Chapter 226

Beside her, Nesta twisted her hands and shifted in her seat and Elain flicked a reassuring glance her sister's way. It was evident that Nesta was unsure of her place here, as she kept looking up and down the table, fiddling with the cutlery before her, and biting her lip in a way that made her anxiousness apparent. Elain understood that, often not knowing what her own role was. When Nesta's grey-blue eyes turned her way, Elain gave her a smile. "Are you hungry?" she asked, and Nesta nodded silently. "Good… because the food that I had here the last time we visited was really quite delicious."

"What kind of food?" Nesta asked, and Elain had the distinct impression that her sister was looking for something with which to distract herself.

"Well, there were lots of potato dishes and different kinds of soups." She said, "There was a really delicious stew with lots of vegetables… oh, and there was a pork and lingonberry dish that was marvellous."

"The pumpkin soup is a favourite of mine." Lucien put in, and Elain nodded. "I always hope they serve it when I come here."

"I remember that one." Elain agreed. It had been creamy and delectable. "I saw you eat three bowlfuls of it."

"Hey…" She felt her mate shrug beside her, "I hadn't been here since Amarantha had locked us all down. I needed to make up for decades of depravation."

"Well, I hope they serve it again for you." Elain told him, turning her head his way and sliding one of her hands across his thigh beneath the table. Lucien smiled at her, as she felt one of his own hands settle atop hers.

"As do I, Petal."

Elain smiled at him and made a mental note to go to the kitchens and see if she might persuade whoever made the pumpkin soup to give her the recipe. She looked up when the doors to the dining hall opened and trays of food were carried in. Nesta looked around at the same time, and Elain could see her sister sitting a little straighter as they watched the dishes approach the table.

"They certainly do smell good." Nesta breathed, and Elain glanced at her out of the corner of her eyes.

"They do." Elain retracted her hand from Lucien's thigh, and smoothed her dress down as she shuffled her chair closer to the table. Several dishes were placed within easy reach of them, and she began pointing them out to Nesta. "That's the pork and lingonberry dish I mentioned…" she said, picking up one of the serving spoons and dishing some of it onto her own plate. "Oh…. And that looks like the stew I had last time…"

"I do like stew…" Nesta reached for the spoon sitting in the stew, and Elain flicked a glance at Lucien when she saw a pot of pumpkin soup being placed nearby. She smiled when she saw his eyes already on it.

"There you go, my love."

Lucien gave a low chuckle, nodding. "Oh, yes."

Another laugh sounded from further up the table, and Elain spotted Viviane watching Lucien, her laughter clear on her face as she leaned back in her seat. "Oh, Lucien." The Lady of the Winter Court said, "You may think you're exciting and unpredictable… but not at our tables."

Lucien's metallic eye clicked and whirred as he looked up the table. "Consistency is not always a bad thing."

"True…" Viviane smiled at Kallias as he sank down in a seat beside her.

"Good evening, friends." The High Lord said, a smile on his own face as he looked from Viviane to Lucien, Elain and Nesta. Elain watched as Kallias brushed his fingers gently up Viviane's arm, the gesture so familiar and casual that it was as if he hadn't even considered that others may be watching. Or, she figured, he hadn't considered it because he didn't care if others were watching. Perhaps, here in his own Court, Kallias and Viviane were openly affectionate with one another in front of everyone. She hoped that it was so. "In honour of your visit," he went on, linking his fingers through his mate's atop the armrest of the chair between them, "I have organised some entertainment for this evening."

"Oh?" Lucien asked, "What kind of entertainment?"

"One of our finest singers," Kallias said, "Once we have had dinner, she will perform a selection of her favourite pieces for us."

"That sounds wonderful." Elain said, suddenly excited by the idea. It had been longer than she could remember since she had seen a good performance. Clearly someone who was considered to be one of the Court's finest singers by the High Lord would be superbly talented. "Thank you so much for organising something like that for us."

"It is my pleasure." Kallias said simply.

Elain ate her dinner quickly. Or, as quickly as she was able considering the fact that there were several dishes nearby that she had not tried last time which she wished to sample. She had decided that the spiced potatoes were very delicious, and she spent a good amount of time trying to work out exactly which spices they were covered with. Nesta, it appeared, favoured the pork and lingonberries, and Elain noticed that Lucien ate another three bowls of the pumpkin soup before he moved on to some of the stew.

By the time dinner was over, Elain felt as if she might burst open if she moved too quickly. She watched as the table was cleared and the dishes were replaced with large pitchers of different kinds of drinks. "Please," Kallias said, "take whatever you like for refreshment, and follow me across the hall…"

Elain filled her glass with what appeared to be iced lavender tea and she got to her feet. She waited for Nesta and Lucien before the three of them walked with Viviane toward the door and then across the grand hall to another door. The Lady of the Winter Court pushed it open and they all followed her inside. There was a small dais at the front of the room and in front of that sat row upon row of comfortable looking chairs laden with cushions.

"Please sit wherever you would like." Viviane said, moving toward Kallias who sat at the front of the room.

"Thank you…" Elain turned to look at Lucien who took her hand gently in one of his own.

"Do either of you have a preference?" he asked and Elain shook her head.

"We should probably sit somewhere near the two of them." Nesta said, nodding her head in the direction of Viviane and Kallias, "It seems the polite thing to do."

"I agree." Lucien lead them toward the front of the room, and they took up seats near, but not too close, to the others.

Elain sank back into her seat between her mate and her sister. She couldn't help the excited smile spreading across her face when the door behind the dais opened and a beautiful faerie emerged. She had hair so pale it was almost white, and skin of the palest blue. Elain's eyes caught on the translucent wings, and she gasped softly. "Oh, my…"

Lucien squeezed Elain's hand softly, setting it carefully in his lap as his fingers moved back and forth over her skin. Elain gave him a small smile before returning her gaze to the faerie who stood tall on the dais now. A moment later the most hauntingly beautiful voice that Elain had ever heard filled the hall and seemed to echo back at them from all around. Instantly, Elain knew, everyone in the room was spellbound. The faerie didn't so much as move as she stood and sang for them, and Elain couldn't help but wonder if her voice were purely vocal or if there was some magic entwined in there somewhere too. It didn't matter, she supposed. The effect was wonderous all the same.