Chapter 10
"Bella, the whole point of a masquerade ball is to dress extravagantly. You can't dress in that simple, plain dress. Leliana exclaimed. "If I remember correctly this party was your idea and it was a brilliant one. Tonight you can be anyone you want. Besides, I want another dance with you."
"Well, another dance with you will surely give away my identity. I suggested this party because I didn't want to spend the entire evening with everyone fawning over the Hero of Ferelden. It was not so that I could dress lavishly," Bella countered.
"Oh well, dressing lavishly is part of a masquerade ball. You are just going to have to suck it up. You can stop looking through your closet your ball gown isn't in there. I had Nora set it aside. She should be bringing it by any minute." Leli took a sip of her wine and then continued, "So have you and Alistair kissed and made-up?"
"Alistair is married! We don't kiss at all."
"You know what I mean?" Leliana replied. "It was very evident, at least to those of us who know both you and Alistair that the two of you were fighting during your match."
"Of course we were fighting it was a sparring match, Leli."
"That isn't what I meant and you know it. The two of you were verbally going at like a dwarf goes after ale," she said with a giggle. "It was obvious to Fergus and I that it wasn't friendly banter either."
"Did the Queen notice?" Bella inquired.
"Not at first, but she was on her feet ready to order the royal guard on to the field when you had your sword at Alistair's throat," Leliana replied.
"Really? That's interesting," Bella mused.
"Yes, indeed. She started to relax when you walked away from him, but then you collapsed and Alistair was on his knees cradling you in his arms crying out your name and demanding that Wynne or Anders be brought on the field."
"Alistair did what!" Bella exclaimed.
"The moment you collapsed Alistair ran to your side and pulled you into his arms crying out your name. It really was heartbreaking to watch," Leliana replied.
"By the Maker, has the man lost his mind?" She asked exasperated as she ran her fingers through her hair. "He did this in front of his wife and half of Ferelden?"
Leliana nodded her head briefly and said, "Bella, for a moment I do believe he did lose his mind. He was back in the deep roads holding you after you took that sword in the side from the hurlock. It took both Fergus and Teagan to pull him away from you so that Anders could work on you."
Bella shook her head, "Oh, Leli, what am I going to do?" She said nervously. "Alistair just embarrassed his wife in front of a large crowd of people. She has to hate me now."
"If she does then she hides it well. To those that remained in the box she acted just as concerned for your well being as everyone else. And she said several times, 'Maker keep her safe, Alistair can't lose his closest friend'."
"She said that?" Bella asked and Leliana nodded.
"Well Maker bless her if she truly meant it, but if she was just covering for her husband's actions then she is sodding brilliant and works well under pressure. That is someone to keep an eye on, Leli. Especially for you since you will be at court more often than me," Bella exclaimed.
Leliana again nodded her head in agreement. "Those were my thoughts exactly," she replied. "I really do hope that her concern for you was genuine. Zev and I both had very good first impressions of the Queen. She seems very genuine, but she is also very smart and resourceful."
"I hope that her concern was genuine too, but be careful until you can be sure," Bella cautioned.
"I will. So tell me what were you and Alistair fighting about."
Bella let out a long sighed, "It was both of our faults really. I just don't know how to be his friend when I am still in love with him. Instead of explain this to him like a mature adult I distanced myself from him and avoided being alone with him. My distance caused him to read more into my relationship with Nate and you know how he overreacts when he is jealous."
"HE IS MARRIED!" You could be having sex with Nate from dawn till dusk and it's none of his business." Leliana shouted infuriated. "I need to have a talk with that boy."
Bella grinned at Leliana as she said, "From dawn till dusk, huh? I surely will need some of Zev's herb pills."
They both giggled as the door to her room opened and Nora walked in with her ball gown. Bella looked at the dress and her mouth dropped. It was simply the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. The dress was made from sparkling metallic silver and crinkled silk with a silver silk charmeuse underneath. The entire dress was covered in hundreds of beads and rhinestones that glistened like diamonds when the light hit it. The garment had an empire waist so that the bodice would fit tightly around her breast, but just under her breasts the dress would flow softly and elegantly around her body. The material at the top of the bodice scalloped over each of her breasts to reveal her long neck line and cleavage. Once she had the dress on the long sleeves would rest off her shoulders. She looked at Leli with a shocked look.
"Do you like it?" Leli asked.
"It's the most incredible dress I have ever seen." Bella gasped.
Leli squealed with delight. "It's a gift from Fergus and I."
"But why? The two of you don't need to buy me gifts."
"It's because of you that Fergus and I found each other. We both are so happy and we wanted to show you our gratitude."
"Thank you," Bella said as she blushed, "but this was completely unnecessary."
From behind the dress Nora pulled out a white and silver mask with silver feathers at the top and a pair of beaded and rhinestone shoes that looked like glass and matched the dress perfectly. Nora smiled as she handed the dress to her. "My lady, will be the most beautiful mystery at the ball," Nora exclaimed.
"Well, I won't be a mystery to Leli and Fergus. They both will know what I look like, but I won't know what they look like. That's a little unfair." Bella said with a frown.
Leli smiled and said, "Rumor has that the King and Queen are offering a very handsome boon to the person that correctly guesses the identity of the most number of guests. If I have to employ a few of my old tricks to win then so be it."
Bella smiled a sinfully wicked smile back at her and said, "So would you like to place a little wager on that?"
Leliana grinned back, "You think you can beat me at game that I played very well in the Orlesians court? I didn't teach all my tricks, Bella."
"That is true, but you weren't my only tutor, my dear Leliana. I also had an assassin and a duelist teach me a few things too. So do we have a deal?"
"Oooh, this is going to be such a fun night, "Leli exclaimed and the two of them proceeded to map out the rules for their wager.
Once Leliana had left Nora pulled out a box from underneath Bella's bed. Inside the box was a strawberry blond wig. "Lady Leliana will be looking for a brunette at the party tonight not a red head."
Bella laughed, "You are wicked, Nora," she said with a smile.
Nora spent the next couple hours getting Bella ready for the party. When she finally looked in the mirror and she was amazed. "Wow, is that me? I hardly even recognized myself."
"Yes, my Lady, that's the whole point. When you clean all that dirt off you are breathtaking."
Bella smiled, "I think you are a little bias," she said as slid her mask over her face. "Well, I guess I should be going."
Bella arrived at the doors of the grand hall a few minutes later. One of the greeters handed her a small chalkboard, a piece of chalk and a number. "My Lady, please pin this number on your dress. Use the number on other guests to guess their identities. Each correct guess is worth 1 point. If you can correctly guess the identity of the King, the Queen, or the Hero of Ferelden you will receive an additional 10 points for each one. You can use your chalkboard to keep track of your guesses. When you are ready for your guesses to be totaled please turn your board into the table in the corner of the grand hall. The King and Queen are offering a boon to the person or persons the correctly identify the most guests and a boon is also being offered to the person whose identity was impossible to guess and therefore has received least amount of correct guesses."
"Thank you," Bella replied as she took the board and stepped away from the greeter.
Behind her she felt hot breath on her the back of her neck, "Well, the most exquisite creature in the room could only be mi Bella Terso. You just earned me 10 points."
Bella spun around to face him. "Zev, how did you know it was me?"
"I know every line and curve of your body, my dear."
Bella looked him up and down as she studied his attire. He was dressed in the same orange and red outfit that he and Oghren had worn when they pretended to be the famous Broma Brothers in order to break Alistair and her out of Fort Draken. For tonight's purposes he had added an orange and red mask that had matching feathers coming out the side. She laughed, "That is so unfair because you are only worth a point."
"You, my dear, should far exceed a measly 10 points and you should be worth a 100 points because no one will recognize you in that wig and dress."
"What's wrong with my dress?"
"Nothing, my dear Warden, it is simply the most gorgeous dress I have ever seen and you are breathtaking in it. You will be the mystery of the evening because anyone who knows you knows this is the last thing that you would pick for yourself to wear. Did Leli pick this out for you?"
"Am I that predictable?" Bella asked with a pout.
"No, my Bella, you are the most unpredictable person I know. That is what I love about you."
Bella laughed, "So is Oghren dressed as your twin again?"
"But of course, and even though we were separated at birth since we have been reunited we have been inseparable," Zevran mused.
"Yes, I've heard that the two of you have been busy hitting all the pubs and brothels in Denerim together," Bella replied
"What a better way to get to know your brother then over a pint and a whore," Zev said humorously. Bella let out deep laugh. "It's good to hear you laugh again my dear. It's been too long since the sound of your laughter serenaded me," Zev purred.
"Zev, your charms are wasted on me. You need to find some lovely nobles daughter to use that line on them and I guarantee you won't be alone in bed tonight," Bella cooed.
"Well, if I can't have you warming my bed tonight then I guess I will have to settle for a Lady or two here that I can seduce with my charms," Zevran replied.
Bella laughed, "Well, I should let you go work your magic. I, on the other hand have a lot of people to identify."
"You are really getting into the mystery aspect of this party aren't you?"
"It's fun not having anyone know who you are. Besides I have a little bet going with Leli and I need to get working on it."
"Oooo, do tell, my dear."
"Sorry, maybe later. I've got people to identify."
Bella moved into the grand hall and spent the next couple of hours mingling or dancing with different guests. A lot of them she recognized and added them to her list. Leliana was the easiest to recognize because she was easily the most extravagantly dressed woman there. She looked beautiful in a lilac and silver gown, but it was the silver bells in her hair that made her stand out from all the other ladies. Fergus stood behind her with his back to her, but it was the constant glances over his shoulder at his future bride that gave him away. Bella smiled; it brought joy to her heart to see Fergus happy again and it made her even happier that her dear friend would soon be her sister. Bella wrote their numbers down and then shimmered away before Leli saw her.
Bella had yet to find Alistair and Anna. She knew they had to be here somewhere. She needed their points if she was going to beat Leli. She looked around the room for them when she felt a hand rest on the side of her waist. "My lady, I don't believe that I have had the pleasure of dance with you," she recognized the voice as belonging to Nate. She turned to look to him. She wasn't sure if he recognized her so she kept her eyes turned down. She knew that he would recognize her voice too so she tilted her head towards the dance floor; with his hand on her waist he led her to the center of the room.
"So has my Lady, been in Denerim long?"
Bella just shrugged her shoulders.
Nate thought for a moment and then said, "If I ask just yes or no questions, will my Lady answer them?" Bella nodded.
"Will you answer them truthfully?" Bella chuckled and nodded.
"Have I seen you before this evening at other Celebration events?" Bella nodded.
"Were you at the Opening Celebration event?" Bella nodded
"Did you participate in the tournament?" Bella nodded.
"Have I been in love with you since we were teenagers?" Bella felt her heart flutter and her stomach tighten. Her eyes immediately went to his. He smiled down at her. She didn't even realize that she had stopped dancing till Nate pulled her toward him and spun her to the right.
"H-how did you know it was me?" She stammered.
He smiled at her and replied, "I have been watching you work a room for as long as I can remember. You have very distinctive movements when you move through a crowd."
Bella laughed, "Well keep that information to yourself. I don't want anyone else figuring out who I am."
"Your secret is safe with me and no need to worry about anyone else figuring out who you are. I've overheard several guess trying to figure out who the mysterious strawberry blond in the stunning dress is."
The song ended and Nate stepped away from her. She didn't know what came over her, but leaned into him to kiss him on the side of his mouth, but he saw the kiss coming and surprised her by turning his head slightly and the kiss landed on his lips. She let her lips linger briefly and then pulled away.
He smiled, "What was that for?" She shrugged her shoulders and walked away.
Bella surveyed the room again looking for the King and Queen. In a corner, she spotted a woman with short brown hair wearing a gown that was designed to look like Dalish armor, but it was made from satin and silk. It was stunning and very unique dress. Bella remembered the first time that she had met Bann Alfstanna in the Gnawed Noble Tavern. She had worn her cured leather armor. Bella smiled at the wisdom behind selecting such a dress. What a better way to remind the nobles of Ferelden that it wasn't just the King that was a warrior and capable of defending the realm. Brilliant! She had to give it to Alistair for choosing a smart and capable Queen.
In stealth mode, Bella glided up behind Anna undetected and whispered in her ear, "Queen Anna, what beautiful and unique dress you are wearing."
Anna spun around quickly to face her. "I didn't hear you come up behind me." Anna paused as she looked Bella up and down as she tried to figure out who stood in front of her. "It's not often that someone can sneak up behind me without my guards noticing."
Bella smiled, "Yes, I had mentioned to the King that there were a few major holes in your security here at the Palace. That really should to be addressed."
Anna tilted her head, "So you know the King?"
Bella smiled again, "We have spoken on occasion."
"Are you friends with the King?" Anna questioned.
Bella ignored the question and said, "I am sorry to interrupt your conversation. I just wanted to say thank you for inviting me your celebration. Now if you will excuse me, your Majesty, I need to continue to mingle. I have a bet to win." She almost curtsied, but caught herself and walked away. Anna watched her walk around a pillar and then literally disappear into the crowd. She remembered Alistair telling her once that Bella was an expert in concealment. Anna smiled and wrote Bella's name and number down on her chalkboard.
Bella worked her way around the edge of the perimeter of the room when she felt someone grab her arm and pull her into a dark hidden alcove. Enough light from the ballroom shined into the niche for Bella to see the outline of the man that stood there. She would know him anywhere. She would know him blindfolded. There in front of her standing extremely too close to her was Alistair and her heart began to race.