A/N: Oh the humanity! More marzipan, or at least a reference to it!

II.v

Shall We Dance?

The Royal Palace in Rabanaster

A reception was held in Judge Bunansa's honor, theoretically hosted by the Queen and King. Ashe had certainly had nothing to do with planning it. She was glad of the chance, however, to see the Judge Magister sit through an entire banquet in full armor, as he was required to do at such an occasion. He retired to his assigned guest quarters when the dancing began, begging a rest after his long journey and a chance to begin reviewing the case.


"Fond of almonds, are you, Your Majesty?" asked the man standing beside Ashe at the refreshment table. She was filling a small dish with the aforementioned nuts. He was heaping pastries onto an already overloaded dinner plate that most certainly should not have been present after the banquet proper.

The man, Archadian by his accent, was quite tall, nearly six feet she would guess, with tawny hair slicked back against his head. He wore the uniform of a minor functionary, and Ashe guessed that he was only present at this function due to family connections of some sort.

"We have a dessert in Archadia called marzipan which is made chiefly from almonds. I would venture to guess that Your Majesty would much enjoy it." He set his plate down. "Would you care to dance, m'lady?"

Ashe, taken aback by the man's forwardness towards one who outranked him by so much, replied with what she felt later was an unfortunate lack of manners. "No," she said simply, and walked away.