A Dance We Were Never Meant To Share.
i fucking love paladin/knight mike ugh im never stopping these
The royal ballroom glittered like something unreal.
Crystal chandeliers burned with golden light above the marble floor, reflecting across gowns and polished boots. Violins filled the air with a slow, sweeping melody that made the entire room feel like it was gently spinning.
Mike Wheeler stood across the room watching her, looking completely wrong without armor. No steel plates, no sword at his sideâjust a dark formal coat embroidered with silver thread. His curls had been forced into something resembling order.
He looked⊠annoyingly good.
The titles sounded more like insults.
He gave a stiff bow. âThe king assigned me as your partner for the opening waltz.â
âI didnât request you.â
âNo,â Mike said dryly. âYou rarely request anything that makes sense.â
Couples moved to the floor.
She stared at it like it might bite her.
Her hand slipped into his.
Immediately the music lifted, and Mike pulled her gently into position. One hand in hers, the other settling carefully at her waist.
They began moving across the ballroom floor.
âYouâre stepping on my foot,â he muttered.
âWell maybe if you werenât dragging meââ
Her skirt flared around her legs, and she nearly lost balance before his grip tightened slightly, steadying her.
Neither of them looked away right away.
The music softened into a slower rhythm.
Around them, couples swayed closer.
âYou clean up well,â she said before she could stop herself.
Mike blinked in surprise.
âWas that⊠a compliment?â
âDonât get used to it.â
They turned again, slower now.
The melody deepened, emotional in a way that made the moment feel heavier, like something important was happening whether they wanted it to or not.
âYou know,â Mike said, guiding her into another turn, âthis is the first ball where you havenât tried to escape through a window.â
âAnd yet you stayed.â
The sound caught her off guard.
Somehow they were closer now.
His hand at her waist felt warmer than it should.
âYou hate me,â Mike said suddenly.
âYou called me âthe human embodiment of a locked gate.ââ
The music slowed further, almost painfully romantic.
The ballroom blurred around them as they moved together.
Mike looked down at her, something uncertain flickering in his eyes.
âYou deserve someone who doesnât argue with you all the time.â
Her chest tightened unexpectedly.
âWell,â she said softly, âsomeone has to stop me from falling off castle towers.â
âSomeone has to keep you safe.â
For once, it didnât sound like a duty.
The music rose toward its final note.
Mike spun her one last time.
When she returned to him, they stopped moving.
Applause filled the ballroom.
But neither of them stepped apart.
A scream ripped through the room.
The ballroom doors burst open with a thunderous crash.
Men in dark armor stormed inside.
Steel flashed under the chandeliers.
âASSASSINS!â someone shouted.
The elegant ballroom exploded into chaos.
Guests screamed and scattered, chairs crashing to the floor as people rushed for the exits.
Mikeâs hand tightened on her arm.
âBut you donât even have yourââ
A blade swung toward him.
Mike shoved her back and caught the attackerâs wrist mid-strike.
The knife sliced across his sleeve instead of his chest.
âIâm not leaving you!â
Another attacker rushed forward.
Mike twisted the first manâs arm until the blade clattered across the floor. He grabbed it instantly.
Her knight fighting in formal clothes, no armor, no protection.
But he moved like he always did.
Steel rang as he blocked another strike.
He pushed her behind a marble column.
The ballroom had become a storm of panic. People shoved past them, screaming, guards racing toward the attackers.
Mike ducked another blade and drove the dagger into a manâs shoulder, sending him crashing into a table.
But the second attacker lunged.
The knife sliced across Mikeâs side.
âIâm fine!â he snapped, though his breathing had already grown heavier.
Another attacker moved behind him.
The blade drove into his stomach.
The world seemed to stop.
The dagger slipped from his hand.
The attacker ripped the blade free and disappeared into the chaos as guards finally flooded the room.
Mike dropped to one knee.
She ran to him, catching him as he collapsed.
Blood spread across the marble beneath them.
âHey,â he breathed weakly, trying to smile through the pain. âGuess⊠I shouldâve worn the armor.â
âDonât joke!â she cried, her voice shaking. âYouâre bleeding!â
His hand weakly grabbed her sleeve.
âYouâre safe, right?â
âWhy are you asking that?!â
âBecause⊠thatâs my job.â
Her chest tightened with panic.
âNo. No, stay with me!â
He leaned against her shoulderâthe same way he had while they danced.
Except now his breathing was shallow.
âYou knowâŠâ he murmured faintly.
ââŠworth getting stabbed.â
A broken laugh escaped her.
âDonât close your eyes.â
âYou didnât step on my foot⊠near the end.â
Tears slid down her face.
âI thinkâŠâ he whispered, barely conscious now, ââŠwe finally learned the steps.â
His grip on her hand weakened.
Guards rushed toward them.
But she barely heard them.
She leaned down, pressing her forehead gently against his.
Her voice broke into a whisper only he could hear.
The words trembled out like they had been waiting years to escape.
âYou stubborn, insufferable knight,â she whispered through tears. âYou donât get to die before hearing that.â
His fingers twitched weakly in hers.
For a second she thought she imagined it.
Then his lips barely moved.
The word was so faint she almost missed it.
She held him tighter as the guards reached them, trying to pull him onto a stretcher.
âNo, waitâbe careful!â
âYour Highness, we must take him to the physician.â
Her hands shook as they lifted him away.
His blood still stained her dress.
The ballroom was nearly empty now, chandeliers still burning brightly over the wreckage of what had been a perfect evening.
The dance floor where they had just stood moments ago was streaked with red.
And the world felt like it had completely changed.