Blue Skies Prompt One
He wasn’t quite sure when it happened. One moment, he had been sitting in his room happily getting drunk on ale, wine, and hard apple cider, and the next he had been issued a Direct Order to Attend the Masquerade. The servant that issued the Order had at least had the good sense to look abashed at the disheveled and somewhat unkempt appearance of the usually impeccable Knave of Hearts. He had sighed, and quietly whispered that it was the Queen’s Order. Stayne, not wanting either of them to lose their heads, had nodded his agreement, then spent a frantic five minutes making himself look presentable.
He arrived at the Ballroom with minutes to spare, his head still pounding from the cider, and had to blink against the harsh glare of the chandelier. Luckily for him, he had long practice in looking alert and attentive when Iracebeth nattered on about nothing at all. “And we’ve got Lady Sullivan performing for us…Stayne, are you listening to me? !”
Stayne jerked to attention, giving the bane of his existence an apologetic smile. “Yes, Majesty. You said someone named Lady Sullivan is performing. Might I ask what she does?”
“She is a singer, and from what I hear, quite talented. Ahh, here she is.”
Ilosovic turned, and his jaw dropped as she came into view. She was beyond lovely, with red hair that flowed down to her back and a tall, aristocratic bearing. She had on a simple blue dress and a blue mask, and as she looked up and into his eye he saw that her own were a brilliant green. He was mesmerized by her.
Then she began to sing, and he felt himself being transported. The bleak depression that he had spent the past year in seemed to vanish, and all he wanted to do now was listen and be caught up in the spell of her voice.
For one blissful hour, the grey clouds that seemed to surround him constantly had lifted, and the sun and blue skies had broken through.
And he was determined to hold on to that moment for as long as possible.