Proceed to the fete.

Your attendant, Harmon, announces you as you arrive. There is some polite applause from those near enough the entrance to hear, some murmurs of appreciation and deference thrown your way. Though the upper echelon of royal society needs no real reason to party, as it were, some dignitaries still seem to remember that the fete is being held in your honor.

The ballroom is a decently-sized chamber with tall ceilings and an impressive fireplace, but to accommodate all your guests the doors to the castle’s innermost courtyard have been opened. A chill evening breeze sucks in from outside, where pastel-colored fairy lights cast the cobblestone walkways and garden beds in a kaleidoscope of soft, cool hues. Inside, the draft flickers countless candle flames, flutters your royal banners, and the banners of your guests. Inside is all bright, noisy cheer. The band plays on the raised dais just in front of your modest family throne.

Supper has not yet been served, so people meander -- take pieces of appetite-sating bread and cheese from plates carried by servants, or horns of wine and ale. Many dance, some wander -- admire your halls’ art and architecture. All talk and whisper and murmur.

Despite the crowd, you move effortlessly through them on your search to find who you’re looking for.

{if LyraVisited1 = true}You spot Lyra outside. The silver moonlight spilling over her black hair makes her look somehow ethereal, otherworldly. Beautiful. She’s smiling icily at a Rinvari man who looks **** for her attentions, taking long, bored sips of wine.{endif}

{if MadelineVisited1 = true}You find Madeline inside, surrounded as she had been earlier in the day by a gaggle of raucous Rinvari. She’s changed into finer clothes, but still looks more rugged than any other royal in attendance, more down to earth. She’s sitting at the head of a game of cards, smiling like she’s about to win the whole pot.{endif}

{if RaviVisited1 = true}You see Ravi outside. He’s alone, hasn’t seen you, and is looking all around and behind him with bewildered, guilty eyes. It’s somewhat adorable. Thinking himself hidden, he fiddles with something heavy-looking in his hands, poking one of your garden statues with it.{endif}

{if VaughnVisited1 = true}You spot Vaughn beside your ballroom’s massive decorated fireplace. He’s dressed like a King, all gloves and cape and careful grooming. He swirls dark liquor in a glass goblet, talking quietly with an official-looking royal whose clothes mark him as from the Eastern Vestyr territories.{endif}

Not for the first time today, you take a breath to ready yourself.

IMPORTANT: If you started this game before 9/22/2021, you will need to reset the game and restart before proceeding. I added some new variables to reflect certain choices made earlier in the story, and if you proceed with a save made previous to 9/22/2021, the lack of those variables in your game will prevent you from seeing most of the writing from this point on! Thanks for your patience as I work on this project! :)