Taken by the Ice King

Ep5: Daphne

"Well, don't you look like a royal ice queen!" Sonya squeals as she buttons the last button on my dress. I can hardly believe what I'm seeing. I know it's me, but it doesn't look like me. I didn't even look this good at prom. But she's right as she always is. I do look royal, regal in fact. My shock quickly dissolves into worry. I'm not sure about everyone at the party seeing me in this. Or Connor. Oh God, I have to face Connor. I liked it better when he was the man in the park.

"Is it really okay for me to wear this? I don't want to mess it up," I say hesitantly. The fabric hugs all my curves before flaring out to the floor. I've never thought of myself as hot but... I feel beautiful in this dress. Sonya comes out of her walk-in closet with two crowns. Sonya had already changed into her dress and well... She does look like a piece of candy cane. Red and white striped fabric hugs her torso in a strapless gown before falling to the floor with what must have been bolts of silky red and white fabric.

"Oh please, it's your dress. It's yours to keep! Now we need the finishing touch as the queens of the evening!" She comes up to me with a crown of diamonds and light blue jewels studded across intertwining silver bands. I gasp as she puts it on my head.

"Now Sonya, this really is overboard. Besides, isn't your mom Queen of the House therefore Queen of the evening?" I ask as I placed my hand on my hip, giving her a sarcastic glance. Sonya's mouth makes an o of surprise. She takes a minute to think about things as I fiddle with my dress, trying very hard not to wrinkle it.

"I guess she is the Queen of the evening when you put it like that... But that makes us Princesses!!! What could be better than that!?!" She puts her crown on and takes my arm in hers before hustling me towards the door. Panic starts to set in. I can't go down there and face Connor. Not knowing that he was Sonya's brother, I was pining after him for months. How embarrassing, way to go Daphne. You really know how to pick 'em.

"Sonya, I can't. I..." I stop moving, frightened and terrified of what comes next. I'm fine with Sonya. But big crowds of judgmental people isn't my normal atmosphere.

"Yes, you can! Come on, if no one dances with you then I will! But I have a feeling you're going to have to beat the boys off with a stick," she says with a smirk. I let her drag me down the stairs and I just prayed that Connor wouldn't say anything to her about me. I pray he just doesn't say anything, period. That would make things much easier.

But my hope is squashed as I see his tall imposing figure waiting at the bottom of the staircase for us. My heart begins to pound in my ears to the point I can't hear the classical music from their ballroom wafting through the halls. But I can keep moving as long as he stays turned around and doesn't look at me.

Almost as if hearing my pleading thoughts. He turns around. His green eyes blaze into mine. I'm almost to the bottom of the stairs, so I will my legs to continue to carry me. Damn these heels that Sonya made me wear. I feel like a baby deer on ice in them. But on the last step, my legs buckled. Before I even came off the stairs, his big arms enveloped me, allowing me to regain my balance. I hold his biceps as I get my feet under me again and, goodness gracious, that man must work out every day with that muscle mass.

I managed to stand up again, but he didn't let me go. We stare at each other for a moment before I hear Sonya clear her throat. I turn to her to find her smiling with her eyebrows arched. His hand travels from my shoulder to my hand, taking it in his and then kissing it gently. Smooth. If I wasn't holding myself up by the banister, then I would be on the floor with how weak in the knees he makes me.

"Sonya, I don't believe you've introduced me to this friend of yours yet," his deep voice rumbling from his chest. Rich, dark, like dark chocolate, which is my favorite. It's like all intelligent thought has left my head. All I can focus on is his perfect face. His intense green eyes, his black hair falling in perfect waves like Clark Kent, his perfect lips that I have longed to know the taste of.

"This is my best friend! Daphne! She was always working when you were home, and then you were working when she was off. I've been waiting for you two to meet." I snapped my head back to look at her. Why did she want us to meet? Her smirk and waggling eyebrows tell me she has her own reasons... That may match my own. I look back to Connor who is smiling at me and I swear that smile stops my world on its axis.

"It's nice to meet you Daphne. I've heard so much about you from Sonya." I arch my brow and look at Sonya, who is beaming with a large smile. She looks like she is vibrating with excited energy.

"Oh? You have? Good things, I hope?" I don't think Sonya would have anything bad to say about me but if she talked about my father... I don't want his pity.

"Of course. I doubt there is anything bad about you to talk about." I blush at his comment. I can't believe he is standing here in front of me. I want to ask him where he had been, why he didn't come back to the park, why didn't he speak to me. Before I could ask a single question, Sonya spoke up.

"Well, I think you two have a lot to talk about, and you should dance to get better acquainted. I'm going to go see if mom needs me for anything. I'll catch up with you two later! Daphne, your cloak will be by the door, okay? Don't go outside without it." She gives me a wink and trots off to the ballroom, leaving me alone with the most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on. He looks back at me with a hint of a smile on his face.

"I'm glad I know your name now. It's much better than 'lady at the park', which is what I've had to call you for the past few months." He shifts his weight between his feet while looking down at them. I giggle, for someone so tall and handsome he is a touch awkward.

"I've been calling you 'man at the park' in my head for the past few months, so don't feel bad. But it is very nice to meet you formally. I had no idea you were Sonya's brother." He offered me his arm and I took it. He is so warm and smells so nice. If this is a dream, I really don't want to be woken up by my fat cat like normal. We begin walking, and I realize we are headed away from the ballroom.

"You don't want to dance?" I ask, getting nervous again. He smiles at me, placing his massive hand over mine. Even with my heels I still have to crane my neck to look up at him.

"I do very much want to dance with you. This is the long way to the ballroom. I would like to talk a little bit more before we get into a noisy room, if that's alright?" His eyes searched mine. I smiled back at him.

"I would like that very much, Connor," I reply, loving the way his name feels in my mouth.