Not Born, but Made - TCATF fanfic, Chapter Four - Interrogation.
Summary: Before Kenna can talk Annelyse into supporting her cause, she needs to pass the test of an associate of hers.
Author’s note: I think that if Kenna wasn’t royalty (from the start) her and Raydan’s dynamic could be even more interesting (seeing as Raydan wouldn’t be reluctant to flirt with her) but I’m getting ahead of myself, we’ll get there later.
As I said, I’m on a semi-hiatus, but I have a bunch of these chapters already written out, so I figured, why not post another?
Tagging : @endlessflame @frugalchoicer @regina-and-happiness @stopforamoment @mariamulroney @indiacater @wolverinesbeer
They walk in together, hand in hand. A servant announces them, although no one really knows their names, yet.
“Kenna Rys and Dominic Hunter, from Stomholt.” A few faces do turn around to watch them as they go down the stairs, but they are all looking at Kenna, Dom realizes.
She does have that affect on people.
So he smiles and plays his part.
They finally arrive to the bottom of the stairs, greeted by the most dazzling ballroom they’ve even been to.
To be honest, it’s the only ballroom they’ve even been to - But they’re sure it’s more impressive than many other ballrooms. It has to be, decorated in so much golden statues and marble.
Both Kenna and Dom smile, greet people, and mingle until they come to a stop.
A few steps before them, stands a beautiful woman. She’s wearing a golden dress, and has a jewel decorating her wavy, long, black hair.
“This must be the queen,” Kenna whispers to him.
“How do you know?” She looks promising, but so are many other ladies in the room.
“Well, for starters, she has guards.” Kenna points out.
Huh. They aren’t so visible, in first sight. The golden woman does have guards around her, but they aren’t standing so close, and look as if they belong there.
“And her outfit is all-gold. You know.” Kenna mentions, adding.
Dom shrugs. “I guess you’re right.” He nods back.
“I’ll go talk to her. You talk to the nobles meanwhile? Try to charm them before saying anything about a plan about-”
“Overthrowing the Nevrakis regain? Yeah I won’t start with that, I promise you.” Dom chuckled, and Kenna joined him, realizing she was being too bossy, and too obvious.
“I’m just nervous,” She admits. “I want everything to go according to plan.”
Dom takes a deep breathe, and lets go of her hand. “And it will.” He assures.
“Now go get her.” Kenna feels a light push on her back, and lets it guide her towards the queen of Aurelia, who turns out to be a charming lady named Annelyse.
The conversation flows greatly, before Kenna mentions anything about Luther or a rebellion.
“I have to admit Annelyse, I did come to Aurelia with a favor to ask in mind.” She tells her, as Annelyse offer her a glass of the finest wine Aurelia has to offer.
“I figured as much,” Annelyse’s smile never falls.
“Really?”
Annelyse hands Kenna the wine, and hums to herself while a servant pours another one, for Annelyse herself. “Most people come to Aurelia to seek something. I didn’t think you to be different. Please don’t be offended, though, you’re the first one I don’t really want to decline tonight.” She explains,
And Kenna nods.
Kenna sips from the wine. It tastes amazing, better than anything she’s ever drunk.
It tastes a lot better than the glasses she’d manage to sneak while playing with Dom in the summers, and better than the ale she’d shared in the tavern with Val, Jackson and her other new friends.
“Mmmm, this is delicious,” She doesn’t forget to compliment Annelyse.
“I’d hope it would be. It’s the best wine Aurelia has to offer,” Annelyse smiles at her, and something tells Kenna she isn’t lying.
It seems Kenna had charmed Annelyse, and maybe the favor she was going to ask of her wasn’t too far-fetched, after all.
“So... Should I tell you of my plan, and let you decide whether you want to help me or not?” Kenna tries her luck, keeping her voice down and her features unchanged.
For a stranger, it would seem her and Annelyse were still talking about ballroom stuff, just like they had been for the last hour or so.
“Of course not!” Annelyse giggled, placing a hand on Kenna shoulder and keeping with her act. “It’s a party.” She reminded her, talking into her ear now.
“But you should meet with me later for some privacy, and we could discuss that.”
Annelyse gives her a meaningful look, before looking around the grand room. “Well, I have tons of other guests to attend to, but I’ll see you, later.” She winks at Kenna, and with that, sways out of sight.
“So, how’d it go? It seemed like it was going so well for a while, but then she disappeared.” Dom found his way back to Kenna.
“Well, it went... Well? Though I haven’t introduced her to our cause yet.” Kenna furrows her eyebrows for a moment, before remembering she still needed to put on a show and dazzle the nobleman around her.
She put a mask back on her face, figuratively speaking, and smiled as decisively as she could.
“What?!” Dom exclaimed, although they were speaking in hushed tones and whispers. “You haven’t told her yet?”
“She invited me for some private time later, she said discussing those things in a party wasn’t really wise, and she’s right.” Kenna pointed out.
Dom sighed. It was true. It would be dangerous to discuss their plans in here. But he wasn’t sure how he felt about Kenna being with Annelyse in private, either.
“What about you?” Kenna changed the subject. “How did it go with the rest of the nobles?”
Dom assured her he was quite the charmer. He swayed a few major families to their side, already blindly supporting whatever idea they’d suggest.
“That’s good to hear-” Kenna smiled, but stopped in her tracks when she saw someone approaching them.
Before they could discuss their plans any further, a beautiful, dark and mysterious man stood before her.
“May I have this dance?” He was offering her an arm.
Kenna only blinked at him once, before shaking herself out of her shock and breaking into a smile. “Of course.”
Dom couldn't help but feel a rush of jealousy running throughout his entire body.
He came to this party with Kenna by his arm, and yet he lost her so easily.
He just hoped the stars he was seeing in her eyes were still just a part of her act.
“What a beautiful evening,” Kenna commented, being let by the mysterious man on the dance floor.
“It is,” He answered, but unlike her he wasn’t looking around them at all, his eyes were focused all on her, and her only.
Kenna felt her cheeks turning red, but tried to fight that feeling.
What was that feeling, anyway?
“May I ask, who are you, exactly?” She gulped a little, trying to regain her courageous persona.
“My name is Raydan, Raydan Lykel. I’m an... Associate of lady Annelyse’s.” He explained, though his tone wavered a bit when he mentioned ‘Associate’.
“Well, Raydan the Associate, seeing as I haven’t seen you all night long, and the fact that you weren’t announced when you entered, can I deduct that you’re not just an associate, but maybe...” She leans closer, trying to intimidate him just in the right amount, and whispers in his ear. “Her spy?” She guesses.
When she leans back, she’s surprised to see Raydan smile. It still looked like he had the upper hand, and that’s not a situation where Kenna usually were.
“You are correct, my lady,” He nods, spinning Kenna with elegance and grace just in queue with the song. He never missed any beat, Kenna realizes, and he’s been leading her this whole time, with the song. Someone watching them from the side would not be able to tell it’s the first time Kenna has danced to this song.
“And if we’re already playing a guessing game, let me deduct that you’re not royalty, are you?” He looks at her feet, as if he’s motioning for the fact that he was, in fact, leading her this whole dance.
“And still, you got invited to this ball. You’re here because you have some kind of cause in your mind, and you need Annelyse to do it.”
Kenna nods, unsure what her next move should be. He could expose her at any moment. Hell, even more, she fell for his charming smile and silver tongue, but he was just Annelyse’s spy and doing his job, marvelously so.
“You’re also nervous, I can tell,” He continues, answering Kenna’s prayers so she doesn’t need to speak up.
“Don’t worry, I won’t expose you. Not yet at least.” He assures her.
“You won’t?” She can’t help but raise her eyebrows at him. She let’s her guard down, once again, but this time purposely. “Why?”
Raydan seems to think about her question for a second, before smiling to himself, brilliantly. He dips her, just in time for the song.
She lets him guide her, relaxing in his touch and trusting him to pull her up when he needs to. She closes her eyes, and lets the world around her to fade away, for just a moment.
“Easy,” He says, making her open her eyes back. He’s lifting her up, and she watches as the light around Raydan seems to shine brighter than it does around the rest of the room. “It’s because I like you.” He smiles, and twirls them around again.
“You like me?” She blushes again, before reminding herself it might just be an act. “You don’t even know me.” She scowls at him.
Raydan chuckles to himself. Kenna doesn’t like that.
“Since the first moment you set foot in this ballroom, it was obvious you had a cause. A cause you’re ready to fight for, and I respect that.”
“You watched me since the moment I stepped into the room?” Kenna questions.
“Wrong. I watched you since the moment you stepped into the city of Aurelia.” Raydan finally gives away more information, and Kenna feels dizzy.
“Since the moment I entered the city? But... How...?”
“We don’t just let any travelers into our city’s walls,” Raydan explains. “Annelyse tasked me with this.” He shrugs.
“And I also know why you’re here.” He adds, his eyes finally leaving Kenna, as he looks at something behind her shoulder, his eyes getting dark and distant and serious again.
“You do know? And you’re not going to stop me?” Kenna’s voice isn’t so sure of herself as it was in the beginning of this conversation, but the dance is not over yet and she clings to the moments they have until they finish it.
Raydan doesn’t answer, but he looks back at her, the corners of his mouth rising into a light smile, telling her that no - in fact, he wasn’t going to try and stop her.
“Does Annelyse know?” Kenna continues questioning.
“No.” He answers, giving Kenna the answers she wants to hear. She wonders how come she’s so lucky, to meet not one but two people that decide to take a chance on her. The carriage rider and now Raydan, the spy who’s loyalty she should be questioning right now, but she isn’t.
“Now, if you don’t mind, can we finish the dance without further interrogating each other? I do enjoy dancing with you, even if you’re quite inexperienced.” Raydan tells her, making her blush again.
This time, Kenna laughs, and throws her head back. When she returns to face Raydan, he’s watching her intently, her eyes glistening with curiosity.
She rests her head on his shoulder, continuing to dance. “Sure. I enjoy dancing with you too.” She lets only him know, as she’s speaking into his ear again.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
