It was the day of the dance.

     The family spent the morning working the farm as normal, and after lunch Tala, Dougal, Daisy and Brian bathed together in the washroom, each in their own tin bathtub.

     It was the first time Tala and Dougal had ever been naked together and the young witch took off her clothes slowly and nervously, expecting her fianceé (which was what he was, even though he'd never actually proposed to her) to stare excitedly at her body. Although he made no attempt to hide his occasional glances, though, she was relieved when he kept his eyes on hers most of the time while talking to her. It emboldened her, when Dougal got out of his bath, to take a quick look at his body in return, and when Dougal saw he just smiled distractedly. When you've shared beds and bath times with a brother and a sister, she supposed, the bare skin of other people just didn't have the same fascination it would have had for someone from a more modest household.

     Sarah had offered to let Tara wear one of her old dresses for the dance, and the two of them had spent the evening before taking it in to fit her. When she'd dried herself off, she and Sarah went into the clean living room and the woman who would soon become her mother-in-law helped her into it.

     "Pretty as a pin," said Sarah, stepping back to look at her. "Every young man will be looking at you. You just make sure to let them know you're already taken."

     "I will," Tala promised, looking at herself in the mirror. She picked up a comb and began running it through her hair. "I hardly recognise myself," she said.

     "You were pretty before and you're pretty now," Sarah told her. "Just a different kind of pretty. You too, Daisy."

     The thirteen year old smiled as she put on her own dress, which who'd spent the last few days making from a bolt of material her mother had taken from a storage closet for her. Tala thought she'd done a pretty good job. Sarah had clearly given her daughter plenty of advice and many suggestions, but Daisy had done all the actual work herself and Tala was impressed by the quality. The stitching was all out of sight, the seams straight and neat, and the overall design was pleasing to the eye. If she ever decided not to marry into a farming family, Tala thought she could make a pretty good living as a professional dressmaker.

     Dougal and Brian, on the other hand, hadn't bothered to procure special clothes for themselves. They were wearing their sunday clothes, the clothes they wore to church, although they were freshly washed and had had several small tears and bare patches repaired. "You didn't think I was worth the expense?" Tala teased him as they met up in the kitchen, all dressed and ready to leave.

     "The clothes aren't as important as the person inside them," Dougal replied. "So the question is, do you think the man wearing these clothes is worth your effort?"

     "Of course," Tala replied. "I just wish I'd known before we did all the work on this." She ran her hands down her dress. "I'd have gone in my working clothes."

     Dougal laughed and came forward to kiss her. He did it without asking, as if, having kissed her once, her lips now belonged to him and he could help himself to them any time he wanted. Tala felt a moment of annoyance at having her body intruded upon, but decided not to make an issue of it and kissed him back. She was going to marry him. It was necessary and unavoidable. She might as well get used to the idea.

     Drisco had already hitched the horse to the buggy and was waiting for them as they filed out into the yard. "What a fine looking bunch of kids," he said as they climbed aboard; Dougal and Tala in the front, Brian and Daisy facing backwards behind them. "You guys have fun, and make sure you're not too late back. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow and you'll all need to be up early."

     "Promise," said Dougal. "See you later." He slapped the reins and Drisco waved as the buggy clattered its way down the road towards town.

     In town, tents had been erected in the market square and stalls laden with food and drink were standing on either side of the Merrin road. The place was already full of people, mostly children and young adults, wandering around in pairs, filling the air with conversation as they munched on pies and cakes. There was a band setting itself up in front of the courthouse, at the top of the stairs in front of the heavy oaken doors, and Tala heard occasional isolated notes from the banjo and the guitar as they got them in tune. The sun was shining and the day was hot. Everything seemed set up for the having of a grand time.

     Dougal drove the buggy to twelve acre field where a dozen other carts and wagons had already been left by people from the farms around. He unhitched the horse and set it free to graze with the others across the grass. Tala heard it greeting the others and she smiled to herself. She loved to see animals happy. Then a spike of fear ran up her spine as she looked around at the crowds surrounding her. Could the Crone be somewhere among them? Although most of the people present were young, there was a handful of older people among them and she searched them out with her eyes, looking for an elderly woman who resembled her spectral visitor of two days before.

     The fear vanished when she saw two Knights of Vell strolling amiably through the crowd. Of course the Crone wouldn't be there. She wouldn't dare. All Tala would have to do was denounced her and the Knights would drag her away for testing. Of course, the Crone could denounce her back, but she would have no motive for doing so other than revenge. The Crone needed Tala. Tala would be of no use to her as a corpse. No, the Crone would keep to a safe distance until the Knights had finished their testing and moved on to another town. That would be when Tala would have to look out.

     For the time being, then, Tala was safe, and so she allowed herself to relax and have fun. She and Dougal milled with the crowd for a few minutes while Brian and Daisy went off looking for younger people to talk to. Several people came up to then to offer their congratulations on their engagement and Tala thanked them while wondering how they'd react if she told them that they weren't actually engaged. It had become a fait accompli, it seemed, and she had no choice but to accept the situation with as much good grace as she could muster.

     Her conversation with Grady the healer, who was genuinely pleased and relieved that she'd found a good, new home for herself, was cut short when the Mayor, Cornelius Hardin, climbed the steps of the courthouse to stand beside the band and raised his hands for everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming," he said in a loud, clear voice. "As you all know, this annual event celebrates the successful gathering of the harvest, and many of you have told me that this year has seen a bumper crop." Cheers rang out from the crowd.

     The Mayor waited for them to recede before speaking again. "We are honoured this year to he hosting a delegation of the Knights of Vell who work so hard and take such great risks to protect us from the forces of evil. I would like to tell them that their efforts are appreciated and that I hope they feel free to enjoy the event as much as I know the rest of us will." He raised a hand to the Knights, who were standing in a group at the back of the crowd. Their Captain raised a hand in acknowledgement. Some of them looked quite young, Tala thought, and she saw them eyeing the young women in the crowd with undisguised interest.

     "I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard preparing for this event," the Mayor added. "Everything looks fine and wonderful and I'm sure you're as eager as I am to get things started. I'll shut up then, except to say that I hereby declare the annual harvest celebration open." He raised his hands to accept the cheers and applause that rose in answer. Then he climbed back down the steps and the band began to play.

      Dougal and Tala had the first dance together. The music was 'The Fox and the Hound'. It was a lively, energetic piece and the dancing was lively and energetic to match. Dougal held Tala close, one hand around her waist, and whirled her around to the delight of the other dancers, who cleared a space around them. His hand was sweaty where he was holding hers and there was already a musky aroma to him as he perspired into his clothes, which were designed for sitting quietly on a church pew rather than vigorous activity. There was happiness and excitement in his eyes as he looked into hers, though, and when the dance ended he kissed her firmly on the mouth, bringing cheers from the other dancers.

     She would have the last dance with him as well, when they decided it was time to go home, but until then they were expected to circulate. They separated, therefore, and Tala found herself taking the next dance with Henry Cobblegate, the Minister's son. As a man training to follow his father into the church he was supposed to be sober and serious, but Tala gasped with surprise when, half way through 'Danny Milaney's Donkey' he reached down and gave her bottom a sudden squeeze. The other dancers merely laughed in amusement, though, and Danny was grinning as if he'd just played a great joke on her. Tala finished the dance with him, but she was tense as she expected another squeeze at any moment. The dance ended and she parted from him with great relief.

     Her next dance was with Benedikt Jonsson, the blacksmith's apprentice. He was much better behaved and held her with a gentleness that was surprising for a man of such size and strength. "I saw what Henry did," he said as they whirled around to 'The Three Pretty Maids' "and I saw you didn't like it. If you like I'll go have a word with him. Teach him a few manners."

     "Thanks " said Tala, "but that won't be necessary. I'll just steer a wide path around him for the rest of the day. Soon I'll be married, and then it'll be Dougal's job to teach people manners."

     "As you say," the big man replied, "but you're not the only young lady to be insulted by him. Someone's going to be talking to him before long, and I don't think he'll enjoy it when it happens."

     Tala thought he was probably right, and when the dance was over and the blacksmith's apprentice went off to look for a new dance partner she searched around in the crowd for the Minister's son. She found him dancing with Clarabel Oswald, the daughter of one of the local farmers, and she didn't look happy. Tala guessed that Henry's hand had once again gone where it wasn't supposed to. Digsby Oswald, her twenty year old brother, was frowning as he watched the pair, and Tala suspected that the lesson in manners might be coming quite soon.

     Tala put the situation out of her mind. None of her business. She went over to one of the stalls, passed a few friendly words with the young lady working there and bought a small slice of cake. She sat down to eat it, then stood again to look for another young man to dance with.

     She was saved the effort, though, when another young man found her. She was standing at the edge of the field watching everyone standing around chatting as they waited for the band to play another tune, when she heard a polite clearing of the throat behind her. "May I have the honour of this dance?" she heard a young, male voice ask.

     She turned with a smile on her face, ready to accept his offer, but froze when she saw the white cloak the young man was wearing. The cloak with the golden circle of the endless and eternal God printed on it. Under the cloak was a shirt of chain mail, on his head was a steel helmet amd around his waist was belted a sword. It was a Knight of Vell and he was staring directly into her eyes.