**OLD DRAFT**Sworn: Book 2 of Protectors**OLD DRAFT**

Chapter 3

  Jade found a spot along the wall to stand like stone; she kept an eye on Reiner who sat only a few feet away while he ate alongside his family. The long table was full of nobles and knights and highborn. The hall was tall and grand and elaborately decorated with paintings and tapestries. Tall candlesticks lit the table and torches lined the walls to illuminate the great ceiling above, which was painted as well. Jade kept her back to the wall and Phantom sat like stone next to her He sniffed the air and kept an eye on the servants that stopped at Reiner to pour him wine or bring more food.

                Thatcher was only a few feet away, also keeping an eye on Charles, though he seemed to be more relaxed about everything than Jade. She glanced at him for only a moment, but I don't think Charles has tried to be assassinated, so he doesn't have reason to be worried.

                Jade's stomach growled quietly from the smell of all the food, but she knew she wouldn't eat until later after everything had quieted down. The dinner went on for six courses. Jade used the time to mark the royal family to memory, she wasn't sure how often she would come into contact with them, but she wanted to make sure she at least knew who was who and when to address them properly. The king and queen sat at the head of the table. At one point Jade caught the queen's gaze. She smiled at Jade and then leaned over and spoke to her husband who looked up at Jade while his wife spoke. Jade looked away quickly and kept her attention on Reiner. Heat crept up her neck and onto her cheeks. It was unnerving knowing the queen and king were talking about Jade, but she had no idea what they might be saying, so she tried to ignore the fact.

                After dinner was finished the king and queen led the way into the ballroom. Jade found that it was even grander than the throne room. The floors were patterned with white and black marble, the ceiling was domed and painting with white clouds and a blue sky, just like the throne room. But there was no glass in this ceiling, gold was inlayed in elaborate designs around the ceiling and partly down the pillars. Faces of angels seemed to burst from the marble itself, they held the roof with their great wings and watched the people below them. Jade was amazed at the architecture and the great care of all the details within the room. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling reflecting the candles hidden within it. She wondered how many servants it took to light it and how long it took them to raise it again.  There was a spiral staircase on one end of the ball room, and a pair of great doors at the top, across from where they had entered from the great hall the wall was lined with tall glass doors and windows that stretched almost to the roof, revealing a patio and a grand garden. The doors were open, allowing the cool night air to fill the room. There was a small ensemble of men and woman playing instruments in the corner. The moment the king and queen entered they began to play. The kind and queen started the waltz and soon other joined in until the floor was swirling with dresses and colors.

                Thatcher came and stood next to Jade, who had tucked herself in a spot along the wall between two marble columns. Woman sat along the edge of the ballroom in provided seating, accepting glasses of wine from servants, who also offered delicate sweets on silver trays. Reiner appeared and disappeared repeatedly on the dancefloor, he held a beautiful girl in his hands who wore a blue dress that slimmed her waist and floated out around her body like a cloud. Jade watched as Reiner's lips moved and hers responded, a conversation that Jade couldn't hear.

                "You don't seem to be enjoying yourself," Thatcher leaned back against a pillar and grabbed a small finger cake off a passing tray.

                Jade lost sight of Reiner and looked at him, "I'm not here to enjoy myself am I?"

                "I suppose not, but that doesn't mean you have to torture yourself. I was like you the first few months, stiff and serious, always repeating my training in my mind. You'll learn quickly that no one really cares, no one notices what we do."