Starve This Sin

{ Chapter One }

Brightness, wisps of crystal and candle flying over head.

The echoing of laughter, of light harping music and plucks of baretone as men turned lips to politics.

The slight fizzing of sparkling wine jumped against the skin of Eva's bare collar bone. She clutched it close as a couple passed, joining the gleeful crowd to dance.

Idol minded heads moved likewise and Eva retrained her eyes into the center of the ballroom before her.

She was attending the King's Samhain party. Two of her sister's were here with her but had left her to go skipping and flirting through the ropes of people. Eva preferred to hang back, just taking it all in.

Black and red velvet ropes lined the walls in braided patterns, with lit black candles dangling from underneath. Another line of white rope ran singularly beneath, letting the dark wax drip onto it.
The white rope had been woven with names of the deceased as any attendees had been able to add a name for remembrance, for any family who had been lost. By the end of the night, the candles would be fully burned and the white rope would be hung in the nearest cemetery's crypt.

As for the living people in attendance, the dress code was a bit more strict than normal; everyone had to wear dark colors.

Eva herself wore a deep navy dress with black lace stripes on her bodice and inner skirt. The puffs in her sleeves showed a breath of red for her mother, in her memory. She even wore one of her mother's Samhain veils; black lace with ruby pearls in the stitching that hung against her free flowing deep red waves of hair.

She genuinely enjoyed this particular event and looked forward to it throughout the year. After all, it was one of the few times that all of the kingdom was invited to be in the presence of their king, King Hannon.

"Eva," a voice called and she lifted her head from her glass. Her sister, Alice, approached with haste. "Are you ever going to leave this corner and enjoy yourself?"

"I'm not decided," she shrugs off, looking behind Alice to catch eye of the third of them, Sarah.

"Yes, well, you know father will be seeking a husband out in the morrow while everyone is in town. Might as well find him yourself and make sure he has all his teeth," Alice chuckles lightly, hand grasping at the waist of her own navy dress.

"Father will not," Eva rolls her eyes. "He knows so long as I work on the King's grounds I can't marry."

"That excuse can only proceed for so long," Sarah chimes in, straightening her shoulders as a man walks past.

"Tis not an excuse," Eva gets out defensively. "It's in strict order to the king, no distractions, no affairs. I can't do my work well if I'm fluttering about over some man or woman."

"But the king did not say to deprive yourself of a fun evening," Sarah pushes, finishing her own glass of wine.

"At least promise us you'll come find us for the Jack O'Lantern men," Alice whined, looking back into the crowd of dancing people, wanting to return.

"Surely," Eva responds, and the two brush off again into the waves of black and mystery.

Eva herself used to be unable to deny a good dance or two with a stranger. But after taking up her work, she found it important to be completely engulfed by her surroundings-maybe she was showing her age. After all, Alice and Sarah were only twenty and seventeen, where Eva was twenty four. She'd had plenty of Samhain parties in a forgettable man's arms. She didn't care for another.

Or maybe, Eva was avoiding someone she worried would be in the dancing crowd. Someone who would spot her and make their way to her.

From her place against the wall, Eva could see the above balcony, see the royal family and King Hannon peering down in merry delight at their kingdom's excitement and glee.