Although she had already been in the ballroom previously, she had been so focused on looking for Onric that she had not registered anything else in the room. When she had entered the room for the first time, Crown Prince Ian had been standing on the center dais, bowing to a young woman whom he had just finished dancing with. As he stood up from the bow, he heard her name announced and smiled in recognition as he walked past the long line of women waiting to dance with him. The room parted as he walked through the dancing crowd and stopped to bow in front of her.
“Ashlin! You are simply breathtaking,” he said, holding out his hand. “May I have this dance?”
“Thank you,” she replied, slightly afraid that he was flirting with her.
“Onric will be so glad that you’ve come.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear as he led her back towards the dais. “It was his idea to open the invitation to the entire city because he wanted you to come.”
“He did that?” She smiled, surprised, and glanced around the room to find Onric.
Leading her up the staircase to the dais, Ian noticed her searching glance. “He probably escaped outside. He was devastated when he thought you were not coming.”
“I had not thought he still wanted me here.”
Ian raised an eyebrow at her. “Let me thank you for all your hard work with a single dance, and then I will send you off to ward away his grumpiness.”
“I am afraid I may not be that powerful, but I am here to try.”
“I would not be so quick to underestimate your power, my lady.”
They had danced for a few more moments, then Ian had bowed to her.
Now safe in Onric’s arms, dancing to the next song, she looked back at the dais. Ian was dancing with yet another young lady, but he caught Ashlin’s eye and grinned at her. She smiled in response. The exciting energy in the ballroom was enough to take her breath away now that she could properly enjoy it. The room was alive with color, light, and sound.
It was as though she had stepped into a different world, with every candle in the massive candelabra ablaze, the guests dancing, and the music playing. The tapestry, too, made an eye-catching centerpiece against the back wall of the great hall. Of course, only half of it was displayed, but the section they had used included the panel she had fixed with the help of the needle. Even from such a distance, the colors and textures of the stitching were breathtaking.
She was quite proud of her work on it, even if it had not unlocked a magical secret. She was the one who had offered to help Onric with the needle. For a moment, she felt a flash of guilt that she had accused him of coercing her into it. She blew that thought away as well. He had forgiven her with no strings attached.
Mistress Cedrice had been right about family. Mistress Cedrice. Her mind came to an abrupt halt as she remembered the events of the evening. She had been in such a rush, she had not even thought about the fact that the old seamstress knew Majis secrets. Onric would be thrilled to talk about the magic with her. But would telling him bring harm to the old seamstress? Would Onric feel required to report her to the Council?
As if he was reading her thoughts, Ashlin noticed the councilor from Chendas staring at her and Onric. His face was just as unpleasant as the first time she had seen him in the courtyard. She instinctively moved closer to Onric. “Let’s go look at the tapestry. I want to see it in all its glory.”
“Alright.” He smiled down at her and kept his arm around her waist as they made their way through the crowded dance. She lost sight of the angry councilor.
As they approached the back wall, she nearly gasped in awe. She had only ever seen the tapestry two panels at a time, rolled out piece by piece in the upper tower room. Now, spread out across the back wall, the sheer size of it was stunning.
“This is truly magnificent, Ashlin.” Prince Aden had stepped up next to them. He was dressed quite simply in a black doublet, with a loose yellow scarf around his neck in place of an embroidered collar. “You two have been keeping it such a secret, I had my doubts that it would be ready in time. I am happy to admit I was wrong.”
“Thank you,” she replied with a smile.
Aden carefully examined the panel in front of them, his brows knitted together in concentration.
Ashlin tilted her head back to look up at the tapestry. She slowly walked down the length of it to take in every element of the stories contained in each panel. Aden and Onric followed her, discussing the images as they went.
She had hoped the back of the hall would be a slightly more private area in which to tell Onric about Mistress Cedrice if she chose to do so, but she enjoyed the brothers’ lighthearted banter all the same.
“Odd. This panel looks slightly unfinished,” Aden commented. They had stopped at the restored panel. Onric had not told all his siblings that the needle was spelled, so Ashlin merely smiled at him and shrugged.
“Why do you think that?” she asked. To an untrained eye, the panel should have looked full. The background color was all in place, and the black outlines were also complete. Although the tall figures did look confusing with the puffs of air coming from their mouths.
“It looks like it is supposed to represent a Majis storm,” Aden replied, “but the stormy elements are not consistent throughout.”
Ashlin pursed her lips, pretending to consider his statement. She shared a quick look with Onric, remembering he had once told her his brother Aden was the most interested in art. “What if it is not meant to be a storm?” she countered, trying to offer him another explanation. “What if the tall ones are merely breathing heavily...”
A small moment from earlier in the evening nudged her memory. Mistress Cedrice had been breathless after transforming the carriage. Ashlin’s eyes widened in realization, and she glanced back at Onric.
“I suppose that could be one explanation...” Aden responded, not convinced. “This panel just feels out of place. Different from the others. More peaceful somehow, especially in relation to the other panels around it.” Aden stepped over to the next panel, which displayed the Majis queen in all her destructive glory.
“Aden,” Onric said, “did you see the glass rose that Ashlin found in the tower room? It’s quite old and very intricate. It is likely from the original artisan masters. You should take a look at it.”
