Remember... Ch. 08

"I thought she might be," he said, looking at the elf girl fondly. "This is the longest that she's ever been away from home."

Sitting down around the table, they ordered their drinks, and quickly settled into easy conversation.

"Amanda told me that you specifically picked this restaurant," Mari said, sipping her glass of white wine, a faint smile on her face. "Any reason in particular?"

"I've been to this area before, in the past, so I know it is a popular place among the student population," he began, maintaining perfect eye contact with her as he absentmindedly twirled his glass of red. "It's helped by the fact that several of the women's dorms are a short distance away, and so is a common place for the Society's upper year girls to meet up. And where there might be beautiful women, that's where I want to be."

"You're quite honest about that," Mari said.

"I see no reason to hide it. And I'm sure my sister has told you about me," he glanced at Amanda with amusement, who looked downwards, suddenly developing a keen interest in her drink. "Whatever she's told you, it's probably true."

"She also told me to turn you into a frog if you misbehave," Mari laughed.

"As I recall, there's a pretty standard way to break that curse. What makes you think I can't convince you to turn me back?" He leaned forward.

"Alan!" Amanda scowled, kicking him from under the table. "I told you not to-"

"I'm kidding, don't worry," Alan laughed, shaking his head. "I know. And besides, if the rumors are to be believed, King Andrew might get upset."

"Like that's ever stopped you," Amanda said with a pout.

"It does, sometimes," he grinned. "But Mari, are the rumors true? You and the king?"

Mari smiled faintly. "I can't answer that."

"Ah, so they are. King Andrew is a lucky man to have such a smart and beautiful woman such as yourself."

"You flatter me, Alan, but his Majesty has not announced anything of that nature yet."

"No, he has not, and you must know the reason he chooses not to. But really, he chose you, did he not?"

Mari shrugged. They didn't need to know about the arrangement. "Perhaps. What his Majesty thinks, only he knows. But enough about me, Alan, tell me about yourself."

The elf stretched and yawned, contemplating the request. "Hmm. Where should I start..."

"Wait, no, don't start!" Amanda said with no small amount of urgency. "We're going to be here all night if you do. Trust me, Mari, he can talk your ears off if you let him. How about just a two sentence 'interesting factoid'?"

"'Two sentence interesting factoid'? I've been alive for longer than the history of this country, and you want me to shorten my life story into two sentences? I could tell you a tale of the secrets buried beneath the Island of Ruins. The tale of how I seduced a queen that changed a nation. Or even a tale of the year that I spent with 365 different woman. How about-"

"Alan!" With a deep sigh, Amanda shook her head. "I think I preferred it when you were just flirting with girls."

Hours later, Mari stepped out into the street, holding Amanda steady as she attempted the whole 'walking' business. Falalie and Ella tried to help, but the elf girl waved them off.

"I thought you elves could handle alcohol better," Mari said with laughter. "Though downing five drinks so quickly was probably a bit much."

Amanda groaned. "They were tasty and they were closing and Alan said that I should enjoy this feeling while I'm young though I'm really not sure what there is to enjoy."

"Well, he's obviously old enough that alcohol doesn't affect him anymore. Maybe he's looking back at you with fond memories."

"Or he's looking back at me and wants to make me suffer like he did, that jerk."

"Maybe," Mari laughed. "But he did warn you that those fruity drinks are stronger than they taste."

"Hey, you're not supposed to take his side," she whined. "And they tasted great."

"This is the price you pay, then."

"I think I'm going home. Where's Alan?"

"He went to go chat up those two girls from earlier."

"Right. Well, he can take care of himself," she said as she gave Mari a hug. "Thanks for coming out with me and meeting Alan."

"Thanks for dragging me out. I don't normally have much time to go out with friends anymore," she said with a grin. "This was fun."

Mari watched Amanda wobble away, waving off her guardians' attempts to help her. As she turned towards her own dorms, Alan emerged from the restaurant.

"Hey, Mari," he began. "Good thing I caught you."

"Oh? What is it? Where are your girls?"

"In the lady's room, freshening up. You know how girls like to go in pairs. They're coming, don't worry about me," He smirked. "Though I wanted to talk to you alone."

Mari tilted her head to a side, curious.

"So, I know what happened to my sister a few weeks ago, that she was kidnapped, and later rescued. I know that you were one of the ones who helped rescue her, so I want to thank you for what you did. Truly, thank you. I don't know what would've happened if it weren't for you."

"You don't need to thank me. She's my friend. And besides, I can't claim all the credit for that."

"I know," he nodded. "There was also Captain Lena Banks, Amanda's arms instructor."

"Yeah. Captain Banks was critical in her rescue."

"Yes. But when I was asking Amanda about it, she mentioned something in passing that made me think there was someone else besides you and Captain Banks."

Mari blinked. "What do you mean? Captain Banks brought along a group of guards during the rescue."

"Hmm. How about when you took her home? Was there someone else besides you and the captain?"

"Ah. Well. A guardsman was with us who drove the carriage back."

"That's it? I wonder why Amanda was being so secretive about it," he mused, but before Mari could speak, the two girls that had accompanied him emerged from The Happy Goat. "Ah well. Regardless, thank you for everything you did. I hope to see you again soon."

"Good bye, Alan. Hope you have a good time here in Astrin."

"Oh I plan to!" He said as he put his arms around his two giggling companions. "Good night, Mari."

-+-+-+-+-+

Mari pushed through the crowds of the Jita markets as fast as they would part. Her fellow pedestrians' shouts and grumbles were drowned out by the seething anger inside her own mind, anger caused by her father's sudden announcement last night, that he would not be attending Princess Allura's birthday celebrations. Which was today. In fact, he had never planned on going and RSVPed as such, but had never told Mari. Until last night. Worse still, he had not even prepared a present; a task which now fell to her.

What do I even get her? She thought as she glanced left and right, hoping for some sort of inspiration. Jewelry? Clothes? Does an elven princess even need me to buy those things for her? Even if those are good ideas, am I going to find anything suitable on such short notice? Hey, how about these bath salts? Everyone likes taking baths, right?

She dived into the little boutique.

A salesgirl tried to be helpful, but Mari was much too caught up in her own thoughts to hear her words. She studied the rows of glass jars, each filled with different colored crystals, each with a different flowery name. Maybe it was the dim lighting, but to Mari's eyes, "Sinful Rose" looked just like "Cherry Blossom Serenity", which seemed not terribly different from "Decadent Dahlia". She picked up a jar, and sniffed.

"Mari?"

At first, the sorceress didn't even hear the voice calling her name. It was only when a finger poked her in the back, causing her to squeak in surprise, did she finally turn around.

"Oh spirits! Amanda! Hi!" She jumped. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wandering around town. Are you ok? You seem distracted."

"Yes. Actually, no. I need help."

"What's wrong?" Her smile was replaced by a look of concern.

"I've been invited to Princess Allura's birthday party later this evening, and I thought my father was going as well, but it turns out he isn't, and he didn't prepare a present either, so now I have to get a suitable present for an elven princess in the next few hours so I thought maybe I can get some bath salts. Do you think she likes bath- oh spirits, what am I saying? Why would she need me to buy her bath salts? I don't want her to think that I think she needs to bathe or that she smells bad or- ok this is a terrible idea. Why are you laughing at me?"

"Oh, Mari," the elf girl tried and failed to hold in her laughter. "I thought it was something important."

"This is important! Since my father isn't going to be there, I'm going to be representing the Society of Magic tonight. I can't just show up with no present, or a crappy present!"

"Well, Mari, it's ok. Bath salts are fine. Everyone likes baths. I'm sure she'll love them," She said, still giggling.

"I can't do that! What if she thinks that I'm trying to tell her that she stinks and offend her?"

Amanda looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What is she, twelve?"

"No, twenty one," Mari answered without hesitation. The elf's flat stare gave her pause. "Erm. That was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?"

"You're thinking too hard about this, Mari. You don't need to get her anything extravagant. She's a princess. Don't you think she gets whatever she wants anyway?"

"But I need to represent the Society of Magic. I can't just go in there with... with a thing of bath salt."

"Why not? It just has to be a gift that is representative of the Society. Even bath salts, with one or two unique enchantments added, would be an appropriate gift. In fact, I can't think of anyone more suited for this task than you."

Mari's brows furled as she considered the elf's words. "You're right. Thanks, Amanda," she finally said as she took the jar of "Sinful Rose" to the salesgirl.

By the time Mari got home and finished constructing the enchantment on the pink bath salt, it was already time for her to get ready for the party. She quickly bathed, and at the same time floated the bath salts into a gift box and wrapped it. Against her school friends' skin care advice, Mari speed-dried herself with a dessicate spell as she slipped into her long lavender dress. Then came the hair, which she tied off into a loose bun, pinned into place with long silver hairpins. A silent incantation colored it a dark purple to match the dress. Finally, a few quick spells completed her makeup.

Running out of her room with the bath salts in hand, Mari met up with the other two Society delegates and began their jumps to Princess Allura's party.

The streets outside of the White Keep were filled with carriages and rows of onlookers that were kept at a distance by a sizable group of city guards. Mari spent only enough time to make sure that her companions' jump spells were completed before hurrying inside the gates of the elven embassy.

"Miss Izer of the Society of Magic, I presume?" A guard wearing a suit of ornate dress armor approached her as she stepped through the main gates.

"Yes, and this is Provost Hank Saurer and Director Vanessa Ling," Mari replied as she handed over the gift in her hands.

"Very good. Please follow me to the ballroom. A herald will announce your arrival."

It was only thirty minutes after the hour, but it seemed like a large crowd had already gathered inside the ballroom. The dance floor at the center held a group of men and women of all races, conversing amongst each other while a small orchestra played a mix of elven and local music, providing a melodic white noise behind the conversations. At each corner of the room were stairs that lead to the second floor balconies.

As Mari's eyes wandered around the room, gathering her surroundings, an elven servant approached her. "Miss Izer? King Andrew has requested your presence. May I lead you to him?"

Mari looked to her companions, who both gave her an amused nod.

The elf led her through the crowd, and passed by Jaraad, surrounded by several military officials. He gave her a smile and a nod as she walked by. Another group of people stood around Chris. Some were foreign dignitaries speaking to him, and some were just men hoping for the attention of the two stunning women at his side. Chris gave her a wink as she passed while she shook her head and chuckled to herself.

Finally, she saw Andrew, clad in a loose white robe and golden epaulettes, with two guards behind him in Rancerian dress armor. Beside him stood two masked elves. One was an elven woman, dressed in a long green dress with sleeves that extended just past her hands, and a matching green mask. To her right was an elven man dressed in what appeared to be a completely red elven military uniform, and wearing a smiling drama mask painted white and red.

"Mari! It's so good to see you again," Andrew greeted her with a kiss on her gloved hand.

"Your majesty," she smiled and curtsied in return. Mari always thought these formalities were rather stiff and inconvenient, but Andrew had insisted that they continue like this in public.

"Mari, you came at a good time, the Princess was just about to leave. I want to introduce you to Princess Allura and Prince Asger of the Kingdom of Mise," he gestured to the elves. "And Prince Asger, Princess Allura, may I introduce you to the famous Mari Izer of the Society of Magic."

"Princess Allura, Prince Asger, it's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a smile, "and happy birthday, Princess."

"Thank you, Miss Izer, and thank you for coming. Unfortunately I need to prepare for my speech, but I'm glad I was able to meet you first," The princess said pleasantly, turning to leave. "I hope to see you again later in the evening, and I hope you enjoy the party."

As the princess and her three handmaidens disappeared into the crowd, Prince Asger approached Mari.

"Allura is still quite young, so she's not yet comfortable with giving public speeches. Stage fright, you understand." The elven man explained from behind the smiling mask.

"It's alright. I understand completely. I still feel queasy in front of a crowd as well," Mari said with a smile.

"Miss Izer, I have heard a great many things about you. My brother Jurian had wanted to come for Allura's birthday, just for a chance to meet you. Unfortunately he had to attend to some last-minute matters back in Luminare. He asked me to relay his greetings, and his hopes to meet you one day in person."

"Prince Jurian? The Aspect of Magic?" Mari gasped. "I'm honored! Please tell him that I hope to meet him as well."

Andrew grinned. "Next time I travel to Mise, I'll take you along. How does that sound, Mari?"

"I would like that very much, your majesty!" She nodded enthusiastically.

"Then I look forward to welcoming you to Luminare next time," Asger said. "Excuse me King Andrew, Miss Izer, but I must go attend to some personal matters as well before even more guests show up."

"Of course, Prince Asger," said Andrew. Turning to Mari, he offered her his arm. "There are a few people I should speak to as well. Would you care to accompany me?"

With a smile, she took his arm. "Of course, your majesty."

"Have you seen Chris yet?" Andrew asked as they walked.

"Yeah, with the two ridiculously beautiful women hanging on his arms over there? I'm almost jealous of him."

"You're not the only one. It's like half the men at the party are over there."

"Jaraad seems bored with a bunch of military guys just standing around. Maybe he should join up with Chris's group."

"Nah, you don't have to worry about him. Once the dancing starts, I'm sure he'll get a pretty girl on his arms as well. He's quite good on his feet, and women love big strong men in fancy uniforms, you know?"

Mari laughed. "Alright, if you say so. Where's... um... Rook? Is he here?" She asked, remembering to use Mark's alias.

"Yeah. He's around. Probably near us, actually. He likes to stay invisible during these things."

"Really? The Elves allowed that?"

"I requested. They obliged. Wanna talk to him?" Andrew reached for the necklace bearing his insignia.

"No, it's fine. Just say 'hi' to him for me."

"He says 'hi'. I think he's close by."

"The elves are tracking the premise with a detection spell, and know where he is, so he shouldn't be too smug about it," Mari laughed and looked around the ballroom. Though there were only a few elven guards visible on the first floor, mostly gathered around the doors, she doubted that the elves would be careless with their security.

As Andrew walked around the room, mingling with one group to the next, various people approached him in greeting. Mari initially tried to smile and greeted each guest as they made their introductions, but she quickly grew tired of the endless stream of people, all wanting a moment of Andrew's attention.

"Your majesty," Mari said when a momentary lapse in the crowd became available. "Do you still need to speak to anyone?"

"No, no one in particular now. Why?"

"Do you think we can get away from the crowd for a while? Maybe take a tour of the White Keep?"

Andrew considered for a moment. "Sure, why not," he said, and waved over an elven servant with the request. Moments later, an elven woman approached with a small entourage of servants.

"Your majesty, Miss Izer," The woman said with a bow. "My name is Ilyusha. I am Ambassador Raelin's aide. I understand that you would like a tour of our White Keep. I would be happy to be your guide, if you would care to follow me."

Ilyusha led them through a set of doors and into the halls. Servants that followed held small trays of hors d'oeuvres and drinks, which Mari happily took advantage of as she listened to the elven woman's knowledge on the various rooms, pieces of art, and even trivia regarding events that had occurred long before the founding of the kingdom.

As they proceeded to the second floor of the White Keep, Mari noticed a change in the pattern of the detection spell that had been present since she had first entered the front gates. She felt a vague sense of deja vu with this new pattern, as if she had seen it somewhere before, but her curiosity was quickly drawn away by her tour guide's stories.

It was perhaps half an hour later before Ilyusha concluded her tour at a large painting in front of the embassy's main meeting hall. The painting depicted a scene of battle, with an army of elves on the right and an army of men on the left charging towards each other. Leading the elves was a human woman on a horse. The woman wore a suit of old, battered armor, holding a Rancerian banner high in one hand, a thin blade in the other, directing the elves forward.

"Your majesty, Miss Izer, are you familiar with this piece?" The elven woman asked with a curious smile.

Mari shook her head, but Andrew spoke up. "Of course. This is a painting of my foremother, Isabelle, leading the elven soldiers loaned to her by King Alexandre. I believe this depiction is of the Battle of Carl Lake, where Isabelle's victory secured the capture of Astrin. It was one of the last major battles in the Reformation War. Less than a year later, Isabelle was crowned queen of Rancer, and began our long and amicable relationship with King Alexandre and the kingdom of Mise."

"That's right, your majesty," Ilyusha said, nodding. "We are still grateful for the land returned to us. Eastern Carrou was my birthplace. I was delighted to be able to visit my childhood home after its return."

While Andrew and Ilyusha conversed, Mari stepped forward to study the painting. Though drawn no bigger than any of the other subjects in the painting, Queen Isabelle was obviously the focus, illuminated by a ray of sunlight peeking through the clouds. Every part of her was drawn in exquisite detail, from the blood and soot on her determined face, to the golden dragon engraved on the scabbard of her sword. In the background, a group of riders could be seen, charging towards the flank of the human army on the left while arrows and magical spells flew overhead. Mari smiled in amusement as she tried to identify all the spells in the painting, completely missing the elf that had just arrived at Ilyusha's side.