smallestopener | 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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And one of those sitting at a table, watching the others, is Bianca. She is wearing her own tiara, and though the dress is modern it's a deep, rich green shot with black.

She's also very, very pregnant - hence the sitting down and watching.

"Oh, I'm very well. It's a lovely party, isn't it? I finally met little Ingress, and she's simply adorable."

She smiles softly. "I've been looking forward to today. I haven't had terribly much to do since we got stuck here, so it's a welcome distraction."

"Sure!"

And they dance a la the Wizarding world, complete with several graceful lifts.

"Cunning and ambition," Draco coldly said with some pride. "Whatever's necessary for our goals, that's Salazar's chosen."

Well, "Embracable You" is suitably impressive.

"Is most of the music at your court about your father's wonderful deeds?" asks Amy. "How very odd. I can't imagine that makes it very easy to dance at balls."

Draco nodded, at the first part. The children running around some got briefly eyed.

"Well, my families' parties were a bit more formal than this. Good and proper ones though."

"Megwyn, come dance with me!" Ingress is sweaty now, and her dress will need a thorough cleaning, but she is delighted. She bows low to her Companion where she stands by the dance floor.

"She's charming."

He gives her a sympathetic smile.

"I know it's been hard being stuck here, Cimorene. But perhaps we were simply meant not to miss the party, and will be able to go home soon."

"That is the best kind of sensible person to be," says Cimorene with approval. "One must always make allowances for special occasions like seventh birthdays. Have you been enjoying yours, Ingress?"

"I'm afraid I wasn't. We'd only spoken a few times. But wait, he gave her a wishing ring? Buggering fuck, no wonder he left."

There is a pause.

"You do know who Blodwen Rowlands is, don't you?"

"Well, Tom is a very capable wizard, so I'm sure we've nothing to fret about. So, Prince Henry, are you enjoying the ball?"

And there is a Bianca. Just briefly, because the little girl seems swamped, but...

The blonde princess is wearing her own tiara, and though her dress is modern it is silk, and a dark, rich green shot with black. She also what appears to be a box, wrapped in a green fabric.

The nasal voice is filled with cold amusement. "I shall not leave just yet, I think."

From his pocket he pulls out a small, black box with a red ribbon. "I have not given the birthday girl her gift, yet."

"The White Rider, Tim said. He showed me an illusion of her. I dunno much more than that, except she's a whole lot of powerful no good."

Megwyn lifts one front hoof and dips her head in something approaching a bow, and a sense of delighted laughter touches Ingress's mind.

::I'd love to, Chosen.::

She takes a step or two onto the dance floor, curvetting slightly towards the little girl.

He sips his drink, "As I said, there must have been some mistake in the filing."

Snow smiles.

"And that's what makes her truly proper for the role. I've seen far too many in my time who only focused on the pomp and ceremony and luxury that came with the title, nothing more. Ingress is far more balanced about it."

"Most of the ones with words," she says wryly. "Unless they were about the rare beauty of one of my sisters."

"Though there were dancing tunes enough also," she says. She smiles, "When I was five I asked the court minstrel to write a song about how fast I could climb a tree. For some reason, he was too busy that week."

"Our court poet wrote a great many poems about my sisters. He once spent two weeks trying to come up with a way to accurately describe my hair, other than 'mouse.' And then he gave up."

She grins. "I would have liked a poem about my treeclimbing, but I can only imagine the reaction I would have gotten."

Ingress laughs with glee and steps around Megwyn's left side, and then the right, twirling around her.

"I hope so. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this. Amy has been so excited about it, and I promised her I would come, but I don't think I could have stayed if I knew I could be out there helping Kazul."

She nods determinedly, "Besides, it's given me time to think up how many horrible names I can call Zemenar."

"Are you royalty as well? I know a great deal of my childhood was spent at formal gatherings I'd have been spared from, were it not for my title."

Just a polite question. Given the percentage of authentic-looking garb around the tent, it's a reasonable guess.

"Stay away from her. Don't let her talk to you, touch you... She's far more powerful than I, and I don't say that lightly."

Mendanbar grins at her.

"And how many have you thought up?"

Draco glared back, but remained silent. Fine, let him underestimate him. Let him think so little. All the better to throw one offguard when the time is right.

But then he finally remarked as he went to move away, "Please yourself. There's other and more important people for me to speak with."

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The Princess Birthday Ball

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