Athens, Greece
450 BC

The resplendent beauty and grace of an ever-changing world basked in the flecks of radiant sunlight. Golden rays poured over limestone and marble, the smells of sulfur and mulberry trees casting a mystical glow upon the steps of the imperial palace. Proud columns stretched to the top of the structure, providing support and decadence with intricate designs depicting the divine stories of Artemis releasing her arrow to draw forth the moon or the chariot of Apollo pulling the sun over the horizon. In the center, two large golden doors promised richness inside the palace, with guards at each side welcoming the mass of spectators wishing to enter the ceremony of the miraculous prince to be courted by midnight.

With the ceremony in order, there was expectations for the prince to marry someone who is wealthy and Greek. Thus, the palace guards were tasked with keeping the common rabble out of the palace and ensuring that the prince would meet his match under the customs prescribed by the Emperor.

"Bring yourselves to the front in an orderly line, into the reception hall and no further! His Majesty the Emperor will address you when the ceremony is to begin!" A young man, lanky and awkward with clunky armor and blue feathers on his helm, spoke with a shaky voice. His name was Ale, a testament to what his father loved most. The guard had taken his first steps into honoring his father, the head commander of palace security, and his job was to welcome guests and weed out those who were "unfit" to attend. Most guests passing through the checkpoint were wealthy in dress, with golden adornments upon their clavicles and togas, entering with entitlement and the privilege of high status.

Ale's father stood to the side, a proud man with sun-baked skin and coarse black hair in wild spirals. "You're doing great, son," the man said, giving a thumbs-up in encouragement. Ale sighed in wanton relief. Soon enough, all the nobles had entered, and all that was left were commoners and beggars wishing for an audience with the Emperor. He struggled to keep them back, some slipping through moments of distraction until Ale's father waved his hands to close the heavy golden doors. Ale swallowed a lump in his throat in reaction to the beggars kissing the golden door, sending prayers to the Gods that they may be a part of the spectacle inside.

"Can't they go inside? Sit in the wings of the hall or even just by the stairwell?" Ale attempted to convince his father, who abhorred any deviation from protocol. "No, His Majesty gave explicit orders. They can come when tithes are due or when the court is in session. Help me remove them from the entrance; more seemly guests could arrive," Philon, Ale's father, spoke firmly. As much as he loved drinking and causing trouble, he would never appreciate his son's disobedience. Ale had no choice but to nod his head and carry on, carefully trying to sway the beggars away from the doors, and with a heavy-hearted sigh, the job was done.

However, as he went down the steps to ensure everything was going according to plan, he found a young girl sitting at the bottom with tattered robes of worn linen and honey hair tied away from her face. She was weeping, and Ale fought desperately not to give in, standing still and wanting to turn back. As he did, he heard the little voice speak, "I wanted to see the pretty dancing... that's all." The girl wept and cried harder until Ale began sweating and groaned, "I'm sorry, little girl, but..." Ale tried to reassure her, but she only began to sob and flail about, causing a very uncomfortable scene and bringing about a sense of justice wavering in Ale's heart.

"Come with me; I'll make sure you see the pretty dancing," he said, trying to scrub out his father's scolding from his mind and inherited a determined expression. The little girl took his hand, and they walked up the steps before Ale would sneak around the palace walls and came to a small window in the kitchens. "Here, step on my hands, and I'll lift you up. Be careful and don't get caught!" Ale chimed encouragingly, and the little girl nodded, following what Ale told her to do, making it through the window. Ale kept watch to make sure she was inside safely and that no one was watching this seemingly innocent infraction.

Then, a little hand waved from the window, and she had yelled out, "Thank you!" with a squeak of excitement in her voice. Ale smiled to himself before turning on his heel and humming to himself, pausing when he saw two feet planted on the ground in front of him.

"Smuggling in contraband, are we?" A deep voice spoke, and Ale froze, cautiously raising his gaze to see an imposing man with slicked onyx hair and dazzling eyes like sapphires. "N-No! Sir! She just wanted to..." Ale began to try and explain, gripping his spear and in a haste to avoid trouble he swung the wooden side at the man. However, when Ale closed his eyes and swung, he found that the man before him stopped the impact. "You might want to be careful striking a dignitary coming to see the ceremony. Isn't it your king's desire to allow nobility entry? I'll forgive your stupidity, though I don't blame you; it's in your nature," the dignitary said, snarky and seeming as though he carried himself as if he were superior.

"Now, about this party... would you be so kind as to lead the way?" said the man.

Ale, defeated, nodded his head in fear of repercussions for his transgressions against a nobleman and led him to the front, where the golden doors opened, and the dignitary strolled in as though he owned the place. Beyond the golden doors, archways and statues lined the reception hall, where the dignitary would find a crowd of people sipping wine and chatting amongst themselves in front of the stage that was lined with lotus flowers and petals between small lit candles. The Emperor stood on a terrace and opened his arms, "Welcome, my people. I hope your bellies are full and your cheeks reddened by the palace wine. It is my greatest honor to present to you my son, the gift of the Greek world!" His booming voice silenced the chatter as a young man came from behind a curtain on the stage, adorned with sky-blue robes and golden jewelry on his ankles and wrists.

"I introduce to you all, Prince Kalliás." The Emperor clapped his hands together as the prince on the stage waved to his father and then bowed his head, curly dark brown hair decorated with a golden laurel, and a slightly nervous expression held on his face. All eyes were on him, the prince who held beauty comparable to Aphrodite and elegance that awed the spectators. Kalliás was the epitome of beauty with his oaky brown eyes and honey skin, every part of him was in perfect harmony, other than he slightly anxious expression. He had been, for most of his life, sheltered in the palace and never met the people of the realm. Now, he felt like he was stepping into a new world of possibility and his eyes traced through the crowd with none being familiar to him.

"Enjoy the dance, my people and when the prince breaks the line of flowers may you be blessed by his attention and sway his heart! Only true love can court the prince and may you receive my blessing by midnight after the ceremony!" The Emperor called out and the spectators listened respectfully. They loved their ruler and because the people inside were wealthy and high society, all followed the orders they were given and waited patiently for the dance to begin.

The dignitary, though usually held with confidence and entitlement, now stood dumbfounded and entranced by the prince before him. He was at a loss at how a mortal prince could command this much attention and he knew that he wanted to capture all that attention for himself. "Isn't he beautiful like Adonis?" A woman whispered to the dignitary and his entranced state was briefly broken. "Indeed, more beautiful than Aphrodite herself." The man replied and the woman accepted his words, nodding in agreement. His sapphire eyes desperately wanted to catch the prince's gaze and there were moments where he tried to straighten his posture and will it to happen, but the music of harps began to play, and Kalliás lifted his left leg and his hands in a pose before he would begin the dance. The man in the crowd began to push through the nobility to get a closer look as if Cupid had struck him with an arrow of love. For the dignitary, he only had one thought on his mind...

"I must have you."