Daggerfall

By the time all the preparations had been made, the sun had long since set into the Abecean Sea. Serenity was looking forward to the party and longed to see Balir again. She soaked in the bath for a good while, indulging herself with luxurious creams and perfumes, and cleaned her perfect white teeth. Before long she smelled like a beautiful, fruit-filled fantasy. Once again she sat at her dressing table, playing with her jewelry box and humming softly to herself as she waited for Cas to arrive. Surely enough, there was a familiar knock at the door.

"Come in, Cas," Serenity said, chuckling.

Cas entered, spun around, and laughed delightedly.

"How do you always know it's me?!"

"I have my ways," Serenity tried to keep her tone serious but failed.

"Balir wouldn't stop asking questions about you, you know? He's a little too keen if I'm being honest."

"There's no such thing," Serenity purred. "But what kind of questions was he asking?"

"He seemed to want to know every little thing about you. But he can ask you himself soon enough. Now, let's get ready!"

Serenity chose a gorgeous red gown, one she'd been saving for a special occasion. It was floor-length and had a deep slit down the side, revealing one of her long, slim and shapely legs. The top half clung to her figure, accentuating her tiny waist and modest yet ample bosom. As a finishing touch, the dress was diamond-encrusted, making her wondrous visage shimmer in the light. It was custom-made for her by a famous Khajiiti clothier, owner of the ancient store Skins & Satin, all the way in Mistral. Rumor has it that Skins & Satin was almost as old as Mistral itself. It was one of he of her more expensive dresses, worth more than most people in High Rock's houses. Serenity smiled as she gazed at herself in the mirror.

Cas looked at her in wonder.

"Milady… you are glowing. My, my, you have become so beautiful. You remind me of…" Cas placed her hand on the nape of her neck, looking away and trailing off. Serenity knew talking about her mother was still hard for Cas. She smiled at her kindly.

"Thank you, Cas," she said as she glided over to the dressing table. "Now, what should I do with my hair? I was thinking of a chignon. What do you think?"

"I think we could do better than that. I believe a nice braided hairstyle would look heavenly on you," Cas stood behind Serenity and ran her hands down the length of her hair.

Serenity beamed.

"Oh please! Let's see it, then!" she exclaimed happily.

It took over an hour for Cas to complete the look. When she was finished, Serenity just stared open-mouthed at the vision she cast in the mirror.

"Cas, I commend you, this looks divine. But… isn't this more of a Redguard hairstyle?"

Cas stiffened a bit.

"Yes… It is Milady. But it fits you well, don't you think?"

Serenity tilted her head from side to side. She couldn't help but agree. She touched her hair lightly. It felt strange, but not unpleasant at all. The more she looked at it, the more she loved it. Serenity felt like a different person. She got up and hugged Cas tightly.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything," Serenity said, weeping through a smile.

"Oh don't cry Miss, you'll get me going," Cas said as she laughed and wiped away Serenity's tears with a dainty, white handkerchief.

As Serenity made her way to the ballroom, Hearthhart Hall was alive with the sound of people and merriment. She stood at the top of the grand twin staircases, holding on to the balustrade as she gazed down at the people below. She locked eyes with her father Mattias, who was making his way to the bottom of the staircase and tapping his glass goblet with a spoon to get the crowd's attention. Serenity's older brothers, Bran and Salazar, stood cross-armed near the doors. Standing next to them was Rosalie, their father's girlfriend.

"Okay everybody," Mattias addressed the room. "Thank you so much for coming tonight. I hope you all feel welcome here in Hearthhart Hall. I have 3 very important announcements to make tonight. The first is that I'm signing over the Wayrest branch of my business to none other than the shining light of my life, my beautiful daughter Serenity. Come down here, darling."

Serenity beamed, and gracefully descended the marble stairs as the crowd clapped. As she made her way down she fixed her gaze on Balir, who winked at her. She smiled in return and shyly averted her gaze. She stood next to her father and grinned at him. He put his hand on her shoulder and handed her a delicate champagne flute which was filled to the brim with sparkling white Syrah wine.

"Thank you, father. I will make you proud."

"You already do, my love."

He kissed her on the cheek and turned back to the crowd.

"Now for my second announcement! As most of you may well know, T'rizul Enterprises is a relatively new venture. The T'rizul family, formerly of House Dres, lost everything when Red Mountain erupted. They moved to Cheydinal with nothing but the clothes on their backs. But the family's unparalleled ambition, fierce tenacity, and impressive work ethic have already seen them grow their business throughout Cyrodiil. In a mutually beneficial collaboration between our 2 companies, Hearthhart Trading Company and T'rizul Enterprises will be merging in a manner. The aim is to extend our customer base and grow our presence throughout empire lands and beyond. One day, we hope to be the first company in Tamrielic history to be continent-wide."

Mattias raised his glass as the room applauded. Serenity raised her glass high and looked at her father in adoration.

As the room quietened down, Mattias smiled and raised his glass again.

"Now, for my final announcement," he looked over at Bran, Salazar, and Rosalie. "I'd like to ask my beautiful Rose to join me at my side."

"Oh my love, another surprise?" said Rosalie, laughing as she strode over.

"You could say that," said Mattias, gazing at her lovingly before turning back to the crowd.

"Every single one of you invited here today has touched my life in one way or another, and I'm thankful for you. I wanted to have you all here to celebrate with me and share my happiness."

Mattias turned back to Rosalie.

"Rose, you make me a better man. After Lesianna left I was broken for a long time. But you, my dear, make me feel whole again. You've been a brilliant mother to my children and we all love you so very much."

He reached into his pocket.

"With that being said, I have something I'd like to ask you."

Her father got down on one knee and, to Serenity's delight, presented Rosalie with a beautiful diamond ring. Rosalie's eyes opened wide. She took a step back and put her hand over her mouth.

"My queen, my day and night, my moons and my stars. Would you marry me?"

"Mattias, I… oh my god, yes! Yes, of course!"

The room erupted with the sounds of joy, laughter, and applause.

After she congratulated them, Serenity made her way over to the servers to get something to eat. With her dainty canapes in hand, she stepped out onto a balcony to sit and relax. Being around people for too long made her anxious, but sitting outside in the calm ocean air always made her feel much more at ease. Serenity heard someone behind her, and she turned around to see Balir.

"Your father can sure get a crowd going," he said as he laughed and sat down next to her. "He had us all eating out of his hand, it's impressive."

"He definitely has his moments," Serenity said, smiling.

"What a move too, proposing to Rosalie like that. I'd barely have enough courage to ask a woman to marry me when we're by ourselves, let alone in front of so many people. But I believe congratulations for yourself are in order. Taking over the Wayrest branch of Heathhart Trading Company! You'll begin to make your very own fortune and learn of the world."

Balir's startling red eyes turned to look into hers.

"Have you ever been to Wayrest? If you haven't, I'm sure you'll love it, you'd…"

He trailed off as Serenity put her hand on his.

"Shall we go for a walk along the beach, just you and me?" Serenity said silkily. "How about I show you the sights?"