Girl for one get that glass of water! andddd this is a loose request but I LOVE knight Luke and we just gotta see them have that cinderella live action ball scene like romantic dancing maybe the secret garden as well but either way we gotta see these gals at a ball! Have a great day you're an amazing writer!
under the moonlight
fic about the ball
pairing: knight!luke castellan x princess!reader
a/n: thank you so much for this request it is so fucking cute lmao. i changed it a bit to make it work with my vision (bc they wouldn’t really be able to dance at a ball) but the core is that they're dancing together!!! and it is much more intimate and personal lol. here is the cinderella scene that the ask mentioned (and that i took inspo from because it's a beautiful scene lol)
wc: 2.5k
warning(s): basically all fluff
as usual, a mix of hcs and traditional fic!
ALRIGHT LAST TIME WE LEFT OFF princess was dancing with princes during the ball and luke was sulking at his first ever ball accompanying you as a knight
and thankfully, that all goes okay.
You don’t get murdered, Luke only goes slightly insane, and you don’t fall head over heels for any royals.
All in all, a pretty alright night in retrospect.
But post-ball is rough on both of you.
You complain about how much your feet hurt from your heels and how uncomfortable your dress is and how your cheeks ache from smiling so much.
To your surprise, as Luke follows you down the halls, he laughs.
You stop in your tracks as you whirl around. “And what do you find so funny?”
“Nothing,” he says with a slight smile, almost private. “Just… good to be back with you, princess.”
A small smile of your own starts to creep on your lips. “It was only half the night, Luke.”
“And you have no idea how much I missed you,” he muses.
You just shake your head and continue walking. “You’re funny.”
(he’s not joking. he’s just going through it now that he’s not training 24/7 and actually has time to feel emotions again)
You finally get back to your room—thankfully, you got out of any post-ball events with any princes by citing exhaustion, and it’s very rude to demand more of an exhausted lady—and Luke shuts the door behind you as you sink into the edge of your bed.
“God,” you groan as you immediately peel your heels off, letting out a sigh of relief. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to those.”
“If it’s any help, you looked very regal out there,” Luke says.
“It is my duty,” you say as you smile inwardly. “You looked very knightly out there.”
“And that’s my duty,” he says in kind. He gets a chuckle out of you.
You begin to take everything off—you undo your hair from whatever elaborate style it was in, you strip your wrists and fingers bare of bracelets, bangles, and rings (though you leave a certain necklace on), you undo parts of your dress. When you take your nightgown from your chest and go behind your folding screen, Luke clears his throat.
“Princess,” Luke says, “do you want me to—?”
“You can stay,” you say. “I don’t mind.”
And Luke, idiot that he is, gets all in his head.
(Does she not want me to leave because she doesn’t even see me as someone who could like her like that???) (We’ve been friends for so long, does she just see me as an older brother???) (Does this mean she trusts me or sees me as like. a painting on the wall.) (what the fuck)
It’s not any of those, poor boy. it’s just that you feel more comfortable around him than anyone because you’ve been around each other for your entire life—he knows you better than anyone. What’s the harm in him being in the room when you’re separated by a folding screen anyway?
but Luke is dramatic and also so fucking insecure when it comes to your feelings for him lmao
and he has a reason to be i guess?? because at this point while he knows that he has feelings for you (hasn’t fully realized he’s in love) you haven’t realized your own. you just think you have a lingering childhood crush on Luke and it’ll go away as you get older and start being courted
(spoiler alert: it will not go away.)
so he gets all weird and silent, giving one word responses as you talk with him, and when you come out in your nightgown you immediately stare him down.
“Luke,” you said, “what’s wrong?”
He blinked, as if he wasn’t expecting you to say anything. “Nothing.”
“Luke,” you repeated. “Come on.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he repeated as well.
You crossed your arms. “Don’t act like I don’t know every single thing about you.”
“If you do, then you should know that nothing is wrong,” he countered.
You stared at him for a moment more, then you held out your hand. “Dance with me, then.”
That actually seemed to throw him off guard as he frowned. “What?”
“Did you go deaf back there?” you joked. “I want you to dance with me.”
He managed a smile, though it was slightly awkward. It only made your smile grow. “I don’t dance, princess.”
“Which is why I’ll teach you,” you said with a nod. “I’ve had plenty of practice.”
“And I have none.” Luke gestured at his armor. “I’m not exactly suited for it, either.”
“You can take off your armor,” you said. “It’ll make it all much easier. And a lot quieter.”
“My job is to protect you, princess.” Luke laid his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I can’t exactly defend you if all the armor’s gone.”
You rolled your eyes good-naturedly. He really did worry too much. “Nothing’s going to happen here, Luke—not now. I’ll even let you keep your sword with you if it matters that much.”
He still didn’t seem sure. You inclined your head and took another step forward, still holding out your hand.
“I’ll count you through it all,” you promised. “And if you like, I can hum one of those orchestra tunes they played earlier tonight. And I promise it’ll make you feel better.”
“...Fine,” Luke relented, and he started undoing his armor. “But you don’t tell anyone about this.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” you remarked.
It took a fair amount of time for Luke to get his armor off, but it took just as long for you to get every layer of your ball gown off earlier—and besides, you had endless patience reserved especially for him. The toned forearms revealed as he rolled his sleeves up certainly helped.
“Are you ready?” you asked as you held out your hand again.
Luke took it uncertainly. “I feel as if I’m the one meant to be asking you that.”
“You can lead next time we train together,” you said with a smile. “For now, you’re in my domain.”
You put Luke’s hand on your waist and reached for his other one, adjusting until it was right, then you looked up at him. “Does that feel alright?”
His eyes were startlingly dark this close, surprisingly intense. He nodded.
“Good. I’m going to teach you a few basic steps so you can get used to it.”
Luke nodded again. You wondered why words seemed behind his grasp.
yeah girlie I wonder why
Luke is. not a great dancer
You’re not surprised, and you don’t say a single word about it as you teach him the basics. he spent his childhood swinging a sword around, and you spent yours learning etiquette and ballroom dances lol
He steps on your foot about ten times and apologizes like a freak every time, you just laugh and smile and tell him you’re fine. Sure, your slippers don’t provide much protection and Luke’s boots aren’t great against them but you honestly don’t even feel it. you’re too busy getting lost in his eyes lol
And for someone who spent two years training like an insane person, he gets frustrated very easily when things don’t go his way.
“How do you do this? It’s impossible.”
“I learned this dance when I was twelve, Luke.”
as much as you jest while you’re teaching him the basics you’re encouraging him the entire time because he’s your best friend above all else!!! and you honestly believe he can do anything lmao
And he’s a quick learner! He didn’t become the youngest kingsguard in history by learning slowly. So soon enough, you’re actually dancing together.
Luke’s hand on your back feels like the most natural thing in the world, and you can tell he’s actually starting to get a little into it.
You didn’t have to count your steps off anymore, so you’d switched to humming one of your favorite symphonies from the musicians back in Aurelda.
Luke is still focused on landing every move, but your lead and the music gives him confidence in this that he didn’t really know he had. He spins you, and you get an idea as you twirl your way to the balcony door. You open it and look back at him.
“Princess—” Luke starts as he takes a few steps towards you, but you just shake your head with a grin and hold out your hand.
“Trust me.”
And he does, somehow.
You didn’t know what part of himself Luke had to get to in order to actually go along with this, but he allowed you to fully take the lead. His eyes never left yours as you guided him through one of your favorite dances—sometimes you called out whatever move that was coming next, and he would do it perfectly. His instincts and reaction time, sharply honed by his training, actually came in handy.
“And lift!”
Luke braced his hands on your waist as he raised you into the air without missing a beat, and you found yourself actually laughing with pure glee as you landed. You grinned at Luke who had a smile smaller than yours, but that you knew meant the same. He glowed with exertion and the light of the full moon shone down on him.
Angelic was the only word you could think of to describe him.
“Princess,” he said, bringing you back to the real world, “are we done?”
“I see no reason not to end while we’re ahead,” you said, slightly out of breath from his lift. “You’re a natural. Are you sure you’re not a prince?”
Luke’s smile didn’t fully reach his eyes for the slightest moment—he covered it up before you could fully analyze it. “Thankfully, I’m not. Otherwise I would have had to do that all my life like you.”
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” you said offhandedly. “Especially when you’ve got such a great partner.”
Luke suddenly lowered himself into a bow, his arm held in front of his chest as he bent over. You couldn’t stifle your laugh in time, but he was smiling when he rose.
“The only proper way to truly end a dance, so I’ve seen,” he said. “I wouldn’t be such a great partner if I forgot that.”
You grinned as you took the skirt of your nightgown in your hands and bobbed into a curtsy. “Thank you for the reminder, my lord.”
A shiver ran through you and Luke’s eyebrows creased. “You should get back inside. You’re not dressed at all for this weather.”
“It’s simply a night chill,” you said, and you walked over to the railing and rested your forearms on it. “And it’s too beautiful a night to ignore.”
“It truly is.”
You heard Luke walk up next to you, so you glanced over. His gaze was only set on you.
You felt your cheeks flush and you bit back your smile as you stared back up at the stars. For a moment, you stood together in comfortable silence.
“Thank you for tonight,” you finally said.
You could hear his frown in his words. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.” You leaned a bit closer to the railing, shifting your balance. “Your presence always… calms me. And I was a bit nervous for tonight.”
When Luke finally responded, it was more restrained than usual. “Why?”
“Well, I was nervous tonight because you put the idea in my head that I was going to get murdered,” you said wryly. “And your presence calms me because it always has.”
“So… I made you nervous and calmed you down for what I made you nervous about?” Luke shook his head. “I’m sorry, princess.”
“Why are you apologizing?” You finally turned to look at him, the smallest smile on your lips. “Anytime I got overwhelmed on the floor, or felt as if I was going to keel over from boredom, I just searched around until I found you.” You shrugged. “The sight of you alone was enough to get me through the rest of it.”
“And of course,” you tipped a shoulder as your gaze drifted back to the stars, “you danced with me for no reason. That gives you all the good will you need from me.”
“It wasn’t for no reason,” he said. “It made you happy. That’s reason enough for me.”
The chill in the air was a blessing as you felt heat rise in your cheeks, and your smile grew just so.
“Besides.” You could feel his eyes on you as he continued. “This was my first ball. Anytime I got overwhelmed, I would find you in the crowd, and your confidence got me through it.”
You chuckled as your gaze fell to the marble railing. You didn’t know if you’ve ever felt less confident at a ball—but knowing that Luke was looking for you the same way you did him made butterflies arise in your stomach.
Warmth spurned all through you, and the fingers on your forearms felt bumps rise on your skin. You didn’t exactly know what possessed you as you cleared your throat and started back towards your room.
“It’s late,” you said, perhaps a bit too hasty. “We— we should turn in. It’s going to be a long ride back to Aurelda.”
You paused at the door, waiting to hear Luke’s footsteps or his voice, and it took a few seconds for him to do anything.
“...Yes,” he eventually said. “I apologize for keeping you so long.”
You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself as you opened the door and walked back in. Always so noble—it was no question he had knight’s blood in his veins.
“It’s not your fault, Luke,” you said. “You were just meant to drop me off—I got you to stay.”
You sat on the side of your bed as Luke put his armor back on. There was no point in it, but he refused to let the implications of him leaving your room at this hour in his underclothes fester.
“I chose to stay,” he said. “I know better.”
“You can give it a rest for a night, Luke,” you said with a slight laugh. “I’m your princess, aren’t I?”
“Certainly.”
“And you are my knight.”
“Yes.”
“Then I don’t see how anyone could have a problem with my knight spending time with me.” You smiled as you leaned forward, meeting his eyes. A smile twitched on his lips for just a moment before he continued to get dressed.
Soon enough, he was ready to go. Luke paused at the door, fingers on the handle, and met your eyes.
“Thank you again for tonight, princess,” he said. “I…”
His breath caught for a moment. His eyes flickered down to your neck. A millisecond later, they were back at eye level, and you allowed a knowing smile.
“I enjoyed it,” he murmured. “Goodnight, princess.”
“Goodnight, Luke,” you said softly.
And you got one more smile out of him before he closed the door behind him.
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