In the great hall of the Deep Palace of Drok Moran, music played. A string quintet provided melody and tempo for the dancers on the floor. Like ribbons caught in the wind, ladies' gowns flared and caught the gaslight. The lords in their pressed suits and blazers moved with deliberate grace. Laughter was soft and polite, the conversation subdued. Yet it was the wine that served most to lighten their hearts— made them forget the enemy outside their walls.

    The head attendant at the grand entryway looked down at the card naming the fashionably late arrivals. His eyes widened with sudden apprehension before rising to the young woman who had given it to him. His lips parted. His knees shook.

    A slight gesture urged him to proceed.

    With a bow, the attendant obeyed. He turned towards the great hall and struck the end of his weighted staff against the floor in two clear raps that echoed throughout the room.

    "Announcing... Her Imperial Majesty, Enfri the Yora, Lady of Opals, Dragon Empress of Shan Alee. Escorted by Her Exalted Highness, Princess Jin Algara of Althandor."

    The reaction began as soon as the word "imperial" was uttered, and it fell deeper with each word that followed. It was like a wet blanket had just been tossed over a campfire. All conversation died down, the dancers fell still, and one of the musicians even dropped her cello. King Fen's gala ground to a halt as every eye within the hall was drawn to the new arrivals.

    Enfri glided through the entrance, her hand in Jin's. Side by side they came forward beneath the combined stares of the Nadian court. As one, they dipped into slow curtseys.

    If nothing else, Enfri thought, I think we made an impression.

    Her gown was meant to catch attention. It was silver silk, shimmering and radiant. The asymmetrical design bared Enfri's left arm, exposing the colorful tattoos of dragons coiling across her brown skin. The hem and right sleeve were trimmed with black lace, and Enfri wore a pendant set with a large pink opal around her neck. Emeralds were on her fingers and hung from her ears, bringing out the green of her eyes. Her golden hair was worn down and unadorned. It flowed over her shoulders like a river of sunlight.

    All in all, Enfri thought she looked rather fetching for the wicked empress of an ancient empire of legend. It was Jin's doing, every stitch of it. Enfri couldn't fathom the first thing about the fashions of the Five Kingdoms. Her choices of clothing rarely extended beyond comfort and modesty. If not for Jin's insistence, she'd have never stepped out into public in something like this that showed some leg and cleavage. She nearly hadn't anyway.

    Under so much scrutiny, Enfri worked hard to maintain her composure. She'd never dealt well with crowds looking at her— a weakness an empress couldn't afford.   

    Jin bore it immeasurably better. Calm and stoic as a stone. Her own gown of green trimmed in silver bore the colors of House Yora. A corset in a darker shade of green cinched her waist, and sapphires sparkled from around her neck. In a rare occurrence, Jin had her black hair up, bound by a net of woven silver. She wore long armbands and fingerless gloves, and her skirt was slit up the right thigh and short enough to expose her ankles.

    She was Enfri's light. Her princess and her true love. Enfri could hardly imagine a woman more beautiful. Jin's eyes, piercing blue with slit pupils, looked around the room without a hint of anxiety. Jin was several inches taller with milky pale skin and a strong frame of defined muscles. From experience, Enfri knew Jin was strong enough to pick her up effortlessly using one arm. It made their dances wondrously exhilarating.

    The party-goers must have thought Jin was some kind of fiend by the way they looked on her with naked fear. But that paled in comparison to how they looked at Enfri. She was a demon in their midst.

    Enfri tried not to be insulted.

    The nobles closest to the entrance backed away. Honor guards in full plate around the room held their ceremonial spears in both hands as if expecting a battle to break out. The gala became as a sheet of glass with a web of cracks throughout its surface. A silk thread's breadth from shattering.

    The enemy was no longer outside the walls.

    Before another moment passed, a clear and high-pitched voice broke through the silence from among the dancers. "Did I hear that right? Did they just announce Jin?"

    Enfri blinked in surprise as a young girl hurtled out from the dance floor.

    She couldn't have been older than ten. She had her cerulean skirt held up above her ankles as she ran forward. Her black hair trailed behind her, face beaming, and her blue and beast-like eyes shining with excitement.

    A few nobles made half-hearted attempts to stop the girl, but none of them reacted near fast enough. She scampered right up to Enfri and Jin before pulling up short.

    "Hello, Manon," Jin said in greeting. A slight smile came onto her full lips. "It has been too long."

    Manon threw her arms around Jin and buried her face in her stomach. "I've missed you, Cousin. It's been ages. Is anyone else from Althandor coming?"

    "Afraid not," Jin said as she extricated herself from Manon's grip. She gestured towards Enfri. "I've come to escort my paramour to your greatfather's gala."

    Manon's eyes went wide as saucers as she looked at Enfri. Her slit pupils dilated enough that they were almost round. "Winds. You're Jin's girlfriend?"

    Enfri had never heard that particular term before. She kept her hands folded in front of her and tried not to blush. "I suppose I am at that."

    Manon tugged on Jin's arm and covered her mouth as if to whisper secretively. "She's pretty, Cousin. How'd you land her?"

    Jin's mouth drew into a line. She looked up to the pair of servants approaching at something between a skulk and a scurry, as if they wished to pull the young princess away without being seen in the process.

    "Forgive my laxness, my heart," Jin said, making her voice loud enough to be heard by all in the nervous quiet. "Allow me to introduce Her Exalted Highness, Princess Manon Algara of Nadia. My third cousin, once removed."

    From what Enfri remembered of her etiquette lessons, Jin making the introduction was something of a breach of decorum. Specifically, it was a reminder to those present that they were being poor hosts for not making the introductions themselves. A gentle if unsubtle chastisement.

    "A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Enfri said, offering Manon her hand.

    Manon took it without hesitation. "Would you like to dance with me?"

    Enfri glanced towards Manon's minders, who now looked like they were about to faint. "I'd be delighted, Your Highness."

    Something about Manon made Enfri think she was getting a glimpse of the past when Jin was this age. The notion brightened her day like nothing else could.

    Before Enfri could be hauled off onto the most unwelcoming dance floor she'd ever seen, they were interrupted by the tapping of a cane against the floor. A bent and crooked figure approached with a veritable army of attendants trailing in his wake.

    "Now, now, Manon," the old man said, "we mustn't let our enthusiasm lead us to forget our manners."

    "Yes, sir," Manon said dejectedly as she released Enfri's hand.

    "There are courtesies to be extended. Even to, shall we say, unconventional attendees."

    The king of Nadia was ancient, more than a hundred years old, and he was smaller and larger than Enfri imagined all at once. He'd have been no taller than Enfri had he been able to stand up straight, but the number of furs and velvets draped over his hunched form seemed to increase his size three-fold. His arthritic fingers curled over the platinum head of his walking cane, carved into the image of a grinning moon. His white hair was thinning and trimmed short, and his beard was long and oiled to a point.

    Enfri had known from the start that King Fen Algara wasn't marked by his house's elder bloodline, but she still found it surprising that his eyes were dark brown rather than blue. While the rest of him gave an impression of age to make it seem he'd fall to dust if confronted by a stiff breeze, his eyes were as clear and sharp as daggers of glass.

    Jin curtsied deeply as to one of higher social rank and an elder of her house. Enfri bent slightly at the waist as she was instructed to, an acknowledgement of a fellow sovereign and nothing more. The message was meant to be that while Jin recognized Fen's authority, Enfri was to be seen as his equal.

    Fen's eyes flickered over Enfri and her gown, stopping briefly at the tattoos on her left arm. He then turned his full attention on his great-grandniece. He held out his hand, palm turned downward. "It's been more than four years since Drok Moran was last blessed with your presence, young lady."

    Jin placed her palm beneath his. "Too long, Uncle."

    "Is your father well?"

    "I believe you have spoken with him more recently than I."

    "Indeed," Fen said softly. He furrowed his brow as his eyes darted once again towards Enfri. "Indeed, Fate has his mischiefs."

    Careful, a voice whispered in Enfri's mind. It used her thoughts but not her will. Wrinkled curs like this don't get that old by being careless. Seven marks to one, some of those servants of his are palming blades.

    Enfri gave the voice a wordless acknowledgement as Fen took two steps towards her and stood with both hands resting on his cane.

    "And greatest of Fate's mischiefs seems to be that he wished us to meet face to face, Your Majesty."

    It took a good deal of effort for Enfri to muster up a smile through her nervousness. She hoped it looked genuine. "It is my honor to be received by Your Grace."

    "I'm sure," he replied, guarded. Fen extended his hand, and Enfri placed hers within it.

    As she spoke, Enfri felt the words begin to flow easier, and her smile became less difficult to maintain. "Before all else, I wished to formally extend my gratitude to you, Your Grace."

    "Gratitude?"

    "Of course," Enfri said, making her voice louder. "Without the aid of your legion and that of King Adeyemi, the battle outside your walls might not have gone in our favor. Your assistance in confronting the renegade styling herself as Elise Alinwe was most appreciated, and you have the undying thanks of Shan Alee."

    Fen blinked rapidly.

    Enfri went on before he could recover his wits. She found that her experience in forcing bitter medicine on stubborn old coots was paying off. "The threat of your Sky Corps surely turned the tide in favor of our alliance. My only regrets are that the false empress eluded capture by our combined efforts, and that the confusion on the field from armsmen fighting alongside one another for the first time led to unfortunate casualties. Please allow me to take full responsibility."

    Fen leaned closer, and his voice dropped to a low register. He'd yet to release her hand. "What's your game, child? You expect these lords to believe you and I were in cahoots all along?"

    Enfri's winning smile never faltered. "Would you rather they believed you and Melcia joined forces to attack a young house unprovoked and bungled it?"

    "Law of the Highest King forbids me from telling them why. Half are calling it the defining blunder of my reign because they got no notion of just what you really are. You got me by the bollocks, girl."

    "At least I'm not squeezing."

    Fen narrowed his eyes. His rough hands shook, and it was difficult to tell if it was from anger, frustration, or merely from age. "House Yora," he said loudly. "I'm told your house all but began here in Nadia, your departed father hailed as the Hero of Drok Moran."

    Aww, he remembers me, the voice whispered.

    Papa, hush, Enfri chastised him.

    As you say, Sunny. I'll let you do your thing.

    "In recognition of your father for his part in winning my throne," Fen continued, "and to celebrate our victory over your..."

    "Aunt," Enfri whispered.

    "...your traitorous aunt, it is my honor to welcome you within my hall, Your Majesty. Let all here know that House Algara has extended guest-rights to the Dragon Empress of Shan Alee."

    It was a wonder that Hell didn't freeze over at those words.

    "I will assume this isn't all just a lark on your part, child," Fen said in a quieter tone to Enfri. "You came with a specific purpose in mind?"

    "Some arrangements should be made before my legion resumes its march," Enfri replied. "Logistical concerns, and of course, promises of non-aggression in the future."

    Fen raised an eyebrow.

    Enfri forced herself to meet his eye. "As my Diamond Knight would have told you had she been granted an audience, Shan Alee has every intention of maintaining cordial relations with the rest of the Five Kingdoms."

    Fen barked a short, mirthless laugh. He wasn't convinced, but perhaps that could change. The old king turned towards Princess Manon. "Now, I won't deny you your pleasures any further, my girl. Have your dance with our guest."

    Manon bobbed a curtsy to her elder, flashed Jin a triumphant grin, then grabbed Enfri's hand to pull her towards the dance floor. Enfri had to step quickly or else she'd be yanked off her feet by the princess' eagerness.

    As they moved along, Manon wondered aloud— and at considerable volume— why the music had stopped until the string quintet started up again. As Enfri was led through the Nadian nobles, she heard them muttering amongst themselves and felt their veiled glares following her every step of the way. More than a few she spotted were clenching their fists in outrage.

    Take a good look, Enfri told them silently. Beware the Dragon Empress. She'll crash your parties and dance with your princesses.

    Whatever had passed between her and Fen, these people weren't ready to accept her. They remained suspicious if not openly hostile, but Enfri supposed she couldn't have hoped for more than she'd received. It wasn't acceptance she needed from them.

    All she required was for Nadia to mind its own business so she could get on with her real objective. It was going to be difficult enough without the western kingdom harrying her every step on the journey north.

    Her father couldn't resist adding his two scubs. Just be careful not to break any hearts while you're at it. The Algaras are prickly enough as it is without adding a weeping little girl to the mix.

    Enfri held back from rolling her eyes. Hush, you.

    And another thing to watch out for. The girl has the marked eyes of the Althandi bloodline. She's an osteomancer, and your bones break just like anyone's.

    Manon would need some of my blood to get power over my bones. Don't be so overprotective, Papa.

    Her father grunted in dissatisfaction. That's a baby assassin, Sunny. I think I'm justified.

    Sunny? Of all the ridiculous pet names her father could choose. It infuriated and pleased her all at once.

    "You lead, right?" Manon asked as she took her place in front of Enfri. "You're taller."

    Enfri smiled and gave a nod. It wasn't often she heard that. She only hoped she could manage leading a dance without embarrassing herself.

    Manon was too small to have her free hand on Enfri's shoulder and settled for her arm. They took their first step as the music led them in a waltz. Spinning together across the dance floor, Enfri was mindful of keeping distance between them and the ring of onlookers.

    The quintet's playing signaled frequent turns and promenades. It required an advanced bit of dancing, somewhat more difficult than Enfri was used to. Her previous dances in Altier Nashal had been more subdued. The Nadians certainly deserved their reputation for livelier parties. The music was more, for lack of a better word, complex than was preferred in the south.

    Manon was having little to no problem at all keeping up. She was clearly enjoying herself, often taking the opportunity to add a flourish to her movements. It was all Enfri could do to match her. And it was enjoyable to try.

    Somewhere between keeping an eye on Manon's footwork and listening for changes in the music, Enfri lost track of Jin. She'd hung back when Manon pulled Enfri away, staying near to Fen and his courtiers. Jin was no longer there, and Enfri couldn't look for her without being obvious about it.

    "I like your tattoos," Manon said during a promenade. "Do they mean anything?"

    "They do. Each one is a dragon I've forged a bond for with their knight." She indicated the silver dragon posing rampant on her shoulder. "This is Deebee the Storyteller. She's the first dragon I ever met and the one I'm bound with. I've known her all my life."

    Manon cocked her head in question. "Forged a bond? Is that a spell?"

    Enfri's father chuckled. Might be she's a little young to know about the secret history. Algara tutors are slacking.

    Enfri ignored him. "It's an elder magic, Your Highness. I'm marked by Shan Alee's elder bloodline the same as you and Jin are marked by Althandor's."

    Manon's eyes widened in amazement.

    "My bloodline's power is to forge a bond between the souls of a mortal and a dragon," Enfri explained. "We can share our ether through the bond, draw healing to recover from injuries, or give strength and vitality to our partner."

    "Have you given Jin a dragon?" Manon asked.

    "No." Enfri took a moment to take another look around the hall for Jin. There was no sign of her. "Jin... isn't comfortable with the idea of having a bond, and I don't want her to think she has to."

    Manon smiled. "How'd you and Jin meet?"

    Oho! her father shouted, This ought to be good.

    "Err... Let's just say she taught me how to dance."

    Nice save, Sunny.

    Papa, I won't tell you again. Leading is hard enough without getting heckled.

    "Will you marry her?"

    Manon's guileless question nearly caused Enfri to miss a step. She considered deflecting, but she found herself wanting to finally say it aloud to someone from House Algara. "I will, and there's not a power on the Continent that can stop me."

    A gleam of mischief appeared in Manon's eye. It was identical to the one Jin could get at times. "When you do and you're my cousin, could I get a dragon?"

    Enfri affected a solemn demeanor. "I will let the mighty know to expect your application to the Arcane Knights. I imagine they'll be competing for the chance to partner with you."

    Manon appeared pleased by that, but Enfri doubted King Fen would share the sentiment. But, who could say what the future would hold? If Enfri had her way, Manon would find no obstacles if she decided to follow through on her wish.

    If Maya holds up her end of our bargain, Enfri thought. My fealty in exchange for Shan Alee being recognized as a client kingdom.

    The music slowed to a standstill. Enfri and Manon bowed to each other, and the sound of polite applause from the onlookers came as a surprise. Now that everyone's initial surprise at the gala being invaded had passed, the novelty of Enfri's presence seemed to be wearing off. Lords and ladies returned to the dance floor, though they still gave her a wide berth.

    Soon after, a young boy of twelve approached to ask Manon to dance with him, and the offer was gleefully accepted. Before Enfri could withdraw from the floor, she herself was approached by a strikingly handsome Nadian lord. Enfri assumed from his hesitant demeanor that he'd been put up to it by his peers, but she accepted nonetheless. In all honesty, she was just happy she wouldn't have to lead anymore.

    This fellow looks familiar, somehow, her father muttered. Gah! He's a Zan!

    Zan?

    House Zan. I'd know that nose anywhere. Ask him. Ask him!

    Winds, calm down. I'll ask.

    Enfri tried not to sound like she was prying, but her dancing partner was more than happy to confirm he was the third son of the Lady Zan and nephew of the famed Ebrim Zan.

    You just let this fellow know you got it on good authority his uncle was a blustering demon. Toughest fight of my life, and I've fought tiger lords. Only reason I wasn't gutted was because of Deebee.

    Winds and storms, but Yora Page was something of a chatterbox. Enfri had always imagined him to be a quiet and serious man. Stoic, like Jin. Ever since he'd taken the place of Emperor Shoen in her head, her image of her father was challenged at every turn. Enfri would've thought spending nearly twenty years as a ghost in a purgatory alongside their ancestors would have mellowed him out a little, but Yora remained an irreverent and irreparably immature... youth.

    Slap him, Yora demanded of her. Blustering lout keeps eyeing your goods. Sic your assassin on him!

    Winds, but Enfri was glad to finally know him.

    Yora wound himself down to discontented rumblings as the night went on. By the time Enfri danced with what felt like half the nobles in the hall, Yora had resigned himself to the idea that men were going to take a gander at his daughter's chest.

    It's your own fault, Enfri chided him. I didn't get these from Mother's side of the family.

    Bah.

    Yora fell quiet, and Enfri was inclined to let him. She'd discovered that mentions of her mother tended to cause him to retreat from her mind. Enfri suspected he was afraid she'd start in on him with questions about her.

    About what Mierwyn Page became after he died.

    What Yora didn't understand was that Enfri was just as reluctant to broach that subject. Perhaps it would need to happen at some point, but Enfri couldn't imagine it being anything but painful and uncomfortable for them both. How did one go about asking their dead father what he thought when he watched his sunrise being abused by the love of his life?

    Enfri complimented Lady Jaysa Dominico on her dancing before parting ways. A lovely woman, really, but how she could move so gracefully in those heeled shoes was astounding. Just looking at them made Enfri's ankles want to swell up. She decided it was past time for her to rest her feet. However, before she could withdraw, she was stopped by a gentle touch on her wrist.

    "Forgive me, my heart, but you will not be escaping me so easily."

    Enfri was already grinning before she turned around. She was now in Jin's arms and looking into her eyes. They rarely had opportunities to dance at actual social events. There always seemed to be some manner of trouble keeping it from happening. Enfri supposed this would be their first official dance together as a princess of Althandor and the Dragon Empress.

    Jin's eyes felt like they could see through to Enfri's core. She held Enfri close as the first notes of the next song began to play. "I requested Vahn's Third Lasima. I hope you don't mind."

    "So that's what you've been up to." Enfri didn't have the heart to tell her she wouldn't know the third lasima from the second. Or who Vahn was for that matter.

    Jin got a knowing smirk. "I should warn you, it is a tango."

    "It's a what?"

    "You will do fine. Just as we practiced."

    Enfri was about to tell Jin that she would absolutely not be fine when she was practically yanked off her feet by the first step. Tangos were defined by marked rhythms, but it was the elaborate postures and abrupt pauses that tended to throw Enfri off her game.

    Fortunate for her, she had the first few movements ingrained into muscle memory by practice. Step, step, pause, let Jin throw her around like a rag doll while keeping her legs raised, reset and spin, back to stepping. Enfri found that once she got her nerves back under control and payed attention to Jin's subtle signals, she could anticipate what would be asked of her next.   

    It was a welcome surprise she didn't lose her balance like she used to. Enfri wondered if Ban's spear training had something to do with it. She was also better able to keep pace with Jin, and though she was already exerting herself, she wasn't breathless. Her body's strength and endurance had improved markedly over the past month.

    Enfri didn't think on it for long. The dancing demanded all her attention. She and Jin were close throughout each motion, rarely more than an inch separating them. Enfri felt Jin's hands moving across her body during the step sequences, her arms tense as she carried Enfri through the lifts, and the warmth of her breath on the back of her neck during the promenades. Enfri lost herself in the sensations, moving in time with the music at Jin's direction. Somewhere in there, she realized Vahn's Third Lasima allowed for a far more sensual dance than she expected. Enfri was getting flush, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

    "I want you," Enfri whispered.

    "Right here?" Jin teased.

    Enfri smirked wickedly. "I keep a silk cord on hand just in case."

    Jin's eyes darted around for anyone who might've overheard.

    "But that's not what I meant. I want you, Jin. In my life. Forever."

    "What are you saying?"

    An abrupt pause in the music came. Enfri faced Jin and looked her in the eye. "Maya gave me her blessing."

    Jin's lips parted in surprise, and she almost missed the music resuming. Her hand on Enfri's hip, they moved across the floor in gliding steps.

    "Will you marry me, my light?"

    Another pause arrived, and Jin's answer was breathless. "Yes. A thousand times, my heart, yes."

    Enfri expected her father to pipe in, but he kept quiet. She did, however, feel a distant sense of bittersweetness coming from him. It gave her the impression that wherever Yora was, he was getting weepy. He'd already made it clear he approved of Jin for his daughter-in-law.

    The music's tempo steadily increased. The dance grew faster, and there weren't any further pauses. Only rapid steps and spins. Their skirts flared out around them as they twirled, and Enfri could hardly think for the pounding of her heart. She was grinning like a fool and couldn't believe the kindness Fate had shown her.

    Jin said yes.

    Before Enfri knew it and far too soon, it was over. Enfri was panting, and so was Jin, their faces close. Enfri was pleased to see Jin's cheeks were reddened as well.

    Appreciative applause greeted Enfri as she came back to the moment. She looked around her and saw that she and Jin had been given the floor. Several among the audience were fanning themselves. Hard to say why exactly, but Enfri felt like they'd been peeped on.

    "You're my betrothed," Enfri said quietly in Jin's ear. Saying it made it feel real.

    "And you are mine."

    "Jin Yora," Enfri said while stifling a pleased giggle. "Imperial Consort of Shan Alee."   

    "I like the sound of it." Jin pulled away but kept ahold of Enfri's hands. The most mischievous light had come into her expression. "My heart, I doubt you realize what you've unleashed."

    Enfri's eyes widened as she understood what was about to befall her. "Winds, no."

    "If you thought me overbearing as I pick out your wardrobe, imagine how it will be for our wedding."

    That was troubling, but Enfri wouldn't have it any other way.