After the funeral, a celebration of the consorts life followed. It was the tradition of Eldoria for a celebration to follow a funeral.
King Raff had also decided to give Rina a grand celebration to send her off. It started with a grand parade that wove through the heart of Eldoria. Majestic horses and creatures from the mage estate marched alongside the people as they headed to the royal castle.
Nobles and commoners that had managed to acquire an invitation to the royal castle invaded its grounds with excitement.
In the heart of the castle, inside the great hall, laughter, music and the joyous clinking of glasses echoed through the walls.
The hopeful noble daughters from various families took to the floor, their gowns shimmering like sea under the moonlight. They dance with grace and poise as the king and queen watched. King Raff’s eyes held a glimmer of hope while Queen Maurelia’s held great ire.
She could feel the control which she had briefly regained slipping through her fingers. Deep down, she had known that the nobles would not sit still, they would send their daughters to seduce the king. She just didn’t expect them to be so brazen to do such a thing on the day of Rina’s own funeral.
For once, the queen and Rina’s children were united in anger, they too were unhappy with the shameless behavior they were witnessing. Even if this was a celebration, it was still part of the funeral proceedings. How could the nobles do this?
Miss Florence took to the dance floor and the king noticed her quickly. She was not dressed as extravagantly as the others, she resembled his dead consort and possessed a quiet, elegant and charming beauty.
Mauve Rosewood stepped in front of Florence Windrider before she could begin to dance. She had a glass of wine in her hands which accidentally slipped and poured all over Florence’s dress.
Florence Windrider screamed and Mauve who was very apologetic dragged her away so that she could clean up.
The music changed in the meantime and all the dancing young women were sent away. A group of dancers that had been specially invited for the occasion to entertain the king came forward.
The troupe of dancers that was mostly female was not dressed in gowns but costumes that were a harmonious blend of rich, vibrant colors. Their tops were designed to accentuate their graceful movements. The skirts and tops featured beadwork and sequins which caught the light with every twist and turn. The skirts flowed on the floor, cascading from their hips as they swayed and swirled.
The skirts which were embellished with layers of fringe and ruffles, adding to the ethereal effect.
Amongst the dancers was one in the middle, the one that Sigrid hoped would catch the king’s eye. Her hair was styled to perfection in soft waves, her arms shimmered with bracelets and bangles that clinked softly as she moved. Her eyes were lined with kohl which made her gaze even more enchanting.
The rest of her face was covered with a veil that made her intriguing, men desired to see the face beneath the white silk veil.
As she danced, her movements were a symphony of grace and allure--hips swaying, arms undulating like serpents, feet moving with an otherworldly precision.
Sigrid was watching closely for the reaction of the king and other noble men. As she danced, they sat up straighter and craned their necks, looking at her with intense interest that made their wives uncomfortable.
The music changed and the dancer changed the movements of her body, a silk fan was handed to her and she started to glide across the floor in fluid undulating motions, mimicking the gentle sway of flowers in a nighttime breeze.
Magically, moonlight fell on her through the windows as she performed a spin and twirl while rose petals fell down on her from the ceiling. She was like a flower in full bloom and her audience was spellbound.
As the dance came to an end, King Raff stepped down from his throne, his eyes were focused on the dancer. His arrival was well timed with the dancer falling onto her knees, facing the floor and wrapping her arms around herself as if the flower which had blossomed was closing in on itself.
The music came to a stop as the king looked down at the dancer.
"Look up." he commanded.
She raised her head and lifted her eyes, the king brought down his hand and tore her veil off. Gasps echoed in the room as some people got a glimpse of her face. The dancer was beautiful, a striking beauty with hair the color of twilight and eyes that sparkled like the stars.
What was even more surprising was that she bore a resemblance to Rina but it was different, as if she was the original mold from which Rina had been printed.
This was because her face had been crafted after Risa. Every bit of her and her age matched that of the only woman the king had ever truly loved in his life.
"Risa!!" King Raff whispered.
He touched the dancer’s face gently, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Noise buzzed in the hall as nobles shuffled around with everyone wishing to catch a glimpse of the dancer’s face.
The queen wanted to explode in anger, she considered the king’s actions to be a slap to her face. Benjamin wanted to shout in rage. His mother had barely passed and his father looked like he was ready to move on.
Whispers traveled in the hall, people were wondering what would happen next and why this woman held a resemblance to the dead consort. Some even thought for a second that maybe Rina had not actually died. That theory flew out of the window because Rina was definitely more mature looking to the young woman in front of the king.
Roland did not know how to react, he turned to Sigrid so that they could whisper about it as well but she was gone. He found her at the next table below, sitting with the other Thorin’s in attendance.
She was hiding an amused smile behind a glass of wine.
"Samuel, bring the crown princess back." he ordered one of his knights.
Sir Samuel whispered the order to Sigrid and she returned to her original seat beside her husband.
"Are you seeing this?" he whispered to her.
She nodded. "It’s wonderful." she sighed.
He was confused, what did she think was wonderful? This was the beginning of a scandal for crying out loud!!!
Those that harbored other ambitions started to panic, especially the ones that recalled history. To be specific, the history of the day when the king brought Rina and introduced her as his secondary consort.
The king had married a commoner once, what was to stop him from doing it again?
"Your highness, this unknown woman..." Prime minister Windrider who was the most desperate of them all started but he was cut off by the king.
King Raff only wanted to hear from the dancer. "What is your name?"
She smiled gently and answered, "Elarin, I am Elarin Faelora, the only and last remaining princess of Faeloria."
Sigrid took a sip of her wine and chuckled,it looked like Emmah was going to suffer another defeat. After all, who would be against a king marrying a princess?