Stefan gave her a startling look, "they were very close to each other. Rumour has it a bit too close and he eventually got executed on the ground of treason and incest after she was beheaded." Tasha looked shocked and Stefan grinned, "court politics. Anne was tried for treason so the king did the same to her brother. End of the Boleyn's start of the Howards. Now you know why I stuck to books and art, slightly less dangerous," Tasha understood very well.
Just then my Lady Anne and my Lord George were asking the good people if they wished to participate in a dance to please the King, Tasha looked dismayed when the jester suddenly appeared with people in tow that he dragged from who knows where. He put them in the charge of my Lord and Lady Boleyn and then started running around the great hall trying to get people to join in a dance. Tasha looked dismayed when he started running towards them and tried to back away, thinking that if she got to Damon then she would either be safe or at least be able to escape the hall, but she hadn't countered on Stefan who told him yes and then took Tasha's hand so she wouldn't escape.
Damon was watching this with great amusement from the other end of the hall. The girl was watching the actors with fascination and when the Fool came in she tried to sneak off. Right now she was throwing help me glances at him, but Damon had no intention of helping her.
The help me glances soon became hostile which amused him even more, Stefan also seemed to think this was funny and when she broke away from his brother and headed over to him, his first thought was she's not going to join in. The Fool obviously thought so to as he ran after her, then when she reached him she turned to the Fool and said "I was getting another volunteer for you," with a big smile, the Fool tried to usher them to the rest of the group but Damon decided it was far better to watch until Tasha, feeling his resistance, turned to him and declared "if I have to do this thing then so do you!" What surprised him was the look in the girls' eyes, it reminded him very much of Elena, he realised with a pang. She was determined to have her own way and Damon found himself slightly worried that she'd have a screaming fit or something, so for the sake of peace and quiet he agreed and reluctantly joined his brother.
Lady Anne announced they would be doing a dance called the official branle, Damon and Stefan exchanged amused glances over the top of Tasha's head, which she wasn't best pleased about, but they listened patiently to the instructions which sounded easy enough, left- right together for about 15 beats and then a jump which meant you had to step on your left foot and hop on it while bring your right knee up and then placing your feet together.
They watched a brief demonstration and then everyone gathered boy-girl in a circle, watched on by Tudor musicians that had appeared. The Boleyns and the jester joined in and they began the dance slowly, Stefan and Damon were surprisingly light-footed and graceful, Tasha had to keep reminding herself that of course they would have done this dance many times when they were human.
After a couple of slow attempts the tempo was upped a bit but Tasha didn't find it much of a challenge, she heard Damon's voice in her head telling her that it should have a lift at the end but the people here were probably a bit too old for such a thing and she laughed at the image he sent her of him lifting her up and passing her to Stefan.
Soon afterwards the King and Queen arrived to check on things, they did it one more time for them and then the group was given the order to stop, the men had to bow to the lady next to them and the lady curtsy to the gentleman.
Damon straight away turned to Tasha and gave her a sweeping bow with his right hand over his heart and the left hand swept back and a smile that Tasha thought could melt ice. Tasha gave him the best curtsy she could with jeans on, casting her eyes on the floor and rising to meet Damon's coal black eyes lit up with those white lights, he laughed and told her that she was a natural dancer. Stefan came over and told her that he was impressed as well and not only with her dance. He'd seen her curtsy and was amused that she kept her eyes on the floor, "where on earth did you learn that?" he asked. Tasha grinned and then laughed at his expression when it dawned on him what she was talking about.
Damon and Stefan went rattling on about dance for the most of the time they were in the palace. Tasha's head was reeling with names such as the Galliard, the brawl (she wasn't sure what sort of dance that was supposed to be, but it sounded rough) the Pavanne and the Istanpita. For once, they were talking animatedly between themselves and laughing about the Galliard and how controversial it was with the high kicks.
Soon they were standing in Clock Court and the palace was due to shut in an hour. Tasha had no idea where the day had gone, it was a shame that they were going back to Florence the next day as she would have liked to spend more time with them, she hesitantly told them this and they both laughed, but Tasha caught the sadness in Stefan's eyes, the fun was over and there was only one thing on his mind- Elena.
"Ah, piccolina. We haven't had time to read the books, we'll have to get our own- or stay another day" Damon glanced sideways at Stefan who looked at Tasha's bulging carrier bag with something like dread.
"We'll read them tonight and have them back to you tomorrow morning, our flight's not until late anyway. We'll meet you here at say 10 O clock?" Tasha said okay, but Stefan noticed that she looked a little sad, but he ignored it, she had her own life to live and didn't need them in it. He was grateful for her company today though, he had to admit that it had taken his mind off things, for now anyway.
Until tonight, when you go back to the hotel and you read the books, his inner voice whispered to him. That's when all the misery and the love will come flooding back, you'll re-live everything including her death, can you cope with that? He slammed the thoughts away and smiled as Tasha gave them the books, Damon promised her a ride home.