Talk about being put on the spot! Mina thought, as she moved with the rest of the group down the stairs – body erect and head held high. Now that they were actually here in this amazing place surrounded by the upper crust of Cyrodiil (and, by virtue of this being the seat of the entire continent's government, Tamriel), she found her anxiety giving way to a sort of triumphant excitement. I do look beautiful, she exulted to herself. And if you can't handle a beautiful woman who stands five feet ten, go hide in a corner and wait for someone shorter to come along!
Heads were turned all over the ballroom as the party descended the stairs. Gylabris was the least confident of them, and Rezira took one of his arms as Andi took the other. They would never have gotten to where they were now without his aid, and it was brave of him to be plunging into Imperial City society like this – the first of his race to do so since they were Changed and enslaved by Rezira's ancestors. He turned from side to side and smiled at them. "Thank you," was all he said.
Count Enzo Terentius, who'd been mingling with his guests, made a beeline for the foot of the stairs as the party was announced. These people were so very intriguing, and he had staged a social coup by being the first among his peers to host them during their visit to Imperial City. How fortunate that they had arrived during the time when he and his family were in residence here, rather than back in Castle Bravil!
He was trailed by two of his three sons, Arturus and Flavius. Young Titus, of an age with the two younger sons of The Dragonborn (or so it would appear) was off somewhere, preferring his own amusements to socializing with his elders. As soon as the party had finished descending the staircase he swept them up. "Welcome, I am so glad that you were able to attend my little soiree," he said.
Enzo was tall for an Imperial, dark hair going silver, with deep brown eyes in which a sharp intelligence glimmered. He was still a handsome man, though age had scored lines on his brow and around his eyes and mouth. His sons, very much alike, appeared to be perhaps 18 and 20. They too were tall and handsome, with olive complexions, glistening black hair, and smoldering dark eyes. Both of them took in Mina with deep interest, though the older one seemed more drawn to Rezira.
"Arturus Terentius at your service, Miss," he said with a bow and seized Rezira's hand for a kiss. She was a bit startled, having had little experience with Imperial gallantry. "I am so very pleased to meet you," he went on. "Ignacio said 'companion' – does that mean you and Andre are not married?"
Andi, annoyed at being spoken about as if he were not standing there at Zira's elbow (not to mention the fact that this upper-class shark was making a move on his beloved), seized the young Imperial's hand in a firm, very firm handclasp and said, "Alas, we cannot be wed without the permission of her parents. And they are in another dimension, which is no longer accessible from this one now that the portal has been closed forever. It's an old Dwemer custom, quite unbreakable. So we'll just have to live together for a few centuries."
The young man, heir to the throne of Bravil they supposed, looked up at Andi with a trace of annoyance. He was about an inch shorter. "Centuries, Mr. Dragonspring? Will your mer girl be caring for you in your dotage, then?" Andi gave him a big, confident grin. "Not at all. I'm dragonborn, and have the power to turn into a dragon at will. That confers certain … benefits. I'm afraid that I can't demonstrate here, as there's really not enough room. Besides, I would briefly have to become naked, and that might not be considered proper in this polite company…"
Arturus looked a little sickly at that statement, but seemed disinclined to challenge it. He'd heard the stories, after all. After recovering himself he asked, "Then, turning into a dragon makes you immortal?" "Not quite," Andi explained. "It just greatly shows the aging process. The more time you spend in dragon form the more pronounced the effect, of course. But look at my mom. She first turned into a dragon when she was 29, and now she's almost 43. Yet she has spent hardly any time in dragon form."
His aura of aristocratic composure abandoned, Arturus gaped at Katja where she stood with her husbands, the Falmer gentleman, and his father. Those two adolescent boys seemed to have already made their escape – probably headed for the food table. The red-haired woman was unquestionably a looker. At his age he thought anyone over 25 was old, of course, and he could see the marks of life on her. But no way was she past 40! It had been several years since Count Terentius' wife had passed away, and the count was practically breathing down The Dragonborn's cleavage while her husbands stood flanking her. The slightly shorter of the two was glaring at him.
"Is Anders your father, Andre?" Arturus asked. He'd been utterly shut down trying to get next to Rezira, but his curiosity had been piqued too much for him to simply excuse himself and flee. "As if it weren't obvious!" Rezira chuckled. The resemblance between them was clearer the older Andi got. "But he doesn't look much past 30, either," the young Imperial said in puzzlement. "Is your whole family dragonborn?"
"Oh, that," Andi said deprecatingly. He wasn't supposed to talk about the Renew spell, which he himself could now cast – provided he was wearing the Uthzoorlaas mask. "It was an unexpected side effect of being healed from a horrendous injury last year. He's really in his early 50s. But some of my family besides my mom and I are dragonborn. And a lot of my brothers and sisters are actually dragons, only most of them are learning how to be human now."
"Actually… dragons?" Arturus asked dazedly. He'd never even seen a dragon, spending most of his time in Bravil or Imperial City. And now he was, sort of, talking to one at a party. "When my mom first became a dragon she was … convinced to lay eggs and have some baby dragons in order to be given the information she needed to become human again," Andi explained. It was a tale he'd told many, many times. "They were raised by their father, except for my brother Vari. He's the kid with the carroty red hair… uh… Oh! Over there by the food table with my brother Sigi and some dark-haired kid."
Arturus looked. "Ah," he said, "that's my brother Titus. He's named after the old emperor. My family were really close with the Medes." "Aha," Andi replied. "Cute kid. I can almost feel the waves of mischief coming off the three of them from here. Anyhow, up until last year Vari was a dragon and he hadn't been able to live with us since he got too big for the house. Plus, you wouldn't believe how much food a dragon can eat."
"He looks about twelve now, so how old was he when he had to leave?" Arturus asked. "Five or six as I recall," Andi replied thoughtfully. "But when he came to live with us he was only a little over a month old, about the size of an eagle, and his mind was already approximately at the same stage of development as my own. I was five at the time."
In response to the young Imperial's questioning look he explained, "Dragons' language and a lot of their intelligence was sort of wired into their brains by their creator, Akatosh. And Mom taught all of the dragon kids the Common tongue too, while their native ability to speak the dragon tongue was forming. She was determined they would be friends to mankind. It wasn't until last year we learned there was a potion and some dragon Shouts that would let dragons turn into human beings."
Arturus smiled. He couldn't help liking this young hick from the sticks, even if the lad's girlfriend was way too beautiful for him. "Thanks for all the information," he said politely and shook Andi's hand again. "Please excuse me. I'm supposed to be mingling!" Count Enzo had led the elder Dragonsprings and Gylabris off to introduce them to some other people before continuing his own mingling. As the host, he needed to welcome every guest personally. It was at times like these that he missed his late wife the most.
Meanwhile, Mina's attention had been utterly monopolized by the second-eldest of the three Terentius sons, 18-year-old Flavius. Mina was entranced. He was a few inches shorter than Dovi but still overtopped her by a reasonable margin. Both young men had raven locks and were devastatingly handsome. But where Dovi was shy, thoughtful, sometimes so reserved he was unable to express himself, Flavius was witty, charming, urbane, and extremely well-educated. She had never met anyone like him before, and he seemed to be enthralled with her. He had taken her hand and then not released it, as he stood filling her ears with gallant banter – all the while gazing into her eyes.
Andi and Rezira went over to the food table to get some refreshments and try to catch Vari and Sigi before they and young Titus got into any serious trouble, and Arturus joined his brother where he was talking with Mina. Flavius smiled at him brilliantly and stepped to Mina's side, putting an arm around her shoulder. My, the girl had some muscles.
"Sorry brother, I saw her first!" he said. Arturus smiled back. The two of them were unmistakably brothers, though Flavius was minutely taller and Arturus a little more muscular. Probably Flavius would fill out in another couple of years. Neither of them had a build remotely as powerful as Dovi's and probably never would. But they certainly dressed a lot better than he did!
Arturus bowed, took Mina's hand, and brought it to his lips for a light kiss. Mmm, she thought, she could get used to all this courtly behavior. It certainly made her feel like something special – not just the Dragonspring family's live-in farm hand and kitchen help. "Wilhelmina, is it?" Arturus asked smoothly. He was a little more sober than his brother, Mina thought, perhaps not as much fun to be around. "Everyone calls me Mina," she explained with a little smile that revealed her perfect white teeth and dimples.
"Mina it is! What lies has this rapscallion here been telling you while I was speaking with your charming brother and his friend?" Mina rolled her eyes sideways at Flavius, whose own eyes were sparkling with amusement. "Let's see," she held out a well-manicured hand and began ticking off items. "You're the eldest, right?" Arturus nodded. "I believe he said you'd been betrothed since childhood to a woman whose mother is well-connected but whose father was rumored to have been an ogre or possibly a troll; that he himself narrowly missed being named as the heir to Emperor Giorgio Septim after the tragic loss of his son; and that your castle in Bravil has some of the most beautiful gardens in Cyrodiil."
A look of incredulity spread across Arturus' handsome face. "All true, surprisingly! Except that I believe the unfortunate young lady's father was actually a minotaur. Or maybe some species of Daedra. We still get those around here occasionally." She peered at him, sure that both he and his brother were having her on. At least the part about the betrothal, and that heir-to-the-throne-of-the-empire thing. But why shouldn't Bravil castle have nice gardens? Clearly, the family of the count had money.
Flavius removed his arm from around Mina's shoulder and took her arm in his. "Come, my dear," he said, "Let me introduce you around." Katja, Anders, and Gylabris were now standing, drinks in hand, talking with a tall Altmer in mage robes and a somewhat portly Imperial with an unfortunate moustache. He was quite finely dressed, though, so probably he was a lord of some kind.
Across the room, Wyll had been cornered by a pair of plump, well-dressed matrons of a certain age. Mina steered Flavius in that direction, preferring the company of Wyll over that of most of the other adults in the room. As they came up one of the women was gushing, "Oh, my dear! When that servant introduced your party at the head of the stairs I recognized you immediately! I'm often at the Arena, of course, it can be such a bore filling up the days when my husband is out of town, and I saw every one of your bouts! You were absolutely magnificent!" She rested a dainty hand, nails long and lacquered red, on his muscular arm beneath the fancy silk shirt he was wearing and batted her eyelashes at Wyll. He had the good grace to blush, and looked up in relief as his daughter appeared.
The two women turned their attention from Wyll to smile at Flavius. He was a very good-looking young man, if perhaps young enough to be their son or grandson. "Lovely party, Flavius," the taller of the women, whose hair was a dubious shade of red, simpered. "Thank you, Madame Delarue," he replied. "And you, Signora Orsini, I trust you're enjoying yourself? May I present Miss Wilhelmina Dragonspring, of Skyrim?" Mina smiled and curtsied, a glint of mischief in her blue eyes. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, ladies," she said. "I see you've already met my father, Wyll Dragonspring."
"The Skyrim Slasher is your father?" Violetta Orsini gasped in mock horror. She put a hand to her breast as if she were having trouble catching her breath. "How absolutely marvelous!" Mina got the sense that these women regarded Wyll (and by association, herself) as members of a lower social order, and it irked her. "Gladiatorial combat is only a hobby for Papa," she assured them. "He just wanted to have a little fun while we're on vacation here. But he is one of the heroes who helped to slay the World-Eater Alduin, thus saving the planet we're standing on. I hope you're suitably grateful."
While the two women stood looking taken aback, Mina turned back to Flavius. "Flavius, this is my papa Wyll. Wyll, Flavius is the second son of our host. What do you say we go chat with my mom and my other papa?" She led the two men away, head held high, leaving the women looking rueful. To be snubbed by this (admittedly, large and beautiful) snip of a girl!
As they made their way across the room, Mina looked around. Andi and Rezira were dancing over in one corner near where the musicians were playing, though most of the party guests who'd arrived so far were talking, eating, and drinking. There was no sign of Vari and Sigi, and she feared they were up to some mischief.
The Imperial who'd been talking with Katja, Anders, and Gylabris had wandered off, but Anders and the tall Altmer in the mage robes were deep in conversation as Mina and her escorts approached. They'd been joined by Sextus, he who had arranged for them to receive this invitation. Katja smiled at them as they came up and gave her daughter a little squeeze, put her arm around Wyll's waist, and winked at Flavius. "Talking shop," she said quietly, and gestured toward where Anders, Sextus, and Gylabris were raptly listening to what the Altmer mage was saying about some branch of magic. It appeared that Gylabris was doing better in this social situation than he, and they, had feared would be the case.
Before the new arrivals had had a chance to be introduced the servant, Ignacio, spoke up to announce another party of guests. He had a fine, ringing voice that penetrated to all corners of the room and somehow managed to drown out the buzz of dozens of different conversations – and the music as well. The more so as the musicians fell silent at this particular announcement.
"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Giorgio Septim the first! His wife, Her Imperial Highness Lucia Septim. His sister, Her Imperial Highness Mariana Appolonius, with her husband Sir Davos Appolonius, and her son, His Imperial Highness and heir to the throne of the empire of Tamriel, Tiberius Appolonius!
Holy Divines, Mina thought – all the while maintaining her composure. The reactions of almost everyone she'd met tonight had bolstered her courage. She was a tall, commanding, beautiful woman wearing a dress any aristocratic female in Imperial City would love to be seen in, and there was no way she was going to dissolve into shyness like some provincial milkmaid just because the emperor of the entire freaking continent had just walked in.
For years she had regretted her height, but now she was starting to enjoy it. It certainly gave one a lofty perspective from which to look down upon those she wanted to convince were lesser mortals! Count Enzo Terentius, who had been circulating throughout the gathering continually since the first guests arrived, materialized and led the emperor and his party into the room.
"Giorgio!" he said jovially, as if the current emperor and he were bosom friends. They had indeed known each other for years, and were on friendly terms. "So good of you to come! We'll be going in for supper in just a few minutes I think." Now that this, his most important invitee, had arrived, he was anxious to move on to the meal. It wouldn't do to let the guests get too drunk before they were seated.
The emperor and his party exchanged greetings with their host, while all around the room the other party guests were watching. Bravil was scarcely one of the province's most prestigious counties –indeed some thought the place a disgrace – but the Terentius clan had blood ties with the Imperial family, and enjoyed an enviable friendship with the reborn Septim dynasty.
"There is someone I'd like you to meet, Giorgio," the tall count said as his servants converged with trays to offer the new arrivals food and drink. He was leading the emperor and his party right toward the Dragonsprings! Despite her newly-acquired unflappability Mina found herself standing up straighter and suppressing a gasp. Even Flavius seemed a little on edge.
The Altmer mage had broken off his magical discourse when Ignacio's announcement had been made, and now the party spread out to welcome the emperor and his small entourage. This was an honor indeed! As they approached, Mina took in the party with interest. The emperor, Giorgio, was a fairly typical-looking middle-aged Imperial – of medium height and a medium build. He looked to be in his upper 40s, and his dark hair was rapidly turning silver. His handsome face, while smiling, had a cast of sadness about it as if he'd borne some tragedy in the past. Recalling what Vari had said about his son, Mina guessed it was that loss that haunted him.
His wife, a petite and slender woman who was still handsome in middle age, had a look in her dark eyes that suggested she, too, had not yet recovered from the loss of their only child. The sister, Mariana Appolonius, appeared to be somewhat older than her brother and tall for an Imperial woman. The resemblance between them was unmistakable. Her husband was little taller than she, and a bit on the dumpy side despite his rich and finely-tailored clothing. He had the intent look of a man who knows what he wants and goes after it with a resolve. No doubt he was very successful in whatever enterprises he had taken up. Looking at him, Mina guessed that he was not the sort of aristocrat who sits around on his family's money playing games and idling away the time.
Their son, the nephew Emperor Giorgio had adopted as his heir after the tragic loss of his own son, was of particular interest to Mina – at least as far as her girlish fantasies of court life were concerned. Here she was in the presence of a genuine prince, and unmarried she had to assume since there was no young woman accompanying him. Actually, he appeared to be no more than about 3 years older than she was – a gangling youth. Regrettably, he also seemed to have gotten more of his looks from his father than from his mother. In addition, a bad case of teenage acne had not yet cleared.
Momentarily Mina tried to picture Dovi as a prince. She sighed a little at the mental vision of his handsome splendor clad in the brocades and velvets of Cyrodiil's nobility. But then she tried to imagine him conducting political intrigues and making nice with people he didn't like for the sake of alliances, and the image crumbled. Dovi was too shy, and too straightforward, ever to be able to tolerate the hothouse atmosphere of the Imperial Court. Now Flavius, on the other hand…
She broke from her reverie as Count Enzo began making the introductions. He started with Papa Anders, of course. It was his work with Arch-Mage Garibaldi that was the whole reason for their being here. The emperor's air of slight sadness evaporated as he put on his party face, smiling broadly at Anders and shaking his hand. "Arch-Mage Dragonspring, I am delighted to finally make your acquaintance," he said, exuding genuine warmth. No wonder the Council of Elders picked this man for the throne, Mina thought. He clearly had a talent for the job.
"Sextus has been keeping me informed about your progress," Giorgio went on. "This work has immense implications for the future of the empire, and I'm delighted that you are so close to penetrating the secrets of the Dwemer at last. Once we can make our own dynamo cores, it will revolutionize the way people live. Hunger will be reduced as food can be stored safely for longer periods of time, everyday tasks will become easier, and eventually there may be no more need for conventional fuels, with power for everything from mechanical tasks to cooking and home heating being provided by endless energy from other dimensions!"
Anders smiled as warmly. He hadn't known what to expect in this new emperor, and was delighted to meet a man who thought as he did, who shared his appreciation for the benefits that new technology could bring to everyone across Nirn. "Thank you kindly for providing us with this opportunity to work together with the University," he replied. "My wife and family have been enjoying this little vacation away from our usual haunts immensely." He failed to notice the sour look on the face of Davos Appolonius.
Introductions made the rounds. Flavius of course was well-acquainted with the royal family. They were cousins of his, in a way, and as he and Tiberius were close in age they'd met frequently over the course of their lives. The young man, unfortunate-looking though he might be, was very interested to meet Mina – and this time Flavius refrained from laying claim to her. He'd imbibed politics with his mother's milk, she'd be willing to bet. And though the whole business was quite new to her, she seemed to have something of an inborn knack for it.
Putting on her most precious look of blue-eyed innocence, Mina gazed down at Tiberius. He was a couple of inches shorter than she was, and might not be getting any taller at his age. "Your Imperial Highness, I am so honored to meet you!" she said, letting him take her hand to kiss it. "The honor is mine," he replied suavely. "Had I known that Skyrim bred such beauties as you, Miss Dragonspring, I would surely have traveled there by now."
Mina had decided to make a game of it, and her anxiety had fled. Much as her trepidation had evaporated while she, Mothris, Meri, and Vari had been taking down that undead dragon last year. You just had to get out there and do it, and not waste any energy worrying about things. She smiled shyly at him. "Skyrim is full of beauties," she assured the Crown Prince. "And they're not all walking around on two legs. You should see the mountains!"
Tiberius seemed charmed, and while there was a smile on Flavius' face Mina sensed that he was not pleased to have the prince cutting in on his action. She turned her head to the side and included him in her radiant smile, just to let him know he was not forgotten. She was surprised to see a flash of helpless longing in his dark eyes before she turned back once more to Tiberius.
The emperor and his party were moving on, greeting other guests, but Tiberius lingered for a while talking with Mina (and, technically at least, Flavius). He was, after all, an adult – not tied to his mother's apron strings. There were other lovely young maidens in Imperial City of course, many of them of high birth and the sort of noble connections that might give them some hope of a royal alliance. But Mina's beauty was of an exotic type: she was statuesque, a golden goddess, and those eyes! And she seemed to possess both wit and charm in addition to her stunning looks.
"I have heard that two of your brothers are dragonborn," Tiberius asked. "Are you also, Wilhelmina?" "Please, call me Mina," she replied with a hint of flirtation. Why did this seem to come so easily? She was a little surprised that the prince was this well informed. Neither Flavius nor his elder brother had had this much information about her family.
"Alas," Mina said, "The dragon blood seems to have passed me by." She lowered her eyelids for a moment, the long and surprisingly dark (considering her overall coloring) lashes nearly brushing her cheeks. "Though really," she went on, "the idea of turning into a gigantic scaly monster and devouring stags whole – and raw – doesn't appeal to me all that much." She smiled.
Tiberius' jaw (receding slightly, a gift from his father) nearly dropped. He felt a curious sensation rising up through his midsection. I'm in love! He thought, then stifled it. The chances that Mother and Father would permit him to marry into a family who were not only foreigners, and commoners, but possessed of a taint in the blood that could blur the line between human beings and dragons (and hadn't he heard that this beautiful, incredible girl had more than a dozen siblings who had actually been born dragons?) were somewhere between zero and not at all. He sighed.
Just then a servant appeared with a bell, announcing, "Dinner will shortly be served. Please go in to the dining room and take your seats." He walked through the crowd ringing his bell and repeating the message, sending eddies through the crowd in the ballroom as the party guests began to obey. Those who hadn't been stuffing themselves on hors d'oeuvres were more than ready to eat.
Mina gave Tiberius a brilliant smile, then took Flavius' arm. "I suppose we'd better go in and get seated then," she said. Tiberius followed in their wake, his eyes searching the crowd for his parents, uncle, and aunt. Count Terentius would of course have arranged for them to be seated together, with him no doubt on the end with some daughter of the nobility, the flavor of the week, at his elbow. He sighed again.
"I'm amazed at how well you're doing, Mina," Flavius murmured into her ear as they stepped through the double doors into the enormous dining room. "Are you sure you've never done this before?" "Done what?" she asked innocently. Followed a moment later by, "Oh! Where are we supposed to sit?" She really was a country bumpkin, Flavius realized. An incredibly beautiful, desirable one, but… "There are placards on the table at each seat," he explained. "The seating arrangements were drawn up by Father's social secretary, and as you and your family are new in town she probably put you all together. Let's look for your parents."
Mina felt a burst of gratitude at Flavius' kindness. He was not just handsome and engaging, he was willing to help her along as she navigated the treacherous shoals of this new and beguiling environment. The room was full of individual tables, each no more than three feet by six feet, which had been joined together end-to-end, forming a U shape. There were more than fifty guests at this party, and the bottom part of the U had two tables while each of the legs also consisted of two. People sat around both sides of each table.
They spotted Katja, Anders, Wyll, Andi, and Rezira taking seats up near one end of the U's central span. Wow, Mina thought, I guess we must rate. She was a bit surprised, not realizing what a big deal it was in jaded Imperial City society for some new, interesting people with actual accomplishments to arrive. She and her entire family were like an exhilarating breath of fresh air for these jaded aristocrats.
Mina and Flavius made their way up there, jostling with other guests as everyone tried to get into their seats (and felt pleased or offended at learning what position they'd been given and next to whom). She happily greeted her family members, and slipped into a seat opposite them, where her name had been written in elegant calligraphy on a small, tented piece of stiff paper. On her right, supposedly, was Vari. And on her left, to her surprise and pleasure, was Flavius!
He pulled out the chair for her to get seated, then took his own. "Did you somehow arrange this?" she asked accusingly. It seemed to suggest some deep plot, that she should find herself seated beside the handsome young son of their host – who had been her constant companion since they had arrived. Flavius held up his hands, radiating innocence from his flashing dark eyes. "I swear," he said with a believable grin, "I had nothing to do with it! Maybe Lucrezia has psychic powers, and knew that as soon as I laid eyes on you my heart would be lost forever!" The twinkle in his eye told her he was not – entirely – serious.
She grinned at him, and looked across the table at her parents. "Where's Gylabris?" she asked. Katja smiled back at her. "He's been quite the hit with some of the younger men here," she said. "Everyone wants to know all about the Dwemer automatons up in Markarth, and he's been regaling them with second-hand tales of the way the Centurions performed at the battle of Bonestrewn Crest last year. From the details, you would think he'd been there himself!"
Mina smiled. She quite liked the little Falmer Keeper, and had begun to think of him as a sort of eccentric uncle. After all, she'd had a Falmer sister since she'd been only a toddler. Other people might find the Falmer odd or even scary-looking, but to her they were just people who looked a little different from the usual. She glanced to her right, wondering if her younger brothers were going to show up. Letting them run wild at this party had probably not been entirely a good idea.
Just then, though, the two of them rushed up to the table and took their seats. They both seemed a bit flushed, as though they had run some distance to get here. Mina looked down at Vari and asked casually, "Are you boys having fun?" Her dragon brother grinned at her, a remarkably foxy expression with his bright red hair. "Tons of fun!" he said enthusiastically. "Titus has been showing us the whole house, and you wouldn't believe how extensive it is!"
He glanced around Mina to where Flavius sat, eyeing him questioningly. "Oh, hi!" Vari said, with his usual ebullience. "You've got to be Titus' brother Flavius, right?" Flavius grinned back at him and nodded, eyes twinkling. "Hey," Vari went on, "how come you're seated next to Mina and Titus is way over there on the far side of your father?"
Lucrezia, Count Enzo's social secretary, had put the youngest Terentius son down toward the end of the second table that made up the crossbar of the U, between two middle-aged widows who she hoped might, some day, be candidates for Countess of Bravil. In her opinion, it was not good for a man with three sons to remain unmarried for so long.
Flavius shrugged. He had a pretty good idea of what had been in Lucrezia's mind. He'd known the woman all his life, as she'd held her post since long before his mother's passing. But he doubted her efforts were going to be successful. His mother had been the only woman Count Enzo had ever wanted to marry, and though there had been brief liaisons since her death Flavius doubted he would ever find himself with a stepmother. At this point an army of servants came in bearing trays of food, and all of the guests found their attention drawn to the steaming platters that appeared before them.
The meal was opulent beyond belief. Mina had enjoyed sophisticated food many times at the Luxury Suite, the inn owned by her family since before she was born. But those were normal meals, with maybe an appetizer and perhaps a salad plus bread and a couple of side dishes in addition to whatever the main course might be. Here, the courses seemed endless – as if it were impossible for this rarefied breed of human animal to be fed on less than a dozen or two dishes – each more exotic than the last.
At their "home" in the Temple district Alessia had fed them on many Cyrodiil dishes, some of them familiar to Mina due to Uncle Lane's Cyrodiil connections. Long before he'd moved to this province with his partner, people in the Whiterun area had learned to enjoy pasta. Some other of Alessia's offerings had been less familiar, but all delicious – and Mina had a good appetite. Even without the exercise of sword practice or farm chores she'd been packing everything away, and was beginning to worry about putting on weight. But this "little dinner" was to the meals Alessia prepared as the Imperial City Market District was to Whiterun's central area with its three major merchants and half a dozen stalls. She had trouble maintaining her composure.
The boys to her right were tearing into everything that looked good as if they were in danger of starving, but Mina was trying to pace herself. "Good idea, just take a taste of everything," Flavius advised. "There are going to be around two dozen courses, and if you find something particularly delicious take a little more – or leave it if it's not to your taste. But save room for dessert!"
She smiled gratefully at him, and took a second bite of a dish that seemed to blend broad pasta noodles with an incredible mixture of rich sauce, several cheeses, savory meats, and mushrooms. Ooh, she'd like to get the recipe for that! She'd been cooking more and more over the past year, and was really beginning to enjoy it.
Unlike meals Mina was used to at home there was no ale or mead offered as a beverage – just cold spring water, chilled fruit juices, and a profusion of wines. She found herself drinking more wine than she would usually have done, and by the time the desserts began to arrive (also accompanied by a selection of sweet, powerfully alcoholic wines) she was beginning to feel as if she were floating on a sea of happy repletion. By the Nine, how much had she eaten? Would she be bursting out of this dress before the night was over?
After the last courses Count Enzo stood and thanked all of his guests for attending, then invited them to dance on into the evening. Many of the older guests would probably be leaving soon, but Vari and Sigi were off like a shot. Mina suspected they were not running off to dance, and she spotted them reconnecting with Titus before vanishing from the dining room.
Flavius took her arm again, and murmured "As your brother said, the house is quite extensive. May I give you a tour?" She smiled at him and nodded, and they swept from the room. Despite feeling a little too relaxed Mina was alert to the possibility he might be hoping to show her his bedroom; but Flavius was a perfect gentlemen.
They surveyed the kitchen (an enormous room that filled Mina with envy, having been cooking over an open fire in an area with perhaps 6 square feet of counter space for years), then ascended a magnificent staircase to the middle floor. Here there were parlors, a music room, and a hallway along which doors opened to bedrooms. But he didn't offer to take her into any of those.
They came to another staircase, and Mina asked "How many floors are there?" "Up those stairs is the top floor," Flavius replied. "There are more bedrooms up there and a glassed-in conservatory. When my mother was alive it was full of exotic plants, but it's fallen into disuse now." "That's a shame," she said a little wistfully, sad to think of this all-male household and the boys growing up without a mother. She and her own mom might knock heads from time to time, but she couldn't imagine life without her.
"There is one thing up there I'd like to show you, though," Flavius said, and took her hand to lead her up the stairs. They turned down a hallway and went into a smallish sitting room, on the outer wall of which stood a pair of doors made from medium-size panes of clear glass. There was nothing like that in Skyrim, as far as she knew. Flavius led the way and opened the doors, which gave out onto a large balcony. Flowering potted plants stood on either side of it.
"Come on," he said eagerly. "The view of the city from here is wonderful." Delighted and intrigued, Mina stepped out onto the balcony and leaned on the decorative iron railing. This side of the house faced the city's center and there was a view of the White-Gold Tower. Though night had fallen there were many lights to be seen, and the view was entrancing.
She shivered slightly. Her dress exposed quite a bit of skin, and now in early autumn the nights were getting chilly – even this far south of Whiterun. Flavius put an arm around her shoulders and snuggled her close. "My home," he said softly, gesturing out beyond the balcony. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Mina leaned into him a little. She felt so languorous, and he did provide some warmth. The evening had been absolutely amazing! "I thought you were born and raised in Bravil?" she asked, confused. He smiled at her in the darkness. "I was born in Bravil, and my ancestors have been counts there for hundreds of years," he admitted. "But Mother was an Imperial City girl born and bred and she had us spend as much time as possible here in this house. I'm afraid the city of Bravil is kind of… run down."
This was the first time all evening that Flavius had let down his charming mask and spoken from the heart, Mina thought. It warmed her toward him, and as she turned her head to look into his eyes he cupped her face with his free hand and prepared to kiss her. Suddenly there was a small hail of pebbles falling on them from above, a scraping sound, and an enormous, leathery-winged shape hurtled down on them out the darkness!
As it came past Mina got a good look at it, and her panic subsided. They heard a whoop of exhilaration, and realized that there was a figure seated on the creature's back as it glided down to land in the street below. The mood shattered, Flavius stared down in disbelief. "What in all the hells was that?" he gasped. Mina leaned in and squeezed his hand where it had a white-knuckled grip on the balcony's railing. "It's all right," she said softly. "That was just my brother. And yours, I believe…"