Chapter 26: The Breeding Week Commencement Ball
The following evening, Sam groaned as he changed into one of his fancy prince suits that Calista had packed the night they fled Luminary’s Landing. He hated these things, but knew he needed to look formal for the Ball. When he arrived at the Palace, Mayor Horxenhall - a short humanoid pig with pink skin, blue eyes, and a blonde pompadour - greeted him in the foyer.
"Prince Qhousalar! Pleasure to finally meet you!" Horxenhall said joyfully as he shook Sam’s hand.
"I’m not really a prince anymore," he replied with a smirk. "Just Sam is fine."
"Sam it is then!" the Mayor said, then led him to a huge ballroom filled with hundreds of people, including dozens of women wearing fancy green dresses and jewelry made to look like leaves and flowers. "Please, introduce yourself to our lovely lady guests!"
Sam nodded, and then headed into the crowd. He was immediately drawn to a Druid leaning against a white marble pillar with her arms crossed. She had light brown skin, greenish-brown eyes, and long, curly black hair. She was showing a considerable amount of cleavage from her large breasts, and her bare thighs were visible from a slit up the side of her emerald dress.
Sam just walked up and leaned against the pillar next to her. "I always hated these fancy parties when I used to be a prince. And these formal suits are so uncomfortable." He then made a joking imitation of hanging himself with an exaggerated, comedic facial expression.
Her lips curled into a small grin. "You’re not alone. I’m only here because my grandmother expects it of me."
Sam smiled and extended a hand. "Samreon Qhousalar. But just call me Sam."
She shook his hand. "Gabrielle Iris. Just Gabbie is fine."
"So Gabbie, not keen on the whole ’getting preggo’ thing?" he asked.
She couldn’t help but laugh at him speaking so bluntly. "You could say that. I only turned eighteen a few months ago - I’m not ready to be a mother yet. I was hoping to at least go out and explore the world before that, but my grandmother is very insistent that I stay here, have a child, and do my duty to our Circle."
"I know the feeling," Sam replied. "Back when I was a prince, I hated how uppity and expectant the nobles were. I wanted to just go and be free. Well, I got my wish - I discovered I was a Dragon Warlock and got exiled from my kingdom for being Unseelie. Now I can go anywhere I want."
"That must have been a horrible feeling, though," Gabbie said thoughtfully. "To be forced out from your home against your will."
Sam shrugged. "I mean, if it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be here at this Ball, basking in the radiance of the beauty that stands before me! So there’s that!"
Gabbie just chuckled. "You wasted no time jumping straight to flirting!"
"What do you mean?" Sam said, then pointed to a mirror mounted on the wall opposite the pillar they were leaning against. "I was talking about my reflection! I look absolutely fuckable tonight!"
As Sam began doing a little flex, Gabbie laughed out so loud that it got the attention of everyone nearby, and they all started laughing too.
"What’s so funny?" asked Ladarsa as he turned a corner and stood before them. He was dressed in formal wear too. Sam’s face immediately got serious. He could sense that the elf was hiding his true Power Level, and something felt off.
"Why are you here?" Sam demanded, balling his fists.
"Because I was invited, of course!" the elf replied cheerfully, smiling widely at them. "Come on now, Sam! This is a party! Lighten up!"
Sam eyed him suspiciously. "You’re not planning anything funny, are you?"
"Heavens, no!" he insisted, waving a hand as if to disregard Sam’s concern. "I hold no ill will! It’s all water under the bridge! I’m just here to enjoy the Ball and have a good time! You seem to have already found a date to accompany you, so I shall go look for the same. Enjoy the rest of your night!"
Sam stared at Ladarsa’s back as he walked away and vanished into the crowd.
"Bad blood between you?" Gabbie inquired.
"You could say that," Sam replied, then let out a long sigh. "We fought each other in this tournament, I defeated him, he threatened to kill me, etc. You know, fun stuff like that."
"You and I have very different ideas of what fun is," she said with a chuckle. Sam grinned.
"Now that I know he’s here, I can’t let my guard down," Sam said as he looked around.
"He said he wasn’t planning anything funny," Gabbie pointed out.
"He lied," Sam insisted.
"How do you know?" she pressed.
"I could see it in his eyes," Sam revealed. "Something’s not right. He’s planning something big tonight."
"Well, at least it won’t be boring?" Gabbie suggested. Sam snickered.
"I thought that wasn’t your idea of fun?" he asked jokingly.
She shrugged and then smirked. "Maybe you can change my mind."
They looked into each others’ eyes for a moment, and then Sam placed a hand on the side of her cheek and brought her face closer to his, pressing his lips to hers.
"You know, I have an infertility potion in my pocket," he whispered into her ear. "We could have some fun without any risk of pregnancy..."
Gabbie blushed. "You’re a bad boy, trying to get us both in trouble like that..."
"I’m always a bad boy," he replied.
She looked him up and down, and then bit her bottom lip. "Fuck it. Let’s go." She grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the guest rooms on the second floor.
Just as they got to the top of the stairs, a voice called out to them.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry, Sammy Boy?!" It was Ladarsa. He was standing across the room, in front of a group of men dressed like pirates who hadn’t been at the Ball a moment ago. "My friends and I would like a word with you!"
"What do you want, Ladarsa?!" Sam demanded.
"I merely want to clear the air and let all these fine people know that the future Unseelie Knight stands among them!" he professed. There were a few gasps. "That’s what you are, isn’t it, Sam? The infamous Queen Maeve has chosen you to be her new champion! That’s why you’re here tonight, is it not? To get a Druid pregnant so that Maeve can use the child to access the Secret Garden?"
There were more gasps throughout the crowd. Fuck! Sam thought to himself. I guess not everyone knows about Maeve’s involvement, then. Fuck!
Gabbie pulled her hand away and stared at him nervously. "Is that true, Sam?"
"Not entirely," he insisted. "I’ll explain later."
"These fine gentlemen behind me are Kyuubikuza pirates under my father’s employ," Ladarsa said. "Come with us for questioning, and no harm will befall you. Let us leave these kind folks to their Ball. Let us not disturb them any further. Come with us, now."
"And if I don’t?" Sam asked defiantly.
Ladarsa smirked. "Then we get to do this the fun way!"
Sam sighed and materialized his green katana from his hand. "The fun way it is, then!"
"I was hoping you’d say that!" Ladarsa cried out, then bit down on his thumb so hard that it broke the skin. He willed his blood to extend out and shift into a crimson-bladed katana. His thumb healed immediately. "That’s right, I’m a Samurai too! A Blood Samurai!"