A choir sang as Kara stood at the altar, looking gorgeous in her golden gown and cape. A crown of gold was placed on her head, and a gold crown that looked like a bunch of leaves was placed on Anakin's head, officially making him crown prince.

Soon, it was time for Anakin to present the scepter to his sister. Anakin was about to pick it up, when the minister cleared his throat.

"Your Highness, the gloves."

Reluctantly, Anakin removed his gloves and set them onto the pillow and picked up the scepter, but he was even more nervous because according to tradition, the one presenting the scepter said a special blessing before giving it to the new king or queen.

Anakin picked up the scepter and said the blessing, "In the name of Coruscant, we bestow to you a scepter, a tool of wisdom, guidance, and sovereignty. May it guide you wisely and may you hold it with a fair hand in your reign." As much as he wanted to say it quickly, he had to say it so everyone could understand him, but the scepter started to slowly freeze, and Kara accepted the scepter, but she struggled not to shiver from the coldness it held now.

Another prayer was said by the minister as Kara stood with her scepter in hand.

"Queen Kara of Coruscant." the minister finished.

"Queen Kara of Coruscant!"

Everyone clapped for the new queen as it was now official. Kara was officially queen of Coruscant.

________________________________

Music was played as guests were gathered in the palace ballroom. People were dancing and laughing as the party was in full swing. The music came to a stop as the fanfare blew and the royal family made their entrances.

Kara went first.

"Queen Kara of Coruscant." Obi-Wan announced.

Everyone bowed and curtsied to the new queen.

"Crown Prince Anakin and Princess Padme of Coruscant."

Anakin arrived with his wife, arm in arm.

Finally, "Prince Carmine of Coruscant."

Carmine entered too, but he tripped and face-planted on the floor. But he got up.

"I'm good! I'm good."

But Carmine was mortified. He couldn't see clearly, but he was sure people were laughing at him inside. Obi-Wan helped Carmine up and guided him to the right spot beside his twin brother. Despite his blurry vision, Carmine felt like he was a little too close to Anakin, and took a step back. Carmine stood awkwardly as the crowd clapped once more.

All seemed silent for a bit. Then Anakin broke that silence.

"Hi." Anakin said to his brother.

"Uh, hi me?" Carmine said awkwardly. "Um... hi."

"You look handsome." Anakin continued.

"Thank you," Carmine chuckled. He squinted. "You look handsomer... I think."

"Did you lose your glasses again?" Padme asked.

"No...No I didn't lose them. I know exactly where they are."

"Maybe you should put them on then?"

As you might've guessed by now, Carmine being out without his glasses was a serious no-no. Without them, he became extremely clumsy and couldn't stop tripping or bumping into things.

"I'm fine, I know where I am. I live here." Carmine argued.

Anakin didn't want to argue with his brother, so he changed the subject.

"So... this is what a party looks like." Anakin said.

"And what it sounds like too." Carmine chuckled. "It's warmer than I thought."

"What is that amazing smell?"

The twins took a whiff of the air.

"Cupcakes." The twins laughed.

"Both of you look very handsome tonight, boys." Kara said.

"Thanks, Big sis. Your Majesty." Carmine said.

Of course, Kara noticed her youngest brother appeared to have trouble seeing tonight.

"Carmine, where are your glasses?"

"Uh..."

Before Carmine could answer though, Obi-Wan had another guest to introduce.

"Your Majesty, Count Dooku of Serreno."

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Dooku said. "As your closest partner in trade, I find it only fitting that I offer you your first dance as queen."

"I would be honored, Your Grace. Thank you." Kara said, taking the count's hand.

"And Prince Carmine, allow me to introduce to you my niece, Lady Ventress."

Carmine couldn't see her very clearly, but beside Dooku was a pale-skinned girl with a lopsided bob of paler hair.

"Nice to meet you." Carmine said.

"It's your lucky night, Princey." Ventress said, practically yanking Carmine to the dance floor.

With his siblings dancing with others, Anakin looked at his wife and said, "Shall we?"

________________________________

Carmine started to dance with Ventress, albeit not very well. He accidentally stepped on another guest's foot, tripped on a woman's dress, and bumped into Ventress when she did a twirl.

Despite the prince's clumsiness, Ventress tried asking him a few questions.

"So nice to have the gates open. Why did they shut them in the first place? Do you know the reason?" Ventress asked in a rather seductive manner.
"Uh... no?" Carmine really felt awkward now.

Ventress started to lead the dance this time, only for Carmine to fall on his butt. With a sigh, Carmine quickly crawled away to get away from the crazy lady. He'd anticipated meeting a lot of girls tonight, but it was a lot harder than he thought, and he got back to the throne to catch his breath.

"Well, looks like you really fell for her, huh?" Anakin joked.

"I couldn't see her, but she scares me." Carmine said. "Still... I've never been better. This is so nice. I wish it could be like this all the time."

"Me too." Anakin smiled, but then his smile slowly vanished. "But it can't."

"Why not?"

"It just can't!" Anakin snapped.

"Ani..." Padme held her husband's shoulders.

Carmine felt awkward now.

"Excuse me for a minute."

Carmine looked down and thought for a little bit about how things used to be before all this happened.

________________________________

Carmine remembered Once Upon a Time... he and his twin brother were like two peas in a pod. They did everything together. Heck, they even entered the world together. Granted, Anakin came three minutes earlier, but still. In other words, since they were in the womb, Carmine and Anakin were close.

Carmine (in his mind):

When somebody loved me

Everything was beautiful

Every hour we spent together

Lives within my heart

Carmine was the shy, quieter twin growing up, but he was also super sweet to those who were sad, including his brother.

And when he was sad

I was there to dry his tears

And when he was happy, so was I

When he loved me

Through the summer and the fall

We had each other, that was all

Just he and I together

Like it was meant to be

No matter what the circumstances, the prince twins were always there for each other. "Brother and brother, there for one another," they would fist bump that promise any time they helped each other.

And when he was lonely

I was there to comfort him

And I knew that he loved me

But then came the day everything changed.

So the years went by

I stayed the same

But he began to drift away

I was left alone

Still, I waited for the day

When he'd say, "I will always love you"

Lonely and forgotten

Never thought he'd look my way

And he smiled at me and held me

Just like he used to do

At least, he did that for a little bit. But it seemed once this party was over, things were going to be back to before, and not the before Carmine preferred.

Like he loved me

When he loved me

When somebody loved me

Everything was beautiful

Every hour we spent together

Lives within my heart

When he loved me

________________________________

Carmine was so lost in thought, he tripped again, this time his glasses fell from his pocket.

"Ugh! Okay, that's it." Carmine felt for his glasses, only to find they weren't in his pocket. "Oh, great. Now I did lose them."

Carmine felt around for them, and then he heard a woman's voice.

"Are you okay?" said the voice.

"I will be, once I can see again." Carmine felt himself being helped up.

"That would make these yours then, I suppose."

Carmine felt someone place something in his hands.

"My glasses! You found them. Thank you so much..." Carmine stopped mid-sentence, for the moment his vision became clear again, and he saw in front of him a beautiful girl with an amethyst tiara and gorgeous blue eyes.

Carmine found himself immediately flustered, but at the same time terrified, and he ran off.

"Wait! Wait, don't run away." said the girl.

________________________________

Carmine found himself once again in the arms of Gray Morpha.

"Oh! Gray." Carmine chuckled nervously.

"You didn't tell me you wore glasses." Gray said.
"I can take them off." Carmine removed them and put them away again. "Gotta warn you though, I'm kinda clumsy without 'em."

"Let me be your guide."

So, Gray guided Carmine across the dance floor in a beautiful waltz, and they talked for a bit too, the former flirting with him all night. Except, Carmine felt a little awkward about some things, like not seeing where he was going, or when he grabbed a mini quiche and couldn't hold back from spitting it out because he didn't know it had bacon in it, which he hated.

"So, you have siblings too?"

"Yes. I'm the oldest. Two little sisters. Well, I had two sisters. It's just us two now, and she is a nightmare."

"I'm so sorry."

"She's not dead. Not that I know of, anyway. She just took off and abandoned her family."

"That's awful."

"It's what family does. One minute, they tell you how much they love you, and the next... they abandon you. You can't rely on family these days. You can only rely on yourself, and perhaps a partner."

"How does that make any sense?"

"I'm only stating facts. But a handsome prince like you... you deserve a special woman who understands what you're going through. Your own brother pushed you away... but I would never do that."

Gray got a little closer and batted her eyes at Carmine. Carmine blushed, but he backed up and lied that he needed to go to the bathroom before speeding off.

________________________________

Carmine sighed as he hid in a hall and placed his glasses back on.

"I've been looking for you."

"Aah!"

Carmine jumped and hid his glasses again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." said the girl.

"Oh, it's you again. I think?"

"Why aren't you wearing your glasses? Don't you need them to see clearly?"

Carmine looked down and sighed, saying nothing.

"Not to sound stereotypical, but your glasses do make you look really smart. And with or without them, I'll bet you are a smart fella."

"You wouldn't think so if you'd seen my chemistry grades."

The girl chuckled and said, "For what it's worth, my history grades were never the best either... unless you were talking about the history of Lana Belova. You know, the ballerina who..."

"Became the first female to start her own ballet company in Naboo and changed the industry of ballet by starting classes for blind students." The two said together.

"You know ballet history too?"

"I never introduced myself. Princess Caroline of Lakswana."

"As in, the kingdom famous for all its swans?"

"That's one thing we're famous for." Caroline showed off a lovely silver swan necklace she wore. "But especially ballet. Do you dance... with your glasses on?"

"I do... but not in front of anyone." Carmine said, holding his glasses. "They make me look... dorky."

"Who says?"

"I don't know. People who look at royal people and expect perfection? Which is pretty much everyone."

"Now that's not true. I caught a glimpse of you with glasses, and I can say they are a handsome pair of specs, and bring out your eyes."

"Come on, my brother's handsome one. We have the same face, but he's lucky enough to have working eyes."

"So, your eyes need a little help. That's no big deal. You know, swans don't start out so graceful either. Have you ever heard the story of the Ugly Duckling?"

Carmine actually remembered that story. His mother read him that story when he was little, and he recalled that the ugly duckling wasn't a duckling at all; he was a swan, and that story taught that just because someone is different does not make them any less special.

Caroline got Carmine to put his glasses on, but he still seemed a little self-conscious.

________________________________

Carmine walked down the hall with Caroline for a little bit, and he opened up to her about how his family had some issues that made him sad.

"Anakin and I were so close when we were little, and then one day he just shut me out, and I don't know why." Carmine said sadly.

"I'm so sorry." Caroline said. "I wish I could relate. Actually, I'm an only child."

"Really?"

"It's true. A palace can feel really lonely when you're the only child."

Lakswana Castle was gorgeous and huge. It was filled with all kinds of beautiful trinkets and decor, but aside from the staff and the guards, the halls were pretty empty, and Caroline had all the space to herself. But it was lonely. With how busy her parents always were, it was often just her and the swans that lived in the castle pond. So, when her family received the invitation to Kara's coronation, she was ecstatic that she would be attending a party for the first time in over a year.

"I guess you can relate then. I have a twin brother and an older sister, and I still felt lonely growing up."

Carmine told Caroline all about how most of the time he just spent with his tutor Miss Susy, who became a motherly figure to him, especially after his parents died. She tutored him in all the usual stuff, but before she became a tutor for the royal family, she worked at a pristine music academy as a ballet teacher, and she taught Carmine everything he knew now. But before that, he mostly played music.

"What instrument do you play?"

"'What instrument don't I play?' is the question." Carmine chuckled. "I had a lot of free time as a kid."

"Show me."

________________________________

So, Carmine did show Caroline his musical skills. He played a lovely song on the violin, the flute, the accordion, and the guitar. Caroline named an instrument, Carmine could play it. Carmine made his big finish on the piano, which Caroline said was her favorite instrument.

"It's my second favorite, after the guitar." Carmine said, finishing his song.

Caroline clapped when Carmine concluded his song.

"That was wonderful, Carmine!" Caroline said. "You know, you should be playing at the coronation. I bet your sister would love that."

But Carmine's face flushed at that.

"No, no. I couldn't perform in front of people."

"You performed in front of me."

Carmine realized Caroline was right; he had no idea why he felt so comfortable performing in front of her, but when it came to everyone else... he was pretty self-conscious.

"Actually, you're the first person I've done it in front of. I was sure you would make fun of me, but I was afraid of saying no when you asked me to play for you."

Caroline placed a hand on Carmine's.

"You know, I was terrified of doing ballet in front of anyone when I was small. I was always sure I'd fall down or miss a step. But then I came to learn that a lot of things in life are like that too."

Caroline slowly moved a little closer to Carmine, and Carmine, for some reason, found himself moving a little closer too.

"Like when I worry that if I play in front of people, I'll miss a note or sound off-key." Carmine said.

"You just feel afraid of..."

"Taking the wrong step." the prince and princess said at the same time.

Caroline and Carmine looked into each other's eyes, and the latter felt very tempted to lean in all the way and pucker up, except he stopped himself.

"Okay, can I say something crazy?" Carmine asked.

"I love crazy." Caroline said.

Carmine:

All my life has been a series of doors in my face

And then suddenly I bump into you

Caroline:

I was thinking the same thing! 'Cause like

I've been searching my whole life to find my own place

And maybe it's the party talking or the chocolate fondue

Carmine laughed and held hands with Caroline as they looked into each other's eyes again. He started to take Caroline to all the most fun parts of the palace from the rail to slide down to the hall where he liked to glide on his socks, where Carmine caught her in a dip. Carmine thought about going in for a kiss, but felt scared to do so.

Carmine:

But with you

Caroline:

But with you

I found my place

Carmine:

I see your face

Both:

And it's nothing like I've ever known before!

Love is an open door!

Love is an open door!

Love is an open door!

Caroline:

With you!

Carmine:

With you!

Caroline:

With you!

Carmine:

With you!

Both:

Love is an open door

________________________________

Caroline rested her head on Carmine's shoulder as they climbed onto a roof of the palace to look at the stars.

Caroline:

I mean it's crazy

Carmine:

What?

Caroline:

We finish each other's

Carmine:

Sandwiches!

Caroline:

That's what I was gonna say!

Carmine:

I've never met someone

Both:

Who thinks so much like me!

Jinx! Jinx again!

Our mental synchronization

Can have but one explanation

Carmine:

You

Caroline:

And I

Carmine:

Were

Caroline:

Just

Both (holding hands):

Meant to be!

Carmine ran with Caroline into the palace garden, where they danced and played in the weeping willow Carmine and his siblings used to climb in as children. The more time these two spent together, it just felt more magical.

Caroline:

Say goodbye

Carmine:

Say goodbye

Both:

To the pain of the past

We don't have to feel it anymore!

Love is an open door!

Love is an open door!

Life can be so much more!

Caroline:

With you!

Carmine:

With you!

Caroline:

With you!

Carmine:

With you!

Love is an open door

Caroline:

Door

And then, without so much as a second thought, Carmine took a step he never thought he'd meet tonight.

"Can I say something crazy?" Carmine picked a beautiful stargazer he spotted and got down on one knee, presenting the flower to Caroline. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Caroline was astonished by this.

"Can I say something even crazier?" Caroline said, holding Carmine's hands. "Yes."

Carmine got up, and this time, Caroline took the next step, pressing her lips against Carmine's.