Master Brotsmith had organised a covered cart for them to arrive in. The cart followed the merchant's carriage up the wide Temple way and through the Palace gates although Nerissa could see none of this in the covered cart.
Blanco and Nerissa sat in silence. They already knew their routines. They would stick to their normal stuff, no point doing anything which risked going wrong when they would be performing for the King of Tortal.
Edward on the other hand wasn't silent. He was dressed in faded red velvet, which looked a little too small for him.
"Old Brottey he's hoping you two are going to win him some favours at court. He's putting on a big show. He's supplied the food and entertainments. Hopes that people will buy from him if they see the quality of his stock, like. He's not been doing too well recently." That explained the cold and dark of his house, thought Nerissa.
Edward stopped talking for a second, the longest respite yet. Blanco had already started his warm up routine and had not been listening to any of what Edward had been talking about.
"Here, I'm dead looking forward to what you're gonna do." Edward told Nerissa. Nerissa mumbled that it was nothing special under her breath. Edward didn't hear her but he was distracted by a change in the noise of the road. It sounded like they were travelling on gravel now.
"Right that's me off." Edward jumped down from the back of the cart and ran ahead. He still managed a quick wink at Nerissa before he was out of sight, heading for Master Brotsmith's carriage. Nerissa strangely missed his stream of chatter. She began to feel the accustomed flutter of worry unsettling her stomach. This time it felt worse though, she had never performed in front of royalty before.
The cart continued on and stopped beside another cart unloading cauliflowers. They had arrived at the servant's door. Nerissa jumped down and held the bundle of knives and swords they would use later in their show as Blanco too jumped down. He landed lightly like a cat. He was always light on his feet though. It was what marked him out as a good Sword Dancer that even when he wasn't performing he still walked like he was. Nerissa had been on the receiving end of his lightning sharp reflexes on many previous occasions too.
They walked into the delivery room. These led into the red bricked kitchens. The heat was overpowering. Nerissa could already feel the three foot high fire at the other end of the room and she could understand why the boy turning the spit on the fire had taken his shirt off. The bustle too made Nerissa's head pound. There were so many people. And the smells! The smells were intoxicating! By the time she'd got half way across the kitchen she was sure she'd already seen 20 whole chickens being prepared. Her mouth watered uncontrollably.
Blanco behind her pushed her on so she couldn't look around long. An imposing man in the red and gold uniform of the Palace approached them.
"You are the second entertainers I presume. I am Master Oakbridge. The Musicians arrived hours ago." The stout man sniffed in reproach at their lateness. When neither Blanco nor Nerissa responded he continued "You will proceed down the corridor and take the third left, then the second right, you will then wait in the adjoining antechamber until a servant sends you through. Understood?" Blanco nodded stiffly and lead the way once they were out of the kitchens.
When they arrived in the antechamber which was lined with expensive green drapes both performers set about their more vigorous warm ups, flexing their stiff limbs from their journey to Corus not so many hours before. They took off their travelling cloaks to reveal their costumes which they'd changed into before they'd arrived. Blanco wore black hose, shirt and silk cloak and Nerissa wore a tight orange leotard which she detested but Blanco insisted she wore.
A youth wearing Gold and Red came through the curtain. As the curtain shifted the noise of chatter and a playing lute were amplified from the banqueting room beyond. The youth grinned at Blanco and Nerissa and said
"They've almost finished their third course now so it'll be time for you guys." The youth ducked around the curtain again and said "Ok all the plates are cleared, you can go up." Blanco said a curt thank you and nodded at Nerissa.
She didn't need the prompt; she'd already backed up against the far wall in preparation for her run up. She took her deep breath and pelted for the curtain and as she reached it she dived onto her hands. She pushed herself up and was flipping over and again and again. Her nerves were jangling as she stood and hands up and back straight turned around neatly. She caught the first knife in her left hand before the audience had even noticed it whizzing through the air. They gasped appreciatively as she caught the second and gasped harder still when he did a handstand and caught the third with her foot. All this really took was practise and dedication. Hours of it. Blanco hadn't been about to let her not be dedicated though.
She threw the knife in her foot into the air, jumped back to standing and begun to juggle the knives. She had to watch them carefully. She knew Blanco could juggle them without looking but she hadn't reached that level of skill. Even so she could see in her peripheral vision that the lords and ladies of the King's Court were wearing the most expensive colours, jewels and clothes she had ever seen. Blanco walked on juggling three knives and he threw one at Nerissa who sent it up as soon as she caught it into her flying sphere of knives.
The audience ah-ed and oh-ed receptively and Nerissa was pleased it was a good audience. Juggling knives was a lot harder when peasants were throwing turnips at you as well.
Eventually Nerissa was juggling all of the six knives and Blanco, hands now free began his shtick. Nerissa knew it word for word, she'd heard it so many times, and she could hear it echoed in her head even whilst she concentrated on not getting lacerated by the knives she was still juggling
"Lords and Ladies. You're Highnesses." Blanco bowed "I am a Sword Dancer and I am here with my apprentice. We have travelled far over this land and it is a pleasure to bring our skills to Corus and to such a prestigious audience." Blanco then threw back his cloak to show he wore six swords in his belt, all of them rapiers "Knives are but a child's plaything tonight, my Lords and Ladies; I shall be dabbling with the fine art of The Sword."
This was Nerissa's queue she threw each knife in turn at a target board at the opposite end of the room so that she had her hands free. They each turned blade over handle as they whistled towards the target. Nerissa smiled at the audience but she smiled through gritted teeth. It wasn't often that she missed the bored entirely but one never knew, this could be the night that she did. Four out of six hit the bull's eye. Nerissa tried not to wince; she would probably pay in the morning for the two that were slightly off.
Blanco threw two of his swords at Nerissa; she held one in each hand. They then began their elaborate routine of choreographed moves, flips and tumbles. The flips in the air were rudimentary. In fact Nerissa was pretty sure that the knife trick at the beginning was the hardest of anything they did because it relied on pinpoint precision, however the acrobatic combined with a small bit of sword throwing was an impressive sight.
When they had finished their routine they bowed to the King and Queen who sat in the centre of the enormous table upon a raised dais. Nerissa looked at them from under her lashes. They were both dazzling. They both wore gold circlets in their coal black hair and they wore matching deep purple clothes, sprinkled with diamonds. They both sat smiling and clapping. Nerissa smiled too, although it was hidden in her bow.
She heard a whirring. The Kind that accompanied one of the knives used in her act. As attuned as she was to the sound of her flying knives she was certain she could hear one. She stood up straight instantly and looked around confused.
Because she was upright and in line with the throne she was caught in the face with a spray of brilliant red blood. In reflex she shut her eyes. When she opened them again she saw the King had toppled backwards out of his seat. A woman with bright orange hair, illuminated by purple light, was knelt over him. The queen was being pulled from the room by a man with equally coal black hair and a foreign looking woman, though the queen was using all her strength to try and reach the fallen King. She was wailing piteously and her creamy white skin had a splattering of blood marring her cheek.
Everybody else was rushing towards Nerissa and Blanco.
