Word Count: 36,037
Summary of Events:
Alina got upset with her mother condemning her father and discussed the issue with her grandmother and two of her viceroys, who all concluded that her mother's confidence in her memory had been destroyed by Viceroy Báld. Éoin, his feet sore from dancing in the wrong shoes last night, chatted with one of his sisters before being visited by the governor of Derwynton. Alina, having begun a tour of Aifos, was received at the home of Viceroy Stryng and had something of a scare that turned out to be just two of the viceroy's servants having taken the wrong route. Éoin, his feet too sore to dance at the ball in celebration of his installation as viceroy, watched everyone else enjoying the festivities . . .
Excerpt of the Day:
Mother sat in a chair beside him, wearing a dark purple dress which was overlaid with black lace. It was an elegant outfit, but Éoin knew Mother was wearing it because of the colour of the lace. She'd worn it when her mother had died to signify that she was still mourning, but not so much that she couldn't wear anything other than black.
Éoin was certain it was the first ball where she hadn't danced, and he was certain she had no intentions of dancing. It also happened to be the first ball without Father, who had always danced at least three dances with Mother.
It made him wonder why Mother had been so adamant to host a ball when she was still grieving the loss of her husband. He presumed she was doing it because her highest priority was to get him and Seosamh married off so they would be lonely like she was.
Looking over at Mother, Éoin saw that she looked rather troubled. He wondered if she was thinking of Father.
Regardless, he reached over and squeezed her hand. She turned and looked at him quickly, startled.
"Is this harder for you than you thought it would be?" Éoin asked.
Mother gazed at him for a moment before sighing and nodding, letting the anguish show on her face.
Éoin moved his feet. They felt better, but still rather raw and sore. He looked at the dancers, arrayed in purple and green out of patriotism. The song ended and the couples changed partners or moved to sit out the next dance. He glanced over at Mother again.
Gingerly he rose to his feet, not letting go of her hand, and bowed low in front of her. "May I have this dance?"
"But your feet Éoin," Mother said.
"I think you need it," Éoin whispered.
He saw tears rush along the edge of her eyelids. She rose to her feet and accompanied him to the floor filled with dancers, many of whom were older, being as it was a slow waltz the musicians were playing the introduction for.
The slow, gentle movements of the waltz made things easier on him than dancing a jig would've, but he still had to set his jaw and face against grimacing in pain as he moved across the floor with his mother.
It didn't take long for Mother to lower her head onto his shoulder. When he glanced down he noticed a few tears had escaped her eyes.
As much as the crowd around them was in good and favourable spirits, celebrating the coronation of their Queen and the installation of their Viceroy — as was the purpose of the event — there was a sobriety about the whole thing to Éoin.
Father had enjoyed dancing himself, and it was something special that he and Mother had shared together; as much as Mother wanted to see her sons married, a ball without her husband was apparently more difficult than she'd realised it would be.
Pronunciations:
Stryng: string
Seosamh: sehohsahm
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