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A brilliantly eye-catching young woman with auburn hair excused herself from her latest dance partner and moved away from the section of the courtyard reserved for such things. Her gown shimmered and danced like fire and her lips were curved in a pleased smile beneath her birdlike half-mask. It had been a most productive day thus far, and there was still the culmination of the event yet to come. She had spoken to guests from hedge witch to Chosen - Wardens, now - and danced her fill with partners skilled and unpracticed; she had matched wits with the most fascinating Llyr and to top it all off, she had just witnessed his incredible feat of magic.

The woman watched with interest as delicate flowers fell from the trees, drifting gently to the ground. In her outstretched hand, she caught one and held it up for her rook's inspection. Aranka appeared unimpressed. Of course, it was difficult to impress her familiar. Anna, at least, enjoyed the subtle, sweet fragrance of the blossom and thus placed it in her hair.

The young noblewoman was not ashamed to admit that she had enjoyed the display, even while the court-trained portion of her mind wondered whether there were any ulterior motives in the feat. Anna was used to lavish entertainments, of course, but this particular one had certainly seemed to cost Llyr a bit of energy. What would such a bold display gain Queen and Spirit? Something to puzzle over later.

She snatched a glass of wine from a passing servant's tray and watched the other guests, seeing what they made of the fruit that was taking the flowers' place on the trees.

Though she was surprised to be approached so soon after parting company with another, Anna was not so surprised as to forget her manners. "Good afternoon," she replied with a small nod that somehow conveyed the sketch of a curtsy. "Or perhaps it is good evening, now." She paused a moment, then waved a dismissive hand. The semantics of the Common language were nothing to bother herself over just then.

Instead, she swept her gaze over the crowd and smiled mischievously. "No one seems to have fallen into an enchanted sleep," she replied. "Nor have they been turned into beasts or swept away to the land of the spirits." She plucked a perfectly ripe grape from a nearby vine and inspected it.

"Perhaps they are not so dangerous," she mused before slipping the small, round fruit past her lips. Anna was rewarded with a juicy burst of sweet flavor, and nothing more. It was perhaps the most delicious grape she had ever eaten, but there seemed to be no other effects. None that were immediate, at any rate. Somehow, she could not bring herself to be overly concerned with what may be.

"Indeed they are," she agreed.

Ignoring Ariah's opinion on polite conversation, Anna instead chose to appreciate the other woman's daring. After all, one had to exhibit a certain amount of bravery to indulge in potentially dangerous fruit. Not that Anna actually believed it to be lethal. Having met Llyr, she did not think he intended to harm anyone this night. However, she also suspected him of being a tricky sort of fellow. It was not out of the realm of possibility that something would happen to those who partook of his bounty.

"Your doe is lovely," she said, for Anna had a love of all animals.

"I am Anna, by the way," she added, figuring that they might as well be properly acquainted if they were going to converse. "And this is Aranka."

"Myst," she said, testing the name. "How pretty. It is a pleasure to meet you both." It was perhaps a bit obvious that Ariah was making an effort to be polite. There was every chance that she was a commoner, or that she was simply unused to formal conversation. Either way, Anna did not particularly mind. She was a lady, to be sure, but she did not hold everyone to her standards...and some might say that her own boldness was unseemly, anyway. Regardless, this was an event for people from all backgrounds. So long as they were chosen by Guardians or held the old blood in their veins, they were welcome, and Anna was more than willing to speak with them.

"I am a hedge witch," she admitted. The words sounded odd on her tongue. Though she had never denied her power - indeed, she had come to accept it as an integral part of her being - neither had she actually said the words aloud. It felt...liberating. "My brother is the Chosen in the family. Ah. Or is it Warden, now?"

"Yes," she mused. "I suppose it would be rather difficult to imagine oneself valiantly going off to do battle." Spirits knew she could not imagine her brother going to war. He could sit a horse, but she was not certain that he had ever ridden his Guardian before, and he was certainly no warrior. No, Alexei was best suited to the library, not the battlefield. Perhaps there were other things that chosen unsuited to fighting could do instead.

"It rather sounds like something out of a fairy story, does it not? This whole thing," she said, waiving a hand vaguely. "Not just the ball, but the wolves and the Guardians, even hedge witches and Lord Llyr. It feels as though I woke up one day and the whole world was changed."

As though sensing the watching eyes, Aranka turned and stared at the doe, assessing her. The rook was not a friendly creature. Indeed, she felt as though most of the world was beneath her notice. Still, she did deign to pay some modicum of attention to Guardians on occasion, but only if they seemed worthy.

"They say the wolves are at least as large as ponies," she remarked. "Though I am inclined to agree that some, at least, are fierce enough to face them."

Anna's eyes shuttered and she swayed slightly.

-blood and chaos. Violence and motion. Warriors clashed with beasts. Guardians bellowed. The screams and howls of the dying filled the air-

Aranka broke from the impromptu staring contest, cawing softly in concern. She preened her mistress's hair. The hedge witch's eyes fluttered open and she smoothed her familiar's feathers. That was...unexpected. The visions did not often come while she was awake.

"Excuse me," she said to Ariah with a smile that was just a touch strained, and if she was a little more pale than usual, well, she did not comment on it. Instead she took a bracing drink of her beverage and shoved the vision to the back of her mind to ponder later.

"How is it that you find the presence of the spirits comforting?" She was not entirely certain how to describe her feelings for Llyr, but she was relatively sure that comforting would not have been her first descriptor of choice. It was true that she found him fascinating, and she rather liked what she had seen of him. If he truly had their best interests at heart, then he could be a formidable ally. However, his true intentions were not yet clear.

At this, Anna smiled. "If Lord Llyr is to be believed, and it is my understanding that spirits cannot tell direct lies, then it is indeed true," she affirmed. It was not every day that one learned one's ancestor was fey, but Anna gave no indication of how she felt about such a revelation. Perhaps she was not certain herself what to think. Or perhaps she was simply unfazed. Once a girl discovered her own magical power, how much larger of a leap could fey blood be? Regardless, it would certainly be something to ponder later. What were the implications? Perhaps Anna would set Alexei to research.

"I wonder whether that explains why hedge witches are never chosen," she mused. It made a certain sort of sense. One never heard tales of spirits bonded to Guardians. If it was true that Guardians were created solely to protect humans, then perhaps the fey blood in hedge witches disqualified them. That was...interesting. Was Anna not properly human?

She frowned.

Then what of Alexei? More than her brother, he was her twin, yet was chosen. Though, he did not display any power as a hedge witch. Perhaps his fey blood was dormant?

Anna snapped her fan sharply closed, displeased. In most things, she could be rational, but she was very protective of her bond with Alexei. She would simply have to give herself time to calm down before she attempted to follow the logic behind chosen and hedge witches and fey once more.

"No doubt," Anna agreed. Llyr seemed to be a slippery one. It would be difficult to pin him down and demand proper answers to subjects that he did not wish to discuss. Still, she hoped that the future afforded her more chances to match wits with him. It was a most diverting activity - not to mention informative. She wondered whether he would be willing to part with more information regarding fey blood and hedge witches. Something to hope for.

"You mentioned that you are accustomed to dangerous things," she recalled. The abrupt change in topic sounded casual, even natural coming from her cultured voice. "May I ask what you meant by that?"