Once Upon a Moonlit Lake

[Lord Frederick von Arles]

The king had extended a personal invitation to join him on the barges for dinner and he was not going to decline it. Besides, it would provide a good opportunity to interact with other nobles of the country. If Frederick was going to serve as an envoy in addition to being a guest, then he'd best start making connections! A letter had been sent off to his cousin of a King a few days prior. He would hopefully receive a positive response within the next few weeks. But, he was going to set aside business for the night and have a grand time.

The Grand Duke opted to eschew the colors of his family and went with a slightly more rustic look and feel. Frederick preferred the comfort of clothes that could be useful in both social and working situations. Though he was not going to be working during the feast, he still wished to convey that aspect of his personality. That and he felt it made him look more ruggedly handsome. He had no interest in appearing soft.

It took a moment to find the royal barge. When he did, he immediately recognized Princess Fiona and then glanced to his left. A small group of beautiful ladies were making their approach, but his eyes were fixed on the petite blonde beauty in particular. Had he forgotten Fiona was Serah's mother?

Perhaps.

[Lady Samantha Rose]

The voice to her side made her head turn. At first, her expression was neutral but a firm internal shake reminded herself of her place. Tomas had taken the time to teach her the general appearance and names of the Dukes of the Kingdom. This man was young, but didn't have the angular face of the Jardinier man. Thus, it had to be Jasen de Winter. "Greetings in return, Your Grace," Samantha responded, her voice a gentle and serene alto. "I do believe it's been a rather long time, hasn't it?"

Following his gaze, she raised her brows at the barge of Lancaster and Stratford. How very interesting, indeed. "I would be delighted to join you. Do you think the gentlemen on that barge," she nodded toward it, "would enjoy our presence?" She was doing her best to get back on the horse, so to speak, no matter how difficult it felt to her.

Lord Jasen de Winter, Lord Micah Stratford, Lord Spencer Lancaster

[Lady Fiona Lancaster]

The sound of her niece's voice caught her attention, her head turning in a regal manner to regard the approaching ladies. Hmm. A critical and assessing gaze swept over them without hesitation. Lady Natalie was dressed in a more subdued manner, thank the Triad. It was clear that Emma was the best dressed of the three, which was exactly how it should have been. Serah looked lovely, as well. Seeing her daughter reminded her of a long overdue conversation. It was also fortunate for Serah that she did not notice a certain Grand Duke making eyes at her.

"Your Highness, ladies," she nodded curtly, "No, I have not seen any of our guests, as of yet, but I did spy a woman I've not seen in many years." Once again, this time to nod toward the mysterious Lady Rose. "Lady Samantha Rose, Duchess of Rosewine. It appears that the Duke of Oakdale has made his approach." That was when she noticed the Treniatan Duke, giving him a critical look. Hmm.

Lady Serah Lancaster, @emma, @natalie

[Prince Tristan Carlisle]

Tristan was running a tad late to this sort of event, but that was because he was still debating whether to show up or not. Finally deciding upon it, he found a costume that looked fine to his eyes, in colors of Demeria, then joined the streaming crowd of nobles on the shores. And of course, whom he should run into but Princess Katya herself, accompanied by her older sister for the moment. Blinking in utter astonishment and trying to find a couple of words, he recovered himself when he noticed that the Princess wasn’t exactly by herself, and had spied his own siblings close by. Emma seemed to have company, so she was fine, but his brother looked to be debating where to join, so he was going to snatch a chance while it was still present.

“Your Royal Highnesses, a good evening to you,” he recovered, finding it in himself to speak up after some gaping fish moment. Of course, it depended on how this evening went whether he'd be able to continue considering the direction where everything was going, but for now, at the very least the evening was going to be a fun one. That was, if he could stop turning red as a brick from time to time while in company of a certain Princess from a certain foreign country. “If you’ll excuse me, Your Highness, I’m going to steal your lovely younger sister for the evening, if neither of you mind, of course.” Directing the question-statement toward the older Princess, and about ready to drop through the ground, if such a thing was possible, Tris gave a curious look toward Katya, then looked toward his older brother, waving to Riordan to hold up and wait for him. There was no way he was sitting anywhere on his own tonight, and at least with his brother around, things were not going to be boring – that is if either of his probable companions for the feast were not going to object, or one of said companion's older sister was.


Prince Riordan Carlisle, Princess Anastasia Fyodorov, Princess Katya Fyodorov

[Princess Katya Fyodorov]

Katya was still waiting for her siblings to be ready to move off to the barge when Tristan appeared. It would take a blind man not to notice how the girls features lit up at the mere sight of him. He seemed to have been struck speechless which had the girl blushing and giving him a soft smile. "A good evening to you, as well, Your Royal Highness," she said in return greeting, mildly amused at the gaping fish moment displayed by the Demerian prince. Katya couldn't help a hopeful smile in Anyas direction as Tristan expressed his wish for Katya to join him before turning her attention back to the Prince. "It would be my pleasure to join you, if it is all right with my siblings for we were to join your sister," she informed him though she was hoping with every fiber of her being that her siblings would allow her to join Tristan. And from the looks of it Tristan desired the Crown Prince to join them as well.

Princess Anastasia Fyodorov Prince Riordan Carlisle

[Deleted]

Nikolai dreaded going to this blasted feast if it meant making conversation. That required energy that he did not possess at the moment. He dressed without enthusiasm and watched as Yurkov slipped on his polished snakeskin shoes. Now Nik was more accustomed to the man's strange style and behavior, so he made for interesting entertainment.

"Do you feel nauseous on boats?" he asked, just out of curiosity.

Yurkov straightened Nikolai's jacket. "No, Majesty." He gave a self-satisfied smile. "I can identify different types of fish by smell. My soul is part water snake."

Nikolai really tried not to laugh and rearranged his facial features. "What are the parts of my soul?" he asked. Just as Yurkov was about to answer, Sergei appeared in the room somewhat out of breath. Sergei stared at the other man, displeasure written all over him and Nik was unable to resist. "You look dashing, Yurkov," he said. "Certainly suited to be my right-hand man."

Yurkov beamed. "Majesty shines brighter than stars! I will announce your presence now."

Sergei now was in a worse mood than before -- he hated Anya to be late, although the circumstances were out of control. It was inappropriate for him to be in the room to help her dress, although he knew he could put it on faster than any of those maids. He took a deep breath to calm himself and ensured the royal siblings were well on their way to the barge. He caught sight of what had to be their table and scuffed some dust onto Yurkov's shoes before helping the nobles to sit down.

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

Food, glorious food. Aristide purposefully had not eaten much all day in preparation for this event, although he knew he should not be too hungry and spoil his enjoyment of the food. This was most important. He knew how it went during buffets and samplings, so he needed all his wits and resources about him.

Easier said than done when lovely ladies surrounding him, especially one who walked towards him right at the moment. He glanced around him to check that his siblings were not around him (just in case they wanted to tease him) and greeted her with a smile.

"Lady Natalie, what a pleasure!" he stated and gave her a small bow. "Are you looking forward to the sampling of different foods as I am?"
Lady Natalie Kendall

[Lady Natalie Kendall]

While Emma greeted with Fiona and the other guest, Natalie turned to more properly greet Aristide. A grin blossomed easily across her features, but she had to take a moment to take in his general appearance. "Why, Lord de Lac, what an expected pleasure," she stated as a little play on words and greetings. "I am not only looking forward to the food, but for some enjoyable company." She looked past him a moment, recognizing his siblings.

"If you'd like to wait but a moment, I can introduce you to my little entourage," again, she was teasing and she was fairly certain making such a statement would cause Fiona's eyebrow to wing upward. It might even fly off! But that was Natalie for everyone, she enjoyed keeping people on their toes.

[Lord Aristide de Lac]

Seemed as though she wanted to meet him tonight. That was more than fine with him. He chuckled good-naturedly and lifted his hat a little to her in greeting. Perhaps he impressed upon her deeper than he expected. In any case, he enjoyed talking to her and hoped their conversation tonight would be as entertaining as their last. So far, so good.

"You are certainly in good company then." Not that she was unaware of that already. He followed her glance to his siblings and waved them off with a hand. They were all over the place and he was unsure how entertaining they would be.

Did she mean her own entourage? Hard to believe -- if Ari was not mistaken, that was the princess! Oh. Goodness, in what sort of trouble had he found himself? Probably the best kind. He grinned at her. "I would be honored to meet them," he stated, "and even more to remain on my knees for you, my lady."

Lady Natalie Kendall

[Lady Natalie Kendall]

"I should hope so," she winked at him and then grinned more brightly. "That's just what I wanted to hear, though," she whispered to him, "I suppose we should rein it for Princess Fiona. She's such a notorious stickler for tradition I could gag myself with a spoon." She leaned back and cleared her throat. Turning, she led Aristide over to Emma, Serah, Fiona and apparently Frederick!

"Pardon me, Your Highness, my lady, and my lord, may I have the pleasure of introducing Lord Aristide de Lac, Lord of de Lac and Pescadin Keep." Oh, yes, she had done some research on his title! He probably would not be all that surprised.

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

A polite smile greeted Prince Tristan, but it was her sister's face that arrested Anastasia, watching with mounting dismay. She knew that look on Katya's face, knew that telltale sparkle in her sister's pretty eyes and hadn't missed Katya's recent tendency to look her very best. With her heart sinking in her chest, she remained quiet as she followed her sister and older brother onto the barge to join in the feast.

More than ever, she wished desperately for her mother's wisdom and guidance. Obviously, a heart to heart talk with Katya was soon due, if it wasn't already too late. And a letter needed to be dispatched to the Tsarina; Anya needed to inform their mother of the recent events and gain some counsel. The food was picked at, her eyes on her plate as she lost herself in thoughts that were increasingly dark and dreary.

[Prince Riordan Carlisle]

No doubt his father would want him to dine with the royals and other foreign guests. He had already met recently with a number of the Dukes and duchesses, though he was rather curious about Lady Rose. he couldn't remember the last time he had seen her. With one final glance toward Selena, Riordan ventured onto the royal barge while carefully avoiding his commanding Aunt.

Before eating, Riordan opted to get a glass of wine before anything else... and that was when he noticed a despondent Princess Anya. The charmer within commented that such a beautiful creature should not be so sad, and he promptly smacked himself up the head. He was going to have to steal away Selena soon. Oy. Clearing his throat, he made his approach of the eldest princess.

"Your Highness, good evening. You've made some rather fine selections... even if I can't recognize half of the food coming from my own kitchens."

[Lady Selena Lancaster]

Catching the wave from Lady Rosalie, she smiled and raised a hand in return to indicate she would join them. Selena recalled the young woman from the brief sojourn in Meirin, and enjoyed their walk in the gardens. It would be good to know some ladies near to her own age, her gaze resting for a moment on the older St. Claire daughter. The Lady Julia. Trusting there was no rivalry to bloom between them, she caught sight of her parent and tilted her head to indicate in whose company she would pass the feast. He was otherwise occupied with several of the Dukes and Lord Stratford, making her rather glad for the invitation from Rosalie.

Arriving to join the two, Selena smiled warmly as she stepped carefully onto the barge. "Good evening, Lady Rosalie. Thank you for inviting me to join you. And good evening to you as well, Lady Julia. You both look breathtaking this evening."

[Lady Julia St. Claire]

Julia could see the irony in Selena Lancaster joining them; by rights, the two should be bitterest enemies, fighting over the hand of the Crown Prince, but in truth, she was quietly relieved to know Riordan's eyes were cast elsewhere, rather than on herself and her younger sisters. None of this generation's St. Claire daughters were, in her mind, suited to the role of Queen. Selena wanted it, and from what she knew of her, Julia had surprising confidence that she might prove a good one. It certainly behooved her to find a way to get along with the future Queen of Demeria, especially if she wanted to become Duchess of Twinport.

"I haven't met her in some time, but I recall we got along fairly well on the few occasions we met." Lowering her voice as she saw Selena approaching, a quiet smile greeting the woman, she intended her words for Rosalie alone. "It would be good for you to be friends with her as well, if matters continue to progress between the Prince and her. We may be looking at the future queen, Rose."

Hearing Selena, Julia's smile warmed as she inclined her head to the young lady. They were roughly the same age and approximately the same rank. "Good evening, Lady Selena. A pleasure to see you again."

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

Lifting her head as she heard the Crown Prince, Anastasia instantly schooled her features into a pleasant, polite smile. A hand invited Prince Riordan to sit beside her if he was so inclined, her plate nudged towards him to sample the food she was largely not eating. "It is excellent. You have some very talented cooks. How does the evening find you, Your Royal Highness?"

She stole a careful glance to keep an eye on both brother and younger sister, trying not to frown at the sight of Katya making calf's eyes at Prince Tristan. Though word had not yet come from their mother about the possible alteration of alliance marriage, she was cautious about her sister's behavior, aware that whispers were traveling through the Court. A glass of wine was taken up and sipped, redirecting her attention to Riordan once more.