Bethie's Birthday: Part Three

Bethie wanted to pull up her bodice even though it hadn't moved in the last five minutes, simply because she noticed that almost every prince she'd greeted looked down before looking up. If her father's expression was any indication, she was not the only one who noticed that they did that. Her hand ached from being shaken and chapped from being kissed. She had to fight to keep from looking at the small watch pinned to the underside of her corset, but she noticed that her mother did not bother so Bethie timed how long they had been there by counting how many times her mother glanced at her watch. So far, it had been thirty...

"You do clean up kinda good," Jack said, coming up to her so silently that she hadn't even been aware of him until he spoke.

And she could not say a word, could only stare as he grinned down at her.

Gone was the shaggy boy who had, only the day before, challenged her. With sleek chestnut brown hair, cloudless gray eyes, and a clean-shaven jaw, Jack looked more like the princes he made fun of than...well more than himself. He was dressed in the clean lines of a cadet's dress uniform, free of insignia and medals, but it did look good on him just the same. Judging by the look in his eye, he was thinking that she did not look too bad herself.

Her short black hair, curled loosely, framed her face and the rest was tucked behind her ears neatly. The pink dress's bodice hugged her curves, but its skirt flowed outward generously and was not so difficult to walk in as she'd expected. She was not a big fan of pink, but it suited her well, bringing out the pink in her lips. Nanny had done her makeup with a light hand, only enhancing what was already there. Bethie was striking without help but with it, she was breathtaking.

"Watch these boys, Bethie," Lance said, coming up behind his son. "They might pick your pockets."

"Or whatever," Jason supplied mischieviously.

"Watch it," Keith warned.

"Move along," Link said, ushering her men-folk down the line. "I'm sure they wanna sit down as badly as we do, so let's go."

"We'll decide who wins later," Jack whispered.

"Hey, smile!" Ethan said, pointing his ever-present camera at them.

In unison, Jack and Bethie made faces as the flash went off.

"What?" Bethie said to a disapproving Keith as the Branegans went on their way. "I'm 18 now, not 50."

"Who says you can't do that when you're 50," he said, surprising her.

Finally, they were allowed to eat though it was not a formal sit-down dinner. People were free to mingle and eat at their leisure. It was Bethie's request and she moved now, greeting friends and new acquaintances as she did so. She steered clear of hungry looking single men but her smile was warm as she spoke and Allura watched her proudly.

"I may not like that she had to grow up, but I'm not sorry that she did," Keith said, voicing her thoughts precisely.

"Sometimes I think I know her so well, other times...it's like I'm looking at someone that I am just starting to know," Allura said, a little sadly.

Keith put an arm around her, pressed a kiss to the top of her head. They watched as Jack came up behind her and asked her to dance, watched her laugh and accept.

"Princes come and princes go," Allura said thoughtfully. "But there'll always be those who stay."

Bethie could not keep from smiling at Jack's non-stop commentary on those around them. He was merciless when it came to the most decorated princes, the 'peacocks' as he put it and she bit her lip to stop from laughing out loud. He was hypothesizing about one prince's particular taste in underwear when he stopped in mid-sentence, one eyebrow arching. His hold on Bethie loosened and she turned to see what he was looking at.

"May I cut in?" Skech asked.

"Please," Jack said, giving a small bow and throwing Bethie a small smile.

She went into Skech's arms as he reached for her and they seemed to fit perfectly. As awkward as Bethie felt, her body seemed to move in a rhythm on its own as Skech led her through the dance, and she had to force herself to look up and meet his blue eyes, an ice blue that was one or two shades lighter than her own. They were riveted on her face and he was looking at her as if he hadn't seen her before.

"You look beautiful, Princess," he said.

"Thank you, Skech," she said, smiling. "You look nice tonight, too."

"Have you met any interesting people tonight?"

"Not really, no."

He smiled and it lit up his whole face. It was a quality she had always liked about him. He could be serious and intimidating one moment, warm and inviting the next. His face was so expressive and for a man who said little, all one had to do was know how to read his face to figure out just what he was thinking.

"I don't imagine you're expecting to," he said wryly as his looked around the room.

"I haven't yet and I doubt this particular batch will be much different. Although, I am glad to be spending this time with the people I care about."

He nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure."

She wished he would pull her closer, but he kept more space between them than Jack had. Skech's behavior was always proper when he dealt with any of the Royal children, though he was more casual with their parents. It frustrated Bethie, but she knew there was not much she could do about it. Sixteen years separated them and she doubted he saw her as anything more than a...Princess.

The song ended and he bowed to her, giving her a friendly smile as he handed her off to her brother. Bethie smiled at Ethan, but her eyes were on Skech's back.

"One day," Ethan said, not needing to see what she was looking at.

"Yeah," she said.

The present...

Bethie remembered that that was their first dance. They'd danced many times after that. Skech liked to pull her into his arms and lead her to music that only they heard. She smiled and slid her feet into her boots. They were supposed to meet that night and she did not want to be late.

Allura closed the album and stood, stretching her legs. At the end of the party, she and Bethie had burned their dresses outside, laughing and yelling like wild women as they did so. The next day, Nanny had berated them until their ears turned red but they only had to look at each other to know that it had been worth it. Just like it would be worth it to reach out to her daughter and start rebuilding bridges.

Allura was coming out of her study just as Bethie left her room. They walked in the same direction but on different floors, their strides nearly matching, but Bethie was a step or two ahead of her mother. She went down the stairs as Allura stepped into the lift and the doors to the stairs closed just as the lift doors open.

While Bethie was walking into Skech's waiting arms, Allura stood outside her door, fist poised to knock...then she lowered it, lowered her head, and walked away.