#7kppweek2018

“You will regret it,” she said, when he offered her his hand. “I’m a terrible dancer.”

“I’ve heard that before,” he said. “I don’t recall it going all too poorly, the last time we had an opportunity to dance.”

That had been nearly two years ago.

“If you’re willing to risk it,” said Allegra.

“If the risk is worth the reward,” replied Clarmont, “why not?”

She took his hand.

Her heart was pounding. It had been all day, off and on. Allegra had woken up at the crack of dawn that morning, hours before the maids would come in to rouse her, and hadn’t been able to get back to sleep. She’d been waiting, they’d been waiting years for this day. Not that she hadn’t known from the start that their own, personal concerns would have to take second precedence to the affairs of the kingdom. She knew what she was getting into. Still, after interminable months of wheeling and dealing, bribes and incentives, threats and extortion, she was more than ready to seal the deal, as it were.

They had only time to arrange a very small, modest wedding. Scarlet had hied over from Keirtarn on short notice and somehow managed to plan the whole affair in less than a month, putting even Allegra’s closest squeezes to shame. She cheerfully took over the kitchens and the staff and began ordering them about so naturally that only her famous charm could prevent it seeming high-handed. She also took it upon herself to make sure that Allegra didn’t forget to eat and sleep, up to and including bringing her breakfast on the day of the wedding itself, and sitting around to watch that she ate at least some of it. Allegra could only take this as revenge for their childhood.

Of the wedding gown that Allegra had taken pains to have made in advance, she only said, “I don’t know why you would choose such a somber color. This is a celebration!”

“I like blue,” said Allegra.

Scarlet clicked her tongue. “At least let me arrange some flowers to liven it up.”

So Allegra had spent the whole day of her second wedding holding her head high, always nervous that if she tilted it the wrong way or moved too energetically the whole floral arrangement would come apart. This and many other thoughts spun through her head as Clarmont led her from her seat out onto the open floor, which was rapidly filling with dancing couples. Farther on, she could see Scarlet dancing with her husband, and their little brother dancing with a girl she didn’t recognize. The rest of the family could not make it on such short notice, which was almost a relief.

“May I have the first dance with my wife?” asked Clarmont, bowing over her gloved hand.

Allegra’s heart gave one last stutter. “Of course,” she said graciously, trying not to blurt out that she would give him anything he wanted.

He took her hand and, oblivious to the rest of the room, pulled her in rather closer than was proper.

It was the first dance of the evening and, per the traditions of a good old-fashioned country ball, the music was still soft and low. Once the gathered guests had had a chance to break in their dancing shoes, the musicians would pick up their tempo for the livelier dances. It was a good song to start with, sweet, slow, and sentimental. The sort of thing she would ordinarily dismiss, an old love song, but if ever there was a night for it, this was the one.

Clarmont’s hand was warm on her waist, so that she could feel it through the thick velvet of her gown, and his breath brushed her ear. Allegra tipped her head back to look at him and her heart gave another stutter, so that she almost tripped. He was holding her so close that she almost thought he was going to steal a kiss. Which was foolish, of course. They were married now, finally, and could have as many non-stolen kisses as they liked, though perhaps not in the middle of a hall full of other dancing couples. Briefly, the air in the room felt thick and oppressive, and she suppressed the urge to flee to her room and drag her new husband with her. It was early, yet.

The dance winded down and they parted, Clarmont bowing again.

“Did the first dance meet your expectations, husband?” asked Allegra, trying for a brash smile that didn’t entirely succeed.

“Perfectly,” he answered.

“Shall we keep on?” she asked, when the musicians broke into another song. “Who knows how long it will be before we have the leisure to dance again.”

“When we have leisure to,” said Clarmont, “I suspect I will go back to having to compete for your hand again. I’d like to take advantage of the luxury of dancing with my wife, when for once she’s not the most popular girl in the room.”

“How dare you?” she said, swatting his shoulder. “I am always the most popular girl in any room I walk into.”

“Too true,” said Clarmont with a long-suffering sigh.

“An occupational hazard of having such excellent taste,” said Allegra.

“Also very true,” he agreed. “Might I have this dance?”

The Royal Jiyel Academy had had an official Onvu club, and attendant tournament team, for as long as it had been in existence. After all, if Onvu had not strictly been invented in Jiyel, at the very least it had been perfected into its current form there. And the RJA was the best school of its sort in the world. Onvu was a globally recognized sport and tournaments could be a lucrative business. Not to mention, it was a major draw for international students, who came from every country in the world to match minds against the best young strategists of their generation. 

The club was usually managed by one of the brightest young students, almost invariably a graduate of the Royal Jiyel Junior Academy, which shared part of its campus with the RJA. This year, the student in question was one of their most brilliant young prospects, who had already made a name for herself in the debate circuits and the mathematics society. She’d purportedly been playing Onvu since she was four years old, and had beaten masters aplenty. At the present moment she was dividing her attention between supervising a club meeting, and playing a match against a former Youth World Championship medal-holder. 

“She doesn’t look like much, does she?” said Allegra off-handedly as she arranged the game board. 

Zarad snorted. “She looks like she belongs on the other side of the fence.” 

“She’s eighteen, I hear,” said Allegra skeptically. “I suppose standing next to the Duke makes her look younger than her years, as well as shorter.” 

Zarad laughed. “I think our perspective is clouded, Allegra, by the company we keep.” 

Allegra paused to make her opening move, then replied, “I don’t know what you mean.” 

“You seem to spend most of your time among the older set among the students, is what I was getting at,” said Zarad. “Myself included.” 

“Oh?” asked Allegra. 

“You never did tell me what caused you to delay your admittance,” he said, too casually, as he pushed a game piece into place with one finger. “You weren’t wait-listed, surely. Your standardized test scores are higher than the example sheet.” 

Allegra laughed. “Didn’t you hear? I was a high-priced call-girl before my sugar daddy picked me out of a catalog and promised to pay my tuition in exchange for sex.” 

He glanced away from the board and up at her. “Is that what they say?” 

“That’s the word around campus,” she answered. She didn’t seem too bothered by it. 

“You’re taking it well,” he said. 

Allegra shrugged one shoulder and kept her eyes on the board. “Everyone knows that the Duke’s admittance was delayed because his father died and he had to deal with the estate and all the funeral arrangements. Your roommate doesn’t keep secret that he took a few years off to sail around the world. You’ve seen his social media posts, I assume.” 

“Many, many times,” said Zarad. 

“People like to gossip,” said Allegra. “That’s all there is to it. If there’s no juicy story, they’ll invent one.” 

“I’d hate to think what the rumor mill has to say about me.” 

She smiled conspiratorially. “Do you really want to know?” 

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” said Zarad, but there was a gleam of curiosity in his eye that would not be denied. 

“The smart money is on a particularly rare and virulent strain of syphilis,” said Allegra. 

Zarad laughed. “Don’t let that get back to my girlfriend,” he said. “She’ll be horrified, and demand to know why I haven’t quashed the rumors.” 

“Why won’t you, then?” asked Allegra. 

“I find them rather amusing,” he said. “She won’t see it so philosophically, I think.” 

“That’s what you get for dating a pastor’s daughter,” said Allegra. 

“I suppose.” 

“How’s your roommate handling it?” she asked. 

“Who, Hamin?” asked Zarad. “Oh, he’s all right. You know him, always a barrel of laughs, never a dull moment.” 

Allegra made a sound at the back of her throat. 

“What?” asked Zarad, narrowing his eyes at her. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that gambit, either. You’ll get nothing past me, not even with a steady stream of gossip.” 

“Damn,” she said. “Well, it was worth a shot. I think you’re underestimating how hurt he was by the breakup.” 

“Hamin?” said Zarad, raising an eyebrow. 

Allegra nodded. “He was completely smitten with her, you know.” 

“Hamin?” said Zarad again. “With Felicity?” 

“The only reason you didn’t notice,” said Allegra, “was because you couldn’t keep your eyes off her yourself.” 

“Huh,” he said. 

“I hope you know what you’re doing with her,” said Allegra. 

“This feels so unequal,” said Zarad. “I never give you love advice about your relationship with what’s-his-name.” 

She scoffed at that. “She’ll stick to you like a burr, you know. Actually, you should bring her to the club, next meeting. I’d like to set her paying against Avalie. See what happens.” 

“You’re heartless,” said Zarad. “And you’ve got it the wrong way around.” 

“Oh?” said Allegra. 

“Yes,” he replied. “If anyone’s sticking like a burr--” 

She stayed her hand halfway to the board, clasped it with her other hand, and leaned her chin on then, looking across the table at him. “You’re serious about her.” 

Zarad smiled faintly. 

“You need to take that girl to bed,” advised Allegra sagely, “and sooner rather than later.” 

“I don’t want to spook her,” he said. 

“You wait any longer, she’ll only get more and more anxious about it,” she said. “Trust me on this.” 

“I’m not sure I do,” he said. 

“Take that virgin to bed, Zarad,” she said. “The longer you wait, the more time she has to get inside her own head and psych herself out about it. Fuck her, and fuck her hard.” 

“Really, Allegra?” he said. 

“Make her scream your name.” 

“This conversation has gotten wildly inappropriate,” said Zarad. 

“Our conversations often are,” replied Allegra. 

“I saw you with Marguerite on the south side of the campus the other day,” he said. “Three moves to victory.” 

Allegra knocked two pieces off the game board with one maneuver. “Not a chance,” she said. “Were you also there for the Pride Society meeting, then?” 

He laughed. “No, and I don’t think you were, either.” 

“I was, actually,” said Allegra. “It just so happens that while I was on the way to the mixer, I passed your ex-girlfriend in the quad. She looked like she was heading towards the accommodations office.” 

“So that’s one mystery solved,” said Zarad. “Did she see you see her?” 

She shrugged. 

“You should be careful of Marguerite,” he said. “She’s more dangerous than she looks.” 

“Your type, then,” said Allegra. 

“Felicity isn’t dangerous,” he said. 

Allegra laughed. 

“Most of the other players have finished their first matches,” said Zarad. “We’re behind schedule.” 

“I noticed,” she said. “We don’t seem to have an audience, though.” 

“Everyone is watching the Duke’s match with the new Jiyel prodigy,” he replied. “They seem awfully cozy. Do you think a frighteningly brilliant love-match could be in their future?” 

Allegra shook her head. “She has a crush on one of the librarians.” 

“Your inexhaustible sources of gossip, Allegra,” said Zarad, “never fail to amaze me.” 

She knocked over his last standing piece by way of a response. 

Zarad sighed. “How many does that make?” 

“Eight for me, seven for you, if I remember correctly,” said Allegra. 

“We should double-date, you know,” he said. “Saturday night,what do you say? Me and Felicity, you and your new boy-toy.” 

“Terrible idea,” she said. “Do you want to go and watch the geniuses play?” 

“No need,” said Zarad. “Look, they’re already finished.” 

“Huh,” said Allegra. “That they are. Shame. I was looking forward to getting a glimpse of his technique.” 

“Next time you should gossip less,” said Zarad. “It makes the matches move that much more quickly.”