Disclaimer: I own nothing except Ava, Sinaaq, August, Melody, and the Guardians.
Note: Ava's masquerade gown was somewhat inspired by Margaery Tyrell's first wedding gown in Game of Thrones (which I also do not own). In my mind, the Narnian accent is sort of English, but different in a way, the Telmarine accent is the one used in the latest Prince Caspian movie, Calormenes sound Middle Eastern, and Archenlanders sound like a Scottish/Irish mix. I don't know if there are any "canon" accents.
Songs for this chapter: Masquerade from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Moon Trance by Lindsey Stirling (the first dance), All I Need by Within Temptation (the second dance) Criminal by Britney Spears (no judgment please)
Chapter 10: Masquerade
In the days that followed, the chaos of the world seemed to die down in some ways…right before it picked up in other ways. The heavy raining, snowing, sleeting, and hailing had ceased, the river filled up and the Eastern Sea was calmed.
However, the random fires grew more prevalent, and the raging winds developed into full-scale tornadoes that destroyed everything in their path. The length of the days and nights were still irregular; sometimes there would be days without light and nights without darkness. Lightning storms were just as common as the tornadoes, and even caused some of the fires. People's spirits seemed to change and darken; they became restless and violent and abandoned the peace and serenity that was Narnia.
"This is exactly why we need to have this masquerade!" Caspian insisted one day as Ava tried to convince him to cancel it.
"We need to remind the people of Narnia what we stand for. We need to give them some hope. What better way to do that than with merrymaking?" the king asked with a smile. Ava sighed in resignation.
"Besides, the invitations have already been sent out. I even took the liberty of inviting every talking wolf in Narnia. It will give Sinaaq a chance to make peace with them," Caspian pointed out. The advisor groaned softly and left the room to take her frustration out on some practice dummies. She loved the king like a brother, but sometimes he could be hopelessly optimistic.
Thinking of Sinaaq frustrated her even more. The two of them had not had contact in the previous days and she was convinced that he was avoiding her. Though, if she was being honest with herself, she had been spending mass amounts of time in the sparring room with the sai and wand, telling herself that she wasn't avoiding him. Being around him confused her; she was never quite sure how to respond to him.
She entered the practice room only to find Sinaaq, shirtless; doing what appeared to be stretches before training. She told herself that she should leave, that this was inappropriate, but she could not look away. She watched him move and saw the muscles tighten and relax in his back and arms.
All of a sudden, he turned around, catching her staring at him. Ava's eyes widened and she froze, heat rising in her cheeks. He merely smirked.
"See something you like, princess?" Sinaaq asked, stepping toward her. Ava took a minute to regain her composure, fighting to keep eye contact with him, choosing to ignore his nickname for her.
"Uh…um…I…I just came to remind you of the Samonios masquerade ball," she stammered, making up an excuse. The look on Sinaaq's face suggested that he didn't buy it.
"Thank you for 'reminding me', but parties are not really something I enjoy. I shall probably spend the night in the library and avoid the festivities," he said. At this, the advisor tilted her head. She had never met someone who did not enjoy a masquerade ball.
"Why do you not enjoy them? There will be plenty of food and dancing," she asked.
"The food sounds wonderful, but I do not dance," Sinaaq replied, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders.
"You do not dance? I've never heard of such a thing! Why do you not dance? It's such a wonderful thing to do! I find myself dancing whenever the mood strikes me," Ava said. Sinaaq smirked.
"I know you do. I've seen you when you think nobody is watching," he said. The advisor blushed furiously and pretended to find something interesting about the floor.
"Dancing is something I never took an interest in. Some of the women in the brothels I went to tried to teach me, but I politely declined," Sinaaq added.
Ava shook her head in disbelief. She could not believe that someone didn't like dancing. She was also going to have to be careful about when she decided to dance. She chewed on her bottom lip.
"Unfortunately, Sinaaq, you will have to attend the masquerade," she said.
"And why is that?" Sinaaq asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Caspian has invited every talking wolf in Narnia from Ettinsmoor to the edges of Archenland. He thought the masquerade would be a good chance for you to make peace with them. Though you will still have to have a trial, he thinks this may…uh…soften the sentence a bit," Ava answered.
Sinaaq sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair. "I suppose meeting them during a crowded masquerade would be much better than the alternative?" he asked.
"Meeting them in a private setting? Yes," Ava answered honestly.
"Alright. Fine. I suppose I don't have a choice in the matter, but do not expect to see me dancing," Sinaaq conceded. The advisor smirked.
"Of course not," she said, before turning to leave.
"When is the masquerade?" Sinaaq asked after her.
"In a fortnight," Ava called over her shoulder as she left the room.
The fourteen days before the masquerade flew by in no time at all. Those days were spent planning and preparing and decorating the castle. Most of that time, Ava and Sinaaq did not see much of each other. The advisor spent most of her time in her room, trying to find a way to call new Guardians, for it seemed as though Narnia was running out of time. If she was not in her room, she was in the sparring room.
As the days passed, she had more strange occurrences with water and started experimenting. She found that she was able to heat and cool water just by staring at it. It wasn't much, but it brought her mind back to the legend of the Guardians and the fact that there was a Guardian for each element. Since she had died, the element of water seemed to have calmed.
Sinaaq spent his time either in the sparring room—when Ava was not there—or holed up in the library reading. He had already made it through one section of the library and was rapidly finishing off the first level.
The night of the masquerade had finally come and everyone in the palace was rushing around to get everything ready in the Great Hall. The musician—a wood elf who played the violin and sang like a siren—came early to practice, filling the castle with her beautiful music.
The Great Hall was filled with creatures and humans and talking animals of all kinds before the sun had finished setting; all were in masks and costumes of some sort.
Sinaaq had chosen to wear all black with a black, snarling, wolf mask that covered the top half of his face. It seemed appropriate. Though as soon as he saw the talking wolves, he took the mask off. He thought it would be better to leave it off until after he had spoken with them, that is, if they accepted his act of contrition. Honestly, what could one say to the people whose friends and family he had murdered that could possibly make it better?
He kept to the shadows and the less crowded areas of the room until he saw Caspian approach him, followed by several large wolves. Sinaaq exhaled slowly. Here goes nothing.
Ava took deep breaths to calm herself as she approached the doors that lead to the Great Hall. The masquerade had started already and she would be expected to make an entrance. Most people of Archenland and Calormen were still not as familiar with her as they were with Caspian. She really hated having people stare at her, but it often came with being the king's advisor. She was even more nervous than usual due to her costume—it was a style from Archenland, which happened to show more skin than those of Narnia (though not as much as those of Calormen).
With another deep breath, she motioned for the guards to open the doors, announcing her arrival.
The wolves had been much more civil than Sinaaq had anticipated; though some of them were still skeptical of him, most begrudgingly accepted his regretful confession. They offered to accept a lighter sentence under the condition that he never hunt again—a condition that would be difficult to uphold, since he had grown up hunting—especially after he told them of Amarok.
By the end, Sinaaq walked away with his limbs still intact, though he could not shake the feeling that things had been too easy.
Since nothing more had been required of him for the evening, he had decided to retreat to a bench in a corner of the room and read a book he had brought with him. He could have left, with the guards in tow, but he was somewhat curious to see what Ava had come as and, if he was being honest, he wanted to see her dance again.
Silence fell over the room and Sinaaq looked up from his book to see what had happened. The advisor had made her grand entrance and was gliding past him into the Great Hall.
Her gown was the color of the Eastern Sea and shimmered in the light. It had a low neckline—exposing much of her chest and a bit of cleavage—and flowed from her body like an indigo waterfall. The bodice exposed much of her back and a bit of her sides in a diamond shape and was decorated with a pattern of glass beading and embroidery that looked like fishes and leaping mermaids. The train of her gown was covered in more mermaids and encrusted with pearls and bits of fabric shaped like water flowers. The sleeves did not go past the very top of her shoulders, exposing the entirety of her ivory arms, which were decorated with silver armbands.
She must have been wearing slippers with heels, for she was a bit taller than usual. Her hair was left down, but had been curled in ringlets and pulled back in intricate braids at the sides. Atop her head, she wore a silver tiara that looked like writhing sea waves decorated with pearls. Her mask matched her gown and was encrusted with pearls and the occasional seashell.
Sinaaq felt himself unable to concentrate on his book any longer as he observed Ava from his peripheral vision. Though he could see how nervous she was, she was poised and charming as she moved through the room, conversing with anyone that came to her and smiling and nodding at the appropriate times. He watched as she made a beeline for the long table adorned with every food imaginable (and even some that he couldn't imagine) and poured herself a goblet of blackberry wine, unceremoniously downing it and fidgeting uncomfortably.
Her second goblet of wine in, the violinist started playing something new and fast-paced. Though the center of the room was free for dancing, nobody stepped up to do so; no one wanted to be the first. By now, the wine had calmed Ava's nerves and she felt confident enough to step out in front of everyone, despite their staring. It was customary for the king to start off the dancing, but he seemed to have forgotten this in favor of watching his advisor become flustered. She could see him from across the room, looking encouraging yet amused, and vowed that she would repay him for her trouble.
"Will anyone accompany me for a dance?" she asked, pretending to be coy.
As she looked around, her eyes caught sight of Sinaaq. His nose was buried in a book, and surely he did not notice what she was doing. She was surprised to find him still there, despite his dislike of big parties and dancing, but then she supposed he had no choice.
Ava could feel the stares of the partygoers the longer she stood there without a partner. Just as she was wondering if she should make a hasty exit, someone pushed through the crowd. This man was about the same height as both Caspian and Sinaaq and well-built beneath the velvety, scarlet fabric of his costume.
He wore a simple, golden half-mask, made to look like a like a roaring lion's face and it brought out the gold highlights in his brown, curly hair. His skin was tanned as if he spent much of his time outside and his long beard and curly hair were perfectly groomed. Beneath the mask, this man had gentle eyes that were an intriguing mixture of green and blue with hints of brown.
Though Ava couldn't see his face, she guessed him to be about the same age as Caspian. He made his way to the advisor, bowed, and held out his hand.
"May I have the honor of dancing with you, milady?" he asked, his voice was quite pleasant, thick with an accent that was clearly from Archenland.
Ava smiled and took his hand, hoping that this fellow actually knew how to dance. It was always annoying when one had to teach a partner mid-dance.
"I would be delighted," she answered as the stranger led her into the dance.
Ava was an experienced dancer, yet this man matched her move for move. As they moved, she smiled and laughed; she was pleased to have a worthy dance partner. Though she was enjoying herself, her eyes still flickered around the room for Sinaaq whenever she was able. She could barely see him through the crowd and she wondered if he was still there. Every now and then, she would catch a glimpse of him, still engrossed in his book.
The dance ended and a slower song began. This time, Ava and the stranger were able to converse during the dance, barely noticing that everyone else had paired up and joined them.
"So, who do I have to thank for rescuing me from embarrassment?" Ava asked. The stranger smiled.
"August, milady," he answered, his voice raising goosebumps on Ava's neck. Something about him was drawing her to him and she was certain it was more than his looks or his accent.
"So what brings you to this masquerade, Sir August?" she asked, looking up at him.
"The king of Archenland seldom goes anywhere without his sons," August replied. "And it's just August, if it pleases you, milady."
"I was unaware that the king of Archenland had another son," Ava responded in surprise.
"He does now," August replied with a hint of amusement. "He adopted me when I was a boy."
"Then why have I never heard of you?" Ava asked, tilting her head in confusion. Surely the world would know about the king of Archenland adopting a child. August gave a smirk that was only slightly derisive.
"No one ever hears about the adopted children of royals as they will never inherit the throne," he answered. "No matter though, I quite enjoy not being the center of attention, it gives me the leisure to indulge in my hobbies." At these words, Ava smiled a bit. She was beginning to rather like this man.
"And what might these hobbies be?" she asked, intrigued. August shrugged a bit.
"Nothing too fancy, milady. Mostly reading and learning to play any instrument I can get my hands on. Occasionally I'll indulge in some swordplay," he replied.
"Ever try archery?" Ava asked curiously.
"A bit, but it's not my strong suit," August admitted with a small smile.
"Maybe you just need a good teacher," Ava said with grin, which her dance partner returned.
"Aye, maybe. Do you happen to know any?" he said jestingly.
"Oh, I know of one, but she is here in Narnia," Ava answered with a wink.
"That is a shame. We are heading back to Archenland first thing tomorrow," August said.
"Well, perhaps another time then," Ava said, doing her best not to sound a bit disappointed. She decided to change the subject. "So where did you come from before the king adopted you, if I may ask?"
"No one knows. The king found me while he was hunting, looking like a beggar the way he tells it. Says no one could get me to say anything except my name," August answered, seeming almost puzzled by his own past.
This new information had piqued Ava's curiosity; could it be that she had finally found someone with a similar past to hers? She wondered if the two incidents were connected and if they meant anything. She thought about telling August of her own past, but chose not to; she still did not really know him and felt it was best not to become too friendly with him so quickly.
The dance ended and Ava curtseyed to August and excused herself. The advisor looked around with the intent of discreetly searching for Sinaaq. However, when she saw him, she felt bile rise in her throat; he was speaking with a blonde woman. She was a human, guessing by her mannerisms and appearance.
The woman could not have been younger than Ava; she was taller than her, though that wasn't saying much. The advisor felt a fire burn inside her, starting in her belly and radiating up through her chest, though she knew such feelings were irrational. This woman was dressed like a tavern wench, showing much more cleavage than what was acceptable, even by Calormene standards. More importantly, she was all over Sinaaq, taking flirting to a new level.
Ava could not tell from where she stood how Sinaaq was reacting, but she bit her tongue when she saw him laugh at something the woman said. Why it bothered her so much, she did not know. She had never thought herself to be the jealous type, but then, she'd also never been in a situation such as this one before now.
As she drew discreetly closer, the woman's irritating voice became easier to discern, though what she was saying was still unclear. Ava did not realize she was glaring at the woman with the fury of a storm.
What happened next was something she had not expected. The liquid in the woman's goblet appeared to leap out of its vessel and splash her in the face. The woman shrieked and dropped the goblet. Ava stood gaping, too shocked to be delighted by her handy work—or to be certain she had really caused it—as the woman cursed. Luckily, the only thing the wine had done was turn the woman's skin red and smear her layers upon layers of make-up.
Suddenly, as if feeling her gaze on him, Sinaaq looked up and right at her. Ava felt the blood drain from her face. She did not know how, but she knew that Sinaaq knew it was her doing. Before anyone could chat her up or ask her to dance, she was fleeing the room as discreetly as possible, feeling ashamed.
Ava sat in the gardens, trying her damnedest to refrain from crying, for fear of smearing her own make-up. She supposed she deserved it. What was that line about things coming back threefold? It was horribly hot outside, especially for the month of Samonios.
How had the wine jumped out of the goblet anyway? Alcohol did not have that much water in it did it? Ava wanted to believe it had not been her fault, but after the mysterious incident during her bath, there seemed to be no other logical explanation. What has become of me? She pondered sullenly.
Suddenly, a throat cleared behind her. She inhaled deeply, recognizing the scent of leather, smoke, and mint—that almost resembled mountain air, pine trees, and charred firewood—that was Sinaaq. She found it ironic that, even though her hearing had greatly improved, the man was still able to sneak up on her. She sighed and turned to face him, hoping he would not know she had been ready to cry.
"Yes?" she asked, keeping her voice level. Try as she might, she was having a difficult time keeping the venom out of her tone.
"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" Sinaaq asked, crossing his arms like a father scolding his child. Ava stood up so that he could not look down at her as much.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," she insisted, staring directly at him, though focusing on his forehead rather than his eyes.
"Oh I think you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm not sure how, but I know you had something to do with Jessalyn spilling her wine," Sinaaq pressed.
The advisor snorted. Jessalyn. How delightful, she thought bitterly. She then silently scolded herself. When had she become so petty? She wondered. She decided that denying what she had done anymore would be pointless; Sinaaq had a way of knowing things even when it seemed impossible.
"That was a very petty act of you. I would expect more from the king's advisor," Sinaaq admonished.
"Do not admonish me, Sinaaq. I am not just the king's advisor! I happen to be a woman with emotions! Emotions that you would know nothing about!" Ava snapped, her jaw quivering with rage and her grey eyes blazing like hot metal. She had no idea what had possessed her to say such things and found that she did not like it one bit.
"I know you are a woman. It's hard not to notice. And what emotions are you referring to? The ones you target at me perhaps?" Sinaaq said.
Ava stopped short, staring at him like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. The man met her gaze with one of his own. She bit her tongue until she tasted blood in order to keep the tears at bay; she clenched her fists, wincing as her nails dug into her palms. The more emotional she became, the more the weather changed, though she did not notice. Clouds shrouded the stars, pouring down steaming hot rain, sleet, and hail all at once.
"So are you going to tell me what this is all about?" Sinaaq asked, an accusing tone in his voice. Ava refused to look at him.
"I think not," she said defiantly, turning to leave.
"No!" Sinaaq's exclamation was enough to stop her from fleeing, though she did not turn around to face him.
"No more avoiding the subject. Tell me the truth," he demanded. Ava's bottom lip quivered and she brought a hand up to cover her mouth.
"I cannot," she said, her voice breaking.
"Why not?" Sinaaq asked, his voice slightly less harsh than before.
"Because I'm not even sure myself," Ava answered.
"Tell me anyway. Our lives cannot become much more complicated than they already are," Sinaaq pressed. The advisor spun around to face him.
"I believe, Sinaaq, that I have come to fancy you over the short time you've been here," she confessed, albeit begrudgingly.
Sinaaq should have looked taken aback, but instead, he seemed to already know what she would say.
"Why did you not tell me?" he asked. Ava threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Because it would not change anything. You are not accustomed to courtship. You are accustomed to meaningless physical activities with women you don't much care for. And let us just say you fancied me back, we both know you would never tell me. And let us not forget: you are a criminal!"
Sinaaq stared at her for a long time; whether he was hurt by her words or not, it was difficult to tell.
"Is that really what you think?" he asked.
"I have no idea what to think! All I know is that you both intrigue and frustrate me!" Ava exclaimed in frustration.
For a few achingly long moments, both of them were silent. Ava's body was trembling with anger and she wanted to scream, but she did not want to attract attention. Sinaaq made to step towards her, but was afraid the action would make her run, so he settled for planting his feet right where he was. The hailing had stopped and the steaming rain gave way to snow.
They stared each other down until Ava realized where they were standing, allowing a couple of tears to escape; they were in the same place they had been when she had died.
"Oh, to hell with it!" Sinaaq exclaimed suddenly.
Before Ava knew what he was doing he had closed the distance between them and kissed her hard on the mouth. This time, she did not fight him, but instead reciprocated until at last he broke the kiss.
She stared up at Sinaaq in a daze for a moment, trying to think of something to say, but finding no words.
However, before either of them could speak, a deep rumbling chuckle was heard a few feet away from them. The two froze, the blood draining from their faces as they turned in the direction the chuckle came from.
First one, large, white paw stepped forward from the darkness, then another, until at last, the face of Amarok, staring at them with the utmost evil in his eyes, appeared from the shadows.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he taunted.
Sinaaq grabbed the advisor's wrist and pulled her to him, pushing her behind him and shielding her with his body. Ava was too terrified to huff at him in frustration; this wolf was responsible for her death after all.
"Be gone, Amarok, I will not fight you here," Sinaaq commanded.
"Then it shall be all too easy to kill you and the pretty one," Amarok replied.
From deep within the shadows of the night, wolves appeared one by one, snarling and growling deep in their chests. All of them were huge, which suggested that they were likely talking wolves. Amarok had brought an army. Ava glanced between the wolves she had known and Sinaaq, the man who had tried to save her life.
"I guess making amends did not go so well, huh?" she mumbled.