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| - A great shift has occurred…that revelation from several nights ago has blossomed into something miraculous for us (at least, I think it’s wonderful for Josym, if his enthusiastic reaction forty minutes ago counts as evidence, which it should according to anyone with some knowledge of lover’s logic…) Where to begin? Fine, it all unfolded over several hours during yet another grand ball, where dancing and drinking coalesce into one evening of grandeur (not debauchery; this was a clean affair hosted jointly by Reunahn and Lord Arcadin). Tonight’s gala was respectable, decorous; at least until the first dance…I was one half of a guilty duo that committed a grievous sin against etiquette. It’s bad enough for a cortigia to spin about the ballroom in front of the nobles, but to dance with one’s benefactor is scandalous! One can make an educated guess which monumental transgression against decency I committed with Josym tonight, in public! (Make it a double sin; I wore a red dress. Brilliant scarlet, the color of a woman no longer constrained by shame…off the shoulder, voluminous, unabashed!). Of course I must go backwards and work up to that awesome finale. The reason for tonight’s ball was meant to be the culmination of the protracted negotiations between the Di’sallach and Lasitreau prestatures to marry off their eldest children. Lord Josym (oh, doesn’t that look funny?) and Lady Aurielle’s grand engagement should have been the apogee of the week’s festivities. One should expect that was the outcome; I dreaded the inevitable, and Josym had literal sleepless nights about the matter. Even Reunahn has partaken of more late night inebriation than usual, and Lord Arcadin seemed quite irritated about being forced to handle the negotiations for his nephew’s matrimonial future. Much of that anger no doubt emanated from the lack of responsibility undertaken by Lord Mtah during this affair. The heir’s father is legally responsible for marriage negotiations, unless he is otherwise incapacitated or dead. Mtah Di’sallach is neither stricken by a chronic illness nor is Josym’s gene contributor presently deceased. No, his father is apathetic, detached from his first-born child’s present and future the same as he is careless about politics. That’s why Reunahn, his younger brother, is Second Minister on the Council of Ancients. Lord Mtah’s indolence has proven a great blessing to Josym’s fate. The Prestat delegated authority for his eldest son’s nuptials negotiations to Arcadin and Reunahn, those maternal and paternal uncles who are utterly devoted to their nephew. That combined devotion has ensured Josym is unlikely to be chained within a marital bond that might turn unfortunate. It doesn’t mean he’s off the market, but it’s now certain sure Lady Aurielle shall not become his wife. No, that honor will pass to Lord Sennes. It was surprising for a minute or three to discover that another Huranz boy will become the Lasitreau daughter’s husband. But the evidence for this relationship was obvious at the dinner; the chemistry between them might have lit candles, if such a feat were possible. We discovered the young lovers had begun courting a few months ago, without intervention from their elders. This romance is a pure creation, born from love based upon mutual attraction. True love cannot arise from base motives; only pure origins will engender a bond that will endure across decades, through good and bad, feast and famine. These children of the aristocracy shall be a rarity among their exalted brethren: a true union of equals. One could almost think what’s occurred was culled straight from the screens of a latter day fairytale. They certainly fulfill the classical roles of the handsome prince and the beautiful princess, like members of some divine tribe, destined to walk together from youth until death. Now the subject comes around to Josym and myself. Since Lady Aurielle is engaged to Lord Sennes, another potential bride is no longer available. There is a standard pool of other young females who are suitable for the position of brood wife. Perhaps a few of those distinguished girls shall have larger dowries, since that was the sin that burst the matrimonial bubble for Josym and Lady Lasitreau. Big surprise…Daddy Prestat broke off the negotiations with the Master of Krischire because the latter couldn’t provide the correct amount of liquid capital to satisfy Josym’s father’s desire for yet more riches. Never enough cash, precious metals and gemstones, private lands, stacks of rare wines and spirits, credit accounts…Mtah Di’sallach craves more of those materials he values more than his own family. How bizarre that the Prestat’s mercenary nature gave his child something wonderful! The rejection also is a blessing for Aurielle; she won’t have to marry into that diseased clan. I feel guilty about those previous twinges of jealousy against the poor girl. She was placed in the unfortunate quagmire of the aristocratic bridal market. Any daughter of the nobility, particularly one who is beautiful and intelligent, is destined to be a victim of society. Marriage comes first, and perhaps the bride will fall into a love match, but more likely shall need to force some kind of accommodation with the stranger now sharing her bed, and all those other pieces of furniture and every room within the manor. Motherhood brings joy, if the Prestatia’s heart will respond to children…In their later years, most of the Prestatias retreat into various diversions: becoming devotees of the cult of Onirona, spending hours tucked away in their bedchambers sewing various bits of tapestry, or engaging in extramarital affairs. The aristocratic wives cannot have male courtesans, because those rare birds don’t exist here. But there are plenty of other potential companions to be found among the servants, even their male counterparts in the nobility. In those illicit relationships, maybe the unfortunate ladies find some measure of comfort…one can hope… But for Lady Aurielle, there will be nothing so empty in her married life, may Najahal and all other deities make it happen. Lord Sennes is a kind man, very much like his father, and shares characteristics in terms of personality with his cousin. It will be a healthy marriage, a perfect union between two decent souls that will last for many years. Of course, now that Aurielle is betrothed, the future is wide open for Josym. I’m starting to feel every best-laid plan conjured by Lord Mtah for his son will never come to fruition. No arranged pairing with a woman he doesn’t know, no inheritance of a poisoned title and family history, no youth transformed into a premature middle age…maybe we can stay together…although definitely not here. But the galaxy is vast, larger than human or alien comprehension; Josym and I could take a ship, fly anywhere (guided by the flip of a credit stick like in those pre-Imperial travelogues starring The Wanderers). What about money? After we flipped that lucky credit and floated away to some distant world, reality would intrude and force us into a daily struggle. The job skills of a boy aristocrat and his intrepid courtesan are limited compared to normal beings. I have a large store of pointless historical knowledge that could be used in a teaching role, although I lack the proper degrees to be anyone’s instructor within a legitimate school. Josym is quite skilled in stage fighting and other dramatic skills, but my dearest heart isn’t inclined toward war and its brutal realities. If we get to Lacace, perhaps he could audition for a role on the holotube, or possibly the famous stage companies. At least we can feel safe…There is a legitimate reason for hope, so any number of possible roads toward our shared destiny might occur. Tonight’s revelation has brought me a great deal of comfort, and the awareness of a guiding hand that is, or might, be watching over two souls caught in a restricted society both yearning for escape. One revelation lights the new path, and everything now feels brilliant, clear; we’ve stepped out from the dark, away from omnipresent midnight, into brilliant dawn. Josym and I hold some control over what happens to us, together and separately. That’s why I was the scarlet lady, brazen in my clothing and behavior. Josym took me aside in the sitting room and made a suggestion that initially disturbed my sense of propriety. “Let’s dance”. At first I thought he wanted to whirl about the little space crammed full of overstuffed chairs and knickknacks. But when he said, “I mean out there,” and pointed toward Reunahn’s ballroom, I realized his actor instinct was fueled by this rotation of luck. Well, shame and trepidation only lasted for those moments it required to leave the sitting room and head out to the assemblage…So, we danced.
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