Lady Katherine Harrington of Johanne

4 December, Year 1 of Sebastian VI, Emperor of the Longbournian Nations' reign

Amöneburg Ballroom, Amöneburg

The Longbournian Nations

"You look lovely, Mistress Harrington."

Walking up the spiral stairs, I pushed a stray curl behind my ear, as I looked up. The elderly herald standing by the Palace Ballroom's double doors, was beaming at me in recognition.

"Why, thank you, Sir von Pappen," I chuckled, returning his smile, "I hope you have had your dinner? I should not like to think you are expected to stand here all night without a break." I viewed him in concern.

Indeed, he was already in his dotage, and had yet to retire from the Emperor's service only because he still needed to support his family.

"Oh, nay, Mistress Harrington, my shift ends in half an hour. Sir Weber will take over after that," he assured me, smiling warmly, "I will return home, and have my dinner then. Please do not worry about me, and enjoy the ball." He gestured to the ballroom.

I nodded. "I will. Would you mind doing me a favour, and please not announce me when I enter the ballroom?" I requested sheepishly, "I am already very late as it is, and I do not want to draw any attention to myself."

He laughed. "Of course, right this way."

He gently opened the doors an inch for me to slip inside without a sound. Almost at once, the light within blinded me, and I had to shield my eyes for a moment, before they adjusted to the brightness.

Clearly, the Dowager Empress had spared no expense. The ballroom was all but a mine of glittering gold. Gold drapes hung about the walls, shining with the light from the enormous chandelier that hung from the ceiling, filled with thousands of candles that lit up every inch of the room.

Different statues of gold tigers – the empire's symbol - were placed near the borders of the dance floor, and even a small, golden water fountain was placed near the refreshment tables.

The Palace staff, also dressed in gold coloured clothes, scuttled between the guests, serving them glasses of red wine and small pastries. Every flick of their hands caused rays from about ten different rings on their fingers to shine straight into my eyes.

My poor eyes hurt from simply looking at the ostentatious display.

"There you are!" a voice exclaimed behind me, "goodness, does it take so long to change into a gown, Mistress Harrington?"

I glanced to my right at the sound of the voice.

Princess Natalya was striding towards me, her kohl-lined sea-green eyes twinkling as she grinned at me in relief. The moment we had reached the Palace earlier, she had brought me to her chambers to change into one of her evening gowns - since I had not brought any of mine with me from Monrique - and went ahead to the ball first Corporals Baudelaire and Montgomery.

When she drew closer to me now, however, her beam turned into a frown. She came to a stop, clearly surprised about something. She tilted her head at me, and begun to circle me, observing me from head to toe.

I felt self-conscious. "Mistress Hohenstaufen, what are you doing?"

She paused. "Out of the hundreds of evening gowns in my chambers," her voice was filled with exasperation, "why the hell would you choose this one, Mistress Harrington?"

I looked down at myself. I had thought it was a nice gown. It was a simple, cream gown of silk, with almost no embroidery whatsoever, and it was quite comfortable.

And it was one of the few that fit me.

"Well, you are a rather tall woman," I was defensive, "the rest of your gowns made me trip over my own feet."

The Princess began to laugh. "No wonder you picked the gown my brother had gifted me for my fifteenth birthday," she was amused, "did you not notice it looks rather old?"

Now that she mentioned it, I noticed the borders of the gown beginning to fray slightly, and the cream hue fading.

"Nay, I did not," I chuckled wryly, "today is clearly not my day."

She linked arms with me. "Worry not, it suits you, Mistress Harrington," she grinned, "you radiate a certain beauty in simplicity."

"Why, thank you. Speaking of beauty," I looked around, "where are Corporals Baudelaire and Montgomery?"

"I do not know. We can find them later," she waved off my concern, "now come, let us get you a glass of wine, and we can drink to all the ridiculous things at this ridiculous ball."

With that profound statement, she dragged me to the edge of the dance floor, weaving through the crowd of guests, and picked up two full-to-the-brim glasses of red wine from the staff who passed by us.

"Dare I assume you find this ball ridiculous?" I remarked dryly.

She pushed a glass into my hands, sighing. "I should have known when I heard it was the Dowager Empress arranging the celebrations. Look at this ballroom, Mistress Harrington," she gestured to our surroundings, "does any part of this look like something army officers would enjoy?"

I clinked my glass against hers before taking a sip. "It looks rather ostentatious, I agree."

"Ostentatious? The Dowager Empress might as well hold an exhibition of all our Crown jewels here," she rolled her eyes, "the purpose of this whole Ball is only to impress Queen Eleanor."

She wrinkled her nose, pointing to the throne at the far end of the room.

The Emperor was seated on the throne next to the Dowager Empress, dressed in a deep blue velvet suit for the occasion. His long, pale fingers reached for his cravat at his throat restlessly, and his sea green eyes were solemn, as he conversed with Queen Eleanor and the other Monriquan dignitaries seated around her.

My lips parted, and I mentally shook my head before I could fall into a daze.

"Mayhap I should have simply listened to you all, and skipped this event entirely," she was musing in the meanwhile, swirling her glass, "Richard is not even in attendance at this Ball." She sighed in defeat.

I grabbed her forearm. "He is not here?" I tensed, "do you think he has already made his way to the Pleasure House - "

"Worry not, a few of my spies are currently waiting along the road to the Pleasure House," she leaned towards my ear to whisper to me, "one of them will ride with all haste to the Palace to inform me if he is spotted there."

She lifted my hand from her forearm, and patted it. "If we manage to find him at this Ball, we will follow him," she assured me, "if he has managed to slip away from the Castle, my spies will inform us when he reaches the Pleasure House – and then we will ride there with all speed. Either way, we will confront him there tonight."

I relaxed slightly. "All right."

She chuckled. "You worry far too much, Mistress Harrington," she sipped on her wine, "how about you enjoy this ball in the meanwhile, and ask my brother to dance? I am quite surprised that, for someone who loves to dance, he has yet to even move an inch from that throne this evening." She gestured to the throne.

My forehead creased, as I followed her gaze.

"He is busy entertaining Queen Eleanor, after all," I reasoned, "and she can be, well...quite the chatterbox when she puts her mind to it. Their conversation will end only when Her Majesty wants it to."

"I understand, then, that he is going to be trapped there unless someone interrupts them," she smiled faintly, "and I think he deserves at least one dance tonight. Go, Mistress Harrington." She shoved me.

I caught myself before I could lose my balance. "All right, all right, I will," I was alarmed, "by God. You will find me, and let me know when we need to leave, yes?"

"I will," she promised, before a thoughtful look came over her face, "now that I think about it, making you that deal was a waste. We would not even be staying the entire duration of the ball."

"Well, too bad. You already gave me your word, Mistress Hohenstaufen," I reminded her, laughing, "regardless of how long we spend here, you are still taking over my dawn training sessions till next year."

She scowled at me over the rim of her glass.

***

"A very good evening to you, Your Imperial Majesty," I sunk into a deep curtsey in front of the dais, clearing my throat, "Your Majesties. My apologies for the intrusion."

They stopped speaking at once.

"Mistress Harrington," I heard the Emperor command, "please rise."

I rose to my full height, clasping my hands by my waist, as I met all three sovereigns in the eye. The Dowager Empress and Queen Eleanor gazed at me with high disapproval and resentment respectively, while the Emperor was smiling widely at me.

"What are you doing here?" Queen Eleanor scowled at me.

I tilted my head, pretending to think. "Well, Your Majesty, thus far I have been drinking, eating, talking to people," I listed, "what most people do at balls."

The corners of the Emperor's lips twitched in amusement.

"Watch your tone, Lady Katherine," she warned, "I was only asking you why you interrupted our conversation."

"I wanted to enquire if His Imperial Majesty would be able to kindly spare me a dance this evening," I answered her, before gazing at him, "would you, Sire?"

"He cannot, I am afraid," the Dowager Empress cut in even before the Emperor could even open his mouth, "we have many more important things to discuss still - "

"Did I say that, Lady Mother?" he cut her off, his eyes snapping to hers.

She frowned. "But - "

"Our discussion can wait for a few minutes," his voice brooked no argument, as he looked around at them, "it is going in circles, with no compromise or end in sight, in any case."

Queen Eleanor and the Monriquan dignitaries looked discomfited at that barely veiled censure, while the Dowager Empress' eyes were wide. The protest died on her lips.

He stood up from his throne. "Please excuse me," he inclined his head at them, "I will return shortly."

With that, he bounded down the dais, and offered me his arm. I slipped a hand into the crook of his elbow, and allowed him to lead me towards the dance floor.

"Remind me to thank you for this one day," he murmured, covering my hand with his own, "by God, it has been an exhausting few hours." He shook his head tiredly.

In the meanwhile, I was eyeing the orchestra and their instruments on the floor above with some apprehension. "No need to thank me," I gulped, "I am about to embarrass you in front of your people, so we are even."

He glanced down at me, his forehead creased. "Why?"

"I...um, just realised I do not know how to dance any of your native dances," I admitted, feeling idiotic even as the words left my lips.

He began to chuckle weakly. "You are rather brave, Katherine," he conceded, humour returning to his eyes, "not many people would be ready to risk social ridicule, and learn to dance for the first time at a ball."

He glanced at the orchestra, before observing the guests around us, who were taking up their positions on the dance floor. "If I am not wrong," he mused, "the next dance number should be a Zwiefacher."

I blinked. "Zoowie - "

"Zwiefacher," he repeated slowly for my sake, laughing, "do not worry, I will teach you. It is vaguely similar to the waltz you dance in Monrique, but different."

"How different?" I wanted to know.

His sea-green eyes twinkled. "You will see."

With that, he led me to the far end of the dance floor – as far away from the dais as possible, I presumed – before he drew to a gentle stop, and held out his hand towards me.

I placed my hand hesitantly in his warm one. Gently squeezing my hand, he bade me to curtsey to him at the same time that he bowed to me.

"Now place your other hand behind your back, and face the front," he instructed, "like this." He held the back of his other palm against his back, and turned towards the centre of the dance floor.

I mimicked his stance, and took a deep breath. Almost at once, the orchestra struck up an uplifting, lively tune.

My eyes widened in horror. This is nothing like waltz music.

He straightened up. "Now, we skip," he gently brought us forward by our hands, and made a shuffling movement of sorts with his feet twice, "and on the third beat, we will turn in opposite directions, like this." He turned in an anti-clockwise direction, and turned me clockwise at the same time.

"Continue keeping that hand behind your back, even as you turn," he reminded me, "and we will repeat these steps six times in a circle."

It was then that I noticed five other pairs behind us dancing the same steps as us in an arc, which would eventually become a circle. Taking a deep breath, I followed the Emperor, and I slowly became accustomed to the strange music.

"This is not as bad as I thought it would be, Sire," I twirled, beginning to smile, "quite relaxing, actually."

"It becomes faster," he informed me, amused, "but you are doing very well so far."

As we were nearing the sixth turn, he broke into a small grin. "From this point on, you will no longer follow my movements, but those of the women behind you," he added, chuckling, "good luck, and keep to the music."

What?

I had no time to think, as he suddenly released my hand and stepped towards the centre with the other five gentlemen to form a smaller circle, shuffle between themselves in a criss-cross pattern, and they threw their hands up into the air.

Their female partners, in the meanwhile, remained where they stood, and stepped and swayed from side to side, with their hands on their hips, in our bigger circle.

There was no time to contemplate. I copied the partners instinctively to avoid losing the rhythm, sighing to myself in relief when my movements did not feel too out of place.

Within the next two beats, the Emperor shuffled towards me once more. Before I knew it, he had slipped his hands around my waist, and had drawn me to him in one, swift motion.

My lips parted. By God.

I stared up at him with wide eyes, with my own heart in my mouth and my breath mingled with his.

The corners of his lips pulled up in a smirk. "Is it still relaxing?"

In that moment, I swore I forgot how to breathe.

Without waiting for an answer, he began to whirl me about the circle with grace and precision. I held onto his broad shoulders for dear life, smiling so widely that my cheeks hurt, as the world around us truly became nothing but a blur.

The rest of the dance was a repetition and mixture of the previous steps, and once I understood the sequence and the rhythm, it became easier and easier – and the music only grew faster and faster.

But I danced. I danced and I danced and I danced until I could no longer feel my feet, until every last worry, every last inhibition, flew far and away from my mind.

It was liberating in a way I had not expected it to be.

When the final bars of the music were played, he threw me high up into the air, and caught me, slowly setting me on my feet once more. His sea-green eyes never left my gaze, and his hands remained on my waist, holding me close to him.

"That was wonderful!" I beamed, breathless, "and slightly exhausting." I stepped away from him slightly as I took slow, deep breaths, trying to steady my heart thudding against my ribcage.

He chuckled. "Slightly?"

"All right, very exhausting," I admitted, "in my defence, I had a rather draining day at the Academy before this. If your sister had not bribed me, I would have never come."

"I do not think I want to know the terms of that particular deal," he laughed, "but I am glad you came, all the same." He raised my hand to his lips, and pressed a kiss into my palm.

At that moment, we heard the herald stomp his sceptre three times against the ground, calling for our attention. We turned to the dais, surprised, where both Queen Eleanor and the Dowager Empress stood side by side, facing us all.

Both wore blinding smiles, as they waited for everyone in the ballroom to fall completely silent.

"What are they so happy about?" I was curious.

"I do not know," the Emperor's voice was low, "but it is truly, truly worrying."

At his sombre tone, I turned to look at him.

The earlier happiness in his sea-green eyes had completely vanished. He was frowning heavily, as he stared hard at his mother and Queen Eleanor, almost as if he was trying to read their minds.

"Welcome, one and all, to Amöneburg Palace. We hope you are enjoying the Ball thus far," the Dowager Empress addressed us all, "I am certain you are all well aware that it is being held in honour of all our army officers who have worked very hard for the military display they put up this morning. Thank you, officers."

The men's army bowed, while the rest of us from the Academy curtsied in acknowledgement.

"Why are you so anxious?" I squeezed his hand.

He did not take his eyes off the dais. "They are about to announce something," he murmured, "if I only knew what it is - "

"Surely it is something trivial?" my forehead creased, "the Dowager Empress looks happy enough to me."

"That is exactly what I am worried about," he muttered.

"....in any case, Queen Eleanor of Monrique and I have some excellent news," the Dowager Empress broke into one of her rare smiles, "and we would like to share our joy with all of you."

It was then that chills began to run down my spine, and I sensed that something was not quite right. Although both women were wearing beams on their faces, those beams were not filled with happiness alone.

They were...they were filled with triumph.

I understood now why the Emperor was so tensed.

"After much discussion and negotiations," Queen Eleanor announced, "we are happy to inform all of you, that a royal marriage has been agreed upon, to fulfil the terms of the Treaty of Amöneburg that have been drafted."

The Emperor's countenance drained of all colour at once, and his grip on my hand tightened. I stared at the Dowager Empress, transfixed, unable to move or to think coherently, as cries of happiness rose from everyone around us.

"Natalya's marriage?" I whispered to the Emperor, horrified, "or...or yours?"

"I swear to God, I do not know what the hell is happening," he could barely manage the words, angry and bewildered at the same time, "none of us had come to any kind of agreement. What gave either of them the authority - "

"As discussed, my dearest son, Sebastian VI, Emperor of the Longbournian Nations," the Dowager Empress announced, her voice ringing with certainty and power, "will marry King Frederick of Monrique's niece Lady Madeleine De La Tours, Countess of Auvenge."

My eyes grew round.

Well, fuck.

***