Birthday Bash 2023

Prompt 2

Masquerade

Earl Hasho Yoshioka couldn't have been more smug as he silently waited for the servants to be done checking the long white robes on him and his daughter. "You're certain it's completely safe?" he asked sternly, since the last thing he needed was for his meal ticket's face to become scarred today of all days.

"The Baron had us repeatedly test the material the robes are made of, my lord. He made sure that we are to take no chances with you or his bride," the head servant assured him with an almost bored tone as he checked over his list. "That's it. All you have to do is wait for the flames to die down, and proceed with the march." With a hand gesture, the stuffy man led the other servants out of the tent, securing the flap closed after them since it was vital that only the two remained within.

There was plenty of noise and music coming from outside the tent, proclaiming loudly that the celebrants were already making merry.

It was all the earl could manage, to not shake with excitement. After the strange bout of bad luck with business, crops, and shipping, he could have wept with gratitude that he hadn't been reduced to selling his ancestral home. No, all it had taken was selling something that he'd never really wanted in the first place.

"I want you to listen very carefully, Haru," he told his only child firmly, glaring at her even though both of them had been escorted into the tent with the hoods of their robes covering their faces. "The baron paid too much for you to be as contrary with him as you are with me. Whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, you give it to him. I assume you won't make me speak crudely?" he inquired, since he'd never been comfortable with that side of marriage.

If he'd found such activities anything more than just a burden, he'd have cheerfully remarried and tried again for a son.

"Baron has informed me of his exact expectations," Haru answered calmly enough to make him blink. "Please don't bother speaking crudely, I know what to expect."

Even though he couldn't see her and had no idea what her costume was under the robe that could have left even her gender to the imagination, the earl stared at her. "Everything will change after today," he nudged her, expecting a bit more of a reaction.

"That is the point of a wedding," his daughter stated without emotion. "I'm certain you're relieved that I won't be your problem anymore."

This wasn't at all how Naoko had acted at their wedding. Although he hadn't really wanted the marriage either, it had still wounded his pride that his bride had clearly wished to be literally anywhere else. The only time he could remember her smiling like she meant it, was when the sickness was claiming her for its own.

He scowled at the thought. Naoko would have been more annoying if she'd wanted attention from him at any point during their short marriage, but it didn't sit right with him that Haru was so calm about her own marriage.

Although it didn't align with his own interest, he played with the notion of if he had found a husband for her himself, and had kept them apart until the wedding day like his father had insisted for his own betrothal. Haru would have definitely trembled then. Maybe even see that same fear and uncertainty in the eyes that so closely resembled her mother's. It would have served her arrogant fiancé right as well, since it was clear the man could have any woman he wished, and it was only sheer luck that his attention fixed on Haru.

It took all of his willpower not to physically shake the notion out of his head. 'Control yourself, Earl! The only way Haru could have improved on the money bag she brought home was if a crown was hanging off the purse strings!'

Fireworks were being shot off overhead, the signal that it was time for the actual wedding to begin.

The earl shook off his dark mood, straightened up, and had to just remind himself not to link arms with his daughter yet to avoid burn marks on either of their outfits.

It was a good thing they were expecting the tent to burst into flames after one firework flew too close on purpose, trailing enough sparks to ignite the strange fabric of the tent. A piece of plain cotton had been tied over their heads, falling just as the fire demolished the structure so that the entire court could see his and his daughter's grand reveal as their white robes burst into flames almost as soon as they ran out of fabric to burn.

The Baron von Gikkingen had been both generous and considerate when he had offered to not just pay for this extravagant wedding, but the earl's outfit as well as his daughter's dress.

He'd chosen to host the wedding as a masquerade ball, so it was to be expected that every person in attendance would be nearly unrecognizable in their costumes.

Earl Yoshioka had approved of his own costume, barely more than a nice dark suit with a cape that was patterned like bat wings to subtly hint that he was meant to be a vampire, but he was completely caught off-guard by his daughter's glorious wedding dress, which still managed to eclipse anything the royal court could dream up.

She was a vision in a white dress, but to set her apart from the startling number of women in the audience that were also wearing white, there was elaborate gold embroidery all over the dress to give it the look of golden feathers. There were even traces of gold in her makeup to suggest feathers and a beak, yet she still looked as elegant as a queen. Instead of a veil, there was a sheer attached cape to the back of her dress, split down the middle and also heavily embroidered with golden feathers to give the impression of wings.

His daughter was a phoenix. No other bird could be so glorious.

She looked at him from the side of her eye with a twinge of annoyance, and wrapped her arm in his while the other hand held a nearly priceless bouquet of flowers and jewels as the music shifted into a modified version of the traditional march. Servants from high places threw white rose petals from their perches to scatter in their path as they walked.

Out of pure instinct, the earl had squared his shoulders and marched like it had been his own idea. His stomach churned with anticipation, making it hard to stifle his glee that the Baron von Gikkingen had no idea he was sealing his own doom.

After all, it simply wasn't right for a mere foreign baron to be the richest man in the kingdom, and very possibly the surrounding ones. He could worry about whether or not to let Haru marry again later, after he finished polishing his plans to ensure that no ruin would ever be able to touch him or his family name. He'd have a better idea if she wound up pregnant before his plans for the baron were completed.

The overly pretty baron had chosen dragon armor for his wedding, though it was unclear whether or not he was meant to be a dragon or a dragon warrior. His icy blue eyes were surprisingly gentle as he looked only at the phoenix approaching him, and she only looked at him. His long black hair somehow made him look even more like a vampire than the earl, making it strange that he had not chosen that costume for himself.

The earl shook off such thoughts, and had to remind himself not to join their hands too quickly. He couldn't look too eager to be rid of his child, even if for just a little while.

The Baron von Gikkingen's smile deepened at the traditional gesture, almost to a smirk as his grip tightened on his bride, who looked so small next to him. Almost as if a dragon really were taking possession of a firebird.

Feeling a bit annoyed that he'd gone through hours of practice and instruction only to be done within a minute, he stepped to the side to allow the priest to conduct the ceremony, almost looking like he was also in costume as well even though he was in the robes of his office.

It was almost strange to see a regular wedding ceremony performed while being surrounded by such opulence. He was expecting a bit more like the sermon to be on par with a royal wedding, but perhaps the priest was using what was normally for a noble's wedding to express his distaste that such a sacred ceremony was being conducted at a masquerade ball of all things.

In any case, the usual business didn't take long. The 'I dos' went without a hitch, and the rings were exchanged, held ready by a pair of richly dressed servants.

"You may now kiss your bride," the priest intoned, making Haru blink as if she'd forgotten that part.

She looked up at her husband a bit nervously, but the baron was smiling gently at her, pulling her close enough to wrap one arm around her waist and bring his other hand to the back of her neck.

With only the briefest side look at her father, Haru determinedly wrapped her arms around the baron's neck and pressed her lips to his, making the entire court roar their approval and more fireworks went off, filling the sky with the news that the richest man in several kingdoms had taken a bride.

'Good. She's remembering what I told her for once,' the earl couldn't help thinking with satisfaction. Her own wedding was no time to be shy around her groom, and he couldn't help feeling gratified that she'd been uncomfortable for at least a little while.

He'd always been worried that her shy, quiet nature would put him at a disadvantage.

Now for the second phase of becoming the richest man in several kingdoms.

… Well, that had been the intention, but it was clear that the Baron von Gikkingen had little patience for long-established customs.

Certainly, it was right and proper for the bride and groom to share a dance, but he was owed one to the bride as her father! He had to slip her the vial under the guise of a health tonic for her husband, it wasn't like it could hurt him without the second, more complicated dose. He'd have given it to her in the tent, but the hidden pocket for it would have been too cumbersome to retrieve it through the flammable robes.

But the man was not letting go of Haru!

"Terribly sorry, old boy," the baron drawled while pressing his bride closer to himself when yet another noble tried to cut in. "But I'm feeling a bit possessive over my pretty wife at the moment, and I don't recommend trying to separate us."

The wife in question blushed happily that he was so taken with her. She'd never enjoyed dancing with strangers.

Earl Yoshioka tried to step close enough to demand what was owed to him, but then a servant bumped into him with a full tray of wine goblets. "You clumsy fool!" he roared at the servant, noticing that instead of looking like a vampire, he now looked like a vampire that had violently dined.

"Oh dear!" the baron chuckled. "Many apologies, I'm sure it was an accident. Kuro, Kumi, please help my father-in-law clean up and get him a new shirt."

Since the last thing the earl wanted to do was spend the rest of the party in a wine-soaked shirt, he grumpily allowed the two servants to escort him into the baron's lavish home. He was familiar enough with the interior, since the place had belonged to a count at the beginning of the year. Although the place had been richly refurnished, he couldn't help wondering whether or not he wanted to sell the estate later as a whole, or to sell off each item individually.

He shook the thought off, just like he shook off the two servants that wanted to help him dress, since he couldn't afford for anyone other than Haru to see the vial tucked up one sleeve.

Thanks to a washbasin and a mirror, he was sure he was once again presentable before permitting the two dolts outside the room to escort him back to the ball.

The earl walked out to the top of the stairs just as the baron was leading his bride to a ridiculously big tent that no one had been permitted to enter this night. He held his hand high in salute to the crowd, who roared their approval.

Hasho's heart froze in fear. 'No! It's too early for them to retire!' "Stop!" he called out as he began running down the stairs. "I'm owed a dance with my daughter!"

But the crowd was so loud that no one seemed to hear him, or cared enough about his claims to be of assistance.

The baron turned his attention to his young bride, a melting smile on his lips as he brought her hand close for a kiss before leading her inside the tent, which was quickly tied shut by a pair of different servants before they stood in front of it like guards as many in the crowd whooped crudely amidst the cheers.

The earl was out of breath by the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, enough that he was weighing dropping by in the morning to give Haru the vial then.

Yes, that would probably be better. If nothing else, there would be less eyes present to catch his slight of hand or to read his lips when-

The tent suddenly started falling away, not by flame, but by ropes until the baron's hot air balloon was revealed, with the happy pair in the basket as more servants that were hiding within the tent began untying the ropes holding the balloon in place.

"Where are they going?!" he demanded in a panic as the two servants caught up to him.

"On their honeymoon, naturally," one of them informed him like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. "Our lord's got a long honeymoon planned for his bride."

"No! I need to see-out of my way!" the earl demanded, desperately trying to swim through the crowd before the balloon could take to the sky.

He was… less than successful.

ooOoo

Haru let her smile fade from her face as the balloon drifted up and up until her husband's estate was glittering like a lost crown in the dark night. "Just two weeks ago, they would have laughed themselves to death before cheering like that for me."

Baron pressed a kiss to her hair before reluctantly letting her go so that he could try undoing the straps of his dragon armor. "Don't worry, dear. The last cheer will be ours. Would you mind helping me with this? I know you weren't comfortable being held against it all night, and we shouldn't distract our captain."

"I would appreciate that," the wiry man couldn't resist grinning as he carefully aimed the hot air balloon in the direction of the secluded beach where Baron's ship was waiting for them.

Although Haru felt embarrassed by doing so, she was able to find the straps in the flickering light of the balloon's flame and undo them, though just one sleeve was surprisingly heavy. "Is it safe to…" she glanced once at the captain.

"Toto's been with me for three years, it's safe," Baron promised her with a wide grin as he eased off the other sleeve and began removing the torso of the armor. "What is it? Did your father suspect anything?"

She still felt a bit shy with him practically undressing in front of her, but she couldn't resist a wicked grin. "He said you paid too much for me to be as contrary with you as I am with him, so I better do everything you want without question. I nearly laughed since I was rarely brave enough to be contrary with him."

He grinned just as wickedly as he pulled a long dark cloak over his plain tunic, and then pulled her close so that he could wrap up both of them for warmth. "I'd love to see your idea of contrary. But I wouldn't waste any more thoughts on him, that's business for later."

Haru nodded, still blushing a bit when she noticed that some of her gold face paint was rubbing off on his shirt. She thought about the things he'd told her, to get her to agree to this marriage so quickly. How… ready he seemed to just forget everything and start a new life with her.

"… How long until it sunk in for you?" she couldn't resist asking, since there was still a bit of dread that her father could find yet another way to get her back under his control.

"The morning after," he responded, holding her tight and rubbing his own cheek against her hair. "It was like escaping a nightmare that fought too hard to keep me under control. When the realization that you're free sets in, it's an indescribable euphoria. I was certain that waking up in an unfamiliar place would be terrifying, but it was everything else."

Haru couldn't resist smiling with anticipation before turning enough in his arms to return his embrace. "Mind if I ask for a small favor?"

"Anything you want," he assured her, tightening his hold just a bit, as if he was afraid the wind would carry her away from him.

"I forgot about the kissing part of the ceremony, and I felt like it was a bit awkward with all those people watching. Mind if we try again later?"

"Why not now?" he purred, making her giggle.

"Toto's here, it's still awkward," Haru tried not to complain.

"I can face the other way," Toto offered with an impish grin, making Baron glare at him.

"As you wish, dear. We have the rest of our lives, after all."

Haru beamed at him before snuggling deeper into his embrace and quietly enjoying the night sky. "Yes, we do."