ELIZABETH

"Of course it's all staged, Luvdisc," Eli said to her Spirit Pokémon in her quarters as she slipped on the shimmering coral and blue dress the Empress had given her. "I mean, what's the point of a masquerade if everyone knows which one is me."

"Luvdisc, Luv!" the pink fish chirped from the little fountain in the corner of the room.

Elizabeth Tidall just smiled sarcastically. She put the mask over her eyes. Pink, and heart shaped, matching her Spirit Pokémon. "You have to hand it to Lady Specter," she confessed. "She had this whole 'love story' planned out from the start. What a cliché." She sighed. "Princess falls in love with a mystery man who turns out to be her prince." The Pokémon chirped up again. "If he trips over his own feet I'll catch him. The poor boy's been stumbling all over himself ever since we got here. Do you remember the dinner? Leo hardly made eye contact."

The timing was perfect. No sooner had she laced up the back of her ball gown than the rapping came at the chamber door. Without a second thought, it opened, and there was the captain of Lord Specter's guard, Franco, accompanied by his Ninetails.

"Don't you know you should ask whether or not you may enter a lady's chambers?" she asked. "Where is my mother?"

"Apologies, m'lady," he bowed. There was a mask resting on top of his head. "Your mother sent me to escort you to the ball room. She said it would be too obvious if you came together."

"Oh, how thoughtful," Eli said sarcastically as she put on the second of her Sapphire earrings. She looked down at the friendship bracelet Jessi had given her all those years ago. "We wouldn't want to be obvious."

Eli wasn't nervous about the inevitable dance with clumsy Leo. She had well prepared herself for that. Something felt wrong in the back of her mind. It had been two days since the Empress had left on an urgent matter to the South Hoenn Sea. No one would tell her what was happening. Not her mother, and most definitely not Lord Specter. It made her feel uneasy, and unsafe.

Franco must have noticed. "Don't worry," he said. "Security is of our utmost concern. Half of the men in the ball room report directly to me. I know who you are, and so do they. They won't let you out of their sight."

They walked the rest of the way down the torch-lit halls in silence. As they approached, Eli could hear the sounds of beautiful instruments being played. Her heart lifted with every note that echoed off of the stone walls.

They stopped before a pair of great stone doors. Light was filtering in from between the cracks. "M'lady, if you don't mind, I would ask that you hand Luvdisc to me. Your mother said it would spoil the reveal."

In this dress, everything is likely to be revealed, she thought. Eli felt nervous about giving up her Spirit Pokémon for a time. Yet the little pink heart-shaped fish chirped encouragingly at her. Go on, she seemed to say. Have fun! Eli smiled and kissed the little Pokémon on the beak, and handed her to Franco, who handed her to a nearby guard.

Then, he opened the doors. The music and the smell of food and wine overwhelmed Eli. She had never thought it could be so bright or so colorful in the heart of Mt. Pyre. To her shock, nobody paid her a second look. She turned and saw the captain of the guards with a dark mask on. He smiled. "Don't rush it," he consoled. "This party is for you. Have fun, and dance with lots of people. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a lady to find. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," she smiled, but he was already gone. All of a sudden, she felt alone with just her sheepish grin. She followed her nose at first, and made her way through a crowd of standing and chatting people. She felt a sigh of relief. It seemed that all the other men and women in here had fanciful clothes of their own. There were a few girls whose dresses were even frillier than her own.

Eli managed to make it to the long buffet table without drawing any attention at all. Or so she thought.

"Wine?" came the voice of a grown woman. Eli turned her head and the woman took a seat next to her before she could utter a response. She had never been allowed to drink before, so she seized upon her opportunity. Perhaps if she was tipsy she could either avoid having to dance with clumsy Leo, or suffer through it with an artificial happiness.

She took a couple drinks and stole a glance at her new companion. She was tall, with dark hair that was piled up in a bun. Her dress was a fantastic green, with ruffles that seemed like the leaves of the jungle. "You like it?" the woman asked. It appeared that she had already drained her glass. To Eli's shock, she just pulled out a bottle from nowhere and filled it up again.

"I've met a few bawdy boys who like it as well. How many dances have you had, yet?"

"To be honest, I just got here." She flashed a polite smile through her mask. Eli felt small compared to her. Where Eli's arms were thin and frail, this woman seemed strong. How many drinks has she had? She wondered. Her arm movements said lots, her eyes said not many. Eli nervously took another sip. She had not thought to make a friend. Chances are, she'd never see this woman again, anyway. The way she gulped down her drink, Eli assumed she was a kitchen maid.

"Well, then you have a lot of catching up to do," the green lady said over the sound of the music. She snatched Eli's cup out of her hand and downed it in one large gulp. Eli couldn't help but snort with laughter as the woman grabbed her by the hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.

The Beautiflies were beating in her stomach, but in her throat they seemed more like Dustox. "Don't be nervous," the woman whispered behind her ear with a drunken giggle. "You're the main event, Eli."

She turned around, but the Green Lady had disappeared. The music was all that there was now, Eli nervously made her way across the floor. No one paid her any notice. It was as if she wasn't there. She felt lost in a forest of music and tall dancers. The light from the chandelier shined down in rays that reminded her of the paintings of the woods she had seen in the books she had grown up with. It seemed that whenever she thought she made eye contact with one young man, he walked past her to take the arm of any young lady who had bloomed brighter than she.

Slowly, she began to back away. With any luck, she would make her way back to the buffet, and to the bottles of wine that lined the table.

"Oof, I'm sorry," said a voice as she was rocked off balance. Her head was swimming, the drink must have been more potent than she thought. She turned around to pardon he who had stumbled into her.

It was him. Mask in the shape of a Dusclops and all. Could it be any more obvious? She wondered. Clumsy feet, grey clothes, Dusclops shaped mask...

"May I ask this dance?" Leo asked before she could say the same thing. He sounded different than the shy young man she had known in Sootopolis. He must have been projecting his voice over the loud and increasingly fast tempo music.

Eli remembered her courtesies and curtsied politely and allowed him to take her hand. He knows who I am, too, she knew. "Oh!" she laughed as instantly she was swept away. Someone had some last second training, she thought to herself. Leo was graceful as a Gorebyss and as strong as the waves in the open ocean.

The vision of all who danced around her blurred. There was only the boy, no, the young man in the Dusclops mask in front of her, his smile, his deep, dark eyes. So dark they almost appeared blue in the light of the torch. Oh, Jessi, if you could see me now...

Before she knew it, the music had died down, and Eli was dancing slowly with her head on Leo's strong chest. His arm was around her waist, and their hands were intertwined. What had gotten into her? Was it the drink? Was Leo really as good of a dancer as he seemed? Silently, she thanked the green woman. Suddenly, she realized that they hadn't spoken since he asked for the dance.

"Where did you get so good, Leo?" she asked. "All my mother ever mentioned was for me to watch my feet and yours." She heard his heartbeat skip.

"My brother, Alex," he said. "He showed me a thing or two."

"And where is Alex now?" she asked. "How many girls has he danced with tonight?"

Leo chuckled. "None. He's over there, by the drinks. He dare not dance with anyone, for fear of making the others jealous." Eli snorted. From the moment Alex had escorted her that first day, she knew he was everything a girl could dream a boy could be. He was funny and confident... She was glad a little of Alex had rubbed off on Leo.

She rested her head back on his chest. It might be that the other dancing couples were watching them. They had to know it was the betrothed couple, it was so obvious, but Eli didn't care. She listened to Leo talk, as he had suddenly gathered his mouth about him. She laughed as he guessed who was under this mask or that.

"Ah, Franco, you sly dog," he said finally. "Look, over there," he whispered. Eli snorted with laughter. The captain of the guards who had escorted her to the masquerade was dancing with the Green Lady. They were deep in conversation, it seemed. Then, the Green Lady nodded, it seemed right in Eli's direction. Her feet moved erratically, as if she was more than intoxicated, yet her eyes were focused on something behind Eli and her partner.

She turned her head, but there was no one else there, only more couples in masks and fancy outfits. "Leo," she said with a smile. Something about the green lady put her off. Eli just wanted to be safe in her dancing partner's arms. The light of the chandeliers seemed to grow hotter. It was as if everyone was looking at her now.

After a second, he seemed to realize she had called her name. "Yes?"

"Take me to your favorite place," she said. "My feet are getting tired."

"My... My favorite place?"

Dear gods, his stammering is back, she thought. "Yes, I want to know where you go to think. Take me to the most beautiful place at Mt. Pyre." Perhaps that would get her away from the peering eyes. The Beautiflies were rampaging in her tummy.

"I... No problem," Leo said. He took her hand and began to escort her away from the dance floor. He looked over at someone else, who was surrounded by other girls. The other boy, who Eli assumed could only be Alex, gave him a thumbs up. Leo just shrugged, and pulled her along.

The eyes were peering away from her as they turned towards a set of glass doors that seemed to lead to a balcony or a garden outside on the side of the mountain. Leo reached towards a nearby table to grab some fruit and berries on a stick.

Eli looked out the window, but it was too bright inside, and she could only see the reflections of the dancers. She spied the familiar reflection of the Green Woman, now standing by her favorite drink table. She was talking to a different man now... and seemed to be looking right at Eli.

Before she could make out the masked man's features, Leo opened the door, and pulled her into the crisp and misty night air. When he took her hand in his strong grip again, all apprehension washed away from her.

"Where are we going, Leo?" she asked, in the girliest voice she could muster. Whether it was her own feelings or the alcohol swimming in her head she hoped she wouldn't regret her behavior tomorrow. She hoped this wasn't just a dream, and that she wouldn't wake up to the same old shy Leo.

"The Pool of Memories," Leo said with a brilliant yet nervous smile that seemed to even glow at night. "It's the only place I really know to go." He began to lift walk up a steep, grassy path. Gingerly, she followed. "Take your time, Eli, I won't let you go." He offered his hand.

He knows, she thought. He does know it's me. It was a good thing the fading light of the sun hid her blushing face. 97e3d8{h