you //still\\ have all of [me]~crystalfrost <3~

[~echo~]

Anne smiled at him as well, still blushing slightly. "Wouldn't you know, I think I rather like dancing!"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"I always hated it," he said, sound amused.

[~echo~]

Anne smiled questioningly. "Really?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Really," Elend said. "But I was mostly dancing with stuck-up noble women I had no desire to be around."

[~echo~]

Something flickered in the girls eyes but she smiled. "Then you have a desire to be around me, do you?" She teased.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

He smiled faintly. "Maybe."

[~echo~]

Anne smiled. "Do you want to continue dancing or should we stop?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"What do you want to do?" he asked. He spun her around in a circle, hoping to catch her by surprise.

[~echo~]

Anne gave a little whoop of surprise and grinned. "I don't know!"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend pulled her back toward him so their bodies were flush against each other. Their faces were inches apart. A smile curved onto his lips.

[~echo~]

Anne gave a shy grin and blushed a light pink hue. "Hi, there," she said with a teasing grin.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend seemed to realize what he was doing and drew back an inch. "I should probably return to my duties, before my father comes looking for me," he murmured.

[~echo~]

Anne nodded somberly and took a step backwards. She laced her fingers before gazing back at him. "I'll leave this dress in your hidden room for you to take back." With that, she scurried off and up the stairs to change.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend watched her go, sadness in his eyes but a smile fighting to come out on his lips. What was he thinking? He couldn't keep doing this... she was a servant.

[~echo~]

She came back a minute later dressed in her work uniform. She hurried out of the room and towars the kitchen. What was she doing? At any minute she could get caught by somebody and sent away from the castle, banished to begging in the streets. She couldn't keep seeing him...

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend turned on his heel and walked back to his room, planning to hide out there for the rest of the day. If anyone asked, he would say he wasn't feeling well.

[~echo~]

(So, what do you want to do now?

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

(Hmmm... well, they should grow closer, despite their better judgment, but someone catches them together)

[~echo~]

(Okay )

Despite her better judgement and several close calls, Anne and Elend still continued seeing each other after she stopped working. They were growing closer, too, and while close friendships were wonderful, someone could find them out and do something drastic.

Anne found herself in the room once more, laughing and talking with Elend as she did almost every day now. Nobody heard the door downstairs open.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Elend smiled, that smile that was usually so rare but had become more common these days. It felt good to smile. "So then Jon snuck out of the palace, just to prove them wrong," he said.