The Evil Awakens

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

The hall was alive with joy and merriment. The musicians were playing harmoniously while the guests drank, feasted, and danced the night away in what was, as some would say, a night of prosperity. Even the king himself was more inebriated than he should be. Though he had been like that a lot in recent days. Many of the court members attributed it to the fact that many men of his position grow far more apathetic as they age. It was certainly true with King Galston, though from time to time he still managed to show how much he cared about his kingdom.

Raulet sat at the head table, downing another cup of wine. The main ceremonies had lasted longer than he would have liked. Though many of the gifts that had been given were quite extraordinary. But a gift he would have traded all of them for would have been for his own brother to attend. He knew Presebal was busier than ever now with his lordship, but surely he could have made time for this. In the end, however, raulet almost envied Presebal, for this wedding was not exactly the life event he had most looked forward to.

He turned to his new wife, opening his mouth to say something, but he closed it the next moment. What exactly was he supposed to say? The last time they had met was at the tournament in Golding, and neither of them were more than five years at the time. Sure, this marriage was supposed to ensure an alliance between their families, but there were few other perks he could identify so far.

Glancing across the hall, Raulet could see Ettrian aimlessly flirting with a passing serving girl. It was odd, he thought, that Ettrian could be so uncaring and loose while his own sister remained quiet and seemingly inattentive.

Of course he couldn't really say much in that regard. His mind was elsewhere as well. They still had a good portion of their army intervening in some civil war on the far side of Altiman, and for what? It was merely a ploy for his father to flex his muscles at the world. And now the tensions here were growing stronger every day.

 

[AlagasianFlame]

Eleanor sat stiffly in her wooden-backed chair. The sounds of merriment surrounded them, making it hard to hear much of anything. She had picked nervously at her food, but for the most part was too nervous to eat. She knew her marriage to the man next to her was important to both her kingdom and his, but that didn't make it any less awkward.

She glanced to her right and cringed. There were plenty of loud guests at the party, but she was quite sure that the loudest was her elder brother, Ruvyn. He was laughing with a group of his warrior friends, all of whom had clearly been drinking. She assumed Ettrain would be flirting with one of the girls in the crowd, and didn't bother looking for him. After a minute or two of searching, her eyes locked with those of her sister, Loxly. She gave Eleanor a mysterious smirk before her husband regained her attention.

At some point, she realized the amount of tension between her and Raulet was a bit too much for her liking. "Well, dear," she turned to her new husband, "what do you think of the gifts that were brought? Are they to your liking?"

 

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

Raulet was a little surprised by her sudden effort to strike up a conversation. Though he had to admit, it was slow going and rather uncomfortable when neither of them really cared for speaking all that much tonight. Perhaps some conversation would make the night more enjoyable. Then again, he did not really have much to say to her at all. He doubted she wanted to hear of his exploits on the battlefield, and she was probably even less likely to care for tales of old kings and wars from centuries past.

"They are quite magnificent," he replied as he put on a smile. In situations like this the most important bit was to keep a pleasant image, and a simple smile usually did the trick. How he felt mattered little as long as everyone believed he was happy. "Your home must have a wealthy supply of gold, given how many of the Feoran guests brought something of the sort." There quite a few gifts that were either coated with gold plate or simply made completely of gold. One lord even gave them an entire suit of armor made completely of gold, which of course would be useless in battle but would make for a wonderful display in the great hall.

Before he could think of a return question, however, his sister Kyline approached them with a warm smile. "Good evening," she said to the both of them before turning her complete attention to Raulet. "Would you give your favorite sister the honor of a dance?" It was nothing he did not expect. The two of them had always been fairly close, though anytime they went off on a small adventure as kids it was usually because Kyline had hoodwinked him into it.

"Well Anyalla seems to be preoccupied at the moment, but I suppose I could make do with you for now," he replied sarcastically. Before he could say much else she had already whisked him away from the table.

 

[AlagasianFlame]

Eleanor let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Having fun, sister dearest?" She jolted upright at the voice in her ear.
"Loxly! Don't do that." Eleanor whispered angrily as her older sibling chuckled.
"Oh dear, I was just having a bit of fun." She rested a manicured hand on her shoulder. "Speaking of which, you really do not look like you are enjoying this entire thing."
"Please," Eleanor groaned, "explain to me what exactly I'm supposed to enjoy." She rested her head on her hand. "I've just been sold off to a man I hardly know." Loxly let loose a fake gasp.
"You mean you don't see it?" Eleanor glared. "Oh dear, I thought you would have caught on." Loxly sighed dramatically. "You have power now, dear. Power over two entirely different kingdoms."
"What?" Eleanor turned to her sister in confusion.
"Oh dear, you are important for both kingdoms now. It won't be hard getting anything at this point; from something as simple as information to a good amount of political influence." The elder sibling gave a twisted smirk. "You always did have a knack for political dealings." Eleanor bared her teeth.
"I appreciate your company sister dearest" She shifted from a growl to a sickly-sweet smile. "But I'm afraid it is protocol to dance with my new husband at this point. Good day." With that, she gracefully stood and walked quickly through the crowd in search of Raulet.

 

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

As Kyline wrapped her arms around Raulet's neck, she let him lead her in time with the slow, elegant music. "Brother dearest, you seem less than overjoyed tonight. I do hope no one has poisoned your wine. That would make such a mess of things. And your wife would be devastated, I am sure."

Raulet rolled his eyes and continued the dance. "Maybe I am simply lacking an interest in culture, but there are more important things for me to be worrying about right now. Father has sent a large chunk of our force to Altiman for a silly power struggle in the middle of a continent with little to offer us in return. And now the kingdoms of Taolor and Soton are growing even less happy with us. Tell me again why I should be excited for a wedding, even if it is my own."

He was slightly taken aback by her strength when she smacked him hard across the shoulder. "You are such a child sometimes. Has growing up with three sisters taught you nothing about women? Is it too much to ask you to drop your duties for one night and possibly make your new wife feel a little more welcome in her new home?"

He could not argue with her. Even if he had come up with a plausible excuse, he had never been good at following up against her retorts. Instead he shook his head with frustration. "I don't know. I have too many things to worry about sometimes."

 

[AlagasianFlame]

Pushing her way through clusters of people, Eleanor frowned deeply. She didn't like the uneasy feeling that was growing in the pit of her stomach. Her corset was beginning to feel restrictive, and she had to remind herself to breath naturally. She spotted Raulet dancing with his sister a little ways away. She tried to reach them, but was stopped when a few guests approached and began to congratulate her. Quickly thanking them, she backed away and tried another route. Why did we invite this many people to our wedding? She wondered idly, before realizing that she in fact had not invited anyone. They weren't actually here to see the marriage of Eleanor and Raulet, it was just another joining of a prince and a princess for the sake of the kingdoms. She suddenly felt very lonely and unimportant.

Pushing that thought away, she eventually reached her husband and sister-in-law. "Ah, sister Kyline," Eleanor breathed as she reached the pair. "You wouldn't mind if I stole Raulet for a while, would you?"

 

[Jalapenohitchhiker]

Kyline resisted the urge to smack Raulet upside the head. "Sometimes I wonder if you even remember that there is life outside of your responsibilities. Perhaps one day you should stop trying to be so much like Presebal and remember that. Take some time for yourself once in a while."

Raulet was on the verge of a retort when Eleanor popped up seemingly out of nowhere, asking to be with her husband for a while. That was certainly not something he had expected. Perhaps Kyline was right about a few things. Either way, his sister was not sticking around much longer. Her eyes were focused on a tall blonde woman near the large wooden doors. He rolled his eyes with amusement. The king had never been fond of her affection for other women, and he even threatened to excommunicate her once. But she was clever and skillful when going unnoticed was the objective.

She wandered off towards her new target, giving Raulet a look that easily said something along the lines of "Don't forget what I told you." He turned his attention to Eleanor, gently gripping her hand. "Would you honor me with a dance, my lady?"

 

[AlagasianFlame]

"Of course, dear." She smiled nervously at Raulet and took his other hand, facing him completely. As the musicians began another song, she allowed herself to relax slightly. The rhythm of music had always been a comfort to her, and she loved the way the melody dipped and swelled at just the right times. She inhaled and exhaled slowly and she allowed herself a small grin as she swayed easily to the music. A light brush on her hand reminded her about her company. "Oh, er, right," she stuttered, a light blush gracing her cheeks. She peered at her new husband, and frowned with worry when she saw that he appeared to be in deep thought. "Are you ok, dear? You seem a bit distant."