Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

During the Debutante parade, the royal host called each maiden's name, and they had to appear in front of the king.

"Lady Carina Lavette Of Ordbridge." The royal host called out, and she walked through the whole room, escorted by her father, and made a curtsy to the King.

"It's an honor and a pleasure to meet you face to face, Your Majesty." Lady Carina said, while the king looked very carefully at her, with a pleased smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, Carina. I see your upbringing was impeccable." The King remarked, 

All the girls in the room were buzzing with anticipation for their moment, even Xena. Jovana, bored with the turn of events, turned to Xena and asked, "Xena, what's the point of all this?" 

"What kind of question is that? It's to introduce a new adult lady to society, of course!" Xena said, almost rolling her eyes at Jovana.

"But —-" 

Xena raised her hand at Jovana, cutting her words off, "Stop it now, Jovana. I'm missing the whole thing." Jovana sighed, and stood quiet while her eyes wandered toward her brother. He looked as troubled as hers. 

'I'm sure he knows about the King's habits and this whole parade. And I know he would defend my honor even against the King. And that would be a death sentence. I need to avoid the king's interest at any cost!' Jovana thought, and looked up when she heard Xena's name being called out.

"Xena Westwood." The royal host called out.

Xena quickly turned to Jovana with a smile, "It's my turn. Wish me luck!" 

"You don't need luck, you can easily come out on top of all the others. Just be yourself." Jovana remarked, and Xena's smile widened.

"Thank you, Jovana. I will." Xena said, and glided before the King with confidence, as she presented herself with a very lively curtsy. "It's an honor to be here, dear King. Your powerful eyes make all our hearts sing." Xena rhymed in a singsong.

The king seemed to be caught off guard at first, but then a pleased smile appeared on his face, and he said, "A poem! Finally, something original. Go on, girl. Let's hear it." 

Xena continued, "Your mighty wisdom guides us all, and we pay you homage at this ball. You are the bright defender of the reign, let's hail your mighty name!" 

"King Edward!" The whole crowd cheered for the King, who seemed very pleased with Xena's performance.

"Xena Westwood, one of the brightest stars on the rise in the sky of the kingdom! Thank you for your beautiful performance, my dear." The King said, and when his eyes explored Xena with adoration, Jovana could feel Elijah stiffening next to her. Xena got off the stage, and it was up to the next girl. 

"Jovana Stafford." The royal host called out, and Jovana started walking down the ballroom, escorted by Elijah. As they walked towards the King, Jovana's thoughts raced, 'Okay, it's not a big deal. All I have to do is to stay calm and be as boring as possible. It's not like I'm losing anything. The King is not attractive like the Duke…. He's just a cruel old man. I need to protect myself and Eli.' 

As Jovana arrived in front of the King, she made an awkward curtsy and kept her eyes on the floor. "Jovana Stafford…I don't recall seeing you before." 

Jovana's voice turned meek and soft as she responded, "I… My life is rather mundane, Your Majesty. My frail self doesn't allow me to travel as much as I–" she trailed off.

"I see." The King quipped, and looked at Elijah, "And this young fellow… He is not your father, is he? Where is your father? Frail self as well?" 

"Unfortunately he's dead, Your Majesty. And so is my mother. My brother, Elijah, is the only one I have left." Jovana replied, and the King breathed out, looking at them blankly. 

"I see. That must have been a terrible tragedy." The King remarked, and Jovana clenched her fists, as she cussed at the King in her mind, 'What an unfeeling, self-centered punk.' 

Jovana was doing her best to stay humble and useless when her brother stepped in, "Maybe you recall our father, your Majesty. Nathan Stafford. He was the general of the army of the north. He won many battles for the kingdom before giving his life to the cause." Elijah said, while Jovana could feel that he was putting in effort to remove any sign of hostility from his voice.

"Nathan Stafford, yes. Didn't he win the battle of Lake Nox? A good soldier. And I'm sure his son won't be any less accomplished." The King remarked, while Jovana shifted over to Elijah, grabbed his hand and squeezed it as she conveyed with her eyes, 'Come on, Eli. It's not worth it!' 

Elijah glanced at Jovana, then bowed his head to the King, "I'll do my best, Your Majesty." The King nodded, but he was already looking at the next debutante. Apparently, sick orphans are not his thing.

'I'm sorry for Eli's military pride, but this went well.' Jovana mused, as she and Elijah stepped off the royal stage as the name of the next debutante was called.

As they moved away, one of the lords stepped forward, presenting his respects to Elijah. He commented, "I remember your father, Lord Stafford, very well. He was a truly great man." 

"Thank you, that means a lot. His duty was his life." Elijah replied, and while he was conversing with the lord. A deep, familiar voice reached Jovana from behind.

"That was a very smart move, Lady Stafford. Well played." When Jovana turned around, the sharp smile of the Duke was staring at her.

"Lord Clifford…. It seems you manage to always find yourself in the right place at the right time." Jovana quipped, 

"I can't deny timing is one of my strong suits." The Duke remarked.

Jovana raised her chin up, and replied, "And modesty is one of mine. Sometimes it can come in handy." she glanced at the royal stage.

The Duke nodded, "I saw. I'll keep an eye on you, Lady Stafford." Caspian said, and left her alone. Soon, a glowing Xena joined Jovana.

"Did you see me out there? And I thought that vial was bad luck! The King had eyes only for me!" Xena said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Yeah, I saw… The King seemed very impressed." Jovana responded.

"I wonder if he will remember me." Xena said, 

"I think he will. And it could be a good thing, but, please, be careful." Jovana said, and Xena's brows pulled together.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

Jovana looked around, and moved closer to Xena, whispering, "The King doesn't have the reputation of a charitable man. And he likes young, attractive women." 

Xena smiled, and nudged Jovana's shoulder as she waved her off, "You worry too much about me. Everything will be fine." 

After the last debutante had made her introduction, the King stood and demanded silence, "My dear guests and loyal subjects, I declare that the ceremony is over. But you're all still welcome to stay until dawn and celebrate these new bright women that are now part of the high caste of the kingdom." He raised a cup full of wine, and drank it. After that, the big portal behind the royal stage opened again and the king left.

The official part of the event was finally over, and people became much more relaxed now. Vials of Serendipity were being popped open everywhere. Jovana saw people speaking languages they didn't know, people singing, people jumping halfway towards the incredibly high ceilings. Jovana looked around for her brother when she felt a touch on her arm.

"I owe you an apology, Lady Jovana." Falcon said, his expression sincere.

"What apology? What are you talking about?" Jovana asked, raising her eyebrows. 

"All that nonsense I said about invasive parents after our dance…. I can swear to you that I had no idea your parents —-" Falcon trailed off. 

Jovana waved him off, she had totally forgotten about that. She replied, "It's okay, Falcon. You had no way to know about it." 

"You're very kind to forgive a cynical fool like me. I promise I'll make it up to you. At least you have a chance to experience first hand why I usually hide in dark corners during parties. It's where I belong." Falcon said, and Jovana smiled.

"Maybe we'll be fortunate enough to share the same spot again in the future." Jovana remarked, while Falcon smiled at her, and went away after a deep bow.

"Jovana." Elijah called out, and reached out to his sister's arm. He continued, "How are you holding up?" 

"I'm still in one piece, thank you." Jovana replied, while Elijah nodded, as his eyes searched the room, from one serendipity user to another. He doesn't seem amused.

A couple of young heirs were in a contest about who could jump higher. Others were testing their increased strength. Elijah shook his head, and commented, "We should go now. Soon these people will lose all decency and this place will waste into a country fair." 

Serendipity aside, it was well known that the official events tend to turn into perverts fooling around when the official part is over. "Sure, Eli. This evening has already been long enough." Jovana responded.