The Ball

It's time to dance China thought as she entered the ballroom. The ball in question was to celebrate life and death. Today was the tenth anniversary of Darquesse being sent away and defeated. Valkyrie had offered up Gordon's ballroom for their use.

So all day she'd been ordering buffoons around, trying to get the place at least a little bit presentable.

"No" she snapped at a youth who was moving the chocolate fountain "I told you to put it in the middle of the table! Not slightly to the left. I even drew the sigil so you could see where it has to go!" this went on most of the day China's porcelain face was growing redder and redder by the minute, until an English accent cut across the room.

"China" China pivoted and watched Tanith approach.

"Yes?"

"The cleavers are in place"

"Good" she let out a breath, at least something was going right. "Are you wearing that?" she asked surveying Tanith's outfit of skin tight brown leather.

"Why don't you like it?" Tanith smiled

"Dear, you're falling out of your top"

"I'm not, and it's called fashion" Tanith snipped.

"That isn't fashion" China replied in disgust.

"Maybe not in your world, but in mine it is" Tanith chuckled walking away.

"Gerrrer" China muttered under her breath, turning back to the idiot with the fountain.

Finally he positioned it right.

"Right. Now go before you mess up something else"

"Yes Grand Mage" the youth owed and scurried away, his head bent. She liked that her people wanted to please her, since her first day they'd been bowing to her.

Hours later China stood overlooking the flood of people in the ballroom. She'd seen a couple of her friends wondering about the hall, but she had yet to see Valkyrie.

"China" she heard a voice whisper behind her.

"Hello?" she asked in the darkness behind her.

"China it's me" Valkyrie whispered.

"Valkyrie what are you doing in the shadows, your meant to be in the ball room"

"China I can't"

"Why?" China demanded.

"Because I'm the reason all them people died, the whole point of this ball is to celebrate who survived and who died"

"Exactly, who survived and who died" China snapped "You survived did you not"

"Well yes, but-"

"Yes you did, and you will go out there and mingle with are fellows and celebrate"

"But-"

"No buts" China snapped, smoothing down her blood red dress she glided off into the crowd leaving Valkyrie in the doorway.

Taking a deep breath Valkyrie moved her hair out of her eyes and stepped into the ballroom. At first no one payed her any attention, but as she walked through the crowd looking for Skulduggery and the rest of her friends. She notice the odd person would turn and glance in her direction then do a double take and nudge the person stood next to them and nod in her direction. Eventually the whole room was looking at her, moving out of the way to make a path for her to walk through. They all looked at her, some glared, and some looked at her with admiration in their eyes.

She reached Skulduggery's side and he put his arm around her shoulder, while Tanith stood on her other side. She felt obligated to say something.

"Umm, Hi" she projected her voice so it flew across the room. "I've avoided things like this for the past ten years, in truth I've been too ashamed to face you all. I shouldn't have kept the face that Darquesse was part of me to myself for so long" she watched a ripple of emotion flick across the gathered crowds faces "If I'd told someone or everyone sooner, We could have been more prepared for her arrival and I'm sorry, I'm sorry for all the loved ones that have died. I've lost some close friends as well and I know how you feel. And don't mean to say this to be cheesy but it's true and I'm sorry, but she's gone now and isn't coming back"

One person at the back of the crowd started to slowly clap, eventually the rest of the room was applauding her.

"You did well" Skulduggery whispered to her as Tanith gave her a half hug.

"Fletcher's here" Tanith mused.

"And?" Valkyrie asked giving her friend a sly smile.

"News in town is that you two are hanging out again" Tanith teased.

"And?"
"Just wondering if that's something more"

"Tanith!" Val giggled as fletcher walked up to them in his suit and tie, his hair still sticking up in odd angles – like normal.

"Umm, Val did you wanna dance?" Fletcher asked awkwardly.

"Umm Yeah" Skulduggery was talking to someone else and Tanith started to nudge her in the side raising her eyebrows. "Shut up Tanith" she took Fletcher's hand and he led her out onto the dance floor.

Tanith watched from the side lines as couples danced on the dance floor, she walked around the edge of the room to the table of memorial. There was a table of candles each one was a memory, enough of one each to all those at the ball.

Tanith picked up her candle and walked to the doors that lead outside, pushing out on to the lawn, she walked up to the little water fountain and sat down on one of the large rocks.

"Ghastly this candle is for you" she said to the air "You were my best friend and I've never really got over missing you. I hope you don't mind but I moved in to your place, the shops closed up now, tired sewing but you were always the tailor out of us" she took a breath looking down at the candle clasped in her hands "Being there reminds me of you"

"Thank you Tanith" Ghastly's voice drifted across the lawn.

"What?" Tanith's head snapped up, and there across the lawn plain as day was Ghastly Bespoke "Ghastly?" she whispered standing up.

"Yes" he replied smiling.

"You're here?" she started moving towards him.

"Yes" she ran at that, When she reached him she threw her arms around him, he wrapped her in a hug.

"I'm sorry" she muttered over and over again in to his chest.

"It's okay" he muttered back.

She learnt back and looked up at him.

"How are you here?" she asked.

"Ask China" she looked in the direction of where he was gazing, and China stood on the steps of the doors Tanith had just left through.

China nodded her chin to her and Tanith nodded again.

"Thank you" Tanith whispered.

"I think it has something to do with the candles" Ghastly said.

"The candles?"

"I think there meant to be memory's, when someone takes one then the person they love the most that died ten years ago comes back through the candle to celebrate with them"

"And you came back to me" Tanith whispered, out of everyone he could have gone back to, he came back to her and that's all she could have ever asked for.

Ghastly cleared his throat and offered her his arm "Can I please have the honor of a dance"

she placed her hand on his arm and replied.

"Yes you may Mr. Bespoke" she smiled and the pair walked slowly back to the ballroom, taking about everything and nothing.

Thank you for reading, can you believe it's been over a year since Skulduggery ended! it doesn't seem that long.

Have any of you read Demon Road yet?

Thank you for reading, reviews welcome. :)