Soiree

[Colette Moreau]

"Nicole Candraed" and Lord Leodon Taravin

Corele was as expected a flawless dancer. Young Kymira would understand, as the child of the High Lord and Lady that ruled over House Taravin as Corele herself once was would be expected to perform with nothing but flawless precision when the time came.  The child was unaware, given the anonymity of her distant relation, but they sprang from a near identical childhood.

The centuries of life as Aes Sedai that followed naturally cultivated Corele into something far more sophisticated than she led on, but there was the rare moment when something of the creature she'd been glimmered. 

Dancing, being a vigorous and wholesome experience for the mind and body, it was expected by the Queen that all her retainers be proficient when called upon. Nicole would have entered this regal world of entertainment with basic knowledge of the country dance, where couples stood in a line facing one another, progressing up and down until the line concluded by a march of the couples on display. 

The high court dances enjoyed by those like Leodon was a skill Nicole had to acquire, but everyone, the Queen included, remarked upon her seemingly natural talent. How her long neck craned graceful as a swan and her arms arched delicately in the hands of her partner. She took to the foreign influences of international music majestically as though she were well-traveled herself. More to the point, she acquired the ability to be swept from her feet without ever seeming to truly practice beforehand.  It was all part of the intrigue that followed her through court, part of the whispers of the up and coming Nicole. 

Leodon released her arm and when the intensity of his gaze flushed her skin, she was thankful for the distance that separated them as she fell into line of ladies.  A woman of House Marne, wearing jade and crimson nodded from one side, and a girl with the golden hair of House Exion nodded from the other. None of them several skirts in either direction were quite the royal red-gold of Andor, none perhaps but the stately Leodon and Nicole. 

Lutes started, followed by strings, and the stately, professional dance paraded around the hall.  She held her breath the moment their fingers touched, ever so lightly, and she counted the steps until she could withdraw her arm. The sight of the women's gowns trailed their skirts like the feathers of a peacock's tail, and the gentleman's tailcoats fluttered with each forward step. It was magnificent. 

Down and back, fingertips touching and breaking, and his stately accent voice filtered through the movement. "That is a beautiful ring, Nicole."

She glanced at her hand, the blue pearl catching the light briefly "How kind of you to notice Lord Taravin."  A small smile to accompany the polite response.

"How could I not? May I inquire after the identity of the Lord against whom I am now competing for your affections?" She thought him teasing, but when she met his eye, she had a feeling he was genuinely perplexed.

Withdrawing her hand finally, but unable to respond, Corele pivoted smoothly away to the cadence of somber music.  It wasn't until they were brought back together, palms touching as though to caress one anothers cheeks, that she swallowed the growing feeling in her stomach. She was determined to meet his hawk-like gaze no matter how nervous it made her. So she delved into the narrative she had to immediately invent instead. How was she going to answer for Kymira's ring? So she stalled. “I wasn't aware My Lord was seeking affection at all. Perhaps he should settle with the same anonymity forced upon me and his anxiety will be eased." A coy smile followed. The answer was simple.  Kymira did have a decent idea about a secret admirer after all. If only Leodon believed the tale.

They parted again, each rounding the couple next to them, but neither of their gazes left the other, even as she was taken to walking along, fingertip to fingertip, with a neighboring man. 

A girl like her should find Leodon enchanting, she told herself.  He was far from Nicole's class, and their rare meetings only took place in court. Nicole might as well try to circle the sun as capture Leodon Taravin yet Corele felt as skiddish as a girl Kymira's age.  He is your nephew. Control yourself.  What did she expect anyway?  Someday her prospects would be lost, just as those pretty eyes would be mixed with wrinkles. The best Nicole could hope would be nothing more than a shunned mistress. The thought was sobering, and gave her the legs to resist melting in his eager arms.

A livelier dance followed next, and she was not released from his attention. The couples came to each other's arms with the gentlemen leading the near athletic-like cadence. She was forced into his sphere then, close enough to scent the enticement of his cologne and palm the plush velvet of his coat. It was too much to continue the dialogue then, but in a way, what was unspoken touched her in ways his tempting words could not. The flashed glances, the coy smiles. They were flirting, and she rather enjoyed the act in ways she hadn't in this new life she lived. If it wasn’t for her impeccable control, she would likely be blushing. Aes Sedai did not flirt certainly not that of the Blue Ajah. They did dance on occasion though. The main step of the dance was a large jump, men holding the waist of their ladies, and a twirl to set her back to her feet opposite where she started followed. If the female partner did not snake her hands up the gentleman's arms and balance on his shoulders, she would be flung airborn without a graceful landing. She could feel the muscles in his shoulders flex as he lifted her like a bag of feathers. She performed it flawlessly, but it was sheer torture.

The final crescendo ended and her heart was pounding. A whisk of sweat touched Leodon's neck, but be bowed anyway, suppressing swift breath beneath his layers of clothes in ways she could not. Her lungs were burning, her corset felt too tight, and he led her from the heated center of persons with no resistance from her part.

The terrace was blessedly cooler, and large round braziers flickered in the dark air to give the garden beyond habitability. Only did she cease fanning herself with her hand when he handed her a cool glass. She gratefully wet her lips, and her lungs began to soothe to normal respiration until she realized he was looking at her.  Eyes glinting as if he knew something she did not. It was oddly unsettling. 

"May I see the ring?"

"Are we still discussing this?

He held out his hand expectantly, "My family trades in pearls from the Aryth Ocean.  It seems midlanders want pearls and coastals want mountain jewels." One of the pillars of House Taravin's wealth was seated in mines from the Mountains of Mist. Mines exactly like the abandoned crevices in Corarethern; a place Corele was sorely tempted to plant the seeds that her family should ‘rediscover’ it. 

Finding no other recourse, she slipped off the ring and placed it gently in his palm. His assessment was surprisingly thorough as he must have been well-trained to do. He held the setting high and even with his eyes. The pearl reflected the flames with delicate clarity.  The flawless globe was round as the sun. The diamonds in the setting sparkled. 

"Nicole this is very valuable. The setting alone would trade for a ruby the size of my thumb but the pearl. Color tinted pearls are rare indeed, but a blue like this is nearly priceless." 

"Is it?" She was genuinely surprised. As a girl, she was not learned in the business of the House as Kymira would not have been either. Her brother, Leodon’s great-father, was groomed for such affairs. However had Kymira come by such a thing? 

He was about to hand it back to her, but then something caught his eye, and he pulled it back curiously peering into the inner band.  "Mi Mashiara."  He read the inscription and her heart paused. "Your champion is an educated man, it seems.  Wealth and intelligence?  I do have competition." Leodon smiled, sincere and charming, but it didn't land upon her. Her attention was lowered only to the ring. 

A cool mask came over her. Leodon must have thought her demeanor unsettled, for he hurriedly explained himself. "I mean that as a compliment to you, of course.  Every man should be so forward with scribing your praises in the Old Tongue." A rising tone of a question ended his words, as though wondering if she had indeed known it was Old Tongue or hadn’t puzzled out its translation or offended her in thinking her ignorant.  Few but High Nobles, and Aes Sedai of course, were taught more than a passing phrase in the New Era.

She accepted the ring back, and slowly slipped it on her finger.  It fit perfectly, sized for her hand. A hundred questions ravaged her mind.  A hundred impossible questions. 

He asked if she was okay. "I have to go." She left him there, looking hurt, or worse, jealous.