Book 5: Chapter 38

Book 5: Chapter 38

Guests at the dance stopped paying attention to Kay, both those who had been overtly staring and those who had been covertly watching, to pay attention to the arrival of their queen. Two guards in her livery proceeded her and two followed behind her, but every eye was on Alahna as she strode into the ballroom. She was the very picture of a regal queen, with a simple yet elegant presence crown on her brow and silvery jewelry that matched it drawing the eye with each movement. Bangles pooled at her wrists and flashes of anklets could be seen under the hem of her dress as she walked, turning her into a sparkling display.

Her dress was similar to Eleniah’s in style, with a closely molded upper portion and a flowing skirt, but where Eleniah’s dress clung to her until right at the ankle Alahna’s swirled and danced around her legs, sticking tightly to her and outlining her calves and thighs in one moment and swirling out into a dancing display of movement the next. The color of the dress changed as you moved downward from the top, with bright white shoulder straps descending down in a gradient into a turbulent dark color, making her look like a rumbling thunderstorm drifting across the ballroom. Each time the dress billowed out from her and then smoothed out against her body made it look like dark and ominous clouds were being born and dying before being born anew each second. The effect was simultaneously awe inspiring and terrifying.

“Should I have a crown on?” Kay whispered to Eleniah, trying to ignore the unworthy feelings he was experiencing from witnessing Alahna’s entrance.

“It all depends on where you are.” She whispered back. “Some places will look down on you for not wearing one, like you’re ashamed of your position or something, while others will look at it as you trying to say you’re superior to their leaders if you do. The Isles don’t really care, but if you pop one on after that entrance it’ll look like trying to catch up to her.”

“Which would be bad PR, even if she does blow me out of the water this time.”

“She’s had hundreds of years of more practice. You’ll get to that level eventually.”

“Damn she looks good though.”

Eleniah glanced at him with her eyebrow raised. “Does she?”

“You don’t think so?” Kay surreptitiously gestured at Alahna’s dress. “The effect to make it look like a storm is insane. The whole ensemble is making her look bad ass and majestic at the same time. Like a storm come to life that will capriciously choose your fate. Very queenly.”

“Like I said, a lot of practice. She does pull that off amazingly.”

Attendees swept forward to greet her, some moving in at a fast pace like they were racing to be the first to speak to her, others were definitely racing percieved or actual opponents among the other guests, making sure the got to the front of the line before their enemy, and some looked nervous, counting the people ahead of them to make sure they weren’t behind some predetermined cutoff.

Kay scanned the room, looking at a specific group of people in particular. Duke Karmondur made a poorly disguised face laced with malignity but his eyes held a faint trace of grudging respect. His cronies, conspirators, or allies, whichever they were, all had similar expressions, some better hidden than others, but they all had the same flaw of revealing their emotions through their eyes, a sure sign of their amateur skills at masking their emotions. Some were discouraged and downtrodden by Alahna, some lusted after her and desired her for their own, but most of them looked at Alahna with fear in their eyes, fear of a bigger predator that they couldn’t predict.

She grinned. “Not by the time I’m done. When it’s time, everyone in your circle will be able to appreciate me.” After a dramatic pause she gave curtsied to him. “I’ll retrieve some more refreshments, and see if I can figure out why some of the obvious targets aren’t moving as predicted. By your leave, your majesty.” Without even waiting for his permission, even though she’d asked, she slipped into the crowd and vanished from sight.

“Oh.”

Kay glanced at Eleniah.

“I get what Alahna’s guess is. She’s definitely going to be annoyed.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Or not nothing, but it’s not your turn to figure it out.”

“... I’m not going to argue with you about keeping secrets from me. The argument itself will be a waste of time and you know better than to keep actually important secrets from me.” He turned around to look at Lauren. “Lauren, you need anything? You guys want some food?”

Kay could hear the wry smile in her reply. “No, your majesty, we ate before coming and we’re high enough tier to go without any food for a single party.”

“Your loss, it’s quite good. Well, if you don’t want anything, leave one person here to tell Miri where we went.” He turned back around and took Eleniah’s arm, pulling her gently with him.

“Where are we going?”

“To dance. I have a lovely partner with me and I want to practice the dance moves she so graciously helped me learn.”

Because he was watching where they were walking to avoid running into anyone, Kay missed the blush that graced Eleniah’s cheeks. Too bad for him, because it was quite fetching.