Chapter 4

The Enchanted Ball

   Each prince helped a princess and a Gus into a boat and they set off. Carefully, Justin got in beside Gus.

   In each boat, a strong prince grabbed a set of oars and rowed across the lake.

   Tonight though, Gus' boat dropped behind a little. The prince's muscles strained and his deep chest heaved in a mouthwatering display.

   "I'm sorry, my prince, he said to Gus, "I don't know what's wrong! But I can't seem to catch up to the rest tonight"

   "It's probably the heat tonight," said Gus, "I found it very sultry and hot on the way here and I'm warm right now too. Don't worry about it. A little space from my sisters is what I need right now anyway. Let's just enjoy the privacy."

   The prince smiled a toothy smile and Gus smiled back sappily.

   However, beside him Justin was frozen in a mask of horror. He chalked it up to his magic items but he could see that the prince's outward appearance was not his true form. It was superimposed over yet another image; the true prince's face was stretched in a mask of misery, revulsion, and hate. The true prince was enslaved to this "curse" and Gus had no idea that in reality this guy was straight, possibly homophobic and made Gus' homo-erotic toy.

   Justin looked over to the other boats and looked...really looked at the other princes and saw more of the same. Some were faces of abject lust, a few loved the princesses truly but others were miserable, beaten down or railing in silent screams of rage against their imprisonment. The one rowing Melanie's boat was actually a woman!

   However, none of them could see through the deception and every single one of the princesses plus Gus was completely besotted with their partner. Melanie still looked a bit severe but still more relaxed than before.

   All the boats rowed across the lake to a central island. On the island was a large castle made of black stone. It was very beautiful and shone like onyx but there was an underlying creepiness as well. It was to this castle that the twelve princes rowed. Eleven and then one boat ran aground and twelve prices helped eleven princesses and Gus out and escorted them up to the castle. Justin waited a bit and then followed after. He crept in unseen. There was a large vestibule with a number of capes and hats hung up on hooks and a pair of double door opposite where Justin had come in. He crossed swiftly and opened the door and entered softly and moving the door as little as possible.

   He needn't have bothered. The noise was deafening and the sensory overload was total.

   The entire castle was one central room. Door opened off this room haphazardly around the edges, portals to upper rooms and towers no doubt but this central room was huge. It was divided into four quarters and in the center were four dining tables, each heavily laden with food.

   The first quarter was filled with dancing people all in white. There was a laser show and on a high stage was a performing dancer dressed as a bride. Her dress was elaborate and decorated with sequins made from diamonds and pearls.

   The second quarter was a leather ball with people in various stages of dress and undress in leather. There was a spanking bench and a St Andrew's Cross and a hundred men all dancing in wild revelry.

   The third quarter was a formal dress ball. Men and men and men and women danced together in couples in ball gowns and tuxedoes.

   The fourth quarter was a kind of night club setting. There were lot of men and women both in straight and gay couples but mostly gay. People were dressed in golden club clothes and it didn't take a genius to spot Gus dancing with his musclebound and secretly miserable prince.

   From where Justin stood, there was a cacophony of noise, music from all quarters inundated him. Then he moved toward Gus and as he moved into a single section, only that music could be heard. Overall, there were trumpets and strings and classical, kettledrums, techno, and synthesized keyboards with a lot of electric guitars. As Justin moved into the nightclub area however, everything faded except the techno music overlaid with the kettledrums, beating out an irresistible thumpa thumpa beat. There were green lasers and on high suspended platforms, muscular dancers stamped out a primal beat, sweat pouring off their oiled bodies.

   Justin watched Gus for a minute and was again struck by his masculine beauty and grace. He was so young too, just eighteen and full of hope and the belief in true love. He danced primally with his muscular prince, oblivious to the fact that his partner was just going through the motions. Gus' happy face was turned up toward his lover the way a sunflower turns its face toward the hot summer sun and his golden glitter sparked on his face the way diamonds of light, dapple on a pond, kissed by warm summer sunshine.

   Without any real plan, Justin stood near the door, put the silk glove and pearl bracelet on his right wrist and then took off the leather glove and armband from his right.

Immediately he appeared and moved into the throng of the nightclub. He was wearing golden club clothes that sparkled and shone like silk His pants looked sprayed on and his blue hat with white feather just disappeared, letting his blond hair shine as gold as his clothes.

   He moved within sight of Gus and he could tell Gus was impressed and his dancing slowed a little. When he realized the beautiful man was smiling at him and moving closer....to him, Gus' mouth opened comically in surprise and he stopped dancing, waiting for him to get there.

   Justin tapped on Gus' partner's shoulder and asked "May I cut in?"

   Justin could see the real version of the cursed prince sag in relief but the super imposed version just bowed politely and said: "Certainly. Take good care of my baby!" He went to sit at one of the central tables.

   Justin and Gus began to dance. "Thank you. I think he needed the break and it won't hurt the curse if someone cuts in."

   "You're welcome Gus. There is no one else I would cut in on."

   "That's so sweet! Thank you! Who are you? I don't remember seeing you here before."

   "And yet you know me all the same."

   "What do you mean?"

   Justin just smiled. "I bumped into you on the stairway."

   Gus' eyes widened. "That was YOU?"

   "You heard me break twigs from the branches of the trees."

   "That was YOU?"

   Justin just smiled. "I sat beside you in your little boat. That is why you went slower tonight."

   "That was YOU? Oh, I thought something was amiss tonight! Why were you following us? And how? I saw no-one! Who are you?"

   Justin just smiled and kept dancing. "Oh Gus, can you not guess?"

   Gus' eyes widened and he grabbed Justin around the waist and danced in a "passionate" embrace. "Britin!!? Is that you?"

   Justin hugged him back. "Oh Gus! My wise and wonderful prince! I knew you would recognize me!"

   Next to his ear, Gus whispered, "Stay very close. Don't stop dancing whatever you do. Come into the formal quarter where the music will be softer."

   So the two princes danced into the formal quarter and soft and elegant music replaced the techno music and the thumpa thumpa beat. Their clothes melted and re-shaped and they were two men dancing a waltz in stunning tuxedoes. Only Gus' shoes remained the same, a pair of soft, golden slippers that seemed to have been made for a woman.

   Dancing cheek to cheek, Gus whispered, "I thought...I mean...the Jim Beam....how did you escape?"

   "I was warned of your plan. I only pretended to drink tonight. And when you turned to check for that non-existent zit, I dumped it into a plant nearby."

   Gus hung on tightly to Britin but his stiff body and awkward embrace belied it was fear and not love in its motive. "But why? Why follow us all this way?"

   "One...I don't want my head chopped off. Two...I was curious. Three...I think I need your help Gus. And you need mine."

   "My help? What do you mean?"

   "Why do you wear women's dancing shoes, Gus?"

   Gus looked down at them and giggled, "It's strange, I know. I think my prince prefers them on me. I don't think he's into drag though and neither am I. But my sisters are very...foolish and they only like soft shoes made of satin or cloth. And so they wear out every night. So one night, I thought ahead and ordered a pair from the shoemaker myself. I broke a few twigs and leaves from those trees myself over a few days and told the shoemaker to make me a pair of shoes made entirely with thread made from the gold. But I have so many sisters and they make so many shoes for them all that I think they must have gotten confused and they made a pair of girl's dancing shoes instead. And since they are made out of solid gold, they never wear out, so I've never bothered with another pair. I hide them at daybreak and with the pile of ruined shoes my sisters leave, everyone assumes I have left a pair in there as well. But I don't. I know the difference and so does this place and it recognizes their magic. They will not transform here, so I cannot go to the White Party. But it's OK. I prefer the club scene."

   There was a short silence as the two men danced the waltz. Then Gus said softly, "You mustn't follow us anymore Britin. You're in terrible danger here. If my sisters found out, they would tear your eyes out and blind you and if you dance too long here you will be caught in the curse."

   "What is this curse, Gus?"

   "Strangely enough, the specifics were never told to me but what I gather, the twelve princes have been dancing in this castle every night for 1000 years in bondage. In three days their servitude will be over and they have promised to marry us in the surface world."

   "That is where you need my help. I have something to tell you. Is there anywhere we can talk without dancing? I am near worn out."

   "Dance me over to one of the central tables. Everyone will think we are just refreshing ourselves. But then we must dance again and we must dance until 3 o clock in the morning."

   Britin and Gus carried this out and when they were sitting down and pretending to munch on some grapes and sip wine, Britin leaned in and whispered to Gus what he had seen of the princes while invisible.

   "So he doesn't love me? Are all of them the same way?"

   "A few of them are in love truly. But not many. And the one dancing with Melanie is a woman with long blonde hair." They had a good giggle over that one.

   "The way Melanie acts, I bet she'd prefer that." They snickered even harder over that one. "Bitch!" they murmured in unison.

   They looked at each other in surprise. Gus' eyes softened and then unexpectedly filled with tears.

   "Gus! What's the matter!?"

   "My father ignores me. My sisters bully me. Now I find out my prince doesn't love me. Nobody loves me!"

   "I'm sure that's not true."

   "You're the only one who's cared to tell me the truth in what seems like my whole life! Oh God! What are we going to do?"

   Britin pulled him to his feet and pulled him onto the formal dance floor. They were both so young they could have been at their high school Prom. "We're going to dance," Britin said.

   Gus laid his soft cheek on Britin's young but hard pec. "I like this form much better than your daytime one. I wish...I wish you could stay this way all the time."

   "So do I, Gus," Justin/Britin said honestly, "So do I!"

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   The wild dancing went on all around them but from that moment on, Gus and Justin stayed together as if they'd been stuck together with Superglue, swaying to the music in the Prom quarter. Sometimes they waltzed and sometimes they just swayed together, turning in place, letting the rest of the enchanted Ball roll on around them.

   Finally, at three o'clock, Gus' musclebound prince cut in and took possession of Gus again and Britin bowed and backed away.

   "If fortune smiles upon me, perhaps here again I shall meet thee," said Justin lyrically.

   "We both know that can never be," answered Gus.

   "Never say never," said Justin. Then he backed away and melted into the crowd.

   To allay suspicion, Justin sat invisibly in Melanie's boat on the way back. This time it was the eldest sister's boat that was slower than the others.

   "I don't understand," huffed the rowing prince, "I'm rowing as fast as I can. Did you put on some weight?"

   Melanie was livid and her face went red as a beet. "You...you....You just shut up and row!" she huffed and refused to say another word.

   When they got back, everyone started back in one long row from eldest to youngest. Instead of following behind however, Justin ran ahead past the diamond trees, past the gold trees, past the silver trees, fast as tickety boo.  And just as the princesses and Gus were entering the golden grove Justin was running up the stairs. And just as they were entering the silver forest, Justin reached the top, was watching the secret stair close up again and heading to his own bed. He took off the magic items and lay in bed, waited and played possum.

   In what seemed like no time, the secret stair opened up and eleven tired princesses and one tired prince marched up. The princesses dumped their ruined shoes in a pile and Gus hid his under his bed in a box.

   Then he was sent to look in on Britin. Of course, he looked like a sleeping angel and an innocent babe who hadn't moved all night.

   But Gus knew better. He sat down and smoothed Britin's golden locks and whispered: "That was very dangerous. You must never do that again."

   It may have been his imagination, but Gus swore he heard a voice breathe out soft as a dream: "Never say never."

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   Brian perused the letter:

Dear Brian,

Thank you for the magical items. They did indeed come in handy. I followed the kids down the stairs into a deep netherworld. There was a marbled walkway lined with trees, first silver, then gold, then diamond. After that...

   Brian quickly perused the letter, his eyes widening at the description of the magical Ball. Damn! A night club! Hot guys! Why did he have to be the one transformed at night!? Damn!

I have enclosed the twigs of silver, gold and diamond as proof. Display them to the king as ask for two more days extension where all will be revealed and curses broken.

Gus feels very unloved and needs a strong male role model. Be nice to him. Attempt to not be a dick while I'm a bird.

Oh, and Brian. If any hunky moustachioed Doms invade your dreams again...be sure to tell them your taken.

I love you.

Justin

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN A TWO DAY EXTENSION! HOW DARE YOU! I OUGHT TO CHOP YOUR HEAD OFF RIGHT NOW!!!!" yelled the merriest old soul in the world.

   "Carl, for God's sake! Will you calm the fuck down! We've waited this long! What's two more days? Just calm down and remember your blood pressure!" yelled Queen Debbie.

   Brian/Britin then recounted how he had followed the prince and princesses down a secret stairwell and past an avenue of silver trees, then gold, then diamond. He presented the twigs as proof but claimed he had lost track of them at that point.

   "I could try again this evening and follow them further...however...I will need the use of my head," said Britin, bowing low.

   He only heard a lot of growling and grunting but no demand for the executioner so Brian took this to mean the affirmative, backed up slowly until his butt hit the door and backed his butt the hell out of there.

@@@@@@@

   That night, Gus brought Britin his Jim Beam and stood over him with a stony face. "I'm going to watch you drink every drop. No funny business tonight."

   Justin took a small sip and said, "Yes Gus." in a submissive tone. "Of course, I might be able to take you a little more seriously if there weren't a large spider in your hair." He let his voice carry.

   Several of the princesses let out screams as shrill as a noonday whistle. There was a flurry of activity, Gus was dogpiled as the princesses searched and whacked his head in the search for the non-existent spider. And by the time, Gus was able to free himself and fend off his sisters; Britin's drinking glass was empty.

   "Did you drink it? On your honor as a prince, tell me true!" Gus asked when the kafuffle had died down at last.

   "Of course, Gus." Justin/Britin faked a yawn.

   "Truly? Do not follow us again! Do not do what you are thinking!"

   "Really Gus! How do you....mmmmm....sorry...how do you know what I'm thinking?"

   "Because I'd be thinking the same..." but before he could finish the thought Britin had collapsed back on the pillow, eyes closed and snoring.

   "Gus! Hurry up! Stop wasting time with him! We'll be late again!"

   So Gus hurried and cast distrustful looks over at him but Britin just slept on like a babe in the woods.

   They descended the stairs. They closed up. And Justin opened his eyes and jumped up from his little bed and hurried after.

   "Sorry Gus!" he thought as he pressed the secret switch," but on my honor as a prince...I must follow!"

@@@@@@

   The trip down was largely uneventful this time. There were no strange noises but once again, Gus' boat was a little heavier and harder to row.

   "Um...if you want....tonight...if someone cuts in...you must feel free to rest as long as you want," Gus said.

   "To break the spell I must dance unless my partner gives me leave," the prince sounded a trifle robotic tonight.

   Gus felt an invisible encouraging squeeze on his arm.

   "Well...I give you leave then," Gus confirmed, "And look....Um...I know I must be a handful, so....I just wanted to say...I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I ever made you do anything you didn't really want to do." There was another encouraging pat.

   "No my prince. You did nothing. It is my pleasure to dance with you forever," said the cursed prince even more robotically.

   Gus patted his knee quickly in a consoling gesture. "It's OK. I understand. And I will give you leave."

@@@@@@

   When everybody was inside, Justin came invisibly after and put on the silk glove and pearl bracelet. Gorgeous club clothes again appeared and again he strode right up to Gus and his prince and cut in. Justin could see the inner prince was even more relieved and grateful, much like he had been in the boat. He seemed to understand that Gus was not going to use him as a love toy any longer and he had appeared very relieved.

   Gus and Britin, danced in the golden club for a while and then moved over to the formal quarter where they were again adorned in mouthwatering tuxes.

   "What are you doing here!? I told you not to come!" Gus tickled Britin's ear with a furious whisper.

   "I came because you needed me to come. Because I think you are the most special of your siblings and you are destined for greatness. Because I could not bear to think of you down here alone."

   "I'm hardly alone," Gus said, indicating the crowd.

   "And yet you are...except for your captive prince," Justin pressed.

   And suddenly Gus was clinging to him like a life raft. They stayed like that for a long time, just turning, turning on the dance floor.

   "Oh God!" he moaned, "I really like this form better than your day self. I wish you could stay like this for always!"

   "I do too. And there is something you could do to help me."

   "Me? Really? What?"

   "When this is all over...I would like you to give me your golden dancing shoes. I need them very much."

   "If you need money, my father will give you all you need."

   Britin gave Gus an affectionate squeeze. It is not for the gold that I need them. I need them because they are women's shoes and you have danced in them. It's part of the spell....to change me back."

   "To change you...to keep you changed...into this, right?"

   "Sure. Right....Oh Gus, I should tell you...we can dance down here...but that's as far as it can go...on the surface world...I'm taken."

   "Oh...OK. Thanks for telling me. And you can have my shoes. When this is over, I won't need them anymore. You'll be doing me a favor."

   Justin was just breathing a sigh of relief when he was squeezed around the middle so hard his breath whooshed out of him.

   "You may be taken up there," whispered Gus, "But as long as you keep following me down here.... you're mine!"

@@@@@@

   The next night Justin transformed back into himself in his little adjacent room. Brian was there and ready. He wore the collar.

   "I love you, " he said and pointed at the bed. And then feathers were flying and he was transformed.

   Justin let the owl out the window with a sigh and watched him fly away in that magnificent, silent way that they can. Then he closed the shutters and turned to see a folded letter on the bed. He pounced on it.

   Much of it was more of the same. The King was grumpy. The Queen was jolly. Brian was very glad to hear they had acquired the next piece of the puzzle. He had taken Gus fishing, letting the Prince think they needed to gather food for the journey when they solved the mystery. So he had let Gus be in charge of finding the fishing hole and Gus had taken him to a secret place teeming with trout, perch and other fish and they had had a great time.

   The door to Gus and the princesses' room burst open and they all piled in. Everyone had "retired" for the night. Yeah, right!

   Justin hid the letter under his pillow and then just waited. Sure enough, all too soon, Gus toddled over with his glass of Jim Beam.

   This time, however, he blocked the glass with his own body and dumped it into the plant himself.

   "Here's your nightcap. I want to see you drink it all now," Gus said loudly and a little stilted.

   "OK, Gus! Whatever you say," Justin/Britin said, taking the empty glass and making loud gulping noises. He belched loudly.

   Most of the princesses looked disgusted but Gus and Britin only giggled together like naughty schoolboys.

   "Did you have a good day?" Britin asked.

   You should know. You were there," said Gus.

   "Oh. Yes, of course. But due to the magic sometimes my memories are a little foggy with the details. Did I treat you all right?"

   "Oh yes. We went fishing remember? I took you to my secret fishing hole. But don't tell anyone where it is. It's my secret place."

   "I've already forgotten," Britin said honestly. Are you sure my daytime self is cool? Did he...uh...I treat you kindly?"

   "Oh yes, kind enough. It's funny, though. I still prefer this you better. Daytime Britin is nice and all but he treats me different. It's more...fatherly, you know?"

   "I think I'm getting a picture," Britin said.

   "You'd better get sleepy now," Gus whispered.

   Britin nodded and yawned loudly. He faked sleepiness, drooped his eyes and then passed right out. He felt Gus catch him before he could fall back and lay him gently down, and smooth his hair away from his face. "Sorry," he whispered.

   Then he left before his sisters could bitch at him for not getting ready.

   Soon enough, they were. Down through the central rose they all marched, from oldest to youngest, and then it closed back up for them.

   As soon as there was silence, Justin sat up, grabbed his gloves and bracelets and strapped on the leather to go invisible. He pressed the rose and followed.

   After a slightly faster trip across the lake (Gus had finally taken pity on his prince and helped him row) Justin waited until everyone had gone and then snuck inside the netherworld castle.

   Inside, he looked around the golden nightclub but Gus was nowhere to be seen. His prince was there though, dancing with a buxom blond woman.

   Justin put on the silk glove and pearl bracelet and took off the leathers and appeared. He looked around the huge room in consternation. Gus could be anywhere.

   Then he heard a wolf whistle and he turned and smiled. Gus was in the Prom Quarter waiting for him. His gold shoes clashed horribly with the otherwise mouthwatering tux he was wearing. He stood there on the sidelines, arms behind his back, toes turned out, just waiting.

   Justin smiled and walked over and the two of them snapped together like a lock and a key. They strolled around the Prom dance floor like they owned it and for the time being, they did.

   "I gave him leave, straight off. I don't want to dance with him anymore. I'm still gay but I don't want to marry him. And he has shown his true colors too," Gus said as they watched his prince with affection, dancing with the woman in the nightclub.

   "Who will you marry?" Justin asked.

   "Time can only tell," Gus said, "But I only want to dance with one person and if I could have it my way, I would have that person as husband too."

   "But you're dancing with me." Justin said.

   "Mmm-hmmm," Gus murmured in affirmation.

   "You were waiting here...for me...instead of the club," Justin said.

   "Mmmm-hmmm." Gus leaned a cheek against his pec.

   "Gus, what are you saying?"

   "I'm trying not to say much of anything and ruin the moment," Gus said. He looked up at Justin with soft brown eyes that reminded him of someone else he hadn't seen in a long time. Had it only been a couple of weeks or so?

   Gus kissed him.

   It was just a peck at first and then he moved in and flecked Justin with his tongue and moved deeper, gaining confidence.

   And God help him, Justin let him. He was alone here too, he only got to see Brian for seconds at a time and he was lonely and so he opened for the young Prince and kissed back, giving the younger man something to remember. But he never took it beyond a certain point, knowing whatever he was doing was probably too far-gone anyway. But for this second, this moment, he needed this contact and he relished it.

   Too soon, and light years later, Justin finally pulled back, "Gus, no! We have to stop! I told you! I'm taken! I'm already in love."

   "And I told you," Gus wrapped his arms around Justin in a bear hug that was he was going to need a crowbar to get out of. "Down here, you're mine. You've come to dance with me, of your own free will, and down here....I love you Britin!"

   Justin smiled at his little seducer. "I came down here because I saw something good in you, kindness, warmth. You were the only one who felt sorry in what the twelve of you were doing to the ones who wanted to find out the truth. And for that I couldn't leave you alone in these depths. In a way...I love you too, Gus. Just not....that way. Oh, I'm so sorry Gus!" he said to a face cracking into heartbreak. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I kissed you like that! I'm sorry I led you on. But I can't love you like that."

   "Then why did you!?" Gus said beginning to cry.

   "Because I admired you so much. I wanted to share what was down here with you. I have a deep affection for you Gus, I really do. And I needed contact too. I haven't kissed in ages! I haven't seen my lover in what seems like...ages. I'm alone here in this big old castle too. And so I turned to you. Oh, this is a crap excuse I know! I'm so sorry Gus! I'm so sorry!"

   "Gus sniffled. "I know why. You needed my golden shoes."

   "No Gus no! Absolutely not! I mean, we do, but that's not what why I came down after you. I truly care for you. My lover and I were going to ask for the shoes after this was all over. I just got around to it a little early."

   Gus was confused. "If you haven't seen your lover in ages how was he going to be around to ask for my shoes?"

   Justin sighed. "Let's sit down. "There's a few things I need to tell you."

   After they were seated, Gus crossed his arms and frowned, "OK spill! What do you need to tell me? Tell me the truth!" He pursed his cute lips in cynicism, comically tight.

   "First of all, my name isn't Britin. It's a combination of both our names, Brian and Justin. I'm Justin. The man in the day, the brown haired man you took fishing and treated you like a son....something I should have done....that was Brian. He is the one I love. And he loves me."

   "But he's here! Why haven't you seen him then? And why make up this weird story?"

   "Because there IS magic involved. Just not the kind everybody thinks. I guess Brian made up the story of us being one person so they'd only think there was one challenger and so we'd have an advantage. As it is, if there was just one, he'd have been killed by now wouldn't he, my little nightcap bringer?"

   Gus looked sheepish there. "I guess you have a point there. I'm glad you're not dead," His hand pressed Justin into a snuggle and Justin stiffened a little. "It's OK, Gus reassured him, "It's just a comfort hug. I know you don't want me like that."

   "It's not that Gus! I care for you very much. Just..."

   "Not like that," Gus said, "I know. "I'm young. Not stupid." They both sighed.

   "Why haven't you seen Brian?"

   And so, Justin told the young prince about the evil spell and what it did to them and what they needed to break it.

   "Those are indeed strange things. Well, whatever happens, you can have my shoes."

   "Thank you Gus."

   "No problem." He got up and held out a hand. "Now....take me once more around the floor before it chimes 3 and all this ends forever?"

   Justin got up and agreed. "Nothing I'd rather do more."

   They both smiled, held onto each other, and began to dance.

TBC