Owned by: Catherine Fisher; credit to daydream14 for the concept
Warning: blatantJ/K
Dauntless Pluck
4: The Ball requested and inspired by daydream14
Summary: In which Kari tires of indifference and Jessa abandons her stubbornness.
'I cannot believe this! Why couldn't it be a normal celebration, or festival... ?'
Jessa discarded the parcel she'd received the evening before, inviting her to attend a ball at the Jarlshold to celebrate the anniversary of Gudrun's defeat. She knew it would be rude to not attend; she was a close friend of Wulfgar and knew her other friends had been invited and were most likely intent on going to the ball. She was excited at the thought of seeing them, but still ...
Jessa Horolfsdaughter would not dance.
She was a wonderful dancer, so lack of dancing skills was out of the question. Anyone who'd heard of Jessa knew she was outspoken, so shyness wasn't a problem. She just chose to rebel against such frivolous antics, especially when they involved partners who weren't - well, partners who held no respect for her or her opinions.
"Ugh!" She dug through her closet frantically before giving a sigh of relief, having found the perfect dress to wear to the ball...
Not that Jessa Horolfsdaughter wanted to impress anyone.
Kari was so shocked, he couldn't think of just one word to describe what he saw; instead several came to mind.
Apocalypse. Impossible. Insane. Illusion. Beautiful.
He shook his head as if to shake the last thought away, but the word seemed to be the best description of what he saw. Of course, he thought this image beautiful anyway, but even more so now. Not that he judged anyone by physical attributes.
As he and Brochael had been explaining their recent travels to Wulfgar, shewalked in, snow-white ball gown flowing and elegant. It seemed as if she was an icy princess, such as the ones he'd read about in foreign books while he'd been gone for several months with his guardian on a journey. Or, he mused, she could even pass as one of his kind, a snow-walker from the frigid lands of the far north, although her chestnut hair contradicted any idea of this.
He watched from the corner of his eye as Hakon greeted her and offered his arm, inviting her to dance with him. She refused, to his relief (although why he really wasn't sure), and scanned the room as if searching for someone. Her face visibly brightened as she caught sight of him, and the corners of his mouth tugged upwards ever-so-slightly. He couldn't allow the others to see his emotions; he hated when people felt they knew so much about him, as if they had delved into his mind.
Not a moment later, he found himself face to face with Jessa, barely paying attention to anything else.
That is until Wulfgar suggested they dance.
The two teens stared appalled at the Jarl, much to his and Brochael's amusement. The men shared a knowing glance before each pushed one teen towards the other and out into the mass of other couples dancing.
They swirled around amongst the other people, each trying to focus on something other than one another, until Jessa realized how foolish she was being and Kari finally grew tired of feigning indifference. They shared a grin, like they had so many times before.
And amongst the dancing couples, laughter could be heard from one that was truly happy.