Sacrifice

Chapter 6 - The Ball

Feylanna returned shortly, and there was no more time for worrying. The hours passed in a flurry of primping and priming. By the time the sun was starting to set, all the young ladies who were to be presented at court that season were cued up by a set of great oak doors. Finally, trumpets sounded, and a matronly woman led them out into the ballroom.

The mighty room was almost entirely constructed of ornately sculpted marble. The Crown Prince sat on the dais at the far end, surrounded by his court. To Kalli's right were great arches opening into lush gardens. The young ladies lined up on the left side of the room where tables dressed in flowers would eventually hold drinks and delicacies. A herald stepped forward and, addressing the Crown Prince, began to introduce them one at a time. Upon introduction, the young lady in question floated forward, executed a deep curtsy and then returned to the line. Every so often when a young lady of notable wealth or beauty stepped forward, the murmuring among the court, especially the eligible young men, would increase.

Kalli's name was called, and she stepped out onto the ballroom floor. Face to face with the Crown Prince, she could see his proud yet handsome face arranged with a mask of polite interest. But the tapping of his fingers on the arm of his throne told a different story. As the herald wrapped up a summary of Kalli's lineage, she curtsied low. The Crown Prince merely nodded, and she gratefully returned to her place in the line.

As the introductions ended, the young men in the room took their places opposite the young ladies. To her peers' disappointment, it was tradition for the Crown Prince to dance first with the married woman who had done the presentation, not with one of the debutants.

Kalli recognized the young man who was her partner as the fifth son of a very broke Viscount and, thus, of no interest to her father. They danced nicely as the music played and made polite conversation. When the music ended, Kalli retreated towards the outer edge of the room, only to be stopped by Delilah, Lacey and Annabella.

"You mustn't stop dancing!" Delilah exclaimed. "Not while the Crown Prince is still on the floor. If you do, he might think that you're not fond of it and not ask you."

The other girls were nodding in agreement, though Annabella looked somewhat put out that Kalli would continue to be among the competition.

So Kalli stayed for another dance and another. Partway through her fourth, she silently made plans to escape into the garden once the music stopped. She had danced with a different young man each time and had been forced to laugh at the same joke four times. In short, they were all as dull as rocks covered in mud.

Kalli sent a silent thanks to the Crown Prince who quit dancing after the fourth song, which meant that Kalli could retreat to converse with her friends rather than be forced to escape to the garden.

She listened to Delilah and the others compare their potential conquests.

"Well, what do you expect from a man who holds the monopoly on the cinnamon trade?" Lacey asked, flicking her fan casually. "Brains and riches? The question you should really be asking yourself Annabella is if a two million dinas per year is enough to compensate for the fact that he is on the outs with the Emperor."

Everyone giggled as Annabella eyed the man in question.

"What of you?" Delilah asked Kalli. "Have you managed to set your eye on a suitor?"

Kalli smiled back determined to enjoy at least part of this experience. "Why bother?" she asked. "If all I want is to hear a list of Katara scores and play-by-plays, I can simply set my com-pack to play the sports report."

There were gasps from her friends and embarrassed laughter from the others.

"That is simply shameful," said Lacey.