smallestopener | The Princess Birthday Ball

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birthday

The Princess Birthday Ball

The huge, white tent sprawls on the lawn beside the lake. It has been transfigured there for a very special occasion. A stone walkway leads from the bar to the tent - the pavements are wide enough that ladies' dresses won't trail on the ground as they make their way to the entrance. Over the draped curtains of the entrance way is a large banner which reads "Happy 7th Birthday, Ingress".

Once inside, the honored guests will be in the midst of an enchanted ballroom. There are balloons drifting in bunches from the circular tables lining the sides of the large dance floor. Floating candlabras glow with gentle light from above. There are trees in large ornamental pots interspersed throughout sparkling with fairy lights from real fairies.

One long banquet table is positioned on along the side of the ballroom - there are treats of all description. Little finger sandwiches, chopped up fruit, cookies, cheese and crackers, and other child-friendly h'ors douerves are presented to make sure the dancers are sustained throughout the the party. There are large bowls of ice cream (kept cold with magic)and sundae fixings. Punch bowls of sherbet-flavored drinks await ladling into crystal goblets. But most impressive is the large birthday cake with blue, purple, and pink icing roses festooning it.

Ingress is busy greeting her guests in her gown - a birthday gift from Amy and Susan - but soon she'll be dancing to the music provided by the overlarge Gramophone in the corner, which is playing a wide array of dancing music from waltz standards to court music to pop hits of the 20th century.

Tom, who's pretty tired from the magical effort required to pull this off, is in the background making sure his little girl is having a perfect party, and Princess Amy is helping Ingress in her hostess duties.

Come in and enjoy the party!

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"That's my Amy! She's a real princess, but she's stuck here and can't go home."

"I know how. They showed us at school, though my parents had already showed me how. We had the Yule Ball there a few years ago. Did Tom tell you about dancing in our world?"

"Oh!" Cora blinks in surprise. "I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised, if she and Prince Caspian adopted each other. Is there a good deal of royalty in Milliways?"

"Well, there are lots of Narnian kings, Tom says. There are two winter queens at the party," she says, thinking. "Arithons a king, I think. Ummm, there's probably more."

"A little bit. He said it's a little harder cos you move your arms lots."

"Goodness," she says with a slight laugh, "I suppose royalty needs to rest every once and awhile, too. Are you accepting your presents now or later, Ingress?" She fidgets the neatly-wrapped canvas package slightly in her hands.

"I can accept them now," she says, very politely. She takes the package and opens it. "Oh, a hankie! I like it. It's very pretty, Cora. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Cora smiles at her, "I'm glad you like it."

The next one is something from Arithon's world, charmed into a silver ball to play when its shaken.

He brought it specially for this, and swings Ingress around to the strains of it.

He'd actually snuck the steps of it into her sword lessons for the last few months, and eventually she shrieks with laughter as she realizes she knows what to do next.

When the dance is over he bows deeply and kisses her hand before passing her to the next person.

A rather-smaller than the average prince shows up after a moment and offers her a bow.

"Greetings, Lady. You are assisting the e'dal Lady in hosting?"

Draco nodded, "You do, and you have to lift your partner as well."

Mary rubs her first and third finger together doubtfully.

It's sort of like a snap.

"I did not know you could dance to songs that fast. I have never seen someone do it. Would they not fall over?"

*Possibly not exactly the words Meg would exactly use to describe him. His talents at keeping ice cream cold are certainly not to be scoffed at, though.

However:*

Come on, Ingress, you know that any party of yours is guaranteed to be lots of fun, *she says, and grins.*

*Meg happens upon her by the Gramophone; this might be because she's been lurking around the machine with a sort of bizarre fascination. It's so large. Also, complicated-looking.*

You could fit a whole orchestra in there, it looks like, *she laughs, by way of greeting.*

It's been awhile since Mal's had the opportunity to go to a fancy party that didn't make him paranoid from the start.

That, and as soon as Inara heard about the theme, she had practically forced Mal to go, confiscating his suspenders and making him shine his non-work boots to wear.

Sallie approves, and showed this by whistling at Mal in his suitjacket as he walked through the bar door. Sallie, in a long skirt and comfortable blouse, has her own nod to dressing up with a silver-blue shimmering stole around her shoulders.

The pair are arm-in-arm, smiling at Ingress.

Amy sweeps a very formal curtsey in response.

"I am," she says, straightening with a smile. "I'm Amy."

"You could," says Amy, laughing. "A string section, at the very least. And if you put one of these records on, music comes out. Without there being any orchestra at all!

"Hello, Meg."

Perry waves cheerfully back as he enters, one hand behind his back and looking rather pleased with himself.

It's clear that he has attempted to look nice for the party--though there is a definite lack of ermine.

"Happy Birthday, little princess!"

Someone grabs her hand as she rushes by, and holds on until her own momentum swings her around to face him, and Perry smiles down at her.

"Hullo, kitchen maid! Or should I say Princess Amethyst?"

As the next song starts, a rollicking number, Perry makes his way over to the birthday girl and bows gracefully, waiting until she curtseys back before lifting her bodily off her feet and swinging away into the dance.

Ingress' feet and skirt fly around Perry's waist while she laughs, and he laughs, too, cheerfully dancing around.

Eventually he puts her down, of course. This dance has lots of spins, you see, and by the time Perry has brought Ingress back to the edge of the dance floor and given her a cheeky kiss, they are both peasantly dizzy.

Caspian, resplendent in Narnian robes and circlet (though his hair, which wants cutting, is still blown rather every which way) smiles at her as he makes his way over. Taking her hand (his other is holding a small box), he bows over it, cheerfully.

"Thank you for your invitation, Princess," he says, politely, and winks at her. "Happy birthday, little maid!"

"Slow down, Amy," comes Caspian's laughing voice. "And come greet your brother. You've been so busy this week, getting this party together that it has been like watching a whirlwind!"

Not that Caspian has been keeping a sharp eye on Amy, or on what she has been doing. Or who she has been talking to.

...

Well, at least he hasn't confined her to the House?

"Arithon s'Ffalenn, her teacher of the sword."

It is possible that Amy has seen Arithon around. Among other things, he holds one layer of the wards on the paintings, and checks on them now and again.

"I am not entirely certain if I wish to thank you for making her happy, or sigh at the fact that this involved putting on my crown."

Cimorene wanders in wearing a long green dress with gold trim. She so rarely has occasion to wear her best crown these days, but today is a celebration well worth it. Heck, she even wore her hair down.

She has never actually met Ingress before, but there's no mistaking who the birthday girl is today. She walks over to the little girl with a huge smile.

"You must be Ingress," she says warmly, "My name is Cimorene, and Amy has told me so much about you. Happy Birthday, your highness," she says with a grin, dropping a curtsey. It is, in fact, the exact curtsey one princess would make to another princess, not that she thinks Ingress will necessarily know the difference.

She thinks she's seen him around, but it's almost hard to tell this evening, with everyone so dressed up.

"It's an honor to meet you," she says, "and I see no reason you may not both be happy that she's happy and sigh about the crown."

Amy personally drew the line at tiaras.

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The Princess Birthday Ball

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