DracoLunaris
Lord Zee
sly13
Location: The Abhainn Ballroom
Interacting With: Prince William {@Legion02}, King Maddox Auclair {@Scarlet Loup--mentioned} & Lady Julia {@HushedWhispers--mentioned}
Diverting his eyes from Julianna for a moment, he observed the woman before him. Nothing obvious would happen tonight. The plans were too young. Everything would still be a thought. Especially in Maddox he guessed. No, the ideas had to be hatched first. So why not try to have some semblance of fun tonight? Even though it was a ball, William figured he could entertain himself. Maybe with a little game: guess the woman behind the mask. Her half-sarcastic reply came as a surprise to the prince. Half the room knew who he was and wouldn't dare speak like that. The other half didn't know who he was. William figured the lady was part of the later group.
"I did." he answered quickly, before taking a rather big swig from his wine. Why not go a little drunk as well tonight? "And I intend both of those things. Those driven away by but a mask would only waste my time with their cowardice." he answered, truthfully but not without lack of attitude. "Is it driving you away, my lady?" he teased back at her. Was she bold or shy? Daring or restrained?
Keir continued to study the man, his mannerisms, and his mask even as he turned his attentions to her and from his obviously intended target of interest. She felt a distinct sense of confidence--or cockiness--coming from him; she wasn’t sure which it was but the difference was meaningful. He was surely highborn, and his accent almost certainly marked him as being from Abhainn. She looked forward to probing further. His question now hanging in the air, she moved her left hand up to her chin in a gesture meant to portray thoughtfulness. After a few moments of ‘careful’ study, she finally spoke:
”Honestly, I have not quite made up my mind on it yet.” A slightly mischievous grin jumped to her lips even as she clasped her hands back together. ”Perhaps if I knew more about it? Did your lordship hunt it yourself or was it brought to you as a gift? I should verily be very frightened if the latter.” she quipped before turning to grab her own glass of wine from a nearby server. ”Thank you.” Keir always made sure to thank the serving staff even though she was often berated for such acts during her lessons on how to behave in court; she would do her best to fit in but she could never bring herself to treat the servants as furniture. As she turned back, Keir nodded her head towards the man while slightly raising her goblet towards him before taking a drink.
The thanks earned Keir a raised eyebrow. Who thanked the servants? No-one! Not even William did it. Though, neither did he really scold or abuse them. They were people but they were doing their jobs. But nobles, they never gave the lower classes a moment's thought. Highborns were rude, all of them. Except this lady. She, somehow, knew servants were just people as well. He let the thoughts swirl in his mind for a moment. Her mannerism told him she was rather well versed in the traditions of a court. However, at the same time she showcased a surprising amount of sarcasm.
"Lordship? Oh dear, I'm afraid you're wrong there. I'm no lord, my lady." He wasn't, technically. He was a prince. She couldn't even call him sir as he wasn't a knight yet either. Even though, as a prince, that could probably be arranged soon enough. "Oh in that case you have no reason to be afraid. I very much shot down the deer on my own. A terrible beast it was." His tone was obviously sarcastic. Hunting deer was rather simple, truth be told. The true challenge laid in game that would fight back. Wild boars were an excellent example. Yet a boar had none of the regal appearance a stag had. So, forced in his role as prince, he opted for the antlers.
"Now, as you are attempting to read through the mask, it would only be fair if I could do the same." his tone was rather cheery, but also quite challenging. "Purple, an interesting colour to be sure. Expensive as well. A gift from a rich admirer?"
She modestly sipped on her wine as it was his turn in the game to speak now. Her cogs turned as he seemed to willingly admit that he was higher born than a simple Lord; she certainly knew that he could not be otherwise by this point. That did not leave very many options at the high court. Keir certainly had not met all of the holder’s of Abhainn’s highest offices next to the King, but she was sure this wasn’t Maddox. Perhaps one of the many court advisors, royal liaisons, or even the elusive Prince of Abhainn she’d heard about.
At his admission of hunting and shooting the deer himself, she made all the appropriate reactions. ”Most impressive! Your bravery and skill are to be lauded. I do rather fancy a well-made bow myself. Do you train in any other weapons?” She used no more titles as of yet; this was turning into quite the a fun game of deduction and banter. She was ready for his attempts to dig deeper at her.
”Oh, of course! All ladies must have at least one rich admirer or she cannot truly be called a Lady.” Keir ran her free hand over the gown to feel the velvet now; it was quite possibly the best made dress on which she had ever laid her eyes. ”Royalty does so enjoy its purples and golds. In truth, I am not used to being quite so spoiled.” No lies were given here, though most likely Lady Julia was not the type of ‘admirer’ to which he was referring. Her blue eyes danced with amusement through the holes in the mask.
"The morningstar, sword, axe and lance. I'll let you choose which one you want to believe I practice." The axe was used out of necessity. In the woods it had a double job. Protecting and being used as hatchet. Sword and lance was a given to confuse her. He did use both, as was required in the honorable duels. But a great many knights practiced those lethal tools as well. The morningstar, finally, was a personal favorite. He often used it when hunting poachers. As it blows were not always lethal. Meaning he could capture rather than kill. Still, the one weapon he prefered was the sword. As he trained with it on a daily basis now. Getting ready to one day wield a bastard sword. And maybe a great sword later in his life so he could do real damage on the battlefields to come.
William had to stifle a laugh as Keir said no-one could call herself a lady if she didn't have a secret admirer. It felt so obviously noble. Some lady had probably said it before, surrounded by friends while sipping tea in the safety of her own chambers. But this woman, she dared to say it out here in a ballroom.
But then she mentioned royalty. Which immediately triggered alarms in William's head. There were only 2 royal families present. His eyes immediately darted towards Julianna. Did she bring a little sister? No, impossible. William was briefed on who of importance would be present. A princess would be at the top of the list. He took a big swig of the wine goblet in his hand and then turned to look at his half-brother, whispering: "Maddox...you wouldn't have..." He wouldn't have found another half-sibling. It was a well known fact that the King of Abhainn slept around in the hope of bringing forth an heir. It was well within the realm of possibilities that the brothers had a sister.
Turning back towards Keir he said: "Must have been hard, adapting to a new life. With so much more...purple." His eyes portraying much more intensity towards Keir now. Was she truly a long lost sister? "Tell me, my lady. How did you grow up? If not surrounded by gold."
Keir mulled over the weapon options he listed in response to her question. To be trained in so varied an assortment of arms, he may well be some type of military strategist but she got the impression that he was rather a bit younger than the average war veteran or general. Though the war did make veterans out of many a young man. She knew that better than most with the loss of her father at such an early age; thankfully her brother was spared and now a lord in his own right. She had to drag her thoughts from that subject before it spoiled the evening for her. No, more likely she thought him to be related to a weathered combat veteran and probably had seen some combat himself. There always remained the possibility that he was the prince as well. Surely both would have the means and the opportunity to practice the art of war as well as the art of the hunt.
His stifled laughter brought her out of her ponderings on what she’d discovered thus far. It was rather gratifying to have her efforts positively reinforced in this manner. He seemed to be having as amusing a time as she was. That was until she mentioned that someone of a royal family had gifted her the evening-wear. Perhaps she had overstepped a boundary, though she was not lying. Nevertheless, she wanted to have her fun without spoiling the time for Lady Julia and either of the families. The man turned as if he was looking for someone momentarily but quickly turned back around. She thought she saw his lips move but heard no words until the next moment. Her head as well as her eyebrow quirked at the inquiry. She wasn’t sure if she’d been found out yet or not but she could answer these questions without being the slightest bit coy. It almost seemed like the look she saw in his eyes now demanded it.
”Well, certainly, with the coming of the war and the much wished for end of it, many people have had to adapt to new lives. I do apologize if I’ve led you to believe that I am something I am not.” She took her own large drink of wine now, finishing the glass before finding another to continue. This was not the topic she thought she’d be discussing at a Mask ball and she surprisingly found that she needed some liquid courage to dig the words up. ”I grew up surrounded by iron, steel, and coal. Also two very tiresome older brothers wanting to play ‘Prince’ and thus requiring a princess.” Her eyes seemed to be staring at something in the distance now as she remembered her childhood fondly. ”I would wander off into the woods hunting for dragons more often than not, poor princes.” She wanted to lighten up the mood now. It felt too heavy and she wanted to steer the discussion away from her humble beginnings towards the mysterious companion. Her reminiscing had revealed far too much about herself.
”Did you ever play ‘Prince’, my lord? Or perhaps you are a Prince and I should be calling you ‘Your Royal Highness’?” She gave a deep bow here, hoping to make up for any ill will she had generated by making him believe that she might exist above her actual station. She felt that this game was arriving at its end, and it had been an enlightening and interesting endeavor even if she hadn’t been able to suss out his own identity. She hoped to leave it as amicable acquaintances.
Her apologizing made him reconsider her status. Maybe not a long lost princess. But then what? Even though she asked him a question, he remained silent for a moment. His deep eyes observing her completely. Her figure, her hair, the color of her eyes. He took it all in. Even her very scent. Who was she? Whose was she? Slibah or Abhainn? Because William had slowly realized that there were still two factions in the ballroom. His eyes scanned the room without his head moving. Trying to see clues and secrets behind the many masks. Who was an enemy, who was a friend? Who supports the marriage and who would see it fall? Who wanted war and who craved peace? The politics of the day hadn’t finished once he put on the mask. They only started.
A sly smile formed over William’s lips. She grew up in between coal and iron? Then she could never be more than him. And nobody listened to the likes of them. William wasn’t a serpent in nature. But his mind was capable. He was his father’s son after all. “Ah, an educated guess. I must admit my defeat.” He said as he took Keir’s hand, made a small bow and kissed the back of it. “Prince William of Abhainn. You won quite honorably, my Lady. As a sore loser I should probably ask after the identity of such a smart woman. However-“ his eyes shifted towards Julianna again. His eyes ignited. His expression, his voice. It all shifted towards a less friendly tone. “Certain duties do call tonight.” He turned back to Keir and his face instantly became a lot friendlier again. “Goodbye, my lady. May we meet again. Soon.” With that he adroitly walked away from the mysterious Lady but also away from Lady Julianna. Now was the time to observe. Will the mysterious lady report his strange activity? Or will she remain silent. The masquerade hadn’t ended yet.
Keir blinked in consternation as Prince William introduced himself to her but this expression would be hard to read with only her lips--which now hung slightly ajar--to give her away. It had been more a jest than a guess. She honestly had not yet come to that conclusion but she suddenly felt very exposed even in the many layers of fabric she wore. Even if he’d been receptive and returned the banter in kind, there was a certain way you were supposed to behave with royalty and her own behavior had been far from it. She then tried and failed to put together some comprehensible sliver of an apology in response but it was too late by the time her mind had sorted itself; the prince had given his farewells as quickly and concisely as his conceding of the game before disappearing back into the crowd.