Chapter Nine
Hello reader apologies for the late posting it has been another crazy week in the land of classics. Please enjoy this chapter as we land on the first of several islands in a bid to find Rillian a wife. Please review (I haven't had any in a while) and as always enjoy.
Love C.J.
Victoria left the room she had dressed in to find Henry waiting outside.
"Hullo," she smiled "are you ready for an adventure?
"Of course," He laughed back. The pair began to walk down the stairs.
"Did you enjoy yourself with Rillian?"
"Yes."
"He said you were good."
"So I'm not as clumsy as you?"
"Thank you Henry," she laughed. The siblings exited the stairs and found themselves in the busy main hall of Marston Castle. Manservants walked around balancing trays of wine and sparkling water on their shoulder. In the centre of the room there was a long queue of Galmian men, women and children all busily chatting.
"Pervis," Henry grabbed the tall man "what is this queue?"
"They are here to see the King."
"It is rather a long queue."
"He invited the population of Marston and I believe the news got out." Victoria smiled.
"I imagine he might be a little bored.".
"No," Pervis said "I have known the King since he was a child, duty and honour come before anything else. If he has to greet people all evening that is what he will do."
"I'm going to find some food." Henry said to his sister leaving her rather feeling as though she had been ticked off by Pervis. Victoria took a seat opposite the queue and began to scrutinise the people. They were mostly family groups, Victoria observed a man in a green tunic rock a small baby to sleep. Behind them was a couple dressed in purple, the man wore a neat tunic and his wife a matching dress, she was straightening his hat then rubbing a mark on his cheek in love.
Victoria changed look from them to a woman carrying a young child on resting against her shoulder. The little girl wore a red dress with her black hair streamed out against her mother's dress. A curl dropped over her mother's shoulder resting on her collarbone. Victoria looked around the line trying to see a woman who would help their quest. She decided not to be fussy anyone a little younger or a little older than Rillian who was female. He would decide whether he liked them or not. It took her several minutes of scanning the line to find anyone.
Near the front heading into the next room was a woman perhaps five years older than Rillian she had dark blonde hair and Victoria judged her to be much taller than herself and maybe even Rillian. Further down the line she spied a more likely candidate a younger woman she guessed she was a year older than herself. She wore a beautiful emerald dress with long flowing red curls. She stood with a couple Victoria judged to be her parents.
"Mother, when you have quite finished fussing over me!" She cried pulling the shawl her mother was attempting to remove a mark from and in the process tearing it. "Look at what you have done."
"Maybe not." Victoria thought. She took a second glass of sparkling water from a manservant and walked past the queue into the main ballroom she spied another two possible candidates before she saw Rillian himself. She knew immediately that Pervis was right. The young King stood beside the throne smiling and greeting people, he shook the hands of men, kissed those of women and smiled and cooed at small children. Victoria saw how perfectly he performed making each citizen feel welcome and happy. Most were pleased simply to be in his presence but he did his best to put them at ease.
"Vic, Vic." Victoria heard her brother shout she heard him run across the dance floor to her. "May I have this dance?"
"Henry we don't know any Narnian dances."
"So what? I've just been moving my feet like the others and trying not to step on people's toes."
"In that case kind sir lead on." She laughed and her sprits soared when she heard him laugh with her. She quickly deposited her glass on a nearby table as her famed clumsiness meant it was unlikely she would be able to dance and drink simultaneously. The pair danced for hours whirling and turning in the great Narnian dances. These are very different from English dances were you tend to stay with one partner and dance a tango or a waltz. In Narnia dances are done in great groups skipping and laughing around each other. There are no girls left out when there aren't enough boys or boys stood by the edge because someone whips them into the circle and they find themselves joining in. Henry would say many years later the nearest thing he had ever danced like it was a Celiah at a St. Patrick's Day party. The best dancers are of course the fauns but Galma, like the other Narnian islands is made up of primarily human inhabitants. Nevertheless the humans and few dancing animals did their best to dance well into the night.
As Victoria was about to take a break parched for water and feeling a little giddy she felt a new character enter the dance and as she skipped down the line with a new partner found herself face to face with Rillian.
"Hello your majesty." She said a they holding hands skipping in front of the others clapping "Have you greeted all of Galma?"
"I think very nearly." He shouted back smiling.
"And have you found your Juliet, Romeo?"
"Pardon?" Rillian asked confused realising the King had no idea whom either Romeo or Juliet were she said.
"Never mind." The pair found themselves at the bottom of the line clapping and smiling as a second and then a third pair skipped down. The both laughed particularly hard, as did everyone else in the line, when Henry found himself dancing with a very tall girl. Unable to hold hands properly he held his hands up whilst she appeared to crouch. Henry and the girl, whose name was Hortensia, she was the Duke's daughter, laughed harder than anyone and the night was full of merriment, dancing and laughter.