Post 7

The next fortnight was a blur for Arius. He slept deeply and dreamlessly each night aided by Eithna’s potions, and woke each morning feeling, if not entirely rested, at least somewhat energized. His days were filled with Rayna, from lessons to conversations to daily rides in the surrounding countryside. Aside from a candlemark each day to practice with his men, every waking moment was spent with her. She poured information into his head until he thought it would burst. She taught him to dance, although she was careful to keep her distance from him physically, and she taught him how to sip tea and make inane conversation. She taught him who he needed to know about at Court, and when the two of them took their midday meal and supper publicly in the dining hall, she casually pointed out faces to go along with the names. Arius was disturbed to find out that he knew several of the names already from the people who had sought refuge in Ragged Valley.

Jared and Eithna had begun visiting with them in his suite in the evenings, and Jared and Arius had taken to challenging each other with the elaborately-carved chess set. Jared had been pleased to discover that Arius knew how to play, and indeed played relatively well. An uneasy truce had developed between the two women as Eithna saw how relaxed Arius had become in Rayna’s company.

One evening, right after Arius’ new wardrobe had come in Rayna looked up from the book she had been reading. “Will you be attending Lady Glamora’s ball, Lady Eithna?”

Eithna shrugged. “I hadn’t decided, actually. I rarely attend balls if I can help it. Not that I don’t enjoy dancing… Why?”

“I thought it might be best to have a few more supporters there when we present Arius to his first Court function.”

Arius paused with a pawn in hand, glancing over at the women, wondering what Rayna was planning. She met his gaze squarely, and he shrugged and turned his attention back to the game, but he was listening carefully as they continued to talk.

“So soon? Do you think he’s ready for that? Er- no offense meant, of course, Arius.” Eithna flushed slightly. He shrugged and didn’t look away from the board. He would be the first to admit that he might not be ready.

“I think so. He’s quite an intelligent man, is our Ari.” He heard a slight shuffle as Rayna tucked a ribbon in the book to mark her place and set it aside. “This event has the advantage of being here in your father’s lordship, so we wouldn’t have far to travel.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t be a hardship for us to attend. I’ll send along our acceptance in the morning.” There was hesitation in Eithna’s voice.

There was only satisfaction in Rayna’s voice. “Wonderful.”

Arius glanced up once again. “Thank you, Eithna.” It would be nice to have more support there, watching to ensure he didn’t step wrong. He had his own doubts about ‘being ready,’ but Rayna had stubbornly made her decision, and he had pledged himself willing to go along no matter what.

Eithna looked startled. “For what?” He just shrugged and returned again to the chessboard, watching Jared carefully move his piece. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the surprised look that the women shared.

“I’m sure he appreciates your support, Eithna. As do I. He may not look it, but he is nervous about this first foray.” Nervous hardly covered it. “He will do fine, he is more than ready, but I doubt he will believe that until the night is over and he has to concede that I was right. After all, what man really knows how a ball works? All they do is show up to eat, drink, gamble, and leer at the pretty chits in their evening best. It’s up to us women to understand and traverse the intricacies.”

“I believe Lady Rayna is presenting you with a peace offering, my dear. I suggest you take it.” Jared was smiling, but he didn’t even lift his gaze from the board as Arius considered his next move. “But then, what do us men know of intricacies?”

Arius moved his bishop and glanced back over to the women. Eithna had turned a suspicious glare to Rayna, but apparently seeing nothing subversive in the other woman’s nod, she let the glare fall away and nodded in return. If the look on Eithna’s face wasn’t entirely happy, at least it was much less apprehensive.

“While we are all here, we need a more elaborate story, Arius. I’ve been plotting with Lord Wensellas, and between the two of us we’ve come up with something.”

Suddenly Rayna had his full attention. It bothered him when plans changed. He frowned. “But I thought I was some Baron’s son.”

“No, we felt it would be best if we kept things a little more… Well, just more.”

“What do you mean?” He set down the piece he’d been ready to move and the game was abandoned as he turned towards her.

“Well, while the High Lord’s lordship is quite large, we thought it might be best to keep things a little more… mysterious. Why reveal where you are from, or at least the lie of it, only to have to make changes in the future? This large lordship isn’t that large, after all, and we’d hate to have the lie found out. We’d rather not reveal that you have been sent on behalf of Ragged Valley, of course, but I think it best to settle for stating that you are from somewhere distant. It is distant, of a sort, isn’t it?” She smiled prettily. “So we aren’t going to say where you are from. As the emissary of Ragged Valley, you could be a baron in your own right, and so we will name you a baron; Baron Arius. We can be vague about your homeland, and I am completely certain you are capable of vague, Ari.”

Jared cast a grin Arius’ way, but he was completely focused on Rayna and only caught it from the corner of his eye.

“Ari, you don’t think the master of Ragged Valley will mind, do you?” She tapped her lips with a fingertip, thinking. “I hadn’t thought of that, and Lord Wensellas didn’t bring it up either.”

Arius took a deep breath. “I doubt he would mind much, Rayna. I’ve been given…” He paused, considering his words. Here was a place to tread cautiously. Rayna was the only one in the room that didn’t know he was really Veyga. “Well, I’ve been given full authority to act on behalf of Ragged Valley as if I were its Lord. Think of me as the… public face, of sorts.” Public face? As if he had ever tried to be more than a citizen. It almost made him laugh.

“Hm.” Rayna tapped her lips again, thinking. “That should work well then. I do think it best not to mention Ragged Valley at all, at least for the time being. There are many baronies from other lands outside High Lord Gregor’s lordship that you could be from, and few will even have the foresight to consider it. Most of the lot is a vapid mess, anyway.” She met his gaze steadily, and he braced for her next question. “I know you don’t plan to reveal any more information about yourself than needed, Arius, but I have to ask- do you have a surname that we could use?”

Eithna tensed, and Arius didn’t miss the comforting look Jared gave her before she settled back down. He frowned, considering. “I suppose I do, at that. It’s a name I haven’t used in… well… a long time.” He hesitated again, mired in thought, and then met Rayna’s gaze steadily. “Brand, my surname is Brand.”

“Baron Arius Brand, then. So be it.” Rayna nodded firmly. Eithna and Jared nodded agreement, and the four settled back into their companionable silence, with only the sounds of turning pages and the soft clicks of the chess pieces against the board.

༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦ ༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦ ༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦

Arius looked at his reflection in complete dismay. “Are you sure I have to wear this?” She had entered the room shortly after his valet ducked out, and only now had she let him turn toward the full-length looking glass on a stand that she’d had brought to his bedchamber.

Rayna met his reflected gaze with surprise. “Of course I am sure. Do you have a better idea?”

He swallowed hard. “Well… no.” He looked himself over again, noting the strain that showed at the corner of his eye.

The black hose was made of some sort of thin fabric, clearly designed to be snug-fitting and visibly outlining his groin and every ridge of muscle in his legs in near excruciating detail. His boots, made of skin-tight but supple leather dyed black, rose to just below his knees, and had tall tops folded halfway down his calves. They were comfortable, he would admit that much, but certainly didn’t help the hose to leave anything to the imagination. At least the white shirt was of a looser fit, although he didn’t see how much that helped with the snug jacket over top of it. The jacket was sewn from shimmery black brocade embroidered all over with silver thread. If he didn’t know better, he would think the needlework was a close copy of the tattoos that traced across his chest, arms and back. But surely the one look Rayna had had, while the tailor was taking his measurements, wasn’t long enough for her to have memorized the intricate pattern. Designed to button from mid-chest to waist, and close-fitting along the arms and across his shoulders, it then flared slightly over his hips to mid-way down his thighs. Only the hanging fabric, split in the front, covered the details that his hose revealed. Surely everyone would be catching glimpses as he walked of far more than he had ever planned to reveal. He didn’t even want to think about what might show while he danced.

The white shirt sported a fall of lace at collar and cuffs and all in all he thought he looked rather effeminate in the getup. When he said as much to Rayna she laughed delightedly. “Effeminate! Trust me, Arius, you could never look effeminate. You look fine, and every woman in the room will be seething with envy when I walk in on your arm.” She continued to fuss with his hair, having already brushed it out for a hundred strokes or more. He doubted he had ever paid that much attention to it himself, but he at least had put his foot down when she had suggested cutting it. Instead she settled for plaiting it into an elaborately worked braid that hung down the center of his back, not even trusting the staff; she had used her own two hands to do the work. She tied the end off with a black velvet ribbon and stepped back to examine her handiwork. The smile crept across her face, sheer pleasure shining from her eyes.

“Well? I look all right? I don’t look like the idiot I feel like?” Surely he could find a way out of this. Maybe he could claim to be ill. But then odds were, Eithna would be called, and she’d catch him out in the lie.

Rayna met his gaze in the looking glass again. “You look ravishing, Ari. Stop fussing. You’ll be the belle of the ball.” She giggled a little as he turned to give her a deadpan stare. “I’m joking, of course. It is just too adorable that you are so nervous.”

Arius glanced down at himself. “If you think so.” He turned his stare towards her, taking in the shimmering gown that she wore. The deep burgundy color set off her pale skin nicely, and the floor-length full skirts were embroidered with silver thread in a pattern complimentary to that on his jacket. The bodice was incredibly low cut and the tiny little sleeves sat just below her shoulders. Long black gloves stopped just above her elbows. “You look… ravishing.”

Rayna smiled prettily and patted her elaborately twined hairstyle. “Do you think so?” She had done something with cosmetics that made her lovely eyes mysterious and smoky, and her plump lips had been darkened with some sort of stain.

Arius swallowed hard. “I do.” He stepped away from her and sent calming thoughts through his brain, horrified of the idea of having a reaction to her nearness with this skin-tight hose.

“What a pretty picture we shall make then. You will be an instant hit, I promise. Do you remember everything I’ve taught you?”

He nodded, and she gave him one more look-over, tapping one black-gloved fingertip against her stained lips. “Hm. One more detail…” She turned to the little table nearby and picked up two roses that were strikingly close to the color of her dress. She tucked one into her hair, peering around him to see her reflection in the large looking-glass, and then she tucked the other into the lapel of his jacket. “There, now I’ve put my mark on you. This will tell any ladies attending that while you may flirt as much as you’d like, you will be leaving the party with me tonight.”

He stared at her soberly while she tucked the roses into place. “Will I?” Was she hinting at more than it seemed? He was never sure with women. Should he read more into her comment?

She paused, looking up at him expectantly. “Will you what?”

“Be leaving the party with you tonight.” He waited to gauge her reaction, wondering if he was fool. If she wasn’t hinting…

Rayna frowned slightly. “Of course, who else would you leave with? I will respect that you don’t wish to bed me, but I’ll not be made a fool of, to have you off cavorting with another-.”

He stopped her with a kiss, and in only a span of seconds she was clinging to his shoulders as his arms wrapped around her. Their lips met, dueled, slid away, and then met again. Finally he pulled away from her, and she backed up swiftly, her breath catching. Had he judged her wrong after all? “What… What was that all about?”

He met her surprised gaze soberly. “I never said I didn’t want to bed you, Rayna. I’ve wanted you since the first time I set eyes on you.” He sent a quick prayer up to the Gods. Please, let her understand what he was trying to say.

“You stubborn man, why have you been keeping me at arm’s length then?” She stomped one slipper-clad foot in frustration.

He rubbed the back of his neck, but didn’t look away from her wide brown eyes. “I guess I was just being spineless. Are you sure we have to go to this ball?” He glanced toward his interior door, the one that led to the huge four-poster bed with the canopy.

Rayna waggled a finger at him. “Oh, no you don’t. Let’s go. We could always make an early night of things…” She smiled wickedly and motioned to the other door. “Now come, it’s time for you to make your grand entrance into Court.”

He let her lead him off, still not completely sure that he’d made the right move in this chess game.

༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦ ༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦ ༄◦°˚°◦.◦°˚ˆ*♡∗.◦