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Ongoing Story Chapter Three: The Banquet
As the sun began to set on the horizon, carraiges pulled by worn out servents began to arrive. In the hours since noon, the wind had risen to gusts that made the sand swirl around in the air, embedding itself in any place that would let it. Women and men alike were covered with shawls to prevent the sand from blinding their vision. Servents inside the large front doors helped people to free themselves from the shawls that had quickly become covered in sand and dust, to be cleaned before the banquet ended on the following morning.
The front halls of the palace were decorated with the obvious image of pure extravagence, making even the richest of the guests whisper to eachother, expressions of awe on their faces as they looked around. Gold and silver glimmered everywhere from floor to ceiling, mixing warmth with a coolness that was compared to the moon. In the center of the great hall, winged angels of Jade, inlaid with wings of ruby and eyes of deep amythists of saphires rose from the ground, surrounded by icicles and waves of rose quartz. This above all in it's magnificence set the light hearted mood for what promised to be an extrordinary night. To the guests delight, at 3:00 exactly, the angels abruptly began to spout wine from their lips, the brilliant colour of amber and gold held to the sun. Goblets were filled and passed around.
Dancers wove their way through the arriving guests while magicians and jugglers and fire throwers entertained. Soft music put the room into a stupor, the soft drums enrapturing the guests as they listened. Among it all, Lena made her way and as was expected of her, she greeted the guests. Although she had only been awake for a few short hours, she could already feel her body begin to stiffen as she walked around, her muscles tightening with every movement. She wondered though whether this was from actual fatigue or if it was simply from the uneasiness that she found herself unable to deny. Thought’s of her fathers well known unpredictability were constantly calling to her from the furthermost depths of her mind, reminding her not to underestimate him and his relentless drive for acquiring the outcomes he wanted the most. Despite the cheerful surroundings and the pleasant moods of the guests, for her father, she knew, this party has but one purpose. This party was nothing more then a cover for the battle that he was so vigourously trying to run, even against his own daughter. She found herself wondering how much he even considered her thoughts.
“He will not have the best of me, I swear it…” she thought to herself as she pulled her head back up and greeter her guests with every appearance of privlaged pride that she could, a type of pride that she could, a type of pride that was found only within those who were taught well. Even now at the age of seventeen, mature yet still so much a child for her sheltered life, her prescence was one that commanded respect, and this all only added to her appeal, which many openly held in awe. She found herself smiling and nodding dutifully to random people, barely taking in their faces and much less so their names before she found herself standing where she had started, at the foot of the staircase she had earlier decended. It occoured to her that she had not seen her father antwhere. Deciding to wait, she sat wondering what her father must be doing that would keep him from being there to greet the guests.
She would later regret not knowing.
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The sounds of laughter and talking in the banquet hall could barely be heard through the thick double doors of the sitting room. It was lighted dimly by the overhanging chandeler’s, each adorned with at least twenty candles, flickering slightly as the air moved about the room. Lord Rainlan had ordered all of the servents off of the floor over an hour ago, giving them all important jobs that would keep them busy downstairs while he attended to his business.
The boy was late, he mused as he sat before the fire at the far end of the room, opposite the main doors. Not a boy really, but close enough, and so nieve, but that was to be expected. Afterall, what else would suit his need then this one.
“Lena will never see this coming.” He muttered to himself as he thought out the plan.
The small door beside the rear bookcase swung open to reveal a tall person covered with a dark blue cloak, the colour of midnight. He walked straight into the room and dropped himself into the chair beside Rainlan, silent, waiting for Rainlan to start their conversation. He was not to be disappointed, for he had not long to wait. Rainlan cleared his throat before he spoke, his voice almost a growl, polite but still not without deep warning. “Your late.”
The cloaked person shook his shoulders. “And if I am? A few minutes will be no great matter for this charade. It may even be for the better, to have the party go on for a time before my arrival. It would ward off suspicion if they see that you are enjoying yourself.”
Rainlan glared at the boy, mildly annoyed.
“Do not disrespect me boy, you are being paid well to do this for me and the reward that you will have from this will be far more then I will have. Are you ready to do this?”
The cloaked figure stood and pulled off the cloak to reveal his features, barely shadowed with the abundant light. His appearance would be appreciated by a person such as his daughter, with his sand coloured hair and deep brown eyes, a trim figure that was not overpowered with straining muscles. A strong jawline that contrasted with a gentle and slightly sarcastic mouth and heavy eyelashes.
“Of course I’m prepared, after all I am Zedris Dessain, Lord of Telanis of the Northern Gates. I did travel two months too get here, did I not? So, go you have the gray cloak, after all I must look like a bloody beggar if I am to do this right.”
“Not a beggar, a helpless wanderer that is ill with exhaustion and weary of his grip on life. Do not let anything do wrong Zedris, I do doubt that you will be waering that smile if something does.” Rainlan stood to get the cloak himself.
“Ah, but my lord, a man who can smile when things go wrong is a man with confidence indeed.” Zedris said with a sharp air of smugness.
“No, a man who can smile when things go wrong is a man who has just thought of someone else to blame it on, and if you cause things to go wrong Zedris, it will not be I who the blame is cast to.” He returned with the ragged cloak, worn and dust covered and threw it to the boy, whose smile had seemed to deplete a fair bit so suddenly.
“I will not fail, my lord. I can not, she will marry me and I will rule this place one day, she has no say in the matter.” His voice had lost it’s deep sense of humour, to be replaced with an uncharacteristic seriousness, changing his demeanour completely.
Rainlan nodded and handed Zedris a knife, which he used to cut up his clothes and his hair, making him look every bit the wanderer that he would claim to be.
“I must retire to the banquet now and be seen by all of the guests’ Rainlan spoke slowly. ‘be sure you wait for a while before you enter the front doors, don’t make it too close.”
With a nod of secret agreement, he made his way and closed the door on his way out. Zedris stood alone for a minute, waiting and eventually hearing the sounds of the trumpets announcing Rainlan’s arrival. With a smile at what he knew he was about to do, he wrapped the gray cloak around him and without haste went back out the small door, closing it softly and making his way back out of the palace through the unused corridors. Once he found himself out of the castle, he kept to the shadows, walking to the front doors and hiding in the bushes. He sat there, uncomfortable for several minutes, letting the sand get into his hair and clothes. Time past and just as the moon began to fully rise to it’s throne, he stood. Looking to the doors, he smiled. It was time.
