Ophelia and Remus arrived at the dance hall together. There was a long table with gold trim at the head of the room where the King and Queen would feast and watch the activities until their dances were announced. Lesatan would no doubt be joining them as well as his unnamed companion, but they had yet to arrive.
The ball room was filled with all sorts of beautiful dresses and woman of equal beauty. Odelia and Pymus had arrived and there was a seat for them at the King's table. No one else had a table and would instead eat hors d'oeuvres from the nearby buffet. Servants would walk around the room with glasses of wines and other alcohols, while the guests danced to the music produced by the orchestra up in the balcony.
"Routine, you look so handsome!" Ophelia hopped over to him when he arrived. She adjusted his coat for him slightly, and though he looked uncomfortable he allowed her to do so.
Renata and Vidal stood behind him and watched as their son allowed someone to touch him. They noticed that he didn't correct the nickname that she called him either. Of course, Routine knew that it was a fruitless endeavor at this point, but he wasn't entirely finished fighting. For tonight, however, he would allow his friends to get away with the insult as he was too tired after three days of carrying around that heavy armor.
"Where is Lenore?" Remus asked as he placed his hand on the shoulder of his companion in attempt to get her to stop fussing over Routine.
Ophelia stepped back, "Yes, I would have thought she would arrive with you."
Routine shook his head, "She sent word that she has been postponed."
"Have you seen the dress that I made her?" Ophelia asked. "It is so beautiful, I can not wait to see how everyone reacts."
"You made the Princess' dress?" Renata asked. "Your own as well?" She stepped forward to take a closer look at the dress. "You have great craftsmanship." She told the girl after looking at the seams.
"Thank you, Lady Nicoletti. I..."
The horns sounded telling everyone that the Royal Party had arrived. The King and Queen were first to enter. He wearing a doublet and she wearing an ornate blue dress with gold lining, and a King to match. The next two to enter were Lesatan and Lenore, both meeting their companions for the evening at the dance hall. They walked in arm and arm.
Lesatan wore a violet doublet that closely matched his father's, but was slightly more gold in decoration, and Lenore wore a matching violet dress. Nothing at all like the dress that Ophelia had made for her.
"You made that for her?" Renata asked.
She slowly shook her head. "No, she is not wearing the dress I made."
The older woman looked sympathetic, "Perhaps it just wasn't up to the Queen's standards. She is known for being quite picky, dear."
It was long and puffed out around the legs in the way that Lenore had told her she didn't want in her dress. Butterfly sleeves fell nearly to the ground and she was covered in jewels like the Queen, except where the Queen wore her crown, Lenore had a circlet with a large diamond resting on her forehead.
Lesatan released her to her companion, "Take care of my sister this night, Lord Nicoletti." He seemed to warn Routine.
As the King and Queen took their seat Lesatan found his companion. The girl that he had thrown at Santh during the dance practice, and even though she had been insulted she looked rather smug standing next to the Prince in that moment.
Lenore looked over to Ophelia whose eyes were filling up with tears, as the King began his short speech about having an evening full of fun and dancing. Remus could see the tears in her eyes and looked up to the Princess.
Reaching out, Lenore pulled Ophelia toward her and whispered into her ear. "The Queen forced me to wear this hideous creation. I apologize that all your hard work was ruined."
Ophelia reached her arms around her friend and hugged her in return. She realized that she was getting make-up and tears on the Princess' dress and stepped back to rub the spot on her shoulder that was stained.
Lenore looked down with a grin, "Let it be stained, perhaps then I shall never wear it again."
Santh was not with his friends during the entry of the Royal Party and instead was deeper into the ball room with the woman that Remus had introduced him too. She was a tall, blonde woman with a sweet face but very much of Mondue decent. Her height was taller than the two women he was living with which made her more to his liking.
Krine had wanted to see the entry of the Royal Party, but they were too far away to see much of anything. "You live with the Princess? I hear she is terrifying."
He thought the comment was slightly odd, but didn't try to correct her. In fact, he hadn't really spoken to her all night. Krine seemed more than capable of keeping up a conversation on her own, which made Santh comfortable as that was the Mondue way. In relationships, the man listened and spoke little, while the women were the ones to carry the conversation. They would ask questions and the man would offer them, and this was the first time Santh felt at home since he had left it.
It was completely up to the woman to initiate the relationship and make decisions about where it would go. Much less confusing than the way the other parties seemed to do things. No one had any rolls to fill and everyone just bumbled around until they struck gold.
"Did I tell you that my father owns several markets across the country?" Krine asked and watched him shake his head. "I hear that you have no such family business?"
"That is correct."
She gave a nod. "Excellent as I am an only child, and I will have to find a mate that can carry on my father's legacy. Do you think that would be to your liking?"
He gave a nod. It wasn't odd for Mondues to lay out exactly what they wanted in the future before any relationship began. Mondues were not known for their enjoyment of wasting time of sterile ventures. It was better to establish everything from the moment one meets then to get to know the person and discover they had different goals.
"My father has always respected your own, and he was quite pleased when I informed him that we would be meeting at the ball." Krine told him but watched as his eyes strayed to a passing individual that was heading out onto the dance floor.
Lenore and Routine began to dance together with Remus and Ophelia close behind. The two couples would change their dancing partners from time to time, even though the particular dance did not call for it.
Krine cleared her throat. "Would you like to join your friends? We can dance alongside them as well."
Santh looked back at her, "No. I do not get any enjoyment from dancing."
She gave a brief nod. "Good, neither do I. Your marks are high, I hear?"
"Yes."
She watched his eyes wander back over to Lenore as if he was incapable of not watching the woman. She exhaled in understanding and nodded her head, "I see."
Santh believe that was in response to his previous question and made no further comment.
"Don't you believe that we should do something other than watch people dance? There are connected rooms here that have seating where we can speak to one another in a more intimate setting."
He turned his attention away from Lenore and at the woman in front of him. "Pardon?"
"The atmosphere is distracting."
He didn't know what exactly she was referring too as Santh himself had realized what he had been doing, but Krine lead him to one of the side rooms and shut the door. The room was mostly filled with books on bookshelves, and overstuffed sofas. The rooms were normally empty the first half of the ball until some of the guests grew tired or even wished to do more than simply dance with their partners.
She took a seat on the sofa and patted for him to sit down next to her as he closed the door, but Santh sat down in one of the chairs where she couldn't sit beside him. "You are shy, aren't you?"
"Shy?" He asked the question with slight annoyance.
Krine didn't back down, "For a Mondue male, yes, you are."
Anton and Jolon looked around the commoners' ball. The dance floor was planks of wood nailed down on other planks of wood, but Saena ensured them that they came apart and were stored elsewhere. There was a small selection of food brought by vendors of the hamlet for those to enjoy as well as the vendors themselves selling some of their other wares.
Saena's cousin, Chida, had shown an interest in Anton when they first met, but as soon as she was at the ball she ran off to visit with other boys. Saena had apologized and even scolded her cousin and the girl returned to Anton's side, but that only lasted until Saena turned her back and then Chida was off once more.
Those playing music used homemade instruments of which Anton and Jolon had never seen. One looked to be an old wooden bucket and others seemed to be tools with wires, but it didn't matter the music was friendly and upbeat.
Anton and Jolon had been offered several different treats as everyone was honored to have two of the tournament champions at this ball. Though, some of the meat was questionable and Anton was certain some of the skewered meats were rodents.
All this made the two commoners realized how they weren't as poor as they thought. Certainly, they weren't on par with Remus, Lenore, or even Ophelia, but there was an entire underground that they have never been privy too.
"Dance with me?" Saena asked Jolon and held out her hand.
Jolon turned to his friend, "Will you be..."
"Go." Anton told him before walking away to investigate the wares being sold that evening.
The whole field was nothing but dirt and Saena had told them that nothing had grown here for decades but no one knew why as it had once been a fertile field. The people didn't seem too bothered by it as the place was so congested that Anton grew tired of excusing himself out of people's way. Some of the people smelled as if they had not bathed in months, and more so than not they also looked the part.
"Psst!" A soft voice called out.
Anton wasn't certain it was to him but looked anyway. Someone standing far from the torch lights waved him over. He could tell it was a woman and grew closer, curious to who this was. She wore a cowl to hide her face, and only removed it when he was close enough to see her.
"Piera." Anton mumbled her name.
She grinned. "The other ball is dreadful. No one even noticed that I was there or that I have disappeared. That dirty Princess paired me with that cretin, Authin Nele. He is too busy, however, chatting with one of the Prince's advisers and stalking the Princess herself to take notice of my absence."
"Milady, but why are you here?"
She looked surprised by that question, "What do you mean? No, why are you here?" She waved the questions away, and grabbed his hand. "You are not here with anyone that would miss you, are you?"
He shook his head.
"Good, come with me. I need an escort for my own safety, and I do not know anyone else but you. I mean out here in the hamlet that is."
Anton didn't fight her as they began to walk into the darkness. "Where are we going?"
Piera stopped and smiled at him, then held up an empty basket in her hands. "The entire hamlet is empty, let's have a little fun."
"I am not certain that I understand."
She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him. "I mean petty theft."
"Lady Nicoletti, if you and I are caught we could be expelled from school. I can not afford to lose my position as I am the only son."
Piera stared at him for a few moments and sighed, "Very well, then let us find something else naughty to do that won't harm your future."
"Such as?"
"Hmm." She thought for a moment, "Well, there is an alley just over there." She could tell by his dimly lit face that he wasn't certain what she was suggesting. She stepped forward and grabbed his collar yanking him toward her and kissing him. "Understand now?"
"Ye.." His voice squeaked, "Yes." He grabbed her hand and lead her toward the alley.
Lenore yawned into her hand as she pondered the idea of convincing Routine to take her home early that evening. Her companion was on the other side of the busy ball room speaking with his parents, as she leaned against one of the many marble pillars that everyone seemed to have a difficult time maneuvering around.
"Aren't you so... purple tonight, Princess." Pymus winked as he came to stand next to her. "It is just like the days when you were a child and the Queen would yank you around and introduce you. The clothing was always purple and the face always carried a frown."
She smirked at him. Pymus had been her father's friend long before she was born and in some ways she considered him an uncle as he seemed to be the only person who ever brought her gifts or cared for her in any fashion. She knew her father couldn't for fear of insulting Aletta, so in many ways Pymus had become her only relative. Though she did remember when she was younger another who treated her well, but his name and face were forgotten long ago.
Even though she had known Pymus all her life, she never met his sons until she arrived at university. Sometimes, she wondered if they had purposely created a separation between her and them, but no reason ever seemed logical.
"Ophelia created this beautiful dress for me, and that bitch wouldn't allow me to wear it. Now, Ophelia has told everyone that she made my dress only for me to arrive in something completely different. How humiliated she must feel."
Pymus looked toward Remus and Ophelia who were still dancing. "She seems well enough. Remus has done his part to help her forget."
She grinned as she watched them dance and chuckle between each other. "I believe Remus has grown quite fond of her."
Pymus nodded his head. "It will be a shame if their bond becomes deeper and Ophelia continues on the path for her father's seat."
The Princess was quiet for a moment as she carefully thought over his words and what her next words would be.
Pymus enjoyed how much care the young girl gave to her conversation with him. Of course, he had been the one to constantly question her as if it were a game when she was a child. He wanted her to be decisive in what she said, so the Queen could not twist her words.
"You are naming Remus your heir, then?" She raised an eyebrow and continued to watch Routine speaking to his family.
He looked impressed by her powers of deduction, "Allow that to remain between us, fair Princess. Speaking of which, perhaps you and I should speak on matters between Crolus and yourself. He will not be the guild master, and therefore no future can be had between the two of you."
"And here I thought we were so secretive, but I suppose keeping secrets from two of the greatest Foxes in history is a pointless venture." She continued to lean against the pillar but turned so it was her back and not her shoulder pressed against it.
"I hoped to speak to you of the matter before any feelings grew deeper. I know, milady, is logical and calculating and would loathe to waste her time on Crolus only discover there is no place for him in the guild. Your father will be accepting him into the Royal Guard after I announce..." He stopped speaking when Lenore began to chuckle.
"Pymus, please, do not act as if I am one of your pawns. You know as well as Remus does that I am not easy to manipulate. You also know that if I chose to marry Crolus, then he would be announced your heir. You are not so foolish that you would turn down a Princess as your daughter-in-law."
He grinned, "I suppose you are right."
"Of course, I am, but fret not. Crolus and I have no such intentions towards each other, and we are simply partaking in the indiscretions of youth while we can. Your plans may go ahead... for now."
He gave a brief bow. "Yes, milady."
Authin stood next to Armand as the two of them watched Lenore speaking with Lord Pymus. He had been trying to decide whether or not he should approach her all night, after all his companion for the evening had disappeared and Lenore's companion seemed to be more interested in his parents. Pymus soon walked away, leaving her once again to herself.
"She is alone now." Armand didn't seem pleased with this arrangement or that he was helping Authin in this matter. In his hand, he held a plate of hors d'oeuvres that both of the men were picking at as they watched the woman in the distance.
He sighed briefly, "She has accused the Prince and my person of suspicious activities. Perhaps, I should allow her space and not act so strongly in the future."
"It wasn't your doing that caused her suspicion, it was Lesatan who switched your classes. Lenore is not as dimwitted as her brother likes to believe." Armand hid behind a pillar once Lenore began to look around the room. "Do you not feel that standing here, watching her, will make her slightly nervous?"
"She is standing there watching everyone as well. We are simply doing as she does." Authin gave her a brief wave and wink when she looked toward him, but she ignored the gesture entirely. "She is most definitely not receptive today." He leaned against the pillar himself. "What a dreadful evening. My companion that was offered to me by the Princess disappeared, and my entire reason for coming will barely look in my direction." He picked up a piece of bread with some sort of pink spread on it from Armand's plate and popped it in his mouth.
"My companion is dancing with others." Armand motioned toward a Souchan girl in the distance. "I feel somehow that is a greater insult."
He snorted as he watched the pretty little blonde hop from man to man hoping to find a dance partner among them. He already knew that Armand had rejected her offers on several occasions. "You are spending your time chatting with me, instead of her. If anyone should be offended it is her."
"Do you believe this will work? That Lenore could ever fall for a man like you?" Armand looked toward Lesatan who he could see was slowly making his way toward them. "She doesn't seem interest in the slightest."
Authin shrugged his shoulders. "I will be relentless if I must. No woman can deny a man who is cast aside time and time again, only to stand back up and continue to try for her hand."
The adviser raised an eyebrow, "Knowing Lenore as I do, I think she would be rather disgusted by such desperation."
"Ah, you know nothing of women."
Lesatan approached them and Armand whispered that he had locked eyes with him. The Prince came to stand with Armand behind the pillar so that Lenore could not see him. "It is interesting that the two of you spend your evening here, when one of you should be wooing my sister."
"After the dance class switch and his sudden entry into jousting for our team, Lenore is too suspicious." Armand informed him.
"Indeed, if I push too hard right now, she will surely recoil, my Prince." Authin turned his head to speak to him. "She must be given time to forget her worries and then for me to suddenly reappear rather romantically in her life. Trust in me, I know how a woman's mind works, even the most difficult of ones."
Lesatan did not seem pleased by the plan, but he knew that one couldn't simply just push Lenore. She would dig her heels in and there would be no moving her. With a nod, he walked away in hopes of moving far enough away behind the pillar so that Lenore could not see that he had been speaking to the two men.
"She is leaving." Authin announced.
Armand looked around the corner to watch her and Routine say their goodbyes to his family, as Remus and Ophelia waited behind them. The group of four quietly tried to slip out of the dance hall without being noticed by the queen or so the two men thought.
"I suppose that ends our evening out." Authin looked toward Armand.
He gave a nod, "Yes, I suppose so."
Remus and Routine had left the girls' side in order to obtain some food and drink for the small party they had decided to have back at the dorm for Jolon and Anton. Lenore and Ophelia went without them back to the dorm so that the Princess could get in her proper dress for the evening. When they arrived the dorm was empty and the two wondered where the commoners could have run off to.
"They might be out in the hamlet." Lenore told her friend who was helping to button up the back of her dress.
The dress that Ophelia had made her was quite slimming compared to the purple disaster that Aletta made her wear. Lenore looked in the full length mirror and smiled as she brushed the fabric down with her hands. She still wore the jewelry and circlet that she had been wearing at the ball.
"Do you like it?" The younger girl asked.
"It is the only dress I have ever worn that I wanted to wear." Lenore told her sincerely which brought a large smile to Ophelia's lips.
The two heard someone approaching from down the hall, and they turned to look at Anton standing next to Piera. They both looked to be a mess. Their cloths and hair both disheveled, and Anton had lipstick on his face.
Lenore only took a couple moments to look them over and know exactly what had transpired, but naïve Ophelia was more worried.
"What happened?" She rushed over toward them, "Are you alright?"
Anton was annoyed that his two dorm mates were home so early as he had hoped to spend a couple more private moments with Piera.
Lenore came to stand next to Ophelia, "Byron will be returning shortly. You should make yourselves presentable."
Piera stood horrified for a moment, "I forgot that he lives here." She mumbled under her breath.
The Princess grabbed Piera's hand and yanked her into the spare room, before pushing Anton out. "Go fix yourself. You have lipstick all over your face, hurry it along." When she shut the door, she turned to Ophelia. "Let's make her presentable."
The brunette gave a firm nod and quickly went to work in assisting her with her hair, while Lenore helped clean up her make-up and rearrange her dress. When they finished, Piera looked at herself in the mirror and gave a look of relief.
"Byron would have me killed if he knew, please..."
Lenore cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Such things are no ones business but your own. You have nothing to fear from me, it's the gossip over here you should set your worries on." She motioned toward Ophelia.
"I don't understand. Why are they both such a mess? Did you two get into trouble?" Ophelia looked between the two girls who couldn't believe that she could be that thick.
"Think it through, Ophelia." Lenore told her and watched her take a moment to put the clues together, but she came up short.
"Perhaps, it is better that she doesn't know." Piera suggested and Lenore agreed with a nod.
"That's not fair." Ophelia whimpered, "I want to know!"
The sliding door to the dorm room opened and Routine and Remus entered with a couple boxes of mead and pastries. Routine was surprised to see his sister standing amongst his dorm mates, and Lenore was quick to answer his question before it was even asked.
"Look who we found on our way home." She lied.
"Yes, we found Jolon and the servant girl as well. They had lost Anton." Remus informed him, "Luckily, he was here."
Lenore could see that Remus was already formulating several scenarios on what had happened that evening, but knew he would be discreet.
"Jolon is here then?" Ophelia asked. "Then all we are missing is Santh."
"Santh more than likely won't be back until late." Lenore told her. "He is on his first meeting with what might be his future wife."
Lesatan followed his father into one of the side rooms at the dancing hall. There were a couple lovers using the room, but with one clearing of the King's throat, they were quick to disperse. The two men took seat across from each other and Lesatan sat quietly as he was unsure what his father had in mind for this conversation.
The bookshelves lined the wall and left the odor of old books in the air. Three sofas were positioned around a table with a fireplace being the only wall that did not have a sofa's back facing it.
"We have spoken of your obligations when you become king, have we not?" His father leaned back on the couch and crossed an left ankle over his right knee, before tossing his arms over the back of the sofa.
Lesatan gave a nod. "Yes, but I fail to see how this is an appropriate time for such another conversation."
"As King, I decide what is appropriate and what is not." He stared at his son for a few moments and the longer he stared the more Lesatan couldn't look him in the eye and turned his attention to the hands he had in his lap. "Is it your place to convince a man to woo your sister?"
He looked up at his father, "Pardon?"
"This Authin Nele. Do not think I am an ignorant old man who doesn't have a grasp on the heartbeat of this university, Lesatan." He waited for his son to respond, but received nothing from him. "You won't confirm or deny?"
Lesatan cleared his throat. "I am trying to get Lenore to return to the Royal Dorms where she belongs. If giving her a possible suitor that she enjoys spending time with will make her return then I do not see how that is not my place. After all, you told me that I should win her over as she will be a valuable adviser, but she hasn't made it easy."
The King smirked and slowly nodded his head. "So I have heard. You swear to me that your only motive with this Authin Nele is to return her to the dorms?"
"I swear on my honor, father."
"Very well, then continue as you were." He removed his arms from the back of the sofa and leaned forward. "My other worry is that you have not shown much wisdom to govern here. You spent your first couple of years scaring away the commoners and dominating power over your fellow man, no doubt your mother's idea, and this year what have you done?"
"I cleaned up the filth of the girls' dorm. Have you not been told, father?"
He nodded his crowned head. "It was done well, all by the books and all without incident. A perfectly executed plan."
"Thank you, father."
"It was not a compliment." The King frowned, and watched as Lesatan lost his confidence. "Neither you, your mother, or your bumbling idiot advisers could have concocted such a plan. So tell me, who advised you?"
Lesatan whispered his sister's name.
"Speak up, boy!"
"Lenore, father. Lenore was the one that made the suggestion and asked me to fulfill the task. She did so in exchange for politeness in public and to come when I ask of her." He knew his father would ask what he got in return, and decided to tell him before the question was even asked.
The King stared at him for a few moments before he cleared his throat once more. "Do you see now?"
"See what, father?"
"Why you need Lenore at your side? She does what every good adviser must. Brings plans to you that lift you up in the eyes of your people, while never taking any credit herself." He stood from his seat. "Be careful in your attempt to win your sister over, Lesatan. Your mother's ideas can be dangerous to your future."
Santh and Krine left the ball early as well. She told him that she was bored and that she would like to return to the girls' dorm. He walked with her in silence until they arrived at the gates and she turned to face him.
"I would invite you in, but the Princess has made it impossible to have guests. She gave us a house mother that I do not believe sleeps." She jested.
"It was the Prince not Lenore that did this." Santh corrected her as he looked over her shoulder at how peaceful the dorm looked now.
Krine chuckled, "No, I am certain the Princess was behind it. They were torturing that Souchan girl that night. The boys stripped her down and molested her, and the girls attacked her with rotten fruits and vegetables. The Princess rescued her and threatened revenge. Not long after, a huge raid occurs. That can not be mere coincidence."
He snorted, "Lenore would never take it upon herself to do anything that didn't assist her in some form."
The Mondue girl looked at him and examined his face. "You call her Lenore not the Princess, are you two so close that you can speak so informally of her even in front of strangers?"
He hadn't even realized that he had been speaking informally. "I... we are all friends at the dorm. Should we call her by her title day in and day out?"
She giggled bitterly to herself. "This is the most you have spoken all evening. I understand that Mondue tradition suggests that I do most of the talking and you answer my questions, but I have been out with Mondue men who tried slightly harder than this. Yet, your beloved Princess is brought up as a topic and suddenly you can not help but comment."
Santh was taken aback by her words, "What are you suggesting?"
Krine shrugged her shoulders. "Allow me to make this perfectly clear to you, Santh Aguilar. I plan for you to be my husband as you are the only one capable of fulfilling the roles in my family. I spent all of last year attempting to catch your eye, but you never noticed me. Even when I called your name or asked a question, you would look at me blankly and walk away as if I was nothing."
"I do not recall ever meeting you before."
"Of course, you don't. I was irrelevant to you, but I shall not return to that state. I have been noticed and I shall remain in your sights." She seemed to look over his shoulder briefly as if she wanted to focus on anything other than him for a moment. "I didn't know what caught your attention so much that others couldn't be seen until this year, and I realize that you long for the Princess as I long for you."
"I do not long..."
She was quick to interrupt as she didn't wish to hear his denial. "Please don't. Lie to yourself, but never to me. I only have one last year here and then I must return home and I shall do my best to be the one in your sights. However, if I fail this next year, I will still hold onto one truth."
He raised a questioning eyebrow.
"The Princess is too far out of your reach. You can never have her the way that you long for, but you are within mine. So, I will forgive you if you continue to try for her, but you must also forgive me for my attempts to try for you." With that Krine kissed him briefly on the lips. She barely had to stand on her tip toes at all, where Lenore almost missed his lips when she attempted the same. "Goodnight. Thank you for the evening."
Santh said nothing as he watched the girl disappear into the dorm, but when she was gone he shook his head and began to head back to the dorm.
Ophelia and Lenore sat on the single bed of the spare dorm room while the boys laid themselves across the floor even though the bottom bunk was unoccupied. Remus was leaning against the bed near Ophelia's legs as he drank with the others, while Anton and Jolon leaned against the bunk beds. Routine simply sat on the floor with one of the desks, he didn't drink.
The bell had rung calling a conclusion to the festivities. Saena had been drinking with them, but soon left to hurry back to the hamlet. Piera had been nervous under her brother's watchful eyes though she did sneak a drink from time to time, but eventually she had to return to her own dorms.
"My heart was in my throat. I kept swallowing in hopes that it would return to its place." Ophelia told them with a slight slur to her words. "Lenore verses her brother, I couldn't believe it. My mother said to me, 'Shouldn't Santh fight him?' I didn't know what to say, and then it was over in one blink of the eye. Neither my mother nor I could believe how quickly it ended."
"We were all shocked, I think." Anton added, "I still have a difficult time believing that you single-handedly beat your brother in that short amount of time."
Lenore grinned, "He never enjoyed practicing with staves, it was seen as beneath him, but I found them to be enjoyable. When we..." She cut herself off when she heard someone making their way down the dorm hall.
Santh came to stand in front of the dorm door and looked at everyone. "It's well passed midnight." He smelled like he had gone into the hamlet and drank at the Enchantress. The stench of the drinking den's cheap ale and vomit soaked floors were obvious.
Everyone expected Lenore to say something to him, but she leaned against the wall behind her and took another drink of her mead.
"We are the victors tonight, Santh! Come celebrate with us!" Ophelia jumped up and bounced toward him.
"I have celebrated enough tonight, and would like to slumber." He informed her with a large frown on his lips.
"Surely, you won't deny us an opportunity to celebrate." Remus spoke to him still seated on the floor. "Tomorrow is a rest day after all."
"Yes, come drink with us." Anton held up a bottle of mead toward the man.
Santh stared at it for a couple moments then looked over at Lenore who didn't even bother to acknowledge that he was there. After hearing what Krine had said to him, he was annoyed by her actions and grabbed the bottle while everyone cheered. Then to everyone's surprise, Santh walked over to the bed and took Ophelia's spot so that he was sitting next to the Princess.
Ophelia blinked a couple times and felt confused about where she should sit now, until Remus patted the floor beside him. With a smile, she hopped over to him and quickly sat down.
"We were discussing Lenore's victory over the Prince." Remus told his large friend. "What were you saying, Lenore?"
The Princess took a large gulp of her mead and then stood from the bed. She offered the half empty bottle to Remus and then headed for the door. "I am going to wash my face."
"I'll go with you." Ophelia jumped up and scurried to catch up with her.
Everyone but Santh exhaled in exhaustion, but it was Remus that spoke their concern. "What have you said to her now?"
Santh's eyes widened as if he was trying to act innocent, but he soon threw that attempt away. "It is business between the Princess and myself. You need not concern yourself." He then mumbled his last words under his breath as he took a drink from the mead bottle. "Nosy bastards."
Everyone had gone to bed for the evening, but Santh awoke only an hour after falling asleep to the dire need to relieve himself. He jumped from his bed and scurried out the back of the dorm where he was quick to find a tree. He began his emergency business and leaned his forehead against the trunk of the tree in front of him.
"I am out here." Lenore's voice spoke from behind him.
He hadn't seen her in his rush. Santh continued to urinate undaunted by the fact that she was watching him. When he finished, he turned around to find Lenore still in the dress that Ophelia had made her. She was walking around in the soft dirt without any shoes on and a bottle of mead in her hand.
Santh cleared his throat and began to walk back into the door, but stopped himself to ask over his shoulder. "Have you not slept?"
"As soon as I go to sleep, I will have to remove the dress. I do not know when I will ever be able to wear it again, and Ophelia worked so hard to make it just the way I wanted." Lenore informed him as she continued to walk back and forth with her legs lifted high in front of her. She watched each of her steps and never once looked up at him.
He turned around to face her and noticed another bottle of mead on the stairs, but this was unopened. He sat down on the steps and opened it before taking a few large gulps. "About what I said today in the arena, I didn't..." He tried to apologize but it felt as if the words were fighting against his pride.
"It's alright." Lenore told him, releasing him of the obligation of apologizing which allowed him to breath once more. "You never have liked me. I do not know why I attempt to befriend someone that wants nothing to do with me. I am the one in the wrong, I apologize."
"What?" He crinkled in nose in disgust. "Why would you apologize? What are you planning?"
Lenore stopped moving and looked up at the man. "How have I wronged you? I am always at meals and roll call, which was your biggest contention. Yet, everything I do, you question my motives. How is it that I have become such a villain in your eyes?"
"I couldn't say." He mumbled the words and took a few more drinks from the bottle. Lenore mimicked his action. "I saw Crolus sneak in toward the dorms and meet with you. Is it a secret affair?"
"You are the second person to ask me about him today." Lenore mused, before simply shrugging her shoulders. "The man certainly should not become a spy or stealthy assassin, if even Santh can spot him."
Santh smirked, but noticed she hadn't answered his question.
When she saw he was not satisfied with her comment, she continued. "Since my first year here, he and I would meet in secret, and enjoy some time together, but we are in no danger of falling in love and running away together." Walking over to him, she sat down on the stairs beside him. "Now, that you have asked a personal question. I have one for you."
He raised a single eyebrow and waited.
"How was your first meeting with Krine?"
Santh didn't know if he should embellish or tell her anything at all, as the truth was too humiliating to share with this woman. "She is an only child and since I have no family, I could join hers and take over her father's monopoly."
She nodded her head. "Sounds exactly the way that I will someday pick a suitor." She cleared her throat, "Oh, he has lands and an army, surely my brother will find some use for him one day." She giggled bitterly then turned her head toward him. "It's not so grand."
"What is?"
"Being my brother's pawn in life. You believe I have this lavish lifestyle, but my world revolves around him. I like to inform him that he isn't the center of everyone's world, but the truth of the matter he is for many people. His advisers, his parents, many of the Royals, and more so than anyone myself." She sighed. "If one day, he decides to rid the world of me. There will be nothing that anyone can do. My life exists by his whim."
Santh didn't know what to say to the woman and instead watched her take another drink of her mead. She then turned to face him with a grin.
"Aw, did I make you feel pity for me? My apologies." She chuckled but he didn't laugh in return. "You know what could make me feel better? A kiss from the most handsome man in the dorm. So, what do you say?" She leaned forward and puckered up her lips.
Santh stared at her for a moment, and when she pulled back and began to speak something about him never being helpful, he leaned forward and planted a kiss directly on her lips. "Better?" He partially teased.
Part of him expected to be slapped and another part hoped she would kiss him in return, but Lenore simply smiled widely. "Much, thank you."
The ball room was filled with all sorts of beautiful dresses and woman of equal beauty. Odelia and Pymus had arrived and there was a seat for them at the King's table. No one else had a table and would instead eat hors d'oeuvres from the nearby buffet. Servants would walk around the room with glasses of wines and other alcohols, while the guests danced to the music produced by the orchestra up in the balcony.
"Routine, you look so handsome!" Ophelia hopped over to him when he arrived. She adjusted his coat for him slightly, and though he looked uncomfortable he allowed her to do so.
Renata and Vidal stood behind him and watched as their son allowed someone to touch him. They noticed that he didn't correct the nickname that she called him either. Of course, Routine knew that it was a fruitless endeavor at this point, but he wasn't entirely finished fighting. For tonight, however, he would allow his friends to get away with the insult as he was too tired after three days of carrying around that heavy armor.
"Where is Lenore?" Remus asked as he placed his hand on the shoulder of his companion in attempt to get her to stop fussing over Routine.
Ophelia stepped back, "Yes, I would have thought she would arrive with you."
Routine shook his head, "She sent word that she has been postponed."
"Have you seen the dress that I made her?" Ophelia asked. "It is so beautiful, I can not wait to see how everyone reacts."
"You made the Princess' dress?" Renata asked. "Your own as well?" She stepped forward to take a closer look at the dress. "You have great craftsmanship." She told the girl after looking at the seams.
"Thank you, Lady Nicoletti. I..."
The horns sounded telling everyone that the Royal Party had arrived. The King and Queen were first to enter. He wearing a doublet and she wearing an ornate blue dress with gold lining, and a King to match. The next two to enter were Lesatan and Lenore, both meeting their companions for the evening at the dance hall. They walked in arm and arm.
Lesatan wore a violet doublet that closely matched his father's, but was slightly more gold in decoration, and Lenore wore a matching violet dress. Nothing at all like the dress that Ophelia had made for her.
"You made that for her?" Renata asked.
She slowly shook her head. "No, she is not wearing the dress I made."
The older woman looked sympathetic, "Perhaps it just wasn't up to the Queen's standards. She is known for being quite picky, dear."
It was long and puffed out around the legs in the way that Lenore had told her she didn't want in her dress. Butterfly sleeves fell nearly to the ground and she was covered in jewels like the Queen, except where the Queen wore her crown, Lenore had a circlet with a large diamond resting on her forehead.
Lesatan released her to her companion, "Take care of my sister this night, Lord Nicoletti." He seemed to warn Routine.
As the King and Queen took their seat Lesatan found his companion. The girl that he had thrown at Santh during the dance practice, and even though she had been insulted she looked rather smug standing next to the Prince in that moment.
Lenore looked over to Ophelia whose eyes were filling up with tears, as the King began his short speech about having an evening full of fun and dancing. Remus could see the tears in her eyes and looked up to the Princess.
Reaching out, Lenore pulled Ophelia toward her and whispered into her ear. "The Queen forced me to wear this hideous creation. I apologize that all your hard work was ruined."
Ophelia reached her arms around her friend and hugged her in return. She realized that she was getting make-up and tears on the Princess' dress and stepped back to rub the spot on her shoulder that was stained.
Lenore looked down with a grin, "Let it be stained, perhaps then I shall never wear it again."
---***---
Santh was not with his friends during the entry of the Royal Party and instead was deeper into the ball room with the woman that Remus had introduced him too. She was a tall, blonde woman with a sweet face but very much of Mondue decent. Her height was taller than the two women he was living with which made her more to his liking.
Krine had wanted to see the entry of the Royal Party, but they were too far away to see much of anything. "You live with the Princess? I hear she is terrifying."
He thought the comment was slightly odd, but didn't try to correct her. In fact, he hadn't really spoken to her all night. Krine seemed more than capable of keeping up a conversation on her own, which made Santh comfortable as that was the Mondue way. In relationships, the man listened and spoke little, while the women were the ones to carry the conversation. They would ask questions and the man would offer them, and this was the first time Santh felt at home since he had left it.
It was completely up to the woman to initiate the relationship and make decisions about where it would go. Much less confusing than the way the other parties seemed to do things. No one had any rolls to fill and everyone just bumbled around until they struck gold.
"Did I tell you that my father owns several markets across the country?" Krine asked and watched him shake his head. "I hear that you have no such family business?"
"That is correct."
She gave a nod. "Excellent as I am an only child, and I will have to find a mate that can carry on my father's legacy. Do you think that would be to your liking?"
He gave a nod. It wasn't odd for Mondues to lay out exactly what they wanted in the future before any relationship began. Mondues were not known for their enjoyment of wasting time of sterile ventures. It was better to establish everything from the moment one meets then to get to know the person and discover they had different goals.
"My father has always respected your own, and he was quite pleased when I informed him that we would be meeting at the ball." Krine told him but watched as his eyes strayed to a passing individual that was heading out onto the dance floor.
Lenore and Routine began to dance together with Remus and Ophelia close behind. The two couples would change their dancing partners from time to time, even though the particular dance did not call for it.
Krine cleared her throat. "Would you like to join your friends? We can dance alongside them as well."
Santh looked back at her, "No. I do not get any enjoyment from dancing."
She gave a brief nod. "Good, neither do I. Your marks are high, I hear?"
"Yes."
She watched his eyes wander back over to Lenore as if he was incapable of not watching the woman. She exhaled in understanding and nodded her head, "I see."
Santh believe that was in response to his previous question and made no further comment.
"Don't you believe that we should do something other than watch people dance? There are connected rooms here that have seating where we can speak to one another in a more intimate setting."
He turned his attention away from Lenore and at the woman in front of him. "Pardon?"
"The atmosphere is distracting."
He didn't know what exactly she was referring too as Santh himself had realized what he had been doing, but Krine lead him to one of the side rooms and shut the door. The room was mostly filled with books on bookshelves, and overstuffed sofas. The rooms were normally empty the first half of the ball until some of the guests grew tired or even wished to do more than simply dance with their partners.
She took a seat on the sofa and patted for him to sit down next to her as he closed the door, but Santh sat down in one of the chairs where she couldn't sit beside him. "You are shy, aren't you?"
"Shy?" He asked the question with slight annoyance.
Krine didn't back down, "For a Mondue male, yes, you are."
---***---
Anton and Jolon looked around the commoners' ball. The dance floor was planks of wood nailed down on other planks of wood, but Saena ensured them that they came apart and were stored elsewhere. There was a small selection of food brought by vendors of the hamlet for those to enjoy as well as the vendors themselves selling some of their other wares.
Saena's cousin, Chida, had shown an interest in Anton when they first met, but as soon as she was at the ball she ran off to visit with other boys. Saena had apologized and even scolded her cousin and the girl returned to Anton's side, but that only lasted until Saena turned her back and then Chida was off once more.
Those playing music used homemade instruments of which Anton and Jolon had never seen. One looked to be an old wooden bucket and others seemed to be tools with wires, but it didn't matter the music was friendly and upbeat.
Anton and Jolon had been offered several different treats as everyone was honored to have two of the tournament champions at this ball. Though, some of the meat was questionable and Anton was certain some of the skewered meats were rodents.
All this made the two commoners realized how they weren't as poor as they thought. Certainly, they weren't on par with Remus, Lenore, or even Ophelia, but there was an entire underground that they have never been privy too.
"Dance with me?" Saena asked Jolon and held out her hand.
Jolon turned to his friend, "Will you be..."
"Go." Anton told him before walking away to investigate the wares being sold that evening.
The whole field was nothing but dirt and Saena had told them that nothing had grown here for decades but no one knew why as it had once been a fertile field. The people didn't seem too bothered by it as the place was so congested that Anton grew tired of excusing himself out of people's way. Some of the people smelled as if they had not bathed in months, and more so than not they also looked the part.
"Psst!" A soft voice called out.
Anton wasn't certain it was to him but looked anyway. Someone standing far from the torch lights waved him over. He could tell it was a woman and grew closer, curious to who this was. She wore a cowl to hide her face, and only removed it when he was close enough to see her.
"Piera." Anton mumbled her name.
She grinned. "The other ball is dreadful. No one even noticed that I was there or that I have disappeared. That dirty Princess paired me with that cretin, Authin Nele. He is too busy, however, chatting with one of the Prince's advisers and stalking the Princess herself to take notice of my absence."
"Milady, but why are you here?"
She looked surprised by that question, "What do you mean? No, why are you here?" She waved the questions away, and grabbed his hand. "You are not here with anyone that would miss you, are you?"
He shook his head.
"Good, come with me. I need an escort for my own safety, and I do not know anyone else but you. I mean out here in the hamlet that is."
Anton didn't fight her as they began to walk into the darkness. "Where are we going?"
Piera stopped and smiled at him, then held up an empty basket in her hands. "The entire hamlet is empty, let's have a little fun."
"I am not certain that I understand."
She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him. "I mean petty theft."
"Lady Nicoletti, if you and I are caught we could be expelled from school. I can not afford to lose my position as I am the only son."
Piera stared at him for a few moments and sighed, "Very well, then let us find something else naughty to do that won't harm your future."
"Such as?"
"Hmm." She thought for a moment, "Well, there is an alley just over there." She could tell by his dimly lit face that he wasn't certain what she was suggesting. She stepped forward and grabbed his collar yanking him toward her and kissing him. "Understand now?"
"Ye.." His voice squeaked, "Yes." He grabbed her hand and lead her toward the alley.
---***---
Lenore yawned into her hand as she pondered the idea of convincing Routine to take her home early that evening. Her companion was on the other side of the busy ball room speaking with his parents, as she leaned against one of the many marble pillars that everyone seemed to have a difficult time maneuvering around.
"Aren't you so... purple tonight, Princess." Pymus winked as he came to stand next to her. "It is just like the days when you were a child and the Queen would yank you around and introduce you. The clothing was always purple and the face always carried a frown."
She smirked at him. Pymus had been her father's friend long before she was born and in some ways she considered him an uncle as he seemed to be the only person who ever brought her gifts or cared for her in any fashion. She knew her father couldn't for fear of insulting Aletta, so in many ways Pymus had become her only relative. Though she did remember when she was younger another who treated her well, but his name and face were forgotten long ago.
Even though she had known Pymus all her life, she never met his sons until she arrived at university. Sometimes, she wondered if they had purposely created a separation between her and them, but no reason ever seemed logical.
"Ophelia created this beautiful dress for me, and that bitch wouldn't allow me to wear it. Now, Ophelia has told everyone that she made my dress only for me to arrive in something completely different. How humiliated she must feel."
Pymus looked toward Remus and Ophelia who were still dancing. "She seems well enough. Remus has done his part to help her forget."
She grinned as she watched them dance and chuckle between each other. "I believe Remus has grown quite fond of her."
Pymus nodded his head. "It will be a shame if their bond becomes deeper and Ophelia continues on the path for her father's seat."
The Princess was quiet for a moment as she carefully thought over his words and what her next words would be.
Pymus enjoyed how much care the young girl gave to her conversation with him. Of course, he had been the one to constantly question her as if it were a game when she was a child. He wanted her to be decisive in what she said, so the Queen could not twist her words.
"You are naming Remus your heir, then?" She raised an eyebrow and continued to watch Routine speaking to his family.
He looked impressed by her powers of deduction, "Allow that to remain between us, fair Princess. Speaking of which, perhaps you and I should speak on matters between Crolus and yourself. He will not be the guild master, and therefore no future can be had between the two of you."
"And here I thought we were so secretive, but I suppose keeping secrets from two of the greatest Foxes in history is a pointless venture." She continued to lean against the pillar but turned so it was her back and not her shoulder pressed against it.
"I hoped to speak to you of the matter before any feelings grew deeper. I know, milady, is logical and calculating and would loathe to waste her time on Crolus only discover there is no place for him in the guild. Your father will be accepting him into the Royal Guard after I announce..." He stopped speaking when Lenore began to chuckle.
"Pymus, please, do not act as if I am one of your pawns. You know as well as Remus does that I am not easy to manipulate. You also know that if I chose to marry Crolus, then he would be announced your heir. You are not so foolish that you would turn down a Princess as your daughter-in-law."
He grinned, "I suppose you are right."
"Of course, I am, but fret not. Crolus and I have no such intentions towards each other, and we are simply partaking in the indiscretions of youth while we can. Your plans may go ahead... for now."
He gave a brief bow. "Yes, milady."
---***---
Authin stood next to Armand as the two of them watched Lenore speaking with Lord Pymus. He had been trying to decide whether or not he should approach her all night, after all his companion for the evening had disappeared and Lenore's companion seemed to be more interested in his parents. Pymus soon walked away, leaving her once again to herself.
"She is alone now." Armand didn't seem pleased with this arrangement or that he was helping Authin in this matter. In his hand, he held a plate of hors d'oeuvres that both of the men were picking at as they watched the woman in the distance.
He sighed briefly, "She has accused the Prince and my person of suspicious activities. Perhaps, I should allow her space and not act so strongly in the future."
"It wasn't your doing that caused her suspicion, it was Lesatan who switched your classes. Lenore is not as dimwitted as her brother likes to believe." Armand hid behind a pillar once Lenore began to look around the room. "Do you not feel that standing here, watching her, will make her slightly nervous?"
"She is standing there watching everyone as well. We are simply doing as she does." Authin gave her a brief wave and wink when she looked toward him, but she ignored the gesture entirely. "She is most definitely not receptive today." He leaned against the pillar himself. "What a dreadful evening. My companion that was offered to me by the Princess disappeared, and my entire reason for coming will barely look in my direction." He picked up a piece of bread with some sort of pink spread on it from Armand's plate and popped it in his mouth.
"My companion is dancing with others." Armand motioned toward a Souchan girl in the distance. "I feel somehow that is a greater insult."
He snorted as he watched the pretty little blonde hop from man to man hoping to find a dance partner among them. He already knew that Armand had rejected her offers on several occasions. "You are spending your time chatting with me, instead of her. If anyone should be offended it is her."
"Do you believe this will work? That Lenore could ever fall for a man like you?" Armand looked toward Lesatan who he could see was slowly making his way toward them. "She doesn't seem interest in the slightest."
Authin shrugged his shoulders. "I will be relentless if I must. No woman can deny a man who is cast aside time and time again, only to stand back up and continue to try for her hand."
The adviser raised an eyebrow, "Knowing Lenore as I do, I think she would be rather disgusted by such desperation."
"Ah, you know nothing of women."
Lesatan approached them and Armand whispered that he had locked eyes with him. The Prince came to stand with Armand behind the pillar so that Lenore could not see him. "It is interesting that the two of you spend your evening here, when one of you should be wooing my sister."
"After the dance class switch and his sudden entry into jousting for our team, Lenore is too suspicious." Armand informed him.
"Indeed, if I push too hard right now, she will surely recoil, my Prince." Authin turned his head to speak to him. "She must be given time to forget her worries and then for me to suddenly reappear rather romantically in her life. Trust in me, I know how a woman's mind works, even the most difficult of ones."
Lesatan did not seem pleased by the plan, but he knew that one couldn't simply just push Lenore. She would dig her heels in and there would be no moving her. With a nod, he walked away in hopes of moving far enough away behind the pillar so that Lenore could not see that he had been speaking to the two men.
"She is leaving." Authin announced.
Armand looked around the corner to watch her and Routine say their goodbyes to his family, as Remus and Ophelia waited behind them. The group of four quietly tried to slip out of the dance hall without being noticed by the queen or so the two men thought.
"I suppose that ends our evening out." Authin looked toward Armand.
He gave a nod, "Yes, I suppose so."
---***---
Remus and Routine had left the girls' side in order to obtain some food and drink for the small party they had decided to have back at the dorm for Jolon and Anton. Lenore and Ophelia went without them back to the dorm so that the Princess could get in her proper dress for the evening. When they arrived the dorm was empty and the two wondered where the commoners could have run off to.
"They might be out in the hamlet." Lenore told her friend who was helping to button up the back of her dress.
The dress that Ophelia had made her was quite slimming compared to the purple disaster that Aletta made her wear. Lenore looked in the full length mirror and smiled as she brushed the fabric down with her hands. She still wore the jewelry and circlet that she had been wearing at the ball.
"Do you like it?" The younger girl asked.
"It is the only dress I have ever worn that I wanted to wear." Lenore told her sincerely which brought a large smile to Ophelia's lips.
The two heard someone approaching from down the hall, and they turned to look at Anton standing next to Piera. They both looked to be a mess. Their cloths and hair both disheveled, and Anton had lipstick on his face.
Lenore only took a couple moments to look them over and know exactly what had transpired, but naïve Ophelia was more worried.
"What happened?" She rushed over toward them, "Are you alright?"
Anton was annoyed that his two dorm mates were home so early as he had hoped to spend a couple more private moments with Piera.
Lenore came to stand next to Ophelia, "Byron will be returning shortly. You should make yourselves presentable."
Piera stood horrified for a moment, "I forgot that he lives here." She mumbled under her breath.
The Princess grabbed Piera's hand and yanked her into the spare room, before pushing Anton out. "Go fix yourself. You have lipstick all over your face, hurry it along." When she shut the door, she turned to Ophelia. "Let's make her presentable."
The brunette gave a firm nod and quickly went to work in assisting her with her hair, while Lenore helped clean up her make-up and rearrange her dress. When they finished, Piera looked at herself in the mirror and gave a look of relief.
"Byron would have me killed if he knew, please..."
Lenore cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Such things are no ones business but your own. You have nothing to fear from me, it's the gossip over here you should set your worries on." She motioned toward Ophelia.
"I don't understand. Why are they both such a mess? Did you two get into trouble?" Ophelia looked between the two girls who couldn't believe that she could be that thick.
"Think it through, Ophelia." Lenore told her and watched her take a moment to put the clues together, but she came up short.
"Perhaps, it is better that she doesn't know." Piera suggested and Lenore agreed with a nod.
"That's not fair." Ophelia whimpered, "I want to know!"
The sliding door to the dorm room opened and Routine and Remus entered with a couple boxes of mead and pastries. Routine was surprised to see his sister standing amongst his dorm mates, and Lenore was quick to answer his question before it was even asked.
"Look who we found on our way home." She lied.
"Yes, we found Jolon and the servant girl as well. They had lost Anton." Remus informed him, "Luckily, he was here."
Lenore could see that Remus was already formulating several scenarios on what had happened that evening, but knew he would be discreet.
"Jolon is here then?" Ophelia asked. "Then all we are missing is Santh."
"Santh more than likely won't be back until late." Lenore told her. "He is on his first meeting with what might be his future wife."
---***---
Lesatan followed his father into one of the side rooms at the dancing hall. There were a couple lovers using the room, but with one clearing of the King's throat, they were quick to disperse. The two men took seat across from each other and Lesatan sat quietly as he was unsure what his father had in mind for this conversation.
The bookshelves lined the wall and left the odor of old books in the air. Three sofas were positioned around a table with a fireplace being the only wall that did not have a sofa's back facing it.
"We have spoken of your obligations when you become king, have we not?" His father leaned back on the couch and crossed an left ankle over his right knee, before tossing his arms over the back of the sofa.
Lesatan gave a nod. "Yes, but I fail to see how this is an appropriate time for such another conversation."
"As King, I decide what is appropriate and what is not." He stared at his son for a few moments and the longer he stared the more Lesatan couldn't look him in the eye and turned his attention to the hands he had in his lap. "Is it your place to convince a man to woo your sister?"
He looked up at his father, "Pardon?"
"This Authin Nele. Do not think I am an ignorant old man who doesn't have a grasp on the heartbeat of this university, Lesatan." He waited for his son to respond, but received nothing from him. "You won't confirm or deny?"
Lesatan cleared his throat. "I am trying to get Lenore to return to the Royal Dorms where she belongs. If giving her a possible suitor that she enjoys spending time with will make her return then I do not see how that is not my place. After all, you told me that I should win her over as she will be a valuable adviser, but she hasn't made it easy."
The King smirked and slowly nodded his head. "So I have heard. You swear to me that your only motive with this Authin Nele is to return her to the dorms?"
"I swear on my honor, father."
"Very well, then continue as you were." He removed his arms from the back of the sofa and leaned forward. "My other worry is that you have not shown much wisdom to govern here. You spent your first couple of years scaring away the commoners and dominating power over your fellow man, no doubt your mother's idea, and this year what have you done?"
"I cleaned up the filth of the girls' dorm. Have you not been told, father?"
He nodded his crowned head. "It was done well, all by the books and all without incident. A perfectly executed plan."
"Thank you, father."
"It was not a compliment." The King frowned, and watched as Lesatan lost his confidence. "Neither you, your mother, or your bumbling idiot advisers could have concocted such a plan. So tell me, who advised you?"
Lesatan whispered his sister's name.
"Speak up, boy!"
"Lenore, father. Lenore was the one that made the suggestion and asked me to fulfill the task. She did so in exchange for politeness in public and to come when I ask of her." He knew his father would ask what he got in return, and decided to tell him before the question was even asked.
The King stared at him for a few moments before he cleared his throat once more. "Do you see now?"
"See what, father?"
"Why you need Lenore at your side? She does what every good adviser must. Brings plans to you that lift you up in the eyes of your people, while never taking any credit herself." He stood from his seat. "Be careful in your attempt to win your sister over, Lesatan. Your mother's ideas can be dangerous to your future."
---***---
Santh and Krine left the ball early as well. She told him that she was bored and that she would like to return to the girls' dorm. He walked with her in silence until they arrived at the gates and she turned to face him.
"I would invite you in, but the Princess has made it impossible to have guests. She gave us a house mother that I do not believe sleeps." She jested.
"It was the Prince not Lenore that did this." Santh corrected her as he looked over her shoulder at how peaceful the dorm looked now.
Krine chuckled, "No, I am certain the Princess was behind it. They were torturing that Souchan girl that night. The boys stripped her down and molested her, and the girls attacked her with rotten fruits and vegetables. The Princess rescued her and threatened revenge. Not long after, a huge raid occurs. That can not be mere coincidence."
He snorted, "Lenore would never take it upon herself to do anything that didn't assist her in some form."
The Mondue girl looked at him and examined his face. "You call her Lenore not the Princess, are you two so close that you can speak so informally of her even in front of strangers?"
He hadn't even realized that he had been speaking informally. "I... we are all friends at the dorm. Should we call her by her title day in and day out?"
She giggled bitterly to herself. "This is the most you have spoken all evening. I understand that Mondue tradition suggests that I do most of the talking and you answer my questions, but I have been out with Mondue men who tried slightly harder than this. Yet, your beloved Princess is brought up as a topic and suddenly you can not help but comment."
Santh was taken aback by her words, "What are you suggesting?"
Krine shrugged her shoulders. "Allow me to make this perfectly clear to you, Santh Aguilar. I plan for you to be my husband as you are the only one capable of fulfilling the roles in my family. I spent all of last year attempting to catch your eye, but you never noticed me. Even when I called your name or asked a question, you would look at me blankly and walk away as if I was nothing."
"I do not recall ever meeting you before."
"Of course, you don't. I was irrelevant to you, but I shall not return to that state. I have been noticed and I shall remain in your sights." She seemed to look over his shoulder briefly as if she wanted to focus on anything other than him for a moment. "I didn't know what caught your attention so much that others couldn't be seen until this year, and I realize that you long for the Princess as I long for you."
"I do not long..."
She was quick to interrupt as she didn't wish to hear his denial. "Please don't. Lie to yourself, but never to me. I only have one last year here and then I must return home and I shall do my best to be the one in your sights. However, if I fail this next year, I will still hold onto one truth."
He raised a questioning eyebrow.
"The Princess is too far out of your reach. You can never have her the way that you long for, but you are within mine. So, I will forgive you if you continue to try for her, but you must also forgive me for my attempts to try for you." With that Krine kissed him briefly on the lips. She barely had to stand on her tip toes at all, where Lenore almost missed his lips when she attempted the same. "Goodnight. Thank you for the evening."
Santh said nothing as he watched the girl disappear into the dorm, but when she was gone he shook his head and began to head back to the dorm.
---***---
Ophelia and Lenore sat on the single bed of the spare dorm room while the boys laid themselves across the floor even though the bottom bunk was unoccupied. Remus was leaning against the bed near Ophelia's legs as he drank with the others, while Anton and Jolon leaned against the bunk beds. Routine simply sat on the floor with one of the desks, he didn't drink.
The bell had rung calling a conclusion to the festivities. Saena had been drinking with them, but soon left to hurry back to the hamlet. Piera had been nervous under her brother's watchful eyes though she did sneak a drink from time to time, but eventually she had to return to her own dorms.
"My heart was in my throat. I kept swallowing in hopes that it would return to its place." Ophelia told them with a slight slur to her words. "Lenore verses her brother, I couldn't believe it. My mother said to me, 'Shouldn't Santh fight him?' I didn't know what to say, and then it was over in one blink of the eye. Neither my mother nor I could believe how quickly it ended."
"We were all shocked, I think." Anton added, "I still have a difficult time believing that you single-handedly beat your brother in that short amount of time."
Lenore grinned, "He never enjoyed practicing with staves, it was seen as beneath him, but I found them to be enjoyable. When we..." She cut herself off when she heard someone making their way down the dorm hall.
Santh came to stand in front of the dorm door and looked at everyone. "It's well passed midnight." He smelled like he had gone into the hamlet and drank at the Enchantress. The stench of the drinking den's cheap ale and vomit soaked floors were obvious.
Everyone expected Lenore to say something to him, but she leaned against the wall behind her and took another drink of her mead.
"We are the victors tonight, Santh! Come celebrate with us!" Ophelia jumped up and bounced toward him.
"I have celebrated enough tonight, and would like to slumber." He informed her with a large frown on his lips.
"Surely, you won't deny us an opportunity to celebrate." Remus spoke to him still seated on the floor. "Tomorrow is a rest day after all."
"Yes, come drink with us." Anton held up a bottle of mead toward the man.
Santh stared at it for a couple moments then looked over at Lenore who didn't even bother to acknowledge that he was there. After hearing what Krine had said to him, he was annoyed by her actions and grabbed the bottle while everyone cheered. Then to everyone's surprise, Santh walked over to the bed and took Ophelia's spot so that he was sitting next to the Princess.
Ophelia blinked a couple times and felt confused about where she should sit now, until Remus patted the floor beside him. With a smile, she hopped over to him and quickly sat down.
"We were discussing Lenore's victory over the Prince." Remus told his large friend. "What were you saying, Lenore?"
The Princess took a large gulp of her mead and then stood from the bed. She offered the half empty bottle to Remus and then headed for the door. "I am going to wash my face."
"I'll go with you." Ophelia jumped up and scurried to catch up with her.
Everyone but Santh exhaled in exhaustion, but it was Remus that spoke their concern. "What have you said to her now?"
Santh's eyes widened as if he was trying to act innocent, but he soon threw that attempt away. "It is business between the Princess and myself. You need not concern yourself." He then mumbled his last words under his breath as he took a drink from the mead bottle. "Nosy bastards."
---***---
Everyone had gone to bed for the evening, but Santh awoke only an hour after falling asleep to the dire need to relieve himself. He jumped from his bed and scurried out the back of the dorm where he was quick to find a tree. He began his emergency business and leaned his forehead against the trunk of the tree in front of him.
"I am out here." Lenore's voice spoke from behind him.
He hadn't seen her in his rush. Santh continued to urinate undaunted by the fact that she was watching him. When he finished, he turned around to find Lenore still in the dress that Ophelia had made her. She was walking around in the soft dirt without any shoes on and a bottle of mead in her hand.
Santh cleared his throat and began to walk back into the door, but stopped himself to ask over his shoulder. "Have you not slept?"
"As soon as I go to sleep, I will have to remove the dress. I do not know when I will ever be able to wear it again, and Ophelia worked so hard to make it just the way I wanted." Lenore informed him as she continued to walk back and forth with her legs lifted high in front of her. She watched each of her steps and never once looked up at him.
He turned around to face her and noticed another bottle of mead on the stairs, but this was unopened. He sat down on the steps and opened it before taking a few large gulps. "About what I said today in the arena, I didn't..." He tried to apologize but it felt as if the words were fighting against his pride.
"It's alright." Lenore told him, releasing him of the obligation of apologizing which allowed him to breath once more. "You never have liked me. I do not know why I attempt to befriend someone that wants nothing to do with me. I am the one in the wrong, I apologize."
"What?" He crinkled in nose in disgust. "Why would you apologize? What are you planning?"
Lenore stopped moving and looked up at the man. "How have I wronged you? I am always at meals and roll call, which was your biggest contention. Yet, everything I do, you question my motives. How is it that I have become such a villain in your eyes?"
"I couldn't say." He mumbled the words and took a few more drinks from the bottle. Lenore mimicked his action. "I saw Crolus sneak in toward the dorms and meet with you. Is it a secret affair?"
"You are the second person to ask me about him today." Lenore mused, before simply shrugging her shoulders. "The man certainly should not become a spy or stealthy assassin, if even Santh can spot him."
Santh smirked, but noticed she hadn't answered his question.
When she saw he was not satisfied with her comment, she continued. "Since my first year here, he and I would meet in secret, and enjoy some time together, but we are in no danger of falling in love and running away together." Walking over to him, she sat down on the stairs beside him. "Now, that you have asked a personal question. I have one for you."
He raised a single eyebrow and waited.
"How was your first meeting with Krine?"
Santh didn't know if he should embellish or tell her anything at all, as the truth was too humiliating to share with this woman. "She is an only child and since I have no family, I could join hers and take over her father's monopoly."
She nodded her head. "Sounds exactly the way that I will someday pick a suitor." She cleared her throat, "Oh, he has lands and an army, surely my brother will find some use for him one day." She giggled bitterly then turned her head toward him. "It's not so grand."
"What is?"
"Being my brother's pawn in life. You believe I have this lavish lifestyle, but my world revolves around him. I like to inform him that he isn't the center of everyone's world, but the truth of the matter he is for many people. His advisers, his parents, many of the Royals, and more so than anyone myself." She sighed. "If one day, he decides to rid the world of me. There will be nothing that anyone can do. My life exists by his whim."
Santh didn't know what to say to the woman and instead watched her take another drink of her mead. She then turned to face him with a grin.
"Aw, did I make you feel pity for me? My apologies." She chuckled but he didn't laugh in return. "You know what could make me feel better? A kiss from the most handsome man in the dorm. So, what do you say?" She leaned forward and puckered up her lips.
Santh stared at her for a moment, and when she pulled back and began to speak something about him never being helpful, he leaned forward and planted a kiss directly on her lips. "Better?" He partially teased.
Part of him expected to be slapped and another part hoped she would kiss him in return, but Lenore simply smiled widely. "Much, thank you."