CHAPTER TWO: DIONE
DAZZLE, DANCE AND DASH. IN THAT ORDER

There had been many a lavish celebration in the days since the Beaumont's had arrived in Astrana. They honoured their guests while they were visiting just as they were honoured when they were the guests in the Ironwood Islands and that included feasts and parties and general celebrations in their honour. It was also part of the many rituals leading up to the joining of their families which was only a few more days away.

Dione couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach each time she thought about how close she was to being married, to being married to Sirius Beaumont. Their betrothal had been arranged for almost their entire lives and she could scarcely recall a day when she wasn't completely in love with him. Dione had seen the other options for who she could have married if not for this betrothal, the options her younger sister was given, and none of them came close to comparing to Sirius. And she knew he felt the same way. She had never felt so loved as she did when she saw or felt him looking at her.

Her eyes caught his from where they sat across from each other at the head table of the feast. As always, he was watching her with love and admiration, with a look that made her heart flutter. A light flush rose on her cheeks as she smiled and looked back down at her food.

In just a few days time, they would be husband and wife, he would be Prince Consort of Astrana and they'd be living together full time. There'd be no more weeks and months where they could only write to each other, no more waiting for an official visit to get to see each other. She would get to wake up every morning next to him. It was going to be a dream come true and she only had to wait a few more days for it. She still couldn't believe how lucky she was.

When Dione next looked up, her eyes were drawn past her betrothed to the figure standing on the far wall.

Oriole stood straight-backed and still against the wall, her green eyes sweeping the room with a practiced precision. Her dragon companion, Azar, was draped around her neck, appearing to be sleeping soundly. How the animal could sleep with the noise of the packed hall around him, Dione didn't know. She'd seen the dragon sound asleep within a blazing fire before so perhaps the noise was more soothing than anything else.

Not for the first time, Dione noticed how the dragon riders were all so carefully placed around the hall. King Julian and Queen Caerwyn wouldn't be able to see any of them from where they sat at the high table with the rest of Dione's own family unless they made the effort to turn completely around. The only guards in sight of the visiting monarchs were the members of the King's Guard. It was odd to Dione, their aversion to the wood elves the Aquila family employed. Dragon riders were well known to be some of the best warriors in all the lands and they had no aversions — at least visible ones — to elves in general so Dione wondered what it was about the wood elves they didn't like.

Tonight, though, she almost understood the looks of surprise on their faces. When she'd seen Oriole at her post, her jaw had nearly dropped straight to the floor. Her chosen dress of the night was bordering on scandalous for high elves, let alone for the humans among them.

The dress was made of a sturdy but still elegant fabric she'd seen many wood elves wear but now in a deep green colour that not only reminded Dione of the forest the wood elves were native to, but made Oriole's green eyes stand out even more. The skirt of the dress was long, but only fell to where it just grazed along the floor, unlike most gowns Dione was familiar with where they hung long enough to sweep along the floor. There were two high slits in the skirt, exposing almost all of Oriole's legs which appeared to be covered with leather wraps which started around her feet in place of shoes and then wound all the way up to her thighs, leaving only a small sliver of skin actually exposed before the slits closed. The bodice of the dress was almost as bad as the skirt, with a plunging neckline going down almost to her navel. Not even the sleeves of the dress saved her, with her entire arms and shoulders exposed, only the thick straps holding the dress up. Making the outfit even more scandalous was the headpiece she wore which made it look like she had antlers with silver accessories draped between and around the prongs. However they were attached to her head was hidden completely in her brown hair, making them look all the more real. Of course, Dione suspected they were made of real antlers so it didn't make them look more fake.

Dione didn't see Oriole dress up in wood elven style very often, but she recognized it when she saw it. This was clearly something Oriole would wear to a fancy event back home in Roxforte Forest. It was even more obvious by how all of the other dragon riders were wearing more traditional wood elven clothes and all of them wearing the same headpiece, though each set of antlers was unique, giving even more to the idea they were all real.

In her mind, their apparel almost made Dione's pale in comparison. She had been in love with her gown for the evening from the very first fitting and especially so when she'd finally put the finished gown on for the first time, but she was almost jealous of what Oriole was wearing. Her gown was a deep blue colour, with short, puffy, off-the-shoulder sleeves. The bodice of the gown was tight while the skirt was full and hung long on her, sweeping the floor when she stood. Patterned across the deep blue material were stars of different shapes and sizes so her gown looked like the sky on a clear night.

The dragon riders almost felt out of place next to the King's Guard who were wearing their formal armour. But the dragon riders weren't like the King's Guard in many respects. While they were still employed by the Aquila family to guard the royal family and the capital, they weren't subjects of King Pallas like the members of the King's Guard were. Officially, the dragon riders were permanent guests in Astrana and still citizens of Roxforte Forest. There was a long-standing agreement between the two peoples, the wood elves of Roxforte Forest and the high elves of Astrana; the wood elves would send a contingent of dragon riders to the capital to protect it and the royal family and in return, Astrana would protect the wood elves and their land should they ever be attacked. It was a similar arrangement to the one being finalized with Dione's upcoming marriage.

She couldn't help but wonder why they'd choose such a rebellious choice of dress for the feast when they had plenty of formal outfits they could have worn that wouldn't have been so outrageous for the Beaumont's, she'd seen them at numerous other special occasions. Dione wondered if it was perhaps because of them they had chosen to dress the way they had. While she knew how the human royals felt about wood elves, she'd never seen any evidence of them treating them poorly, only seeing their expressions when faced with one or one being mentioned. She wondered if Oriole and the others had been treated more overtly poorly by the Beaumont family when Dione's back was turned. That thought hurt her heart to even consider. She'd grown up feeling protected by the dragon riders and had forged a strong friendship with Oriole when she was assigned to protect her when Dione was seventeen. The dragon riders who protected her parents had been like aunts and uncles to Dione her entire life and her own previous dragon rider had been like the older sibling she'd never had.

When the servants cleared the dessert plates from in front of everyone, Sirius was quick to stand up and offer a hand out to Dione.

"Princess, will you dance with me?"

"I would love to," Dione said with a smile.

He came around the table to take her hand, leading her out to the middle of the dance floor, an open space surrounded by the long tables all of their guests were sitting at. As soon as they reached the floor, the musicians changed the tempo of the music they were playing to better suit dancing rather than eating and conversing and Dione and Sirius quickly started their dance.

From her spot on the dance floor, it allowed Dione to see more of the room than she could while sitting at the high table where she had been. For one, it allowed her to finally get another glimpse of Leva, noting how she'd shifted from her position behind Dione's seat at the high table to better watch her while she was dancing.

It was rare to see Leva in her formal armour, with the special navy cloak patterned with stars hung across her left shoulder. Normally, the King's Guard wore a silver cloak bordered in gold with their armour if they wore it at all as the cloak was one of two pieces of their armour which was always optional. But the navy cloaks were for special occasions like this feast. Dione had always thought the navy cloak complemented the silver armour better than the silver and gold cloaks they might normally wear.

As Sirius spun her, Dione caught sight of Oriole again and prepared for the moment when their eyes would meet and they'd share a smile, but Oriole's gaze wasn't fixed on Dione as it normally would be. Following her line of sight, she saw her friend's gaze fixed on a guard standing near one of the doorways out of the hall. Just by the look on her face, Dione could tell she thought something was off about the guard. And if she wasn't mistaken, the look on her face was one of suspicion. She couldn't understand what about the guard Oriole would be suspicious of as everything about him seemed to be in order as far as she could see.

"Can I tell you something?"

At the sound of Sirius' voice, Dione looked back over at him to see a more serious expression on his face than she'd seen all night so far.

"Of course."

"I just don't think I've ever properly said this and... I wanted to say it before it's too late."

"You're starting to worry me, what is it?" she asked.

"I know this, us, it was all arranged for us when we were children and we never got a choice in it all but, I wanted you to know I couldn't think of a single person I'd be more happy to be marrying," he told her. "I've seen what the other options would have been for me and none of them come close to comparing to you."

Dione blushed crimson at his words, butterflies erupting in her stomach. She couldn't stop the smile on her face from widening as she looked down before back up at his face. He spun her out before bringing her back, holding her closer than before, closer than perhaps was entirely proper.

"Marrying you is a dream come true," Sirius said.

"Not just for you," Dione said. "I could not have put it better myself but I share your sentiment. You were the first boy I ever loved."

"As were you, my beloved," he told her.

"Just a few more days and we'll never have to be apart again," she said.

"I am counting down the minutes."

With another spin, the song ended and Dione took the excuse to break for a drink. Excusing herself from Sirius, she headed back over to the head table where her drink was, taking a sip of it while she surveyed the hall before her. Many people were dancing as well, including her own parents and Julian and Caerwyn Beaumont. She even spotted her sister, Jacira, dancing with one of the high-born boys of the kingdom and her brother, Aries, dancing with the daughter of a Duke her parents were close with.

To her surprise, as her eyes swept the room, she spotted Oriole not at her post, but standing with another dragon rider she recognized as Lieutenant Celyn Garance, Oriole's superior. From the looks of it, they were talking in more hushed tones to avoid being overheard, each of them stealing glances at the guard Oriole had been staring down earlier. This definitely meant more than just an idle suspicion if she was going to her superior about her concerns.

Curious about what was going on, Dione began making her way across the hall towards her friend instead of returning to dance with Sirius. As she starting walking towards her, Oriole finished up whatever conversation she was having with Lieutenant Garance and made her way back over to her post, Dione altering her path to meet her there.

When she reached Oriole, Dione couldn't help but notice she looked a little tense, not as relaxed as she usually was. And if she had needed more proof, Azar was no longer sleeping peacefully around Oriole's neck, but sitting up and alert on her shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" Dione asked.

"Of course not," Oriole said quickly, eyes not meeting Dione's.

"Then what were you talking to Lieutenant Garance about?"

"You are supposed to be dancing, Princess," Oriole told her with a stern look. "You've abandoned your betrothed on the dance floor."

"He can wait if something is going on."

"It is nothing you need to worry about tonight."

"So it is something to worry about."

Dione watched Oriole for a minute, seeing her green eyes track the movement of guards across the hall as they subtly passed a message between them in a way that wouldn't alert any of the guests. When word passed to a guard near a door, they disappeared out of it without a word as the guard who had passed along the message assumed their post.

"Oriole, please, what's going on?"

Immediately, her posture relaxed as she looked over at Dione with a smile. As if the guard leaving the hall was the sign she'd been waiting for, she was all of a sudden more relaxed and at ease than she had been the entire evening, much closer to how she usually was at these types of events.

"Go and find Sirius, enjoy your time with him tonight," she told her. "You'll be married in just a few more days and you know you won't be allowed to see him for two days before the ceremony. Take advantage of these last few hours together."

"I... I suppose you're right," Dione admitted.

"Well, I usually am," Oriole said.

Dione rolled her eyes at her friend's comment but couldn't keep the smile from growing on her face. Glancing once more at her, Oriole gestured for her to go and so she did, heading towards the dance floor where she had seen Sirius. He was dancing with another of the nobility who bowed out as soon as Dione asked if she could cut in. The smile on his face was bright as he took her hands again, thanking her for saving him from having to go another dance without her.

For the next few songs, Sirius and Dione danced together, large smiles on their faces and butterflies in their stomachs as they made idle conversation while they moved around the dance floor. She kept her attention on her betrothed the entire time, pushing any worry about what the guards could be doing or what Oriole could have been worried about from her mind so she could enjoy the evening. Worries could wait until the morning when she wouldn't get to see her prince until she was walking towards the altar where he was waiting for her. She'd have time then, between ceremonies and rituals and preparations. Tonight was for enjoying their last hours together.

The only thing Dione took notice of aside from Sirius was Leva, as she was always aware of where her knight was in the case of an emergency. Tonight, when Leva wasn't keeping an eye on Dione, her brown eyes were fixed on the bard who was leading the other musicians. Venetia was a popular and well-known bard throughout Astrana and after enjoying her music so much at past festivities they'd hired her for, Dione's parents had hired her for not only her wedding but all the festivities — like tonight's feast — leading up to the wedding itself. It was the kind of job Dione knew would make Venetia's career.

After more than an hour of dancing with Sirius, Dione was surprised to see Oriole had left her post and approached the couple.

"May I cut in?" Oriole asked Sirius.

"You want to—?" Sirius looked from the dragon rider to Dione and back again. "Uh, yes... of— of course you may."

Sirius stepped back, bowing to Dione and allowing Oriole to take his place, beginning to lead their dance.

It was one surprise after the next tonight with Oriole, Dione couldn't help thinking. Just like her attire for the evening, the idea of a princess dancing with not just a knight but specifically hers was almost scandalous, let alone the fact that it was a dragon rider guard, not a regular knight. And for the humans in the crowd, Dione dancing with a woman was a scandal. She couldn't imagine the gossip and rumours this would cause come morning when word got out.

But Oriole, it seemed, didn't care. Or she just didn't notice the scandalized gazes thrown their way as they made their way around the dance floor. Dione wondered how she could let all these stares not bother her, how she either didn't notice them or could pretend not to.

"Have you noticed where all of Leva's attention seems to be this evening?" Oriole asked.

"She's been quite intent on the bard," Dione said. "I'm surprised how often she looks over there."

"Our dear Leva is definitely interested in Venetia."

"I hope she gets up the nerve to talk to her before she leaves after the wedding," Dione said.

"Perhaps she just needs some encouragement," Oriole mused, dipping Dione. "Or perhaps you could convince your parents to hire her for the palace after the wedding."

"As much as I enjoy Venetia's music and would love to have her around full time, she's a travelling bard, I doubt she'd agree to that," Dione said.

Oriole spun Dione out and then pulled her back in. "You never know until you ask."

"Well, I hate to say you're right twice in one night, but..."

The wood elf laughed as she looked away, her green eyes sweeping the room, causing Dione to smile. The laughter lingered on her face for a moment but then her expression fell quickly to a more serious one as she looked back at Dione. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she got a chance, Azar landed on her shoulder. Dione hadn't even noticed the dragon wasn't with Oriole as they danced.

Not a moment after the dragon landed on his rider's shoulder, Oriole's expression changed as if he had said something startling to her. This wasn't strange, only a dragon rider could communicate with a dragon as it was part of the intense training they had to go through, something Dione only knew because she'd desperately wanted to talk to her first dragon rider's companion until he explained she would never be able to. In response to whatever Azar had said, Oriole let go of Dione and took a step back, dipping into a bow.

"You'll have to excuse me, Princess, there's something I must take care of."

And then before Dione could even question her, Oriole stepped away and disappeared into the crowd.