The Light of Elysium

15 - Ill met by Moonlight

(Elissa's PoV)

We have been invited to dinner at the Manor and I stare at the emerald green velvet dress laid out on my bed. It calls to me like a siren. I would dearly like to try it on, however, it looks too expensive to be accepted as a gift from a man I barely know.

Zane pokes his head around the door; he is looking particularly handsome in a dress shirt and green cravat.

"Is something amiss, little one?"

"Oren sent this dress for me to wear tonight, but I don't want to take advantage of his kindness."

He walks in and rests his hands on my shoulders in a fatherly way. "Elissa, it is obvious that the man admires you greatly."

He places a finger on my lips to stop the protestations that I was just about to utter. "He has assured me that his intentions are honourable. I would not be surprised if he seeks permission to court you."

"Court?"

"Wooing, in an attempt to secure an engagement."

I frown, feeling bemused. How can someone possibly contemplate marrying a person they have only just met? "Why would he be interested in me?"

"You underestimate your charms, little one." His smile fades and a dangerous edge glimmers in his eyes. "Of course, he may merely wish to seduce you."

Gee, thanks. I shove him out of the room and put on the dress. I twirl around and I feel ready to attend a medieval banquet.

.......

The carriage Oren sent, pulls up onto the gravel driveway and a servant helps me down, while another shows us to the dining room. Around thirty people, all clothed in their finery, are stood making polite conversation and I'm certainly glad that I look the part in this gorgeous dress.

Our host immediately approaches us, looking very smart in a black tails and a starched, white shirt. "Elissa, you look enchanting tonight. I am so glad that you could make it."

Feeling a little overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze, I try to make a joke, "Well, I had to make room in my busy social calendar, but since you have been so kind, I could not refuse."

He gives an awkward smile, takes my arm and leads me over to an elderly gentleman sat in a sturdy chair, propped up with a couple of velvet cushions.

"Elissa, I would like to introduce you to my grandfather. Tonight, we gather to commemorate the day of his birth."

The old man's expression implies that he would rather not have all the fuss.

"Happy birthday, sir. I'm afraid I did not know and have not brought you a gift."

"When you get to one hundred and twenty solars of age, there is not much one needs other than younger limbs," the man grouses.

"Really? I would not have guessed that you were a day over eighty!"

A smile breaks on his face. "Come my girl, pull up a chair and let us furnish you with a drink." He waves a walking stick and a servant hustles over to do his bidding.

Oren's grandfather has the most amazing stories and I feel privilege to be seated next to him at dinner. I guess being brought up by my grandmother has made me appreciate the wisdom in the older generations.

"I remember when I was a young man and there was a terrible problem with the Diamond Isle. It holds all the other islands in orbit. We feared that we would all fall out of the sky."

I gasp, transfixed. "That's terrible. What happened?"

"Celestia, the elven queen herself came up and fixed it. Terribly powerful is that one. Not a day has she aged, while I have been weathered by the sands of time. Shame, for I would like to show you the gardens here. They are so beautiful by moonlight."