Apondra made her way to the ballroom, escorted by Dreco. As they approached the frosted glass doors, Apondra hesitated, hearing the commotion of the many men and women who chatted casually behind them. A gentle piano tune had begun, followed by the vibrating notes of violin and cello. The music brought her comfort and she took a breath as the ballroom doors opened, the sounds of hammered dulcimer and a flutist from what she could hear.
As Apondra entered with Dreco, she was almost overwhelmed by the presence of what had to be hundreds of people gathered in the large ballroom, illuminated by a grand chandelier of crystal. She could see the colors of many of the kingdoms; the red and black suits and dresses of Vohabard, the gentle blues of Aetis, the mystical purple hues of Aiyana, she could spot the few red and golds of Nydeamar, the sage greens and gold of Cealian, and finally the unmistakable presence of emerald shades accented silver, Etecia. It seemed this was a ball not only for recruits to relax and mingle but also to demonstrate the bonds of the six kingdoms.
Apondra kept close to Dreco as she noticed many eyes turning to her attire, and her wings. She was the only one who had them on full display with her outfit. Although many eyes turned her way, Apondra felt secure under the guise of her mask, knowing it hid her features just well enough that only the elven prince would know who she was at a glance.
Apondra noted that many of the queens and kings had attended, standing out among the crowd with their escorts who kept close by. Soon she spotted him; Elwe Soryn, who stood among a small group of people, dressed in a dark emerald suit jacket, and black dress pants, his silver crown placed upon his head, his hair neatly combed, wearing a silver half mask, which accentuated his emerald eyes.
Dreco politely interjected the conversation and presented her, “Your Highness, I have brought your lady as requested,”
Apondra fought to not blush at the wording and politely curtsied, “I apologize for interrupting your highness,”
The group excused themselves politely, all but one young elf woman, who was still young, not yet to her Ascension year by the look of youth in her round cheeks. Her golden blonde hair was braided intricately with silver threads to make it shine under the light of the chandelier above. Her green dress and silver accents confirmed that she was an Etecian. She smiled at Apondra and, to Apondra’s shock, wrapped her in a friendly hug.
“I have been waiting to meet you! So you are who El talked about constantly in his letters!” the girl’s voice was almost shrill with her excitement.
Elwe elbowed the woman and laughed, “Tyria! I did not talk about her constantly!”
Tyria laughed alongside him and jostled him back with a poke at his ribs, “Well when you mention someone in almost every letter you sent me from a month past, what else am I supposed to think? So!” Tyria turned her cheerful gaze to Apondra and clapped her hands in front of her, “I already know what brought you to Etecia, El was clear about that, but what I cannot understand is how you mastered Dreco’s training! Normally it takes even strong men a try or two to be considered, not one back alley brawl!”
Apondra laughed at her enthusiasm and recounted the tale of the fight, gesturing with her hands to add emphasis to the more interesting bits, laughing with Tyria about how she had tricked the man into thinking she was going for her pocket money and turned the tables on him, then recounted her fall and waking to find Elwe, Colin and Dreco had taken her to safety.
Tyria swooned and grabbed hold of Elwe’s arm to jostle him more, to which he gently directed her hands away, “That is so romantic!” she exclaimed with a bright smile.
A smartly dressed Aiyanite man came forward and mentioned that the queen was waiting, and Tyria’s smile widened as she turned back to them both.
“Oh that’s right! I promised Emma and Ana a dance!” she looked back towards a small crowd of blue and purple, then turned back to them, “It was so nice meeting you Apondra! We will have to chat again when things are not so busy! You can usually find me in the library! I will see you both later!” With that the spirited woman was off with the man to meet with the two queens, leaving Apondra and Elwe in the company of Dreco, who stood off to one side.
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Elwe beckoned to Dreco, as the music began to shift into a gentle tune, to make sure that Tyria did not get into any trouble. After his guard departed, Elwe took a moment to admire her, “I knew that outfit would suit you, you look beautiful,”
Apondra smiled at the compliment, “You look even more dashing that usual yourself,”
He smiled and held out his hand to bring her to the dance floor, which was beginning to fill with men and women. Apondra took his hand and laughed as he spun her to face him, keeping one hand clasped between his, the other placed on each other's backs. As they danced, Apondra could see the question in Elwe’s eyes. The curiosity. Time to come clean.
She spoke just hushed enough that only he would hear her over the music, “Now you know, this is not just part of my costume. This is who I am. Vampire, and angel,”
Elwe led quickly as the dance picked up, “Why did you not tell me?” he spun her away from him and returned her quickly.
“I was afraid that you would not have accepted me. Barri taught me to always keep myself concealed so I would not have to worry about people judging me based on what I am,” she explained as they moved around the dance floor, people mindfully giving them a wide berth to not be struck by her “costume”. She continued, “You are the first person, besides Barri and my parents, to see who I really am,”
“And you thought that I would think less of you for it?”
Apondra nodded, “I thought everyone would,” she spun underneath his arm, and returned back, holding him a little tighter, “Angels do not have the best reputation after that battle those years ago,”
Elwe nodded in recognition, “The war may have ended, and an agreement was made, but I cannot fault you for your caution. Angels, non healers anyways, seem to have been branded as outcasts,” He pulled her close, to the point their noses nearly touched, his eyes soft, “But I see you Apondra, for who you are. A strong woman, a kind, gentle soul, that only wants the best for others and to live up to their expectations, But when will you do what is best for you?”
Apondra smiled at his breath on her face and responded, lost in his gentle eyes, “I have found it right here,”
As the song ended, and the people around them began to chatter amongst themselves, filling the room with dozens of unintelligible conversations and laughter, Apondra dropped into a curtsey as thanks for the dance.
Elwe caressed her hand, and motioned for them to go somewhere more private, away from the many prying eyes that had settled upon them.
How long had they been staring? Apondra did not know, and her gut twisted uneasily with the attention. She scanned the crowd before setting her eyes upon Tyria, who stood with two women of notable regard. Both were dressed in elegant, if a little over the top, gowns. Emma, Emmadala Kyra of the queendom of Aiyana, stood dressed in a gown of fine black silk, adorned with sparkling amethyst jewels, and a dark veil concealing her masked face. The mysterious queen seemed settled on the pair as Elwe escorted Apondra through the crowd and out of the ballroom.
“I do not appreciate their stares either, Apondra,” Elwe said once they were out of earshot of the ballroom, from the halls Apondra knew they were making their way to the garden, to which she was grateful, the constant eyes on them while they danced together was enough to make her feel like an outcast.
They stepped out into the chill of the night air, tens of lanterns had been lit and placed throughout the garden, illuminating the path, statues and fountain in a warm ethereal glow. Apondra smiled and, at Elwe’s beckoning to do so, sat at the edge of the fountain. The gentle trickle of the water was enough to calm her mind from the ballroom, but her heart still fluttered with excitement as Elwe instructed her to close her eyes.
She smiled and did so, tucking her wings close to her back to keep them as dry as possible while being mindful of her dress, taking in the scent of the garden, feeling the kiss of the cool night air on her skin. She could hear Elwe’s footfalls in the dirt, moving to her left somewhere in the garden. He returned shortly after, she could hear him stop in front of her, a glow of light illuminating behind her closed eyes.
“Open your eyes, Pond,” came his gentle request, and as she did she saw him standing over her, with the lantern in one hand, a lit candle in the other. She blinked at him as he sat next to her. “Since I met you, my dreams have been filled with you. The visions I am granted always show one constant now, you,”
They sat in silence for a moment, Apondra’s mind racing as her heart was at the thought that the prince did truly have the same feelings as she had about him. They lit the lantern together, and Apondra watched it rise, a small beacon of light in the star-specked night sky. She smiled at the way it flew, and watched it become one with the night sky.
“The lanterns fell out of tradition long before I was born,” Elwe’s voice broke through Apondra’s imaginings of flying alongside the lantern and just how far it would take her, “They were sometimes used as messengers to the Mother and Father, a different kind of prayer, one that would hopefully touch their hands,”
Apondra grinned dreamily at the idea of sending a letter to the heavens.
“I had hoped my father would make an appearance at the ball. I wish I knew what they were in talks about…” Apondra could hear Elwe mumble to himself, “A simple trade meeting would not take this long,”