Chapter Text
The Opera-House had been rebuilt, and like prodigal children, we came, stepping through the doors.
It was much the same as it had been before the fire, mostly thanks to the architects. So the ballet-dancers such as myself and Alisette and the opera-singers and the stagehands came flocking back, now that there was nothing to fear from the Opera-House, now that the ghost was gone.
The manager even brought in an Eirlonian wizard to make sure the ghost did not return.
But you must wonder who is writing this, who is setting pen to paper.
My name is Rowene Mareni, though everyone misprounces it as February. I am 19, though my age does not matter in the telling of this tale.
Writing is the only way for me to express myself. You see, I cannot speak a word. I cannot make any sound.
Xx
I was born a bear, brown - furred, an only cub. I was two years old when the witch came into the forest, came to practice her spells. I had been foraging for berries that day, and the witch's eyes had fallen upon me, deciding I would be good for practice.
I did not hear the words of the spell, did not even notice the witch, until I felt my body change.
I was frightened, to find myself as a human, to find myself in a body I was not accustomed to, but the witch came near and attempted to soothe me.
She explained to me, seeing that I knew nothing of magic, how the magic in Jolant worked, how it differed from that of Karine or Dynwen.
This was how I learnt that Jolantean magic, when used in a spell, comes with side effects, like a nasty medicine.
And the witch's turning me human cost me my voice. I certainly couldn't go back to being a bear, and but I couldn't speak to people.
The witch was kind, and took me in and treated me as a sister, teaching me how to be human. I was a terrible cook at first, seeing as I was accustomed to eating my food uncooked and raw. I was better as a seamstress, I found. Knitting, too.
My parents were killed by hunters a week after I became human. I wept, silent tears untill my face became very red, and then I left for Dabrokie.
There, I sought employment, and discovered ballet, which was a joy to me, as it had it's own form of communication that did not require words, and it was a pleasant thing to look at, so a dancer I became.
That is how I got to where I am today. I never did see the witch again. I suppose she moved away.
Xx
So we returned to the Opera-House. Settled in, back to normal once more.
Alisette did not return just yet, however. She had been on honeymoon in Deverill with her uncle-husband, Richard, and she returned with a round belly and a bright smile on her face.
Being pregnant meant she could not dance for the time being, so Lisella, having recovered from her ankle injury a year before, returned to being prima ballerina.
As for the prima donna Virginia Illdesico, she announced a "temporary retirement" and went to her family home in the South.
Ballet is not my only form of communication, of course. But it is easier than keeping a paper, pen, and ink jar on me at all times.
Mr Elford, the manager, threw a party to celebrate the reopening of the Opera-House - not a big one, just for the people who worked there - a day later at his house.
I wore my best dress, white lawn with lavender floral print scattered all over and tiered ruffles on hem and sleeves and tied my hair with a lavender ribbon, adding a pin so the ribbon wouldn't fall out.
It was plain and simple compared to what Faerlie and Alisette wore. They wore silks, long-sleeved afternoon dresses with ruffled bustles, and even wore their hair similarly, in high braided coils. They looked uncannily like twins.
Lisella, smiling, wore an afternoon dress of white cotton, with belled sleeves and full skirt, patterned with mauve - gray medallions, her blonde hair in a crown braid that went into a low bun at the bottom, secured with a tarnished gold comb.
Novelaide, Blancha, Rosena, Ivorie, and Melania were there as well: Obsidia had received an invitation by some Eastern Duke or count to visit him, so she wasn't there
Mr Elford poured himself a glass of Atlantean grape wine and made a toast.
"Let us all be lucky!" he said cheerfully, a great deal more cheerful then he had been when Alisette had crashed the chandelier and nearly wound up dead.
He had been furious then.
"Rowene." Alisette said, coming towards me.
I put up a hand and gave a little wave. Then I dropped my hand and settled it over Alisette's belly, hoping to feel a kick.
Alisette glanced down. "Three months." she said, smiling bright and happy. "I hope it's a boy. Richard just wants it to be healthy."
She turned and went back to Faerlie's side.
There was a table of things to eat, if we wanted to. I went over and looked.
I had no liking for wine, so I didn't touch it, pouring myself a glass of tea flavored with vanilla and crushed strawberries, which a passing Mr Elford said was a popular drink in Karine. He was from there, so he would know. It was a bright pink color, and I took a sip of it to see how it tasted.
It was sweet, but I liked sweet things.
Come to think of it, it was a very Karinean assembly of things to eat, I thought, as I picked up a small white porcelain plate and began to pile treats on it.
There were butter cookies sandwiched with strawberry jam, sugared fruits, small sponge cakes filled with cream and raspberry preserves, chocolate macarons, and chocolate bonbons studded with hazelnuts.
I took one of each, and went and sat down in the corner, my plate in my lap and my glass on the small table next to me.
As others talked and laughed, I began eating a bonbon.
Faerlie moved near the grand piano. She sat down, spread out her skirts and began to play, some light cheerful tune by a Jacian composer whose name I didn't know.
If Alisette was a talented singer and ballerina, Faerlie was a talented pianist. Everyone stopped speaking to listen to her play.
I finished the bonbon and started on the sponge cake, drank some more tea, and began to amuse myself by looking about the room at the other guests, since it would be bad manners to ignore Faerlie's piano playing.
Everyone was quiet while she played, but when she finished, they clapped loudly, and resumed their individual conversations.
Mr Elford interrupted, however, lifting his empty glass and clinking on it with a silver spoon. "I have an announcement to make. The Dynwenian mages I hired say they need time to finish the protective spells on the Opera-House, so our first performance will not be held there."
"Where, then?" Blancha asked in her southern accent.
"Our first performance will be at the circus!" Mr Elford announced, grinning ear to ear.
Rosena went white, and I glanced at Alisette, who had sat down across from me. Her gaze caught mine.
"Someone should tell him." she mouthed.
"You tell him." I mouthed back.
So Alisette rose gracefully from her seat, with a "Mr Elford, do you know anything at all about the circus?"
"I'm sure it's an enjoyable place." Mr Elford said.
"It- there are stories." Blancha said. "Of horrible things happening. People die and children go missing in spades every time the circus comes to town."
Mr Elford looked confused. "But this is Jolant. Horrible things happen here all the time. We've witnessed some, haven't we?"
"Smart man." Ivorie muttered under her breath. "He has already been a quarter year here and already he has managed to keep his sanity but lose his wits."
"Yes, this is Jolant, but even we have things to be scared of." Alisette replied to Mr Elford. "If you wish us to perform at the circus, you must take precautions and ensure our safety."
"Of course I will." Mr Elford set his glass down. "You need not worry about that, Countess."
Alisette took her seat again.
"I have sent a letter to the ringmaster already, and I expect a reply soon." Mr Elford finished speaking.
Xx
It was time to leave, eventually, and as I took my cloak and made to leave, Lisella caught my arm.
I was surprised. She had never paid attention to me before, so why should she do so now?
"Shall I walk you home?" she asked, with that accent of hers that hinted at a middle - class upbringing.
I nodded yes.
We bid farewell to the others and left Mr Elford's house, heading for the boarding - house I lived in.
Lisella had started her career as a seamstress in the opera house, teaching herself to dance in her spare time before a wealthy lord has spotted her practicing.
That was how she had gotten her place in the corps, and it was thanks to her excellent taste in patrons that she had risen through the ranks.
I had not yet made prima ballerina because I was not that ambitious, and the men who would have liked to be my patron were old enough to be my grandfather and I wasn't interested.
"Are you alright, Rowene? You've got a strange look on your face." Lisella let go of my arm so I could mime my answer. But I merely nodded and retook her arm.
The streets were quiet, and gaslights lit the corners so people would not stumble in the dark, unless you were a vampire or a werewolf.
Lisella chattered about her latest patron, some minor nobleman as we went down the street to the boarding house. When we had reached it, I let go of Lisella's arm, kissed her on the cheek, and she said goodbye.