Damn; the plan didn't work. I wanted to kill that red-haired woman Zelgadis was with and obviously cared about, so he would lose all hope and be defeated that way, but he once again proved to be a tricky adversary, and managed to use blinding speed to reach her in time. When did he get that interesting trait? True, I didn't see him up close, but the last time I saw him he was on the weaker side. What happened to make him stronger and faster...?
It looks like I'll have to go to plan B... The courtier chuckled grimly, and swirled the blood-red wine in his cup, thinking, This is going to be fun.
The plan had been simple, or so it had seemed when Zelgadis explained it. "To impress the nobility, you'll have to act like nobility yourself, and prove you're better than them. You do this by wearing the right clothes, using all the right manners, and acting like you belong. Then you add in that something special that sets you apart and above them. Achieve that, they'll be groveling for you, and you simply brush them off. Believe me, that hurts them worse than just about anything else." Or so Zelgadis had said to her.
"Okay Zelgadis, now what?" Lina asked as they re-entered the ballroom, after brushing off their clothes and making it look like they hadn't just evaded an attack.
He gave a rare, charming smile and answered, "Now...we dance."
"WHAT?!" she nearly screamed, barely managing to keep her voice down. "But...but...they always said..." and she quickly bit down on her tongue to keep the rest of her statement from escaping. She'd nearly reverted back to her old way of thinking, that the locals of Zephelia were right and she was wrong, meaning she couldn't dance a single step. They still influence me, Lina thought, angry and depressed at the realization.
"Who, Lina?" he asked with a whisper as he swept her onto the ballroom floor.
"No one," she muttered, not wishing to dredge up the past. She was so lost in her memories that she didn't notice how graceful and delicate she danced, or the appreciative eyes some of the nobles were giving her.
"..." was his only response as he swept her in a twirl. After a few seconds, he dared to breach another topic. "I wonder why we were attacked in the first place. Not everyone could maneuver an attack like that in the palace of all places. Plus, how'd they know we were in the garden?"
"And was it meant for us at all? It could have simply been meant to kill anyone who was luckless enough to go into the garden," Lina offered up, eyes sparkling like they always did when she tried to figure something out.
He was silent for a moment, but finally shook his head. "No. I think it was meant for you alone," he sighed, his features unconsciously becoming a little fiercer. "There were a few couples out there before you, even some women who were alone, and stood on the same exact spot you stood on. If the attack had been meant for anyone, they would have gotten creamed." He frowned deeper. "No, that attack was meant for you and you alone."
She laughed lightly, trying to hide the uneasiness building inside her. "Isn't that a little paranoid? It could have been timed to go off when I was there."
"Perhaps," he agreed, "but what purpose would that serve? Who would it benefit? No one might have been standing there when it went off."
Sighing, she muttered, "And I was hoping this would be a peaceful ball, too."
He grinned, and countered, "No you weren't. The peaceful life would drive you crazy."
"And it was, too," she admitted with a rueful laugh. She grinned and looked into his eyes. "L-sama must like me; otherwise she wouldn't have brought your chaotic force here to relieve me of my boredom." She added, "As you said, nothing is peaceful when you and I have an adventure together."
"Yes..." he murmured, smiling warmly back at her.
The music ended, breaking up their conversation. They looked around, and slowly walked off the ballroom floor.
Lina asked tentatively as soon as they were up against a wall, unsure she should even be asking, "Did...did I step on your feet?"
He was startled at her question. "Not once. You were a smooth and graceful partner," he admitted coolly. "Why do you ask?"
She laughed nervously and touched the back of her head. "N-no reason! I'd just hate to step on your feet, that's all!"
He raised a stony eyebrow in disbelief. "You've hit me with furniture, stones, and your elbow, but now you're concerned about stepping on my foot?" He looked around the ballroom, and saw the prying eyes and ears of a thousand nobleman and noblewomen trying to listen in on their conversation, get some tidbit of information to gossip about. Lina saw where he was looking, and summoned up a cheerful face, placing her hand on his arm. They heard the strains of a waltz start up, and promptly headed out onto the ballroom floor, along with the other nobility.
Zelgadis put a hand gently around her waist, and felt her hands slip onto his, another of her hands on his shoulder. He fought down a blush, barely succeeding. He saw that Lina had her head averted, and a touch of pink was peeking on her cheeks. Seeing that didn't help him prevent the blush; he could only be thankful that his hood and mask kept some of it from showing.
When she looked back up, he deliberately gazed at the balcony doors. A faint twist of her mouth was all he needed to know she knew what he was planning to do. He circled closer to the balcony doors, making sure that with every spin of the dance, they came closer...till just as the waltz ended, they were right beside them, and slipped out without anyone noticing. The pair gave a huge sigh of relief, and leaned against the balcony railing, waiting for the other one to begin talking. The silence stretched on.
Licking his lips in thought, he finally asked, "What happened?"
"I said before! Nothing!" she responded a little bit too forcefully.
"It's impossible for nothing to happen," Zelgadis noted absently. Leaning over, his arms resting on the top of the railing, he asked again, "What happened, Lina? What happened to make you doubt yourself?"
Without revealing anything, eyes closed, she too leaned on the railing, gazing out at the garden below. "The garden is beautiful even at night, isn't it?" she asked irreverently, her voice quiet.
"Yes. What happened, Lina?" he asked, unwilling to give it up. He knew that something had happened to her, sometime, to make her feel doubt. In the back of his mind, he noted that he also wanted to get his hands on the person who'd done this to her, and kill him. "Trust me."
She grinned, mock-cheerfully. "The gardens were also beautiful in my hometown. They were their pride and joy, besides the vineyards. All the nobility who owned the gardens there had parties and balls. They'd invite everyone, including my low-class nobility home. My parents and my sister, Luna, were known as the most beautiful and graceful nobility in Zephelia. I, on the other hand, was forbidden from going to any balls, ever, after awhile.
"The first time I went to a ball...well, I was ten at the time, but I never forgot it. It was my debut ball, and my parents had invited all of the high-class nobility to our home. They came because they knew my family were powerful, especially Luna, and were afraid the Inverse family would seek revenge if they didn't come. They came, wishing they were at anyone else's home, for although we were nobility, we were pretty poor. Our ball was not elaborate, and our food was simple. They secretly ridiculed us. "Then I came in, dressed in a pink dress with lots of ruffles," Lina said in a monotone, hurting voice. Zelgadis glanced sharply at her, but said nothing.
"It was a ridiculous dress, not at all suited to my features; I only wish I'd realized it beforehand. They laughed themselves silly as I stood there, ridiculing my hair, my eyes, my body, my bust...everything. I couldn't escape, and besides, it was my debut ball, so I went down those stairs anyway, feeling as if a thousand pinpricks were stinging me the whole way down. I got down, and played a hostess as much as I'd been taught. Still, I got hungry in the middle and went after the food with my usual appetite. Again, they stared at me and ridiculed me. It was one of the few times I lost my appetite.
"A boy, who I later learned was forced by my parents, asked me to dance. I did so...and afterwards, he complained that he'd never be able to walk again, because I'd stepped on his toes so much. His parents sent me scathing glances and helped him out. After that, no one would dance with me.
"It was a terrible night. But I went to other balls after that, and found out they were equally horrible, each one getting progressively worse, till at last they shouted me out, and told me I was forbidden from going to balls ever again. I...I cried the whole way home, and cried for a week after that. When my tears had finally dried up, I decided they were right; I was clumsy and ugly, with no taste and no manners."
"Then I went off on my own, and worked to change that opinion of myself, till I finally started becoming confident about my looks. I succeeded and could even keep that confidence around my old companion, Naga the White Serpent, who looked like every guy's fantasy," Lina paused.
Zelgadis frowned and asked, "But...?"
She sighed. "And this is what it really comes down to, isn't it? But...ballrooms, and lots of nobility ridiculing me have always shaken me. I can stand up to a whole castle full of nobility and balls if they don't ridicule me...but when they do, my old unconfidence comes back to haunt me...and I crumble." Shaking her head, she added, "Me, Lina Inverse...I...I become weak..."
"There's just one thing I don't understand. If balls and nobility do this to you, why did you come in the first place?" Zelgadis asked curiously, eyes shadowed.
She laughed bitterly, and waved back toward the ballroom. "Because, even after all that I've experienced at them, I still think of balls and nobility like...like an innocent fool. I keep on thinking, 'The next time will be different; they'll like me the next time...' when the reality is much more painful. I've always viewed balls as places where a princess can meet the handsome prince of her dreams and live happily ever after. The only different is that this particular princess still hasn't found her prince, and she's always laughed out of the balls."
"Lina..." The one word help a world of sympathy and understanding in it. He gently wiped a stray tear from her face. Dropping his hands, he began to growl. She turned to him, and saw that he was very, very angry. "If I ever encounter the nobility who did that to you, I'm going to make them regret it. You wouldn't be yourself if you didn't have that confidence of yours," he exclaimed, hands balled up into fists at his side. "The times I experienced rejection are still engraved in my memory..."
"You too...?" she asked, curious. He so rarely talked about his childhood that she tried to discover what she could whenever possible.
Nodding, he said in a monotone voice, "I was considered a weak child as I grew up, and my parents believed magic was a tool of evil, so they never allowed me to use it. As a result, I was picked on by children all the time. I even have scars from their bullying. They called me a freak of nature who couldn't use any magic, for they all could. Then Rezo came, promising me the power I'd never had, and I took it. When he changed me, though, I didn't dare go back to my home, because I was afraid of their reactions to me, and what my family would think."
Lina gently touched him on the arm, and he stared into her eyes, willing her to understand. Not for the first time, he saw acceptance and friendship. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy this moment of complete companionship, when they could tell each other anything and it would be accepted.
Well...almost anything... he thought as he recalled one secret he'd probably never tell her.
Loud, terrified screams and an unearthly roar recalled them to their surroundings with a sharp jerk. They turned toward the ballroom, all senses on alert, and saw about three dozen trolls swarming into the ballroom. All the nobility moved as a wave over to one wall and huddled there, clutching at each other as the trolls slowly approached them.
"Lina, I think you just got a chance to prove your skills to these people," Zelgadis commented dryly.