"I wonder what they'll be like!"said Ceres, as she was being prepared for the meeting with the rest of the quartet. "What am I supposed to call them?"she asked Launcekrona. "And them me? And everyone else?"
"What does Your Grace mean?"asked Launcekrona.
"Just that. For everyone else there would be four 'Your Grace's, how are we supposed to tell which one?! And they won't call me 'Your Grace', either, will they? Or me them?"
It dawned upon her that she didn't even know their names. She had always heard her parents call their parents by their names.
"I don't know their names!"
"Er, I'm sure someone will know."Launcrekrona told Ceres.
"You don't know them either!"
"Er, no."she admitted.
It was always fun to get the better of Launcekrona. Launcekrona was always bossing and scolding her, it was good to see when she had no answer.
"We spent so much time looking forward to meeting them, and preparing to meet them, and we never learned their names! Ask someone, Launcekrona!"
Launcekrona came back with a sheet of paper, and she read off it.
"Let me see, Kagutsuchi of Mars, Duchess of Vesta, Omoikane of Mercury, Duchess of Pallas, and Raijena of Jupiter, the Duchess of Juno."
"Why such long names?"complained Ceres. "And which one goes with whom?"
Finally, the ducal coronet was put on her head, the sash of the Order of Aphrodite put over her right shoulder and fastened at her left hip. The star of the Order of Aphrodite was fastened on the left side of her dress, above a handsome pearl brooch shaped in the shape of an acorn.
"Your Grace looks lovely!"
Ceres was wearing a pink dress, with seed pearls embroidered into it in the shape of acorns. Her choker was the same color as her dress, and she wore small, pearl earrings that matched the brooch pinned to her dress.
Artemis rushed in. These kinds of things always made him a little anxious. He was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to the image Venus, or the Moon Empire, gave to the galaxy. Simple balls were one thing, however, interplanetary, and especially interplanetary events such as this, was completely something else. Thanks to this, he had canceled her arithmetic and other boring lessons, to increase her dancing and etiquette lessons. Why didn't he think to do so before?
"Your Grace."
He bowed to her, and waited.
"I don't curtsey to you, Artemis."she said, as one of her attendants handed her her fan, and attached it to her girdle. "You always insist on that."she reminded him.
"Not to curtsey to me, Your Grace, I would simply see Your Grace's curtsey."
"No."she teased. "I only bow to the Princess and Prince Consort of Venus. Only to them, the Empress, the Crown Prince and Princess, Small Lady, and the other planetary princesses."
Artemis sighed.
"At least I can see you paid attention to some of your lessons."
"I did well at my dancing lessons, too! My language tutors said I, er, did all right on that, too. My conversation skills, as well as my fan language, as well."
"Conversation and fan, I would expect no less, Your Grace. Her Royal Highness, either."
The gestures one made with a fan was what was known as 'fan language', such as opening one's fan to its fullest and peaking above it, how quickly one fanned oneself with it, how tightly one held it. It was something expected of all the ladies at the Venusian court.
"But why don't we still go over some of these things again."he said.
Not again, Ceres thought.
"I shouldn't be late, either, should I? A little more, and I will. And I want to show Mama and Papa my new dress! And don't follow right behind me, I worry you might step on my train!"
Which wasn't true. Artemis would never walk close enough that he could step on her train. And it was long enough that she couldn't hear him without his shouting. What would make her nervous, however, was him repeating everything a dozen times.
Her parents were waiting for her in the gallery leading to her rooms. She gave them her most elegant curtsey, and waited until her mother said she could rise.
"Our Pearl looks lovely."said Kunzite, as she rose.
"And terrified."Minako gestured at Ceres' fan with her own. "You must appear a little more confident."
Ceres realized she was clutching her fan a little too tight.
"But your father is right. You look lovely."her mother told her.
Minako did not wear her crown, but her golden hair was held elegantly in one of her most elegant bows. The metallic threads embroidered on her dress sparkled as she moved. They were embroidered in elegant scrollwork. Kunzite wore his full dress uniform, with many metals.
Artemis finally caught up.
"Ah, there everyone is."
He looked back. Satisfied, he nodded.
"I think we've got everything covered. Your Grace,"he told Ceres. "please, step back a few steps behind Their Royal Highnesses."
He gestured to Launcekrona to move.
"Not the governess, please."he said. "The governess in the back! Her Grace of Onotopah! You're holding Her Royal Highness's train!"
Seven duchesses would be holding Minako's train. Five marquises would be holding Ceres's. Not that this was something new to Ceres. She had attended many court ceremonies before. One could say they might also be second nature to her. She had never been the center of one, thought. That was her parents, especially her mother.
Is it time to go yet? I wish there was a clock here. Oh, drat, now I'm starting to think like a boring Plutonian, worrying about something like the time, she chastised herself. They must surround themselves with nothing but clocks there. Tick, tock, tick, tock, she giggled. None of the others were Plutonian, thank goodness.
Finally, her parents began to lead to meet the others and their retinues. The others would land at the spaceport in Ceres, where they would meet them. From there everyone would be climb into their carriages, and make their way back to the palace. They would take one route there and another back.
At last, they got to the spaceport. To meet them were three girls. Ceres tried to get a better look at them, unsuccessfully trying to peak behind her parents. She wished her father didn't wear a cape, and her mother would cut her hair. Add that to the fact that being close to her own age, the other girls were not too much taller than herself, except for Juno.
"Welcome to Venus."said Minako.
The three of them curtsied before her and Kunzite.
"Thank you, Your Royal Highness."
"We are very honored to be here, Your Royal Highness."
"It is a great honor to meet Your Royal Highness."
"I see you are very well educated young ladies."said Kunzite, as he kissed each girl's hand.
Ceres waited impatiently. Finally, she got to step up.
"I would like to welcome all of you to Venus. I am Shinju of Venus, Duchess of Ceres."she said, as she curtseyed to them.
Each of the other girls curtseyed to her, as well, as they said their names. Venusians usually greeted with a hug and a kiss. This was forewent, since they were foreigners.
All four of them travelled in an open carriage. Ceres waved to the crowds. Juno and Vesta looked surprised at the size of the crowds, and followed Ceres's waving to the crowds. Pallas looked a little apprehensive, but she, too, followed her example, if a little hesitantly.
"You must have done this before?"asked Juno, remembering Ceres telling her that she had left her duchy before. "Not just here."
"Yes."
"Shouldn't they be throwing flowers?"asked Vesta, as people threw what seemed like grains and oats on them.
"No, not here. Oats, maize, rye, barley."Ceres shook her head.
"All cereals."nodded Pallas. "Ceres, cereals. We're not expected to eat them, are we?"she asked, as more fell on them.
"Not these, of course. But if you can't like cereals or grains, you don't have to. We have excellent malts, though! I've asked that we have strawberry malts after tonight's feast! You can have something else, if you don't like malts, though."
"It'll be great to bake with real Cerian grains."Juno sounded enthusiastic.
She collected a handful of the grains and threw them in the air.
"I've appeared on the balcony at the Palace of Juno, but people threw roses, pink roses. Not grains. Do you appear at the balcony here?"
"Yes."
"Everyone wears veils at Vesta when it's my birthday."
"Do they throw veils?"asked Juno.
"No!"
"We give out lengths of beautiful fabrics on my birthdays."said Pallas.
"But we must stand before we enter the gates of the palace."said Ceres. "So the people can get a final glimpse at us!"
"Oh, no! I'd be too embarrassed!"exclaimed Pallas.
The others had already gotten up. Following Ceres's lead, they waved their fans at the crowd.
The four of them sat one table, which was raised on a dais. There was a place set for each of them. Royal blue for Pallas, dark rose for Vesta, dark green for Juno, and pink for herself. At each place was also a figurine, an owl made from lapis lazuli for Pallas, a garnet donkey for Vesta, and a platinum peacock set with peridots, and wearing a diadem for Juno, each a gift from herself.
Small Lady had also sent each of them a gift, including handsome set of rose colored pearls for Ceres! Small Lady knew she liked pearls, for her name, obviously, but she had never owned such as this color before. They were also set off with gold plate. Juno received a jewel rose, Vesta a sculpture that resembled flames, and with the light, it did seem like they were burning, and Pallas a brooch which resembled a waterfall when it caught the light. A little more and one did get the impression that it was actually water falling.
Ceres also received gifts from each of them, including a fan with portraits of all the previous Duchesses of Ceres painted on it, with her own portrait in the middle from Juno. Pallas gave her a tapestry depicting the Palace of Ceres. Vesta gave her a long pink and gold veil, embroidered with seed pearls in different shapes.
