Master Of None

"Elise!" Walker spoke up a little to get over the sounds of the other guests. He kept himself just loud enough so that he would be heard over the other gusts but not enough to make a ruckus. 

Elise turned toward him and Gil with a surprised look. She had not expected them to arrive right at the start of the party even though they had said they would be attending. Her costume was much more than they had expected. Lisa had made a pure white dress with multiple patterns. They were obviously copied from her attempts at recreating the light elemental rune on the fabrics Walker had given her. However, they had made a very intricate and beautiful pattern that was perfect for a high end party like this. 

The wings that had been attached to the back of the costume were incredibly simple but elegant. There were white goose feathers affixed to the wire frame that allowed them to bend and not cause anyone harm if they were bumped. They stretched out just enough so that that added to the looks of the costume but not enough that it made her look odd. 

"Your costume really fits you well.." The compliment caught Elise a little off guard since Walker had not shown any inclination of complimenting her a moment before he and Gil walked up. 

"Shouldn't Stella be with you too? The twin angel look would be pretty impressive to show off." Gil had noticed that Stella was nowhere to be seen. 

"She didn't want to come inside with all the people here. I tried to convince her but she went back to the mansion. I don't know if she will even come to watch the dancing later since it will be so crowded." This was a little disappointing but completely understandable. Stella had not developed the ability to speak yet and that meant that she was not going to be able to maneuver complicated and busy streets as easily. 

"We should try and bring some of the food back for her. I know just the guy with spatial magic to store it away and do just that." Gil's elbow hit Walker in the side and he immediately nodded his head. 

"I'm sure that Stella would love that." There was a slight pause as Elise recognized someone from across the hall, "I need to continue making the rounds and speaking with those who have ties to the guild. I will try and catch up to you all later." Just as fast as they had found Elise, she had run off again. 

"What do we do-" Walker was trying to ask Gil what he thought they should do now since the people all around them were nobles that did not really know. However, the large doors opened and two familiar figures walked in. 

The king and queen were led by their guards and a few of the closer nobles were wearing different versions of their royal robes. Their robes had been changed from the reds and purples in to reds, oranges, and yellows. The fabrics had many leaf prints along with pins that held the shape of pumpkins and gourds. It was an overall very fitting ensemble that matched the season. 

When the king and queen made it to their seats it was an instant silence. The room completely focused on them and The king rose back to his feet. He motioned for the queen to stand beside him and smiled widely. It was a different action than the usual announcements that held serious actions and tones. 

"I know there have been many rumors and such since we were not in the room when everyone arrived. As the host of this event, we apologize, but we were preparing to make an announcement that we can't help but make now." 

The queen spoke next adding to the curiosity that everyone else had, "My king and husband had to call many doctors and some powerful magic users from the church to finalize what has been happening these past days. It has been a blur and I know all on the castle have been even more on the edge. I am sorry we had you in the dark along with our loyal friends here."

The two watched as the tension increased in the hall. A few of the guests whispered to each other expecting another bad announcement. With everything that was happening in the kingdom, it made some sense that this would be what they all thought. The demons had attacked and destroyed a lot of crops. Other kingdoms had been attacked in some way or another. There was too much bad for the king and queen to be saying something positive. 

Or so they thought, "We had hoped that we would be announcing this under a more positive light. But this is a season for celebration and this is something to celebrate. After consulting with multiple mages and health experts in their own rights, we wish to announce that the queen is carrying our daughter of our kingdom. The princess will be born in a few months!" 

There was a slight pause as this was taken in. The king's joy was all too obvious in his words and it was infectious. Many of the nobles started to let out a cheer and some even ran to tell others outside the party. The news would spread like wildfire and cause many of the people in the kingdom to celebrate even more. 

The king and queen were met with a slew of nobles right away. They waved them off after some time and the guards took positions that told everyone to slow down. The party would last for some hours and there was plenty of time for them to speak. Right now they just wanted to take to enjoy the atmosphere. 

"I think we should head on up now to say something so that we won't feel trapped later when we want to leave." The idea was nothing too crazy, but Gil was thinking ahead because he knew that they would want to meet everyone for dancing sooner than later. 

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