Author's note: This chapter was getting way too long, so I decided to split it in two. It's pretty Smithy/OC centered, but you'll find a few Rake/Pepper and Jane/Jester moments. Let me know what you think.
Lily sat with Prince Cuthbert helping him draw a map of the castle. Early that morning the Queen had requested that Lily keep an eye on the royal children so she and the lady-in-waiting could finish planning out the details for some upcoming event. When the prince wanted to hide all his most important possessions, Lily had suggested creating a treasure map so they would be able to find everything again. He had seized upon the idea and immediately set to work. Lily was grateful to have found an activity that kept the prince entertained which did not involve her being a damsel in distress or the leader of an enemy force.
Princess Lavinia was happily playing with her animals on the far side of the room. Every once in a while Lily was able to catch a snippet of what she was doing. The princess had her rabbit in one hand and her lion in the other. They were deep in conversation. "…you must have a new gown… with hair piled up and up and up…the most wonderfulest dancing…" Humming to herself, Lavinia rose and twirled her rabbit around the room.
"What a lovely song, my little majesty. I have never heard it before. What is it called?" Lilly called to her.
"It is a special song. Mama and Papa always dance it at their special ball. Will you dance with me at the ball, Lady Marion? Oh you must promise to dance with me, you must!"
"Certainly I will dance with you, but this is the first I have heard of a ball. Do you know when it is?"
Wrinkling up her forehead with deep concentration she replied, "Umm… no." Then with a cheerful smile and bouncy shake of her head she resumed humming and dancing about the room. Before long the Queen returned to the playroom. As the children ran to their mother, Lily took the opportunity to slip out. She arrived in the garden just as Pepper carried out a steaming pot of soup. Returning Smithy's smile, she slid into the open seat next to him.
"The soup is wonderful, Pepper," said Jane after several sips.
"It is all because of Rake's vegetables," she replied, smiling over at the gardener.
"Why thank you." Rake shyly returned her smile. "I do believe this has been my best vegetable crop ever."
Afraid that Rake would next go into a long description of the dung he used to grow all these vegetables and ruin everyone's appetites, Lily quickly jumped in and changed the topic.
"The princess mentioned that a ball is coming. Do any of you know anything about it?"
"Oh yes!" cried Pepper, clapping her hands. "Every year to celebrate the day of their wedding, the King and Queen hold a special ball. To make the day extra special, they give us the evening off. I will not have to serve any pastries. Jester will not have to tell jokes or sing ballads. We all get to go to the ball and enjoy ourselves. Of course, the week leading up to the ball is much busier than usual. So by the time it arrives, we are all worn out!"
"Oh! It sounds lovely!" Lily's bright smile slowly faded as she realized, "but I do not know any of the court dances."
"Sure you do," replied Smithy, bumping her with his elbow. "They are the same as the dances we would do in Pebblebrooke for the Yuletide celebration. All except one dance which is unique to this ball. I believe it comes from the Queen's home country. The royal couple starts the ball with this piece and it is danced again at the very end of the evening."
"I would be happy to teach it to you." Jester rose from the table and extended his hand to her. Hesitantly, Lily got up and joined him.
"Now you stand there and face me. First take a step forward till you are right in front of me and curtsy low. Then as you step back I bow. Next we take a turn to the right… no your other right…wait I guess that would be your left." For several moments they went on. Lily got more and more confused and stepped on his toes multiple times. Soon even Jester began to get frustrated.
"Jester, this is simply not working. Perhaps if I could watch you dance this with someone else I could learn by example."
"We all know Jane is the best dancer," called out Pepper with a wink to Jester. "Besides, I am not certain I remember this dance either."
Jester turned to Jane and gave her a questioning look. With a pretend resigned sigh and a sly smile, she placed her hand into his outstretched one. Their dance was as fluid and graceful as flowing water. Jester called out the steps and Lily mimicked Jane's every move. As they ended the dance with a repeat of the curtsy and bow that began the dance, everyone burst into applause.
"I have never seen a more beautiful dance," said Lily. "Would you dance it one more time? I think I have the basics figured out. There are a few of the minor details that I would like to see again, though."
"This time you should have a partner," said Smithy as he strode up next to her.
Rake followed Smithy's lead and stood to face Pepper. "Would you care to me with dance? Er…I mean… dance with me." The gardener's face turned a deep shade of red.
Her own face a light shade of pink, Pepper slipped her hand into his and allowed him to lead her to an open spot. This time instead of calling out the steps Jester hummed a melody similar to the one the princess had been singing that morning. As they danced, Lily found the steps more natural. Before long she was looking less at her feet and more into the eyes of her partner. How lucky I am to have found a young man like Smithy, she thought to herself. Not only is he handsome and strong, but more importantly, he is also kind and gentle and wise.
When they reached the end of the song Jester called out, "Who you choose as a partner is very important for this dance. For the first dance your partner is the one who escorted you to the ball. In that way it establishes who the couples are. Even more important though, is the final dance. It all started long ago when King Caradoc first met Queen Gwendolyn…"
"Oh Jester, let me tell the tale, please!" pleaded Pepper. "It is such a beautiful love story." Jester smiled graciously and nodded. "You see when the Queen first came to Kippernia with her father on a trading mission; a ball was thrown in their honor. King Caradoc fell so much in love with her that when they got to the end of this dance the King impulsively grabbed her by the shoulders as she rose from her curtsy and kissed her there in front of everyone. Is not that the most romantic thing…" Pepper sighed dreamily.
Picking back up where Pepper left off, Jester continued, "So each year at the end of this ball they recreate that event by allowing the young men to kiss the girl they are dancing with, just as young King Caradoc had done. So Lily, while any young man may ask you for the last dance, you must be very careful in who you choose."
"Oh," whispered Lily. She glanced shyly over to Smithy only to find him looking intently at her. Feeling her cheeks grow warm, she turned to Jane and said, "I wonder if Pepper needs any help clearing away the dishes."
As the girls cleaned up from lunch, the boys huddled together. After a few moments of discussion, they made a pact to each ask one of the girls to accompany them to the ball. Jester and Rake insisted that Smithy go first. They agreed to all meet in the stables that evening so Smithy could let them know how it went.
A few hours later Lily carried a basket of linens into the practice yard. Smithy found himself smiling as he watched her from the stable doorway. What an amazing girl! She does so much and works so hard yet I never hear her complain. As she set down the heavy basket and wiped her brow, he walked over.
"You look like you could use a break, Lily. Would you care to take a walk around the gardens?" She smiled up at him and nodded.
As they strolled between the shrubberies Lily slipped her hand into Smithy's. He gave her hand a light squeeze and led her over to a bench beside the fountain. Once they were sitting, he turned to face her.
"It sure is a nice day," he began.
Lily glanced around the garden. "Yes… it is lovely."
"Lovely indeed…" Lilly turned to find him looking not at the garden, but at her. "Lily, I was wondering if…"
"Marion!" the lady-in-waiting's call cut him off. "The Queen has need of you."
"I will be there shortly, milady," returned Lily as she rose to go to the castle keep. "I am sorry Smithy, but I had better go. I cannot keep the Queen waiting. Thank you for the walk."
"Wait," he called, grabbing her hand before she could escape. "Before you leave I have to know if you would go to the ball with me."
A smile spreading from ear to ear she replied, "Of course! There is no one else I would rather attend with." Giving his hand a quick squeeze she hurried off to find the lady-in-waiting.
Lady Turnkey led her to the Queen's chambers. The room was beautifully decorated with tapestries, intricately carved furniture, and bouquets of flowers.
"What a gorgeous room," murmured Lily.
"Thank you, my dear," said the Queen as she stepped out from behind a closet door.
Lily bowed low. "Your Majesty."
The Queen carried with her the most delicate light pink dress. "While cleaning out the closets I came across this old dress that Lady Turnkey and I believe would be perfect for you to wear to the upcoming ball. Is it not lovely? I wore it when I was your age. It may be rather old fashioned, but you are so gifted with a thread and needle I am certain you will be able to restore it completely."
"Oh, my lady, it is so beautiful!" Lily reached forward to touch the shimmering fabric.
"There is a screen in the corner, go ahead and try it on."
The fabric was amazingly soft, unlike her everyday dress. It fit almost perfectly. The two ladies ooh'd and ah'd over her when she stepped out from behind the screen. For a while all three discussed the minor changes that needed to be made to the dress. Then Lady Turnkey turned away with a sad sigh.
"If only I could get my Jane to wear a dress. Before every formal event we have the same battle. I insist she wear a dress like a proper lady and she refuses."
"Why does she refuse?" asked Lily.
"She thinks it will make her less of a knight. She wants to wear the same thing the other knights do, but that would create a terrible scandal. I am only trying to protect her reputation."
"Hmm… perhaps we can form a compromise." Reflecting for a moment on what she could do, she said, "Lady Turnkey, if I could alter her dress to look more like a knight's outfit, but kept the skirt, would you be satisfied?"
"Yes indeed," the lady nodded, "but it will take quite a bit to convince Jane to wear a skirt of any kind."
"I will do my best."
"That was handled very diplomatically," said the Queen. "Marion, you have been learning quickly. I will be so proud to introduce you as a lady of our court at the ball next week" She smiled sweetly at the young girl. "I am certain you will want to get that dress back to your room and get started on it. You are dismissed."
"Thank you again, your majesty, for the beautiful dress." Lily curtsied and headed for her room. Her heart hit the bottom of her stomach as soon as she walked out the door. The Queen planned to announce to everyone at the ball that she, Lily, was a lady of the court. What am I going to do? I was hoping Smithy and the others would never have to know. This kind of announcement could change everything. Right now things are easy between all of us…because we are all at the same level. What if they start to treat me differently when they find out? What if they feel awkward around me or even worse, avoid me? Oh, I wish there was some way to keep it a secret!
She laid the gown lovingly on her bed, careful to smooth out any wrinkles. After several minutes arguing with herself about what she ought to do, she made up her mind to face her fears and tell them. After all, it would be worse if they heard the news from someone else. Deciding Smithy should be the first to know, she headed to the forge.
As soon as Lily entered the practice yard Smithy could tell something was amiss. The cheerful smile she always greeted him with had been replaced with a thoughtful, worried expression. Determined to help in any way possible, he walked over and touched her arm.
"What is wrong?" he asked. Lily felt her heart beating faster. This would not be easy. If he should not take the news well, she did not know if she would have the courage to tell the others.
"Oh Smithy, where do I even begin…" Her resolve began to give way as the fear and uncertainty started to return.
"Here, come sit in my forge. Then start at the very beginning. Whatever it is, we will work through it together."
Slowly she told the blacksmith the story of her grandfather Gawin and the document signed and sealed by King Cedric and the terms which had granted her a position at the castle. Every few sentences she looked over at him to watch for his reaction. After some initial surprise his face became pensive and almost unreadable.
"It was wrong of me to keep this from you and the others, I just… well… I was afraid of being rejected by all of you. I was afraid if you knew I was a lady that you would treat me differently and I would never become your friend. In fact, I am afraid even now of how you will react." Her eyes began to well up with tears as she spoke aloud her most secret fear. He just sat in silence, staring at the ground. "Please Smithy, respond somehow. Be angry with me, comfort me, something! Just please do not abandon me."
Slowly he answered her. "I do not know how to respond, Lily. It is you who should seek to abandon me. According to that piece of paper you are a lady of the court. To associate yourself with the blacksmith or even worse have the stable boy escort you to the ball would destroy your reputation. I cannot let you do that."
Taking his hands in hers, she said earnestly, "But Smithy, it is only a title, one that I did nothing to earn. I am still Lily, your childhood friend. I am still more at home out here with you washing clothes, than I would ever be in a fancy dining hall. My feelings are the same as they were only a few hours ago when we sat in the garden. I told you then that 'there is no one else I would rather go with' and I meant every word. If I had my choice of all the young lords and knights in the whole kingdom I would still want you. You are more brave and noble in spirit than any of them, even without a title."
Squeezing her hands tightly, he replied, "Alright then, it is settled. Let us go find the others so you can break the news to them all at once."
Lily found that telling Rake, Pepper, and Jane was much easier with Smithy standing by her side. As she reached the end of her account she added, "I do not want this to change things. There is such an easy friendship between all of us. I would hate to loose that. We can keep this 'Lady Marion' business for formal occasions and let everyday life continue on as it always has."
"It will take me a while to get used to this idea," said Pepper. "Then again I suppose Jane is a lady and a squire and we treat her just like another of the staff. A laundry maid and a lady all in one, who would have guessed!" With a laugh, she gave Lily a warm hug. Rake grinned and nodded. Jane added her agreement, but remained oddly quiet the rest of the evening, lost in her own thoughts.