I did my first ever writing collab with Xyekem!! Heads up for shipping (and quite a bit of it)

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      "Stress!" The ice princess was busy fixing her hair as her maid Cleo tried to get her to stay still. "I'm zipping up your dress, just stop moving for one second!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Stress apologized as she tried to sit still. "I'm just really excited for tonight." Cleo rolled her eyes.

"Of course you are. Got your eye on any specific prince?"

Stress blushed and sheepishly smiled. "No one in particular."

She did, however, have a small crush on the redheaded maid. Not like she would ever admit to her feelings, of course. Her cheeks were burning as Cleo spun her around to dabble on a bit of makeup, enhancing her natural beauty.

A layer of foundation to smooth out her features with a dusting of artificial blush on top (which was unnecessary in Stress' opinion, but she had learned to go with it), followed by soft pink eyeshadow and lipstick to match her dress.

The princess was wearing a ball gown made of light blue silk, with silver threads sewn into intricate patterns resembling snowflakes. A sparkling crystal tiara rested on top of her head.

"It's a quarter till 6, I think it's best if you go to the ballroom early. Get to meet some young men, ya know?" Cleo nudged Stress with a teasing smirk, and they both erupted into giggles. 'I'm not sure if any man can make me feel the way you do...'

Still, the king and queen had set up the ball tonight in hopes of finding a prince for Stress to wed, so she would play along and see if anyone else could win her over. She highly doubted it, but it was worth a shot.

With a final farewell and good luck pat from Cleo, the princess made her way down the stairs of the huge castle and to the ballroom.

The ballroom was one of the most beautiful rooms in the palace, with an enchanted ceiling to resemble a winter wonderland. There were machines made to dispense small, white shreds of paper to make it look like it was snowing indoors. Large white pillars held the roof up, and a crystal chandelier hung from the central point of the ceiling. The floor was polished and had the family crest in the middle. It was perfect, to say the least.

Guests were already starting to fill the hall, each wearing elegant suits and the fanciest dresses they owned. It was like a flock of exotic birds had came to nest in the ballroom.

"Stress!" The ice princess spun around to see her friend False coming up to her. False was another princess from an allied kingdom.

"It's good to see you again," The blonde greeted with a warm smile.

"It's good to see you too, Falsie!" The two friends hugged. Stress took a look at False's attire. She was wearing a gold gown with a crown of feathers neatly arranged atop her golden locks. Thin, golden gloved covered her hands, each sewn with her family's crest.

"Have anyone in mind you would like to meet tonight?" False asked, with a smirk evident in her voice.

"You too? What's up with everyone asking me this?"

The other princess giggled. "Isn't that the point of tonight? Knights and princes from all over the land have been invited to try to court you."

"But I'm not the only one to be courted." Stress gestured around the ballroom at several other princesses and noble maidens that were chatting with each other.

"This is your family's party, duh!" They both laughed.

"Alright, fair enough."

The two friends talked for a while about various things; their families, kingdoms, classes, and overall just catching up with one another. That was, until a prince began to approach them.

They were dressed in a deep green with a gold trim along their neck, a glimmering diamond fixed over their left eye. They had a red rose poking out of their chest pocket, and gave the princesses a polite smile.

"Hello, ladies! I'm Prince Iskall, it's a pleasure to meet you." Stress felt her face heat up as Iskall gently took her hand and kissed it. 'It's just proper etiquette, don't freak out.' The ice princess's thoughts did little to calm her down.

"The pleasure i-is all mine!" At the last second, Stress remembered her manners classes and managed to squeak out a sentence.

False shot her a knowing smile, slowly backing away to leave the pair to do their own thing. This only added to Stress' embarrassment, but Iskall speaking again brought her out of her thoughts.

"May I have this dance?" The prince held out their hand for Stress to take. The princess hesitated for a moment before accepting.

The next song was a pretty popular one, every royal had learnt it before. The steps were simple, yet elegant. Iskall put their hand around her waist, and she in turn put her own hand on their shoulder.

As they began to dance, Stress felt her heart flutter. Iskall's touch was gentle and their smile was soft and fond, and the princess soon found herself losing focus.

This feeling wasn't quite like what she felt for Cleo. Both feelings she knew were love, and yet they each felt different. 'But I can't love two people at once!'

Being so caught up in her thoughts, Stress wasn't focusing on her steps. Iskall spun her around in a quick twirl, and it wasn't until she felt herself falling that she woke up from her daze.

"Eep-" She let out a small squeal of terror, bracing herself for impact on the ground. It never came. Iskall quickly caught her around the waist, turning a would-be fall into a dip that made Stress' breath catch in her throat. It was at that moment that the pair realized that most of the guests were watching their dance, especially their parents. Both of them could feel the gazes practically boring into their skin. Iskall brought Stress up from the dip, embarrassed.

Luckily, the song was going to end soon. The two finished their last few steps and ended in a graceful bow.

Stress could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the prince escorted her off the dance floor.

"Thank you for the dance, m'lady." Stress giggled, flushing bright red at the mock-formal speech Iskall was using.

"No problem, prince charming." It was Iskall's turn to look embarrassed.

"You look stunning on the dance floor."

'W-what?'

"Oh, uhm, I-, thank you!" The awkward tension between them was interrupted by False.

"Hey Stress! Sorry I left earlier, I had to... meet some other friends from other kingdoms." Stress saw through that excuse immediately, rolling her eyes at her blonde friend.

"Sure, sure whatever you say."

"Hello, Iskall! I'll have to borrow Stress for a few moments, we'll see you later!" False linked her arms with the other princess and began pulling her away.

"Uh, wait!" Iskall held out the rose with a shy smile. "For you, Stress." False smirked at Stress, who took the rose and mumbled a quiet "Thank you".

The ice princess examined the rose fondly as she was dragged along by her friend, a soft smile forming on her lips.

"Stress?"

She tried to mask her infatuation as she looked back at False, but the look in the blonde's eyes gave away that she already knew.

"You like him, don't you?" False smiled cheekily at her friend.

"I, um... I need to use the bathroom," Stress lied, her face going bright red under her makeup. She was suddenly glad for the false blush concealing how deeply she flushed underneath.

Stress walked briskly out of the ballroom, waving a quick goodbye to False before half-running out into the hallway. She took a few deep breaths, trying to collect herself.

She was in love with Iskall. She knew that for certain. And yet, she was certain she was in love with Cleo as well. Was it possible to be in love with multiple people? Oh, that was a silly thought. Of course you could. Except, when you were, how could you ever pick just one?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a handsome young man in a glistening silver suit and a deep blue tie, with sandy-blonde hair that was slightly matted with sweat. She raised an eyebrow. 'Must be a late guest.'

He gave her a sheepish wave and a half smile.

"Good evening. My name is Wels, and you must be..."

"Princess Stress. Good evening to you too."

"Ah, princess Stress! I thought I would have recognized your fabled beauty. You're even prettier in person, I must say." Wels flashed the princess a dashing smile, and Stress once again found herself getting lost in a soft pair of eyes- this time, Wels' sky-blue ones.

"Well, looks aren't everything," Stress replied while turning the rose Iskall gave her in her fingers.

"Of course they aren't, no beauty could compare to your amazing personality." The ice princess blushed again at the compliment.

"Say, what is a pretty lady like you doing out here instead of enjoying the ball?"

Oh great, just as she was starting to tame her feelings.

"I just needed some fresh air," Stress lied, running a finger across the rose's stem.

"Who gave you that?" Wels perked up in curiosity, seeing the red flower in Stress's hands.

"No one special." 'Crap, I shouldn't have said that. What if Iskall was here?'

"That's too bad. You deserve someone as special as you to be your partner."

Stress' smile grew almost sad. "And that would be you?"

The knight paused. "Well, I'd hope so, but that's up to you to decide. I'll see you around." With those words, Wels flashed Stress a smile and a wave before entering the ballroom, leaving her alone in the hall with her fluttering heart.

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