Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

Elijah approached Jovana's refuge under the tree. She yawned and stretched, trying to get rid of the drowsiness. Her senses came slowly back to life, accompanied by a tingle at the base of her nape. 'I feel like someone is watching me.' Jovana mused, and looked around, but the only person around was Elijah, handing her a glass of water.

"Thank you, Eli." Jovana said, as she drank the whole water, enjoying the refreshing sensation running through her body. "This was exactly what I needed for —" Jovana trailed off, when she noticed that despite Elijah's thoughtful manners, he didn't look happy at all.

"Eli, is….everything okay?" She asked.

"You should tell me. Everybody was asking about my charming little sister. And then I found you sleeping under a tree while we're both guests of the King! That's incredibly disrespectful." Elijah said, frowning at Jovana.

"Come on, Eli, it was just a nap during a picnic." Jovana said, and Elijah's frown deepened.

"This is not 'just' a picnic. It is hosted by the King. This is an official event, not a random outing." Elijah corrected, and seeing how Elijah looked affected by her actions, Jovana lowered her head.

"Fine." She muttered.

Elijah took a deep breath and calmed down. He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "You know that I care about etiquette less than you when I can…. But as the only member of our family, it's a burden we have to bear when we are among our peers." He explained, 

"Yes, you are right." Jovana said, nodding at him.

"And besides, can you imagine how embarrassing it would have been if it were someone else to find you and not me?" Elijah said, and at that question Jovana played back Caspian's voice back in her head, waking her up. She felt her ears growing hot like burning coals. 'How embarrassing,' she muttered in her head.

"Yes, you are right, Eli. I promise you it won't happen again." Jovana said. Elijah smiled, and patted her head. 

Suddenly, Xena arrived, "Here you are! I've been looking for you everywhere." Xena said. She wasn't alone and was accompanied by one of their servants running behind her carrying a violin.

As soon as Elijah saw the violin, all of his etiquette collapsed in havoc. He held his chest and fell on the grass moaning like a dying man. Elijah moved closer to Jovana and whispered in her ears, "Rather than listening to Xena torturing that poor instrument, I'll start packing for the war front right now." 

Xena couldn't hear his whisper, she looked at the scene puzzled and amused at the same time. "What's happening to your brother, Jovana?" 

"Oh, nothing…. He's just…performing the death of his most infamous opponent in a duel. That's what he's doing." Jovana said, quickly coming up with an excuse for Elijah.

"Oh, that sounds incredibly dramatic." Xena said, and when Jovana nodded in agreement with her, she continued with a smile, "And do you know what goes hand to hand with drama? Music! You need to listen to the new melody I composed." 

Elijah, who was still pretending to die on the grass, looked at Jovana with wide, imploring eyes. Jovana sighed, and turned to Xena, "Oh, Xena, I can't do anything under this scorching sun." Jovana said, and turned to Elijah, who was still lying on the grass. "Eli, would you rise from the dead and fetch my hat for me, please?" 

Elijah stood up immediately, and said, "Sure. Where is it?" 

Jovana almost glared at Elijah, who couldn't understand her hint. She answered, "I have absolutely no idea, darling. I'm sure it will take a while to find it…. But I really need it."

"But I don't recall you having a—-" Before Elijah could complete his words, Jovana stomped on his foot, as she put her hands on her waist, shooting him a glare.

"Oh! Sure. Of course." Elijah said, finally understanding that there was no hat, just an opportunity to vanish. "I'll search for your hat immediately." And that's how he left on his imaginary quest, and Jovana stayed to listen to Xena's performance.

'The things I do for my brother….' Jovana mused. When Xena finally stopped tearing the strings apart, the poor violin was buried back in its case. Jovana clapped, hoping that Xena would mistake her lack of enthusiasm for stately self-discipline.

"That was…a very interesting performance, Xena. But why did you bring your violin to a picnic?" Jovana asked, tilting her head to the side.

Xena rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Oh, Jovana. I'm so worried about you. You'll never get married." 

"What?" Jovana exclaimed.

"This is not just a picnic, silly. This is a debutante picnic! The only reason people are here today is to impress the opposite sex. It's all about giving a taste of the package." Xena explained.

"Therefore, the violin," Jovana said, and Xena nodded at her.

"Oh, my dear…. You will turn more than one head, believe me." Jovana said, making Xena flash a broad smile.

"I know, right? I can't wait to show off," Xena said with a confident tone.

"But when will you play?" Jovana asked.

"If someone hadn't fallen asleep, she would know that the royal host had announced a special surprise." Xena said, giving Jovana a meaningful look.

"What kind of surprise?" 

"After the picnic, each debutante will have the chance to offer a performance and demonstrate her special talent. Wait, there's more! After the performance, there will be an even bigger surprise. But that's still a secret, isn't that great?" Xena said, excitement brimming on her face.

Jovana jeered and said, "Sure, great. I can't wait to jump in a circle and bounce a ball on my nose." 

"You are unbelievable, Jovana! You have the rare fortune of being here, surrounded by grandness and noble men…. And all you can do is to whine about it?" Xena said, frowning at her.

"Well, I—-" 

Xena cut Jovana's words off, and continued, "This is an amazing opportunity, Jovana. I know you don't share my passion for marriage games and social fluff…. But, even if you want to be realistic, isn't it cool that a girl gets to know her husband beforehand instead of meeting him at the altar?" 

"Well…. To be honest, I've never thought about it in this way." Jovana said, pursing her lips.

"Maybe you should. It's very easy to overlook an honor like this when you're used to taking it for granted." Xena said, and Jovana gazed at her friend, musing silently, 'Woah, I didn't expect a social lecture from Xena.' 

"Flirting isn't as small as most people think. Flirting is needed for a man and woman. Marriage is for life, you know? That's quite a long time. Who wouldn't like to taste and touch first hand what's in the future?" Xena explained to Jovana.

"I get your point, Xena, and it's quite admirable. I think it's just not the way I pictured it my whole life." Jovana responded.

"But that's because you live in books and songs, darling. Everything's always perfect in songs and books or always a tragedy. In real life there are compromises to be made, and you need to try hard to make things work. And that's why we have debutante picnics." Xena said, and what she said made so much sense to Jovana that for a moment, she struggled to recognize her little friend. 'Here's the other side of the romantic girl that wants the perfect love.' Jovana mused.

"I see your point, Xena….and it's a valid one. But what if I don't like anyone?" Jovana said, and Xena narrowed her beautiful eyes.

"Then it means you are lying to yourself." Xena said with a shake of her head, and continued, "Because it's simply impossible that nobody in this world can flutter your young, innocent heart." 

"I'm not lying to myself…." Jovana retorted, and as she said it, she didn't sound convincing even to herself. And Xena immediately jumped on the opportunity.

"Then why don't we make a bet?" Xena quipped.

"A bet?" Jovana repeated.

"Yes. Here's the deal. You will stay the whole night until the big final surprise is revealed." Xena said, 

"And what do I win by enduring such torture?" Jovana asked, 

"Wait, there's more," Xena said, and Jovana raised her brows at her.

"What? Are you going to flop me until the big reveal?" Jovana joked, and Xena giggled.

"You wish. Until the reveal, you'll have to interact and mingle as you're supposed to, instead of disappearing into a corner." Xena said.

"Is asking to be flopped a proper interaction? You know, I promised Eli that I wouldn't fall asleep again." Jovana said, and Xena shook her head.

"Not quite. When I say 'Interact', I don't mean to look for excuses to get rid of your interlocutor. Are we clear on that?" Xena clarified.

"Fine…" Jovana muttered.

"If you do all that, I will keep covering your mysterious absences with Eli. Otherwise, you'll have to find a new excuse." Xena said, and Jovana's eyes widened as she thought in her mind, 'I need Xena to cover for me when I have to meet with Keith.' 

"But this sounds more like blackmail than a bet!" Jovana argued, and Xena raised her chin up.

"You can call it as you want; my offer won't change. So, do we have a deal?" Xena said, and held out her hand ready to seal what looked like a very obvious choice.

Jovana sighed, and accepted Xena's proposal, "Fine, Lady Westwood, you caged me. Tonight I'll be the perfect debutante. Happy?" 

Xena clapped her hands together, and grinned at Jovana, "Ecstatic! And you should feel the same, because we are about to have the time of our lives."