Snowblind
By strawberry_miow
Chapter 2 - Midwinter Luck
After what seemed like hours the dress was finally done, and admit it or not, it had been worth it. Kel smiled despite herself, Lalassa had really outdone herself this time, the gown was amazing. Ever since Sergeant Domitan`s little visit though, Yuki had constantly asked the lady knight about their conversation…what he'd said, what she'd said, her feelings for him, had he asked her to ball and whatnot. Kel stood there the whole time repeating to herself Be like stone, be like stone… well sometimes even the toughest rock got beaten now and again, hence the light blush that seemed permanently indented on her cheeks.
The trip back to Corus was pretty much the same, the Yamani asking questions and the lady knight trying not to answer them. It would have been amusing if they weren't travelling in temperatures below freezing and a snowstorm even the immortals hid from.
"That gown looks amazing on you Kel" Yuki smiled as they walked, "All we need now is to get your hair done and some face paints"
The lady knight frowned, "Oh no - you're not coming anywhere near me with those entities of evil!" her face was a picture, eyebrows closely knit together and hazel eyes twinkling with distaste - directed at who? Well that was the question, the make-up in general or the Yamani for suggesting it.
"Come on Kel, it's the midwinter ball!"
"No"
"I'm sure the sergeant you don't like and aren't trying to impress will appreciate it…"
"No"
That's pretty much how the rest of the conversation went, Kel was still adamant on not letting a single brush of face paints anywhere near any part of her, when they arrived back at the slightly snow-ridden Corus.
The two friends separated once they arrived through the gates, each one going to their rooms to prepare for the evening ahead, either in ways of spending the time getting dressed up or brooding over the fact that they were being forced to dress up - not hard to work out which was which.
Sitting in her room, Kel stared aimlessly at the dress laid across her bed, her thoughts elsewhere. What did Dom mean when he said to save him the last dance? Was he implying what I dreamed of three years ago? Her mind drifted off once again; Do I still dream of such? She asked herself, or have I matured since that stage? I used to be so fickle yet now….
She sighed, glancing out of the window. It was still snowing heavy, the whole of the courtyard was covered in what looked like a white sheet, not a single trace of footprints marring it's beauty. It seemed so perfect…so serene and peaceful, she wished she felt like that rather than confused.
But am I really confused? She mused to herself, Or am I just in denial? Dom`s great and all but… a pair of blue eyes flashed in her mind and she shook her head, Oh Mithros, maybe Yuki is right….
With that she decided it best to get ready, try to take up her time doing something other than contemplate what may or may not be. She asked for some hot water to be sent up to her room and soaked in the bubbling liquid, it seemed to ease her somewhat…the heat putting things in perspective. He only asked for a dance, I don't know why I'm worrying… she would have laughed at herself if the answer hadn't of echoed around in the back of her mind, Oh Mithros…. Her face paled; maybe face paints would have been a good idea right then…
~*~
The cool midwinter air circled around the room later that evening, Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, stood looking into her mirror.
"I suppose I look ok…" she whispered to her reflection, "Although this gown is too much…I should have gone for something less adorned" she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, sighing, "I don't want to draw attention to myself…But what's done is done I guess…"
She turned away from the mirror, walking towards the door of her room; It's now or never… The gown was made of a delicate forest green silk that swept down to the ground, the bodice was trimmed with a darker fabric and intricate gold designs that matched those of the full, flowing skirt. Lighter tinged satin flared out from underneath the slits, flaxen slippers and a simply carved Yamani necklace completed the outfit. Kel felt like a pauper in a princess's place.
She sailed down the hallways with more grace than she ever thought she had, admiring the decorations that hung around. Corus looked wonderful, hand-made garlands and ribbon-tied holly hung from all the possible places, candles flickered giving the whole scene a glow of a crystallised snowflake. It was magical.
She met Neal and Yuki at the ballroom doors, flashing them a smile that contradicted everything she was feeling inside, "Midwinter luck" she whispered to her friends as she stepped through into the breathtaking sight of the celebrations.
"We're not the ones who'll need it…" Yuki whispered back, dragging a very confused Nealan of Queenscove through the doors with her.
~*~
Kel wasn't wrong when she'd said it was magical. She wasn't wrong at all.
The ballroom was even more beautiful than the rest of Corus; gentle light radiated around the couples that were already dancing. The music was gentle and lulling, like a dream floating above the clouds of reality amass all the smiles and laughter. It couldn't be faulted, not even the decorations that hung with a sort of pride by those who had put in the time to make them, Kel felt a smile tug at her lips.
"Having fun?" she almost jumped at the voice. Immortals and battle plans she could handle, social events and good-looking sergeants she couldn't.
She spun around to find a familiar pair of azure eyes staring into her own and her breath caught in her throat, "D-Dom" she stumbled, not being able to take her eyes off him. The sergeant was clad in the compulsory uniform of the own, blue that matched his eyes perfectly and silver that only seemed to emphasise the way his clothes clung to his sculptured frame.
He mock bowed, "Good evening milady, would you like to dance?"
She felt her cheeks begin to warm up and prayed she wasn't blushing, or at least that you couldn't see if she was in the light of the room, "I told you not to call me that" she grinned.
"And I told you that it`s considered a serious social faux pas not to dance with at least one member of the king's own at a ball"
Now she really felt her cheeks getting a little too hot, as well as other areas that she forced herself not to notice, "Maybe I should go and look for Sir Raoul then…" she teased, pretending to go to walk away. Dom gripped her arm causing warm tingles to spread through her, she looked up to meet his gaze, "I'm kidding…I`d love to dance with you Sergeant Domitan, although it`s not quite time for the last dance yet…."
He smiled as he led her to the dance floor, "That's not the only dance I want Lady knight"