#Queen

[thenwhokilledtheworld]

From The Light Sent Down Chapter 11. Those Who Share The Blood

The canopy over the entrance to Kara Kara Bazaar is scarlet, embroidered with golden thread, so the sandstone under their feet, Sonia’s hair, and the late afternoon sun are all cast in scarlet. Tassels on the edges of the canopy bounce and sway in the breeze blowing over the dunes. A Gerudo with the sides of her head shaved and the rest in a long braid waves a fan made of Molduga fins to cool the air under the canopy. They are waiting to be announced and let into the gate. In this time, Kara Kara Bazaar is walled in, and is nearly the size that Gerudo Town is in her own time. It’s still the one settlement in all the desert where males are permitted entrance, which is why it’s been chosen for the feast at the end of Sonia’s diplomatic tour of Hyrule. Chief Ganondorf should be letting them in at any moment.

“Some delay now,” Bronwyn grumbles through thin lips.

“I think diplomacy is the part of chieftainship he likes the least,” Sonia replies, the ghost of a laugh curling the corners of her mouth. “My little brother would rather be with his books or his soldiers than wining and dining emissaries, unfortunately. We will have to be excellent guests.”

“So no second helpings of dessert?” Asks a crestfallen Danylo.

“Oh, no, I think second helpings are almost mandatory, don’t you? It pays a compliment to our host. I would suggest thirds if you can manage it.”

Zelda hopes that Gerudo desserts will be as good in this time as they are in her own. She has not had any fruitcake at all for several months, which is entirely too long. Only the Gerudo could think of something as wonderful as sponge cake and fruit and whipped cream soaked in cactus fruit liquor. She wonders if anyone will mind if she has four slices all to herself.

A low horn blares a note that echoes over the wall. The Gerudo holding the fan bows deeply to Sonia and says, “Your Holiness. The gates will open momentarily.”

“Come, everyone,” says Sonia. The priestesses array behind her. She dusts off her dress and straightens her crown of golden leaves. Rauru has remained behind, still visiting with the other Zonai. He’ll rejoin them once they’re on their way back to the Great Plateau. Sonia had thought it unwise to have Rauru join them in the Gerudo Desert, since Ganondorf was so wary of Zonai. Sonia still wears her Secret Stone on a chain of bronze and white beads, though, a reminder to all of the power that had been given to her both by the Zonai and the Goddess. She is glowing that evening. It is not even two months before the time for the baby to be born.

On nights like these it’s easy for Link’s absence to feel like a bearable weight. She doesn’t constantly wish to be alone or have to force herself to smile. It’s easy to believe that one day, soon, her power will be enough to carry her home. She has to hope that it’s more than just a comforting feeling.

The gates swing open. Another horn blast ushers them in. They walk through a short tunnel past rows of Gerudo guards standing at attention, although not kneeling, into a large courtyard lit by dozens of burning torches and filled with long, low tables burdened with a rainbow of food and surrounded by jewel-colored cushions. Palm trees planting beneath the paving stones surround the feasting area. Servers wait in archways to the sides with more platters of choice meats and cups of wine. The heralds lower their horns. The whole feasting area is filled with a riot of people from all over Hyrule, almosts none of them Hylian: Rito and Gorons and Zora, many of whom Zelda remembers from their travels. Sefa, the Zora queen. Rondan, the Goron headman. More soldiers along the walls stand and salute when Sonia enters. The Rito elder, an old and reedy character who mainly resembles a duck, is seated on an especially large cushion and talking on and on to Leto, the chief of the Rito archers. Several Zora are reclining at table eating grapes and lemon custard. At the foot of a raised platform bearing a jeweled chair is Ganondorf himself, wearing a long scarlet robe and his hair in what seems like a hundred golden pins and clasps. It’s the first time she’s seen him not bearing his sword.

There are no Hylians besides the priestesses and Zelda. Ganondorf had asked that the feasting be limited to non-Hylians, since none of them had been warring against each other in the last few decades, and he was uncertain about how civil his own people could be toward the Faronese especially. At least, that was how Sonia had explained their conversation. Zelda is not sure, looking at the Kara Kara courtyard, that they could have even fit more people.

“Sister,” he greets Sonia. A hush falls over the already anticipating crowd. Then they bow, all of them, with Ganondorf giving Sonia a deep nod. She lifts her face skyward and lets the amber light of the setting sun shine on her electrum-colored hair. She wears the role of priestess and High Queen wonderfully well.

“The Gerudo bid you welcome.”

“I thank you, brother, for extending your hospitality to us. My priestesses are weary after so many weeks on the road. And thank you, all of you, for coming to join us this evening. It was an honor to come and visit you and Hyrule, and an additional honor that you would make the journey to the southwest for this banquet.” A Gerudo servant in a long filmy veil rushes over with a goblet of something golden and translucent. Sonia takes it from her with a polite and quiet thank you. Ganondorf has been given his own cup by another server. They lift the goblets toward each other.

“To Hyrule.”

“To Sonia.”

They each drink. The crowd erupts into applause.

Several Gerudo attendants escort Sonia to sit beside her brother. A quartet in one corner strikes up a song on drum, flute, and sithar. Several high-ranking Gerudo sitting near Ganondorf sing along to the music. No one comes to lead the priestesses to their seats. It doesn’t seem like anyone except Sonia and Ganondorf really have their own seats. A young Rito girl and two Zora children are all sitting on one cushion, scarfing down their food. The Gorons are seated with several Gerudo warriors, talking about their preferred ways of killing Lizalfos. It’s much less rigid than the Zonai banquet had been, although no less splendid.

“Shall we sit with the Gerudo? It seems only appropriate,” Zelda suggests. She is personally wondering if her ability with the Gerudo language in her own time will translate to any proficiency in this one.

“Would you mind if I sat with the Rito?” asks Chanti, who is from Faron and is nervously clutching at Ana’s sleeve.

“Yes, let’s spread out,” Ana agrees.

“I’ll come with you, Zelda,” says Danylo.

“Hmph,” says Bronwyn, who has not been enjoying the dry desert air or the harsh sun, and who goes to join several Zora elders and two older Gerudo women sitting in the shade of a date palm.

Zelda and Danylo find two cushions right beside Sonia and Ganondorf’s seats with a group of Gerudo warriors in formal uniforms and one in a white sari with an emerald at her throat.

“Are you a new priestess?” asks one of the warriors, eyeing Zelda’s mushroom-printed tunic. The look the warrior gives her is an almost-successful attempt at bland politeness that reminds Zelda exactly of Link’s response to her enjoyment of mushroom clothes. Link’s response to her coming home one day with a mushroom-printed lavender dress with enormous pockets was to hmm through thin lips and then to say, it has pockets. She had once overheard him telling Sidon that Cece was committing ‘blasphemy against perfectly good mushrooms.’ She misses him. The Secret Stone burns against her chest, her one way home. Danylo looks at her with veiled concern.

“Ah, no, actually. I’m Zelda. I’m a, a friend of her majesty. And you?”

“Iqra.”

“I’m Danylo.”

“Saira,” says another warrior.

“Farafh,” says a third.

“I am Captain Jarailu,” says the woman in the white sari. “General of the Chief’s battalions.”

Zelda notices a ceremonial but wicked-looking scimitar at Captain Jarailu’s hip, thinner but longer than Urbosa’s preferred blade.

“It’s an honor to meet you,” says Zelda.

“The honor is all ours,” Jarailu answers. Where Urbosa would have answered with a quip and an echoing laugh, Jarailu is stiff and formal, constantly sweeping her eyes across the perimeter of the courtyard. “I hope your journey wasn’t too tiring.”

“Not in the least. I’m very happy to be on solid ground again. The Zonai city was so high up,” Danylo declares. She sips at her drink.

“The view of the desert was incredible, though.” Zelda enthuses. “Queen Sonia pointed out all of the towns and the great pyramid to us. I couldn’t believe how enormous the pyramid was! We could see the steps even from the sky. And we watched the sun set over the desert. It was so beautiful.”

“The Zonai keep that view all to themselves, huh?” says Iqra. Jarailu shoots her a look of brief annoyance.

“They were very kind hosts,” Zelda replies, wishing she were a more adept politician. Sonia, a dozen feet away, gives Zelda a momentary but encouraging smile. “I’m sure they would be happy to have the Gerudo as their guests.”

“It is very high up, though,” Danylo reminds them.

“It might be nice someday,” says Saira.

“Peace does have its benefits,” says Jarailu.

“While it lasts,” says Iqra, lightly. “Oh look, cake.”

A server stands over their low table. When the server sets a plate down in front of Zelda, she can practically hear the voice of her etiquette tutor telling her to not pull faces. It’s supposed to be fruitcake. She thinks . She’s honestly not sure. It looks like burnt scrambled eggs baked in a bread tin. There is no whipped cream and no fresh fruit. Instead, the sponge is packed full of fruit, among which she can only identify bananas and raisins. Zelda hates raisins. She forks off the smallest bite possible and raises it to her mouth. There is not even any cactus liquor in it; instead it’s dry as chalk. Zelda has to chug her wine in an unladylike manner to be able to choke the miserable stuff down. First there is the dessert-less Zonai banquet and now this, an even worse outrage against dessert. Even the aftertaste is enough to make Zelda’s eyes water.

“Lady Zelda, are you well?” asks Captain Jarailu.

“Very,” Zelda croaks.

After a course of heart soup and pickled hydromelon, Zelda is able to claim when asked that she is simply too full from the other delicious food to finish her fruitcake. At the table, they make small talk of the weather and their families, and Zelda learns that Archaic Gerudo and the Gerudo she knows have almost nothing in common except for grammatical structure. Another server comes around with plates of pit-roasted tenderloin, setting one in front of Saira, Danylo, Iqra, and Jarailu, but by the time she gets to Zelda and Danylo, her platter is empty.

“My apologies,” she says, lowering her eyes. “I will see if there is more.”

Apparently there isn’t. All around the courtyard, Zelda overhears other servers giving murmured apologies to the guests. There is a plate before Queen Sefa, but not before any of her warriors. There’s one for the Rito elder and for Teba, but not for the Rito children playing by the musicians. She takes a quick look over her shoulder and sees several of the guests lifting their empty cups to servers who don’t seem to notice them. The conversations buzz and lull. Sonia leans over to Ganondorf and says,

“Is something wrong?”

“Perhaps something amiss in the kitchens.” He waves her off. “I’ll have it seen to.”

The evening wears on. The sun goes down. Additional torches are lit along with lamps set among the dishes on the tables. Zelda finds herself listening again to the words exchanged between Sonia and Ganondorf while Danylo goes on and on about something Jarailu is trying heroically to pay attention to.

“I’m sorry if this all was ill-advised,” Sonia frets. “I hope that it didn’t take you unprepared. We could have had the feast elsewhere.”

“I offered,” says Ganondorf evenly. “Now that we are not at the throats of the Hylians every spring, I’m eager to let the rest of, ah, Hyrule see some of our splendors. It’s a pity about the wine.”

“It’s lovely to see you again so soon after the coronation.”

“An honor to host the Queen of Hyrule,” Ganondorf replies. “How do you feel your efforts have been received?”

“Which of my efforts?”

“Toward maintaining the peace.”

“Yes. They’ve gone well, I think. It helps that the clans were the ones who had originally begun the meetings on the Plateau, so there is still much momentum to be had from that. Of course there’s been some violence from smaller groups, but nothing large-scale. I have a great deal of hope that it will succeed.”

“What were the opinions of the Zonai about all of it?”

Sonia laughs. “I think they were happy to hear they’d have more peaceable neighbors. I’m optimistic that there can be more trade with them now that more hands can be occupied with artisanship and farming instead of warmaking.”

“You’re becoming quite the politician.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. There’s so much that I’m sure you know that I don’t. I am becoming quite the diplomat, I think. It’s not so different than being High Priestess. People bringing their problems and needing comfort and answers. I feel I am quite prepared for it. The administrative work, on the other hand… I don’t know that I would have accepted the crown if I’d known how much meeting with advisors and reading accounts there would be.”

Ganondorf chuckles. “You know you’re allowed to have assistance with that sort of thing.”

“One day. I want to make sure I’m familiar with how it all works first. I’d be happy for any of your advice.”

Ganondorf is suddenly somber. Sonia puts her hand on his arm in concern. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s the Zonai I’m worried for,” he tells her.

“What for?”

“I don’t mean to suggest anything about their nature at all, of which I know very little.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sonia, I have commanded armies. You have lived in your Temple where no sword can be drawn since you were fifteen and I was only a boy. There are things you… things I want you to understand.”

“You can tell me what your thoughts are. I don’t want you to feel that you must hold your tongue because I am Queen if that’s what this is.”

“Nothing brings people together like a common enemy,” he says, his voice so quiet that Zelda, close to them as she is, can barely hear it at all. “When they agreed to peace and swore their fealty to you, they gained much; I won’t deny that. But their desire for a common enemy may turn elsewhere. I hope it doesn’t turn outside of Hyrule.”

“You don’t think…”

“I hope not,” he repeats.

“It would be terrible,” she whispers. “I hope it will never come to that.”

“So do I,” says Ganondorf. “I have something to show for our guests.”

He claps his hands together, and the sound is so loud that the conversation across the courtyard halts immediately. He rises from his seat, an imposing figure, still holding out his arms. He steps down from the platform.

“Before some of us retire for the evening,” he announces. “I would like to put on a bit of a demonstration for our honored guests in my sister’s honor.”

The musicians all go silent, all except for the drummer, who keeps a slow and rhythmic beat going as Ganondorf rolls up his sleeves.

He lifts his hands. Tiny glittering lines shoot up from outside the walls toward the night sky. Zelda thinks they’re fireworks at first until they swoop down into the courtyard, darting through the courtyard like fairies. They grow brighter, then there are more of them, then there are glowing spheres rising from the torches, and shadows, dancing and laughing. One of the Zora girls squeals with delight and reaches out to touch an arcing line of magic zig-zagging across the feast table. Every breastplate and earring in the whole courtyard is flashing with the reflection of Ganondorf’s magic. The drum is rejoined by the flute, then the sithar, the music gaining tempo as the magic swirls around the courtyard faster and faster, twisting together into one thread growing upward like a tree, then racing up like an arrow, until it’s just one dot, one little star. It explodes apart and rains down in a hundred streamers, like the biggest firework she’s ever seen.

Zelda does not need a mirror to know that her face is as white as ash. She looks to Sonia, who is laughing and applauding with the rest of them. It’s not the magic itself that makes her stomach turn to lead. It’s the color of the magic. It is as purple-red as the magic that took Link’s arm. It is as crimson as the magic that killed Zelda’s father.

She should have known. She had guessed, but she should have known. She had thought that Ganondorf was named after Calamity Ganon, but no— it is named after him. Perhaps in a way it even is him. Her heart is thunder in her ears. Against her chest, the stone burns like an iron. Sonia will not believe her. Maybe even Rauru will not believe her. What if she has to face this completely alone, without Link, without anyone? And is that not what he’s doing in the future— facing Ganondorf reanimated, completely alone, where she cannot help him? What could they ever do without each other? What can they do against this?

Zelda turns to hide her stricken expression and her shaking hands, but her eye catches on Jarailu, whose face is illuminated in the dying embers of Ganondorf’s display. Her face is like stone, her jaw set, her eyes narrow. The guests think this is only a show, but it’s a threat. Chief Jarailu, captain of Ganondorf’s forces, knows it’s a threat. And she seems none too pleased.

more here!

[figureskatingfanblog]

Early 23-24 Music Announcements

 Men

Sihyeong Lee (KOR) - SP: Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve, performed by The Crown (choreo by Katherine Hill & Benjamin Agosto) ; Cloud by Elias (choreo by Joshua Farris)

Yaroslav Paniot (USA) - SP: choreo by Rohene Ward (unknown music atm); FP - The Show Must Go On (choreo by Katherine Hill and Benjamin Agosto)

Koshiro Shimada (JPN) - FP: Danse Macabre

Dinh Tran (USA) - SP: L.O.V.E

Juheon Lee (KOR) - FP: Game of Thrones (soundtrack)

Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) will be keeping his programs from the 22-23 season.

Women

Starr Andrews (USA) - SP: Alien Superstar

Hanna Harrell (USA) - SP:  Malagueña (Electro); FP: Adagio in G (Epic)

Jill Heiner (USA) - FP: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Audrey Shin (USA) - SP: Pina (soundtrack); FP: Skyfall

Rion Sumiyoshi (JPN) - SP: Blood in the Water (choreo by Misha Ge); FP: Enchantress

Ahsun Yu (KOR) - FP: The Queen’s Gambit (soundtrack)

Dabin Choi (KOR) - SP: Hymne L’Amour; FP: Lovers (Chuno OST)

Pairs

Valentina Plazas / Maximilliano Fernandez (USA) FP - Top Gun: Maverick (soundtrack)

Anastasiia Smirnova / Danylo Siiantsya (USA) - SP: Earned It by The Weekend (Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack); FP - Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth (ft. Emeli Sande)

Linzy Fitzpatrick / Keyton Bearinger (USA) - FP: Pirates of the Carribean (soundtrack)

Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel (GER) will be reusing their 22-23 FP.

Sara Conti / Niccolo Macii (ITA) will be reusing their 22-23 FP.

Ice Dancing

Misato Komatsubara / Tim Koleto (JPN) - RD: Ghostbusters

[wicked-suits-blog]

New 👏 better 👏 tags 👏 dump

[nebula-horizon]

Fusions + personalities [ NOT ACCEPTING ]

Marzell already done here (x)

Okay! This is hella overdue and I don’t have a good excuse other than laziness. This is for @wicked-suits from about a month ago. Three of these are new, but the Harper/Celeste fusion is a redux from an old fusion ask from a few months ago.

Fusion personalities/Songs and dances under the cut cause this is A LOT.

Luca + Celeste

“You never listen to me… Now look what happened to you; Serves you right.”

Name: Osiris

Dominant in the fusion:  Equal Control

Height: 9’9

Misc: This is the second to last fusion that everyone wants to see mostly because they act rather stand offish at first. They tend to be like “I told you so!” mostly to Marzell, who hates Osiris the most due to their bossy attitude and their “unsatisfied with everything” personality. It’s rare to even see them praise anyone genuinely without scoffing or being pouty. Of course a lot of this stems from both Celeste and Luca’s dissatisfaction not with each other, but with themselves; projecting a lot of their dissatisfaction onto others as a way to distract themselves from their own flaws and self-disappointments.  

Osiris can get very teary eyed when they’re affronted by their own imperfections and can get pretty emotional. It can occasionally lead to a lot of lashing out at whoever happens to be there, but the violence never escalates because Celeste keeps Luca from getting too violent. Like every other fusion, Osiris has some ups to them that makes them useful. They’re not too flashy with their fighting style and being able to use flight helps make easy kills and kidnapping enemies without a sound seeing as how their legs are nonexistent.

They don’t ever like being with their thoughts, afraid of what they’ll think of while they’re just alone. It’s not that Luca and Celeste have a toxic friendship that causes this type of fusion, but more like that their personalities just don’t mesh well as Osiris.

Fusion Song: Don’t let me down

Fusion Dance: Solo One Million Dance Studio

Danylo + Celeste

“Rest your eyes and I will be here to heal you…”

Name: Centauri

Dominant in the fusion: Somewhat equal, but Danylo usually is in control

Height: Can vary from 5’6 to 11’0 depending on their form

Misc: Osiris may not have legs, but Centauri is the real ethereal ghost here. Despite the demonic looking eyes, they’re very peaceful and kind to the core. Like the fused participants, Centauri is wonderful with children and is very similar to a caretaker. They’re very good with soothing people and can heal small wounds, which makes them a good team cleric or nurse or whatever. Though their methods of soothing people can be considered creepy to some as they tend to envelope people with… whatever is under the cloak – most likely their arms, but no one really thinks Centauri has a physical body aside from that under the cloak.

They can change their depending on the situation: For instance, if a kid needed healing, Centauri would be at a normal height to fix their scratches. Though their comforting aura isn’t just to relax people under their care; Centauri uses it against enemies to lull them into a false sense of security and cause them to drop their guard. Their voice is soothing and their smile is sweet enough to fake out enemies and cause hallucinations, but this is also why everyone else is a little… creeped out by them. They tend to just appear out of nowhere and lurk behind people for a bit and they like to hum when everything is quiet. Though to be honest, that’s just Centauri being a bit care free and not knowing that they scare people sometimes.

Centauri is a sweet giant who likes to care for kids and those in pain; their intentions are just a bit misunderstood.

Fusion Song: Angels by Owl City

Fusion Dance: Happy - Sori Na dance cover

Kirill + Celeste

“You should run along and let me handle this, kid. Just let a pro do their thing!”

Name: Titania

Dominant in the fusion: Kirill during serious situations, Celeste most of the other time

Height: 12’8

Misc: Titania is, in short, a more controlled version of the next fusion. They’re a very pretty, yet dangerously strong fusion with probably the most human looks out of the other fusions. This allows Titania to pass as super human and thanks to Kirill, they’re able to do things without causing too much of a fuss and getting things done efficiently. Sometimes they like to show off during a fight depending on the severity of the situation – After all, they’re strong enough to not need a weapon so of course they’ll occasionally show it off by flexing a couple times in battle.

Though Titania can’t stay fused for long and that’s because they’ll get too comfortable as themselves if they do. Other than their height and freakish strength, Titania can pretend to be human enough to forget that they’re a fusion if Kirill and Celeste are together for way longer than needed. This was proven when Titania disappeared after a fight and didn’t come back for a couple days. When they did return, they had several new tattoos running along their arm and abdomen (It still shows up when Kirill and Celeste fuse now). It became clear to everyone that if they didn’t separate, Titania would become their own being and might not unfuse at all.

Someone has to remind Titania to unfuse after a fight as to prevent this from happening; sometimes they’d get a bit pouty or sad because they have so much fun being themselves. Out of all the fusions, Titania feels like a completely separate person from who their made up of and it’s scary how easily they could just forget who they use to be. It could even lead to them forgetting how strong they really are and then it becomes a risk to even let Kirill and Celeste fuse. Even so, at the end of the day, the both of them have had a lot of fun because of Titania.

Fusion Song: Hey Mama Galwaro remix

Fusion Dance: Sugar Choreo One Million Dance cover

Harper + Celeste

“Feels good being king… or queen or whatever.  All I know is, it feels good to be me~”

Name: Callisto

Dominant in the fusion: Harper

Height: 21’3

Misc: A himedere in every sense of the word, Callisto appears to be a rather stuck up fusion who acts like they’re royalty. Despite this, they’re strong as hell – stronger than Titania – and they’re always up for a challenge to prove that they’re the best (And every time they win, it’s no surprise to them.). As expected, Callisto is extremely unstable due to the strained relationship of the two participants and can have their outbursts of rudeness or petty behavior. However, that doesn’t stop either Harper or Celeste from having a great time, seeing as how both of them get an immense adrenaline rush when they’re Callisto.  Admittedly, they both feel a little guilty afterwards seeing how destructive they get as Callisto, but the guilt doesn’t last long.

The explosive relationship between the two has led to Callisto being chaotic and thus banned to being a last resort ONLY – Which is, admittedly, for the best because not only do they get disastrous, but they also get immense emotional backlash from being fused.

Their emotions are amplified while fused and passed along to the other, which can be difficult to deal with. It causes Callisto to be emotionally incapacitated depending on how severe it is. So even though they get so much joy from being themselves, they can also feel incredible grief and anger if they aren’t careful.

Fusion Song: I’m coming after you by Owl City

Fusion Dance:  Déjà vu choreo by One million dance studio

[webmdog]

Un Ojo Para Una Vida (Part 1)

I’ll post this in parts, but it’s a little story attached to lore from my askblog, @ask-the-iron-queen, more specifically, a bit of backstory on the new character introduced, Lady Melissa Foster.

The characters here are human, unlike how they are pokemon in the blog. 

Read on if you’re interested.

I knew from the day we separated that he would come crawling back to me.

What I didn't know was that being of flesh, blood and bone once more would come with an unspoken price.

Shadows of a past that I never knew, a past that wasn't even mine. These heavy shadows being lugged behind me and constantly eating at my very existence - following me around, making me feel anxious and uneasy.

This is especially true given the flesh and bone that make me up now doesn’t even belong to me.  Or, it didn’t anyway. I’m still adjusting.

One shadow that I do welcome with open arms, even until this day, is the fateful evening that I was reunited with my beloved. While this was my own shadow of the past, what I feared was a shadow that wasn’t my own. If it wasn’t for the shadow of my flesh, blood and bone, then I wouldn’t have met my love one again. While thankful, this night had somewhat traumatized me for years to come. The velvet puddle under the limp, suited body is engraved into the insides of my eyelids, even now after about 10 years. I can’t help but feel like it was my fault, but I have no recollection of the person that was dead in front of me, even though he recognized me.

It was rather cool that evening and for the first time in years, the Renaissance King Fernando, the first monarch of the Royal Isles, had finally hosted yet another Royal Ball. The timing was a bit weird, because unlike the first time he hosted such an event at Castillo Hayañil, he seemed to randomly call for it in the midst of the infamous Cryptic War. Not that there were any imminent threats at the time since most soldiers were sent overseas to fight battles and the city was generally untouched, but stuff like this Royal Ball were usually held during peacetime, when feelings of anxiety and fear were but a distant memory.

I remember bringing this very point up to Lady Katherine Foxwell, Fernando’s advisor and head of El Departamento de la Guerra (Department of War) for the Royal Isles. She was a generally bubbly personality and as expected, she just smiled and said:

“Why not? Another Royal Ball would help ease the tension a bit for the Royal Islanders! Sure, it would be better to use it as a celebration for the end of the war, but God knows when it’ll end! Might as well have some fun now and get our minds off it.”

Immediately, I knew that Fernando’s decision to host this event in the castle was heavily influenced by Katherine. Most of his decisions were, after all. The man was generally stubborn and strong-willed but when it came to Katherine, he became putty in her hands. It was clear that the pair shared some sort of romantic bond, but none of that was any of my business at all. Either way, a few weeks later the Royal Ball commenced nonetheless. Fernando’s troops, the Soldados Sombras (Shadow Soldiers) were being shipped over to the nations of the Contrasoviet Confederation and Himilaya to fight off Dictatorial Forces under King Thapa and Tsar Danylo, who were in an alliance with Fernando’s nemesis, Tobias Messieri. Some stuck around here in Hayañil to train and to keep guard of the castillo. Thank God for them though, bless their brave souls. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I’d be here writing this following the disaster that occurred during the ball.

Anyway, the Royal Ball, yes. It was a lovely little event. Katherine of course casually invited me weeks in advance and I immediately bought a lovely lavender flamenco dress and did my hair the way those Flamenco girls do. I mean, I surely wasn’t the only one who wore this outfit, but I felt like it would be fitting. The last Royal Ball had a ton of tango pieces performed by the talented Royal Musicians after all, and I’d very much rather do that than waltz.

(More under the cut!)

My date was an older man, roughly in his 40’s I believe. A very notable man too. A college professor by the name of Guillermo Escudero. For a man of his age, he was outstandingly handsome and looked like he was in at least his 30’s, with ginger hair that looked like fire and tranquil blue eyes that seemed to take your breath away. He had a number of freckles right under his eyes, and he almost looked like a kid. But god, he was such a heartthrob. Though maybe that’s just me talking. I met him while working on one of Fernando’s war machines one day, I decided to work outside rather than in the hangar to get some fresh air and he kept saying “Hi” to me and starting chit chat every time he walked back from his daily lectures. He was a history professor or something, he always loved the topic of Piracy’s Golden Age. You know, those stereotypical pirates that say “Arrrrrgh” and “X marks the spot” and shit like that.

He really loved what he did, and I really admired that in a man. The small talk he and I engaged in soon evolved to full-on dating and though we never really did anything physical, we were the best of friends. Hell, this Royal Ball was the first time we’d even touch one another in some way and we were both completely okay with that. But there was something about him that reminded me of Finn, oh my sweet Finn. He was a darling too, but I don’t think there was a way I could see him again after we got separated those many years ago. I guess dating similar-looking guys was a bit of a coping mechanism or something.

The Dance was held in the ballroom of the newly erected Castillo Hayañil, King Fernando’s castle in the center of the city. The chandelier dangling from the stone ceiling glowed dimly, with the faux diamonds that hung from it’s arms and around the light bulbs refracting the faint orange light throughout the ballroom. The polished stone floors were gently draped over by a velvet red carpet with gilded lining and against the walls were marble tables with punch and small refreshments, from empanadas to chicharrones con vinagre. The stone pillars and wooden interior balconies towered above the dancers below at the edges of the room, small candlelit lanterns burning gently on each side, helping the chandelier above bring more light to the show beneath them all. A large wooden door was left ajar at the front of the room - clearly the entrance to the ballroom, and two winding staircases made of polished wood, led up to the top balconies on the front and back of the castle as well as other rooms. On the walls behind the pillars were paintings of all kinds, made by all kinds of uncredited artists, works that I’ve never even seen before placed in golden frames that had leaves carved into them as well as other intricate patterns. Each painting had the Royal Islander Coat of Arms carved into the top of the frame - El Diamante de Casa Boromeo (the Diamond of Casa Borromeo).

Those participating in the Royal Ball were mostly the prominent of Hayañil that were invited by either Katherine or Fernando but others that attended were usual citizens that were able to afford tickets to get in. Not that I minded that, it’s nice to get to mingle with people you’ve never met before and get to know them. One couple I met was particularly interesting. They both moved from the wasteland that was the United States to Hayañil at the start of the war since the husband, Francisco, wanted to serve as part of Fernando’s Soldados Sombras. Francisco was a doctor and his wife, Marie, was a nurse. He was registered to practice here in Hayañil and so was his wife, but the war had given him other things to do. He fought in the bloody “Batalla de Roma” a few years prior while his wife stayed in Hayañil to practice nursing. When he returned he was put on reserve and since then, has been getting to know the capital city and the people that lived in it a little more. Hence, why he and his wife were here. He wanted to get to meet the other professionals of the city, and he was definitely in the right place for that. He claimed that he lived in the city of Rey de Los Islas before it was even called that, but he didn’t really go into detail.

We all came flooding in with big ol’ smiles on our faces when the clocktower outside struck 7pm that night, couples dressed in elaborate dresses of different colors and suits or tuxes of different cuts and styles. The decor of the ballroom was rather simple, with banners of the Royal Isles’ flag pinned to the stone walls of the room between each glimmering candle lantern. But the elaborate chandelier, the paintings on the wall and the sculptures on the tables of food were what garnered the most attention. The musicians were setting up their music stands and tuning their instruments in an area toward the back of the room, right between the two large staircases. They all stood in front of a large glass door that overlooked a small grassy field, the jungle beyond it seen in the distance. Obviously the uncharted area of Hayañil.

After about 15 minutes of preparing the music to be performed for the evening, I saw the castle maid, La Eterna herself, Cecilia Lacroix readying her violin with a grin and a nod toward the Royal Conductor. He nodded back in understanding and curled his fingers on the ivory of his piano to prepare his piece. As soon as the music played, the dancers began to hold each other and start performing all kinds of complicated, circus-worthy twirls and twists while holding one another. This was when Guillermo jokingly knelt on one knee in front of me, kissed the back of my hand and with a smile asked “Puedo tener esta danza?” (May I have this dance?) I quickly fixed my hair and replied with an excited “Sí, mi amor.” before we began to embrace and move along to the music, our movements melodiously coordinating with the violins.

I know this is probably getting rather dull by now, but no worries. I won’t go into detail about how the night went on before shit went down. Besides, it was basically just Guillermo and I getting to know each other and dancing the night away with the others while some were off to the side socializing and munching on goodies and admiring the paintings between the pillars and whatnot. At one point, a very strange song began to play in the midst of people just mingling and talking that caught us all of guard and next thing we know a couple comes down from the upper balcony and starts waltzing in the center of the ballroom like it was nobody’s business. Of course, this couple was Lady Katherine and King Fernando but they were dancing together, for the very first time. It pretty much confirmed the talk of the town that Fernando and Katherine had a thing for one another, but man did they did they turn heads, that night. Katherine had this elaborate silk gown was absolutely dazzling. Very European in style with all kinds of shades of yellow and even some white and red thrown in the mix. It was like she was straight out of a ballroom in Vienna or something. Fernando, on the other hand didn’t even seem to dress formally, only wearing his usual buttoned silk shirt with the  battlement-shaped patterns on the cuffs and the bottoms of the shirt with black dress pants and dress shoes, still donning the onyx crown upon his head. It was a cute little waltz, they both looked absolutely adorable! According to Cecilia, the waltz they played was a piece written by Katherine herself, which was surprising given I had no idea that she had musical skills in her. Honestly, I think that was the first time in years I’ve seen Fernando’s face light up like that. Who knew that all it really took was a short little brunette wearing an elaborate, yellow silk gown to make the miserable son of a bitch smile? She was clearly having a ball, and the two seemed to have a lot of chemistry together. Its a shame they never really went anywhere with that relationship.