And there she was, and there he was. Queen Theode looked nothing like Prince Arthur had thought of her. He'd always believed her to be older, and taller. But the woman standing so proudly before him was short, and had golden waves like sunlight. She was young, and her face was wise, but her blue eyes held sadness he had never come across.

He sat quietly in their dining hall, Theode across from her. Beside her, stood an elderly man. His hair was smoothed back and his posture was formal. Theode had introduced him as her personal servant, James.

"Why," he asked politely. "May I ask, did you decide to have a ball?"

Theode smiled over her chalice of wine. "James decided a Queen should not be without a King."

"Your hand is out for marriage?" Arthur asked in surprise. Theode struck him as a woman who would want no man.

Theode gave a slightly rude sigh. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

And Arthur made the wise decision to avoid that subject. Theode gave him a tour of the palace, James trailing behind, and Arthur found himself becoming more and more fond of the thin Queen of Esporel.

Night came quickly. James led Arthur to the carriage waiting outside. As he waited, Arthur saw two angels descend from the great stairs of the palace.

One had a mountain of golden waves tied atop her gracious head. Her eyes were the color of the sky just as the sun rose, pale and clear. Her dress was bright red with golden hues.

Behind her, an equally beautiful woman held the end of her dress from the ground. This one had curls the color of midnight and beautiful blue eyes. Her face was hollow and gaunt, but still beautiful.

The royal pair approached and entered the carriage, sitting across from Arthur. These two were sunlight and moonlight.

"Arthur," Theode said with a smile. "This is my maidservant, Barbara. James suggested that she come to keep me company."

Barbara giggled. "And to find you a kindly man to marry."

Theode's lips formed a thin line. "That as well..."

Barbara's blue eyes caught Arthur's. "Oh," she said. "Perhaps you shall marry him, your highness?"

Arthur felt himself go slightly pink. "Well, madam, I suppose that could be a possibility, couldn't it?"

"Are you ready, Quen Theode?" James's voice rang out from the front of the carriage where he sat.

"Yes, James," she replied. "I believe we are."

The ball could have been held in Theode's main palace, but she decided instead to hold it at the ancient palace on the hill. This had been a sacred place for generations of the Regins. Almost every Regin princess had found her king at a ball held at the palace. It was tradition, and Theode could hardly say no.

"Barbara," Arthur asked, interested in the servant girl. "Has your family long worked for the royal court?"

The girl shook her head, the strands of black hair contrasting her pale face. "No, sir. My mother is my only living relative. I work here to help feed her. Of course," she said, smiling at Theode. "I also adore the Queen. It's an honor to be so close to her."

Theode smiled. "Ever since I became Queen, Barbara has been my only friend."

Arthur smiled. "That's good to hear. A Queen needs other female friends, though I'm sure James has always been kind to you."

Theode nodded. "Oh, of course. James raised me after the untimely death of my parents, the previous King and Queen of Esporel."

Arthur remembered then, the huge funeral he'd gone to when he was a child. He remembered the tear-streaked young girl who was crowned queen afterwards. He wasn't sure why that memory had escaped him; perhaps because this beautiful woman sitting before him reminded him nothing of the scared young girl with the crown on her head.

"I'm so sorry about your parents," Arthur said carefully.

Theode raised a hand to stop him from speaking. "Do not dampen my cheerful mood with such things. Tonight is a party, Prince Arthur. Let us enjoy it."

Barbara grinned beside her. "I wholly agree, Queen Theode."

Arthur smiled. "Well, then I shall not mention it again."

"Queen Theode," James said, as the carriage came to a halt. He opened her door and helped her down onto the sot ground, followed by Barbara. Arthur stepped down and looked at the massive castle standing before him. The grey stone bathed in silver moonlight, candles lit in almost every window.

He could see one room illuminated far more than the rest. Laughter and voices and music rolled out onto the grassy field standing between the trio and the party.

"Shall I wait out here until the end of the party?" James asked humbly.

"Yes, please," Theode replied. "That would be perfect."

James gave a shaky bow and walked back to the carriage. Theode led the other two towards the castle until she finally emerged in the light of a huge fireplace and hundreds of candles. As the room turned towards their hostess, a hush fell over them.

"Greetings," Theode said loudly, smiling. "I thank you all for attending tonight. I hope you enjoy your night." She waved her hand, and the party began again. Barbara followed her into the crowd, Arthur behind her.

He did his best to speak kindly to Theode, but, suddenly, she disappeared into the crowd. As Barbara and Arthur followed her, they found her speaking to a woman with dark blue eyes and fair, smooth skin. Her hair was left down and wild, bright blond.

"Gweneveir," the woman said. "I am Princess  Gweneveir Levvi of Cornell."

Theode's responding smile was wide and real. "Queen Theode, of Esporel."

Gweneveir laughed. "Everyone here knows who you are. But who are you with?" She said, nodding towards the two standing behind Theode.

She spoke. "My friends, Barbara and Prince Arthur. I'm sure they'll  be pleased to meet you, Gweneveir."

Gweneveir smiled. "Please, Queen Theode, call me Gwen. It's what my friends call me."

Theode grinned. "Friends, then."

Barbara smiled. "Friends sounds great to me."