Chapter 032: The Ball

"Kings and Queens set the scenes

Strike the bell, carousel

Kings and Queens, wise and green

And the world turns..."

Kings and Queens - Twelfth Night

     It was roughly a week before the ball when Random called us all together for an extra Family meeting. Of course the whole castle was buzzing with rumours that something was coming down, something to do with Corwin and Adrian, but I hadn't had time to speak with either of them lately, so I was as curious as the rest as to what this all might entail. It turned out to be quite an occasion: with most of the Family already in Amber, getting ready for the ball and everything, there were only a few people missing, like Myrthe and Merlin. The latter did make an appearance after all, though, although I had not expected him to. Random Trumped him through after a short conversation, and since this was the first time that I saw my illustrious cousin in the flesh I took my time to study him. He looked a lot like his father Corwin, more so than either of his half-brothers, but there was one thing that immediately struck me when I saw him: an immense feeling of weariness that nearly seemed to radiate from him. I was by now sort of familiar with Random always looking a bit tired and haggard, but Merlin looked like tiredness incarnate. Must be a real good job, being a king...

     "Since you're all probably wondering what this is all about," Random said when everyone had quietened down a bit, "we'll come right down to business. Merlin, if you please." He nodded to his young colleague and all eyes turned to the King of Chaos.

     "I think it's of some importance to you all," he began, wearily running a hand through his hair, "that I can't guarantee that the Courts won't erupt any moment now. We're only this close to a civil war. The conservatives have been steadily gaining power, and I've heard several rumours of a coup in the making. I'm afraid to say that I'm not certain whether I will be abe to withstand one. Mandor seems to be just about the only one who can keep things in check. I myself try to take as neutral a position as possible, but there's no way to tell if that will make any difference. I don't really have to tell you that a civil war in the Courts will have great consequences: there are thirty-two major Houses and literally hundreds of smaller ones. That means a lot of Logrus masters. A war on such a large scale would most certainly have repercussions for the other Powers."

     He fell silent and grimly looked from one of us to the other. I guess there was not much more to say really. I didn't envy him his job. If it would really get to war, I guess that he'd bound to be one of the first victims. For it wouldn't be a Glorious Revolution at all: this would be a bloody one.

     "That was one of the matters that needed all your attention," Random said. "As for the other one..." He glanced at Adrian. For the first time I noticed Adrian's serious expression, which I was sure had not been caused by his half-brother's dire news.

     "As you all know," he began, "the position of the other Pattern has been pretty weak for some time now. Corwin and I have been discussing this, and we think this state of affairs is simply too dangerous to be allowed to continue, especially in the light of the news from the Courts. We think it's best that the other Pattern gets its own kingdom, with a protector in the form of a king. That king will be me." With a self-assured expression he glanced around at his assembled relatives.

     I was completely dumbfounded. I just couldn't believe it. Was he serious? Hadn't he been paying attention to Random, or to his brother? Who in his right mind would want to be king at a time like this? Did he have anything at all that even vaguely resembled a right mind, for that matter? Hell, all Corwin's kids must have some suicidal streak or something! How else can you explain such behaviour?

     I took care not to show what I was thinking, though. Amberite behaviour and all that. All of the others were displaying intrigued smiles for Adrian's benefit an murmuring some polite congratulations, so I did as well. I would tell him what I really thought of his new course when we had our next little private talk.

     "Well, that's that business settled," Random said. "Now, there's quite a bit that's going to happen in the next couple of weeks. I guess I don't have to spell it out for you what an absolute disaster it would be if Monias were to marry the wrong candidate. I count on you doing everything within your power to prevent that from happening. To keep matters a little bit in hand Flora has graciously agreed to being a possible wedding candidate too. Monias will probably not choose her, since a union like that with very strong ties with Amber would evoke too many negative feelings in the Courts. That doesn't matter that much, though, for it will still make a good impression, and she may serve as a sort of counterweight for possible other candidates.

     "As far as I've heard everybody plans on attending. That's the spirit! I wouldn't have expected anything less. I hope everyone will have a nice time, but it won't only be fun, fun, fun, there'll be some work, work, work too. At the ball the ladies Fiona, Flora, Llewella and Deirdre will form an Amberite war council. They will keep an eye on everything and constantly re-evaluate the situation. When they give someone an order to do something, I expect them to do it. There'll be enough people present, so everybody will have more than enough time to enjoy themselves anyway. Just stay in touch and don't wander off too much.

     "Of course the other side is bound to have a war council of their own. As yet we don't know who will be taking part, but rumour has it that we will at least have the ladies Emall Grice and Rosala Thurston to contend with." At hearing that last name I saw Aunt Flora's eyes narrow to slits. Oh great, someone from the Courts who can invoke the typical Sand-reaction in my dear Auntie. I think I would like to meet that lady sometime.

     The official part of the meeting ended with Alexander, who was dressed in a horrible Macaroni-blue costume, detailing the rules for the ball. Stuff about not wearing weapons unless they were an integral part of your costume, not using magic unless under certain circumstance, not using Pattern or Logrus, and so on and so forth. The officious bastard seemed to derive some special pleasure from telling us what we could and what we couldn't do. I wondered, though, whether he would be able to cope should things really get out of hand.

     "Well," I said to Adrian when the meeting was over, "I guess congratulations might be in order. I sincerely hope that you know what you're doing." The look that I gave him said that I certainly wouldn't have done it, had I been in his shoes.

     "I'm not really that certain myself yet," he replied. "We'll just see what happens." We left it at that, but I picked up a rumour later on that it was in fact Corwin who had set him up for the job. I guess there really was a need for a kingdom to protect his Pattern, but there was no way he was going to become king himself; after all, he had already turned down a kingdom once before. Another, even more interesting rumour was that Adrian, like Monias, was planning on finding himself a bride real soon. And it wasn't just political either: he needed more people who could walk his father's Pattern, and how better to get them than by fathering them yourself? I sighed when I first heard this. The poor guy was really in it to over his ears. I would have liked to talk to him before the ball, but during that last week everybody was just too busy to think of anything else.

     The day of the ball arrived. What can I say? Everybody looked absolutely splendid. Me and Diana, a perfect pair in our fitting blue and grey attire. Adrian, alone, dressed in black and silver, sporting a silver rose. Rhiane and Boadice, both in lovely dresses (Rhiane's orange and green, Boa's champagne coloured), each accompanied by a gentleman whom they had met in the Courts. Murlas, in black of course, his fiancee by his side: black hair, bit of an oriental type, burgundy dress, lots and lots of diamonds, rings, and a pair of absolutely huge earrings. Alexander, alone like his brother, sticking out in his awful Macaroni-blue suit. And then I'm not even mentioning the Elders...

     Castle Galoria looked like something straight out of a fairytale: lots of colours, lots of shining things, lots of little elves and gargoyle-like creatures flying around with serving trays. The great number of samurai guarding the place (clearly Alexander's men) seemed oddly out of place here. Upon arrival everyone got a suite of their own; it was clearly expected that most people would at least stay the night after the ball, although people were invited to stay longer if they liked.

     There had of course been a lot of speculation about everyone's partners for the ball, and sure enough there were some interesting couples running around. Of the people I haven't mentioned only Benedict, Deirdre, Myrthe, Elayne and Flora arrived without a partner. The latter wasn't of course that surprising since she was supposed to be an official candidate. She was also supposed to keep an eye on Elayne, but seeing that the girl had slightly remodeled the lovely black dress Flora had picked for her by shrewdly applying some rips and tears here and there, Flora had decided to wash her hands from the whole affair. Elayne didn't cause a fuss during the evening, though, so that was alright.

     Random was of course accompanied by Vialle. Caine had apparently picked up his old relationship with the Lady Vinta Bayle, daughter of Lord Bayle (of Bayle's Best wine fame). She was a dark haired, bit aloof looking beauty. They had had a relationship prior to Caine being shot by Rinaldo, and rumour had it that the process of getting back together again had not exactly gone very smoothly. Vinta was reported to be quite headstrong, and I guess she mustn't have been too happy to hear that the man she had been publicly mourning over wasn't dead after all. They did make for rather a good couple, though: both of them cool and aloof.

     Fiona's partner was a bit of a surprise. Where Rhiane's and Boadice's choices on escorts from the Courts were already raising eyebrows in certain circles, Fiona's choice was sure to get them all the way up to the ceiling. His name was Reys Thurston, head of the House Thurston and The Cassanova of the Courts of Chaos. Talk about bringing about a civil war, this couple was a certified way of making the conservative side of the Courts take even quicker steps towards Armageddon.

     Bleys's partner, meanwhile, was also causing somewhat of a scandal, although of quite different proportions. The lady, who was apparently some avant garde artist from a Golden Circle Shadow, had against all protocol decided to let her beautiful long black hair hang loose. This was simply not done, since it was considered to be a sign of promiscuity. Almost all the other ladies at the ball had had their hair put up in just about every coupe imaginable, as was right and proper at this kind of occasions. Bleys's girl, however, had wanted to be a bit more provocative.

     Both Julian and Llewella had made more conservative choices. Julian had found a proper partner in Vera, daughter of Baron Bossus, a well-known and highly respected Amber noble. Vera, a girl with blond hair and a lovely, although slightly pale face, was very polite and well-bred, and therefore perfect showing-off material at occasions like these. Llewella's partner was a nobleman from Rebma whom I didn't know. Green hair, pale face and just as polite and quiet as Llewella herself. Perfect match.

     Gerard's partner was of an altogether different sort. My dear old Uncle seemed to be in the beginning stages of a real love affair. The lady had dark hair and was by far one of the liveliest and most cheerful ladies of the ball. According to the Family gossip circuit they had met on his recent holiday in Shadow. I even overheard Caine mutter something about her probably being just a waitress, which I think was totally uncalled for. Me, I was more than happy for my Uncle. Like my Mother said to me earlier, he probably ought to have children, fatherhood would suit him.

     Rinaldo was also present, accompanied by Nayda whom I had met before under less pleasant circumstances. To my surprise Martin arrived in the company of Lisa, sorry Melusine, but that was nothing compared to Algo: he had chosen Lush to be his lady of the evening. And that with Adrian meanwhile looking for a suitable queen!

     Yaslin, Boadice's younger sister, who I had met in passing during the last few weeks before the ball, also showed up with a partner, much to the surprise of Boa. He was a young man with curling brown hair who had a tendency to smile at everyone. His name was Treon and I overheard Yaslin explain to her sister that they were in fact long time friends.

     And then there was Sand, who although nominally part of the Amber Family was in no way going to be presented as such and who (shock, horror!) arrived alone. Could she be an independent candidate for the position of  Queen of Galoria? The war council didn't waste any time, but went right to work, assessing all the possibilities that Sand's presence here might call up. Sand's mysterious brother Delwin, by the way, was absent.

     While we're on the subject of possible partners for Monias, I had of course heard a lot of names mentioned of ladies who were supposed to be the candidates from Amber's side. I say "supposed", because there were some very unwilling victims among them. First off, there were Naiada, a lady from the court of Rebma and a niece of Queen Moire, and Sheila of Carvu, daughter of the Lord of that Golden Circle Shadow, a quite ambitious girl if rumour was to be believed. And then there was the Family: Flora I have already mentioned, and aside from her Boadice, Rhiane, Diana, Myrthe and Melusine were all named as candidates too. It goes without saying  that none of these ladies were actually looking forward to being married off to the King of the Nexus, so if Amber was going to win this game, then I'd guess it would happen through one of the two non-Family candidates.

     There were plenty of rumours about the candidates from the Courts too. The aforementioned Rosala Thurston, who turned out to be Reys's sister and a sort of Courts edition of Aunt Flora, was the first to be mentioned. I must say that she did really rival my dear Aunt in beauty, although hers was of a bit different order, with that stark white and blue hair. She was the current Queen of the House of Love, ruling in everything that had anything to do with (courtly) love, and the enmity between her and Flora was apparently well-known. The ladies were this close to declaring a vendetta on one another.

     The big surprise was the candidacy of the Lady Dara, widow of Gramble Sawall. Yes, it was Merlin's mother, the same one who had launched the attack of the blue meanies on Amber to free Azrain. Of course, no one thought for a moment that Monias was going to choose her, but her candidacy was bound to be part of some intricate political manoeuvring to outwit Amber. It caused quite a stir among the ladies of our war council.

     There were a couple of ladies from major Chaos houses who all seemed to be a bit more serious candidates: Gilva Hendrake (who was said to be a close friend of Merlin), Merla Thilzy, Nuala Chartin (from the House that had declared vendetta on Boadice) and Sereva Baccaran. Finally, there were three other candidates who were deemed to be less serious contenders. All three were important members of the House of Fashion, the avant garde institution of the Courts, and they were certainly dressed according to those functions. Gris Amblerash was in fact the leading lady of that House and as such totally uninterested in politics. Her jet black hair had been cut quite short in a strange and certainly uncomfortable-looking coupe. The other two ladies were identical twin sisters. Dinat and Chi Fardell were well-known for their striking appearances and their odd taste in fashion, but nobody thought, not even for a minute, that they were here to find themselves a husband.

     The war council of the other side consisted of Rosala Thurston, Dara, Emall Grice and Berice Omega. Both councils kept a close eye on one another during the whole evening. I even noticed that Fiona was using an opera-glass to keep close taps on people. Let her! The whole evening seemed to be one big game of watching and being watched.

     While we were all waiting for our official introduction to Monias (all in the right order of protocol, of course, from least important to most important guest) I danced, and ate, and drank, and generally had a good time. Once in a while some young lord of Chaos came to ask me officially for my permission to court Diana. She and I had discussed this earlier and since protocol sort of demanded this of them before they could even talk to her, let alone dance with her, we figured it was alright. Besides, if one of these guys would try to go a bit further than planned and Diana didn't agree, they'd soon fid out that she was a true Amberite and not to be messed with.

     There were a lot of rumours flying around the great hall, about all sorts of people, high and low, famous and totally unknown. At some point during the introductions I heard the heralds announce the King of Cardane. I surreptitiously stole a glance in his direction. A sort of non-descript man really in a stylish suit, slight build, more of a politician than a warrior. I wasn't going to step up to him now, though. He probably wouldn't even know why I would be interested in him anyway, and besides, I guess I would run into him again sometime soon. Another overheard rumour promptly grabbed my attention: Alexander was said to be looking for a wife too. I doubted whether this one was really true, for Alexander doesn't really strike me as the marrying type, but when I glanced over to where I had last seen him, I saw several ladies hovering in the vicinity, so either the rumour was true after all, or the ladies were currently making it come true. They must think that he was a pretty good catch, but then I realised that they would think so of any Amberite.

     I walked over to one of the buffets and found me a glass of wine that, while it wasn't of Bayle's quality, was still pretty good. I was looking at the couples on the dance floor for some time, sipping my glass, while I suddenly spied an odd couple: cousin Murlas and Aunt Sand were graciously twirling around in the middle of the floor. Hmm, I thought that Murlas didn't think too highly of our dear Aunt, just like the rest of our relatives really. I guess there must be something he wanted from her. I realised that it was also the first time this evening that I had seen him without his lovely fiancee, whereas most couples at the ball had a tendency to each go their own way, like Diana and I had. Oh sure, we would occasionally come together again for a dance or two, but we were not sticking together like Murlas and Sara had up till now. I looked round to see whether I could find her and steal her away for a dance. It would be a good way of getting a bit acquainted. When I finally spotted her, however, I saw that someone had beaten me to it: Algo was gently leading a smiling Sara out of the hall, all the while whispering into her ear. Oh dear, I didn't think Murlas was going to like that. I glanced back at him and Sand, but he apparently hadn't noticed what had happened to his date and was in his turn leading Sand out onto the terraces, although with different intentions than our cousin Algo I should think.

     Sure enough, when Murlas emerged again from his rendezvous outside, he immediately started looking around for Sara. I watched him search for her in vain for a couple of minutes before he went up to Alexander, who in turn did some interrogating on some of the guards. I watched on as Murlas disappeared into the same corridor as Algo and Sara had taken and waited patiently for a few minutes, meanwhile refilling my glass. This was great, even better than television. When Murlas and Sara made a re-entry, however, there was nothing showing in their appearance that there was anything amiss. If I knew Murlas, though, there would be some words when the ball was over, especially if I interpreted Algo's absolutely beaming face correctly.

     I drifted through the crowd, accepted a dance here, asked a dance there, until it was finally time for us to be introduced to the King himself. It all went rather quickly, though. Monias smiled at me for a moment as if to say that he remembered me. I smiled back, but I couldn't help still feeling some misgivings over the way he had got into his power. Monias also smiled at Diana, but his gaze didn't really linger. I knew it didn't really mean that he wasn't interested, but still it did give me some hope.

     The evening slowly progressed and things were going pretty well, when suddenly there was a bit of a commotion. I saw Rhiane's date, a young man named Torgil, being carried inside by some of Alexander's samurai guards. He seemed to be unconscious. A moment later I saw one of the guards go up to the lady that had been introduced to me as Rhiane's mother Ysandre. The guard said something to her which made her turn all red and slap the poor man's face. In no time the rumour went round that the Lady Rhiane, while out walking in the moonlight with her partner, had been attacked and kidnapped by unknown assaillants. Oops, not a good mark on Alexander's report card, letting your guests being kidnapped right from under the noses of your guards.

     Before I could really start to think about the possible implications of this disappearance, I suddenly got a Trump call. Who would be calling at a time like this? I accepted, but I was no closer to an answer to my question, for the blonde lady looking back at me was a complete stranger to me. Who was she, and where had she got my Trump in the first place?

     "Good evening," I said, "and whom do I have the honour of addressing?"

     "We've met before," she replied. She was only talking mentally to me, though, and she sent a brief mental flash with her message: a picture of a girl with brown hair whom I had indeed met before. It would be quite some time before I would forget about those orange-clad clowns that had been with her at the time too. Aradia. I had sort of been wondering what had happened to her.

     "Okay," I said, keeping my message also strictly mental, "what can I do for you?"

     "I need some help," she said. "I've got a problem. Maybe you can be of assistance. Who is this?" She flashed another mental picture through to me: it was cousin Murlas. What the...?

     "Why do you want to know?" I asked her in return.

     "He is not the real one," she said enigmatically.

     "What do you mean?" She hesitated for a moment before answering.

     "You know there's a bond between us? I believe he's my cousin. It feels so strange, though. Earlier on I tried to strengthen that bond between us, but it didn't work. Suddenly I was much further away. This isn't the right one, I think that he's an imposter. I don't like it one bit. He's been talking to Sand, and I don't trust her at all. She's one of those people who tried to put me away." Another mental flash showed me the aforementioned orange-clad clowns. No time to think, though, for she plowed straight on: "I thought, well, maybe you know him a little better, this Murlas. I don't know, I think it's not right, that it's going wrong."

     Whoa there! What was all that about? I hardly knew what she was saying here. Murlas was her cousin, but he wasn't the right one? Scary images of Azrain's mind still inhabiting Murlas's body flittered before my eyes. No, surely someone would have noticed. And what was this about Sand being in league with those guys in orange robes? That had to be wrong, for if it were true, then why would she have asked me to save Aradia from those guys? No, I really didn't know what to make of this.

     "Look," I said, "I'm not sure myself, but as far as I can see it is still the same old Murlas we're talking about here."

     She shook her head, then after a moment of consideration she said: "Don't tell him anything about this conversation."

     "Okay," I said with a shrug, "if that would make you happy." She smiled a really brief smile at me before breaking contact. I wished I knew more about what was going on here. Aradia sounded like she really was in trouble and I wasn't in the habit of denying my support to those who asked for it. I guessed there wasn't anything I could do right then but keep my eyes and ears open and wait for more information to come my way.

     Aunt Llewella beckoning me to join the war council brought me speedily back to the here and now and the more pressing matters at hand. Boadice was also there, a nasty wine stain disfiguring her lovely dress.

     "What's up?" I asked.

     "If you care to direct your gaze at the dance floor for a moment," Llewella said, "you might notice our kind host Monias dancing with the lovely Sheila. They have been dancing for quite some time already." I glanced over and nodded. Good news, that, a point for Amber in the big game. She hadn't wanted me to come over just to see how they were doing, though.

     "A moment ago we noticed Rosala Thurston surreptitiously moving in on a course towards the lovely couple. It would be a good idea if you were to intercept her before she is in a position to relieve Sheila. I'm certain that she won't be able to say no to a handsome young man like you." I smiled and headed in the direction of the dance floor, meanwhile hearing the ladies behind me beginning to talk about retaliatory actions against one Nuala Chartin; something about her heels being really high and the inevitable chances of spraining an ankle that go with wearing such footwear.

     Meanwhile I made my way through the crowd, keeping a close eye on the lady with the white-blue hair. Fortunately Rosala only had eyes for Monias and Sheila. I saw that she was really timing her progress, so that she would get to Monias at a time when it would be nigh-impossible for him to refuse her the next dance. However, she wasn't aware of me at all, and when she finally moved in for the kill I took two quick steps forward and manoeuvred myself between her and her prey.

     "My Lady," I said with a flourish and a smile, "everything that men would call beauty dwindles and fades to nothing in your presence. Would you be so kind to grant me the honour of this dance?"

     For only a fraction of a moment a look of annoyance creased her face, but then her expression lightened up and with a gracious smile she accepted my offer. My, she was a great dancer! Smoothly we glided across the floor, drawing at least as much attention as Sheila who was still dancing with Monias, much to the annoyance of many a Chaos candidate. Meanwhile Rosala and I exchanged some small talk. I must admit that she could really rival Flora in everything she did. A small compliment from her about my sense of timing reminded me, though, that this was all business. Pity, it was beginning to feel like pleasure.

     We danced on and on, until the music finally faded. As I released her from my arms, I recited a sonnet to her that had occurred to me while we were dancing:

     Rosala Thurston (at the Ball)

With great precision, timing right,

Just one step forwards and we meet;

My job to keep you from his side,

A step in time, keep with the beat.

A slight annoyance creased your brow,

A fleeting frown, but not much more;

I know that you would disavow

Such feelings ever being yours.

With great precision, smile just right,

You turn your charms full force on me;

You shine and dazzle by my side,

Most splendid sight for all to see.

My duty was to dance with you,

Could we but dance the whole night through!

     It wasn't by far the best thing I had written, but it was good enough for an improvisation. I bowed at the end, and Rosala accepted it all with a graceful smile and a curtsey. I realised that this must be something she was more than used to, being the Queen of the House of Love and all. Oh well, it had been fun while it lasted...

     And we danced, and we revelled, and we made merry. For an official ball this was one heck of a good party. At one point I noticed Aradia among the guests in her blond-haired disguise, but I thought it better not to approach her. People might get suspicious, and I had got the idea that she didn't want to draw too much attention.

     Of course there was a lot of speculation about the lucky lady who Monias was eventually going to choose for his new bride, but when the rumour of his choice finally went out it defeated all the expectations on both sides of the spectrum. It seemed that Monias had decided on a lady who was related both to Amber and to a major House of Chaos, namely Felicia Wysternion, Myrthe's mother. This semi-official rumour was accompanied by a less official one, saying that Monias had already had an affair with the lady and that Myrthe was in fact his daughter. Of course, this sort of implied that Monias had already known whom he was going to choose and had just wanted to let everybody make an effort to add a special touch to this ball. The only problem was that Lady Felicia wasn't at the ball and that nobody had seen her for quite some time now.

     Still, the news helped to ease up the mood around the two war councils, although it came too late to prevent an attempt on poor Sheila's life. The girl managed to escape unharmed, thanks to the timely intervention of Alexander's samurai guards, who thereby redeemed themselves for their earlier failure in keeping Rhiane safe. The assassin was caught, but he had been prepared and a poison capsule forestalled any questions about his employer.

     Talking about Rhiane, she was still missing. Torgil was in quite a state, blaming himself for everything, while Ysandre was wandering around with an expression that spelled certain doom for the people who had been so unwise to kidnap her dear daughter. I wasn't too worried, though. I was sure she would turn up sooner or later; our little adventure together had proved to me that she could certainly take care of herself.

     Suddenly it seemed to be that time of the night when people start acting a little peculiar. I noticed Boadice waltz by in the arms of someone who was identified to me as Jurgo Chartin. Wasn't she supposed to be in the middle of a vendetta with that guy? Next thing I heard that Alexander was really looking for a bride too. Had that been his plan all along, or had he just given in to peer pressure? I was sure I'd never know.

     I glanced around and my eye chanced upon my Mother talking to my cousin Algo. A certain deep and dark feeling settled in my stomach. I kept watching them, and sure enough after their conversation Algo headed straight for Diana. I turned away, damning myself for my curiosity. I knew that I had promised to make room for Deirdre to handle this matter in any way she saw fit, and I guess that Algo was really the right person for the job, but still it hurt. There is this ugly beast called jealousy which, when it has its chance, will hurt you as bad as anything ever could.

     I sighed and got myself a new glass of wine, determined that this should be a night to get really and truly wasted. I was in the middle of trying to drown my misery in alcohol, when suddenly a servant came up to me and handed me a scented handkerchief while discreetly whispering a room number in my ear. The parfum was familiar enough, and the hanky also sported the beautifully embroidered initials R T, making me absolutely certain of the owner's identity. Should I? Hmm, could be dangerous. After all, the lady was a member of a major Chaos House, and although our earlier confrontation had been quite pleasurable, we were on different sides, so to speak. I looked up from the token just in time to see Algo and Diana leave the hall together. I stared after them for a moment or so. Okay, that settled it! I sniffed at the handkerchief once more, savouring the sweet aroma with all the promises it carried, before tucking it away. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, but I did know that it was rude to keep a lady waiting.

     I deciced that it would be unwise not to tell anyone where I was going, though, and after a moment's consideration I went and asked my Mother to dance. The dance floor was really one of the most private places of the ball, so I wasn't too worried about anyone overhearing us when I told Deirdre about the invitation I had received. When she heard whom it was from, she grinned and shot a quick glance in Flora's direction.

     "I think you should most certainly accept," she said. I replied a bit testily that I hadn't been asking for advice, but that I was just letting her know, to be on the safe side. She nodded and said something to the effect that she was pleased that I was so prudent. I would have liked to go on for a little while, but our dance was brusquely cut short by the appearance of Adrian with a lady at his side whom I recognized as Sereva Baccaran, one of the Chaos candidates. To my, and I feel almost everyone's amazement a beaming Jostin Baccaran, Head of the House, officially announced that Lord Adrian, son of Corwin of Amber and King of Sherwyn, had chosen his daughter Sereva to be his bride and future Queen. Of course I couldn't wait to go up to Adrian to learn more about his sudden choice,  but so did everyone else, so in the end I barely had enough time alone with Adrian to offer him my congratulations. His forced expression of joy gave me cause to wonder, though. Was he really marrying Sereva of his own free choice, or was this some kind of shotgun wedding? The Baccarans did seem extremely pleased with their daughter's catch, that much was certain. Ah well, Adrian was a big boy, and if he was in trouble he had sort of brought it about himself by becoming King and all.

     With a sigh and a last look at Adrian in the midst of the Baccaran clan, I left the noise and bustle of the ball behind me. It took me some time to find the right chamber, though, for the Chaos nobility's quarters were in a totally different wing of the castle, as far removed from the Amberites as possible. Finally, I came to the right door, and after checking myself in one of the mirrors that hung here in the corridor and straightening my suit a little, I knocked. Rosala opened the door herself and bade me to come in. I offered her a courteous bow and followed her inside. She was wearing a different dress from the one she had worn earlier, a rather small white and blue ensemble that went perfectly with her hair, and that also happened to be a lot more revealing. Flickering candlelight highlighted her skin, and the sweet smell of her perfume permeated throughout the room and made me feel slightly giddy.

     Rosala gestured me towards a comfortable looking couch, which stood noticably close to the large four-poster bed. An open bottle of wine stood on a small table near the couch, with two beautiful crystal glasses beside it. While she sat down, I filled both the glasses and offered her one.

     "To the most beautiful lady at the ball," I toasted, sitting down at her side. Not too close yet, I decided, let's do this the courtly way. Let's show the Queen of the Court of Love that Amberites were no unmannered louts without a sense of decorum.

     "Why, thank you," she replied after having tasted her wine, "but are you really certain that that title should be rightfully mine? After all, there are quite a lot of beautiful ladies in Amber, aren't there?" Uh oh, dangerous ground! However, I wasn't about to really start comparing Rosala with Aunt Flora, as she had undoubtedly in mind.

     "True," I said, "but the beauties which are normally so close to me are in another way also quite remote. Your beauty, however, while being usually as distant as the stars is at this ball suddenly quite near, which makes me appreciate it all the more." Was it my imagination, or had the touch of the wine left her lips a deeper shade of red than a moment before?

     "Is it then wise to venture as close as this?" she asked with a sly smile. "The beauty of this star might mark you in ways you might come to regret." In a casual and even somewhat lazy fashion she moved right hand over the spot between us on the couch, slightly flexing her muscles in a way that clearly drew attention to her long nails. I repressed a shiver.

     "Then let it mark me," I said. "I would bear the marks proudly. They would serve as a constant reminder to me of your beauty, before you return to your distant position in the firmament."

      She smiled again and nodded appreciatively. We finished our wine and while I refilled our glasses she slightly shifted to a position which was a little bit closer to me. As I handed her her glass, her soft and cool fingers lingered momentarily on my hand. I looked deep in her eyes, filled with amusement and something more, an intense passion and longing. Apparently I had passed a first test of some sort, and she had deemed me worthy for more than merely polite conversation.

     We did talk a lot longer, though, letting the tension build up between us till the storm was ready to break. After that... Ah, but a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell. Suffice to say that it was quite a pleasurable experience for both of us, and for me even an educational one at certain points. Finally, when we were too exhausted to continue, we took a shower together, before lying down to sleep. As I drifted off to dreamland, some distant part of me worried a bit at the extent of my passion and the places it had taken me, but it was a far-off thought and, being too tired, I didn't let it bother me too much.

     When I awoke the next morning Rosala was gone, but in her place I found a beautiful blue rose, the same colour as her hair. I felt remarkably refreshed, despite everything that we had done last night. At breakfast I met Deirdre who of course wanted to know how it had been.

     "It was wonderful," I sighed and showed her the blue rose Rosala had left behind. Deirdre told me that I should feel honoured; apparently roses like these never withered, and Rosala only made a gift of them to people who had been "very pleasing indeed". She added that she had expected nothing less from me, but she warned me not to flaunt this reward too casually, for some people back in Amber might take offense. I didn't have to think hard to realise that she was talking about Flora. Well, no sense getting her angry just because I slept with her rival. I would cherish the rose in a safe place, though. There was no way I was going to forget anything about this night.

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