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1525 Words
The smile fades from my face, replaced by fear, "What are you doing here?"
He's the son of one of the midwives. Surely he should not be at the ball surrounded by hundreds of guards.
He pulls the mask down over his face, "Don't worry, Admira, I have a mask. They won't see me. Besides, it is my mother who is forced to stay hidden, not me."
"But surely they wouldn't want you to be here."
"Yes," he says, "but while they may not want it, they can't do anything to stop me. They wouldn't have any basis for kicking me out."
"I'm sure that they could come up with something."
He smiles, "Then I will just have to be careful. Would you like to dance?"
My feet ache and I'm hungry, but I need to talk to him. It will be much more private on the dance floor than here, with all the nosy nobles and gossiping servants. I agree and he takes my hand.
He holds me lightly and we follow simple dance moves to the music. I ask, "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I would have some fun."
"You think this is fun?" I raise an eyebrow.
He laughs, "Perhaps not. I wanted to see you. I needed to be sure you were safe, that you were doing okay."
I nod, "Yes, of course. Alexanne hasn't done anything, yet she hasn't given me any opportunity."
"Patience. Perhaps this will be a battle of persistence."
I whisper, "I don't think I have the time. The search to find Grace is becoming more and more violent. I fear that they will somehow find her."
"She will be kept safe. I am more worried about you."
"I have Antonin and what you taught me."
He winces, "While we covered a lot in our three lessons, I have heard rumors. Rumors of the things Alexanne has done to prepare. If they are true, your simple defenses may not be enough."
I swallow, "What should I do?"
"Find a trainer. Someone who you trust to teach you. It will have to be cleared with Alexanne. I'm not sure what level of honesty has been established between you two, but I think it's important."
"I doubt Alexanne will allow me to learn how to better defeat her."
"Then ask her in front of an audience, give her a good reason, and she won't be able to deny it in front of people. She has a reputation to uphold."
"What about you?" I ask, "Could you train me?"
"I don't know if Alexanne would allow you to hire me if she knew that I was the son of a midwife. Besides, she would be suspicious as to how we knew each other."
"I would say that I met you at the ball. That we started talking about your line of work, which is training nobles basic defense."
"I don't know. I would love to help you, but Alexanne..."
I scan the crowd around us. Alexanne chats with a noblewomen in the far corner.
The song ends and I curtsy to him, "I'll go ask her right now. Return to the section of the wall where you found me. That way, I can find you after I speak with her."
"Admira, I don't think that is a good idea. Not here. Maybe you should give yourself to think it over, plan what you are going to say."
I say, "Thank you for the dance, sir. It was lovely." Then I push through the crowd.
Once I am several steps away, I glance over my shoulder. He's moved back to the way, following my directions. I need him to teach me. I can only hope that Alexanne will allow it.
Still watching him, I run into someone. My cheeks redden, and I murmur, "My apologies, I should really watch where I am going."
I glance up and find Claudio smiling down at me. He rests his hands on both of my shoulders, frowning, "Are you okay? I hope I didn't hurt you."
I can't ignore the weight of his hands on my shoulders, the warmth spreading over my skin. I offer him a rushed smile, "Of course, I am okay. I'm terribly sorry. I should have been paying attention."
He asks, "Would you like to dance again?"
I bite my lip and glance toward where Alexanne stands. Except, she has disappeared. I frantically search the room, but I can't find her golden dress.
"Is everything already, my lady? If you don't want to dance, that is alright. If you were planning on dancing with someone else..."
I shake my head, "No, no. I was just searching for my sister. Have you seen her?"
"I do believe I saw her going out into the grounds with a group of people. Perhaps she was giving a tour. Your gardens are certainly beautiful."
"Thank you. I shall just wait until she returns. A dance, then?"
He grins and leads me out among the dancers. We twirl and sway together. Every time he catches me in his arms, he holds me a little closer. I ignore the fast beat of my heart.
I am engaged. He is engaged. We both know that. Impurity isn't desirable in a princess. It isn't allowed.
But there's nothing wrong with dancing. Because that's all we are doing. I don't notice the sparks over my skin as his hand lands on the small of my back. I don't despise the spinning and twirling, because that takes me further away from him.
We are merely dancing.
When the song slows to the end, we continue dancing. The next song is slower. As we sway to the beat, he asks, "Who was that man you were dancing with before?"
"The one in the mask?"
"An old friend. Why?"
"I was only curious. You seemed to be having a serious conversation."
If Claudio noticed that we weren't speaking of light matters, did anyone else? Has Henri gained too much attention? What if people figure out who he really is?
I smile, "It was nothing important."
He nods, looking relieved. But he shouldn't be. It's not as though he was jealous. Jealousy would be foolish. I am engaged. I have a courter. I must remember that.
The second song ends and I break away, "Would you excuse me? I need to find something to eat. Besides, I think I saw Alexanne reenter."
Luckily, as I say my lie, Alexanne does walk through the doors. She's surrounded by several doting nobles, all hoping to gain her attention.
Claudio nods, "Thank you for the dances, my lady."
Heat rises to my cheeks as I curtsy and murmur something in return. I hurry away, trying to sort out my thoughts.
It would be silly to feel anything for him. Not silly, dangerous. I can't. It's as simple as that.
But I know it's not nearly that simple.
I grab a glass of water from a servant's tray and hurry towards Alexanne. She sees me approaching and a smile turns up her lips.
She politely dismisses the nobles, much to their disappointment, and walks over to my side. She places a hand on my cheek, "Admira, my dear, your cheeks are red. Are you having fun?"
I press my lips together, "Please, Alexanne, I have something serious to discuss with you."
The eyes of every nearby noble swing in our directions. They are ecstatic for the opportunity to overhear something worth gossiping over.
Alexanne grins, "I knew it. You want to change your courter. You've fallen in love."
I roll my eyes, "No, it has nothing to do with that."
"Are you sure? How many times have you danced with that man? Six? Seven? What color wedding dress would you like?"
"Please, Alexanne, it has nothing to do with him. I danced with someone else, a trainer of sorts. I would like to hire him as my personal trainer, to teach me some self defense."
Alexanne's eyes narrow for a second, before she remembers that our conversation has an audience. She frowns, "Why ever would you need to know self-defense? We have several guards at the ready."
"I realize that, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to learn. After those two servants were murdered within the castle walls, I haven't felt completely safe. Besides, what if I was traveling in the city and we were attacked. Surely I should know how to help myself. Please, I don't know if I will be able to relax without it."
Alexanne's eyes scan the people around us. They are all listening, just as I wanted. If Alexanne turns down my offer, she will seem cruel and uncaring.
She smiles, "Of course, Admira, as long as it will make you happy. This man will have to go through some tests to be sure that he won't hurt you, but we will hire him."
I curtsy, "Thank you ever some much."
She hugs me tightly and whispers in my ear, "Careful, my dear. You won't always have a crowd watching our conversations. What you do now, you may regret later."
- Writer
