The Doctors Ball
1051 Words
Liora
The Moon Kingdom’s Annual Doctors’ Ball was a symphony of light, magic, and elegance. Floating chandeliers cast prismatic halos across the ballroom floor, while walls of veined moonstone pulsed softly in time with the live orchestra. I stood beneath the great arch of the palace’s main hall, breath catching in my throat.
Why had I been invited?
The ball was a celebration of healing and unity, traditionally reserved for seasoned physicians, famed alchemists, or scholars who had spent decades in their craft. And yet, here I was—barely graduated, unaccomplished by comparison, my wings trembling in their folds. My friends, however, were delighted to attend such an event, a ball with glittering gowns and handsome men, so I made a dress and came—if only for their sake.
Then the king invited Seryna for a dance.
She twirled across the floor in the arms of King Caius himself, her face alight with something soft and breathless. Ah, this must be the mysterious mate she mentioned before. So this wasn’t just a celebration. It was court politics wrapped in crystal and silk.
Still, I could admire it. The chandeliers glinted like suspended galaxies. The scent of wild moonflowers and ancient books mingled in the air. I let my wings loosen slightly, the pink-tinted lavender of my dress shifting to a deeper rose as my nerves gave way to awe. Nerissa was making a bet on how quickly the king could win Seryna over—I gave it a week, Nerissa gave it 24 hours. She ended up winning that bet.
Then I saw him.
Noctis
Balls were always the same—polished floors, cloying perfumes, endless conversations about nothing. I stood near the edge of the room, wine in hand, offering a nod to Caius when our eyes met across the crowd. He’d done well for himself—Seryna would be good for the realm.
I was proud. I was also bored.
And then she arrived.
She walked in like moonlight distilled. Platinum blonde hair brushed her knees, glowing faintly in the candlelight. Her wings—elegant lunar moth wings—folded neatly behind her, dusted in shimmer and grace. The mood-sensitive dress she wore bloomed from orchid to bashful rose as she crossed the ballroom.
And then it happened.
A tingle—then a burn.
I frowned, pulling off my left glove. The birth rune on my wrist was glowing softly, its ancient lines awakening for the first time in over three hundred years—it transformed, forming a perfect pair of Lunar moth wings—her wings.
Mate.
She was my mate.
Liora
He moved toward me with a kind of slow elegance, every step precise, like a shadow learning to dance. He offered his hand with a quiet confidence and a hesitant smile.
"A dance?" he asked, voice smooth like dusk air over still water.
I nodded, placing my hand in his. My breath stilled.
Red eyes met mine.
And I felt it—an inexplicable pull, a tether made of something older than memory.
Noctis
She said yes.
I had expected hesitation. Perhaps fear. Instead, she placed her hand in mine, warm and delicate, and we stepped onto the dance floor.
The orchestra swelled. The rest of the room dimmed.
I didn’t ask her name. I didn’t need to.
Liora
We danced.
At first, in silence. But then we began to speak—first about the music, then the gardens outside, then—
“Oh! Are you a doctor?” I gasped when he mentioned his role.
He chuckled softly, a low velvet sound. “The Supreme Alpha’s pack doctor.”
My wings fluttered in shock. “But you’re not—”
“A wolf?” he finished for me, raising an eyebrow. “No. But I’m the best.”
That made me laugh. And with that laugh, something inside me cracked open.
I asked about his patients, his methods, his healing spray. He explained the concoction—a blend of wolfsbane resin, lunar bark, and phoenix salve, calibrated to accelerate healing during transformations.
“You invented that?” I breathed, utterly captivated.
He nodded.
And then I was lost. Not just in his knowledge, but in how he looked at me—as if I weren’t just another guest at a royal event, but the only one who had ever truly listened.
Noctis
Her delight made me ache. Every answer I gave seemed to light her up more—her eyes bright, wings fluttering with genuine fascination.
No one had ever responded to me like this. They feared me, tolerated me, needed me. She… wanted to know me.
Liora
The night blurred. The music became a backdrop. Our dance slowed, then resumed, then slowed again. We spoke of the ways medicine and magic intertwined. Of our mutual love for rare herbs. Of dreams to build sanctuaries of healing.
The ball wound down. Still, I lingered beside him.
“It was only one dance,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
His hand brushed mine, a lingering touch that made my pulse stutter.
Then I was gliding away, leaving behind the most unexpected piece of my night—him.
I didn’t know then that fate had already begun to turn. That no amount of laughter or wingbeats could outrun the storm to come.
Noctis
She vanished into the corridors of the palace, the final note of the orchestra fading behind her.
I stared at my wrist.
Still glowing.
Thank you, Selenai, I whispered to the moonlight above.
I had waited three hundred years.
And she was worth every one of them.
Liora
I once marveled at the beauty that surrounded me. It used to inspire potions, salves... even dresses stitched from moonspun silk. We fairies are known for our love of design, of color and light, but even that brings no joy now.
I drifted through the palace halls without meeting anyone’s eyes. Irisel and Myrelle greeted me as I passed, their smiles tentative. I offered only a nod and kept moving.
If I could sleep, I wouldn't have to feel this pain.
In my dreams, we were whole again—dancing beneath chandeliers, our laughter echoing like it could keep the war at bay.
But dreams don’t last.
And morning always comes.
- Writer
