Cloak and Scalpel

ABERLEEN ARC: Spectacular Escape

The banquet was in full swing by the time Amy, Cameron and I returned to the dining hall.  The guests had already begun to dine while Aamon and I had been away.  He now sat at the head of the opulent dining table, flanked on his left by Silvanna and an empty seat on his right.  The atmosphere was genial, and laughter floated around the table.  The orchestra had struck up a relaxing melody.

Amy and Cameron bustled off to their seats and the head butler of Castle Aberleen, George, guided me towards the empty seat beside Aamon.  Remembering what Aamon and I had done, I tried to fight off the blush on my face as George pulled my seat out for me.

"Thank you," I told the butler, looking up at him with a smile.

He blinked at me and bowed his head.  "My lady," he said as he retreated.

"Ah, I take it this is the lady I've been wanting to meet!"

Across from me sat Silvanna, the Princess and heir to the throne of the Moniyan Empire.  She was striking in a way her in-game artwork wasn't.  Her honey blonde hair had been pulled back into an elegant chignon at her nape, tendrils of hair framing a lovely face with bright gray eyes, and perfect bow-shaped lips.

"Your Highness," Aamon said, smiling at Silvanna.  "My fiancée, the Lady Diana Parker."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," she said.  "I would have preferred that we meet during your engagement ball, but the circumstances..." Her voice trailed off delicately, and she offered me a polite smile.  "We are glad that you are safe and sound, and in good health."

"Thank you," I said, smiling at her.  She had a way of making people feel relaxed and open.  No wonder she was depicted in the lore as being beloved by her people.  She had a bright and cheerful charisma as opposed to Aamon's silent, domineering presence.

"If the duke permits, I would like to have a little chat with you both after dinner, over some tea," Silvanna went on with a sip of her wine.  "I have important matters I wish to discuss.  My Lightborn troops will be in attendance, if that is all right with His Grace?"

"If it is your will, Your Highness," Aamon said, inclining his head politely in her direction.

Beside Silvanna sat Granger, a member of the Lightborn troops. He served as the marksman in their squad, with a deadly aim that rivaled Lesley's.  He was glancing around the table, eyes alert to any danger to the Princess.  Beside him sat the other members of the squad; Tigreal, a handsome, hulking man who was their captain; Fanny, Tigreal's sister, a vibrant young woman who served as their assassin; Harith, the silver-haired young leonin who served as the group's mage; and, lastly, Alucard, who sat the furthest away from Silvanna, was the group's fighter.  I hadn't seen him since Azrya, and that had felt like a lifetime ago.

Sensing my gaze, he looked up and gave me a cheerful wave before returning to his conversation with Vas.

Underneath the table, I felt a warm hand on my knee, interrupting my observation of the guests.  I glanced towards Aamon.  He smirked as he leaned close to me.  "You've yet to touch your food," he pointed out.

I glanced at my plate, which was still piled high with roast and potatoes.  "Oh, sorry, I was thinking," I said as I quickly took up my knife and fork.

He kept his hand on my knee, his fingers kneading my skin.  I tried to ignore the blush that was creeping slowly along my cheeks.  This guy, really.

I threw him a subtle glare and pulled my knee away from his grasp.  He grinned at me, eyes twinkling with that same expression he had in the drawing room when he'd...

Sensing the direction my thoughts had taken, he gently pushed his glass of wine towards me.  "It seems my darling fiancée might need a drink," he said softly.  "Aberleen does tend to get a bit...hot during the Summer Solstice."