it's Easter
and you get a chapter.
She forgot everything Wally had said about the ring and just stared at him.
He gave her gentle smile. "You look as beautiful as your mother."
She looked down herself and up at him again. She was wearing her mother's dress, of course he recognized her.
He reached towards her face.
And she just stood there looking at him, with big, scared eyes. Hoping Wally would come back and help her.
His fingers graced the edge of her mask.
Suddenly it hit her. He wanted to make sure it was her.
She stood frozen, as he was about to push the mask away from her eyes.
"There you are, dear!"
Both Artemis and Ra's al Ghul turned their heads to an older woman who came towards them.
Ra's al Ghul stepped away from her as the older woman reached Artemis and put a hand on the lower part of her arm.
"Oh, I have been looking everywhere for you, my dear." The older woman said and looked Artemis up and down. "And oh, you look absolutely divine tonight."
"Thank…" Artemis said confused, sure that the older woman had mistaken her for someone else. She glanced at Ra's al Ghul. He observed them with a confused look.
The older woman followed her line of sight and lifted a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" Then she shook her head at herself. "Dear me, where are my manners…"
"It is quite alright, madam…?" Ra's al Ghul said politely.
"Branigan," She answered and lifted a hand with a ring on it. "Wendy Branigan."
Artemis looked at the old woman. Hadn't Branigan been the name Wally used, when he introduced them?
Ra's al Ghul kissed the hand, she offered him.
"I thought I knew this lovely lady, but it seems like I have mistaken her for someone else."
"Oh," the older woman seemed confused. "Well then …" She then turned to Artemis. "There are some people I would like to introduce you to dearest, shall we go?"
Confused, Artemis just let her pull her along by the arm.
"Thank you…" She signed, after Ra's al Ghul was out of earshot.
The older woman stopped and looked at her with a warm, grandmotherly, smile. "You looked like you were in need of a rescue, dearie."
Artemis blinked confused. "You mean, you just did that to help me?"
The older woman nodded, still smiling.
Artemis leaned forward just a bit. There was something about her, that reminded her of Wally … maybe it was her eyes. They seemed like the same shade of green, that his was.
"Who is the lucky man?" The woman asked her as they walked across the floor.
"What?" Artemis asked, confused and a bit scared. How much did this woman know?
"The ring on your finger," The older woman pointed to it. "You are engaged, yes?"
Artemis lifted her hand. "Ohm, yes … I…"
The woman smiled warmly again. "You are new to this dear?"
Artemis was so lost for words she just nodded.
The older woman patted her arm. "It gets better, dearest."
Then the woman looked across the room.
"Oh, look…" she said, with what looked like a knowing smile. "It seems like I'm needed elsewhere."
Then she slowly disappeared into the crowd.
Artemis looked around, confused as to what she was supposed to do. Then, almost on que, Wally appeared out of the crowd.
"Who was the lady with you?" He asked and handed her a tall glass.
She shrugged. "I don't have a clue."
And took a sip of the glass, and nearly spit it out again, it was alcohol. She eyed Wally.
He smiled apologetically. "It was all they had, for now."
Suddenly a trumpet echoed through the room.
"What was that?" Artemis asked, as the ballroom became quiet.
"It sounds like the Queen has arrived." Wally answered with a little smile.
Artemis didn't know whether she wanted to look or not.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" A butler loudly announced from the top of a stairwell. "Queen Perdita and Count Vertigo!"
Both Artemis and Wally looked towards the stairwell, shocked. As far as they knew, Count Vertigo was still in Belle Reve.
Two people stepped into their line of sight.
And even though the boy, dressed in a military uniform, looked almost, if not just, like Count Vertigo, it was clear that he was far too young to be him, he couldn't be older than Robin.
Artemis' chin nearly touched the floor, when she saw the queen.
The girl had a green ballgown on, just long enough so you couldn't she her feet and a crown sitting on her blond hair, but she was a small, frail-looking girl. And though she had a controlled expression on her face, she seemed be younger than the boy beside her.
The crowd gathered along the walls as the boy lead the girl down the stairwell.
As Wally gently pulled her towards the crowd along the wall, Artemis looked at the two children. They looked so much like each other, they could be siblings, or twins.
When they finally reached the floor, violins started playing, and the boy led the small queen out into the middle of the ballroom. Then they stopped and turned to one another, the girl put a hand on his shoulder and lifted her skirt a bit, the boy put a hand on her side and lifted her other hand, then they began to dance.
After they had waltzed for a few minutes, other couples joined them.
"Shall we dance?" Wally asked Artemis, with a slight British accent, and offered her his hand.
"I can't dance." She said embarrassed, looking down.
"Well, then you're going to have to let me lead you." Wally said and took her hand.
He led her to the edge of the dancefloor and turned to her, gently put a hand on her side and lifted her hand up, just like the boy had done.
"Put your hand on my shoulder." He whispered.
She just did as she was told.
He started moving and he gently pulled her along. She looked down at their feet, to see how he placed his feet.
"Look me in the eye," he instructed.
She looked up.
"It doesn't matter how you place your feet, just keep up with me."
She nodded and looked over Wally's shoulder. She could see the two children dance through the crowd.
"Is there something wrong?" Wally asked.
Artemis looked down and then up at him, as they continued to move.
"I didn't think she would be … so young." She admitted.
Wally bit back a laugh. "Yeah, I had a feeling you did."
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked in a low agitated voice.
He gave her a weird smile and shrugged. "I kind of like it when you get jealous."
She lifted an eyebrow. "You do?"
"It's kind of flattering." He smiled.
Artemis shook her head at him. "You're a weirdo."
"Why do you think I'm dating you?" He shot back
The music slowed to a halt and the dancing stopped.
People on the dancefloor parted and the two young children slowly walked towards the far wall, where they sat down, the girl on a throne, the boy on a throne smaller than the girl's.
"What are they doing?" Artemis whispered.
"Well, I'm assume now that they have opened the ball, they are going to sit until somebody invites the queen to dance, or she makes some kind of announcement."
"How do you know all of this?" Artemis asked.
"Didn't you research this, before we came?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile, knowing very well that she hadn't.
"So, what do we do now?" Artemis asked, they hadn't moved from the dance floor. But then again, they weren't there to dance.
Wally shrugged. "We can't do anything, before something is done to the queen, or we find out who in here is going to make the attempt."
Artemis signed under her breath. "How do we do that?"
"How about another dance?" He asked and offered her his hand again, as the music began again.
"So, what's your name?" He asked in a flirtatious voice, which was muffled by his mask.
"Business," she said and smoothened her uniform. "None, of your business."
"Me-ow." The guy commented and looked towards the castle. "So, tell do this thing."
As he began to walk, the girl took hold of the back of his costume. "Not yet, we're going to wait until the little princess have made her announcement, then we strike." She said in a low voice.
The guy turned to her and pulled his mask off, revealing his blue eyes. "You know, for someone who is doing this for the first time, you're pretty scary…"
"It's kind of a family thing," she smiled and pulled her mask on. "Now let's get a better look at the royal family."
I know, It feels like I'm dragging this out, but as we say in Denmark: "There is meaning in the madness."
for now just endure, I can't promise how much longer this is going to go on.
