10. THE BALL
The time for the ball was approaching near. Aro had been fine tuning all his plans with Santiago by his side. Demetri was their inside man and would alert Aro if any of the Romanian's caught on to their plot. Eleazar and Marcus would work the same as they had before in Romania. Charles would try to stay near to the action to decipher if the Romanians were truthful in their dealings with Aro. Didyme should work to put out her aura of happiness through the ball and make sure the Romanian's had a good time. Heidi would be the lovely and welcoming hostess when the leaders arrived. Aro would try to get in good with the leaders and was determined that this time he would not fail in reading their thoughts.
The sun was beginning to set and the Romanians were expected to appear at nightfall. Athenodora was dressing up Didyme in a beautiful cream colored gown. She had a mask ready for her that only covered the eyes. Didyme admired herself in the mirror and was excited to see Marcus.
"You look gorgeous!" Athenodora said.
Didyme smiled and looked at Athenodora. "You're not so bad yourself." Athenodora was wearing a sleeveless and revealing gown that glittered in the slightest of light. It was white and looked as if it were plated with a million tiny diamonds. The same glittering was traced through her hair as well and her mask was as simple as Didyme's.
The girls were laughing when Sulpicia walked in and when they saw her, their laughter ceased. She was dressed in red and green patchy clothes with a peculiar hat on her head. Her face covered in the oddest of makeup. She toted a silver mask at her side that would cover her whole face. She was dressed as a jester.
Sulpicia was happy too until she saw the looks of disappointment and concern on the others faces. "Do you like my costume?" she asked innocently.
Didyme and Athenodora exchanged glances. "Sulpicia dear," Didyme started, "I'm sure Athenodora has another costume you can borrow tonight."
"I like this one," Sulpicia said through gritted teeth.
"Oh I know, but wouldn't you like to be a princess tonight instead of the court jester?" Didyme asked.
"Do not speak to me as if I'm a child," said Sulpicia stiffly.
Didyme was surprised by her hostility. "I- I wasn't."
"I know what you think of me, Didyme," Sulpicia continued. "I'm not as stupid as you imagine."
"I never thought you were stupid," Didyme pleaded.
"For instance," she said, ignoring her, "I am not so foolish to think that if your brother had to choose between me and his kingdom that he would choose me. I know what power means to him and I know what I mean to him. I am not so foolish that I would ever get in Aro's way."
"What do you mean?" Didyme asked cautiously.
Sulpicia smiled and began humming a tune and returned to her child-like state. The three girls heard Aro call for them and they made their descent to the lower level, trying to shake off the awkward exchange. When Aro saw Sulpicia he laughed aloud and said "See what I mean? Unpredictable!" He gave her a kiss and then lowered a mask over his face that covered it completely. She took him by the arm to follow him into the ball room.
Caius also greeted Athenodora and was taken by her beauty. She truly would shine tonight. Didyme saw Marcus and he looked a little nervous for some reason.
"Is anything the matter?" she asked him.
"No. Nothing." He smiled at her. "You look beautiful."
She smiled and took his arm to follow him into the ballroom. When they entered she was amazed at the transformation. A wall that had been previously destroyed and piled in rubble was now rebuilt. Some of the vampires had redecorated the place and made it look so elegant. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and hundreds of candles were lit upon it. A small orchestra of vampires sat to the side and played beautiful music. Although they were not numbered with the talented vampires, they truly were gifted musicians.
"May I have this dance?" Marcus asked her.
"Of course," she replied as he led her to the center of the floor. They moved gracefully together and Didyme began to emit her aura which lit up the room even more than the chandelier. This moment with him was more than she could ever ask for. She truly was happy. As the song continued, Marcus gracefully danced Didyme out onto a pavilion where it was only the two of them.
"It's a beautiful night," said Didyme. The nervous look returned to Marcus' face. "Tell me what's on your mind," she urged him.
Marcus reached a hand into his pocket and clasped his fingers around a tiny object. He knelt to the ground and looked up at the beautiful Didyme. He held up a ring and spoke "Didyme, you are my only reason for living. I never want to be without you and I hope you feel the same. Will you be my wife? Will you stay with me for all eternity?"
Didyme gasped and was filled with overwhelming joy. "Yes," she whispered to him. He stood and kissed her more passionately than he ever had before. He slid the ring onto her tiny finger and she admired the beautiful diamond that sat upon it.
"It was my mother's," he told her. They were so happy in this moment that nothing could ruin it.
Then Caius appeared at the pavilion entrance and said "The Romanians have arrived." Marcus led Didyme into a dance again and gracefully flowed back into the ball room.
Outside the castle, several horse drawn carriages pulled up. The first cab delivered Lucian and his wife Eveline. They both had white blond hair and Lucian's face was fully covered by a gold mask. Eveline's mask only went over her eyes and it was ornamented with jewels and feathers. Her gown was black and it revealed her full bosom. They were escorted by their body guards, Beryx and Nadia.
Vladimir and Helena exited the next cab. They were both dressed in black and Vladimir's face was completely covered by a golden mask like Lucian. His blond hair was the only visible feature. His wife, Helena, had long auburn hair and a thin figure. Her dress was more modest than Eveline's and she seemed more graceful in her movements. Her mask covered the upper portion of her face and was demon-like, with a long pointy nose. They were escorted by Demetri and Dominique.
The third and final cab revealed an attractive woman, Claudia. She had reddish hair and her mask was cat-like. The man who followed behind her, however, was not her husband Octavian. Instead she was accompanied by Stefan. He wore a gold mask like the other leaders and only his black hair could be seen through the disguise. He wore all black as well. Marius and Amelia were the body guards to escort them tonight.
Heidi greeted the Romanians at the door. She was very beautiful, even behind her butterfly mask, and all the Romanians took kindly to her, except for Amelia. Amelia's talent was that she could make any man desire her and she did not appreciate the competition that Heidi could offer.
Once they entered, Aro greeted them. "Welcome guests! We are so pleased you could make it tonight."
"Thank you for inviting us. It has been so long since we've left our castle in Romania. It is nice to get out every once in a while," Lucian said.
"Yes, thank you!" added Eveline. "When we heard about the costume ball my sisters and I were so excited!"
"I couldn't be more happy," Aro said. "Please, follow me." Aro led them into the great ball room and the Romanians were impressed with the grandeur of it all. A large banquet table had been set up in their honor and Aro seated them there. "Where is Octavian?" Aro inquired.
Lucian glanced at Vladimir before answering. "He did not feel up to dancing tonight. He preferred to remain at the castle."
"So I came with Stefan, instead. I am Claudia, Octavian's wife," she said.
It was the first formal introduction and Aro took her hand to kiss the back of it. However, no surge of information flooded him. Whether she meant to or not, she was blocking Aro's gift. Although it disappointed him, he did not show it on his face.
Aro turned to Stefan who had yet to speak a word. He put forth his hand to shake but Stefan did not receive it.
"You must excuse us," said Lucian, "my brothers and I never make contact with people we don't particularly know very well. It's nothing against you, just policy. You never know who might have the ability to shock you with a touch of their skin!" The Romanians all laughed.
"Of course. I understand," said Aro as he let his hand drop to his side. Caius, Athenodora, Marcus, Didyme, and Sulpicia all joined Aro and all the introductions were made.
A new song began and Eveline turned to Lucian. "Let's dance!"
"Maybe a little later," he told her.
Aro jumped at the opportunity, "Would you mind if I danced with your lovely wife?"
Lucian smiled. "Go right ahead."
Aro put out his hand and Eveline took it. They waltzed across the floor gracefully and Aro ingested all of Eveline's thoughts and knowledge. Meanwhile, Eleazar studied the Romanian's and their guards, making mental notes of what he was picking up from them. Marcus studied their ties but it seems that they were all fairly loyal except for Demetri. What was interesting was how the bond between Demetri and Aro had increased tenfold.
When the dance was over, Aro led Eveline back to the table and said to all of the Romanians "I really can't thank you enough for coming to our ball. I have to admit, I was worried that you might think me too ambitious trying to make good with vampire royalty."
Lucian smiled. "Of course we did not think that. It is refreshing for us to find such a loyal subject as yourself."
At that moment Charles bumped into Aro and greeted him with a surprised look on his face. "There you are! I haven't seen you in ages!" He put out his hand, Aro took it, and they embraced each other with their free arms. In that singular moment, Charles let Aro know that Lucian was lying. More specifically, that he did not think of Aro as a loyal subject but was actually quite suspicious of him.
"This is my friend Charles!" Aro introduced him to Lucian.
Lucian nodded and smiled. Aro and Charles continued with their fake enthusiasm for seeing one another again and then Charles said "Please excuse me, there is a beautiful lady that I've just met, her name is Makenna, and I must ask her to dance with me!" With that, Charles left the area.
Aro turned to Vladimir and asked for permission to dance with his wife.
"Ask her," was his only reply.
Helena consented and Aro acquired all the information from her as well. Things were going exactly as planned. When the song ended, the next part of their plan went into action. The floor was cleared and Heidi alone stood in the center of it. She began to sing a seductive operatic song in honor of the Romanians. Everyone was so enchanted with her as she subtly weaved her spell of illusions, making them desire her. It was at this time that Aro, Marcus, Eleazar, Caius, and Santiago would meet in the turret to discuss their findings.
As Marcus was leaving Didyme he gave her a kiss. "I'll be right back," he promised.
"And I'll be waiting," she smiled at him.
