Alcingeria

Chapter Forty: The Ball

Chapter Forty The Ball:

Thursday July 1st 1690

I opened my eyes. It was the day of Princess Estaire's ball.

"Good morning." Lawrence said cheerily from across the room.

"How can you be so cheery when you only sleep once every forty eight hours?" I asked with a laugh.

Lawrence shrugged.

"You get used to it," he shrugged. "Well, not really. You find ways to deal with it. Coffee is quite good for that, when we can get our hands on it. Chocolate, too."

He had no trolley of tea this morning. Then again I suppose there would be food and drink aplenty at the ball.

"You should get changed into your ballroom clothes," he said. "You and the others will be expected soon."

I nodded, grabbed the clothes and shoes off my nightstand and went to the bathroom to change. I slipped into them and stepped out into the room again. I placed my old clothes on the nightstand.

"Not too shabby," Lawrence said, sizing me up.

"Thanks." I replied with a grin.

Lawrence motioned to the door.

"You really should be going. It would be terribly impolite to dawdle."

I started walking to the door but stopped short.

"Wait, you're not coming?"

Lawrence shook his head.

"A servant cannot attend a ball as a guest, and the official list of servants for the ball has already been comprised. If I show up and I'm not on the list, I will be suspected of being a spy, or worse."

I nodded. I didn't really understand, but to an extent I did. Maybe he was being paranoid, maybe he wasn't. Regardless, it wasn't worth the risk.

"Okay then. I'll see you later then." I said with a wave as I stepped out the door.

"Indeed, sir."

As soon as I stepped out of my room I heard the faint sound of music coming from below. I descended the staircase and came to the grand entrance. I saw people walking through the entryway, greeting each other. Some were old, some were young, but they all had one thing in common; their clothes. They all were dressed in formal attire, most of which were a tad more extravagant than mine.

I walked to the ballroom along with the other people. It seemed that with each the music grew louder. When I approached the door, I saw the colorful banners studded with roses, and the doors was also decorated with various banners of several colors. The doors were open and inside I could see that more tables had been set up than when Lawrence and I were last in here. I walked inside and looked for a place to sit. I saw the others beckoning me over to a table and I broke out into a grin, the atmosphere already taking me in.

"You're just in time, Redmond." Don said as I walked up.

Just as the other people who were coming in behind me entered the room and were seated, someone closed the doors. In front of us was a stage surrounded by tables. There was a band playing fast, upbeat string music along with some percussion. They all had various instruments like violins, cellos and drums. There was even a piano! Behind us was a large dance floor and above us were balconies. In minutes the band stopped playing and stepped off stage. A man wearing crisp silken robes took their place.