-----

Karna looked on judgingly at her image in the mirror. She was wearing a long strapless silver dress that came all the way down to her ankles. The dress had a long slit running down her side all the way from her navel to the hem, leaving her long and smooth leg almost entirely bare, and the little back the dress had only barely started above her buttocks. The front of her dress was covered in intricate golden patterns describing various mythical beasts. It also seemed almost glued to her skin as it only did the very minimum to cover her bosom, which seemed a single deep breath away from plopping out of the dress. She also wore a separate black top piece that covered her shoulders, arms, and even the backs of her hands, leaving her fingers and palms bare. The whole thing was crowned by a pair of high-heeled shoes that made her seem even taller and her legs look even longer.

The entire ensemble looked like only magic was holding the whole thing together and on her, which was actually a very accurate impression. All in all, she looked both scandalous and elegant, but more importantly, she looked stunning and very desirable. The mask only added a mysterious element to the whole thing. A woman out to have some fun. The entire ensemble was one of those she had acquired with Duskclaw, and the beastwoman also stood next to her, judging their handiwork.

“Well, I wasn’t sure about this one as it leaned a bit too heavily towards your master’s style, but I have to admit; you do look gorgeous in it.” Duskclaw nodded. She finally understood what the fictional stories were talking about when they used descriptions like ‘kingdom toppling beauty’.

“Eh, it’ll do.” Karna nodded in grudging approval. She’d worn dresses that were both more beautiful and more magnificent, but you had to make do with what you had. Besides, you had to dress for the occasion. She wasn’t going to a gathering of immortals. She was going to join the festival that was starting outside. She was also planning on getting lucky that night if she found an appropriate partner, but that was a separate issue.

"Also going commando I see," Duskclaw commented, a little disappointed. She was an aficionado so any time Karna skipped undergarments felt like a wasted opportunity.

"They wouldn't really work with this dress." Karna pointedly ran her finger down her shapely right hip, which was bared by the large slit at the side of her dress. Obviously, any undergarments would've been plainly visible.

“Disappointing but understandable.” Duskclaw gave a sigh. “I get the sense that you’re going out with a purpose tonight.” She also pointed out suggestively.

"Yeah, I wouldn't stay up waiting tonight," Karna replied rather bluntly. This had been a long time coming, so her reply didn't exactly surprise Duskclaw. Like Tsumi, she was more surprised it hadn't happened earlier considering Karna's mental and physical maturity.

“I assume you’ve taken care of protection? This is a festival for the life gods after all, so taking chances sounds like a recipe for consequences you’re not ready to deal with.” Duskclaw slipped into her motherly role.

"Of course," Karna assured her. She had things covered.

A knock came at the door. "Are you ready? We're about to head out." Sieg's voice sounded from the other side of the door. They had been fortunate to find several rooms at a high-class inn relatively close to the palace. A large party had canceled their reservation at the last minute, which the group had been able to take advantage of. The others thanked their luck, but Karna knew it likely had more to do with destiny, or someone was making things work in their favor. Things had been going so smoothly that she was quite sure the fates were driving their group to be here for a reason. She didn’t know what that reason was, nor did she want to waste time guessing as the possibilities were endless. Something to take note of though.

“We’re just about done!” Duskclaw shouted. She would join the festivities for a time as well, as she wanted to have some fun drinking and making merry as well, though she would be returning to the inn relatively early just in case. “Good luck and may fortunes favor you.” She whispered her ‘daughter’.

As the two stepped out, the others gave whistles of admiration. "You're going all out," Miralen commented, understanding the significance. She too was dressed for the occasion in a glorious ensemble that revealed vast swathes of her brown skin. She wasn’t entirely sure if she should do the same as what Karna was planning, as it could be fairly bad if word of a dalliance got back home. On the other hand, this could be the perfect opportunity as she could do it anonymously. Perhaps she should just throw her lot to luck and see how the evening went?

“You look ravishing.” Sieg managed to compliment Karna as he recovered from his own shock.

“Why, thank you. You don’t look too shabby yourself. I wasn’t sure if you could dress considering your father, but you clean up well.” Karna returned an honest compliment. Sieg was wearing a nice set of green robes in a traditional elven style, which complimented his physique well. “Shall we then? We can check out some of the nearby sights before we get lost in the festival spirit.

“Yes, let’s!” Miralen agreed eagerly.

As soon as they stepped outside the inn, they were surrounded by a throng of people. The entire population of the city, as well as a generous number of visitors, was out on the streets. Some were working, of course, most commonly selling food, drinks, and various other sundries that the festival-goers would desire. Guards and entertainers were also in for a busy few days as their work would be guaranteed. Everybody was wearing masks, even those that were working. Despite the sun having already set behind the surrounding mountains, the whole city was filled with light as lanterns and various magical lights were covering almost every surface.

The group was swept along the current of people as the crowd moved around aimlessly along the streets, looking for something to catch their attention. On every plaza, crossroads, park, and open space a group of musicians or jugglers, or a multitude of other performers were plying their craft, which caused some of the people to stop and laugh merrily as the mood caught them. As the group didn't have a real reason to stick as one, they were soon separated into pairs and some even wandered off alone.

Even though the masks were supposed to make everyone equal this night, it was clear that didn’t entirely hold true, as certain people were afforded more space than others among the press of elven bodies. Both Duskclaw and Karna got to enjoy as much space as they wanted as the people around them gave them wide berth. For Duskclaw, it was because people around could sense her strength. For Karna, it was also because the people sensed something, but they weren’t entirely sure what exactly. They simply felt that it would be wrong to push her around. Besides, nobody dared to approach her too close as they felt a sense of danger if they tried.

Soon Karna found herself alone and wandering further away from the palace. She had a very alcoholic drink in one hand and a meaty snack of some sort in the other. She allowed luck to guide her path as she wandered aimlessly. She stuck around in a couple of places to observe some of the entertainers before she got bored and moved on again. Finally, her attention was drawn to a relatively smallish park by music played by several instruments. There she found several elves of different clans taking turns playing a large gamut of instruments in a way that resembled a series of duels instead of a joint performance. The musicians weren’t playing on top of each other most of the time, taking turns and turning into a sort of performance instead, but there was a clear battle of music going on as the songs went on.

It seemed like the battle always lasted a song and the ‘winner’ got to stay while the unfortunate competition had to give their place to the next challenger. This was intriguing. She too cheered on as challenger after challenger took the stand. After a handful of songs, it became obvious that one of the musicians seemed to be better than others, and the losers became a little leery about challenging him. “How about you pretty lady? Would you like to step up to the challenge?” The victorious musician called out to Karna as he spotted her.

“Sure, why not?” Karna decided. The victorious challenger had a magical instrument that could change shapes, but it was in the form of a guitar at the moment. Due to that, Karna formed an identical instrument from Qhaysh.

“How very bold, challenging me in my own game.” The older musician stated, though with no ill intent and the spirit of fun clear in his voice.

Instead of rising to the bait, Karna gave a quick string of notes as her fingers flew across the strings of the instruments, her challenge clear. The two were soon locked in a struggle of speed and playfulness as the fast-paced song came to life. It seemed that both of their fingers flew so fast that they managed to produce a song that seemed impossible to be the result of only two instruments, and soon they were playing together more than against each other. Both of them were smiling beneath their masks, completely unaware of who the person opposite them was.

-----

“Are you really going? Why would you bother when you can spend the evening with us?” Anaire asked her brother, who was fiddling with the mask he’d gotten from the Queen.

"I get the feeling that mother quite strongly wants me to go for some reason," Cendirion replied while he toyed with the string that would hold the purple mask in place.

“You’ve never liked it when she wants you to act according to her visions. Why would you start following them now?” Anaire asked, getting a little more interested. Earlier she had been reading a book while stretched on a sofa, but now she closed the book and looked at her brother more sharply.

“I may not like it, but I also know those visions serve a purpose. Ignoring them could be quite detrimental. Besides, she wouldn’t have called me back if it was something minor. As much as I enjoy seeing you little buggers, rushing my cultivation at such a critical juncture could've gone really badly." He replied, while also dodging the book his sister had thrown at his head when he called her and their other siblings little buggers.

“As much as I hate to say it, you do have a point. However, let’s think this through logically. Why would mother want you to take part in the festival?” Anaire questioned calmly, as if she hadn’t just thrown her book at her eldest brother.

“I…don’t think it’s about the festival itself. There must be something involved that I’m not aware of.” It couldn’t be just about the Queen trying to set him up. She’d given that up almost a century ago when he had chosen the path of cultivation, and she had respected that choice so far. Even if this ended up with him somehow falling in love and marrying someone, it wasn't worth risking his breakthrough like this. Even the High Elven Court had a limited number of warriors at his current rank, and he had the potential to reach further. Even if he wouldn't become the king, he'd still support their family from behind with his power.

“Obviously. Well, if you are determined to go, then get to it and stop fiddling with the mask. You’ve already made the decision in your heart and now you’re just trying to rationalize it to yourself. Just go along with it and stop worrying. The quicker you leave, the quicker you can get back.” Anaire reasoned. Her words were not unreasonable, so Cendirion decided to accept them.

With the decision made, he swung by his rooms long enough to freshen up and find some appropriate clothing that would blend in with the people outside while still looking nice and stylish. He found a nice silver-colored coat and pants that were quite decent, even if somewhat outside the current fashion trends. Fancy enough to show he had means and taste, but not so fancy that he came off as a dandy. With satisfaction, he noted that the mask was of the highest quality, which was needed to hide his identity. Even if he didn’t spend a lot of time at the capital, he was relatively famous. If he was recognized, he would need to spend the entire night shooing off people eager to make connections with him.

He slipped outside the palace with a nod to the keen-eyed guards that noted his passing with some surprise and amusement. They had not expected him to go out after all. They knew the Queen did some years, as did some of his siblings, but he had very rarely taken part in these sorts of things. Unfortunately, that also meant that rumors would soon spread. Obviously, he would need to make sure he was not found, as he slipped the mask on his face and got lost in the crowd. He should've done it before if he had wanted to avoid drawing any attention, but he didn’t want to create trouble for the guards by being an unidentified person slipping out of the palace.

With clear intent, he traveled further away from the palace. As he had no real destination in mind, he allowed the crowd to determine his direction, as long as it was away from the palace. Despite his earlier reticence, he found himself enjoying the festivities. His mother had been right; he did need a bit of a break. For years he’d done nothing but fighting and traveling to find another worthy fight. Getting stronger was important, but what was the point if you didn’t have the time to enjoy life? “If only Gloridan was still here.” He muttered to himself.

The two things that had influenced his desire for strength had been the deaths of his father, and the passing of his friend Gloridan. His friend had fallen in a duel, something that could’ve been prevented if he had been strong enough. Cendirion’s friend had been full of life and had always tried to find the fun side of everything. The two had gotten into all sorts of trouble together while younger. “I suppose I’m being a bad friend by dishonoring his memory with constant training.” He said to himself with a fond smile.

With his conviction made, he swung by several beverage stands to acquire some of the strongest beverages they had available. Due to his rank, anything milder would’ve had no effect. Even now he wasn’t drunk even slightly, but at least it got him into the correct mood. The sound of music suddenly tugged at his senses. With his sharp ears, he could hear all kinds of music in every direction, but something about this particular song drew him in. It sounded more like…a duel of sorts.

He soon found himself in a small park, watching as two musicians were showing their expertise. He recognized the magical instrument one of the two used, as he’d seen it thousands of times in the palace. The man was the most skilled and the most experienced among the royal bards. What surprised Cendirion though was that he seemed to be losing. The two musicians were almost playing together more than battling at this point as they clearly enjoyed the performance, but it was also clear that the royal bard was barely keeping up.

As Cendirion turned his focus to his opponent, his jaw almost hit the floor. His opponent was clearly a young woman, though the mask made it impossible to judge her true age or even race. The enchantment in her mask was even stronger than with his mask, so a custom job. Her skill wasn’t what shocked him though. He’d seen young geniuses before. Even the glowing instrument made of magic didn’t shock him, although it was a display of great magical talent. No, what hit him like a dragon punching him in the gut was the realization that despite the mask, Cendirion was completely sure she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

As the prince of the High Elven court, he had seen the best the elven nobility had to offer when it came to beauty. Elves were generally recognized as one of the most attractive races on the Higher Planes, and the High Elves especially so. As such, Cendirion had seen his fair share of stunningly attractive women in his life. His family had several as well, although he usually didn’t think of them in that way. But something about the girl in front of him outshined all of them. It wasn’t even a fair competition. Comparing her to anyone he’d seen before was like comparing the Queen to a farm girl, and not a particularly attractive one either. The girl in the silver dress was simply on another level altogether.

He realized several things at once. The first thing was that this was likely why the Queen had called him back. The second thing was that despite knowing that fact, it was too late for him to fight against it. The flames of passion had already been ignited in his heart, and he'd never felt anything like this before. He knew he had to approach the girl. He had no idea what he would say, as for the first time in his life, he found himself tongue-tied. It wasn't his first experience with women, but for some reason, he found himself short of breath and almost panicking, something he'd never experienced even in the worst battle.

The song came to an end, and Cendirion knew it was his time to act. He pushed through the spell he found himself under, and approached the two musicians that were both laughing and complimenting each other. The sound of the girl’s voice rang in his ears. He positioned himself behind the girl, giving an appreciative glance at her rear which only inflamed his passions further. He shook that reverie off though and looked into the eyes of the royal bard and lifted his mask just enough that the bard suddenly managed to recognize him

The bard’s eyes grew almost imperceptibly larger in surprise but it quickly passed and was replaced with a question. Cendirion nodded slightly towards the girl between them, and now the surprise on the older bards face was much more obvious. The bard knew Cendirion and was shocked by the development. But why not help the prince a bit? “Young friend. Could I introduce you to someone?” The bard stated. “This is an old friend of mine, C.” He gestured towards the prince.

“Hmm?” The girl turned towards Cendirion and he could see the evaluation and ongoing judgment in her eyes. Soon enough it seemed that she reached some kind of decision, and Cendirion felt like he had just passed the most difficult evaluation in his life. He almost wiped his forehead in relief. “Pleasure to meet you.” She extended her hand in greeting, the two touching their palms together in a traditional elven greeting.