Gracey's POV

It was the sweet smell of cinnamon that woke me up on the snowy day of December 24th; the outside world seemed sunny and peaceful, opposite to the hustle and bustle of everyone getting ready for the exciting event taking place tonight.

Today was the day; the day I had dreamt of since I was a child; the day I never thought would come.

I slowly made my way downstairs for breakfast, the smell of cinnamon growing stronger with each step.

"Gracey!" said Niall as he tapped on my shoulder, causing me to jump. "We're eating with my family today, care to join us?"

He offered to take my hand and led me to the dining room, where Reeja, Chana, Brooke, Joy, The Royal Family, and the rest of my recently-made friends sat. I took a seat in-between Niall and Reeja, being sure to keep good posture since I was sitting with royalty.

I looked around the room. It was quite warm and inviting, with old fantasy-like paintings, and vases — that were filled with wildflowers — on the shelves. There was an enormous window on one of the walls, overlooking what looked like what used to be a garden, that was now covered in sparkling snow.

The next moment, many servants came bursting through the doors, all holding covered shiny silver platters and glass pitchers filled with orange juice.

The servants set down the platters and uncovered them to reveal cinnamon rolls the size of dinner plates.

I looked to my right to see Reeja already digging into her cinnamon roll, not even bothering to have good manners. Melody, who was sitting across from Reeja, eyed her with great disgust. Everyone else, however, followed suit and dug in as well.

As I ate, I couldn't help but notice Melody and Greg glancing at each other constantly throughout our meal. Each time one caught the other looking, they would both smile brightly and quickly look away. Something was obviously going on between the two. . . .

Melody and Greg weren't the only ones catching a glimpse of one another, Louis and Reeja were doing exactly the same thing. They didn't talk much, however, until finally, Louis decided to break their silence.

"Sreeja — er — Reeja," He began, fumbling his fingers as Reeja looked over at him. "Would you like to — er — go to the dance with me?"

She automatically stopped eating and dropped her fork onto the ground, staring at Louis with widened eyes. She seemed to be at a complete loss for words. I gave her a hard nudge, causing her to snap out of her trance.

She looked back to Louis, who was shaking slightly and shifting uncomfortably in his seat, and finally gave him an answer.

"Well duh, took you long enough,"

Louis let out a big laugh to calm his nerves. "You got me for a second, I thought you didn't want to go with me,"

"Louis wanted to ask you in front of everyone since he was afraid of being rejected, isn't that right Louis?" Harry teased.

"Oh shut up, that's not even true in the slightest." Louis denied, however, I noticed a blush creeping upon his face.

Soon enough later, we finished eating. Instead of leaving the dining room, however, we stayed and chatted for a long while. I quite enjoyed the family dynamics, it wasn't something you'd expect from a Royal family; they would laugh and make fun of each other, rather than act like they were better than everyone else.

They were just normal people.

~ ~ ~

"Oh no!" Reeja screeched, the noise stretching all the way throughout the palace.

Everyone in the room — me, Niall, and our guests — quickly looked up at her with widened eyes.

"What happened?"

"Oh don't worry," She said, noticing our panic-stricken faces, "us girls need to get ready for the Christmas Ball, or else we'll be late!"

"But there's still three hours until the guests arrive. . . ." said Louis, his voice full of confusion.

"Exactly!"

With that, Reeja quickly left the room; me, Chana, Joy, and Brooke not too far behind.

"Girls! — Your — stylist — has — arrived!" said Melody as she ran towards us, panting to catch a breath between each word.

She quickly led us to a room on the other side of the palace. The room was decorated as it came straight out of a fairytale book, with floral patterns on the walls, white ruffled curtains, and a crystal chandelier that sparkled from the light of the sun, casting rainbows on the walls.

"This is your stylist, Shanelle," said Melody as she gestured to a beautiful woman with smooth black skin and long, glossy, black hair.

"Hey girls!" Shanelle waved. "Who would like to be styled first?"

We all looked over at each other, none of us really having a preference as to who should go first; Reeja finally volunteered since she didn't want to keep Shanelle waiting.

She ran over as Shanelle pulled out a chair in front of the vanity and pulled out many different hair tools and makeup brushes.

As we waited for Reeja to finish getting ready, we all took a seat on the memory foam couch and daydreamed about our hopes for the Christmas Ball.

~ ~ ~

Niall's POV

I gently tapped my foot on the cold marble floor, then checked my watch.

4:30.

Minutes passed.

4:42.

It was growing closer and closer until the guests arrived and the ball commenced.

Where was she?

"Why do girls take so long to get ready?" Zayn groaned, checking his watch for the tenth time within the last minute.

"Speak for yourself, mate, you take 30 minutes just to do your hair," Liam commented; Zayn rolled his eyes in response.

Louis came running into the great hall where the rest of us stood, holding a light blue soccer ball that came from Christian's room. He kicked it; it went soaring through the air until it crashed into a vase full of poinsettias. There was a great shattering sound that echoed through the hall.

"LOUIS!" Melody roared as she stormed into the hall, wearing a simple, rose-red dress, with her long, blonde hair pulled into a loose, low bun.

Louis, his eyes widened with fear, dashed into the ballroom with Melody tailing him.

"Niall," I looked behind me to see my father standing in his royal blue suit, beckoning me to come forward. "It's time to come into the ballroom. The guests will be arriving soon."

I gave the staircase one last longing look before I followed my father into the ballroom; Harry, Liam, and Zayn followed right behind me.

We stopped at the edge of the vast room and stood as we waited for everyone to arrive.

Melody finally came back from chasing after Louis (who managed to hide behind one of the satin curtains), and she was accompanied by Greg. The two of them had been dating secretly for years, but just recently had they come out engaged. They joined me and my father at the back of the room.

Car engines were heard pulling in outside, and guests slowly started trickling into the ballroom.

Soon enough, the ballroom was filled with the chatter of reunions, gossip, and more. The room was a sea of colors that looked almost like a coral reef; it was full of dresses and suits of elaborate colors and designs.

Guests I had never met before came over to shake hands with me, acting as though they'd known me for years. ("Last time I saw you, you were as short as a primary schooler! You've grown so much!")

It was around 5:15 when Zayn let out a gasp. Brooke came running over, wearing a sleek, midnight black dress, with her dark brown hair styled into loose curls.

"How do I look?" She implored, as Zayn pulled her in for a kiss.

"You look magnificent, love, you know I'm a fool for you,"

They stared at each other with the most love in their eyes. It was truly a match made in heaven, nobody could deny it.

Soon enough, Chana arrived next. She was wearing a silky tulip pink dress, her long, blonde hair was pulled up into a half-up half-down do, complete with pink flowers adorning it. Harry swiftly walked over to her, tears in his eyes, and gave her a big hug, along with a kiss on the forehead.

"You look stunning, dear," He whispered as they stood there, basking in each other's company.

Joy ran over and gave Liam a big bear hug, catching him by surprise. He looked down at her flower-covered dress, and wavy hair, and kissed her on the cheek before taking the boutonnière from his tux and putting it behind her ear; she let out a little giggle and Liam hid her in his arms, hiding her from the big crowd.

Louis came running out of the silky curtain once Melody and Greg went off to talk to some of the guests.

"Where on earth is Ree—Oh my. . . ." he trailed off once he spotted the stunning Reeja appearing at the doorway of the great hall. He dashed over to greet her.; then, took her twinkling bracelet-covered hand and softly kissed it, causing her to blush furiously.

"You look gorgeous," he winked as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It was embellished with the same butterflies that adorned her gown.

At last, all the girls had arrived, but where was Gracey?

My question was answered almost immediately. At last, a charming young woman appeared at the doorway. Her loose, curly, dark hair sparkled with glitter and was pulled up into a high, messy bun. She wore a sapphire blue dress that resembled the night sky; it even had glittering gold stars covering it, complete with constellations.

All I could do was stand there, awestruck.

Gracey's POV

I followed after the girls down the grand staircase, leading to the ballroom. One by one, the girls left into the tremendous room. I peeked in to watch each of them meet up with their Christmas dates; my heart melted as I watched their boyfriends' heartwarming reactions.

The ballroom was spacious, with pure white walls, intricate, dazzling gold detailing, complex stonework, and windows overlooking the snowy palace grounds.

It felt almost like a dream.

I watched as Reeja met up with Louis, silently cheering her on. She was unusually nervous to dance with him, for she never had any dancing experience. I, on the other hand, taught myself some ballroom dancing using some online videos after reading a handful of romance books. I was able to give Reeja a few tips before she headed into the ballroom.

She turned to give me one last smirk before Louis led her away.

Alas, it was my turn to feel the nerves kick in. I took a deep breath; the words Reeja assured me popped into my head. You can do this Gracey, there's no need to be afraid. Nothing bad's gonna happen. And if your clumsy side does kick in, I'll be there to laugh at you, so you won't be laughing alone.

I entered the vast ballroom. I scanned the room, searching for any sign of Niall.

There he was, in the back of the ballroom, staring at me with his jaw dropped. It reminded me of the first time we ever laid eyes on each other; when I had my interview and Niall came barging in, only to stare at me for an uncomfortably long time.

He broke his gaze and dashed to greet me.

"You look — you look —" he whispered, though couldn't seem to find the words to say. "stunning."

His words sent chills down my spine.

His soft hand held mine as he reached in to whisper in my ear, "You know what your dress reminds me of? It reminds me of the night on the roof. It reminds me of us." He grinned.

"Maybe that's why it spoke to me," I beamed.

"ATTENTION!" A loud voice echoed through the halls, interrupting our sweet moment.

"Oh no, quick, come back here," Niall took my hand and led me to where he was standing when I first entered the ballroom.

"The Queen is coming, make way." The voice continued.

A quiet murmur rippled through the crowd as a beautiful woman entered the room. Her light brown hair was loosely curled and bounced as she walked. She wore a delicate, lacy, emerald green ball gown, complete with a sparkling, silver medallion she wore around her neck. Queen Kaitlyn had at last arrived.

She joined us at the end of the hall and was given a microphone.

"Welcome, friends, to the Annual Christmas Ball!" A loud cheer rang out through the room. "I'd like to thank you all for coming. This wouldn't have been possible without your kind friendship with our family. Let's do this in honor of King William."

"To King William!" The crowd cheered. King William was Queen Kaitlyn's dear husband before he passed away.

"Now for the series of events this evening: we will first eat dinner and catch up with old friends, which I'm sure many of you have been wanting to do, then at 7:00, the dancing will commence. After that, you're free to do whatever you like, just make sure you've left the palace by 11:30," she laughed, "We've had guests in past years accidentally fall asleep in the ballroom, only to be found the next morning." She said, winking at a guest in the crowd.

"And now, as you may have noticed by the lovely smell, dinner is ready! Let's make this the best annual ball, and let the feast begin!" She finished.

"The Royal Family gets to be the first to take the food," Niall explained, leading me to the long table filled with all the food you could imagine. "And thank goodness for that." He added, rubbing his belly.

I noticed Melody joining Greg as they stacked their plates high with cranberry turkey. "Are they . . . you know,"

"Dating? Oh yeah, they've been dating for a while now, even engaged."

I nearly spit out my water. "Greg? With her?"

"Yep, he's always had an interesting choice in women," He laughed.

Reeja and Louis came over to join our conversation, their faces already covered in food.

"What are you eating?" I asked Louis, still deciding on what I wanted to stuff my stomach with, "It looks delicious,"

"Oh it is, it's chicken, stuffed with mozzarella, wrapped in parma ham. It tastes extra good with that mashed potato over there," he pointed toward a bowl full of fluffy white potatoes.

"I think I'll try some of that!"

The rest of our friends joined us, and we stood there and ate our food. It wasn't long until we had stuffed ourselves silly. Niall, however, couldn't keep himself from eating. His stomach was a bottomless pit.

"Niall, mate, slow down there," Harry laughed.

"Is that a stage?" Liam interrupted, his eyes wandering towards a risen platform, just next to the small live orchestra.

"Yep," said Niall through his mouthful of food.

"We should sing!"

Niall nervously laughed. "I don't know about that guys, my dad might kill me,"

"Oh c'mon, if he hasn't killed you yet, he won't kill you now, especially just for singing! Besides, no one will reject a little bit of a live concert, won't they? It'll be fun! Just like the old times!" Louis tried to convince Niall.

"I haven't sung in front of anyone in so long though. . . ."

"I don't care, you're coming up here with us anyway." Zayn pushed Niall up the platform along with the rest of the boys.

"At least let me have my guitar!" said Niall, exasperatingly.

"Hey look, he has one," Louis pointed to a guitarist amongst the orchestra, plucking the strings absentmindedly. "If you don't mind, sir, but we need this," He snatched the guitar from the man's hands. The man just shrugged and left to enjoy some food.

The boys assembled in the middle of the stage, Niall with his guitar in hand, and they discussed what song to sing.

"ATTENTION!" Harry yelled, causing the crowd to grow silent. "If you don't mind, we're going to sing a quick song for you all today, so enjoy!"

"This is a song we wrote way back before I became a prince," Niall clarified, "It's called 'Home'."

He began softly strumming his guitar before Liam started singing. His regal voice added the perfect touch to the music.

"Make a little conversation, so long I've been waiting, so let go of myself and feel alive,"

Joy let out a squeal. "I love this song! Liam sings it to me quite a bit," She beamed.

"So many nights I thought it over, told myself I kind of liked her, but there was something missing in her eyes,"

Niall began singing, his silky voice going along perfectly with Liam's.

"I was stumbling, looking in the dark (ohho), with an empty heart. But you say you feel the same, could we ever be enough? Baby, we could be enough,"

Harry started, his raspy voice shining perfectly through the music.

And it's alright, calling out for somebody to hold tonight. When you're lost, I'll find the way, I'll be your light. You'll never feel like you're alone, I'll make this feel like home."

All the boys started singing together, though Louis was heard the most prominently.

"So hot that I couldn't take it, want to wake up and see your face and remember how good it was being here last night,"

Niall sang again, though he seemed a lot less nervous, as he was getting into the music a lot more.

"Still high with a little feeling, I see the smile as it starts to creep in. It was there, I saw it in your eyes,"

Louis sang in a sweet, raspy voice, and he gave Reeja a smile and a wink; she blushed profusely.

"I was stumbling, looking in the dark (ohho), with an empty heart. But you say you feel the same, could we ever be enough? Baby, we could be enough,"

Zayn sang this verse, and he sounded just like he looked: like a God.

"And it's alright, calling out for somebody to hold tonight. When you're lost, I'll find the way, I'll be your light. You'll never feel like you're alone,"

"I'll make this feel like home, I'll make this feel like home,"

"Baby we could be enough,"

"It's alright, calling out for somebody to hold tonight. When you're lost, I'll find the way, I'll be your light. You'll never feel like you're alone,"

"I'll make this feel like home,"

Their sweet singing voices slowed to a stop, and the crowd cheered louder than they had during the Queen's speech.

The boys all jumped off the stage, immediately greeted by their Christmas dates, who tackled them with hugs.

"You really should sing with them more often, you know, you all sound great together," I said to Niall, who had his arm around my shoulder.

"You know what, I agree," said Louis, who overheard us. "I told you it would be fun," he playfully punched Niall in the arm.

The orchestra suddenly burst into song and couples around us began to slow dance to the music. Was it already 7:00?

"Would you be so kind as to dance with me, malady?" said Niall as he bowed, mimicking the old-fashioned ball traditions.

"Why of course, kind sir," I laughed, going along with the joke.

He took my hand and gave it a soft kiss, and led me to the center of the dancers.

"Now, you must bear with me, I haven't the slightest idea of how to dance. You'd think after all these years of being a prince I would've figured it out by now," he laughed, still keeping his character.

"I would love to teach you, sir," I giggled.

"Oh yes, teach me, miss!" He grinned.

I took his hand in mine, placed his other on my waist, and lastly put my other hand on his broad shoulder. My hand fit perfectly in his as if it were meant to be.

We started moving across the dance floor; Niall watching his feet and being careful not to step on my toes. My dress flowed around me as Niall swept me through the ballroom. I couldn't believe it was happening.

Was I stuck in a daydream?

Niall finally looked up from his feet after a while of getting the hang of dancing, stared into my eyes, and smiled at me. His big grin was contagious; I smiled back at him.

"Your cuteness is making everyone stare, stop it," He said. I felt my face grow red and I couldn't help but let out a giggle.

As we danced, something caught my eye.

Little Christian was dancing with someone.

"Hi, Christian, who's this you're dancing with?" I implored, a grin spreading across my face as Christian's lit up.

"Hi, Gracey! This is Rosa Kaylynn, my girlfriend!"

"But you can call me R.K!" Rosa's little voice spoke up.

"I wasn't aware you had a girlfriend!" Niall and I said at the same time as if our brains were connected for a small moment.

"I met her while you and your friends were singing, we're in love," he smiled, "Just don't tell mum, I don't think she'd want me to have a girlfriend since I'm only ten."

"I pinky swear we won't tell," I smiled.

"I have to show you something," Niall said, breaking away from our dancing posture, but still tightly gripping my hand.

He led me through the crowd of dancers, passing Louis and Reeja — who were dancing gracefully and effortlessly, — in the process.

"Where are you taking me this time?" I smiled, remembering all the secret places he'd shown me in the past

"It's a surprise."

He led me through a hallway I hadn't seen before and came to a stop at the door at the very end of it. He put his hands over my eyes and led me through the doorway.

My body was shot with a burst of cold air, and Niall removed his hands from my eyes, revealing a secret garden outside.

The garden was surrounded by snow-covered hedges, and in the very center was a frozen fountain; the water from the fountain was frozen as if from magic. There were lights strewn around the bushes, which were the only sources of light in the dark night. It was peaceful and silent, which was quite a contrast to the ballroom. It was almost like the world was muted.

"It's — it's amazing," I gasped, looking around. It was straight out of a fairytale.

Niall just smiled. "I wanted to get away from the boring ball, there's no privacy and nothing to do."

He took my cold hand again and led me to a snow-covered bench. He swept off the snow and motioned for me to take a seat, then he plopped down next to me.

We sat in the quiet garden, simply enjoying each other's presence. I looked up at the night sky, the stars were shining brighter than ever. The snow was falling peacefully and added to the magic of the moment.

I shivered vigorously and felt my teeth chatter; my dress had no sleeves to cover my arms. He must've taken notice of my shivering, as he took off his suit jacket and put it around my shoulders, then promptly put his arm over me, holding me close. I laid my head on his shoulder, taking in the strong scent of cologne, with the slightest touch of cranberries.

Niall's POV

Her soft hair brushed against my face as she laid her head on my shoulder. It smelled like warm vanilla, one of my favorite smells.

"Your singing tonight, really, it was beautiful," She spoke up, breaking our short moment of silence.

"Not as beautiful as you looked tonight."

"Oh, shush," She smiled, and blush returned to her face, turning it bright pink.

I looked up at the starry night sky, wracking my brain for something to say.

"I feel like I know you, but not well enough," I began, finally finding the perfect words to say. "How about a game?"

"Sure, what kind of game?"

"Just something I came up with a few seconds ago," I laughed, "Let's go back and forth, listing the little things we love in life — I think it can show who someone is as a person. I'll go first."

She nodded and smiled in agreement.

"I love my guitar,"

"Well, of course, I already knew that," She laughed, "Uhh, I love . . . the rain. A lot."

"How on earth do you like the rain? It just ruins all the fun!"

"How on earth do you not like the rain? It's so therapeutic and peaceful!" She argued.

"I have to agree with that, I do like the sound of rain. . . . Okay — er — I love it when someone can't stop laughing; I call it 'The Case of the Giggles,'"

"That is one of the funniest, cutest things to watch," She agreed, "I love the smell of pumpkin spice."

"Ah, the smell of fall. . . . I love the sound of a fire crackling,"

"It's so comforting! I love cuddling up and reading a book after a long day,"

"I'm not a big reader, though that does sound nice. . . . I love it when someone yawns and then a yawn chain starts," I said, as I let out a big yawn.

"I love it when people laugh at their own jokes," She giggled as she let out a yawn as well.

"I'm guilty of doing that plenty of times," I smiled, "I love when people get super excited when listening to their favorite song."

"That's one of the cutest things ever. . . . I love when people get so enthusiastic when talking about something they enjoy doing,"

We sat in silence for a moment, thinking about other things we love in the world. I looked to the stars for a moment, before turning again to look at Gracey. She looked right back at me, holding my gaze. The stars reflected beautifully in her deep brown eyes.

She looked overwhelmingly perfect in the moonlight.

The thoughts I had that night in the forest returned to me. The urge to kiss her was growing stronger and stronger each moment.

But what if she didn't like me back? We've known each other for a few months now, what if she only thought of me as a friend?

But I wouldn't know until I tried. . . .

I gently closed my eyes and leaned in, as if in slow motion; it was like a blurred dream.

My lips touched hers; she froze up for a moment and I almost pulled away, but she finally gave in. Her soft hand slowly made its way up through my hair, ruffling it up. Her lips were soft with the slight taste of apple.

It was like the whole world froze in time; it was quiet, still, and peaceful.

"I love you."

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Y'ALL I'M SCREAMING
I WAS LITERALLY FANGIRLING SO HARD WRITING THIS I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU LMAO AKGALKRJFHALKEJHF

how was that kissing scene for y'all? I've literally never kissed someone in my life, let alone be in a relationship so I have no idea how it works- so hopefully that was okay 😂😂

shout out to @-blxssombxmb and @kaitlynxdiana for giving me some tips on the scene haha!

lmao remember when i thought i'd actually finish this chapter by Christmas and now it's almost February- pFfT

i hope y'all liked this chapter, i sure enjoyed writing it!!