Chapter Eight

The hall was huge, with marble floors that shined from their polishing earlier today. There were people dancing everywhere, with a long line of girls waiting to see the prince. "How pathetic," I thought. Most were still straightening their hair or fussing over the ribbons and trim on their gowns. I descended the enormous marble staircase and stepped onto the shining floor of the ballroom. Right away, a man came up to me. "Care to dance, Dyrelle?" he asked, his voice oily with what he thought to be charm. I looked him over only to find dull eyes and hair as oily as his voice.

"No," I said flatly, trying to pitch my voice in a higher, more cultured accent. "I don't care to dance right now."

"Oh really?" he began. "Not even with the Count of Grier?"

"I really don't care who you are," I began, angered by his arrogance. "I really don't want to dance."

"Even a beautiful lady such as yourself can't get any better than me," he tried to brag.

"I certainly hope that wasn't an insult." I turned and left him standing there, puzzled at what I had said. A voice seemed to ring in my ear after that. It was Eidyia's voice, reminding me to be a proper lady. I wrinkled my forehead and shuffled off. Being a lady wasn't always much fun. Unwrinkling my forehead, I continued, trying to look like a lady while I thought about what to do here. It was so strange, for I hadn't been to anything like this since the year before Father had married Ariela.

Because I wasn't watching where I was going, I bumped into someone. Looking up, I discovered a black haired boy that was taller than me, but not by much. He was wearing an elegant green tunic with silver embroidery and a black cape. He smiled at me with an awkward, screwy smile. "Terribly sorry, Dyrelle. I wasn't watching where I was going?"

"Where did you have to go in such a hurry?" I began, but remembered what Eidyia said. "Oh, and I'm terribly sorry. It was my fault. I was not paying attention either." He shrugged and tilted his head.

"Nah, it's okay. I haven't seen you before," he mused. "You seem a bit familiar though." I looked at him for a second. He looked rather familiar as well, but I couldn't place him. He was probably the son of a count or duke I saw pass by in a gilded carriage once. Oh well, it was not of importance. Then, I remembered the plan and having to gain friends. He didn't seem so bad, it would be a good start.

"Well, I've never been to court here before," I replied politely. "I am from outside the kingdom, but came to visit a relative in Llyr."

"Great! I hope you enjoy Llyr. It's great this time of year with all the gardens and flowers." I dazed off, thinking of home, the home I would soon regain. The young man I was talking to looked around wildly and quickly turned to me. "Well, you look very nice tonight, it's great to meet you, hope you enjoy Llyr, and all that." With that, he dashed off again. Turning around I saw the line of girls heading towards me.

"Where did he go?" whined one brown haired girl.

"I don't know! He's around here somewhere," cried another.

"Let's go find him! I'm not letting Prince Brien get away that easily." They ran up to me and looked at me with disdain. "How could you let the prince get away like that?" they demanded of me.

"Prince?" I gasped, my face contorting into an unladylike expression. "That boy was the prince that all of you want to marry?"

"Who did you think he was?" a girl in a pink dress exclaimed. "Where are you from?"

"Actually, I'm just visiting Alansia from Teatra," I replied, knowing that my smart-alec answer would anger them. The girls only sighed huffily, stomping away. Smiling to myself, I secretly hoped that the prince would escape them. He didn't seem like the social type. Watching the girls flock to find him, I felt sorry for him. It was as if they were hunting a stag or rabbit. I made my way to the edge of the crowd, trying to avoid all of the people. Eventually, I accepted an offer to dance. The man was older than I by a few years, but seemed kind enough. Perhaps he would be sympathetic to my plight. He was rather nice, but didn't have much... personality like that boy...Prince Brien... A thought crossed my mind as I was dancing. Perhaps I should go directly to Brien with my story. After all, he was the one in danger.

I was just about to go and look for him myself, when I saw him. He was being led to the dance floor by none other than my stepsister Amerisia. At the moment, she was looking more regal than Queen Marai. I watched them dance over my partner's shoulder with a cold heart. I had to separate them somehow. The plan might be more difficult than I had thought. I realized that I was scowling when my partner asked me if there was something wrong. I smiled and said that there was nothing wrong, and he seemed to accept the answer. After the dance I thanked him politely and left. How boring balls were!

I watched Amerisia and Brien until dinner, when they separated. Knowing her, she would have no intention of letting him go once she had him within her grasp. I couldn't let them marry, or I would never succeed. When the king and queen announced the feast, I scanned the table for seats. The prince was sneaking off to sit down in the middle of the normal tables without being noticed. He slid into a space with two empty chairs nearby, instantly being mobbed by girls around him who were fighting about who would sit in the chairs. I saw the empty chair just before Amerisia did and slid into it. Looking over at her, I caught her scowling at me. Fortunately, she did not seem to recognize me.

Servants came in, serving our stew in silver bowls. Laying the richly embroidered red napkin in my lap delicately, I was ready to begin. Carefully, I chose my soup spoon from off my table napkin. Dipping it into the soup, I brought it to my lips. I tried to remember everything I had ever learned from watching Amerisia and Cyala's etiquette lessons, but I'm sure I forgot some things. Prince Brien turned to me halfway through the meal and conversed with me, which took me aback as I did not see him as an overly social person. "I know you! We bumped into each other. So, Dyrelle...." he began, probing for a name.

"My name is Dyrelle Morrigan, Your Royal Highness. I have journeyed from Teatra to be here tonight. It is a great honor."

"Ahh. Have I seen you before?" he asked flat out. Well, he certainly wasn't much for diplomacy! I looked him in the eyes before responding. He had sparkling, energetic eyes. My father once told me that you can tell what kind of person someone is by their eyes. I could see an almost shy but energetic young man in his eyes. My only hope was that Amerisia wouldn't try to capture him and turn his eyes to dull, lifeless spheres.

"I doubt it, your Highness I came to see if I could find some of my distant kin. However, when I got here, I could not find them," I began.

"What kin?"

"The Baroness Pasiphae of Llyr. But I am told that she is no longer with us." Perhaps he would reveal his position on the incident now. I wondered at what his reaction would be. Surprisingly, it was one of the nobles who spoke up at this.

"I thought that there weren't any more Llyrs left? How peculiar," remarked a countess from beside me.

"Well, it's a rather distant relationship from my mother's side. All maternal, so the name doesn't really carry over," I explained. "We like to keep to our own kingdom."

"I see," the prince replied, sipping his soup from his spoon. Some of the girls began to press in, pelting him with questions. He gave me an exasperated look, and I understood him completely. Sometimes, these girls could be intolerable. In my heart, I truly pitied Brien. But what I needed was to hear him respond to my statements. "Why didn't you know about Lady Pasiphae's death?" he asked a few seconds later. I almost smiled in spite of myself. This was what I wanted.

"There has been a rift in our relations. As I said, it was a distant connection, but we are family none the less. I had hoped to perhaps repair relations, only to find that there are none of the blood of Llyr left," I said, trying to sound as if I were sorrowful, which was not hard.

He nodded, agreeing with me as the servants whisked away our bowls and soup spoons. "It is a pity, for they were one of the oldest families in Alansia." He was falling back into formality now. That wouldn't help me.

"Even the last of them, Lady Pasiphae's child. Are the rumors true about her death?" I asked desperately. What did others know of my strange disappearance?

I really don't know," he answered, letting a servant set down the plate of sautéed meat and vegetables in front of him. As the servant gave me my plate as well, he continued. "I was young at the time, but there have been rumors, of course. Her step-mother told my father that the girl threw herself in the river when her father died. But I wouldn't put it past Baroness Ariela to do something to her. Although her daughters don't seem so bad. Perhaps they might help you with what you're looking for." That angered me, but I didn't know what I could do about it.

An idea came to me, and I ran with it. "Her daughters! I went there a day or two ago. In my old traveling cloak, I hardly looked noble, and they were downright cruel and snobbish when I asked them who lived there. Be careful, Your Highness. If you weren't royalty, they would shun you."

"I shall keep that in mind," he said, shrugging it off. He began to eat the meat with his chopsticks, picking up little bits carefully. The other girls engaged him in talk that was so petty and meaningless that I lost track of the conversation. Eating my dinner, I considered the events of the ball. Prince Brien seemed kind enough, and was neither snobbish nor rude. However, he was quite shy, avoiding delicate subjects for the most part. And, even worse, he seemed to like Amerisia. That would make my job considerably more difficult. I had to keep the two of them apart.

After dinner, there was more dancing. Brien stood up and was immediately surrounded by girls begging him for a dance. They were all shouting and screaming at each other, fighting to be noticed by the prince. I watched as Brien slipped under the mass of girls and walked over my way. Checking around, I spotted Amerisia coming towards us. Stepping out in front of her, I pretended to have nothing to do. "Would you care to dance, Dyrelle Morrigan?" the prince asked me. I suspected it was more to escape the others than to dance with me, but I agreed.

When we went out to the dance floor, a girl spotted us. "Hey! The prince is dancing with that girl!" The band was playing a beautiful minuet, bringing back memories of dancing lessons in Castle Edris. Trying to remember all the steps, I swept about, making sure that I didn't embarrass myself by stumbling over my own skirts. While we danced, I heard the prince's admirers whisper angrily amongst themselves.

"That girl, who is she?"

"Perhaps a foreign princess?" suggested one girl who was standing nearest to me. She giggled a childish giggle and I wondered how old she was, or if she merely was not acting her age.

"She might be, Look at her jewels! But she certainly isn't the most graceful girl in the ballroom, is she? Still, the prince is dancing with her..." Amerisia walked over to the group of girls and watched suspiciously.

"Perhaps she is a foreign spy," she suggested with an air of haughtiness still in her voice. "She might be coming to get secrets from the prince. And she isn't wearing many jewels. It is more likely that she is a pauper in borrowed clothing that wished to come to the ball." That angered me. Who was she to be spreading nasty rumors? I almost grinned a wide grin before I caught myself. Two could play at that game.

After the dance, I broke away from Brien. He was snatched up quickly by Amerisia, who swooped down on him like a vulture. "Would you care to dance with me, your Highness?" she asked, taking his hands and not giving him the chance to refuse. It was my turn to stand to the side with the gossiping young women. It was silly, really, but the gossip was very interesting.

"Have you heard about Dyrelle Amerisia of Llyr?" asked one girl in a green gown. For now, I decided to listen to the gossip rather than speak and risk saying something that would be found offensive. The girls yammered on and on, but provided some very good information.

"They say that she is the girl most likely to become Prince Brien's bride! Isn't it a pity! Llyr is one of the largest and most wealthy lands, so I wouldn't doubt it. Especially since there is no stable ruling system. My father told us that ever since the Baron and Baroness have died, King Matthew has been having a fit."

"I don't like that Ariela woman, but her daughters seem to be alright. The older one would make the perfect queen. But I think that Brien is in love with me!"

"His Highness doesn't love you! He loves me!" Now they were fighting back and forth, arguing about who was going to be the next Princess. I almost laughed. Intelligent conversation was lost on these girls. I moved away, over to more intellectual looking people who were holding wine glasses and chatting about affairs and issues. At last, my kind of people. They were mostly women, whose husbands appeared to be in conference with King Matthew. I walked up to them, and they regarded me carefully with eyes full of criticism.

"And you are?" asked one older woman. She tilted her head to the side, staring at me in a way that I perceived to be very rude. However, I answered her politely and perfectly.

"I am Dyrelle Morrigan of Teatra," I told them in my accent, curtsying. They seemed to accept that answer.

"Shouldn't you be chasing after the prince?" asked another woman snobbishly. Now I had the measure of these people. These were ladies of the old aristocratic families, the ones who thought of themselves as higher life forms. They were also the ones who influenced Alansia's politics. I had hit my mark.

"Well, I think it's immature of them. I would rather devote myself to more noble pursuits." That was not untrue, and they seemed to buy the answer. Hopefully, I would be accepted into their little group.

"So what is your business here, Dyrelle Morrigan, if you are not here in hopes of marrying the prince?" That was a good question to ask, and it was one that I had trouble finding an answer to. At that moment, I was fortunate that I had prepared for stuff like this. After thinking for a while, I responded.

"I hope to discover what happened to some family members of mine, the Lord and Lady of Llyr." They were taken aback by this.

"The Llyr line is extinct! Are you related to them?" They all looked excited, and then I knew that they had little love for Ariela and her position. This was perfect.

"Very distantly," I said, not wanting an uproar. "The blood is tainted, and I am hardly much of a Llyr, but kin is kin, especially in Teatra." I had read book after book on Teatra and it customs to prepare for this. As a matter of fact, the Llyr family truly did have very distant kin in Teatra, but we had become estranged. A Llyr's first loyalty was to the land, and those who left for Teatra did not really want to come back. I hoped my alibi would be accepted, though.

"They all died," the snobbish lady explained. "First the elder Baron Gareth then his daughter Baroness Pasiphae. A few years ago, even Baron Michael, Pasiphae's husband died. And their daughter committed suicide! It was so tragic, her death. She was such a lovely little girl." So there was sympathy for the Llyr family after all.

"I was wondering how Dyrelle Ariela came to rule Llyr," I asked innocently. "I don't think she's any relation of mine, and I've been trying to see if she had any Llyr blood."

"None." A woman who had been quiet until now spoke up. She was a rather plain woman with black hair and brown eyes that were dark as a storm. She glared over in Ariela's direction, where the ridiculous Baroness of Llyr was chatting animatedly with a man half her age. "That woman is a disgrace to nobility. Don't be fooled by her. Her only claim to Llyr is by a marriage. She probably tricked her late husband, rest his soul, into marrying her. Ariela thinks she can get whatever she wants..."

"She tried to steal my husband from me," a red haired woman spat. "Scarlet woman, that's what she is."

"But it seems that the other Barons and Counts and such approve of her," I remarked, wrinkling my brow in mock confusion.

"No doubt she has her ways of getting them to do as she wishes," the black haired woman told me. "I can only speak for my husband, but he is tiring of the problems that have been arising in Llyr. But too many others are engaged in commerce with Llyr and with Ariela. She's powerful, but not widely popular, you will find." This was music to my ears.

Looking up at the clock, I noted that it was nearly midnight. It was time to get home. I made small talk with the group before politely excusing myself. Slipping away I caught a last glimpse of the prince and my stepsister. They were apart now, and Amerisia was talking with her sister while the prince was trying to hide from the hordes of girls after him. As I left, I passed by his hiding spot and gave him a quick smile. He barely waved, then continued to try and evade the girls following him. Grinning, I left the ball, exiting through the carpeted corridors. The palace guard by the door bid me good night, and I rushed down the steps. My carriage led by six silver horses had pulled up to the front almost magically, and I was glad that the ride would not be long. I couldn't wait to tell Eidyia about what I had heard tonight.