by K. J. Nessly
Despite her lack of hunger she had to admit that the food was very good. Roast mallard, goose, pheasant, and quail dominated the farthest reaches of the table. Baskets of breads, tureens of various soups, and bowls of dipping sauces were scattered between and around the various roasted birds. The center of each table was dominated by three large platters; one a roasted pig, another a smoked deer, and the last was covered with various types of fish.
There were several different types of wines and berry juices present and Kathryn filled her cup with berry juice. Her dislike of wine stemmed from her duties at the Blackwood’s and there were nights, especially after a nightmare, when she would swear that she could smell the scent of the sharp wine they had favored in her room.
After dessert, a wide selection of fruits, nuts, berries, and cheeses, the toasts began. If there was any part of a royal, or even noble, party that Kathryn hated the most, it was the toasts. As far as she was concerned, the toasts gave every windbag attending the opportunity to make their presence and perceived importance known to the rest of the poor guests by boring them with long speeches, ridiculously formal phrases, and false nods of acknowledgement to the royal family. This was the one part of the feast she would have given her left leg to be excused from. Blessedly, as a woman, she was excused from having to give a toast.
Prince Derek went first. “Unlike my predecessors,” he began with a smile. “I will not bore you with a long dull speech.” Laughter and cheers erupted from around the courtyard as the people approved. “Instead I will merely toast to my mother’s continued happiness on this special day and to the people for their love.”
That was mercifully short, Kathryn thought as she sipped her drink.
She was back in the exotic hall floating high in the trees. Only instead of being empty, it was filled to capacity with strange faces. As she gazed out at the faces, Kathryn was startled to realize she wasn’t standing near the doors, but next to the raised dais—facing the crowd. She was wearing the same dress she had worn before and those on and around the dais were those who had been in the room the last time she had come to this place.
“Ei syr!” called one of the men on the dais. “Sai Volaer, Estelwen, thys mi car vaeresaer sai iar!”
It was only then that Kathryn realized they were all raising wine goblets high, “Sai Volaer Estelwen!” The crowd echoed enthusiastically.
“Lady Kathryn?”
David’s concerned question brought her out of the vision—she turned to look at him.
“Are you alright?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice to answer confidently. Quickly she turned her attention back to the toasts, pushing back her rising panic.
To her relief the rest of the toasters followed Prince Derek’s example and most were no more than a few sentences. There was one toast that lasted for five minutes but the speaker was eloquent and, as far as Kathryn could tell, spoke the truth in all his words. Best of all, there were no more day…what could she call that? A daydream? A day nightmare? A vision? I hope not.
The feast concluded and those who were fortunate enough to have received an invitation left to participate in the ball that followed.
Kathryn accepted David’s arm and allowed him to lead her to the ballroom. As they walked she was eternally grateful that her escort wasn’t pushing to understand what had happened during the toasts—not that she would have had an answer anyway. What—or who— was bringing these…visions, she decided, to mind? She didn’t know and wasn’t entirely confident that she wanted to know. What she did know was that she wanted the visions to stop. Immediately.
They entered the ballroom and David gracefully transitioned their walk into a waltz as he brought them onto the dance floor.
Kathryn hated waltzes. They were intentionally slow to allow the couple a chance to talk, or in some cases flirt, without becoming out of breath. She especially hated how it was an unspoken requirement that you look into your partner’s eyes throughout the dance. She wanted nothing more than walk off the dance floor and get out of sight for a few radians.
“You want to tell me what happened during the toasts?” David asked as he deftly sidestepped a less experienced couple. As much as he had protested to hate the waltz back in the garden at school, he was proving to be an extremely graceful dancer. Kathryn found that this knowledge only served to irritate her even more. When he kept glancing at her expectantly, she forced herself to answer his question.
“Not really.” She worked to keep a straight face. If he kept on this topic, she just might be hitting him before the night was over. Maybe she could make it look like he’d insulted her honor and just maybe, she wouldn’t have to be his sponsor anymore. It was a possibility to consider.
He glanced down at her and grinned. “I’d say that’s progress.”
Confused, Kathryn glanced at him. “Excuse me?”
“Not really is not a no, therefore you aren’t adamant about not telling me which means we’re making progress and you’re considering telling me.”
She stared at him for a full ten seconds before slowly shaking her head. “I hope that made sense in your head, because I can’t follow your logic.”
He laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You sounded exactly like my mother when you said that. She was always telling me that when my curiosity got the better of me.”
“Who are your parents?” Kathryn asked, genuinely curious. “Are they here tonight?” She was intensely intrigued when he looked away before answering.
David quickly scanned the dance floor and the head table. “No, they aren’t here.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Okay. But who are they?”
“No one of consequence,” he replied as he turned her expertly.
Interesting. She’d never seen him so closed to questions, or at least she’d never seen him so evasive. Usually he encouraged questions within their family in order to facilitate the formation of close relationships that they would need later in life. “Are they nobility?”
‘No.”
“So they’re commoners,” she deliberately used the word nobility used to describe those they believed to be below them.
His reply was calm, unflustered. “No.”
“No?”
“No,” he confirmed.
“They aren’t nobility, but they aren’t commoners either,” Kathryn repeated. What else is there to be? Do you enjoy riddles? Is this your way of getting back at me? “What else could they be?” she asked her first question out loud, she didn’t dare voice the last one.
“I told you, no one of consequence.”
Another possibility popped into her head, “Are they dead?”
“No.”
“So they are alive, but neither noble or common.” She mused over the riddle before asking quietly, “Are they Guardians?”
“No.”
She let out a heavy sigh in frustration. David chuckled and she glared at him. Her irritation got the better of her. “You’re doing this just to annoy me.”
He shrugged. “No more so that you refusing to reveal your heritage to me.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Somehow I don’t think you had quite the childhood I had,” she replied stiffly.
“You’re right, I didn’t,” he agreed. “But at least I don’t let mine hold me back.”
The music ended and he bowed to her. “Thank you for the dance, milady.”
Kathryn, still sputtering after his last comment, performed the customary curtsy but before David could escort her off the dance floor, and she could give him a piece of her mind, Prince Derek came to ask her for a dance.
Kathryn acquiesced only to find herself dancing another waltz. She briefly wondered how well the musicians could play if they were soaked completely through. Jasmine would have my head if I tried such a stunt, she thought sourly. Not to mention I’d probably give myself away.
“Are you enjoying the ball, Lady Kathryn?” Derek asked as he steered
her around the room.
“Yes, Your Highness, I am. Are you?”
Derek frowned at her. “I thought I told you to call me Derek?”
Kathryn felt her cheeks redden from embarrassment, something that rarely happened, “Yes, you did, forgive me.”
He flashed a grin and winked at her, “No harm done, I just hate being called Your Highness all evening and watching eyes wink at me from behind fluttering fans.”
Kathryn frowned. “Somehow I agree with you.”
He laughed. “Somehow you don’t seem like the type to flirt outrageously with your prince.”
“I believe you to be correct.”
“Are you always so formal?”
“Only during a waltz,” she assured him.
He threw back his head and laughed heartily, drawing the stares of those around them. Kathryn felt exceedingly exposed as she waited for her partner to finish expressing his amusement.
“I like you Lady Kathryn,” he informed her as they waltzed around the room. “You aren’t afraid to speak frankly. I will confide in you that I hate the waltz as much as you appear to.” He bowed to her as the music ended and thanked her for being such a delightful partner.
Matt’s cheerful face appeared before her as he asked her to dance. Kathryn, already tired of playing the part of a noblewoman, agreed only because Matt’s playful manner was infectious and she couldn’t bring herself to say no.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Matt said as he led her around the room.
She rolled her eyes at him. “You need to work on your observation skills, Sir Matias.”
He grimaced. “I hate that name. Why my mother had to give me such a pompous name, I’ll never know.”
Smiling, she couldn’t hold back a small laugh. “Perhaps she thought you would be destined for great things.”
“She was probably hoping that I’d follow my namesake’s example and sire fifteen children.”
Kathryn choked on a laugh. “That’s a lot of kids.”
“Don’t I know it. Try growing up with over two hundred cousins and having to learn everyone’s name. It’s a royal pain.”
“I have to admit, I don’t envy you there.”
Leaning in, he placed his cheek next to her own and Kathryn had to force herself not to react. “So what’s your court name?” he whispered.
“You already know it,” she whispered back.
She laughed at his disappointed look.
Soon the waltz was over and Matt bowed to her, thanking her for the dance and wringing from her the promise of another dance.
Before another eager man could ask her for a dance, Kathryn hurried to the table set up for refreshments. Picking up a pre-filled cup, she slowly sipped the cool liquid. Whenever a hopeful young man approached her and asked for dance she informed them that she wasn’t available at the moment and would hold her glass up as proof.
After five potential suitors seeking her affections came and went, Kathryn found a chair and sank down into it. She was smart enough not to grab a seat on a couch—she wasn’t in the mood to fight off a knight with less than chivalrous intentions.
Amy came by between dances and chatted for a few minutes before being claimed for another dance.
As she watched her friend dance, Kathryn wished she could be anywhere but here. Give her a crisp morning with a thief or murderer to track down through the woods, anything but a ball. Amy, Natalie, and the others came from families that were used to this sort of thing. Even at school, Kathryn hadn’t participated in many of the classes dedicated to teaching court etiquette, she’d only been required to attend the most basic courses before being whisked into classes dedicated to developing her hardly used gift. She had never gone to an imitation ball.
Glancing around Kathryn attempted to locate the rest of the dragons. Amy was dancing with Derek again. Kathryn smiled at the thought of the crown prince being smitten with a woman he could never have. Jenna was dancing with Matt and apparently knee-deep in serious conversation by the looks of their faces. She fought the urge to slap them upside the heads and remind them that they were supposed to look like they were enjoying themselves. Natalie was dancing and flirting with Lord Tanner, who appeared to be immune to her charms.
Lindsey, Rachel, and Elizabeth stood in a circle with other noble ladies, giggling and fluttering their fans.
Leia was dancing with Tyler, who was actually turning out to be a respectable dancer. Luke and Cassandra were talking off to the side near the musicians. Daniel was dancing with a pretty red-head who was flirting outrageously. Kathryn grimaced in disgust at the lady’s antics. Didn’t she realize how unbecoming and humiliating her actions were? Fortunately Daniel was level headed enough to brush off her advances. David was—where was David? Glancing around, Kathryn failed to spot their family leader.
Oh well. As she watched the rest of her family she took careful note of their appearances and compared them to others dancing or mulling around them.
She wanted to grimace slightly when she realized that none of them were common looking. Every girl had several characteristics that would have admirers flocking around them. The boys were well muscled and well-tanned, a look that was in style as of late. They stood out in this crowd, noticed by all who glanced in their direction. If they ever needed to put together a clandestine mission within the noble ranks, they were going to run into some serious problems. She would have to think of ways to hide the Dragons in plain sight.
So where did she fit in? She had been told by every love-struck Lord or Sir she had danced with that she was beautiful. She certainly didn’t feel beautiful, but then again, beauty was in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps that was her curse. Beauty made one stand out, no matter how much money they had. So, no matter how much she tried to hide, they would always seek her out.
She would have to learn to hide better.
David watched Kathryn from the shadows of the balcony where he had taken refuge. Like his second-in-command, he had grown tired of playing the necessary game of subterfuge and chase found at court. He had lasted longer than she had, but he had been born into this, she hadn’t. As it was he had only managed to dance with Kathryn, his sisters, Amy, and finally his mother, who returned to the ball after a short absence, before retreating…something his mother would probably lecture him on tomorrow. He wasn’t worried. He’d probably heard the lecture ten times by now. Besides, he found watching so much more enjoyable…and entertaining.
Even now, he watched Kathryn glance around the room taking careful note to locate each of the Dragons. He saw her smile as she located Amy and Derek and was impressed at the transformation of her features. After locating the rest of the Dragons, he watched her glance around the room several times, no doubt looking for me, he thought with a smirk. She wouldn’t find him.
He watched her turn away several potential partners as she continued to watch the rest of the Dragons.
Kathryn is a mother hen! The realization hit him with such a force it took his breath away and made him want to laugh at the same time.
Despite all of Kathryn’s cold manners and uninviting gazes, she still looked after the rest of the Dragons like a mother watched out for her children.
I don’t believe you’re as cold and unfeeling as you make yourself out to be, Kathryn, he told her silently. And I’m going to prove it— to the Dragons, to the kingdom, but most importantly—to yourself.
He watched as Derek whisked her out onto the floor for another dance and briefly considered returning to the floor when another one of her partner’s hands began a slow uninvited travel during the dance. However Kathryn leaned towards his ear and spoke a few words and afterwards her partner’s hands stayed put as etiquette dictated, in her hand and on her waist.
He left the balcony for the last dance and managed to claim Kathryn before any other lords, or either of his brothers.
After the last dance, he escorted her back to her room. Neither of them spoke, Kathryn too exhausted from playing
the part of the gentle noblewoman, and David unwilling to upset her again like he had earlier.
Chapter 25
That night the nightmares and flashbacks became worse than Kathryn had experienced in years. Usually she could wake up and shake off the effects within a few minutes. However, while she was still sitting at the window waiting for the restlessness to cease not even the reddening of the sky from Niea and how it transformed the night into a beautiful landscape comforted her.
She knew that she could forget about getting any sleep. She would have to take careful steps to ensure that none of the other Dragons noticed her edginess and lethargy. The last thing she needed was for Amy or David to start badgering her about her sleeping habits.
She desperately wanted to ride Lerina for several radians, but it was far too early for anyone to even be close to waking and going down to the stables now would raise too many questions. Sighing, she pulled out a scroll she had secreted from the royal library earlier and settled in to read for a few radians.
Destiny’s sharp peck at the window drew her attention from the book and as Kathryn looked up she saw that the sun was now visible above the Airë Mountains. Quickly she donned a riding habit and slipped through the still sleeping castle. It was only a few radians after daybreak, far too early for any of the party-goers to be even close to stirring. Kathryn hoped that it also meant a secluded ride without any prying eyes.
“Good morning Milady,” the stable master greeted her as she stepped into the stables.
“Good morning.” Kathryn forced what she hoped was a pleasant smile onto her face and nodded to him.
The toughened horse master looked up at the sky and grinned. “I do believe it’s going to be a beautiful day.”
Kathryn followed his eyes and nodded in agreement. “I believe you’re right,’ she continued on, assuring the horse master that she didn’t need help saddling her horse.
