"Good company and good discourse are the very sinews of virtue."
--Izaak Walton
They waited in the throne room for the King and Queen and got a look at each other in the few minutes they had to themselves. The boys all looked good in silken shirts, she commented—much more prepared to meet royalty than in the shorts and t-shirts they had been wearing. At least now Tom had on a shirt. And if she was surprised to find them all presentable, they were even more surprised at her.
Marya and the Princess had found her a silk dress of deep red with a low neckline. An almost painful bustier around her middle served to amplify her small breasts, giving view of a bit of cleavage. The dress had white lace around the cuffs and neckline. The girls had spent a while on her hair, curling it into soft ringlets that hung past her shoulders. The effect put her on the same level as the Princess and the boys were properly impressed. They all seemed suddenly nervous around her and she laughed as they struggled to avoid her gaze. She stopped in front of Aiden, hands on her hips. She thought he still looked too thin in his blue silk shirt, his hair pulled into a loose ponytail behind his head.
"Well?" she said, daring him to look away.
"Well what?" he replied wishing he were somewhere else.
"I said I thought you guys looked good," she said. "Aren't you going to say something about how I look?"
"You kick my hormones into overdrive," he said with a straight face.
"Day-amn, girl," Matt grinned beside him.
"My point exactly," Aiden nodded. She blushed, pleased at their reaction. Marya and the Princess grinned beside her, pleased at their work. Aiden's gaze flicked to the Princess. "Any advice for meeting the King and Queen?"
"Be honest and forthright," she said simply. There were a pair of gilded chairs—thrones—at the back of the room on a dais. They were carved with dragons, the eyes of each sparkling with gemstones. There was a smaller throne to the right and the Princess made her way toward it. The others waited, standing around in front of the thrones.
After a handful of minutes, an elderly man in a crisp, blue suit stepped out of the entryway at the back and regarded them with a scowl. Aiden hissed and they all stood up straighter. The man obviously approved and stood up straighter himself. Finally, he announced the King and Queen.
"The High King Derith of Therin, Lord of Berelain and Queen Arathelle, High Queen of Therin and Lady of Berelain, and the Lady Aramelle, Daughter-heir of Therin, and Princess of Berelain." The Princess sat down on the rightmost throne as the King and Queen entered through the entryway. The Queen was an older version of the Princess, with the same honey-blonde hair and liquid blue eyes. She was beautiful, like her daughter, but in a more mature way. She smiled at her daughter as she sit down beside her in the throne on the right.
The King had the same blue eyes as his daughter, only more piercing. He wore his graying hair long, to his shoulders, and held down by an impressive golden crown. He was tall and powerfully built, looking at each one of them in turn as he took the throne on the left. He cleared his throat and looked at Aiden expectantly.
Matt elbowed Aiden in the ribs and leaned his head in to speak to Aiden in angry tones. Aiden leaned in to speak to him in equally hurried tones. Annie caught snatches, standing on his other side, mostly about his not being the leader. She elbowed him to get his attention and he looked at her in surprise.
"Quit arguing," she whispered as he leaned in. "The Princess told him you were the oldest, not the leader. He's expecting you to speak for everybody."
"That's what Matt said," he whispered back. She elbowed him again and pointed with her chin at the King. "Uh, greetings, your Highness," he said lamely. "We, uh, thank you for your hospitality. We are, uh, travelers from, er, another world. We, uh…" He cleared his throat and tried again. "We are in pursuit of a thief. He has stolen my… medicine. It is critical we find him—my life depends on it, in fact."
"The Royal Guard has been put to the task, young man," the King declared in a deep voice. "I thank those for seeing my daughter home safely. You are all welcome to stay here as long as necessary. We will aid you, both in the search for this thief, and in the search for a way to send you home." He turned to glance at the Princess briefly. "In the meanwhile, my daughter has seen fit to throw a Ball in your honor. It is my hope that you will all feast and dance in reverie as the occasion demands." His gaze fell on Aiden at the last. "Though, I would hear more of this illness that afflicts you, as it seems to have an analogous similarity to the sugar-sickness that afflicts some in this land."
"Of... of course, your Highness," Aiden said. The Princess stood and she and Marya led the rest of them to the door. Annie looked at Aiden standing before the King talking quietly. She was going to wait with him, but the Princess took her arm.
"He will come," she assured her. "I will return here in a few minutes and ask my father to let him go. He is interested in new things and will demand every shred of knowledge on the subject your friend has to offer. But, he will listen to the desires of his daughter even more, as is his way."
"Thank you," she said, and let the girl lead her out of the throne room.
The Ball was a grand affair. A large band was set up beneath one of the grand arches in the vaulted ballroom. Already, a lively tune was being played on fifes and drums. The middle of the room was kept clear of furniture for dancing, though it was already full of dancers. On the edges of the room, great tables were heaped high with platters of food. As they entered, the boys immediately drifted toward the tables to sample the delicacies there. Marya and the Princess pulled Annie out onto the dance floor.
"I don't know how to dance," she protested.
"You'll pick it up," Marya grinned. "Watch!" Marya stepped in line with the Princess and they began a not too complex series of steps and bows. They jumped and twirled at intervals. After a while, Marya dragged her into place and began the dance again. Frowning, Annie tried to keep up.
"You've got it," Marya said after a while, when the band paused for a rest in the music. The Princess had disappeared and Annie hoped she was rescuing Aiden. She surprised herself at wishing he was there. She had spent the afternoon worried about what he might say about the way she was dressed. Putting his hormones into overdrive was exactly what she had been hoping for and hearing it had secretly thrilled her. And he had looked good in blue silk. It had to be the long hair, she decided. It made him stand out from the others.
"You were thinking about him, weren't you?" the Princess said, grabbing her arm. She blushed.
"No," she lied. "Did you bring him here?" She pointed to one of the tables. She recognized his ponytail and blue shirt, as he had his back to her. "Oh," she said, pretending not to care.
"I'm going to ask his brother to dance," Marya grinned and slipped off to the table. Annie watched her say something to Aiden and point directly at her. He looked at where she was pointing and nodded. Marya laughed and moved away to talk to his brother, standing nearby in dark green silk. Jess looked suddenly as stricken as Aiden had looked whenever Annie had moved close to him on the road here. She was going to mention it to the Princess but she found she had suddenly gone. She spotted her near the same table talking with Cruz and Matt. She smiled and waved at her. Annie waved back and turned to look for Aiden. She was surprised to find him standing next to her, offering a fluted glass of bubbling liquid.
"It's champagne," he said with a smile. "There's no age limit for alcohol, apparently." She took it and sipped it carefully, remembering the beer her father had left around. And the apple brandy. It tasted like 7-Up with a slightly stronger flavor.
"Thank you," she said and smiled up at him. He tried to look away, nervous, and she grinned. He was trying desperately not to be caught looking at her cleavage—something he couldn't help every time he looked down at her. It was a height thing as he was nearly six feet tall while she was just over five feet. She decided she'd better say something to make him feel more comfortable. "I heard you guys spent all afternoon with the Royal Guard."
He nodded. "We sent them after Jason. Matt even drew them a picture. Hopefully they'll find him soon."
"How are you feeling?"
"Okay for now. But it'll get worse. I feel it already."
"What… what will happen?"
"I'll get sicker and sicker until I slip into a coma and die." He smiled at her pained expression. "But we'll find Jason before that," he assured her. She touched his arm.
"I hope so," she said quietly. On impulse she took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "How's your head?"
"Got a headache. But I should be all right."
"I really am sorry."
"I know you are. It was an accident—it's okay, really." Behind him the band started into a lively jig. People started to stream out onto the dance floor. Marya passed them with a grin as she dragged Jess behind her. She put her empty glass on the tray of a passing servant and took Aiden's other hand.
"You know how to dance?" she asked him.
"No," he replied honestly. She grinned and pulled him closer.
"We'll make something up," she told him. And they did.
The Ball lasted long into the night. Yawning, with legs tired—she had managed to dance with all the boys—she leaned against the wall with Marya. The older girl had declared the dress a rousing success and asked Annie if Aiden had declared his undying love. She blushed terribly.
"That's not what I was looking for," she told her, smoothing her dress with her hands.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked her grinning.
"I don't know what I was looking for," she admitted. "But I had a nice time."
"You spent much of that time with him," the other girl pointed out. "Other girls here avoided him all night—they know he is the property of the Lady Annie." She said it with such seriousness that she gave her a surprised look. Marya shrugged. "Honor is strong in the people of Berelain. These girls will not poach in another's territory."
"But I didn't—I mean, I—"
"You'd best not dally in collecting your prize, however. Some enterprising young woman may take advantage of an opportunity." She pointed across the room where Aiden and Cruz were talking to a pair of girls who were obviously twins. The girls were young and pretty and laughing at something the boys had just said. Was that a twinge of jealousy she felt deep inside her? Before she could puzzle it out, she was making her way directly toward them.
The girls saw her first and their eyes widened in alarm. They made hasty goodbyes and curtsies and were halfway to the door by the time she came up behind them. Cruz watched the twins go with some disappointment. "Twins," he said and shook his head. He grinned at Aiden and walked away.
"People keep putting 'Lord' in front of my name," he said absently. "I guess it's better than sir."
"I was the Lady Angela this and Lady Angela that," she told him, smiling.
"Angela. Huh. That's a pretty name—Lady Angela sounds regal," he said. "I heard all little girls like this princessy stuff. You like it here?"
"Yes," she admitted. "Today I made friends with a real Princess and they made me feel like a princess with a fancy dress and a fancy Ball to dance at."
"Your story lacks a handsome prince," he said grimly.
"A goofy, crazy one will do," she smiled. He blushed to his roots and returned the smile. He looked uncomfortable, as if pretty girls never talked to him. That might have been true. He wasn't bad looking—most couldn't get past the weird. Here, his weirdness fit somehow, made him appealing. Or, at least, it was appealing to her. She wished she could wipe the silly smile off her face. "Let's go out on the balcony," she suggested.
Outside, the moon was up and looking at it made her feel strange. By the look on Aiden's face it made him feel strange too. She focused instead on the lights of Berelain below, down to the sea. It was a fairy tale setting and she grinned at it, feeling good. She had run away from home and could have ended up anywhere. Here was certainly a gift. She leaned against him until he put an awkward arm around her.
"I had fun," she said, head leaning on his narrow chest.
"Me too," he replied.
"We're god knows how far from home—a home I ran away from. Who knows where we are or how we got here? But right now I feel… good. If I found out tomorrow I could never go home again… I… I think I could be happy here."
"Never say never," he said quietly. "I could be happy here, too. Lord knows I've never been happy in our world. But… it's not right. Our parents are probably worried sick. I'll find a way home. I don't know why you ran away, but I promise I'll try to make it better for you. I promise." She looked up into his gray-blue eyes and saw he meant every word. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed, folding his other arm around her.
"If… if we have to stay here, in this world… will you stay with me?" she asked him. She felt like she was asking him to swear his undying love. Not that, but close.
"Yes," he said after a while and she smiled against him. That was exactly what she wanted to hear.