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“Is Velvet really your name?” the lady dressed in finery watched with through lowered lashes and he smiled. Bright peacock blue eyes seemed to dance with merriment as he sketched a short bow.
“At your service, my lady.” He purred, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it. The woman blushed.

“If I had known that the Courtiers of the golden court were so charming.” She murmured huskily. “I would have arrived much more earlier…”

Velvet winked. “Nah, I’m just special.” He teased. “Velvet of the Leopard clan, at your service.”

The woman nodded her head back. “Kiaki, of Sparrow Clouds.” She said simply. “Clans? I thought clans were abolished a long time ago.”

Velvet smiled, and it was a patient smile. The new onslaught of men and women from the Eastern Silver court meant that he had to explain several times the workings of the Golden, or Western court. He did not mind—he thought less when ever he had to do this and talking to them of anything seemed to raise his prestige.

“The clans were abolished when the First clan chief united the sectors of the Western Kingdom. The original chiefs swore allegiance to the first King, and so we kept our names, as a sign of our lineage and a memory to the men who had fallen in war.” He smiled thinly. “Some clans had died out, in the past few years and some have been created, due to the honorable actions of the men and women. There are eight clans that exist today, with a couple of minor ones fighting for a title.”

The woman smiled, and it was such a pretty smile he couldn’t help but grin right back at her. “A romantic tale.” She murmured, leaning forewords. “I heard a rumor, that your pretty blue eyes were due to Peacock blood?”

He smiled, and it was that shy, rather pretty little smile women seemed to enjoy. “You have discovered my secret.” He said playfully, watching her with a slight smile on his face. “It is true—my mother is of the Peacock clan, before she fell in love with my father had ended up as one of us.”

Alright, so what if in truth she had actually been carried away in a political heist? This sounded more romantic, and more suitable for a woman.

The lady laughed. “I could listen to you tell stories all day, young courtier… but it seems that the becoming woman is trying vainly to call for your attention.”

Velvet looked up to see a young striking young thing waving a ebon fan at him, and smiled, hiding the flash of irritation. It was his duty to sidle up to the ladies, but that was hard when you had your sister breathing down your neck.

“Just my sister.” He murmured, getting up and bowing to her. “Would you please excuse me?”

He was already walking away, the mask never melting from his face and yet when he reached out to kiss her hand, his eyes burned.

“What is it?” his voice was not the light, gay tone of before but something more normal, more serious.

She leaned forewords, and laughed as if he had said something amusing and he struggled to bring the mask back to his face. They stood together, appearing to speak like siblings of silly stuff when she whispered.

“The patriarchs are calling a meeting for the entire Leopard clan, father wanted me to tell you that even we are invited.”

The clans were actually a very complex set of main lineages, with smaller houses spread out under it. It was actually very, very difficult to obliterate an entire clan, but it had been done once. Velvet stood there, frowning slightly as he tucked a stray bit of hair from her cheek.

“What is it for?” he asked, softly.

All the children of the leopard clan were known for their uncanny ability to hide the truth and to appear like leopards themselves, beautiful pets. Few remembered that they were still hunters, because they were the brightest, most amusing of all clans and thus the highlight of the Golden Courts.

“Something about a visit off world…” she whispered, and smiled as if he had said the greatest act. “Don’t be late.”

“Would I ever do anything to anger our patriarch?” he asked lightly, and kissed her cheek. “No, don’t answer that.”

It was all talk, really. He was on time, impeccably dressed and standing with his father and older brother, the women being herded to one side. There were a couple of clans ruled by Matriarchs, but the leopard line was an old fashioned one which segregated its men from the women, no matter that it was the women who seemed to be the most valuable pawns.

“The Peacock clan, the Patriarch has told us of a startling discovery.” While every clan was truly pitted against each other to be next on the throne, the Peacock and Leopard clan had an uneasy alliance because the Patriarchs own daughter had married into the Leopard clan. “It seems, the King…” he paused. “Wants to send an emissary off world.”

It was his father who stood up. “But that’s ridiculous! No ones ever managed to make contact with those off world people…” he began, and the Patriarch raised his hand.

“It seems that the Silver Court has managed this a while back, and they have contacted a new world called…” he frowned, looking down at the sheet in front of him. His memory was receding, and soon he would be killed, to make room for a new leader. Velvet understood the movements of politics, he understood the coldness and accepted it for what it was.

He was a social, daring creature, but he still understood his place.

“The Eastern Court has kindly given our Court a chance to make contact, and the King wishes to send a small emissary group as ambassadors to this new world.” He paused. “Clearly, we’re going to make sure one of the first ambassadors is going to be from our clan.”

“I’ll go.” Silk stood up, volunteering himself. Velvet’s eyes narrowed with dislike. While it was common for healthy rivalry to exist between siblings, this was more then that.

Maybe in another life he would actually get along with his brother, but being the only new sons of a very ambitious man, they were always pitted against each other.

“No.” the Patriarch said simply, and Velvet felt a swift stab of satisfaction. “The last time you were given any task Silk, you slept with the wrong women and we had to pay her family off to guarantee their silence. No, this time we’re going to back Velvet.”

Velvet looked up, blank. “Me?” he sounded so blank that Lace, his sister stomped on his foot.

The Patriarch nodded, bright keen eyes following one of the younger courtiers. “There is talk about you, the bright eyed amusing young Leopard boy with his Peacock blue eyes… you know only you and your sister have the eyes of the Peacock clan? The Peacock patriarch also recognizes this… unique characteristic, and has hinted that if we back either you or your sister, he may also back us up.”

“Surely you don’t believe that old man?” someone called out. “Give the rest of us a chance, and not just the Gustavo line!”

His eyes sliced through the crowds until he found the speaker, memorized their face and then moved back to Velvet. “You are gaining popularity, and you’ve got good manners boy. I’m going to push this up to the council later tonight.”

That night Velvet was punished by his older brother and rewarded by his parents. He was used to this life, the double life that he led and yet still, something bothered him. Sent away, from this world? Could they trust the Eastern courts? He had grown up too well in this world of politics not to be bothered, not to question every motive and yet at the same time, he was overcome by a giddy sense of satisfaction.

An ambassador to a foreign world.

Imagine that.

He was, chosen to go in the end. In fact, there was only he, and perhaps someone of much higher rank who was supposed to go. No one really knew everything, he didn’t really know anything because of the flurry that accompanied the packing. His finest clothes, and the finest clothes of his older brother, trinkets that he might use for bribery and much more valuable goods were packed in large steel trunks and every aspect of his behavior scrutinized.

‘Remember to note down everything you see, Velvet.’

‘Don’t forget to memorize the titles’

‘Any weakness you see, exploit it.’

If he had one more person come up to him, to tell him what to do he was going to scream. The Peacock clan, after seeing their own candidate dismissed had not hesitated before backing him up. It was odd, having two clans stand together.

It doesn’t happen often, after all.

Everything happened in a blur. Everything from traveling there, the company he kept, until the moment he arrived in this odd, spectacular world full of dragons and someone looked at him and said.

‘Ambassadors? For what?”

Well, none of the training and prepared him for that.

Lace,

Sister. Following this letter is a long list of everything I need. Everything has gone horribly wrong, and yet horribly right. It seems… that there was miscommunication between our two Courts. We have arrived, not as ambassadors, but as representatives. No, I would never have thought that those two could be so different… but let me just say, the only respect we are given is one that is earned. There is something very fresh about this place, and while some of the contraptions are very modern… the political mind is very naïve compared to home.
I have arrived here, and currently reside in an area known as Hoorn Cliffs. We have all been split up you see, but I am not complaining.

Think of it as me being on… vacation.

Now, before bridling up and yelling for my return, there is something very curious I must tell you. This world is occupied by creatures called dragons, beautiful creatures and it seems one can have the potential to… well, bond them.

Can you imagine the respect and awe it would grace our clan with, if I came back as a dragon rider?

Velvet, the Courtier.

He sent this letter off with a flourish and looked up at the search rider. In the few short weeks he had adapted to his life, because his bright social nature made him an adaptable person. He had fallen in love with this life as well, and if it was possible… it was as if he was on vacation.

“Will it work?” he asked, doubtfully.

The search rider nodded. “If anyone comes looking for you, we’ll tell them you died. Gives me some time to keep you around for the clutch.”

He had been searched at the Whispering Plains, their destination by this search rider only to be brought over here, to Hoorn Cliffs. He had seen the dragons, their daring nature and had been enraptured. He smirked.

“What if it does work?”

He shrugged. “You don’t have to go back. Same story.”

He needn’t have worried.

Velvet,

Father and the Patriarch want you to stay as long as it possibly takes for one of those… dragons to claim you as their own.

Then they want you to come back.

I do not think… that this is wise.

Your articles will be arriving in the next shipment.

Do you think they’ll like me?

Velvet looked down at the last words on the page with a slight sick sensation. It had been a ploy created between the search rider and himself to convince his family to allow him to stay, without giving it all away. While he was very politically minded, something about this place had pulled out his own naivity, his own somewhat tarnished innocence and he wanted to stay, to see if he could bond.

But… he did not want to return to the former world, to be exploited.

But that wasn’t what was making him sick.

What was making him sick, was what his darling sister had asked so innocently.

Why would Lace worry about how the people thought about her… unless she was coming?