My mind mostly blanked from nervousness, and I felt like I was sweating a lot, but it all went down rather smoothly. We were led to the doors that we needed to enter from, lingered for a moment as the man that had led us there stepped to the door and conferred with Raella briefly. Perhaps to make it easy for us, Raella had them start with Greyjon.

“Greyjon Pellort of the Elven Empire, Captain and Weapons Master of Kimber City!” the man cried out, his voice carrying across the bright hall. Greyjon flashed us a grin and straightened to his full height, stepping out and walking down the stairs. Moments after that, the man announced, “Chase Glenn, of the Elven Empire, of the village of Vilunti!” Chase scrunched her nose, clasped her hands in front of her skirt, and stepped out to follow Greyjon down the stairs. “Zolambi Demn, of the Elven Empire, Master of Primordial of the Imperial University!” Zolambi followed, not sparing a glance for us.

Raella seemed to be lingering to go last, since she was feeding the man our titles. She gestured for Lyre to go next. “Lyre Ik’Abalin the Warlock, of the Elven Empire!” Lyre looked a little flustered at his title, but descended the steps, holding his head high. “Peyton Hobbs, of another realm, Chosen of the gods!” Peyton flashed me a confident grin as she stepped out onto the stairs, completely in her element. “Cassandra Murphey, of another realm, Chosen of the gods!” Cassandra paused a moment – I wondered if she wanted to be announced as Chosen of T’Keran, but she had never shared that information with Raella. She followed Peyton, smiling thinly, deeply flushed from the attention. “Lucas Kearney, of another realm, Chosen of the gods!” I stumbled forward, feeling awkward. The lights were almost blinding and I had a momentary fear that I would go sprawling down the stairs, but I managed to find my footing and followed Cassandra down the steps.

“Asterollan Shar, of the Kingdom of Wryaes, Chosen of the god of Truth!” I had to keep myself from twisting around to look at Asterollan as I learned these little details about him. I realized I hadn’t heard the names of any of the human kingdoms since I’d been here. I had managed to reach the bottom of the stairs, where I was joining our group where they were lining up in front of a dais that held a pair of thrones, where the Dwarven King and his Queen sat and watched us, their gazes openly curious. They were dressed resplendently in gold and white. “Alexis Saint, of another realm, Chosen of Myrapen, the Eternal Flame, goddess of Fire!” Lexie’s longer title and the specific naming of a god seemed to garner quite a lot of attention – I could hear people whispering around us. Now that I was standing in line, I chanced a glance back up at her – she descended the stairs, a slight frown of concentration on her face like she was just as worried as I had been about falling. She reached the bottom step without issue though, and grinned at the surrounding company.

“Raella Harn, of the Elven Empire, Master of Ancient Divinity of the Imperial University!” Raella descended the steps, her chin held high. She stepped out in front of our group, and after a carefully timed beat, slipped into a deep curtsy. We followed suit behind her – I watched Lexie half bow and then try to carry the motion into a curtsy from the corner of my eye, and had to suppress a laugh.

“We are honored to be guests of yours this evening, Your Majesties,” Raella said, her tone smooth and gracious.

“You honor us,” the Queen spoke first. “For the first time in centuries, we have been recognized as your equals.” There was a slight edge to her tone that suggested that she did not forget that they had previously been second class citizens of the Empire before the Fracture.

“We hope that our kingdoms and your Empire might be able to enjoy a long and fruitful relationship,” the King spoke next. “And we are honored to host the heroes who will save the world with their actions.”

We each thanked them for their kindness in hosting us, bowing or curtsying again. When this formality was done, the King clapped his hands and stood from the throne, to descend and begin to socialize with the others present, and Raella gestured for us to follow her. I don’t know how long the next part took, but we were walked around the room, offered refreshments, and introduced to many different individuals harboring many different titles – Ambassadors, Dukes, Duchesses, Marquis, Countesses, Earls, Barons, Princes, Princesses. There were also many that were just called Lord or Lady something or other, as well as a handful of scholars and merchants. I was never good at names so I smiled and nodded and hoped that no one would seek me out for further conversation.

Peyton was in her element, and Lexie also seemed comfortable with socializing – they greeted people in a friendly manner, seemed to commit names to memory almost instantly, and made pleasant small talk with ease. Cassandra seemed less comfortable and I noticed she suspiciously did not use names at all, but she was friendly and approachable and many people were asking her questions. Lyre mostly stayed close by her side, like a silent, shadowy bodyguard. Asterollan had somehow managed to disappear quickly, and I spotted him on occasion skulking in corners with a drink in his hand. It made me jealous that I couldn’t extricate myself in the same fashion.

Once Raella was satisfied that we had been introduced to everyone of import, she released us with, “Have fun, but not too much fun.” There was music playing and some people had paired off to dance, including the King and his Queen. I could even see that Lexie was in the process of demonstrating some kind of dance for a small group of younger dwarves. After so much socializing, I wanted some fresh air, and spied a balcony that overlooked the palace gardens. I immediately retreated to the spot. I was nervous that I would find a couple trying to escape to a romantic moment, but it was still early enough in the evening that no one had gotten that cozy yet. When I realized I was truly alone, I leaned against the balcony railing with a relieved sigh, staring out at the garden, and the moons above.

“Really? You retreated that quick?” I glanced over at Peyton as she leaned against the balcony next to me, the corners of her lips quirked up in amusement.

“It’s not really my thing. You seemed to be having fun though.”

“Yeah. It is my thing. I kinda missed it.” I laughed lightly, looking back up at the sky. “They’ve started dancing in there.” She left the statement open, like she expected me to ask her to dance.

“That is definitely not my thing.”

“Oh? What about for me?”

I turned to give her a look that mustered as much “Hell no” as I could manage, and she laughed. “I don’t even know how to dance. Which is not an invitation to teach me,” I interrupted as she opened her mouth to speak.

She smirked. “Well, how about an awkward middle school slow dance? Right here on the balcony. We don’t even have to go back in.” She pushed away from the railing and held a hand out to me. I hesitated, staring down at her hand like it was a viper. “Don’t leave me hanging, Kearney.”

I sighed heavily and straightened, taking her hand. She guided it over to her waist, and as I placed my other hand on her waist as well, she placed her hands up on my shoulders. I wasn’t really paying attention to the music at all, and I mostly let her lead, following her steps as we swayed softly in a loose circle. She was studying me intensely, and I was absolutely swallowed into her eyes for a moment. I couldn’t really escape without making it awkward, after all.

“See, this isn’t so bad.”

I shook my head, making a short huffing noise. “It is bad. It is exactly as bad as I thought it would be.”

The mirth seemed to fade from her expression for a moment as her head tilted. “You always seem to avoid me,” she said.

“I don’t think I do, actually.” She frowned. “I think… we’re both deeply private. And that clashes a bit. Two people that don’t connect well with others aren’t likely to connect with each other.”

“You think I don’t connect well with others?” she quirked an eyebrow at me, pulling back slightly to stare me in the face.

I sighed, and shook my head. “I think you’re personable and charming and sociable. But you keep everything surface level friendly. It’s kind of… superficial?”

“You think I’m superficial?” she asked now, clearly mock affronted. I could see the amusement sparkling in her eyes at my assessment.

I rolled my eyes in response. “No, I think you’re mysterious,” I drew out mysterious in a wavering tone, like I was talking about spooks and ghosts. She laughed and leaned back in, close enough that I couldn’t look into her eyes anymore.

She was quiet for a long moment. We had stopped stepping so much and were mostly standing in one place, swaying back and forth softly, probably out of time with the music. She was close enough that I could hear her breathing, and I tried not to swallow too audibly while thinking that she smelled nice. Like flowers. Or was it something in the garden? From this close, I could see that a few strands of coppery hair had come loose from the bun, drifting around her neck – but in a way that still looked perfectly put together. She felt soft and warm where she was pressed against me. “I don’t mean to be so distant with you,” she said in a soft whisper.

She leaned back to look me in the eye.

I struggled to find something to say in the moment. My mind oscillated between an abrupt “I do” and a lame “Okay” but I realized both of those options were very bad. Very very bad. So super very bad. Shit.

The bright side is, she must have been so used to dealing with guys that could schmooze and choose the perfect words in the moment that my lengthy silence and visible panic was at least entertaining to her. I watched the smile spread slowly across her face as she studied my expression. Her hands had shifted back up and I felt my mind go completely blank as her fingers brushed the back of my neck. “So don’t be?” I finally managed somewhere in that blankness.

For a moment, she seemed surprised by my answer. We stood together, the dance forgotten – I stared deeply into her very blue eyes.

Then she said, “Your hands are very close to my ass, sir.”

I quickly pulled my hands up, away from her body and into the air above my head. “What?” I said in confusion. “I don’t think they were?”

“They weren’t. I just wanted to see your reaction.”

Before I could respond with all the exasperation I felt at her teasing, I heard Lexie drawing out, “OooooOOOOoooh!” as she stepped out onto the balcony to see us standing so close together. Peyton’s hands dropped away as she stepped back, smiling at me mischievously. “Are you guys sharing a moment out here?” the younger girl asked.

“Of a sort,” Peyton said nonchalantly, finally breaking eye contact to look at Lexie.

I felt like I must be the same color as a beet. “I’m gonna go find a drink,” I said, walking back into the lighted ballroom.

“Wow, what did you do to him?” I could hear Lexie ask Peyton as I left, but I didn’t linger to hear the answer.

There were a few separate tables spread with simple foods and servants were walking by carrying trays with drinks. “Can I have one? Or do I have to place an order?” I asked a female dwarf that was walking past me, pointing at a crystal glass with some kind of green liquid in it.

“Help yourself,” she said pleasantly to me.

“Thank you!” I grabbed two glasses and downed them one after the other, then placed them back on the tray. Whatever it was, it was cold and creamy and faintly minty.

She looked at me curiously, faintly amused but doing her best to hide it. “Would you like the other two on the tray?” she offered.  I downed them also. “By the way… those are quite strong. You might want to wait awhile before drinking anything else.”

“Ah. You ummm… couldn’t have warned me about that before I had four?”

“You look like you needed them.” And she walked off to replenish her tray.

I sighed heavily, turning to look toward one of the tables in the corner. I wondered if I should at least put something on my stomach to throw up later, and wandered over to see what the selections were like. As I walked up, I saw that Asterollan was picking at some of the offerings on the table. I went to stand by him, happy to see a familiar face, and could see that Lyre and Cassandra were in his line of sight. They were talking to a dwarf that looked familiar to me – I realized he had been a part of the delegation that had escorted us to Saph Anchor. The one with the glasses and the messy brown hair that always seemed eager to speak to us before.

I looked over the food on the table. Some of it seemed familiar and some of it seemed uniquely bizarre – something that looked quite a lot like deviled eggs was set next to some strange blue paste formed into delicate flowers on crackers. I pondered the options, realizing that my mind was already feeling fuzzy from the drinks. Strange – they hadn’t burned like alcohol at all. From somewhere in the hall, I heard hushed murmuring as something caught peoples’ attention.

I grabbed one of the deviled eggs, biting into it – it was a bit spicier than I’m used to, but quite pleasant. I glanced around to see what everyone was fussing about to see that there were more guests arriving to the ball. The man that had announced us earlier now stepped out onto the dais of the stairs we had descended, and called out, “King Guilphrey Vanguard, First of His Name, of the Kingdom of Wryaes!” the dwarf called out. “And his accompaniment!” The announcement immediately caught Asterollan’s attention – his head snapped up to the stairs, his expression darkening. I noticed Lyre do a similar thing, his body going stiff and his face becoming paler.

A human man stepped out onto the top of the stairs. He was wearing armor, and though it was shiny I had the feeling it wasn’t ornamental. He wasn’t very old – maybe closer to Cassandra’s age. He had black hair and dark eyes that glittered in the light as he turned his head slowly, taking in the entirety of the ballroom. The guards on either side of him wore tabards of blue and grey, with a wolf’s long grey body stretched across the blue side, over full armor. They had swords at their hips, that they rested their hands on in an almost casual manner. There was also an elf standing just behind the man, a woman with long silvery hair and a face tattoo that covered one eye and spread across her face and down her neck in tendrils in a pattern that I couldn’t make out from where I stood. She stared out calmly across the room.

The people in the ballroom parted to make way for the King and Queen to step forward gracefully, ready to accept this apparently unexpected guest. Raella and Greyjon shadowed them, staring up at the man as well. I couldn’t hear what was happening from where I stood, but I did notice that Asterollan was moving, walking over to Cassandra and Lyre swiftly. “I’ve seen the wolf tabard before,” Cassandra was saying as we approached, a frown of worry creasing her brow.

“Yes. They’re from the same kingdom we escaped from,” Lyre was telling her. He glanced over at Asterollan with a suspicious frown.

Asterollan nodded as he came to a stop in front of them. “That’s the king.” He frowned over at where the human king and Raella appeared to be exchanging some tense, if quiet, words. “We should be ready to leave, just in case this gets bad.”

“Oh… Asterollan. Lucas. There’s something important I just found out.” Cassandra placed a hand on the shoulder of the dwarf she had been talking to. He jumped, a little surprised, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “This is Jon Umberling. He was just telling me… well. You were right.” Cassandra looked straight at me, her expression somber. For a moment, my alcohol-addled brain tried to figure out what I had been right about. “We’re sacrifices.”