In Which Rona Arranges a Dancing Lesson

October 20, 1175

"Uh... my lady?" Aspen's mumbling voice barely registered in Rona's ear amidst all the buzzing. The night was always louder under the spell of wine. "Might I ask what you're doing?"

"Jus' tryin' to get at my laces." Inexplicably amused, Rona made another swipe at the back of her dress. Again, it was to no avail. "How do you do it? Damn things keep movin'!"

She glanced over at Aspen and waited for an answer. Her vision was a little blurry, but she thought she saw a smile on her maid's face. "No, my lady--you keep moving. Why didn't you come and get me?"

"Oh." That would have been the smart thing to do. "I didn' think o' that."

Shaking her head, Aspen shut the door. "You're drunk."

"I resen' that!" Rona giggled and twirled on the spot, hoping to catch up with the rest of the world. "I am tipsy! Tastefully tipsy, and nothing--hic!--more."

Her maid sighed. Silly Aspen was always good for a laugh. "If you say so. How was the wedding?"

"Lovely." It was true; if there was anything Rona could give the queen credit for, it was that she always threw one hell of a party. Hell, this wedding had even been for her non-royal daughter! Already she was looking forward to Princess Riona's wedding--or she would have been if she wasn't so worried about her own. But at least Lorn had promised to talk to Lord Severin about Lonriad. "Lonr'ad was there."

Aspen fell silent, as she always did when Rona mentioned Lonriad. She didn't like him for some reason. Or maybe she did but didn't want to say anything, which was just as well. No matter what people said, Lonriad wasn't about to marry a gentleman's daughter.

"I... figured he would be." Her maid took a moment to regain herself, then gestured for Rona to turn around. "Here, let me help you with those laces."

Rona obliged; wasn't as if she'd had any luck with them herself. "Thank you, 'oney."

"Just doing my job, my lady." Aspen's nimble fingers danced across Rona's spine, practically cutting through the laces with such ease that Rona felt embarrassed for having missed them--or maybe it was just a post-buzz flush. She was starting to feel a little queasy. Maybe it had been all the dancing.

"You know... Lonr'ad's cute an' all, but 'e can't dance," she mused as Aspen pushed the red silk off of her shoulders. "Maybe you should teach 'im."

Aspen's hands froze halfway through the task of letting down Rona's hair. "Sorry?"

"You're a good dancer--you taught me, 'member?" Rona kicked her gown to the side. God, her thigh looked even fatter than it did when she was sober. Christ, what would Lonriad think of her lumpy body if Lorn managed to talk Lord Severin into the match? At least all she had to worry about for now was Aspen. "I was even worse than Lonr'ad before you taught me."

Aspen laughed. It didn't sound like her usual laugh, but Rona supposed she could chalk that up to the wine. "You taught yourself, silly. I was only standing in for the lead."

"Then I'll come alon'. You dance with me first to demo'strate, then I'll see if he was payin' attention."

"Hmm... maybe we should talk about that in the morning." She gave Rona's hair a last comb-through, then picked up the discarded garments and hurried to the wardrobe and exchanged them for the nightgown--a particular favorite of Rona's, light and lacy and comfortable, even if it did nothing to hide her figure. "Will this one do?"

Rona nodded, though it was a little more difficult than she remembered. Aspen held it out and helped her step inside, then pulled the garment up and tied up the laces. "Tight enough, my lady?"

"Perfect, thank you." She doubted it would go much tighter anyway--not with her build. "God, I'm fat."

"You are not." Aspen took a step back and steered Rona around with a hand to the shoulder. "I wish you'd stop saying that. It's not true at all."

Rona sniffed. "Flattered that you'd lie to me, but no need. I wish I was nice an' slender like you."

"Slender? Try 'stick-like'." Her voice awkward yet oddly final, Aspen gave Rona one last look-over. Even in the dark of the room and the haze of drink-induced stupor the green of her eyes was apparent. "There's nothing wrong with your body, my lady. Now you'd best get some sleep; you're in for a rough morning."

She turned around to leave. That wouldn't do--Rona lunged for her arm and caught her by the hand. "W-wait!"

Aspen paused, then looked back at her, her mouth a quizzical frown. "My lady?"

"It's Rona, silly!" Rona scolded--as if she hadn't told her that a thousand times. "But don' go. What if I get sick in the night?"

A red brow arched. It was the closest shy, serious little Aspen ever came to teasing. "I thought you were only tipsy."

"I am--but the room keeps spinnin'!" She let go of her maid's hand and tried to laugh, though she was cut off by few seconds' faint spell. "Don' leave me?"

Aspen took another minute or so to gape at her, her outline blurring and sharpening and blurring again all the while. Then--

"As you wish."

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