➸◈①◈➸

            A letter had come to our palace. Not the ones usually hidden away by father and Erlan about the movements at the kingdom borders, but a letter with a carrier from the neighbouring Kingdom, who presented the message about a ball. War was what a lot feared to come from a letter, but this letter brought cakes and bouquets with dances and princes in polished leather jackets. Father sighed and agreed to organize a ball for the neighbouring Kingdom and Verlo as a fellow friendship sign. Omarga had been suffering from Questin’s attacks for over a year now and father wished he could offer help, but he couldn't even promise his own people's safety let alone help another kingdom, so this ball would be a small step. I slipped through the halls with the exciting news for Erlan.

            “We're going to have a ball! Here! In our palace! We haven't had those since mother passed!” I said, bursting into the wizard's little den. I stumbled over my words again, but I couldn't find Erlan. Had he left? A croak came from the windowsill and then the bird flu to the table in the room where Erlan kept all his writing. Rafael waved with his little beak to the side of the room where I found the wizard rubbing his eyes in bed. “You are sleeping while such big news have come to our palace!” I disappointingly stood there with my arms crossed and Erlan jumped out of bed with fear, grabbing his coat and stuffing his pockets with stuff from the shelves.

            Fear was something I had never seen in his eyes, and it startled me. “Where's your father?” He asked with a rush to his voice that filled the room with urgency.

            “It's . . It's a ball, the one with dances,” I said with a whisper, and I saw Erlan sink back to his usual self.

             “Oh,” he exclaimed, “then I will be needing better dressing!” He then attended to remove the mess out of his pockets. I wanted to chuckle with laughter, but I was too worried after the stunt Erlan had pulled. It was the war he awaited, wasn't it? But even all mighty wizard Erlan Dolos shouldn't fear it, right? hadn't he and father sorted everything out for peace to settle their minds of the certainty they had built? Even the wizard's den seemed to fill itself with doubt.

            Rafael seemed to understand too.

            He kept looking down at his feet as if he too was sad, but then the little bird started moving his feet in a little dance. “Are you going to find a princess for the ball too?” Erlan asked, and the joy in his eyes was back. The little bird burst with enjoyment of the attention he was getting, stomping his feet and trying to imitate a dance.

            “Be sure to find a fine one! You know this is such a big opportunity for me to find a prince myself. I might even get married off!” Erlan’s spirit lifted up to the happiness I brought to the room. “Oh, how I miss it so much! These are the moments to live for! You'll love it, Erlan! There will be food and music, princes in fine clothing and dances till late night!” I was so impatient for it to finally come, although I had been waiting only since morning.

            “I will leave the princes to you, Astra!” He said, brushing his coat down, indicating that he was ready.

            “Does that mean you are not going?” He couldn't not go. Surely, he too dreamt about balls in palaces. He might have been to all the places in the world, but there's no way he could skip a ball just like that. Even compared to a beautiful seaside, this was far better.

            “Well,” he kept to himself, grabbing some maps and closing the door to the wizard den, then leaving it on a loose thread that I so wished I could pull to my advantage. “I will leave it up to your father.”