Chapter Ten: First Dance
"I can't do this."
"Of course you can."
"No, Cato, I can't remember anything of what we learned! I don't know how to dance!"
They stood on the edge of the crowded dance floor, waiting for Kedi to return from his mission to find ale, exchanging pleasantries with the passing ladies, and watching the dancers twirl by. There was a buzz of conversation and laughter mingling with the flowing music. The swish of elaborate gowns, flashes of priceless jewels and bright eyes in the golden light, and the sweet smell of flowers and perfume mingled to a heady aura. The whole scene was like something from some old romance or fairy tale, where everything was beautiful and magic was real.
His brother's wedding, like many Ventrexian ceremonies, had been intimate - just closest family and friends - and mercifully brief. A few short speeches about unifying families were said, some paperwork was signed, and Catomar slid the elaborate engagement bracelet from Lady Vana's left wrist to her right, signifying her shift to a married woman and a Lady of House Cato. This, the most important part of the ceremony, was accompanied by each of them reciting the traditional wedding vow:
"Where and when you go, there and then I shall always be. From today, until forever, I will stand at your side."
From where he stood next to Catowba, Avocato thanked the stars once again that he wasn't the eldest child. He even drummed up a bit of sympathy for Catomar with so much focus on him and his pretty bride. So much pomp and ceremony to switch jewelry about and say a few words! Give him a field marriage any day: quick, improvised, to the point, and over in seconds. No lengthy betrothals, no fuss.
With the formalities out of the way, the celebration could begin. A peer's wedding was always a fine excuse for a ball, and Avocato was determined to eat, drink, dance, and have a good time. He was equally determined to see that his friends did as well. Lady Clawdia was waiting to make her grand entrance, but there were plenty of other ladies about to distract them in the meantime. Avocato was kept busy greeting old friends and family for a while, happily introducing titled aristocrats to his cronies. Once the music started, however, he grabbed his fellow cadets and headed for the dance floor, only to lose Kedi on an ale quest and to hear Nikos memory had been wiped clean from just the day before.
"Yes, you do," Avocato assured his roommate. "You're just terrified of having to ask someone."
That someone being a certain odd-eyed bianca was understood.
Avocato was counting, and Lady Cordell had walked by them no less than four times, slowing down each time, and smiled twice as she eyed their uniforms. Clearly she was waiting for Nikos to get a move on. Highly aware of her attention and her beauty, Nikos' confidence evaporated at the tilt of her head and her slanted, mismatched eyes. Like many other young women present, Cordell found the trio of cadets fetching and decorative in their tailored uniforms and shining boots. Avocato's height and coloring, Kedi's curled ears and thick accent, and Nikos' striking mask and blue eyes drew a great deal of attention, both admiring and critical.
Avocato smiled at his friend's uncharacteristic panic. Like Kedi, Nikos was truly smitten. He was just a lot more contained in his admiration. Not that Avocato blamed him. Cordell was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful ladies present. Exotic little Nikos had definitely sparked her interest, and Avocato wanted to see how far her attentions might go. Something might come of it or not, but either way, Cordell was here to celebrate as much as Nikos, so they may as well do it together.
"It will all come back. It's like swimming. If I threw you in the water now, would you be able to swim?"
"Yes! But I've been swimming since I was a kit."
"And I've been dancing since I was one. It's the same thing, except with dancing, you just stay dry," he said, sounding confident despite his complete ignorance of everything to do with swimming.
"Cato, I'm just a farmer, not some lord like you!"
"No, your honored father is a farmer. You're a military officer who hasn't graduated yet, exactly like me."
A whine of pure anxiety escaped him. "I'm completely out of my element."
"No, Nikos, you're just trying something new. That takes courage." He leaned in close, pitching his voice so only Nikos could hear. "You think the people here worth knowing don't recognize that? Do you think Cordell is being any less daring than you right now, wanting to dance with you again? There are a lot of eyes on her and you, judging. You have to meet her halfway. Here." From a passing servant, he snagged a tall glass of sparkling pink alcohol. "Drink this. It will help."
"What is it?" asked Nikos.
His smile never faltered. "I have no idea."
Giving in, Nikos threw back the drink and gasped at its icy coldness. Avocato plucked the glass out of his hand, setting it on the tray of another nearby server, then turned and said over Nikos' bent head,
"Lady Cordell! Cousin! I was talking to your sister just this morning. Such a pleasure to see you again! Nikos here was just telling me what an excellent dance instructor you are and how greatly he enjoyed your company."
And now Nikos was choking. Avocato tactfully ignored him as he pulled himself back together. Cordell, tired of waiting to be asked, had come over to take matters into her own paws. She was a lovely thing, pearly white and petite, with one blue and one yellow eye. The only thing she had in common with her half-sister Cordata was the long slant to her eyes. Otherwise, she was fully her mother's child. She was dressed in shining fabric that matched the blue of her left eye . . . and Nikos'. A coy smile teased her lips, and she was clearly ready to call Avocato's bluff. He knew at a glance that she had learned how much his friend admired her from Clawdia, and that she welcomed the attention. He wondered if his opinion of Nikos had somehow reached her ears as well. Cordata might share his views about Nikos, but he knew his parting shot at her would go unrepeated.
"Perhaps he'll let me prove as much again," Cordell said playfully.
Avocato discreetly kicked his friend in the ankle. This was his cue. Straightening, Nikos valiantly rallied himself and looked at her squarely. It took every bit of nerve he could muster to say,
"I'm afraid I'm not quite at your level of skill, Lady Cordell, but may I have this dance?"
Her eyes glittered as bright as the exquisite diamond parure she wore, and she moved in close to take his arm. "That would delight me . . . Nikos, was it?"
Avocato grinned as Cordell subtly drew Nikos away and to the dance floor, working to charm and distract him to ease his self-consciousness. He watched them for a few moments, and was relieved when Nikos said something that made her laugh. There was a bit of a stir as Clawdia arrived with her mother and lady-in-waiting, and to avoid having to give Clawdia more attention, he went and asked one of his young Cato cousins to dance. She was a sweet little girl of perhaps eleven or twelve years named Catolina, and she was clearly longing to be seen amidst such brilliant company. Knowing this had to be her first actual ball – and probably her last until she was a few years older – Avocato poured on the courtly manners and made a great show of asking for a dance. Her mother nodded and smiled, allowing Avocato to escort her to the dance floor. He incorporated many flourishes and spins so she could show off her dress, and her giggling smile never faulted for a moment as he twirled her about. Avocato's skill loaned Catolina grace, and it was a dance she would remember all her life.
At the end of the set, Kedi returned but Nikos did not. He had found his ale amidst all the drinks available, and proudly handed Avocato a tall glass of reddish liquid.
"This is a drink, not those froo-froo things in tiny cups," he declared, casually dismissing the whole realm of alcoholic beverages.
Game for anything, Avocato sniffed at it before he took a mouthful and almost gagged. It was bitter and dry and weirdly appealing. Wrestling it down his gullet, he gasped, "What's it made out of? Tree roots or seaweed?" Then, despite himself, he took another sip.
Kedi crowed in triumph. "Ha!"
"Don't give that to Nikos," he said, gesturing at the third glass. He was fairly sure it would kill his friend. "It's as big as he is and we can't get drunk."
Nikos returned a little while later, thrilled to have survived dancing and talking with Cordell. Disregarding Avocato's warning, Kedi handed him the ale and Nikos drank some without seeming to register its shocking taste. He was too busy gushing about Cordell to notice anything less.
"Oh, no," breathed Avocato, fortifying himself with another mouthful of ale.
"What is wrong?" asked Kedi.
"Incoming."
The word was barely out of his moth when Cordata swept down upon them, armed with high cheekbones, green eyes, and a folding fan. Haughty and cool, she fixed the three cadets with a stern sneer as if she hadn't seen them a few hours prior. Nikos looked gobsmacked. Kedi was intimidated. Avocato sighed.
"What does Clawdia want now, Cordata?"
"Lady Clawdia," she corrected archly, rapping his hand with her fan.
Avocato drew a deep breath, but did what was proper and expected. "Nikos, Kedi, this is my cousin Lady Cordata of House Cordon of Bharata, lady-in-waiting to Lady Clawdia of House Clawd. Cordata, my friends and fellow cadets. I believe you know their names already."
She ignored the dig, and without further ado, Cordata pointed a long and bony finger right at Kedi's gray nose. "You, sir, have a great deal to answer for."
"Me?" squeaked Kedi, horrified at being singled out.
"You have vexed a lady."
"I have?" Kedi was on the verge of panic.
"Indeed, sir. If you do not ask my lady to dance before the next set, you will have vexed two ladies."
"Who's the other one?" asked Avocato right on cue, playing the role of annoying little cousin to the hilt. In retaliation, Cordata snapped her fan closed against his ear, pinching it sharply and making him hiss. Not regretting the pain, Avocato fought to keep from laughing, but he was completely serious as he promised, "Hit me again and we dance, cousin."
Cordata huffed, pausing long enough to look Nikos up and down like he was a prize-winning racer she was thinking about buying before flouncing off in her long gown.
"Gentlemen, my cousin Cordata," muttered Avocato, rubbing his ear.
"That's Lady Cordell's sister?" whispered Nikos.
"Half-sister. Her mother was the first wife. Cordell's is the second."
"What do I do?" begged Kedi.
Avocato smiled as if it was obvious. "Ask Clawdia to dance, what else?"
"But . . . but . . ."
"Mind you, this is my cousin Clawdia, who will say 'no' when you ask her. But it's not 'no, I don't want to dance with you,' it's 'no, I want you to keep begging me and after the fifth or sixth time, I'll do you a favor, your poor, desperate, besotted fool, and say yes.'"
"Clawdia? Lady Clawdia? The same plump beauty with the golden eyes? I can't ask her! She's too beautiful!"
"Technically, she's asking you," Nikos pointed out, suddenly worldly after having survived a handful of circuits around the dance floor. "Well . . . telling, really. Besides, you already danced with her. Twice."
"I didn't know who she was yesterday!"
"She's the same person today!" argued Nikos, who seemed to have forgotten that less than an hour ago, he had been in the same condition Kedi was now enjoying.
Nodding, Avocato said, "You can ask her and you will. You have to, Kedi. The only way you'll get out of dancing with Clawdia is if you break both legs and an arm right now, and even then, you'd better bleed out crawling to her feet. Go! The set is ending."
Threatened from all sides, Kedi bolted his ale for courage and bustled off, clearly as terrified of speaking to Clawdia as running the risk of vexing her and Cordata.
"You haven't sent him off on a forlorn hope, have you?" asked Nikos.
Avocato smiled knowingly. "Clawdia is first cousin to the crown prince and grand heiress of two houses. She's one of the few people in this room who can marry for whatever she wants – power, politics, or love. Her parents don't need any alliances, so they're letting her pick her own spouse. Within reason. She's shopping."
"And Kedi's worth a second look?"
"Yes, indeed. Maybe even a third."
Nikos nodded, then caught himself, realizing what his friend was up to. "Where do you fall into this? You really expect your marriage to be arranged?"
"Oh, I'll likely be married to the second or third daughter of some noble who wants to make an alliance with my house. I'm far enough down on the list to be safe from the title, but with inheritance and titles and property to keep most any wife happy. The Cato name is enough to make me a suitable match in any circle."
"But what do you want?"
Avocato looked at nothing, swirling the ale in his glass. "A family would be nice. A home of my own to come to."
"It would." Nikos suddenly frowned. "Did you bring us here just to give your cousins something to look at?"
Still not looking at his friend, Avocato grinned. "What if I did . . . a little?"
Nikos took a moment to drink in the setting, the glitter of the assembled aristocrats, the beautiful women, exotic foods, rich fabrics and jewels, the music and dancers. This was an experience he never could have had without the tall young man beside him who he proudly called his friend. After a moment of consideration, Nikos found himself returning the grin.
"Then I simply want to say thank you."
They both laughed, looking up just in time to see across the room as Clawdia gave Kedi her hand to escort her onto the dance floor as the music started up again.
"She can't have said no more than three times," whispered Avocato in awe, gripping his friend's arm. "This is serious."
Nikos raised his ale. "To the success of your cousin."
"And her lady-in-waiting's half-sister!" he replied, tapping their glasses together and throwing the ale back before Nikos could process the toast.