Chapter 40: The Ball
The palace was alive with the spirit of Parli. All around people were arriving from each region, bringing their food and good thoughts with them. It was getting crowded inside, but there was still room for more. Large fires were burning inside and out, causing the faces of the people to have ever-changing shadows. The stars shined brightly to light the way.
Mitchum stood in the crisp night, checking each person coming in, and waiting for someone in particular. He had already seen his family go in. He was glad to see that they came all the way from the forest. The breeze hit his head, he felt somehow bare without his hat. He tugged down on his dress tunic and wished he had bought a larger size. The three red roses in his hands drooped slightly, and he wished he had waited several hours before he picked them. He looked up just in time to see someone he recognized heading inside. The fourteen year old girl was followed by several other girls of about the same age. He hurried to meet her at the door.
“Mith, hey wait, I have something for you. Here, it’s a rose.”
Mith smiled. “How appropriate.”
Mitchum shrugged casually. “You know me.”
“Do I?”
“Uh, yeah, it’s me—”
“I’m joking Mitchum.”
Mith continued inside, her sparkling blue dress brightened as soon as it hit the firelight. Mitchum felt proud as he watched her go. A hand grasped his shoulder.
“Teenagers, she wanted me several yards back when she entered.” Mr. Hardel laughed. “I’ll see you inside.”
Mitchum nodded and Mr. Hardel continued on inside. When he turned back another familiar face was walking up. This fourteen year old was walking with a girl that also was familiar, though he could not remember where he saw her.
“How’s it, Mitchie?” Ludus said, trying to sound older than he was.
“Good, good, here I got you this.” Mitchum handed Ludus the second rose.
“Ha ha, I feel magical now.” He smelled the rose and let the girl smell it to. He then noticed that he and Mitchum wore the same dress tunic. “Great minds and all that.”
“Yes indeed.”
Ludus went on in.
A large group from the Mountain Region was coming up. Mitchum got out of their way and watched for the person he was waiting for. In the group passing he noticed Azmi amongst them. Later on Bern and Lapp arrived.
“Never been to a party, have you Gai?” Bern asked. He wore a bright pink tunic.
“Only a party for guards.”
“Lapp here has been to many parties. Isn’t that right Lapp?”
“No.”
“See, he’s been to plenty.”
They continued on inside, Bern was dancing to music that only existed in his mind.
Right behind the next group came the one he wanted to see. He quickly went up to her with the final rose outstretched.
“For you.”
Wia took the rose and smelled it. “Amazing.”
They took each other’s arms and entered the palace.
It was more crowded than Mitchum had ever seen it. The party took place in the entry hall; eyes glanced occasionally at the giant mural on the ceiling. Most of the people here never had the chance to see the palace, much less get into a party, but the king and queen invited everyone who was not in jail.
Fires burned brightly all around. No one danced, unless Bern’s head bobble counted. Hundreds of dresses and tunics wandered awkwardly around. Mitchum was just about to be the first one dancing when his name was called. It was the queen, calling for him to sit at the high table in the back. Mith and Ludus had already taken their seats of honor, with two seats left.
Once seated with Wia, he watched as the king and queen rose to their feet, the crowd was at once silent. Everyone watched expectantly. The king cleared his throat.
“Welcome to our first annual Parli day ball. The next ones will be on the date that the roses were saved, but we did not want to wait until next year to party.” The room was filled with cheering. “Now calm down, save some energy for the dances that I know you all are great at.” Laughter followed. “Before we can begin I must say a few things. First off, I would like to thank all those who helped in the recovery of the roses, and the defeat of those responsible.” He waved his hands in the direction of Mith and Ludus. “I would also like to tell all of you that things will change in the next year. By the next ball Parli will be much better organized and have a strong force at the ready.”
Mitchum looked around in shock that there were no cheers for this. Most people just stared.
“And now for those of you from the Rough, listen closely. We have talked to many people around that region and they all agree—the sword will not be returned to that region. They feel that the Rough deserves to stay rough.” There were a couple of hoots and claps at this. “The sword will remain here, and it will be replaced shortly. And lastly, I would like to apologize to lord Ijnus, whose name has been despised for quite some time. He was not in his right mind and he just wanted to apologize.” The king shared a quick glance with Ludus. “His portrait will once again hang in the hall with the others. Now, let’s eat.”
Guards came from the hall behind the high table with large plates filled with all kinds of food. The largest cheer yet came at this. The queen suddenly stood up and quieted the commotion.
“One more thing, we would like to give a heartfelt apology to our good friend Gai Quinn.”
“Yes, yes.” The king agreed.
Mitchum felt himself go red and wished he was not sitting in front of everyone. Wia clapped loudest of all. Mith, who was sitting right next to him, gave him a quick hug. Ludus clapped too, while winking at his date standing nearby. Nerge chanted his name loudly.
The food was served and everyone ate and talked happily. A small band in the corner started playing. The girl came up to talk with Ludus. Mith was not at all pleased and scowled at her the entire time. When the girl went back to stand with the others she was with Mitchum finally figured out who she was.
“Ludus, are you two friends, you know she tried to knock me out right?”
“Yeah, and you locked her in a closet.”
Mith spoke angrily, “I can’t believe she is not in jail. She was against us the whole time.” She gave Ludus a dirty look.
“She was found not to be guilty.”
“We are the only people to know she is guilty and you never told anyone.”
Ludus ignored her.
Mitchum wanted to change the subject. “Mith, I was wondering, how did you give up the magic?” He had many opportunities to ask this before, but it never crossed his mind.
Mith seemed relieved to stop talking about Hordna. “The king and queen had secret ancient gloves that had been used by the original lords and ladies. They pressed the gloves against us and the power just left. But not all of it came out, so they left a small bit in. It’s exciting—they said if we work hard it will grow inside of us. So far Ludus has not had any memories that I know of.”
“Strange, I wonder how you were able to get the power in the first place.”
“What isn’t strange about this island? The only explanation that they could think of was that the magic had settled, becoming neutral over time. That also explains why Ijnus’s sword reacted to Oldo, despite the fact that the lords and ladies could not even work with it.”
Mitchum thought over what he had just heard. It would be great additions to the book on magic he was now planning on writing. Since the roses were returned he had started writing his first draft.
“By the way, were all of the former inmates captured?” Mith asked.
“Not all, I’ve heard that several yellow jumpsuits were found abandoned. But don’t worry; we’ll get them in the end.”
Still nobody was dancing. Mitchum took it in himself to be the first. After eating his fill he took Wia and headed to the floor. There they started moving to the rhythm of the drums that
were playing. Soon they were going all out, moving and twisting to the beat. Ludus grabbed Hordna and danced alongside. More and more people entered into the dance craze. Mith looked on longingly when a boy she immediately recognized asked her to dance. It was the same boy who had talked to her in the infirmary cart on the way to the palace. At first she was not sure, but she decided that if she did not dance she risked regretting the decision in the future.
The palace was now filled with the laughter and hubbub of a party. Even the king and queen danced wildly around at the high table. The noise could be heard for miles. All of a sudden a wave of energy shot through the party. The sword had been replaced. Everyone felt suddenly a lot braver and much more energetic. The party would last well into the night.
Several minutes later Mith and Ludus collapsed into folding chairs set up for the ball. They had to catch their breath from dancing. The boy who danced with Mith had taken Hordna to get drinks. Mith looked over to Ludus, he was dabbing his forehead with his sleeve.
“What a party.”
“The first and best.”
They continued to laugh; it felt good to do so. Any emotion now seemed sweeter than it had before; any thought seemed a good one. Both knew their lives would continue as normal after they left the palace, though neither thought of it at the moment. Now was the time to let all thought go and have fun. It was hard not to in that environment.
Over the course of the night Mith and Ludus danced with half of the people there. Mith danced with Bern and Lapp, as well as Mitchum, and even the king. Ludus danced with the queen, Wia, and many other girls he did not even know. Occasionally they would stop dancing and just look around. Everyone seemed so happy, so carefree; it was the way they wanted to see the world.
The winds of change continued to move, from the bay in the south out into the open ocean, past the miles of water, through tiny islands, and into oblivion. What replaced it was calm, the calm of progress.
In the weeks following, the island of Parli went through changes not seen since the sand originally disappeared. General Turff was made commander of Parli forces, and was to organize a force to be used for the defense of all citizens. Zing (who did not make an appearance at the party for fear of the many students she made regret they ever became a guard) turned down a promotion to general to continue her teaching.
Allard took a more direct approach as superintendant of the jail, which included rarely leaving. This opened a spot for another Rerum elder. Voting took place for the first time, and Mrs. Tinn was selected. Maows decided to open the boundaries and promised to never again tie up any visitor. He apologized for spreading stories of spirits, and for telling the parents to do the same. The trip to the Merchant Region remained, only now the fourteen year olds were to have guides and carry sticks in case of a Rough Dog attack. Mitchum graciously declined a position as a full time general. He had many things to catch up on back home. There he could see Wia often.
On the way back to Rerum the next morning Mith told Ludus that she felt things were better, but that not everything was settled inside of her. He replied by telling her it would take time. There he was right. It would take time for their lives to seem normal again, especially since the king and queen allowed for them to come and go from the palace at any time they desired. It was a great honor, but for now the only thing on their minds was to be with their family and friends. All other thoughts would have to wait till later.
Also by A.S. Morrison
Poiye
Hardin’s War
Hardin’s Dilemma
Hardin’s Calling
The Little Brown Box
A Translation of Inspiration
Three Very Short Stories
Evening’s with Littleberry and Other Short Stories
A. Candle’s Light
The Tunnel Dream
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