Descendants of the Kings (Book 2)

Ch 53: Springtide hush

"No, no, no, that was awful. Stop this at once."

Ella paused and closed her eyes, tucking her lips into a thin line. Briar gave her a commiserating look.

Ella painted on a tense smile and turned. "Why is it wrong? I am doing it as you said--left box, right box, turn, then twirl."

Lady Rhiannon, perched in an armchair, clicked her tongue fastidiously. "Yes, but you are as stiff as marble. The dance is meant to mimic the springtime breeze--not a scarecrow in a hurricane. So, go again. This time, try to pretend you do not have an iron rod in your spine."

Ella bit back a snarky comment, nodded, and turned back around.

"You're doing much better," Briar whispered encouragingly, before stepping away to begin the dance anew. "You'll get it next time around."

She wouldn't, but Ella appreciated the vote of confidence.

Ella was not a bad dancer. Until recently, she considered herself quite good. She'd taken lessons since childhood, and she knew how to dance all sorts of ballroom numbers. That was all for moot because according to Lady Rhiannon, she was as graceful as a limping troll.

Lady Rhiannon had declared that if she was to avoid bringing shame to the Kingdom, she needed to know at least two--one group dance and one partnered dance. So far, Ella had proven to be a terrible student.

It wasn't all Ella's fault--dances in Rhothomir were structured to death. They were square formations with only five positions, and most of the songs were tunes of eight measures at most. Complicated in theory, but easy to follow after a while.

Dances in Faerie were nothing of the sort. They were all incredibly complex and required more physical contact than Ella was used to. She was used to dancing in groups with many couples, not face-to-face.

As it was, they were practising a pair dance. A complicated affair that involved lots of gliding and turning, flowing around the room and avoiding invisible couples who would be doing the same.

Briar played the lead, as she had vastly more experience than Ella. She held an arm to her waist and clasped their hand up high, gliding them around the room. She braved it remarkably, patient when Ella elbowed her or stepped on her feet.

The piece finished and Ella dipped at the waist, righting and looking at Lady Rhiannon expectantly, a little out of breath. They'd been practising this particular piece for over an hour, and if she had to sashay one more time, she was going to screech.

Lady Rhiannon took her time, settling her cup on the saucer with a small clink. She looked Ella up and down and sighed. "It'll have to do."

Ella's eye twitched, but she forced herself to smile. That was the closest thing to a compliment Lady Rhiannon had given her. A gift horse, if there ever was one.

Ella and Briar went back to the small table and took a seat.

"You have much to practice. You still look like a statue, but it is better," Lady Rhiannon said. "You, on the other hand, my dear, are grace incarnate," she told Briar appreciatively. "A feat, given your dancing partner."

"Thank you, your Grace," Briar murmured, giving Ella an apologetic look.

Ella bit her tongue and served them both tea. She didn't resent Briar--it was true. Only Briar's dancing skills had saved the dance from looking horrendous.

"I am trying to be more natural, but it is difficult," Ella said tightly. "These dances are very... intimate. I do not know how I am expected to be so comfortable with a dance partner I am not acquainted with."