Would You Care to Dance

Writers: Heather, Suzee
Date Posted: 4th October 2012

Characters: Arippa, Reven, Jeyme
Description: Reven meets Arippa
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 10, day 1 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Corowal, Felyna, Zathris

Arippa

Reven

Jeyme

Reven let out a slow exhale as he stepped into the Dining Hall which
had been decorated festively with gaily colored banners and
tapestries. He'd lived in Red Rush for so long that he'd forgotten
what it was like to visit a major Hold like Emerald Falls. He was use
to a roughly hewn wooden table, a mug of ale, and eating with everyone
from the holder to the kitchen workers. Here he was going to have to
start using his rusty, social etiquette that had been engrained into
him at a young age.

He was still morose over having to leave Red Rush, if he had his way
he would live there the rest of his life. As it were, he was needed at
Green Valley, and had to swing through Emerald Falls to see Corowal
over some business matters first. The fact that this little party had
been arranged was a nice coincidence and Reven fully intended on
enjoying some fine wine and perhaps the company of a woman that
evening.

Passing through the people that were milling about enjoying the
harpers' music as well as the wine provided by the Hold, Reven looked
up towards the head table and stopped dead in his tracks. There was
nothing special about the Head table, just the Lord and Lady, and
there was the Steward.... But the next table, where guests of honor
were kept, held more than one beautiful woman.

Elbowing the fellow beside him, Reven asked, "Who are they?"

"Oh, they're here under Lady Felyna's tutelage, if you can call it
that. The one on the left there is Jeyme, and the one on the right is
Arippa."

Arippa. A beautiful name for a beautiful lady, Reven decided, having
never heard it before.

"Thanks." He continued passing through the crowd until he reached the
ladies' table. Reven had always been quite confident, and now was no
different, he approached Arippa with one of his best smiles, "Lady
Arippa," he bowed politely in greeting, "would you care to dance?"

Arippa had been thankful to Jeyme for keeping her in conversation
during the meal. She was preoccupied and off balance with the news
from Green Valley. No matter the stories she'd heard of Namrien from
others, to her he'd been unfailingly kind and she'd uprooted her life
in Amber Hills to come to Emerald Falls for Lady Felyna to oversee
their courtship. But now he was gone and so was the life she'd
imagined. She couldn't see into the future and had no idea what to do
with herself now that it was so drastically changed.

She hadn't yet communicated with any of her family about the situation
and truthfully, she rather liked being away from Benaroy's
overabundance of descendants. Here she was different, unique. There
she was a twin and just one more of his tribe of a family. She loved
them of course but it was just nice to be away...

The voice roused her from her thoughts and she turned her head. She
didn't recognize him and truthfully didn't really see him now. But
rather than give offense lifted her hand. "Of course," she answered
softly.

Reven smiled, glad that the lovely lady had acquiesced so willingly.
Taking the woman's hand, Reven led her out onto the dance floor and
smoothly swept them into the dance that was already being played by
the harpers. Dancing, to Reven, was perfect because it allowed one to
be intimately close with a lady, and learn more about her in the
process.

"What's your name?" He asked simply, tilting his head so that he could
look down at her, his eyes noting the tiniest details about Arippa,
like the way the lights shone, highlighting strands of her hair and
making them glow.

She blinked slowly when she realized she didn't really know this young
man and tried to tilt the corners of her mouth up in a smile.
"Arippa," she said softly. "And you are?"

Such a beautiful name, he thought again to himself, although it hardly
did the creature in his arms justice, "Reven." He answered her with an
easy smile, pleased to find that she danced with ease that spoke of
grace. "Are you related to Corowal?" He asked, curious to find out
what role she played at the Hold.

Her eyes slid from his face as they turned past the head table. She
didn't think anyone could mistake Lord Benaroy's stamp or her looks
but then this hold was in a completely different part of Pern. "No,"
she said. "I'm from Amber Hills. My Uncle Zathris is the Lord Holder
there."

"I see," Reven commented with an easy smile, "I'll have to admit I'm
not as well traveled as I would like to be. I spent most of my life
being fostered at Red Rush." The tiny settlement hadn't been a hub of
travel or activity, and Reven's host family had been far too poor to
afford the luxury of traveling any great distances.

She hadn't really heard anything about Red Rush so she was mildy
curious. "So where is your home hold then," she asked politely.

"I was born at Green Valley." Reven supplied, not adding that he'd
never really considered his birth place "home".

Arippa froze and her mouth dropped open momentarily, "But that's...."
She closed her eyes and let herself move with the music again. If his
home was Green Valley and he was at a function like this one. "Are you
related to the Holder?" Namrien hadn't had any brothers and sisters,
that much she knew.

"Yes, Namira is my Aunt, her late husband my Uncle, and that of course
makes their son Namiren my cousin." Reven answered pleasantly as they
turned in sync with the other dancers, "I take it you know of Green
Valley then?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice. Her eyes were riveted somewhere in
the middle of his chest. "That is I knew Namrien before..." her voice
trailed off.

"Ah, I see." Reven hadn't known that his cousin had really had any
acquaintances up at the main Hold, "That's actually the reason I am
here. As next in line for Green Valley I'm here to seek Lord Corowal's
approval." He didn't mention that it was really his parents bidding
that had him even considering taking Green Valley.

Up until that moment it hadn't even occurred to her that he could be
one of the heirs. She called upon all her training to keep up a brave
front. She'd never actually been in love with Namrien but she'd had
the _hope_ of love and she'd liked him very much. This time she really
did stop dancing and looked up at him. "Namrien asked Uncle Zathris
for permission to court me. That's why I'm here." She took her hand
from his and turned to walk back to her place. "I'm sorry," floated
behind her.

Reven watched her depart, his eyes glittering.

>From where she was sitting, enjoying the music and watching others
dance, Jeyme noted Arippa's return, and specifically, the look on her
face, "Is everything okay, Arippa?" She asked with concern.

She sat next to her friend and tried to control the tears that
threatened. "I think I was just rude. But..." she couldn't really come
up a real solid reason she should have treated the man in such a
manner. "He's Namrien's cousin. And he's here to ask for Lord
Corowal's blessing to take hold at Green Valley."

Jeyme reached out and touched Arippa's shoulder in a gesture of
comfort, "I see. Were you in love with Namrien?" She asked lightly.
The woman knew that it had been arranged for Arippa to be at Emerald
Falls in the hopes of becoming Namrien's wife and Lady of Green
Valley. At the time Jeyme had thought Arippa a lucky woman since
Jeyme was still searching, and unsuccessfully, for a husband.

As if his little barometer felt her sadness, Mystery floated in on
blue wings to settle on her shoulder and wrap his tale protectively
around her neck. "I don't really know I guess," she said softly. "I
liked him a lot though. Maybe I just wanted to be in love with him."
She took a deep breath while she stroked her little blue firelizard.
"We just didn't have the time."

Jeyme looked back out into the crowd, noting that Reven had
effectively disappeared from view, making her wonder if he'd left
altogether, "Catching the eye of Reven could be a good opportunity for
you then. It's not often a good looking man, set to inherit a nice
Hold, pays us a visit here at Emerald Falls." She pointed out
logically. For women like Jeyme and Arippa, it was their allotment in
life to marry well, and become a dutiful wife and mother.

Arippa searched the room but didn't see Reven any where. "I know," she
said softly. "But we'll have to see how long Felyna makes me mourn for
Namrien." There were standards of behavior for Blood that didn't
always apply to others. But Jeyme was right about Reven. It was a very
good opportunity. "Do you think he'll be back?"

"Of course he'll be back. He probably just thinks you're playing hard
to get. Men love that, apparently." Jeyme lifted her shoulders, her
eyes moving up to the head table where Corowal and Felyna were
located, "Besides, if he's here to get Corowal's approval that'll take
more than one evening, don't you think?"

She couldn't help but chuckle at the older girls quip. "I didn't do it
on purpose." Her eyes followed Jeyme's to the head table and she
sighed. Lord Corwal had been very nice to her since her arrival but
somehow he didn't seem as approachable as her Uncle Zathris. "Think
he'll have to jump through hoops to get his approval?"

"I'm not sure, either way, your gentleman friend is bound to be around
for the next couple of days. Which gives you plenty of time to run
into him again." Jeyme winked conspiratorially at Arippa.

"Gentleman friend?" Arippa chuckled. She'd seen the look in his eyes,
that much was true but she didn't think it was time to call him
_that_. "We've only just met Jeyme! Honestly, you're as bad as
Faldrimme." She missed her sister and perhaps that was why she'd
struck up the friendship with the older woman.

Jeyme wagged her finger, "Trust me, he's interested."

Last updated on the November 17th 2012

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Would You Care to Dance