"Time is running out Aloia", Caspian says as he stops pacing. "But I think it's time you met dear old dad".

I gulped down the knot in my throat and realized I would rather fight a whole army of Northerners with their fire bending than meet him

Caspian sent a servant for Lorenzo and told him we had to have a meeting urgently, and I was sent to my room to prepare. I couldn't stop pacing the room.

My whole life I thought my dad was an arrogant asshole, who couldn't give two shits about his daughters after his wife died. But in less than two days I have a new father and my whole life was basically a lie. I couldn't help but think, 'What if my 'new' dad was going to be the same asshole as the last?'

There was a knock at the door, and I flinched, not realizing how deep I was in my thoughts.

"Hey", Caspian said as he walked into my room. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling magical! How do you think I feel? I have to meet my true father that I have never met in the next hour. I have no idea how he will react to me and to add the cherry on top he is going to be assassinated." I replied pacing back and forth.

"Stop", Caspian said standing in front of me and holding my shoulder "Your father, Weylin, is probably one of the nicest, most sincere man I have ever known. He raised me like his own after my mother was taken by the North. I had no one but he took me in. He would never reject his own daughter, whom he has been patiently waiting all these years to meet. And Aloia I have seen you fight, if anyone can stop this assassination it's me and you."

"Thank you", I replied with a sniffle. Caspian pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight and I let him. For once in his ignorant, self-centered life he cared about me.

"I'm here for you, you know, that right?" Caspian told me, pulling back my shoulders.

"Yeah, I know it's for the mission, right?" I responded with a sigh. He looked at me in a disappointing way. No way, did he actually care about me?

I didn't get a chance to finish my thought as he pulled back and asked, "Ready to go?".

"As ready as I'll ever be" I replied. Caspian took me by the hand and started to walk to the back door.

When Caspian and I arrived at the abandoned farmhouse, Lorenzo and Weylin were already there.

"Hey", I said to Lorenzo with a small smile.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, giving my hair a little ruffle.

"As well as anyone would be in my situation" I replied.

"Well, Caspian and I will wait outside for now and you can go in for your family reunion'" Lorenzo said with a smile.

"But it's cold," Caspian whined.

"Ignore him, that's what I usually do", Lorenzo replied.

I giggled and took a deep breath. 'It's now or never' I told myself.

I pushed open the doors and saw a man standing in the shadows with his back turned to me. When he heard the barn door open, he turned to face me, and he had a huge smile on his face.

"Holy shit", he whispered "You look just like your mom" *Weylin looks like Chris Hemsworth just for reference ;) *

"Hey", I awkwardly said, "I'm Aloia".

"Hey Aloia, I'm Weylin" he replied, "Do you mind if I gave you a hug?"

"A..hug?" I questioned him. My father never gave us hugs because he thought showing affection was for the weak.

"If you don't want to its fine!", he exclaimed with his eyes round, scared that he had offended me.

"No, it's alright you can give me a hug", I breathed out with a small laugh.

He rushed to me and enveloped me in a bear hug. I was automatically hit with his wood and fresh pine scent. I breathed him in and let out a sigh. He felt like home although I had just met him. Tears started to well up in my eyes and started to fall as I sniffled a little.

"Hey," Weylin said, pulling me back and wiping my eyes with his thumb "Look at me," he said with a sigh. "I know we aren't in the best situation right now, but I am happier than ever to finally meet the daughter that I have loved for the last 18 years. Your mother would have been so proud of you and I am too. And not for joining the rebels, but for becoming the amazing, bright young women you are today."

"Thanks, dad", I said with a smile and laugh. Then I realized what I had said. It just came out so easily.

"Is it okay if I call you that?" I asked, scared.

"Of course, it is honey", he said kissing the top of my head. "Now boys you can come out from where you are eavesdropping, and we can start figuring out what we are going to do about the assassination plans".

Both Caspian and Lorenzo came out from behind the barn door, red in the face realizing they had been caught.

"Sorry Weylin", they both muttered.

"It's alright boys, just next time don't do it again", he said, giving Caspian a huge bear hug.

"Wait, how come they don't address you as your royal highness?" I asked my dad.

"Because they are like family to me, everyone in the kingdom is. Through these tough times, unity is needed." He said pulling one arm around Caspian's shoulder and another around Lorenzo's.

"There's only one person I use royal names with, and that's you princess", Caspian said with a wink.

"Caspian, stop flirting with my daughter in front of me", Weylin growled at him.

"Ooo, busted dude", Lorenzo replied.

"Are you both five-years-old?" I asked them, shaking my head and sitting down a stack of hay.

"You aren't any better than us princess, guess who fell in a lake today?" Caspian said with a laugh and plopping down next to me, as he put his arm around my shoulder.

"You pushed me!" I exclaimed.

"Already enough with the jokes, let's get down to business we don't have much time", Weylin said, sitting down in front of Caspian and me on a stack of hay.

After hours of talking and discussing different plans, we had finally figured out what we were going to do at the four-nation ball. I was to stay at Silas' side all night and was to make sure that none of his plans change. Caspian was going to get another guard's uniform for Lorenzo and since this ball, the same as last is going to be a masquerade, it won't be hard to conceal his identity.

When Weylin arrives and is announced we make sure he is seen in a specific mask. During the second waltz of the night, Caspian was going to ask me for my hand in a dance, which I was not too happy about planning to do. I will be wearing a rather revealing dress so I can attract men's attention. Once I get asked to go onto the balcony, I will ask them to reveal their true face to me, as soon as they take off their mask, I swap it with Weylin's. When the assassination is done and the North realizes it wasn't Weylin, he will be long gone with Lorenzo. Caspian and I stayed innocent through the whole night.

The only downside is that during the waltz I need to look amazing. I need to make sure I attract someone's attention or else this plan all goes to hell. Therefore, Caspian of course offered to teach me how to do the royal waltz.

When we finally arrived at the castle, Caspian told me to go to the training room after freshening up and put on a skirt.

I slowly opened the door to the training room to check if he was there, maybe there was still a way out of it.

"What took you so long?" Caspian asked from the right-side corner of the room.

"I needed to change", I told him. "Alright so how are we doing this?"

"This", he said pointing to a circular box "is a music box. It is a magical item of my family from way back when magic was used. It is going to play a waltz and I will teach you the steps. Every time you step on my foot, I flick you in the head."

He took out the box and wind it up. Suddenly the room was filled with beautiful music.

(Waltz in A Minor, B.150 Chopin)

I gasped and I heard Caspian chuckled at my reaction.

"Alright, the steps are very easy, but you travel in a circle around the room. You move your feet in the shape of a square. Up one, left one, down one, and right one.", he looked at me to see if I understood. I nodded my head.

"Come here and let's try it", Caspian said signally for me to come.

I walked towards him and he wrapped one arm around my waist pulling me closer and one on my left side waiting for me to put my hand in it. Tinglings flew across my body from his hand placement, but I reminded myself that this was for the mission. I put one arm on his shoulder and put my hand in his.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded my head and slowly we went through the movement.

After what felt like hours of practice my head was red from all the flicking and my feet were sore. We haven't even done the dance yet and I was exhausted.

"Alright, you finally have the moves down. Are you ready to actually dance?" he asked me.

"I'm so tired, can't we do this tomorrow?" I said with a sigh.

"No, let's just practice the dance once." He asked walking up to the music box and restarting it.

"Your hand, my lady?" He said with a bow.

"Of course, good sir," I said with a fake accent and placed my hand in his.

He put his hand in their right position sending butterflies throughout me and I got ready to move around the room.

As soon as the music started, we glided around the room. I felt like a swan and I felt a giggle escape my lips. I turned to Caspian to see if he is having the same reaction as me, but his eyes are glued to me looking at me in awe. I felt free at the moment with Caspian and I looked into his eyes. A giant smile spread across my face. Then Caspian lifted me into the air, and I let out a laugh.

I didn't have a care in the world at that moment. I didn't care that I was exhausted from the day I just had, I didn't care that I had to flirt with a stranger, and I didn't care that I felt so amazing with the one person that made me angry. And most of all, I didn't care that I was falling for him.