Perilous Waltz

[DecooPunk]

"I was just wondering," Erin replied calmly "It looked almost like you were in some sort of chase with the other two on horse back there riding through the village after at such a great speed."

[silvanis2.0]

"That would be my fault, I'm afraid," said Lachlan, "I asked her to follow us, since she was being harassed by merchants. Tenacious people, they are. I imagine that being a king's official you will be at the ball as well?"

[Wolfsong]

She smiled at the man, taking a strong liking to him. "Oh yes, lets." As she rode beside him, she asked, "May I have your name, at the very least? I am Christina of the Sereas family."

[DecooPunk]

"I see." Erin replied, "Merchants can be a bother, particularly at times like this; and yes, I will be attending the ball tonight also."

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester absentmindedly played with Steady's mane as they rode amid the throngs of people.
"How rude of me," he said, shaking his head at his own faux pas before bowing it respectfully, "I am Forrester, of the Caldwell line. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Christina. Will this be your first time at the castle?"
He was surprised at how easy it was for him to talk to the young noble.
---
Lachlan made note of the king's official. He would have to keep his eyes open for her and others like her once they were at the ball. He was not going to miss this opportunity for finding valuable items to sell.
"Wonderful," he smiled winningly, "it will be nice to know that we are in the presence of such a capable lady. I do not believe I caught your name?"

[DecooPunk]

"My name is Erin of the Adeney family," Erin replied "and actually I had left my acquaintance with a girl who had has a small accident, I should be heading back to see if they are all right. Good day to you all." She said riding back to the main road.

[Wolfsong]

"Forrester Caldwell. That's a nice name," she said. "Yes, this will be my first time. I'm a little nervous, actually," she said, giggling quietly. "Normally, one of my brothers goes with me, but they're a lot busier anymore helping father. It makes me rather sad, sometimes..." She smiled. "I think I'll be alright though."

[silvanis2.0]

"Well, we shall be sure that you are alright, then," he replied with a laugh, "I happen to be off duty today and Erin and I could use some company. What does your father do?"
The conversation seemed to make the long road to the castle a bit shorter. It was not long before colored specks on the horizon became banners and music of the king's minstrels thrummed faintly in the air.
----
"Good day, Lady Adeney!" called Lachlan, breathing a silent sigh of relief and turning to his other two companions, "Well, shall we keep on our way?"

[snailboy]

"Well, Moon," Bertram said. "What did you think of that?"

Moon walked quietly along the main road. Bertram stroked her neck. Despite two horses having speed by her while in the village, nearly trampling her, Moon was completely unfazed as usual. Sometimes Bertram wondered if she was just very stupid, if that was the reason for her calmness. A young woman had come onto the main road, riding a war horse. She wasn't one of those people who had been foolishly tearing about through the village. He rode up beside her.

"Good day," he said.

[Wolfsong]

"My father?" she said brightly. "He does - oh look! There's the castle!" She laughed excitedly, though she kept the rest of her body under control. She wanted to act less like a child and more like a noblewoman, but...there was still so much of the child left in her. "I wonder what this will be like!" she remarked excitedly. A strand of her blonde hair escaped into her face. She raised her hand to put it back into place, and her hand brushed the stiletto hidden in her hair. She started slightly, then finished the movement while asking, "Did you know, one of the instructions was to bring a weapon with you? Would you happen to know why?"

[DecooPunk]

"Oh, hello," Erin said. "Have you happened to seen a knight on horseback with a young noblewoman?"

[snailboy]

"No," Bertram answered. "I haven't. Why are you looking for them? By the way, I'm Bertram of the Donn line."

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester smiled at Christina's excitement. It was endearing.
"From what I gather, there have been some strange disappearances lately," his face fell a little and his hand went to the hilt of his sword, "actually, it has been a matter that we have not been able to resolve yet. I believe we are to bring our weapons for protection. Of course, I have not been on duty for a good week or so, so I have not been able to ask his highness directly."
He looked up at the castle. It was much closer now. He suddenly felt strangely apprehensive. Was there more to these noble disappearances than the king was willing to admit? He glanced around and drew Steady closer to Christina's horse.
Trying to remain cheerful, he asked, "What was your weapon of choice?"

[Wolfsong]

"Disappearances?" Christina shuddered. "That sounds almost like a ghost story. Have you any idea, any at all, of what could be going on?" What she didn't say out loud was: "Could we, his guests, suddenly disappear suddenly?" It was a chilling thought.
"My weapon? Well, I figured something big would be too awkward, and I haven't the strength for one of those swords or things. However, Stephen taught me how to work with knives. He taught me to defend myself, and says I'm very good with a knife. So I brought a stiletto with me." She grinned gleefully. "I've hidden it though. I'm just hoping its a good place..."

[silvanis2.0]

"I dearly wish we had some clues. Whoever is responsible is very good at covering their tracks."
Forrester gave her a sideways glance when she mentioned her stiletto and smirked.
"Certainly m'lady would not keep it in her hair?" he said with an only partially suppressed grin.

[Wolfsong]

Christina only laughed, keeping it sounding light and airy. "Oh no! Too obvious," she replied, laughing. She watched as the castle came closer, then asked somberly, "If I may, could you perhaps give me a hint of what to expect? This is...a big moment for me, and I'm a little nervous."

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester continued to grin to himself.
"The only thing you have to be nervous about is the occasional pickpocket. They like to take advantage of events like this. But then, you know how to use a knife and have an escort, so all will be well," he said reassuringly.
Steady's ears had perked up. He knew that they were close to the stables and therefore close to food and rest. His pace quickened a little.
"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. We will have to stable your horse," he said, patting Steady's neck and pulling on the reins, "some people prefer to do it themselves, but with your ankle the way it is we should probably pay a stable hand to take care of things."

[DecooPunk]

"I'm Erin of the Adeney line. I was traveling with them earlier so I wanted to meet them again." Erin replied. "Actually there they are now."

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester thought he head a familiar voice behind them. He turned in his saddle and knew the orange hair immediately.
"Oh, good, now the party can begin!" he said, standing in his saddle and waving to Erin.
There appeared to be a young man with her. He waved to the stranger, too.

[Ally-Ann]

Josephine didn't respond, and instead, simply waved casually. She seems interesting, Josephine inwardly mused. I like her. Then again, who didn't she like? Anyone outside of her family who was kind to her automatically became a potential friend, so perhaps that woman would be no different than the other "potential friends" of Josephine's that she never actually befriended.

"Good day, Lady Adeney!" the man called before turning to Josephine and Stephania. "Well, shall we keep on our way?" Josephine nodded, a small smile gracing her face. It was nice to have companions that weren't related to you for a change, even if you hardly knew them. As Josephine began to pull on Alphonse's reins-- he kept tapping his front hooves as if he was impatient-- her eyes suddenly widened slightly, and she bowed her head to the man and Stephania.

"My word, I've been rude. I talk to you both as if we were school mates," she started, her cheeks flushing a bit with embarrassment. "My name is Josephine Arnette. It's a pleasure to meet you."

[snailboy]

Bertram nodded in reply to the stranger's greeting. Everything seemed to be somehow different here, away from home. He'd never gone far from home before. He glanced at Lady Adeney, wondering if he had responded in the correct manner.

[silvanis2.0]

"A pleasure, Lady Josephine," said Lachlan, slightly surprised at her sudden introduction.
He looked at their strange little group as if assessing it for the first time. It was odd. Despite the large jump in caste between Lachlan and Stephania and Josephine, they had become friendly far more quickly than he would have ever expected. This boded well. Perhaps everyone's guard would be down for the ball. He squeezed Doyle's sides with his knees to pick up the pace just a little.
"It seems that nothing about today is usual," he chuckled after some thought, "Here we are, three strangers behaving like old friends, carrying weapons to something as innocent as a ball."
---
Forrester watched Erin and her new companion as they made their way up the path. The younger fellow seemed nice enough, if a little on edge. He took a deep breath and sighed. The smell of the castle's gardens sweetened the air a little. He relaxed in his saddle. A week away had been far too long.

[Davidizer13]

"Yes, let us continue," said Stephania, mostly to herself, spurring the horse forward, half-listening to Lachlan and the other noble talk about the ball ahead, lost in her own reverie. She'd never imagined that even before the festival started, she'd be rubbing elbows with noble after noble on the road. Maybe that was all who was going to be there, and she wouldn't be let in to the castle in the first place. What would she do with herself if it came to that?

Another thought came to her, something she had forgotten to plan for, not that she could have anyway. "My lord Lachlan, will there be a place in the city for me to stay? I am but a simple peasant, far distant from any family." She gave Josephine a look, admiring her luxurious hair and jewelry before turning back to the road. Through the gaps in the trees, she could see the walls growing closer again, a looming presence in the distance.

[silvanis2.0]

"There are taverns in the city that sometimes offer rooms," he replied, "they can be quite comfortable, if you can sleep through the noise."
He craned his neck to see the brickwork peeking through the branches.
"Ah, nearly there. Now, there should be an old hollow log on the right side of the trail..."
He squinted down the path, but could not find his landmark. His stomach sunk. He couldn't possibly have gotten them lost. He knew the forest like the back of his hand. Plus, he had stored some rather valuable merchandise in that old log. "Where on earth..." he began, but something glittered and drew his eye. Yes, his stash was there, but the old dry log had been trampled by something. There in the path lay a necklace that he had taken, and it triggered a sense of deja-vu. He had see one like it earlier. He glanced at the back of Stephania's neck and remembered.
"O-oh, yes, I see it now," he stammered, trying to direct his companions' focus toward the castle, "it will be a left in between those two oaks."

[DecooPunk]

Erin waved back to Forrester, "Hello again. This is Bertram," she said smiling at the boy next to her, "He is going to the ball tonight too."

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester nodded affably to Bertram.
"It seems we are in good company! This is Lady Christina, and I am Forrester," he introduced, "we were just about to stable our horses."
Steady stamped a impatiently. It had been a long ride. Forrester chuckled.
"Alright, alright. Let us not waste any more time. There is a ball to go to!"
With that, he turned to the gates and entered. Vendors had already set up shop just inside the gates, but even they could hardly distract from the ornate white horse-shaped fountain that lay ahead. Behind it were superbly maintained gardens that encircled a large courtyard. People had already begun to join in the festivities, dancing a little to the music of the minstrels as they made their way to the long stone steps up to the castle.
Steady jerked the reins out of Forrester's hands and veered to the left, toward the stables, stopping only to inspect a food merchant's carrots.

[Wolfsong]

Christina watched Forrester's horse go off, wondering. Then, slowly, feeling somewhat stupid and exasperatingly helpless, asked, "Forrester, could you help me get down...?" She looked down at the ground and then at her injured foot. It didn't feel quite as bad, but...

[silvanis2.0]

"Oh! I am sorry!"
Forrester pulled Steady away from the carrots and went to help. He slid off of the saddle and held his arms open to lift her down.

[Wolfsong]

"Oh no, its perfectly fine!" she said quickly, reaching out and taking his hands. They were hardened from years of work, but they were still gentle, and she gripped them with a warm smile. "This is a good man," she decided.

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester saw something in Christina's smile that heated something in his chest. He shook it off as best he could. He hardly knew the girl. When he was certain that her feet were steady on the ground, he took her horse's reins.
"I'll take care of the horses," he said, feeling his heart clench when he accidentally locked eyes with her, "will you be alright to stand?"