The Midsummer Night's Ball
Part 3. Gaston's Story
“Champagne, m’sieur?” asked Gaston at the man he had stepped up to.
“No, thank you.”
“It’s free, ye know! Runnin’ all through ze fountain!” shared Gaston.
“Yes, that seems to be the case,” said the man, disinterested.
Gaston downed his glass of fine Averoignian champagne as if it were ordinary water, and contentedly wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He put down the glass somewhere (or dropped it—He couldn’t remember.) and gave a good head-to-toe look at his stiff companion.
The man was of Ethengar ancestry and was wearing a Krondaharan suit all in gold. He stood tall and noble, and was surveying the crowd, as if looking for someone. When the Krondaharan noticed at the corner of his eye that Gaston was staring at him, he turned to face the paparazzo.
“Is there anything I can do for you, sir?” the man said in perfect Thyatian.
“Beg yer pardon, yer ‘ighness majesty, sir,” fawned Gaston in false reverence. “Are ye a nobleman, m’sieur?”
The Krondaharan was about to answer, but Gaston just had to give him a lecture on Glantrian nobility according to Gaston du Lac.
“Cuz, ye see—sir! Zere ain’t zat many nobleman from Krondaha-ha-ha-har zat come to zese parties, sir! (Or zat other Ethie principality, Barmy-somethin’.)”
The Krondaharan was taken aback at Gaston’s rudeness.
“Unless, of course, yer one of ‘em—sir!—half-brothers or step-brothers or half-step-brothers of ‘em Princes—sir!”
The Krondaharan turned to leave, but Gaston caught him by the arm and interrogated him further.
“‘Old on zere, yer graciousness, sir! What’s yer name? I know yer not one of ‘em Virayayas, cuz all of ‘em look ze same—even if all Ethies look ze same anyways! Heh-heh-heh!”
“My name is Tabak,” answered the Krondaharan, not hiding his anger at Gaston.
“Tabak Virayana! ‘As a nice ring to it, Yer Majestic Graciousness—sir!”
The Krondaharan squarely faced Gaston and clamped onto his shoulders with two powerful hands.
Gaston was startled and shaken out of his drunken reverie. Gaston was even more surprised when the Krondaharan started to speak to him in perfect Sylaire.
“You are a most pathetic creature! You would not know greatness if you came face to face and saw it with your own two eyes.”
At that point, Gaston was face to face with the Krondaharan. He didn’t realize how handsome the man was, even with the exotic Ethengar features. Then, Gaston saw the mans’ face glow with a golden light, that shined brighter and brighter, until all Gaston could see was the blinding light.
Gaston fell backwards on the ballroom floor, half-mumbling, half-crying for help.
