It took Takuya ten minutes and the instructions of three servants roaming the corridors of the castle to find the main hall. To his dismay, more servants in the formal dress of the king's personal servants stood by the door, and seemed to be checking names off against a list, allowing the nobles inside only after announcing them to the rest of the hall. One look at the flamboyant and expensive clothes of the nobles made Takuya rethink his presence at the event.

After all, I'm just a farmer's son, with no official title, no training in the way that these events are run, and no friends inside that room. He sighed, and smoothed out his new clothes slightly, before stepping forwards to the servants.

"Name?" asked one of them in a politely bored fashion.

"Takuya Kanbara," replied Takuya quickly.

The servant looked him over. "Aren't you a bit young to be attending, Lord Takuya?"

His friend nudged him, showing him the list. "This here's the new mage, not a lord. It's the fire-demon the prince was keeping in his courtyard," he whispered back.

Takuya frowned a little. All the time he had spent among the elves with their softly spoken voices meant that he had no trouble picking up what they had said, and it troubled him. Guess Joshua wasn't lying when he said that people still thought that there was something demonic about me. "I'm not a lord, just a commoner like you. So can't you just let me slip in unnoticed?"

The first servant shook his head. "Sorry, Master Kanbara. All guests on the list must be announced, and that includes you." He motioned for Takuya to step in front of the doors. "If you'd stand here, we'll announce you, and you can enter."

"Swell," said Takuya, nervously straightening his clothes again, trying to make sure that when everyone turned to stare at him, he would at least appear neat.

The doors swung open. "Announcing Master Takuya Kanbara, Mage of the court."

Takuya stepped forwards, and his eyes widened at the colours and glint of gold and silver that milled across the floor, and at the amount of faces turned towards him with interest. He could feel his face blushing into the same deep red as his robe as he descended into the room, and lowered his head.

"You need to look up, Takuya. You look silly."

Takuya looked up, to find Tomoki stood next to him in a red and gold tunic holding a tray. He grinned. "Tomoki! Did you get invited too?"

Tomoki shook his head, and held out his tray. On it Takuya could see small biscuits that had obviously been carefully arranged before several of the component parts had gone missing. "I'm serving here today. I'm lucky they let me, but they said it's because I've had so much practice as punishments."

Takuya took a few biscuits, so that Tomoki could stay a while longer. "So what should I do here? First they yell my name so I look like a right idiot, but now what?"

"You have to talk to people. Or let them talk to you." Tomoki smiled. "Give them a little time, and they'll want to talk. You're new, and we don't get many new people arriving at court. Anytime what they call 'fresh blood' arrives, all the old people are interested." He shrugged. "And the princess is here, somewhere, with her collection of giggling girls, so she might be interested in you. There aren't many young men here who aren't pages, and we're not supposed to talk to the guests like this." He looked hopefully at Takuya.

Takuya smiled back. "Okay, I get it. Just… come try to give me a biscuit or something if you see me making an idiot of myself, hey?"

Tomoki smiled. "Sure, Takuya." He walked off, tray held high.

Takuya sighed, and looked around. Towards the back of the hall, three long tables had been set with fine linen and expensive looking glazed clay plates. He started to walk slowly, feeling uncomfortable, as most guests were adults who loomed over him. In a corner he could see a group of shorter people, and from the lack of red and gold, he assumed that these were the young nobles, Princess Kalinda's friends. He started to walk towards them, but stopped as the hall suddenly grew still. He turned to look in the same direction as everyone else, back towards the doors into the chamber.

"Announcing Lord Kouichi Kimura of Whitefords, and Lady Izumi Orimoto of Lowland Point. Announcing Lord Kouji Kimura of Whitefords and Lady Tomoko Kimura, also of Whitefords."

Takuya held his breath as he looked at the party that had just arrived. Izumi looked spectacular in a dress that was a gentle shade of lavender, and she seemed to almost glide on air, like the voluminous skirt hid wheels rather than her legs. He could see diamonds glint at her neck and in her hair, which had been carefully groomed and artfully arranged. In short she looked almost like some holy messenger.

Holding her arm, and moving with a grace that put Izumi to shame was Kouichi. No longer wearing the rough clothes Takuya was accustomed to seeing him in, he wore a shirt that was a deep blue, with black britches. Like many of the men present, he wore a wide sash, his made of a lighter blue, on which was displayed a coat of arms. To Takuya's amazement, Kouichi's hair had been brushed and tamed to sweep back, away from his ears, leaving his heritage open for all to see.

Turning to look at the second couple, Takuya found his eyes resting on Kouji. Like his brother, Kouji was now dressed as a noble, with dark blue britches and a shirt that was white. An identical blue sash and coat of arms adorned his chest, and he too showed his mixed blood by revealing his ears. His hair fell in loose waves behind him, with the front sections pinned behind by a small jewelled hairpin. In comparison, Tomoko in her blue dress seemed dull to him.

Takuya started forwards as the muttering began.

"Did they say that those boys are Kimura-born?"

"Look at those ears… Are they…"

"They look so unearthly…"

"What is Tomoko playing at, bringing creatures like that here…"

"Did they bespell her?"

Their party continued to move, the crowd parting before them, to the back of the room, where Takuya now noticed chairs set up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Kalinda group start to move towards the chairs, and Takuya realised that they were thrones set up for the king and his family. He pushed his way to the front, ignoring the muttered disapproval of the nobles, determined to be near to his friends.

The twins and their escorts stopped in front of the chairs. Takuya got close enough to see that the king was indeed there, along with Joshua and Kalinda to his right and left. The group bowed and curtsied to him, then Izumi withdrew back towards the crowd, as Tomoko advanced forwards.

"Your highness. I present to you my sons, and ask that they be recognised as noble lords within this court." She curtsied again, betraying none of the nervousness that she must be feeling. "I name them as my heirs. Kouichi Kimura. Kouji Kimura." The twins bowed again as she called their names, then they stood again, to await the king's decision.

"Well, Lady Tomoko. You will have set the servants' tongues wagging once again, like in your youth." Elbert smiled a little. "No doubt you will have many questions asked of you tonight, as will you, young lords." He nodded to the twins. He stood and raised his voice to the crowd. "I accept these young men into our court, as the next generation of those who will lead, and those who will serve. Let no one question their loyalty or commitment to this court, as it is at great personal risk that they serve our kingdom." He looked around. "And there is one other here, who did not pay his dues, but should have." His eyes found Takuya. "Master Kanbara, step forwards and join your companions, please."

Takuya swallowed, and stepped out, making a hurried bow. "I'm so sorry, your highness. I didn't know you were here, and that I was supposed to present myself and I didn't know where I was to go and…" He trailed off as Elbert held up a hand to silence him.

"It's okay, Takuya," he said quietly. "You'll learn the dance soon enough, but for now, mistakes are to be expected." He raised his voice to address the hall again. "Master Kanbara, along with these two young lords has done me a great service. As many of you may recall, Master Kanbara received the post of mage for the aid he gave during the fire two and a half months ago, at midsummer. His magic calmed a fire that would otherwise have claimed many lives, including that of my son, Prince Raoul." Elbert turned slightly to look for a moment at the fourth throne, which was unoccupied. Takuya felt a small sting of pity. "His companions," continued the king, as if the moment of introspection had never happened, "as many of you have noted, are not normal members of the nobility. They and Master Kanbara journeyed on my behalf to the edge of the Great Forrest, and onwards into the heart of it, to bring news of my decree regarding the Tree-Folk to those it would affect. The Tree-folk themselves." He paused to let this fact sink in. "They also took my wish for peace talks between us and them. These young men have negotiated though thought ignorant, unholy and evil by the Tree-folk, much like we think of them. Through their hard efforts, the leaders of the Tree-folk have agreed to assemble to talk out a peace. However," he paused again, stressing the importance, "they will only negotiate now with the highest levels of authority. Myself." He looked around the room at his subjects. "In three days, I shall leave for the fief of Whitefords, and from there, I shall continue on into the Great Forrest in order to guarantee a lasting peace between ourselves and the Tree-folk. In my place, I leave Joshua, Prince of Grunweld, to rule in my absence." He held out his hands. "Please, treat these newcomers to our court as the heroes they are. Ignore their pasts, ignore what might or might not be their heritage. See them as they are, newcomers to our court, and people who work hard in all our best interests." He sat slowly, and leaned in to talk to Kalinda.

Takuya blinked then grinned as he realised that the presentation was over. He almost bounded over to Kouji and Kouichi. "Wow! You guys look great. Like you belong here. I just feel like a total klutz."

Kouji ran an appreciative eye over Takuya, who blushed. "You don't look so bad yourself. Most of it just comes from confidence. You do have a right to be here, you are the court mage."

Tomoko moved closer. "I'm sorry that I stole them away from you, Takuya, but I wanted to learn more about my sons in peace, before all this." She placed a hand at on the back of each of the twins and pushed them towards Takuya slightly. "I'll keep the adults away as much as I can. Let you be in peace until the banquet. There are going to be a lot of questions." She leaned in closer to the twins. "And no matter what any of the other nobles think, I'm proud that you're not hiding who you are."

Kouichi smiled. "Thank you, mother."

Tomoko smiled back. "Take care." She drew away slowly, to talk to a lord who was trying to catch her eye.

Takuya smiled to the twins. "Well, she seems to think she won't see you for a bit."

Kouji shook his head. "Our mother speaks very little of our language. She spent almost a year in our village, so she did pick up a little."

Kouichi nodded. "We're teaching her a little more. And talking a lot." He looked around for Izumi, and frowned as he saw her laughing at a joke that Joshua seemed to have told. "Should she really be doing something so dangerous? That strange magic is all about him. I can see it. Out of here we should talk to her, warn her off."

Kouji smiled. "You're worried about her, and I think you like her." He looked around. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves again to the princess. See if as lords we meet her approval."

Kouichi tried to stop blushing about Izumi. "Sure. And we should start using Common again. We're making people nervous."

Kouji nodded, and walked off towards Kalinda, moving to stand in front of her, and bowed solemnly. "Princess Kalinda. I hope you don't expect us to perform tricks for your amusement this time."

Kalinda blinked slowly. "You… Have we spoken?"

Kouichi bowed slowly. "Your highness, we are the ones that you came to see for your own amusement, back before midsummer. Perhaps now, clean and without chains, you can't recognise us?" He smiled at her. "We bare you no ill will for how you treated us before, but we hope that you will give us the respect we're due as lords."

Kalinda shook her head, and looked around her friends for support. "You cannot just claim to be nobility. Without the grant of a title from my father, or a position within a noble family, you have no right."

Kouichi smiled. "We do have a position within a noble family. Did you not hear them announce us? We are from the Kimura family at Whitefords." He tried not to wince as he felt Kalinda's fear and repulsion. "We're not creatures, and we haven't cast a spell. Our magic doesn't work in that way."

Kouji nodded. "We have human blood. Lady Tomoko is our mother. And we will do everything we can to defend both of our people."

Takuya touched Kouji's arm. "I trust them, there's no magic acting on anyone here that I can feel." He mentally excused the lie on the grounds that it would only panic Kalinda. "They don't manipulate people, or judge them harshly for what they may have done."

Kalinda shook her head. "How can you be members of our court when you're not even human?"

Kouji's harsh reply was interrupted by the gong sounding.

"Lords and ladies, please take your places. The banquet is about to begin."