Chapter Twelve NEW YEAR’S EVE Rinka
Chapter Twelve
NEW YEAR’S EVE
Rinka
Rinka regretted agreeing to host the New Year’s celebration for Wilderise’s Hill Country at Weldan House.
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy parties.
She loved them, in fact, and she was looking forward to a night of dancing and revelry.
It wasn’t even that she minded planning, although there was a lot to organize between the decorations, the catering, and the entertainment.
It was good practice for Alison’s wedding, after all, and she’d been able to make some useful contacts with the help of the Weldan House staff (while keeping quiet about the upcoming nuptials in order to prevent Lord Ainsley finding out).
No, the problem was the picture-show projector. All that planning and organizing took time away from enjoying the best gift anyone had ever given her.
Rinka managed to find time at night after approving the napkin selection and listening to the string quartet rehearse to watch some of the pictures in the Weldan House ballroom, the second room in the house to have its ‘lectrics completed.
There were shows she’d never seen before and shows she thought she’d never see again. Once a picture show left the small theatre near the butcher shop, it seldom came back again.
Idris hadn’t really gotten it at first, but even he enjoyed a spooky picture with a vampire that turned into a bat.
“I think Professor Marin would find that offensive,” said Idris. The professor had been critical in their creation of the solar generators which rested in a field outside, the power-savers she had helped them design keeping the ‘lectricity flowing to the projector even at night.
She was also a vampire. “Do you know she can’t turn into a bat? Did you ever ask her?” asked Rinka. “Maybe she’d be offended to find out you doubted her.”
“I’ll make sure to ask her when I return to Winwold next week.”
Rinka pouted, her lower lip covering her fangs. “Must you really return so soon? The term doesn’t start for a couple of weeks.”
“If I’m to be out for a week at Lupercalia, I have to leave plans for my classes. Why, will you miss me?” Idris moved a bit closer to Rinka on the couch they’d pulled into the center of the ballroom, the best view of the screen they’d made of a sheet hung from a curtain rod.
Rinka snorted. “Of course I’ll miss you.” They hadn’t been apart since the summer.
“Good. I like to be missed.”
She shoved him away.
“Hey. You can always come back with me, you know.”
“Alison needs me here,” said Rinka, and it was really true.
Alison was so clever, but she had no idea how to throw a good party.
Rinka was grateful the generator income meant she could stay as long as she liked without needing to work.
In fact, if she had her way, she’d spend the rest of her days planning parties and would never work a day again. “But will you miss me?” she asked.
“More than anything,” said Idris, soft and low, in a way that made Rinka forget about the picture-show.
The New Year’s ball was the best one Rinka had ever been to.
After a summer rubbing elbows with the wealthiest and most betitled (and entitled) of Loegria and Wilderise, Rinka felt a return to her roots was in order: she asked Keir if they could invite absolutely everyone to the ball, and he agreed.
Rinka arranged for carriage service to bring anyone who wanted to attend from the nearby villages and farms to and from Weldan House. Most of the people had attended parties and festivals on the Weldan House lawn, but few had been invited inside before.
The Weldan House staff were somewhat more reluctant to open their house to the entire region than Lord Ainsley’s heir, although many of them had long taken the position that what Lord Ainsley didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
Still, if they pushed back on allowing the children of the guests to sleep in the drawing room or on moving the pianoforte into the ballroom to accompany the quartet, Rinka only needed to ask Idris to step in and insist. As infuriating as it was, his rank did tend to open many doors.
It all paid off in the end. The ball was a smashing success.
Rinka had never seen a happier crowd, people of all shapes and sizes and from every walk of life dressed in their finest, enjoying a moment free of troubles.
A moment to celebrate their hard work and to begin the New Year with hope and joy.
The best part of the night would be the last, but the second-best part was introducing Wilderise to the picture show. Rinka had chosen a special favorite for the occasion: a pirate picture that reminded her of meeting Idris.
She thought she’d have to coax him into telling the tale for the crowd, but Idris was caught up in the jubilation too. He launched into the story they’d told the magazine unbidden, reluctantly omitting the magic in the telling.
“It was a shame you couldn’t mention the sword or the boat,” said Rinka to him after the picture show was finished. “I bet they would have lost it if you brought out the sword.”
Idris flipped the coin he used in his pocket. “Trying not to antagonize Father until the university is built. Once it’s finished, though…”
“You’ll singlehandedly bring magic back into style?”
Idris gave her a look that said, you think I couldn’t? “There’s too much opportunity in it to ignore. Think of the generators. What else could be created if we stopped thinking of magic and science as two separate ventures?”
“A purely practical endeavor, of course, and in no way tied to your desire to show off.”
“You’re the one that said I should.” Idris pulled the coin from his pocket and turned it into a silver swan. It flapped its wings and hovered between them.
Rinka stood in front of it, blocking the crowd from seeing it. It was really quite amazing. As much as she liked to tease Idris about his arrogance, she had to admit it was pretty well deserved.
“Fine, yes, you’re very impressive, and I want everyone else to see how impressive you are. Are you happy?”
“Yes,” said Idris, putting his hand on the small of her back and kissing her cheek. “Very.”
As the night wound towards midnight, Rinka spied her friends from Herot’s Hollow making their way to the balcony to see the fireworks.
“Rinka, over here!” called Alison. “Where’s Idris?”
He had been right behind her, but when Rinka looked back, he’d vanished. “Probably off to get some sparkling wine for the midnight toast.”
“He better hurry. The countdown will start any minute,” said Keir, checking his pocket watch.
A bonfire had been lit out on the lawn below, and most of the guests gathered around it for warmth as they waited for the show to begin. Rinka waited for Idris near the railing of the balcony, rubbing her bare arms and wishing she could join the crowd by the fire.
But someone had to lead the countdown, and if Idris didn’t show up soon, it might have to be her.
“Are we ready?” asked Idris, suddenly appearing from seemingly nowhere. He panted a bit, his shoulders heaving as if he’d just been running.
“Nearly there,” said Keir. “Get ready…steady…” Then he held up his hand. “Ten…nine…”
The others joined in, drawing the attention of the crowd below. “Eight…seven…”
The crowd cheered and joined in too. “Six…five…four…”
Idris wrapped his arm around Rinka’s waist. There was something in his hand.
“Three…two…one. Happy New Year!”
Right on queue, the fireworks erupted from near the river. They filled the sky with sparkles in red, white, green, gold, and blue.
It was magnificent. Rinka cheered with the crowd and then turned to Idris, remembering the fireworks from the summer.
He was down on one knee.
“Rinka—” he began, but she screamed, interrupting him.
“Oh my Gods,” said Alison from beside her, pulling Keir’s arm to turn him around to look.
“Rinka—”
Rinka jumped up and down, fine gown be damned. “Really? Really?”
She hugged Alison. She looked up at the fireworks.
She screamed again.
“Rinka—”
She fanned her face; her grey skin was going red from the flush of surprise. Her eyes had filled with tears.
She looked down at Idris, blinking the tears away.
Gods, she loved this man. He was such an idiot.
He was so wonderfully absurd, such an incredible contradiction of chaos and authority and magic and silliness.
He was the dark beauty of midnight as much as he was sunlight on a summer day.
He would be the most powerful man in the world one day, perhaps, and Rinka would be his queen.
An orc for a queen. What an idea.
Rinka had barely let herself consider it before. Even after the summer had ended and it had become clear to her that there was more to them than just a passing fancy, she never truly thought it would last.
But Idris made anything feel possible. She knew she would never fit into high society. She had the skill to please a crowd, sure, but she could not fool herself. She would always be a common orc at heart.
But Idris made her feel like that was enough.
“Rinka,” said Idris once she had finally stopped squealing.
“When you came crashing into my life, I could not have imagined how much you would change it.
You have given me hope where I had none.
You have given me purpose and strengthened my convictions.
You have healed old wounds and taught me how to care.
You have brightened all my days, so much so that my entire world looks dim without you.
“I don’t know what I can offer you. I know you care deeply about this world, and I know you want to see it better. I believe completely in your ability to do so by yourself, but if you’ll have me, I would go to the ends of the earth to help you. I would do anything for you. I am yours to command.”
Rinka lost the ability to breathe. She had never heard Idris speak so sincerely for so long. Both of them usually cut through moments like this with a joke, something to stop the show of vulnerability, to hide away the deep and serious feelings where they would be safe.
She let the moment pass, let the words hang there between them. Real, genuine words with no jest or caveat or pretense.
Idris looked up at her, the fireworks reflected in his dark eyes. “Will you be my wife?”
“Of course,” she said, letting him place a simple ring with a large red stone (very large, Gods, what a rock) on her ring finger as he trembled.
“Really?” asked Idris now, not sure if he believed her.
“Yes!” said Rinka, throwing her arms around him as Alison and Keir cheered.
And then, because she simply could not make it one more moment without saying something silly, she added, “All hail Princess Rinka!”
“Princess Rinka!” said Alison, toasting her with a glass of sparkling wine Idris must have asked the Weldan House staff to bring around.
“All hail the Princess!” said Idris, holding up her hand. The crowd below was too busy kissing and toasting and cheering to notice.
Rinka took advantage of their distraction to sneak in a New Year’s kiss of her own with her new fiancé as the fireworks burst through the air around them.
It was magical.