Chapter Seven ............The Ball
As the bell tolled the hour of the ball, Kel stepped out of her room. In her new dress from Lalasa, she looked stunning.
The dress was a beautiful crimson color that set off her hazel eyes. The neck-line was low, but not too low. The bodice hugged her upper body accenting her waist. The bodice flowed down to form a wide, sweeping skirt that fell gracefully to the floor in soft folds. The sleeves of the dress were slightly off the shoulder and snug to her elbows, where they became bell-shaped and fell to the floor with the skirt.
She had allowed her hair to be fixed in gentle ringlets that framed her face. Around her neck was a very modest silver chain with a small amber colored stone in the center as the only jewelry she wore. She had also allowed the maid to put just a dusting of face paint on her face.
Kel made her way toward the Hall of Crowns, where the ball was being held. She had agreed earlier to meet Dom there.
When she arrived at the Hall, she was swept into the crowd of people waiting to enter. A hand reached out and grasped her arm gently, pulling her out of the crowd.
She looked up to see Dom smiling at her. He leaned down and whispered,
"You're being announced. We'll enter from those doors there."
He pointed at another set of doors, this set being thick mahogany wood with golden handles. A doorman stood between the two doors, waiting to be called upon.
"Oh, okay," She replied calmly. Then what Dom had just said sunk in. "Wait a minute!! There's no way I'm walking in there with all of those people staring at me!! I won't do it!"
"Relax. I'll be there with you the whole time. It won't be that bad, I promise. And you look lovely, by the way."
He was dressed in sapphire blue breeches (a/n I'm sorry, I have this thing against men wearing hose or tights or anything like that) and a matching blue shirt with the King's Own insignia embroidered upon it.
"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself. But I still don't want to do it."
A few minutes later, after the door man had been looking at them warningly Dom said, "Too late to protest now. It's our turn."
Dom held out his arm politely and Kel nervously took it. As nervous as she might have been, she hid all of her nervousness and anxiousness behind her Yamani mask.
They stepped up to the door as the herald announced,
"Now Presenting Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle and Lady Keladry of Mindelan!"
They made their way down the sweeping staircase and across the floor to the monarch's thrones, where they bowed (and curtsied) to King Jonathan and Queen Thayet, who in turn, smiled and nodded politely.
Kel let out a sigh of relief as Dom led her to the refreshment table and handed her a glass of wine.
"See, that wasn't so bad."
"Well, maybe not to you. It's not something I would ever want to go through again."
"At least it's over with. Now all you have to worry about is people wanting to impress you and sucking up."
"Why would they want to impress me? I don't have anything that they would want."
"Oh, yes you do. You have the favor of the King and Queen."
"And? They only like me because my family established the treaty with the Yamani Isles."
"That's a big deal, trust me. Look, here comes Meathead now."
Neal walked up to them with a Yamani woman on his arm. The woman looked vaguely familiar to Kel, but she couldn't remember her name.
"Good evening Kel, Dom. Might I introduce you to...."
He didn't get to finish his sentence because at that moment Kel remembered who the woman was.
"Yuki!" she cried before bowing Yamani style to her. The woman bowed in return, a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes behind her fan.
"You two know each other?" asked a very confused Neal.
"Yes! We became friends when I lived in the Isles. I haven't see Yuki in years! Why are you here now?" She directed the last part of her statement to Yuki.
"I came with Princess Shinkokami and the delegation to Tortall. We're here to negotiate the marriage between the princess and Tortall's Prince Ronald."
"Ah! I see. How long will you be here?"
"Until Midsummer, at least. Are you still practicing with your naginata?" Yuki asked Kel, using the Yamani term for 'glaive'.
"Every morning at dawn. Would you and the princess like to join me?"
"I'll ask the princess to be sure, but for now, we'd love to." switching to Yamani (the pretty little star * things show the Yamani speech), she said "*Now, who is this handsome gentleman you're with? Is he your courtier, perhaps?*"
Kel felt her face redden as she replied in Yamani "*Hardly. We only met just yesterday. He's your Neal's cousin, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle.*"
"*'My Neal' ha. We met just today,*" she replied, using Kel's words. Switching to Common she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Domitan of Masbolle."
Neal and Dom stood momentarily stunned at the ladies' short conversation in Yamani. When they snapped back to life a few seconds later, Dom replied, "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Yuki."
Yuki had opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment a short, red- haired lady and a tall, black-haired man walked up to their small group.
As the bell tolled the hour of the ball, Kel stepped out of her room. In her new dress from Lalasa, she looked stunning.
The dress was a beautiful crimson color that set off her hazel eyes. The neck-line was low, but not too low. The bodice hugged her upper body accenting her waist. The bodice flowed down to form a wide, sweeping skirt that fell gracefully to the floor in soft folds. The sleeves of the dress were slightly off the shoulder and snug to her elbows, where they became bell-shaped and fell to the floor with the skirt.
She had allowed her hair to be fixed in gentle ringlets that framed her face. Around her neck was a very modest silver chain with a small amber colored stone in the center as the only jewelry she wore. She had also allowed the maid to put just a dusting of face paint on her face.
Kel made her way toward the Hall of Crowns, where the ball was being held. She had agreed earlier to meet Dom there.
When she arrived at the Hall, she was swept into the crowd of people waiting to enter. A hand reached out and grasped her arm gently, pulling her out of the crowd.
She looked up to see Dom smiling at her. He leaned down and whispered,
"You're being announced. We'll enter from those doors there."
He pointed at another set of doors, this set being thick mahogany wood with golden handles. A doorman stood between the two doors, waiting to be called upon.
"Oh, okay," She replied calmly. Then what Dom had just said sunk in. "Wait a minute!! There's no way I'm walking in there with all of those people staring at me!! I won't do it!"
"Relax. I'll be there with you the whole time. It won't be that bad, I promise. And you look lovely, by the way."
He was dressed in sapphire blue breeches (a/n I'm sorry, I have this thing against men wearing hose or tights or anything like that) and a matching blue shirt with the King's Own insignia embroidered upon it.
"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself. But I still don't want to do it."
A few minutes later, after the door man had been looking at them warningly Dom said, "Too late to protest now. It's our turn."
Dom held out his arm politely and Kel nervously took it. As nervous as she might have been, she hid all of her nervousness and anxiousness behind her Yamani mask.
They stepped up to the door as the herald announced,
"Now Presenting Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle and Lady Keladry of Mindelan!"
They made their way down the sweeping staircase and across the floor to the monarch's thrones, where they bowed (and curtsied) to King Jonathan and Queen Thayet, who in turn, smiled and nodded politely.
Kel let out a sigh of relief as Dom led her to the refreshment table and handed her a glass of wine.
"See, that wasn't so bad."
"Well, maybe not to you. It's not something I would ever want to go through again."
"At least it's over with. Now all you have to worry about is people wanting to impress you and sucking up."
"Why would they want to impress me? I don't have anything that they would want."
"Oh, yes you do. You have the favor of the King and Queen."
"And? They only like me because my family established the treaty with the Yamani Isles."
"That's a big deal, trust me. Look, here comes Meathead now."
Neal walked up to them with a Yamani woman on his arm. The woman looked vaguely familiar to Kel, but she couldn't remember her name.
"Good evening Kel, Dom. Might I introduce you to...."
He didn't get to finish his sentence because at that moment Kel remembered who the woman was.
"Yuki!" she cried before bowing Yamani style to her. The woman bowed in return, a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes behind her fan.
"You two know each other?" asked a very confused Neal.
"Yes! We became friends when I lived in the Isles. I haven't see Yuki in years! Why are you here now?" She directed the last part of her statement to Yuki.
"I came with Princess Shinkokami and the delegation to Tortall. We're here to negotiate the marriage between the princess and Tortall's Prince Ronald."
"Ah! I see. How long will you be here?"
"Until Midsummer, at least. Are you still practicing with your naginata?" Yuki asked Kel, using the Yamani term for 'glaive'.
"Every morning at dawn. Would you and the princess like to join me?"
"I'll ask the princess to be sure, but for now, we'd love to." switching to Yamani (the pretty little star * things show the Yamani speech), she said "*Now, who is this handsome gentleman you're with? Is he your courtier, perhaps?*"
Kel felt her face redden as she replied in Yamani "*Hardly. We only met just yesterday. He's your Neal's cousin, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle.*"
"*'My Neal' ha. We met just today,*" she replied, using Kel's words. Switching to Common she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Domitan of Masbolle."
Neal and Dom stood momentarily stunned at the ladies' short conversation in Yamani. When they snapped back to life a few seconds later, Dom replied, "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Yuki."
Yuki had opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment a short, red- haired lady and a tall, black-haired man walked up to their small group.