As the pink-rimmed clouds sailed towards the sunset, the welcoming banquet for the Binshi delegation was about to start. Despite her friends’ insistence to stay in bed, Lorelei decided to participate. After some much-needed rest under Rish and Milly’s care, she felt a bit refreshed if not completely recuperated. There was no excuse for the mistress of Norden to be absent, especially after the incident with the clan from Trout Stream. The ducal household could show no weakness.

The banquet went on more uneventfully than expected. Lorelei danced once with Noah to open the festivities, during which, her husband was extremely careful, matching her every step and trying to minimize any strain on her body as much as he could. When the last tunes of the song melted into the dusk, he gallantly led Lorelei to her seat and ordered Rish and Jessup to be at her every beck and call, before returning to the center of the hall to perform a local dance with Shana.

Looking father and daughter twirl hand in hand, their faces – tranquil and smiling, made Lorelei frown. Her fingers clasped around her swallow brooch. The strange headache this noon had started after her eyes had met Shana’s. Was her annoyance with the child’s tantrums what broke her composure and sparked her aversion towards the Binshi delegates? Lorelei hoped that this was the case; that Rasha and Neli were right, because if there was really someone putting a hex on her…

Shana’s laughter reached her ears and Lorelei saw the girl giving Noah an affectionate hug and a kiss, under the guests’ applause as their dance ended. No, Shana wouldn’t do anything so foolish to spite her if it meant having ill effects on her father’s dignity. She wouldn’t…

Lorelei let her thoughts trail off into nothing since the general course they were taking was dangerous and not to her liking. And soon, her gloomy mood was lifted up by the appearance of Anuk who chatted with her for a bit. Lorelei chuckled at the little girl’s enthusiasm when talking about the fluffy blue-horned argali currently residing in the stables, all the while throwing secret glances down the row of tables along the Great Hall’s walls. Gregor and Saya were sitting close to the main table of the duke and the kush-turgans, and a lean silver-haired figure in the livery of house Norden’s pages was dutifully attending the two.

“Brother is so important now that he doesn’t even come to say hello to Lady Shimshi,” huffed Anuk and received a little pinch from Rish.

“Kai is doing his job, and it’s time you run away too, little chichik. Lady Shana will be looking for you,” the Binshi said quietly, patting the pouting child on the head. Then she continued with a hushed tone. “I heard the kitchen is preparing a lot of tasty meats tonight, maybe a piece or two would get stuffed in those round cheeks of yours.”

“A lady-in… wai…ting never does that!” Anuk tried to sound prim and proper but her eyes were sparkling and Lorelei could swear she heard a little gurgle coming from the girl’s stomach. Suddenly her eyes turned huge. “The maids said I should eat after the lords and ladies. But will there be anything left?”

“Don’t worry. There are bonfires and meals prepared in the big courtyard for all the servants. Your father must be there already, the lucky guy,” Jessup said, his eyes longingly looking out of the tall windows. “Actually, the servants’ feast is much more fun than the one here. Oh, sorry, my lady, I… uhm… I mean, it’s just more relaxed compared to the stuffy atmosphere here.”

“No need to apologize.” Lorelei played with the gilded goblet in her hand. Her eyes trailed again in the direction of the tables where more and more of the guests were taking their assigned places, pretending to be already tired from the dancing. One could feel the tension between the different groups as they eyed each other from behind half-closed lids and murmured insincere small talk from the corner of their mouths. “A warm fire is always preferable compared to icy pretense.”

Exchanging a few final words, Lorelei sent Anuk away. Her own stomach grumbled but the thought of eating something didn’t appeal to her. After three more dances, the feast was announced officially open and the meals slowly began to pile on the tables. Venison, glazed piglets, pheasants, carps stuffed with nuts and herbs, steaming pies, custard tarts, bread, butter, fine wines – the tables were bending, and there was more and more coming. Amongst the dishes were also some Lorelei had never seen before like meat and mushroom dumplings with cream; sausages that, according to Rish, were of badger mince; bear meat in sweet sauce made of honey and bibir. As a whole, the festive dinner could feed a medium village.

Music was playing, the wine and ale barrels were opened, and soon the Duke and the Duchess of Norden were exchanging toast after toast with both the Limerian and Binshi delegations. Lorelei was just touching the cup to her lips, careful not to take a sip. Considering her unstable behavior earlier, the least she needed was to get drunk on the strong red wine that tonight was flowing like a river. Luckily, the ambassadors on the Binshi side kept quiet and made no attempts to play new pranks.

The night progressed, accompanied by the fine tunes of the minstrels. Jessup had been summoned by his brother Sir Aiden De Mar and was now conversing with Baron Argente and his children. On the left of Noah, Shana and Anuk had completely forgotten about their position as master and servant and were now having a bubbly chatter with kush-turgan Akasha. At one of the lower tables, Duncan was chatting with Neli and Gregor, the latter seeming absentminded and constantly eyeing the door. Saya was nowhere to be seen, probably following the call of her motherly instincts to be close to Soraishu.

Lorelei grew drowsier by the minute, the warm stuffy air of the Great Hall enveloping her in a thick blanket. The hubbub of voices and the soft sound of the music were lulling her to sleep. Seeing her nodding off, Noah leaned in and said quietly:

“You should go get some rest. It’s been a hard day for you.”

“But wouldn’t it be ill manners if the hostess leaves so soon?”

“Not at all.” Noah helped her get up and kissed her hand. “And if someone dares say anything… well, I hope that someone does. I have quite a lot of pent-up anger from earlier today that needs an outlet.”

There was an evil spark in his eyes as he said the last words and Lorelei wondered whether the esteemed Duke of Norden would dare start a drunken brawl. She squinted, inspecting his face. Drunk he was not, but this didn’t mean that he wouldn’t do it.

“May the Mother Above bless you with pleasant dreams, my Duchess.” Noah’s voice was soft but she could hear the steel hidden beneath its velvety guise.

“And may She give you an enjoyable and uneventful night, my lord.”

“Your words are my command.” Her husband’s lips twitched as he released her hand.

Accompanied by Rish, Lorelei left the hall into the fresh spring night. The strong breeze made the hanging parts of her poves sway and chime quietly. It wasn’t cold but there was a crispness in the air that was so different from the damp heat the fifth month usually brought to Sefis.

Lorelei took in the smell of greenery and bonfires, the fragrance of grilled meat and unknown herbs. Her drowsiness slowly seeped away, prompting her to turn to Rish.

“Anything against having a peek outside?”

“Absolutely not.” Her friend perked up, licking her lips. “I’ll get you some birch wine to try. It’s tasty and refreshing, but apparently not sophisticated enough for the ducal feast.”

The two women chuckled and headed towards the open gallery surrounding the main courtyard. As they were approaching, a shrill voice disturbed the nightly calm.

“You dirty Limerian bitch!”

Lorelei and Rish stopped in their tracks, looking around for the assailant. A rustle came from the bushes flanking the gallery but, contrary to both women’s expectation, no one jumped before them. Instead, Saya’s voice came to them – cold and sharp.

“Shut up, Enosha! No matter how much you curse me, it won’t change a thing. So, start behaving like a proper dignitary before the whole Bear Ridge tribe gets in trouble.”

Lorelei and Rish exchanged confused glances, both of them considering whether to intervene, while the quarrel continued.

“Oh, so you are so full of yourself and dare order around a pure-blooded kush-detir? You are just a thieving Limerian, dirtying the title of turgan-issa!”

“You are delusional.” Saya’s tone was akin to the one used to talk to a rambunctious child. “I never stole anything from you. He isn’t an object to be possessed or stolen.”

Pat!

As the slap resounded Lorelei and Rish were about to jump from behind the gallery’s column and protect their friend, but just then, a mighty roar rumbled in the night:

“You dare lay a finger on my wife!”

As if materializing from nothing, a figure dashed with uncanny speed and jumped behind the bushes. Lorelei and her escort gulped, never experiencing Gregor so angry. Rushing by, the young Binshi shaman was completely ignorant of the presence of his lady and his cousin hidden in the shadows.

“Are you alright?” he tenderly hushed Saya before his voice boomed again. “Enosha of Bear Ridge, what are you thinking by lifting a hand against my turgan-issa? The Star of Norden is looking upon your actions and your whole clan will suffer the repercussions.”

“Gerashgor…” The other woman sounded sad and angry at the same time. “How could you sell yourself and your clan to the Limerians? How could you agree to dilute the blood of Wolf Mountain by fathering a mixed-breed when our children could have restored the blood of Star-path Valley?”

Pat!

A second slap echoed, followed by a woman’s cry.

“Y-you hit me!”

“I did! Count this as a warning. You harmed my wife and insulted my child. Keep on and I’ll put a curse on you. Or did you forget that my clan is not suppressed by the Star of Norden?”

“G-Gerashgor!”

“Scram!”

Silence engulfed everything. After a moment, the rustling of running feet melted into the night.

“May the star-hounds eat her, pride and all!” grumbled Gregor but then his voice turned gentle. “Are you alright, my love? I came as soon as I felt the twin-drop but it was still late.”

“I would have managed somehow,” mumbled Saya. “I should practice controlling myself before the twin-drop starts alerting you for every finger cut.”

“Don’t you dare! What else should a knight do if not save damsels from distress? Now come, my princess!” There was more rustling and a small squeak.

“Wha… Gerash, put me down, you silly man! I'm heavy!”

“Carrying my princess to her chambers is also this knight’s duty and privilege.”

The steps of the two love birds disappeared into the distance, leaving stunned Lorelei and Rhish in the shadows of the gallery. After a few moments, the young Binshi whistled.

“Now that was intense!”

“Indeed, it was.” Lorelei thought her brows might fly off her forehead. “What was all this about?”

“Enosha and Gerash dream-courted for a while and their clan leaders agreed for them to get engaged. But then Gerash met sister-in-law and fell head over heels for her. I’m telling you, it was worse than being hexed with an infatuation charm! The strongest wolf in our tribe turned into a puppy for a Limerian.”

“And I bet the kush-turgan was not very happy.”

“Yep. The ones from Bear Ridge are quite aggressive and short-tempered. Old Vukan almost threatened a clan war because we dishonored his daughter. But the Duke put his foot down, so it all ended well. But since then, both father and daughter only try to stir up trouble with Saya.”

“And what she said about restoring the blood of Star-path Valley?” Lorelei knew that she was prying too much, but her curiosity demanded to be satiated.

“Well, members of the Star-gazer clan were not allowed to marry outside, except on very rare occasions. Gerash’s maternal grandmother and Enosha’s great-grandmother are both from Star-path Valley. Except for Lady Shana, those two and kush-turgan Vukan are the only ones remaining with the purest Star-gazer blood after the clan’s annihilation.”

Lorelei chewed on her lip, trying to process all the new information. There were so many questions she had, but was it even appropriate to ask them right now? Lucky for her, fate decided to spare her the trouble of making a decision as the bushes rustled yet again and a tall figure stumbled before them. Guided by instinct and training, Rish placed her body between Lorelei and the newcomer.

"I... ahem... I beg for forgiveness for disturbing Her Highness the Duchess."

Lorelei squinted.

"Young Master Firmon! What brings you so far from the banquet hall?"