Raven held her father's arm nervously as they dismounted out of the carriage. Hank smiled down at her as she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. She had always wanted to visit the castle. Perhaps he could give her a private tour after the festivities began.
Clair giggled as Raven tried to take even breaths. They weren't even at the castle yet, though the walk across the wooden bridge was a simple delight.
Lanterns were strung up along the edges reflecting the colors of the gorgeous gowns worn by other attendees making their way to the ballroom. Raven followed her family up the spiral staircase that would eventually empty out into the open sky ballroom.
Raven had tried to get Hank to elaborate on the kind of space it was, but Hank only smiled forcing Raven to wait until she could see it herself. She wasn't disappointed as she gasped, grabbing Hanks' arm, making him chuckle softly.
Small trees sprouted out of the massive branch they stood on, forming the walls of the space. White stone floors were polished to reflect the lantern lights, making Raven glance at them in wonder.
However, the stone couldn't keep her gaze away from the brightly colored silks that lined the doors to the massive balcony, overlooking the forest below. Everything was simply marvelous as Hank happily led his girls around the edge of the crowd. The Trayson royalty would be making their entrance shortly and then the festivities would begin.
Raven scanned the crowd, noticing foreign dignitaries with their blond hair and yellow eyes. They were dressed in the colors of Salvino, red and gold, making Raven wonder if they were all dwarfs. She knew from the books that their height could vary greatly, but they still weren't quite what she had been expecting.
The guests from Welpion were trickier to pick out, since they seemed to wear anything that suited them in a rainbow of colors. Though Trayson stuck mostly with the natural colors of the forest in greens and browns.
A horn bellowed over the crowd causing a ripple of silence. Clair reached across her husband to grab Raven's eager hand. On the far side of the massive space, sat a balcony just barely visible over the crowd.
Underneath the balcony, sat the stage of musicians. As they began to play, the double doors on the balcony opened causing Raven to hold her breath. They were beautiful.
Queen Meredith stood in a deep blue gown with her hair pulled back and crown fastened into place. Ivy stood beside her in a green, sleeveless corset top. Her red curls rolling like waves down her back. They both bowed their heads to the guests in welcome before each heading down a staircase on either side of the balcony. Raven bounced around trying to see Ivy's skirt clearly.
"Peacock feathers I would imagine. It looks ravishing on her." Clair decided, making Raven giggle. The peacock dress was lovely on their princess as she went to greet her guests. The music picked up and Clair glanced up at her husband with pleading eyes.
"Excuse me while I take your mother to dance. Look around a little. We'll find you." Hank told his daughter as his wife dragged him out onto the dance floor along with the other druids.
Raven chuckled as she made her way around the edge, trying to get a better view of the balcony. She had to pause when she stepped in front of a large mirror, reflecting the space. It was beautifully carved looking more like it was a part of the tree, instead of added to it.
"It's lovely, isn't it?" Raven jumped meeting the yellow eyes of the stranger standing beside her. His deep red tunic brought out the highlights in his dark tan skin and golden hair. He smiled seductively making Raven blush deeply as she glanced away from him. She wasn't used to such attention. "Is something wrong?" He asked as Raven shook her head.
"Forgive me, I was just caught off guard. The mirror is amazing." Raven told him with a slight bow of her head. He smiled brightly watching as the red dusted her pale cheeks. It wasn't as graceful as Ivy's, becoming blotchy and uneven, but it was sort of charming on her.
"It's quite alright. These sorts of events do tend to provide the unexpected encounter. You never know. Your next true love could be just around the corner." He told her, stepping closer.
Her blush darkened before someone in the mirror made her pale. He glanced up, hesitating when he saw the fetching creature standing beside the other girl. They were the same in height, but otherwise very different girls.
"I didn't expect to see you here." She muttered as Raven paused frowning. Rosila smoothed the front of her soft pink dress, the skirt layered to look like rose petals. It had a high collar, much like Raven’s dress, however, her pink dress lacked sleeves. Just a little ruffled fabric to cover her shoulders.
"I came for school. We have a homework assignment, remember?" Raven told Rosila as she stared at the mirror with false interest. Even her hair was pulled up with flower pins to keep it out of her face, making Raven a little jealous about the state of her own hair. Rosila nodded pausing when the man held out his hand.
"You must be a friend. I am Adam." Adam purred with a devilish smile. Raven hesitated, realizing that next to Rosila, she would never be anyone of interest. As soon as she had appeared, the handsome stranger had turned a blind eye to her.
"Excuse me, I promised this dance to someone." Raven said quickly with an awkward bow. She left the two of them to chat in front of the mirror.
Rosila sighed when she left smiling at the handsome stranger. She could see why Raven might have been interested. But she knew a thing or two about men and this one wasn't any different.
"Rosila." She said politely as she tried not to flinch away from his touch. He had lust filled eyes, too vast to ever be satisfied with one pretty flower. He was simply a spider catching young girls in his web. He bent down and kissed her hand.
"What a perfect name for such an extraordinary beauty." Adam purred at her happily. Rosila giggled nervously to hide her cringe, pausing when she noticed the princess. She pulled away from Adam happily as she curtsied for her future queen.
"Your highness, thank you so much for your invitation. This has truly been a delightful evening. Like a dream." Rosila told her with a small smile. She wasn't lying, but it wasn't turning out like she had hoped. Only men interested in her face approached her and no matter who they claimed to be, they looked just like the rest of the men she was trying to get away from.
"I am so pleased you and your classmates could join us. I have been trying to say hello to everyone, but I am afraid I haven't gotten very far." Ivy told her warmly as Rosila's smile widened.
"Perhaps if I had met you at the bottom of the stairs, other men wouldn't have been tempted to flirt with what is mine." Adam murmured down at Ivy as he placed a hand on her lower back. She blushed frowning as he smiled sweetly for her. Rosila hesitated, realizing that they knew each other quite well.
"I see you have met prince Adam of Salvino. He is one of my royal guests. Your cousin is supposed to be coming, but I haven't seen him yet." Ivy told them unsure as she cast her eyes about. She had never met the elf king of Welpion before, but she assumed she would recognize him when she saw him.
"Suefarlin? He rarely attends such events. If he did show up it will only be until he has met with you or your mother so that he can say he came." Adam sighed looking out at the crowd. Honestly, he hated his cousin. He would rather not run into that nuisance.
"She is not my mother." Ivy bit out quietly. Pausing to glance at Rosila. The young girl smiled as if she understood making Ivy give her a weak shrug. The emotions from earlier were still too fresh.
"Please, I shouldn't be keeping you. The two of you should enjoy a dance before you get stopped again. I look forward to visiting with you again, your majesties." Rosila told them with a bow, before heading off to scan the crowd. Adam watched her go disappointed as Ivy peered up at him.
"Is something wrong? Do you not like to dance?" Ivy asked sweetly as her hair fell over one shoulder.
"Not normally no." Adam told her in a bored tone. She pouted disappointed before he smiled and leaned next to her ear. "But I don't often have the most beautiful girl in the valley as a dance partner. Shall we?" He asked slyly as Ivy blushed and nodded, letting him lead her onto the dance floor.
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