The Blog of armine

The royal palace of Esenwein (its official title, named after an extinct royal family from the previous century), glowed almost ethereally the night Alger Maschke's ceremony was to take place within the fortress walls. Fortunately for Klarissa, Zamiel had been able to obtain a map of the castle's underground tunnel system from the local authorities... and the two travelled slowly and cautiously through the maze of twists and turns below ground level, using only one candle to guide them along. It took them over an hour to make their way to the big ballroom where the ceremony would occur - and if they had taken a wrong turn anywhere along the way, they probably would have missed the whole thing. They didn't, however; and once they were close to the crowded ballroom they found a viewing place where they were well-hidden from the people. Zamiel believed - hoped - that the heavy oak panelling would keep them from being seen, but even so they needed to stay very quiet. They still had the return journey to make through the dark chambers, after the event had ended.

Klarissa and Zamiel stared in awe at the people attending the festivities. Most of the guests looked to be well-off, with fancy hats and long flowing gowns for the ladies and crisp, tailor-made suits for the gentlemen. Women displayed expensive-looking jewelry; a few donned masquerade-ball eyemasks. Wine flowed freely into goblets, the smell of tobacco and freshly-prepared food wafted through the air. Guests were talking and mingling with one another under sparkling chandeliers hanging from the high, lofty ceilings.

A well-dressed man in a powdered wig appeared at the front of the room - and with his low, booming voice and impressive physical stature, it did not take long for him to capture everybody's attention.

"Meine Damen und Herren", the man began, "it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Schloss Esenwein. We are gathered here this evening to witness the transformation of a gentleman, a humble villager who has come into great fortune from a tragic event in his life. Please join me in welcoming the newest member of the Chrzan royal family - Herr Alger Maschke".

A thunderous applause followed - and then Klarissa's father appeared at the opposite side of the large ballroom.

Klarissa could not see him all that well... but from what she could see, she could hardly believe the man standing there was her father. He looked completely different - from head to toe he was wrapped in the time's most luxurious apparel. Seeing his friendly yet diffident round of waves to the admiring spectators, it was clear that he already regarded himself as a member of society's elite.

The applause eventually subsided, and the man with the powdered wig spoke again.

"It is with great honor that I introduce to you now, the leaders of this ceremony and future leaders of our land. Please welcome the Prince and Princess of Weesenstein, Herr and Frau Chrzan".

A low appreciative rumble swept throught the crowd as a very royal-looking young couple appeared on either side of the announcer. The man bowed graciously to the prince, then took a moment to politely kiss the hand of his wife (whose first name was Unna). The couple smiled sweetly to the adoring people gathered before them; claps and whistles erupted and echoed through the mighty fortress halls.

"We are pleased to be here tonight, as we welcome Herr Maschke into our family as an honorary member", the prince stated in a clear-sounding voice. "We will now ask Herr Maschke to come forward, so that he may rightfully receive this gift from us".

Trumpeters on both sides of the room suddenly blared a cheerful medieval melody as Alger slowly made his way to the other side, where he joined the waiting prince and his wife. The biggest, most important moment in the life of Klarissa's father had finally arrived... and Klarissa watched his every movement with nearly breathless excitement.