Meanwhile, in the Westwoods...

Lintelér smiles. "Well, I need to keep diplomatic relations open, but it certainly would be a shame not to dance one dance with the most attractive gentleman in the castle. Lord Quentin, may I have the honor of this dance?" He holds out a hand to you.

Within the ballroom, you hear a servant calling for people to take their places for the minuet. (Looks like Elwin's up-tempo conversion of the dance was temporary.)

Mindartis thinks for a few moments, before laughing, "Have you ever heard of a Blink Dog? They're rather like the mastiffs you have here, but they can... well 'Blink' out of existence and appear somewhere else. When my sister and I were maybe 11 or 12, we were exploring the forests near our village, and we came across a little one all alone. Well, we weren't going to just leave him there, so we picked him up and started carrying him home, hoping we could hide him long enough that by the time our mother and father found him they'd let us keep him. We..." he laughs, "well we still didn't really know that Blink Dogs could teleport, so as we brought him into the village, he blinked out of my sisters arms and started running down the road. We were chasing him, but every time we managed to corner him he seemed to disappear and reappear right behind one of us. We spent the better part of the twilight hours chasing this dog around the village, and every single person that saw us just started laughing, cause they knew what Blink Dogs can do."

"Eventually we both tired out and well, the Blink Dog seemed to disappear again. We both started trudging home, tired and embarrassed. I'm sure you can guess who was waiting for us when we opened the door and we saw our parents sitting in our kitchen, looking both like they were trying not to laugh and stern at the same time."

Arania laughs at the story of your childhood adventures and seems completely charmed by you.

"What about you? Anything exciting happen in your childhood?"

Quentin smiles, the blush still on his face as he takes the Prince's hand and says, "Of course, would...would you mind if I made this dance a..well....a little more magical?" 

After thinking for a while, Arania laughs and says, "My family's land is south, near the river marshes. One spring I went to the Riverdocks to fish, and they were biting, so I stayed a little too long.  It was starting to get dark by the time I headed for home through the marshes, when suddenly, through the reeds, I saw an enormous crocodile right in my path. It had its head turned to the side and was staring at me with one cold, dark, unblinking eye.  I was knee deep in water, and I was afraid that if I ran, or tried to go around it, it would charge me. I thought that maybe, if it wasn't hungry, it would go away, so I threw one of my fish to it.  It hit that crocodile right in the face, fell back into the water, and swam away. The crocodile did not even blink.  I threw the rest of my fish, one after the other, and finally, in desperation, I charged the crocodile and hit it over the head with my fishing pole as hard as I could. The pole broke, but the crocodile never moved.  That's when I realized-as you have probably already guessed--that the 'crocodile' was actually a twisted, broken old tree trunk that had floated there on the spring flood, and that the unblinking eye was a knothole. I went home without any fish that night, but with a good story.  My mother laughed for weeks, and every time I went fishing for the next few years afterward, she called out, "Beware of the crocodile!" as I left the house."

"What did you have in mind?" the prince asks as he walks with Quentin back into the ballroom. "No turning your rivals into salamanders, now. We don't want to create a political firestorm between Lomalos and the Court of Whispers." The mischievous glint is back in his eye.   The noblewoman converge, but stop short as they see Lintelér take his place on the dance floor holding Lord Quentin's hand.

Mindartis laughs, "Cases of mistaken identity are always scary right up until you discover your mistake, but I'm sure anyone in your position would have done the same thing. Do you enjoy fishing as much as you enjoy herbalism?"

Hearing the tempo chance, Mindartis looks to Arania, "Care to dance again?"

Quentin chuckles some and says, "Nothing that extreme." He blushes a little and says, "Was just thinking a little flight." 

"I would love to," she says, taking Mindartis's hand again, eyes sparkling.  On your way out to the floor, she says, "Everyone fishes, when you live along the river. It's just another way of foraging.  But yes, I do enjoy it.  There seems to be something...compelling about hooking a fish and bringing it to shore. Like lurking in wait for your prey and choosing just the right time to strike. I suppose that, basically, we are all predators."

"I figured as much."  Raven tells her father.  "I think I warned him off enough for now, since he would find no position of honor or way to riches if he let the secret out, but it is hard to be sure with him."  She shrugs.  "The secret would do him as much harm as it would do either of us, just by the blow to our family as a whole." She gives her father a bit more time, chatting of other things and telling him more of these companions she has found.

Prince Lintelér laughs. "I am not sure whether whether it would be best to make such a spectacle of ourselves here, or whether flying might be best saved for some...private time. I am in your hands, Lord Quentin--do as you think best."

The music starts, and you begin the steps of the dance. "In Ellantar, everything is about magic, I know," he says. "Do the dances there often involve flight?"

"I've never thought of it that way before," Mindartis raises his eyebrows and smiles, "you have a very interesting view of life Lady Arania. I hope I'll get more chances to learn about those views."

"One thing," Raven's father adds. "Lady Resarra has been hinting that she has some future task in mind for me. I am not certain anything can take the place of my vendetta against the Lord of Blight. I spent my life preparing to fight him, and I am growing too old to dedicate myself to another foe with that level of determination and fire. I just want you to know that, whatever turn my life may take, I am working on making provision for you.  Not that you seem to need being taken care of, but if anything should happen to me, I would be happy to know you still had some tie to your family and your old home...which, sadly, I can't depend on your brother for."

Quentin chuckles and says, "Technically no but...well you'd certainly be the talk of the ball if you did." He then smiles as he adds, "Normally dances are the places for people to show off their illusionary and enchantment work. Suits that appear to be on fire, dresses with colors that shift with every step, a necklace that no matter how hard you try you cannot seem to keep your eyes off of it." He blushes some before saying, "Though...I think such spectacles are best suited for there. I'd rather save my magic for a little private moment between us as well. Perhaps a midnight flight." 

"A necklace you can't keep your eyes off of?" says the prince. "I find it hard to believe anything could tear my gaze away from your beautiful eyes." He stays intensely focused on keeping eye contact with Quentin throughout the dance.

Arania flushes slightly and asks Mindartis, "Where will your travels be taking you?  Perhaps I could write you from time to time."

"Nothing is ever going to happen to you." Raven says, though she is a little weepy at the thought, knowing just how close it had been for him just recently.

"My friends and I are heading for the Hall of the Courts tomorrow," Mindartis says, "after that I cannot say, but I'll be sure to send you notice of where we go next. Hopefully we'll head back this way."

Quentin instantly turns into a bright red tomato at the Prince's compliment. He stares back at the Prince's eyes and says, "I..they're....they're nothing like yours. I...I'm pretty sure the stars in the sky get jealous over the twinkle in yours." 

Performance for Dancing: 5