Odessa

Chapter Seven

Odessa watched the two figures as they travelled all the way to the castle doors, argued with the guards for a bit, and were admitted inside. The hooded man, whose eyes she'd been hoping to catch, never even glanced her way.

She flexed her jaw, perplexed. Why did he seem so familiar? He was like a character from some dream she'd had long ago. She did not know his name, but she knew him.

I have to meet him.

She dashed off the balcony and toward the ballroom, determined to speak to the baffling man who had suddenly stepped into her life.

She made her way down to the second floor and looked down upon the ballroom, gripping a rail. Her jaw dropped; the spacious floor was now filled with hundreds of dignified nobles. She wondered how many of them actually knew Roric at all.

She had to admit that the scene was beautiful. The women's gowns shimmered in the candlelight. Royal families conversed over glasses of fine wine, while children darted out toward the castle garden to play. A five-layer cake dominated a corner of the room, flanked by gifts of all sizes.

Women who passed by Odessa looked upon her beauty with envy, and the men who saw her could not look away. She blushed, wishing that she did not attract so much attention.

A raised platform in the corner of the room seated the royal family. Laira sat on the far left with her stunning dress. Next to her was her mother, Queen Lydia, who looked as young and beautiful as ever. The princess bore a striking resemblance to the brunette queen.

King Ethius made conversation with both ladies, looking pleased. He talked animatedly, using hand gestures to communicate.

The seat to the king's right, where Roric was supposed to sit, was empty. Odessa swallowed and ducked; Roric was probably somewhere in this hall, looking for her.

And then, she caught sight of the man in red. The one who had been walking alongside the hooded man. He stood aside from the crowd, watching them.

Odessa locked her eyes on him and refused to look away. She prayed the gods that he would not move, then dashed toward the nearest staircase, ignoring the stares she received.

She made her way toward him and stopped, casually checking her nails.

The chocolate-haired man seemed to be waiting for something or someone. His eyes flickered about the room, searching. For whatever reason, he did not move.

Odessa swallowed, counted to three, and faced him. "Greetings, traveller. How do you do?" The man seemed not to hear her; he only continued to stroke his goatee and look about him. Odessa cleared her throat. "Hello?"

He jolted and turned toward her, as if he hadn't realized that she was talking to him. Now that he saw her up close, he forgot to breathe. Odessa was the kind of woman that most men only saw in their dreams.

"H-hello," he said, taken aback.

Odessa smiled politely. "My name is Lady Odessa. I am a noble here at the castle. It's nice to meet you, Sir..." She waited.

The man paused for a bit, his eyes flickering back and forth, as if he'd forgotten his name. "I'm, uh, Sir Chise." He seemed to recover.

Odessa wanted to roll her eyes -- she was used to having this kind of impact on men. "Welcome, Sir Chise, to Thestria. Is it to your liking?"

"Oh, yeah, it's quite... beautiful," Chise responded. He could hardly believe his luck at being approached by such a radiant creature. "The castle, I mean. And the weather is nice."

"I'm glad it satisfies you," she said, keeping a polite pretense. She at least knew something about being proper.

She wondered how she could introduce the topic of the hooded man without seeming like she had no interest in Chise. Nevertheless, she was impatient, so she decided to get straight to the point.

"I saw you coming in, earlier..." Odessa murmured, casting her eyes at the floor.

"Yes. I saw you too." Sir Chise smiled.

"And I saw that you were with a man in a hood. I wondered if you could... introduce me to him?" she smiled sheepishly at him, hoping she hadn't hurt his feelings.

At first, Chise frowned, disappointed that she wasn't after him. But all of a sudden, he grinned widely, as if Odessa had suggested the best idea in the world. "Why, of course, Milady! I would be honored to introduce you to him!"