for no particular reason / @jouesrose
“Might you be looking for a certain Queen, I believe I last saw Her Majesty heading in the direction of the ballroom.”
Henrik could only laugh. When it comes to matters of his heart (and in that regard what matters are there, really, aside from Juliet?), the young king knows that his feelings are on display for all to see. He is finally in a place to accept that―to welcome it even. “Quite perceptive,” he says, nodding at the pair of castle workers as they turn back to their work. “Thank you.” And he is off.
From outside the grand doors, the ballroom sounds empty. Then again, the cleanup following the prior evening’s event should have finished up earlier that morning, so that much comes as no surprise. Henrik pushes through the doors anyway, coming to a pause just inside of the room. His eyes scan the newly revealed expanse, settling on the familiar form leaning against one of the pillars that lines the wall of windows. Contentment gives way to the tender smile uplifting his lips, and he approaches her.
Maybe it is the relief after the ball or maybe just the effect of having an afternoon to himself after a long three month’s worth of planning. Whatever it is, a wave of nostalgia washes over him. The music is in his mind, you see: a ghost of the orchestral ballads performed last night, and before Juliet has a chance to turn around, Henrik bows in reverence. “My love,” he says, extending one hand while the other stays behind his back. “May I have this dance?”
as enchanting as the previous evening had been, there was nothing the queen coveted more than a quiet ballroom. the quiet after the storm, if you will. it made her nostalgic for her early teens in france, where the walls would buzz for hours after the balls her brother took pride in hosting.
having taken herself straight to bed after the festivities, juliet finds this feeling in the early afternoon. even with the ball only a night behind them, the young queen still felt nostalgic for the night; the dances she shared with henrik, their guests — she even danced with rose ! the music and the joy of the night hung around her in a pleasant aura. wandering into the ballroom, she had dismissed the few strangling workers and took the time to complete what tasks they had left. a furrowed brow focus is given to tying back a curtain preventing her from noticing the king had entered the space.
it isn’t until he speaks, ( and her heart melts, as it so often did at the sound of his voice ) that she turns, allowing the two ends of the newly knotted curtain tie to to slip gently from her grasp. a smile illuminates her features once their eyes meet, “ but there isn’t any music playing. ”