shake my head while smiling, “don't forget about this painting class though, it's where you created your first masterpiece.”

“Ah yes.” He puts down his brush to get a better look at it. Then he glances at my painting. “Not as much a masterpiece as yours though. Are you a closet painter or something?”

I turn to my own painting. “You don't have to say that.” I little smile forms on my face and my cheeks flush a little. “I've never done this before actually.”

I’ve only ever drawn blueprints of buildings but that’s just drawing some lines. This is something completely different.

Now he’s really studying my painting. “For your first time it’s very good.”

“Really? Thank you,” I smile as I’m looking down since I don’t know where else to look. That’s when I notice something else, my smock is still clean. “And I didn't spill paint anywhere, now that's an achievement.”

Ben turns to me with a smirk on his face. “I think I can fix that.” He picks up his paintbrush and splatters some paint on my smock as he snickers.

I jump up from my stool. “Oh no you didn't.” I laugh and throw a brush dripping with red paint towards his arm.  

He laughs, “hey, I at least put only the paint on you.” He starts swiping some yellow paint on my hand.

“If you only want the paint, then here you go.” I quickly take a few steps forward and smear some green on his face.  “Green really is your colour.” I laugh, thinking back to our introduction when he mentioned green was his favourite lipstick colour.

First he stared at me but then laughs some more. “How does this keep happening to me?”

I’m not quite sure what he’s talking about, but it does intrigue me. “What keeps happening to you?”

Ben points at his face, “this. The second time a Selected has painted my face.” He chuckles, but I realize I’m doing the same thing as some other girl has done already. Again. Just like the talents question.

“Oh it must be something in your face then, desperately in need of some paint.” I smile at him.

He lets out a short, loud laugh. “Am I really that terrible looking?”

“Hm,” I lift my shoulders in a playful way. “Colours always help a face stand out more.”

One of his brows goes up, but he’s not making any attempt to get the paint off. “And what other colors would you recommend for me?”

I study his face, “orange, yes definitely orange.”

He makes a face which makes me laugh. “Orange and green? Like a duck?”

“I've never seen a duck that's orange and green.” I walks over to the fruit bowl to show him what I was thinking about. “I was more inspired by this,” I hold up the orange. “The orange and this little green thingy here look great together in my opinion.”

Ben stands up from his stool and makes his way over to me. “Isn’t it a mallard duck? Or I’m just crazy.” He chuckles again.

“You may be right, but where is that duck orange? It's more yellowish and green.” I’m trying to remember what that duck looks like.

“Then that has more to do with the fact that I’m blind and need glasses.” Another small laugh leaves his mouth.

“Perhaps I'm the blind one.” An innocent smile is resting on my face, “would you like some orange with your green?”

He grins at me, “orange me away.” He then closes his eyes. “And trust me, I’m the one who’s blind.”

I pick up a brush with orange paint on it. “But you already have glasses, right?” At the same time I put some orange on his chin, nose and forehead.

“Yup. I wear contacts for certain events and days, but I prefer my glasses when I can.” Ben peeks an eye open, “am I all oranged up now?”

I mumble something, “glasses are quite sexy.” I think he didn’t hear me and I clap my hands. “Yes you're done, perfect.”

He opens his eyes in surprise and then smirks. “Sexy?”

“Yes,” I chuckle, “I don't know, they add something. Very attractive if you ask me.” Glasses point out both one’s jaw line and cheekbones. Oh and someone’s eyes as well.

He grins again, “I'd say the same. Not everyone prefers them though.”

“Hm it also depends on the person who's wearing them.” I turn around to see if I can put the dripping paintbrush somewhere. I spy my palette and put the paintbrush on it.

I then turn around to find Ben standing there with crossed arms. “And what would my verdict be? Because I'm told I could even be compared to a cute granny.”

I laugh, “a cute granny?” I shake my head a little, “no I don't see that, you're more like a charming student or something.”

“Huh. I think I can work with charming student.” He smiles at me, but then crosses his eyes. I chuckle when I realize he’s looking at the orange paint on his nose. “A student who's let himself become a canvas.”

I laugh again, “now you're a walking piece of art. Be careful that they don't put you in an exhibition in some museum.”

After that we joke around some more. But then it’s soon time for me to go back to my room and for Ben to wash the paint of his face.

I let him know how much I’ve enjoyed this date. Both because I learnt so many new things, and because my company was pretty great.

“Always a winning combo in my experience,” as he chuckles. There’s my door again, “and let's hope this paint comes off the both of us.”

I let go of his arm, “fingers crossed. Thanks again for the lovely date.” I smile at him.

“And thanks for /being/ a lovely date.” He smiles back at me. “Have a good rest of your day, Darcy.”

I open my door, ready to head back in and get this paint of me. “Thanks, you too.”

Ben waves a bit before he turns around to leave.

One of my maids is in my bedroom cleaning the windows. I mention the heel thing to her. At first she looks at me skeptically but then she grabs 2 pairs of heels and shows them to me.

Apparently there are 2 ways of learning this:

1) learn how to walk in shoes with low heels and then gradually build it up to killer heels.

2) immediately go for the highest of the heels, afterwards you’ll be able to walk every possible heel.

I decide not the break my ankles right away so the lower heels will do fine. I hope.

I take the heels in my hand and leave my room again. I don’t want anyone seeing me fail terribly. I just hope I won’t fall but let’s be honest the chance is present.

The library is not an option anymore. Not after Danielle caught me doing my elegant-walking-lesson there. Nope not again. Plus I won’t be able to hold onto something. Well yeah the shelves, but I don’t want to damage any books.

What about the gardens? Nope nope nope. That’s too much out in the open. Everyone and I mean everyone will be able to see me.

The hallway then? Well no. The risk of running into someone is too high.

What about the gym? Yes, the gym is perfect. All selected are in the Women’s room anyway and everyone has just eaten lunch so it’s not the right time to do some sports.

I knock on the door and listen if someone is coming. Then I open the door to find all the lights turned off.

Perfect!. I couldn’t be any happier right now.

I quickly switch the lights on as my eye falls on the ballet bar attached to the left wall of the gym.

The door falls to a close behind me and I make my way over to the bar. I run my hand over it to determine whether it has any sharp edges or something. It also seems like its attachment to the wall is pretty solid.

I drop the heels on the floor and switch into them. This is a very unnatural angle for my feet and ankles.

How do people walk with these things on their feet? And I’m wearing the lowest of the lowest heels so I shouldn’t be the one complaining. But people are wearing like 20 inch heels and still walk in the most elegant and sexy way possible. Women do not get enough credit for this.

The ballet bar is on my right. I grab it with my right hand and try to take a step. My left ankle is not having it and it wobbles to every possible side.

Let’s try again.

This time my right foot is the problem. A cramp appears in one of toes. I try to wiggle it out and after some seconds the cramp is gone again.

This is going to be a long day.

I keep trying, but I just can’t get my lower limbs under control.

I sigh and push a lock of hair out of my face. Perhaps it will go better if hold onto the bar with both my hands?

“Do you need help?”

The sound of a voice that’s not mine makes me jump. “Oh my goodness.” I didn’t hear anyone enter the gym. Not again. Not after the library scene with Danielle.

I turn my head a little so I can see to whom the voice belongs. A dude is standing there, he’s smiling but the confusion is also visible on his face.  His hair is wet and the strap of a gym bag runs over his shoulder. He must have been here just before I got here.

“Uhmm well if you could teach me how to walk in heels, that would be amazing.”

“Uh...I don't think that's something I'd be great at.” He walks over. All of a sudden I feel oddly aware of my own posture and what I must look like. “Maybe you should take them off...”

“But I have to learn.” I walk a bit to show what I have been doing, but my feet don’t really want to let go of the ground. The result is some weird shuffle walk. “My maids say it's like learning how to ride a bike. You'll fall a billion times, but eventually you'll be able to do it.”

My gaze switches from my feet to the visitor. He’s like frowning and smiling at the same time. “You must have weak ankles then.”

“I do not have weak ankles,” I try to sound as sure as possible but when I take another step, my ankles mess it up again and I’m wobbling. Thankfully I haven’t let go of the ballet bar or I would have been on the floor by now.  “Okay maybe I do but this is so much harder than it looks.”

“How many inches?”

“These heels?” I look down at them. “2.2 but it feels like 10.” Or like 100 inches, is what I don’t say.

He chuckles a bit, “it’s a good height to start with from what I’ve heard. But if you keep clinging to the pole and shuffling your feet instead of walking, you might find it hard to move, Lady—.” He pauses for just a second. “Um, sorry, I haven’t asked your name or introduced myself.” At that he bows his head a little and smiles. “Prince Aran.”

“Aha so you're the expert here.” I smile back at him. Wait. Prince? I try to do a curtsy, which is much harder when you need to hold onto a ballet bar for balance. “Nice to meet you, prince Aran. I'm Darcy.”

“Darcy... interesting name.” What’s that supposed to mean? “And I might not be expert enough to use heels, but I had a friend once that had to learn when she was nineteen.” He smirks, “I watched her learn.”

“And judging by the look on your face, I'd say you really enjoyed it.” I try to take some more steps. Or something that is supposed to be a step.

“What can I say? I was a good friend. Still am, by the way.” Amusement is present in his voice. I feel his gaze on me as I take another step.

“That's good to know. But if you've seen your friend learn this then you should be able to explain to me what to do.” Wow Darcy, very subtle.

“Hmm... well, she didn't do that shuffling thing you're doing.” He gestures at my feet. Truth is: every time I lift them, my ankles seem to get their own life and they wobble around. At least when I’m shuffling, they don’t do that.

“What else am I supposed to do with them then?”

Aran smiles a little again, “take actual steps maybe?”

I try to follow his advice, but this time I put my feet down a little harder. The slow approach I tried earlier didn’t work, so perhaps stamping is the way. “Like this?”

“Not what I had in mind.” He takes off his bag and places it somewhere on the floor. Then he walks over to stand in front of me and he offers me his hands. “Just normal walking.”

I look at his hands. Am I supposed to let go of the ballet bar now? I hesitate a bi but then decide to take them. “But what part hits the floor first? The toe part or the heel part?”

“Um, I’d be surprised if you could walk on your tiptoes while in high heels. It’s always heel and toe.” He says as he pulls me slightly forward.  

“So it's like flat foot then?” I try to do put my toes and heels down at the same time, but this results in the stamping again.

He snorts a bit. “Flat foot?”

“You said heel and toe right? So you put the entirety of your foot down all at once, like a flat foot.” I feel my ankles give in a little, they become a bit unstable. Do. Not. Fall.

“Um...no.” I feel his grip on my wrists become a little tighter. “Just like normal walking. Or that's what she said.”

There’s a short silence, as I try to take up everything he says.

“She mostly said winging it helps. She acted like she'd worn them all her life. No hesitation. That seemed to help.”

“Oh okay let me try.” I try to put my feet on the floor, but this time gentler and softer. “Am I taking up too much of your time?”

Aran cocks his head to the side. There must be clock in that direction. “I’m good for a while longer.” His facial expression changes into something awkward. “Unless my help is no longer needed.”

Good job Darcy, you’ve done it again. Chase away the people who are trying to help you.

My eyes widen a bit, “no no that's not what I meant. It's just that I understand if you have more important things to do, instead of teaching an untalented girl how to walk in heels.” For some reason it all sounds wrong.

“I wasn’t aware not being able to wear heels was the same thing as being untalented.” Another silence again. “I’m definitely untalented then.”

You better fix this now. “I meant that I don't have the talent for walking in heels. So it will probably take a long time before I'm able to walk around like a normal person. But I will keep trying though.” I try to clear my head so I can form proper sentences. “I'm definitely not saying I don't have any talents, like everyone is good at something. It's just walking in heels is not one of the things I'm good at.”

“Hmm, I’m sure it’s like a sport. Practice makes perfect—not talent alone. What would you say is your talent though?” he asks and I can breathe again.

“That's probably true,” I say as I nod my head. But now the question remains, what is my talent? “I'd say I'm pretty good with tools, like hammers and screwdrivers and stuff like that.” I look at my feet, the memory of work brings back memories of my friends. My stupid boys. If only they could see me now.

I see the corner of his lip slightly go up. “Hammers and screwdrivers and stuff?” I am such a vague person.

I nod my head, “yeah, and many other tools.” Like electric sanders and hand drills, is what I don’t say. I don’t want to bore him with this. “They came in handy for my occupation back home. I thought it was pretty cool actually.”

I love how my talent is so unique. At least for girls. They usually say horseback riding or reading, drawing or playing a music instrument.

You’ll probably never meet any girl who’ll say she enjoys working with tools.

“Well, that makes more sense. What did you do back home? When you say tools I think of a mechanic,” Aran says as he squints, “I have a feeling hammers don't really go with fixing cars though.”

I laugh a little, “no those things don't go together.” I’ve never really had anyone to talk to about this, since my friends back home had the same occupation. It feels a little weird to talk about my past life, especially since my life took a full 180. I wonder if I can ever go back to my past life. The answer is probably no. “I used to work for a steel construction company so what we did is we created the underlying steel construction of houses, bridges etcetera.”

“Underlying steel construction of houses...sounds slightly complicated but I could be wrong. General architecture isn’t my strongest suit unless it has to do with acoustics.” He smiles a bit and I feel his hands pulling my hands forward. “Though I guess what you do is more construction than design if you stick with hammers and screwdrivers.”

“It is kinda difficult. But once you get the hang of it and understand how to follow the blueprints, it gets easier and you can almost do it without thinking. Making the blueprints is much harder though, because you have to keep in mind all the laws of physics. But that also makes it more fun.” Oh, my love for physics is bubbling up again.

Since I’ve arrived at the palace I have not thought about physics at all. The only exception is the art date with Ben, when he mentioned he did not like it. However it’s odd that it hasn’t crossed my mind any other times, especially since it’s one of my favourite things in the world.

It would be same as if David Beckham would not think about soccer, or if Paul Gauguin never thought about painting.

“You can also make blueprints?” this question makes me snap out of my thoughts.

“Yes I can actually. When the company got like minor, unimportant projects, they let me make the first draft of the blueprint. Of course they'd look over it and make adjustments. But first draft was made by me and that's something right?” I smile.

Making blueprints is a big deal because it is the foundation of an entire building. I also felt special whenever I got the chance to make one, even if it was just the first draft.

He smiles a little at me. “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to do a first draft, so it’s definitely something. But did someone teach you? Or is it something you learn from watching?” A thoughtful expression is on his face, “I remember physics class from school. How it could be applied to civil engineering or architecture...but people who knew how to actually draw anything were all getting a degree in something related.”

“Hmm good question. Someone can teach you the basics and all the things you have to keep in mind, including gravity, the materials the client wants to use, and weather impact. But no projects are the same so it's not like they can't teach you a riddle of what to do. Everything is different so you just kind of need to find your flow with it.” I didn’t know I missed talking about this so much. But it does feel good to let it all come out.

“And would you say you found your flow with it?”

“I think so yeah. I could show you how to do it some time. If you want to of course.” This smile on my face doesn’t want to go away.

“Hmm, maybe... I think I wouldn’t do as good though. You seem better at catching your flow with things.”

That sure is an original way to put it. I chuckle softly, “thanks I guess. But making the blueprints is not that hard when it's not for a real project. Then it's just drawing lines. You'll be fine.”

“Hopefully as fine as you are with heels.” A smirk appears on his face. Then his eyes shift to my feet.

At first I think it’s some sarcastic comment, given how much of a failure my first attempts were. But then I look around and notice we’re in a different spot as where we started. I didn’t even realize we had been walking.

“Oh my goodness.” My hand automatically goes up to cover my mouth, shock and surprise fill my head. “How did I do that?” I mumble through my hand as I turn back to the prince standing in front of me.

He tilts his head and a lopsided smile appears as he says, “like I said, you seem better at catching the flow with things.”

I can’t wrap my head around this. How the actual fuck did I manage to walk in heels and not realize it?

“ I can't believe this. It's all thanks to you, you've helped me so much!”

A soft chuckle escapes his mouth. “Just a little distraction to get you on track. Not really that special, but I'm happy to take credit for it.” This is followed by a smug smiles as he jokes, “makes me feel better about myself.”

I can’t seem to understand what just happened. I’ve walked. In heels. And didn’t fall. Or break an ankle. This is a miracle.

“Just the distraction I needed apparently. And you explained how to put my feet on the ground.” I try to take a few steps without help this time. It doesn’t feel too bad. I turn my head back to Aran, but that makes my ankles wobble and I nearly fall. Thankfully I manage to find my balance back almost right away. “How was that?”

He chuckles at my weird movements before he grabs a hold of my left arm. “Not too bad, just don’t fall on your face.”

Evan would never believe this. I don’t know if he would laugh at me or be lost for words when he’d see me wear heels. But one thing I do know: he’d be proud of me.

“Does it hurt a lot? I mean, I always feel like it should. Those angles are unnatural for feet.”

“Thanks I'll try not to fall,” I state as a response to the first thing he said. Then I look down at my feet, is it weird that I forgot they could feel things too? They’re a bit numb but that could also be from all the standing. “My feet are a bit sensitive because of that angle, but it's not too bad actually.”

“My sister walks in them like she’s in a meadow of daisies.” Aran lets go of my arm as he grabs the towel that was hanging over his shoulders. He uses it to dry his hair again as he says, “I can’t tell if it’s cool or scary. Probably both.”

I chuckle softly, “that's really impressive though. So she's an expert?” I can’t imagine myself ever being able to do that. I hereby declare her as the goddess of heels.

He nods as a response, “one of her favorite things. She appreciates other shoes as well though.”

“Oh that's so cool! She must have several pairs of shoes then?”

Back home I only had one pair of shoes. Some sneakers I’ve had since I was 16 years old. They were dirty and worn-out, but they were comfy and that’s the most important thing. Now that I’m here, I do have access to more pairs of shoes. But for some reason I always picked the black flats. I guess I can try some heels from now on.

“Anything for the future empress.” He snorts which makes me chuckle a little. The towel is hanging over his shoulders again. “It’s not that bad, but she has more shoes than I do and I have plenty to spare if I’m being honest.”

Now that I’ve been made aware of a possible pain in my feet, I actually feel a sharp pain being present near my toe area. There’s also a dull pain situated right under the ball of my feet.

“But at least you'll have the perfect pair for every situation.” I bent down to release my feet from these horrible monsters. “Or if one of them breaks or something you always have a replacement.” My feet thank me which makes me smile.

I grab the heels in my hand and straighten my back again. Aran’s leaning on a wall and he’s laughing. “I don't have actual heels though. That's only her. I haven't mastered that skill yet.”

“A real shame.” He says after 2.5 seconds of silence.

“Oh such a pity.” I find myself laughing again. My stuff is still where I left it, I make my way over to it and put the black beauties on again. Oh the comfort of shoes without heels. “If you ever decide you want to learn how to walk in heels, I'm like the best teacher.”

He scoffs jokingly. “Please do share some of your wisdom. For a beginner like me, of course.”

I think for a second. “Well for starters, get your feet in some heels. And now comes my secret tip, you can't tell anyone this, find someone to pull you along.” I chuckle, “that's all you need to know.”

He raises both eyebrows at me, but then starts laughing. “Truly you had a great teacher.”

I join his laughter, “I know right, you’ll never find a better one.” I pick up the heels and the other stuff I brought. “I’m ready to go. Are you gonna stay here or?”

Aran blinks at my question, but then rushes to get his bag. “No, I've had enough practice for today.” He places the bag over his shoulder but then keeps standing there as he says, “A pleasure meeting you, Lady Darcy...” Another short pause and then, “Um, I guess we're walking out through the same door and this is a premature goodbye...” he laughs a little and gestures me to walk first. “After you.”

“It was nice meeting you too.” I walk over to the door and open it but before I walk through I turn half around and say, “and thank you so much for everything.”

He smiles at me, “glad to be useful.”

I walk through the door with Aran right behind me. “Will I see you around?”

“Hopefully, if I'm not trapped for the rest of my life in the meeting I have today, you will.”

“Ohh good luck with that meeting. Hope you survive.” I look around the hallway. Where did I come from? My feeling says from the right. But it could also have been from the left. And then there’s also a hallway in front of me. Perhaps I should make a map of this place.

“If you’re looking for your room, it’s probably someplace down there,” Aran says with a smile on his face as he point to the hall in front of me.

Wow my feeling for directions is really off today.

“Ah okay thank you.” I smile back at him and wave a little as a sign of goodbye.