The Party
Nephele had never seen such a fantastic spectacle in all her life. Vibrant colored silk flew in different directions as women spun with their graceful partners across the dance floor. Food was piled high on a long table the center of which stood a swan made of ice. Candles flickered on the ends of the table dripping gold wax into the gold candelabras. The music floated on the air and seemed to never end as the people flashed past her. The people she knew seemed unfamiliar as masks were held in people’s hands or obscured faces but they could do nothing to hide the smiles.
She stepped in to the room hoping to blend into all of the colors. But her darker skin deceived her again. A few people stared, but she was not enough to dim the overall spirit of the room. She watched the couples dancing something she had never learned, nervously keeping to the edge of the room.
“May I have this dance?” the baron’s son asked her bowing deeply. She curtsied partly to hide her blushing. He was tall with light skin and brown hair. She wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be, but he looked ravishing in green with a gold mask. She took his hand and went flying off. The evening sped off into the night as she danced with the gentlemen she knew well.
She could hardly believe how lucky she was to be brought into the baron’s care after her parents had been killed in a coup. For the longest time she had trouble shaking images of her cousin’s guards killing her parents and almost getting her when her cousin had pity on her and banished her to the west. Nephele was elated the whole night now that she had no time to think about her parents. At the end of the evening, her new parents announced that she was going to be adopted to polite applause from their audience. She felt a little embarrassed, but she was so flushed from the excitement of being accepted, it washed away.
Nina watched in the corner with mock enthusiasm. The little foreigner was getting much too much attention for her liking. But a baron’s daughter was much better than a king’s and Nina could easily get into the royal family from where she was in accordance to the baron’s son. At least now that they were siblings she didn’t need to worry about whether or not they would get married. It would seem foolish for him to do so.
“Nina, what’s on your mind?” the baron’s son came up behind her, surprising her but she took the opportunity to take the attention away from the little new comer on stage.
“Nathan…I’m just worried about her,” she said, “it’s hard coming from where she’s from. There will be those who won’t accept her and I hope she’ll be all right.”
“I’m sure she will. Especially with friends like you and me.”
Nina flinched but smiled. The festivities had started again, but now a few mutters passed between dance partners. Nephele looked ecstatic, but she was across the room from where Nina was at the moment.
“Shall we dance?” Nathan asked extending his hand.
Nina took it with a smile and went spinning off in her red silk into the crowd.
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