The Royal Banquet (10,122)

[Elrood IX]

The Imperial Banquet Hall was vast, not so vast as the Grand Theatre, but still large enough that someone with poor eyesight might have difficulty seeing from one end to the other. From wall to wall huge tables of the finest Elacca wood were already groaning under the weight of enough fine delicacies to keep a small army going for several weeks when Elrood arrived, and the servants were still bringing out the last of it. The top table where he would be sitting was set slightly apart from the rest close to a raised platform at the center of one wall, where the entertainment for the night would later be accommodates- musicians from Chusuk, Tleilaxu Facedancer mimics, and the finest troupe of Jongleur actors in the empire. The banquet was an open event as opposed to the carefully choreographed coronation that had proceeded it, and Elrood was not expected to arrive at a given time or perform any formal ceremonies. Of this he was glad, and in fact faintly amused by the fact that one or two other guests had beaten their Emperor to it and were already seated.

The hall was thick with the aroma of a thousand different dishes from all over the Imperium, food it had taken the royal chefs three days to prepare, and they were still hard at work even now with the items that needed to be absolutely fresh. Each place setting had a chair in the same spotless wood as the tables, together with a soft cushion in red velvet - except for Elrood's which was Corrino gold - and cutlery of the finest silver. The plates had been imported specially from Delta Pavonis and the napkins were beautifully embroidered from thread that cost more than a small house per metre. Elrood, now changed back into his formal attire, was feeling good.

The woman from the crowd outside the Palace, whose name was Moselle, had proved as bold between the sheets as she had been in her desire to attract the Emperor's attention and to be honest he was was feeling quite worn out. There would also be a need to see the royal physician the next day about the scratches on his back, but the tryst had been well worth it. Moselle for her part would soon be moving into a penthouse apartment not far from the palace at the Emperor's expense. He wasn't sure how many more times he would visit her, but it paid to keep his mistresses in suitable style. That way there was no risk of embarrassing headlines in the press when one of them tried to sell the story of her night of passion with the ruler of the known universe. He knew some of his more brutal ancestors had simply had unwanted mistresses assassinated or sold into slavery, but Elrood liked to think that he was no tyrant and that he could share a little of his vast wealth with women who had given him such pleasure.

Walking casually up the to the main table he found Horance de Lanier already there and fussing around as usual; the place settings really did have to be just so as far as this most meticulous of men was concerned. Elrood eyed the gilt-edged name cards on the table which was big enough to seat thirty people. As befitted their stations as his most trusted counsellors, de Lanier himself and Truthsayer Miral Alechem would sit on either side of the Emperor and he was pleased to see that opposite him would be Niobe Atreides and Elisha Montague. The former was a renowned beauty who had already been long in his sights, and the latter had caught his eye only more recently thanks to her daring choice of attire for the coronation, so at least he would have something nice to look at during dinner. He also noticed places set for Amyssa Magorian of Ix, Rose Harkonnen and Dominique Bellarusso. The last name puzzled him somewhat since her House was certainly not considered senior enough to warrant an automatic place at the Emperor's table, and yet she was not one of the ones Elrood had included at his own discretion. He sensed the hand of Miral Alechem in this, but decided it was not worth the effort of following it up. If the Bene Gesserit were so keen that he should meet this girl then meet her he would, but the witches should not labour under the assumption that he would marry her simply on their recommendation.

"Still a bit quiet isn't it?" he said to his chamberlain with a yawn.

"Yes, sire" replied de Lanier as he paused to brush a hair off his fine white suit, "They should be here soon though, and when they are they will most assuredly be amazed by your majesty's generosity"

"Surely" said Elrood with a touch of sarcasm, "By the way, is the entertainment sorted out?"

"Of course, highness" came the obsequious reply, "I have inspected them all personally and I can tell you that they are of unrivalled calibre. I think you will especially like the troupe of players. Miss Camarva, the lead actress, is simply... breathtaking".

Elrood smiled and gave a small nod. Everything was going well. Lowering himself into his seat at the table - currently occupied only by himself, de Lanier, and the extremely elderly Archduke Ecaz who looked like he might have already fallen asleep - the new Padishah Emperor waited for his esteemed guests to arrive.

[Elisha Montague]

Elisha never ceased to be amazed by the sheer size of the Palace. She thought the Landsraad Council building to be large, but this was on a different scale altogether, and it only seemed to get more monumental the deeper inside you went. She had visited once or twice before on official ambassadorial business, but had never seen more than the outer offices occupied by the Emperor's most junior functionaries. Soon she would be sharing a dining hall with the man himself. Fortunately the banquet hall was not difficult to find, and there were plenty of snooty looking servants around to direct her - and plenty of grim looking Sardaukar guards to bar the way to areas where guests were not permitted. She smelled the food long before she saw it, even her heightened Bene Gesserit senses having difficulty picking out many individual scents because there were so many. There had to be food from every corner of the universe here.

"This way please, miss" said the usher as he looked down his nose at Elisha but was forced to accept her official invitation.

"My father the Duke sends his apologies" she replied sweetly, "But he has unfortunately been taken ill and will not be able to attend".

She got the feeling her clingy short dress would go down even less well here than it had at the coronation, but she had kept it on for two reasons. Firstly she had arrived back at the hotel to find her father doubled up on the bed with stomach cramps, and had spent an hour speaking with doctors and waiting while they examined him - apparently it was food-poisoning from something he ate on the incoming Heighliner - and then talking him out of even attempting to come to dinner. This had left her without time to change even if she had wanted to. Also though she was convinced that it was her choice of outfit, and not any sudden notice of House Montague's worthiness, which had won her the invite in the first place. Someone here obviously approved of short dresses and knee-high boots, so she thought it was as well to retain them. To be honest Elisha was more than a little nervous being the only one here to represent her House, but on the other hand perhaps this was at last her chance to shine in high circles without her father's constant stifling presence. Time would tell, she supposed. As she followed the usher through the maze of tables and chairs she tugged at her dress a little, making sure that a generous amount of cleavage was ready should she need even beneath the covering cloak.

Finally they approached their destination, and if Elisha had been nervous before then she was very nervous now. She had expected to be taken to one of the outer tables, perhaps to be drooled over by some old advisor types or Sardaukar officers, but in fact it seemed she was being led to the top table where the Emperor himself would be sitting. The Emperor who actually was already in his seat! She had not in her wildest dreams imagined that the last minute invitation entitled her to such a place. Could it have been Elrood IX himself who had noticed her? The thought made her shiver involuntarily and she almost considered reciting the Bene Gesserit littany against fear, but decided that there was no point starting now when she had always considered the silly little ditty to be complete rubbish. No, she would just have to pull herself together and hope for the best, she thought as she neared table which was deserted except for three people.

At one end a very old man, who Elisha thought she recognised as Archduke Ecaz, was snoozing quietly. In the centre sat Emperor Elrood, and to his left a large man in a flamboyant white suit with ridiculous shoulder-pads who had a constant look of exasperation and worry on his face as though nothing was ever quite right in his world. Elrood was looking even more resplendent in his finery up close as he had from a distance at the coronation, and Elisha needed every ounce of her muscle control to stop herself tensing up as she was shown to a seat directly opposite him. The usher hurried away and Elisha was left to cough nervously and hope that the Emperor didn't find her revealing outfit offensive. In fact though it seemed quite the opposite, and within moments of sitting down and removing her cloak she could feel his eyes upon her chest. It appeared she had been right in her assessment of her reason for being here, but that did not mean she was going to act like an airhead and do nothing but be gawped at.

"Welcome, Miss... Montague" began the fat man, breaking the silence, "My name is de Lanier, Lord Chamberlain and chief advisor to the Emperor. Charmed to meet you I'm sure".

"Likewise, señor" replied Elisha, noting that the chamberlain's expression suggested he was in fact far from charmed before turning to Elrood, "And your Majesty please let me express what an honour it is to sit at your table tonight".

The Emperor nodded, smiled, and kept looking down her dress.

[Miral Alechem]

Upon reaching the Royal Palace, alight like a beacon in the warm night, Miral Alechem was in a particularly good mood. The man she had gone to meet was one of her several “acquaintances” around the city, a man who had never seen more than a masked face and would not in his wildest dreams imagine that his “torturous mistress” who made him beg for release with the tip of a blade was in fact the Imperial Truthsayer. In any case she had more than enough damaging information on him like all the others, enough to keep them quiet should the need arise. It was, and always had been, her insurance policy and she would have no qualms about turning any of her midnight lovers over to the authorities if they were foolish enough to try and blackmail her.

As soon as she took her first steps on the polished, marble stairs of the palace, Miral put any side thoughts out of her mind and instead focused on the banquet which had undoubtedly started. It would be the crucial point for the Sisterhood's plan, and she hoped that the Bellarusso girl would play her part well, as she had been instructed. The Truthsayer had seen the files herself, Dominique and Elrood's daughters would in turn be married to genetically satisfactory noblemen, all this careful planning and manipulating of selected genes leading to the ultimate goal: the birth of the Kwisatz Haderach, the male Reverend Mother, one man who could bridge time and consciousness. What a weapon he would be then, in the hands of the Bene Gesserit!

Unfortunately, combining genes sometimes lead to sudden, unexpected and unwanted results, which meant that they could afford no mistakes, and follow only the most promising strands, one of which being the Corrino bloodline. Another was House Atreides, but even Miral didn't have a lot of information about the Sisterhood's interest in that particular dynasty.

Long before entering the Banquet Hall, Miral's senses had been assaulted by the thick scent of food being cooked, probably more than a hundred different dishes prepared especially for that one night; an army of chefs and waiters was toiling relentlessly, to make sure everything was fresh and of the best quality for the enjoyment of the Emperor and his guests.

The Hall itself was magnificent, glittering with the light of hundreds of glowglobes, the several impossibly long table having been placed symmetrically across the polished floor; only one rose above the rest, and Miral immediately caught sight of more than one familiar face: Elrood, de Lanier and, pleasingly enough, Dominique Bellarusso. The Truthsayer had slipped a minor correction into DeLanier's seating arrangements for that night, swapping Dominique Bellarusso's name with that of Viscount Moritani.

“Good evening, Majesty”, Miral greeted softly, before taking her place at the Emperor's side. She gave the Chamberlain a curt nod before letting her gaze fly to Dominique; she had certainly taken her plan seriously, given the utmost care obviously taken with her appearance that evening; not that it alone would be enough to compel someone as the young Emperor into marrying her. A good start, nonetheless.

Miral donned precisely the same gala robe from before, the golden stitching shimmering upon a mass of purest black in the light of countless glowglobes. She usually wore no make-up at all, but that evening her indigo blue eyes had been outlined in onyx, and her lips were coated in transparent gloss.

Her Other Memory revealed images of times long past, when countless Emperors had dined in the same hall, each trying to outdo his predecessor. Everything returned later, in its changed form; certainly true. And it seemed that it mattered little to Elrood where he was, as long as there was an attractive woman to feast his eyes upon. None other than Elisha Montague was seated nearby, wearing the same bad taste dress which had earned her a seat at the Emperor's table in the first place. A failure, perhaps, but not stupid, as Miral was well aware. Even the least accomplished Bene Gesserit Sisters still possessed more intelligence than most.

[Elisha Montague]

Elisha was a little calmer now, for however unusual the situation she found herself in might be it was nonetheless taking on a familiar air: the fifth daughter of House Montague was entirely used to being ogled and was well able to play the role of eye-candy when she needed to. For all his staring the Emperor in fact seemed good-natured enough and de Lanier the chamberlain epitomised the very worst stereotype of the puffed up self-important bureaucrat; Elisha found him hilarious. She was just about to make further apologies on behalf of her absent father when a dark-haired woman arrived at the table and the blonde quickly stole a glance in the direction of the newcomer. The name card at her place said Bellarusso and Elisha was vaguely aware that there was a Great House by that name, but she had not personally had any dealings with them and did not know their history. What she was immediately aware of was the woman's dress, and she clenched her fist with annoyance for e moment under the table: someone seemed trying to out-do her in terms of revealing outfits. In fact Elisha did not care for this Bellarusso woman's attire at all, and that was something when all things were considered. At least her own dress, skimpy though it was, actually covered her assets and had its allure in what was almost shown rather than what one could actually see.

Someone's trying too hard.

As she had expected Elrood was coolly formal and did not allow himself to be distracted as the nearly naked woman went over to greet him. Elisha thought she had something of a measure of the man now and, while he might be a voyeur, he was clearly not stupid. From the way the newcomer completely ignored Elisha and the chamberlain, she could tell that this was someone with an agenda. Perhaps Miss Bellarusso actually thought she had a chance of snaring Elrood as a lover tonight? The Emperor it appeared was rightly not allowing himself to be drawn into the plot though, whatever it might be. Before she could speculate further however the brunette had returned to her seat and Elisha's attention had been distracted by an infinitely less desirable sight: Miral Alechem.

She recognised her old teacher from Wallach IX right away. Nobody forgot Miral, and Elisha in particular had more reason than most to remember her. Not only was the raven-haired woman widely known both for being one of the youngest Reverend Mothers in history, and also for her unorthodox teaching style especially in the arts of controlling males through the mutual application of pain and pleasure, but she had also been the one to make the final unsuccessful attempt at luring Elisha into the Sisterhood web before the expulsion which finally ended her time at the Wallach Mother School. There were of course plenty of other Bene Gesserit who Elisha recalled with displeasure: Romus the bitter old Proctor Superior who had finally pronounced her "lost" to the Sisterhood, Magda Kovacha her sickeningly soft-spoken deputy who had done nothing but smile even as she twisted the knife those final times, and of course her one-time best friend and co-conspirator Lilith Piacevole who had betrayed everything they had experienced together for a sniff of power. Memories of that ill-fated meeting with Alechem though, of the tantalising lure which had been laid before her and of the spine-chilling deception with which it had been dangled, were by far the most uncomfortable recollections of her time among the Bene Gesserit which Elisha possessed and she was unable to prevent herself from shooting a brief but slightly pained glance in Miral's direction.

What was she to do? Would Reverend Mother Alechem say anything to her? Perhaps she would make some cutting remark about Wallach IX not being the same without her as one or two other old compatriots from the Mother School she had encountered had been wont to do. Would she even dare to mention the particularly private history between the two of them? Elisha suddenly felt a steely resolve building within her, one which she had perhaps not felt since her departure from the Sisterhood some three years previously. Perhaps this was in fact the best thing to happen so far this evening. Now she had another reason besides the honour of her House to make sure she was successful at this banquet. She would not allow this most hated of Bene Gesserit cows to intimidate her.

[Amyssa Magorian]

Amyssa found the fresh air outside the club refreshing; after saying her goodbyes to Elisha Montague, she hurried back to her apartment in order to freshen up before the banquet; this included a mint candy in order to disguise her encounter with Kaitain Red wine. All in all it had been an enjoyable evening, and truthfully Amyssa was grateful that her Allanor counterpart had stopped her from making a complete fool of herself.

She felt tired and would have preferred to remain in her apartment, perhaps play the baliset and get a good night's rest, but an invitation from the Emperor himself could not be ignored. After a brief shower, the young Ambassador slid into her banquet dress, a much simpler, floor length gown that hung on her shoulders by two narrow straps. Delicate filigree covered the upper half, stitched on parasilk that was only slightly darker than Amyssa's skin, milky-white for it had barely seen the sunlight inhabitants of other worlds took for granted.

As soon as she reached the entrance to the Imperial Palace, Amyssa felt a shiver despite the warm night; she handed the doorman her official invitation who glanced at it and motioned her inside, before bidding her a polite ”Good evening, Excellency”. The term was not something that Amyssa was accustomed to, but with all the dignity she could muster she entered the vast hall, taking in a deep breath at the sight of the marvelous decorations displayed everywhere. There were hundreds of available seats at the several long tables, so she welcomed the help of one of the servants who rushed to assist her.

“This way, Miss,” a livered man prompted and guided Amyssa - whose eyes kept getting wider- to the elevated table overseeing all the rest, the Emperor's table! The young woman struggled to keep her pulse steady as she approached the Ruler of the Known Universe and presented her homages. Certain that her pale cheeks were flushed pink, Amyssa seated herself on her designated chair, staring for a second at her own name, written in gold letters on a small, folded card; she had never expected to sit only three chairs away from Elrood! At her side was a woman she did not recognize, wearing a sparkling beaded dress that left little to the imagination, in whose direction Amyssa smiled swiftly before her gaze found none other than Elisha Montague, across the table from her. A familiar presence managed to restore some of the young woman's confidence and Amyssa decided it was time to shed her shyness and be the professional Ambassador the Ixian people expected her to be.

[Niobe Atreides]

Niobe Atreides entered the banquet hall on Jacob's arm, with a placid smile painted on her lips and a diamond necklace sparkling around her neck; she had decided to proudly wear Jacob's present that night, and it matched her midnight blue dress perfectly. With a plunging neckline held together by three straps, the gown hugged her hips as she walked, flaring towards the hem. It was considerably less complicated and definitely more comfortable than the gala dress she had worn for the Coronation. Niobe felt it suited her better, for she loved elegant simplicity rather than too many ribbons and frills.

Her hair remained unadorned, allowing her curls to bounce naturally over her shoulders; if anything, Niobe could not stand unnecessary trinkets such as overly-complicated headdresses which she considered mildly ridiculous. She could see more than one such woman, but she payed little attention. In fact, Niobe found her mind predictably troubled by the thought of all the unfinished reports awaiting her back on Caladan, undoubtedly reinforced by a new pile by the time she returned. The Duchess gained little relief from lavish parties and banquets, when knowing her people's fate rested in her hands and that they struggled against the uncertain future of House Atreides. Weakened rulers meant social unrest and Niobe knew all too well that a large part of Caladan doubted her ability to match Duke Mintor's diplomatic and political abilities, then there was the pressing issue of an heir to secure the family line. It was a situation that needed remedy and which had already stolen many hours of Niobe's sleep.

She could however entertain the company of her own thoughts no longer, for she had reached the Emperor's table, and was shown to the second in line chair from Elrood himself, looking every inch the Monarch in his banquet finery. As those before her had done, the Duchess thanked the Ruler for the honour shown, congratulating him on his ascension and sat down quietly, drumming her fingers lightly on the satin tablecloth.

For the first time, the young Duchess took a moment to study those she had been seated next to: right into Elrood's proximity were his Chamberlain and Truthsayer with whom she exchanged formal pleasantries. They were an odd pair: a flamboyant man in a ridiculous white suit and a darkly beautiful woman who despite her Bene Gesserit-like attire certainly did not match Niobe's idea of an Emperor's Truthsayer, who were usually dried up old crones. The chair opposite her remained vacant, adjoined by a comely brunette who definitely gathered some attention due to her choice of dress, an iridescent tangle of beads that seemed to hang in a precarious equilibrium over her breasts; Niobe knew her, in fact: Dominique of House Bellarusso, but her knowledge of the woman stretched only so far. Next in line was the Ixian Ambassador who strongly resembled a fragile porcelain doll and the seat at her side was occupied by a blonde woman in an impossibly tight metallic dress - glancing at her name card from the corner of her eye, Niobe read: 'Elisha Montague, Ambassador'. She could not help but notice the venomous glares she attracted from the other female guests; this Elisha Montague was a brave soul simply for daring to display such attire at an Emperor's banquet, the Duchess thought, even though she was not particularly keen on the style.

[Elrood IX]

More guests were filtering into the hall now, and soon the surrounding tables began to fill up with various nobles, military men, and other assorted individuals from among the great and the good. His chamberlain had of course been painstaking in planning the seating and had assured that nobles of increasing importance were placed closer to the Emperor's table together with a fair mix of officers, civil servants, industrialists, artists, media personalities, and so on. The idea was to ensure that the hierarchy of the Faufreluches was rigorously maintained, while at the same time creating the impression of a more inclusive and egalitarian modern Empire, and Elrood thought that they had pulled it off rather nicely all things considered.

Returning his attention to his dinner companions, he decided that Elisha Montague seemed pleasant enough, and was glad to see the spark of intelligence behind the eyes of a girl he might have otherwise dismissed as an attractive but tiresome bimbo. She had insight enough to realise why she had been asked to sit at his table, and had not changed out of the revealing dress she had worn to the coronation, but appeared educated beyond what he might otherwise have expected based on her attire. Could she be Bene Gesserit trained? He would have to try and remember to ask de Lanier to do some research. Elrood was just about to be polite and enquire about the whereabouts of her father, though in truth he minded the dour-looking old Duke Montague's absence not one bit, when another woman arrived at the table. His eyes followed the sultry-looking brunette as she was shown to the place reserved for Dominique Bellarusso: so this was the witches' idea of a suitable bride for an Emperor.

He could not deny that she was classically beautiful, and certainly not afraid to make the most of her assets beneath a virtually transparent beaded dress, but Elrood's father had impressed upon him from an early age that beauty was but a bonus when it came to the selection of an Emperor's consort. The typical Padishah Emperor had a small army of concubines and mistresses at his disposal, and no need to share the bed of his wife more than the barest minimum required to ensure the birth of a royal heir should that be his choosing, so the decision on who to marry would be primarily one of breeding and politics. It had always been so. Nevertheless this woman had been placed before him tonight, so he might as well at least observe how she conducted herself at dinner, although no more conclusions could really be drawn from that than from her appearance. As he watched, Dominique Bellarusso rose again from her seat and headed in his direction.

"On behalf of House Bellarusso, Sire please allow me to congratulate you on your ascension to the throne" offered the brunette by way of greeting.

"We are glad you enjoyed the coronation and appreciate the loyalty of your House" he replied, before smiling genially and lowering his head to plant the lightest of kisses on her proffered hand.

Well, that was that. It would be interesting to see if Miral Alechem had anything to say about Dominique when she arrived at the table.

"Good evening, Majesty"

As if on cue the dark-haired Reverend Mother lowered herself into her seat on his right and rendered a thoroughly emotionless greeting, while he noted that once again Miral had opted for a finely tailored but nonetheless highly austere Bene Gesserit robe. He idly wondered if his Truthsayer actually had anything else in her wardrobe, and for a brief moment speculated about how the Reverend Mother might look naked, but perhaps it was best not to think such thoughts though, not about one such as Miral.

"Good evening, Reverend Mother Alechem" he replied in a formal tone of his own.

Did he imagine it or did an uncomfortable glance pass between the Montague girl and his Truthsayer as Miral settled into her place? What possible history could those two have? Perhaps his speculation about Elisha Montague being Sisterhood trained had not been so far from the mark after all, though in that case why the icy glance instead of a look of camaraderie? Curiouser and curiouser. Elisha had definitely sat up a little straighter since the Bene Gesserit woman had entered though, but Elrood did not mind at all since it merely made her cleavage spill out of that ridiculously tight dress in an even more pleasing manner.

At the other and of the table it seemed the Spacing Guild representative had arrived. He knew Saskia Daryai by reputation only but was pleased to see that she was far from hard on the eye, and not one of the rather deformed characters who often served as the transport cartel's representatives. Less pleasing was the fact that she did not approach him to offer greeting as the others had done. Typical Guild arrogance! They really needed taking down a peg or two and reminding that they shared a symbiotic rather than master/slave relationship with House Corrino. Yes, the Guild commanded an absolute monopoly on space travel and even the Imperial House was bound to use their services, but House Corrino held within its gift the fief of Arrakis from which the Guild's precious spice flowed. They should remember that!

By this point de Lanier had engaged Elisha in conversation about the price of shield mountings from her homeworld of Allanor. Honestly the man was a mine of useless information and Elrood considered butting in to save her, but she seemed to be coping well enough on her own and guests were arriving thick and fast now so he decided he had best keep himself available for introductions. Next to arrive was a statuesque beauty he recalled from coronation, and who he had later been informed was the new ambassador from the machine world of Ix. A life underground appeared to have left her looking rather pale, but otherwise she was a fine woman and there could never be too many of those at the Emperor's table. A flash of recognition passed from the Ixian to Elisha Montague, and Elrood recalled that Ix and Allanor were frequently close business partners.

The table actually was starting to feel a bit like a harem with so many women present, and it was with slight regret but also a very faint sense of relief that Elrood noticed that arriving after Amyssa Magorian was a fellow nobleman in the form of Jacob Ginaz. He was also quick to spot Niobe Atreides on the arm of the Marquis, and she was indeed looking truly lovely tonight! He privately congratulated himself on his choice of who to seat in the chairs opposite him. In recent years Elrood had found himself becoming a little jaded when it came to innocent girlish women, since they were represented in large numbers among the ranks of his concubines, but Niobe truly did appear to be an unspoilt gem and it was such a shame that he could not romance her himself. The Landsraad though would never stand for the Emperor becoming so close to the heiress of one of the noblest houses within it, and once again politics came into play above all else. Well, Ginaz was a lucky man, Elrood thought to himself as Niobe settled herself into the seat opposite him and gave greeting.

"We are truly charmed, mademoiselle" he replied, and meant it.

[Elisha Montague]

While the silly Chamberlain chatted to her about something totally useless, Elisha thanked the stars for her training in simuflow and continued to observe more guests arriving at the table. She felt contemptuous eyes upon her as a slim black-haired woman adorned with Spacing Guild insignia took her seat at the far end and made sure to return the cold stare.

You might think I look like a whore, but which of us is sitting opposite the Emperor?

Elisha had never really cared much for the Guild, finding them rather creepy even though she dealt with them on a semi-regular basis since they too purchased equipment from House Montague. She did not think she could recall ever having seen a female Guild representative before though, only a succession of rather pale and puffy-faced men who were clearly failed navigator candidates, and wondered how this completely normal looking young woman had managed to go so far in what she always thought of as an extremely chauvinistic organisation. Perhaps she was nothing more than an escort of sorts hired for the occasion, because the Guild felt it necessary to have someone decent-looking at the Emperor's table. Next to arrive was her new friend Amyssa, looking a little lost and nervous. Elisha remembered her own earlier nerves and tried to flash her a supportive smile, but wasn't sure if the Ixian noticed it.

"And so, I told him in no uncertain terms that the only way we would pay 2,000 solaris apiece for those was if we..." rambled on de Lanier, and Elisha was once again thankful for the training which allowed her to follow his flow of words without having to give him her undivided attention.

Miral Alechem had barely spared her a glance thus far, so perhaps she had been foolish to imagine that some kind of stinging rebuke would be forthcoming. The more she thought about the more she remembered that the Reverend Mother was a supremely arrogant woman and decided that she had probably ceased to even care that Elisha existed once that ill-fated meeting three years ago was over. Perhaps it was for the best really since she did not actually want it coming out at the table that she was a failed Bene Gesserit, for it was always a hard thing to explain away even in the most sympathetic company. She most certainly did not fancy discussing it with the Emperor and his cronies. Before she could dwell too much on this she became aware of a presence behind her and another woman lowered herself into the adjacent seat. A quick glance at the name card had revealed that this seat was reserved for Niobe Atreides. So, one of the most noble young women in the Imperium had been seated next to the lowly fifth daughter of worthy-but-dull House Montague. Wasn't it amazing that a tight shiny dress could get you almost as far as generations of impeccable breeding? Stealing a glance to her right she took an immediate dislike to the Atreides Duchess who at face value to be everything Elisha had never been: poised, regal, innocent-looking, possessed of a kind of effortless beauty that was at home in all situations. Elisha experienced a momentary flash of jealousy, but then reminded herself of the flipside that surely existed or would someday exist to this woman's existence.

The most she will ever amount to is the bored frustrated wife of some Duke or Earl like my father, who will spend all the time when she isn't flat on her back pumping out heirs on needlecraft and flower-arranging.

However much initial antipathy she felt towards the porcelain princess though Elisha remembered her manners and said a friendly "hello" to Niobe. She was representing her family here and trying to prove to Alechem that she could handle herself, so now was not the time to make social gaffes due to personal prejudice.

[Elrood IX]

The table was filling up now, and almost all of the most important guests were in their assigned places. At the far end a grim looking man in Sardaukar uniform had taken a place next to the Guild representative. Elrood did not know his name, but decided that the impolite guildswoman had gotten the neighbour she deserved. An attractive blonde slipped into a seat diagonally opposite him and Elrood recognised Rose Harkonnen. As head of the current holder of the Arrakis fief she was assured a place at the top table in spite of the somewhat murky history of her House. The vile deed committed by Abulurd Harkonnen at the battle of Corrin was still legendary and his descendents were only now starting to drag themselves out of the shadows and achieve some standing within the Landsraad again, but that was by the by.

More worrying was that de Lanier's carefully choreographed seating plan appeared to have come unstuck and somehow placed Rose Harkonnen right next to Niobe Atreides despite the famous rancour between their two Houses. Surely his chamberlain could not have made such an elementary mistake, and Elrood wondered if Miral Alechem was to blame since she had clearly messed around with the chair arrangements in order to get Dominique Bellarusso onto the top table. Well, he hoped that the two rivals would be able to refrain from fireworks tonight. It would be a shame if he had to have them escorted from the table, but he would not have his coronation dinner spoiled by petty bickering no matter how noble or how wealthy those engaging in it happened to be. The Baroness's choice of companion for the evening was certainly intriguing; Elrood didn't recognise the man, and he appeared for all intents and purposes to be a commoner based on his obvious unfamiliarity with the setting.

Well she can associate with who she likes I suppose, since she does not have to consider the status of her heirs.

Rose was of course Regent Baronness only until her younger brother the true heir came of age, but Elrood had no such luxury and would need to choose his future wife very carefully. He stole a sidelong glance at Dominique Bellarusso, who seemed to be chatting to the Ixian ambassador. She seemed nice enough he supposed, but he would reserve final judgement until he had spent some time alone with her and had his advisors probe more deeply into the history of her House. In any case he was not about to start organising a wedding on top of the coronation and everything else. He needed some time to settle into his new role so any future wife would have to accept a fairly long engagement. He would marry soon enough though, and the future of House Corrino would be assured.

Thoughts of family turned his mind to one person who was conspicuous by her absense: his sister Shalandra. He had been feeling a little guilty since discarding the hat she had sent him earlier, and wondered how he would explain its absence in the films of the recent festivities that he planned to send to her on Tupile. Trying to keep his mind off worries for now he returned his attention to the attractive women before him.

"Quite an evening, wouldn't you say ladies?" he enquired, smiling broadly.

[Niobe Atreides]

A while passed before Niobe finally decided to put away any thoughts of trials and unfinished reports out of her mind; it was, after all, a unique occasion and indeed one of the few times the young Duchess could afford leisure; if her father had thought her anything, it was that there was a time and place for everything.

Abandoning her stern look in favor of a mild smile, the Duchess turned around to face her dinner companion, Elisha Montague who had addressed her a greeting.

“Good evening, Lady Montague,” Niobe replied congenially, even though she could have sworn the latex-encased woman next to her regarded her contemptuously. She, as well as countless others, probably considered her a silly, pampered princess whose reign would not outlast a standard year. A slight pang of annoyance made itself felt at the thought, bolstering Niobe's determination to prove them wrong.

“I hope your father is well, and may I congratulate you on the recent contract with the Ixians concerning the new Heighliner model,” she added, suddenly remembering that House Montague of planet Allanor dealt intensively with Ix and had recently joined venture with the secretive machine planet for the construction of a heighliner which would cost less to build and could accommodate more cargo. What would come out of it and how the Guild would take it, remained to be seen.

A slight decrease in chatter and the clattering of plates and cutlery announced the arrival of the hors d'oeuvres, which included spice pastries, slig meatrolls and other combinations that looked delicious although Niobe could not tell what they were. Placing several on her plate, the Duchess took a small bite out of a freshly baked spice cookie, while exchanging words with those around her; Jacob had been encouraging her to forget her worries for one evening and enjoy herself, and Niobe was trying to do just that. Squeezing the Marquis' hand under the table, a slight grin pushed the corner of her mouth upwards, but it was short-lived for soon she was faced with an unexpected new arrival:

“Niobe it is nice to see you once again, your gown is beautiful and complements you beautifully.”

These words, spoken suddenly by a female voice captured the Duchess' attention and she raised her azure eyes to meet those of Rose Harkonnen, resplendent in her soft pink gown, accompanied by her bodyguard and companion whom she had seen at the Coronation. Niobe was familiar with the general scorn directed at the Baroness' romance with a commoner but she did not share it; too many marriages were arranged for political reasons and love was but a privilege few enjoyed. In fact, Niobe knew she would never be able to marry, for the reason that House Atreides would end that moment. She could not allow it; the most she could aspire to was a consort.

“Thank you, Rose, likewise. I am glad you could make it tonight; it's a pleasure to see you again.” Niobe nodded and her gaze encompassed Rose and Kaneda. As they took their seats, it appeared that almost everyone had arrived, and all around guests chatted merrily while indulging in the delicacies offered on silver plates by dutiful servants. Once more it seemed that fate or someone's hidden interest had seated her and House Harkonnen next to each other, and while she was not ready to disregard thousands of years of kanly, she would treat Rose and her companions not as enemies, but as fellow noblemen. Turning to Jacob, Niobe resumed their conversation, which was soon interrupted by Elrood's words:

"Quite an evening, wouldn't you say ladies?"

Words of approval came from left and right, starting with Elisha Montague who seemed to relish the attention her dress commanded. Niobe wasn't surprised; after all few women could honestly say they would not enjoy an Emperor's interest. She added:

“Very much so, Majesty. And I daresay we are not the only ones enjoying it to the fullest.”

The Duchess had never been one for inflated compliments and empty words, but she was telling the truth; all around the room she could see relaxed, smiling faces, as if there were no cares in the Universe. And, for that one single evening, there were none.

[Elisha Montague]

Elisha was feeling much more confident within herself at the table now and felt able to nod and smile politely as the Atreides Duchess returned her greeting and made comment on a recent contract she had secured. Perhaps she was not quite the empty-headed breeder Elisha had pegged her to be if she had knowledge of such things, although the use of Lady Montague left her nonplussed for a moment; she still felt uncomfortable being called such, although in a setting like this perhaps she would have to get used to it. Well perhaps Niobe wasn't all bad anyway and the Emperor himself, in spite of having a roving eye, seemed far less severe than she had imagined he might be. The hated Miral Alechem also appeared willing to keep her knowledge of Elisha's past to herself, though whether this was because she just did not care or due to some other reason she had no idea; it was a welcome load off the Montague daughter's shoulders in any case.

A ruggedly good looking Sardaukar officer had arrived at the far end of the table and seated himself next to the Guild woman. Well that was one unlucky fellow, and Elisha pitied him having to sit next to someone so obviously disagreeable. Perhaps it had been arranged deliberately thus so that the soldier could keep an eye on the harsh looking ambassador. Another new arrival close by to Elisha was discovered to be Rose Harkonnen, head of the family which currently ran the Emperor's spice mining operations on Arrakis. Elisha knew that her father had sent his own representations to Corrin XXV when the fief last came up for renewal, but House Montague had been overlooked in favour of their rivals the Harkonnens. There wasn't really any bad blood between the two houses, but some very stiff professional rivalry did exist.

The Harkonnens relied on slave labor, and so the Montagues could never hope to undercut their prices. However slaves were not very inclined to produce a well finished product, and Harkonnen quality assurance was widely regarded as a joke in manufacturing circles. It also did not help their cause that the Harkonnen ambassador at the Assembly was a brute of a man and quite unsuited to delicate negotiations. Elisha found herself frequently able to outmanoeuvre him to protect House Montague's manufacturing contracts, but the Harkonnens continued to swim in wealth thanks to the guaranteed income from melange production.

"A pleasure to see you here tonight" said Elisha in greeting, deciding that the Emperor's table was not the place to for industrial competitiveness.

Rose herself seemed to Elisha much like Niobe Atreides: another effortless princess type of whom she could be simultaneously jealous and contemptuous. She observed though, that unlike the Atreides woman, the Harkonnen had not selected a nobleman as her companion for the night but rather a decidedly common looking - though nonetheless handsome - Ginaz warrior.

"Quite an evening, wouldn't you say ladies?" enquired the Emperor, and Elisha decided that after this night she would most likely never get a chance to speak to such a man again, so it had to be worth a shot at trying to impress him with something other than her décolletage.

"Yes, Highness, it's most impressive" she replied, wriggling in her seat slightly anyway to accentuate her tightly encased chest, "And might I also say that I find our host tonight to be even more impressive than the festivities?"

The Emperor beamed and did indeed look thoroughly impressed, although whether by her compliment or by her wriggling she could not tell. Probably he would forget all about her after the dinner was over, but Elisha felt pleased with herself for trying anyway since no noble House should pass up the chance to get itself noticed by the Padishah Emperor. She also felt glad to be showing the nearby noblewomen and her old Bene Gesserit teacher that she was not afraid to speak up for herself. Rose Harkonnen meanwhile was whispering to her Swordmaster consort, and Elisha could practically smell the simpering besottedness. The man was undoubtedly attractive, that she could not deny, but she did not envy the emotional entanglements. Men were weak and spineless creatures, ruled by their groins and their lustful eyes much like the Emperor who now sat before her. In Rose's place she would be doing everything she could to make the most of her period in control of House Harkonnen, not wasting the biggest opportunity of her life making eyes at some male. Men were fun too of course, in small doses, and she pondered how she might spend the remainder of the night after the banquet had concluded. Surely she could find herself some company for the night from among all these guests, but Elisha would not be staying until morning that was for sure.

Sadly, although still leering at her, the Emperor did not appear interested in turning her earlier compliment into a continued conversation. Amyssa was seated too far away to really talk to, and she could not imagine herself striking up a conversation with either of the lovesick princesses who flanked her. She stole a glance at the stern Guild woman who now wore an even harder glare, and it was obvious that she was not happy with the company of the Sardaukar officer; that was a cheering sight at least. Miral Alechem was silent and enigmatic in typical Bene Gesserit style, not that Elisha would have dared to speak to her anyway, and she really didn't want to talk to the stuffy Chamberlain again. Perhaps she should excuse herself, as the self-cleaning properties of her dress had their limits and she could really use an extra squirt of perfume.

"I am going to the freshen myself up a bit. Care to join me Elisha?"

Elisha blinked in surprise. Had Rose Harkonnen just asked to accompany her to the bathroom? Quickly she ran through the possibilities in her mind. The two of them were not friends, indeed they barely knew each other, so it was unlikely that she wanted a cheerful girl-to-girl chat. It was also unlikely that she had any violence planned in the middle of the Imperial Palace itself. Plus, why target Elisha? She was nobody by the standards of most at this table and she couldn't imagine what the Harkonnens had to gain by doing her harm. Well, had she not just been thinking of going to the bathroom anyway? She really could not be in any danger when there were dozens of Sardaukar only a scream away, and if this Harkonnen woman was actually stupid enough to try anything Elisha would not think twice about bloodying the porcelain baroness's face, Emperor's banquet or not.

"Sure. Why not." she replied, rising carefully from her seat to avoid any accidents with her dress.

[Amyssa Magorian]

As the minutes turned into hours, Amyssa felt gradually more at ease and at last able to fully enjoy the soirée; she amused herself by watching each guest as they arrived, some being ridiculously overdressed ladies staggering under the weight of their gowns and clutching the arm of a reluctant-looking husband; others had better taste, opting for a more subtle elegance. Elisha on the other hand proved stubborn in her resolve to shock and tease with the same flashy dress she had worn before and Amyssa found it oddly entertaining how female eyes shot daggers at her from either side. As if it were that important! Then again, Amyssa reminded herself, she had never been brought up with the etiquette a noble lady must adhere to at all times. On Ix, intelligence and skill were what mattered most, not appearances.

Quite unexpectedly, the brunette she had noticed earlier - not that she was hard to miss in that dress - addressed her a greeting, to which Amyssa returned a quick smile:

“Pleased to meet you, I am Amyssa Magorian of Ix,” she replied. Amyssa had been trained as a diplomat and as such she was perfectly capable of enunciating any of the endless pleasantries this woman might expect from her but, quite frankly, what she was in the mood for was actual conversation. “The evening has been nothing short of spectacular, so I have to wonder why she looks as if this is a funeral and not a royal banquet,” Amyssa added, subtly indicating one brunette woman whose expression suggested that something had just died under her nose.

Just then entertainment arrived, and it happened to be precisely the thing which moved Amyssa strongest of all: music. Immediately however she noted the out of tune gutaara player, who disturbed the pleasant flow of the melody with his discordant instrument. When the Marquis Ginaz rose from his seat to play with the rest of the band gasps of surprise erupted all around the hall, but soon enough everyone settled to listen as it became apparent that the man possessed quite a bit of skill with the gutaara. Intrigued, Amyssa leaned closer to Dominique's ear and whispered:

“He's actually quite good!”

[Niobe Atreides]

"You remember that time right before you left for Wallach? We went for that swim in the ocean, and it was the first time I had seen a Caladan jellyfish. I damn near jumped out of my skin, and I wouldn't go back in the water, and you laughed the whole time," Jacob chuckled. "Jellyfish still scare me, you know."

Niobe stifled a laugh with the back of her hand; the sudden mention of that night brought a wave of pleasant memories to the fore; it had been a long time ago, but she could still see the dark mirror of the ocean with its quiet ripples and Caladan's moons shining down on them from the star-studded heavens.

“Oh yes, how could I forget! My brave Swordsmaster to be, afraid of a jellyfish! We had some good laughs that night, thanks to you I could think of things other than the imminent journey to Wallach….”

The Duchess pressed the corner of a napkin to her lips and continued:

“Father taught me how to sail; you should come with me on a cruise sometime, there is more to Caladan's oceans than jellyfish. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of the times father took me pearl fishing; we used to return with several gems this big” she indicated size with her thumb and index finger - “which changed colour when light touched them. Of course, finding them and just being out at sea together was the best part.”

Niobe suppressed a sigh; speaking of Duke Mintor brought back the sorrow of his death, still so fresh in her heart. Her eyes fell on the Ducal ring adorning her right hand, a family heirloom worn by every generation of Atreides rulers; one day, Niobe would pass it on to her own son; for she suspected now the true reason why the Sisterhood had decided to return her to Caladan without completing her training. She was meant to give birth to a son who would perpetuate the Atreides name and bloodline, but the Bene Gesserit's motivations remained opaque. Niobe had accepted it without question, a political arrangement like so many in the Imperium, necessary and unavoidable. Duke Mintor had married out of love, and his marriage had failed to produce a male heir; Niobe would not make the same mistake. No harm could come to House Atreides; no matter what the cost.

Her stream of consciousness was interrupted by the arrival of a musical band, surely part of the entertainment hired for the evening. Placidly resting her hands in her lap, Niobe listened to the steady flow of music, without truly paying attention; it was definitely not the best she had heard. Then, Jacob left his seat to intervene, taking hold of one of the instruments, a gutaara. Niobe did not know he could play it, and his gesture surprised her, as well as many of the guests judging by the looks on their faces: a leader of a Noble House pulling off such a stunt in the middle of an Emperor's banquet? They didn't know Jacob then, Niobe thought to herself, while the harmonious sounds rose into the atmosphere. The song was old, yet beautiful in its simplicity and it succeeded in capturing the interest of the audience. Along with the rest, Niobe delivered a round of applause as the music faded into silence, but soon discovered that the Marquis had another surprise up his sleeve. Taking the instrument with him he approached the table where Niobe sat and spoke to the assembled guests:

"Most of you who know me, know that I'm not exactly the best Noble. I carry my own bags, I consort with my servants, and i play my own instruments." This drew a few chuckles from around the tables. "But now, I'd like to play a song for all of you. It's a very ancient song, no-one even knows where it came from. But here we go..."

Positioning himself before them he began to play Malaguena Salerosa, a truly ancient melody in a language nobody remembered but it did not matter, for the emotion it evoked was timeless and universal. As he sang, he kept his eyes on Niobe the whole time and when he finished the song, he bowed deeply to the applause he received then sat back next to the Duchess who felt at once conspicuous and moved by the gesture.

[Elisha Montague]

---

The Royal Boudoir

---

She was no more than three steps from the table when Elisha remembered that she had handed her whalefur cloak to the usher as she took her seat and had not thought to retrieve it, but to turn around now would make her appear scatty and forgetful, so it looked as though the Baroness was going to be treated to a full viewing of the blue metallic dress. Well perhaps she could do with a lesson in alternative styling. The long pink parisilk garment chosen by the Harkonnen was undoubtedly very elegant by comparison but was really not to Elisha's taste; even on those occasions when she was trying to look demure pink was just not her colour. Probably Rose had also enjoyed the attentions of at least five servants to help her into it, wash and perfume her, and then fix her hair especially for the banquet. Thanks to the meagre allowance that her father provided for her upkeep on the Capitol, Elisha's finances certainly did not run to such things, with most of her money consumed by the high cost of living on Kaitain and the expense of socialising.

She mused about what it must be like for a woman who appeared barely older than herself to control a Great House, even if only as regent, and felt a twinge of jealousy. Elisha herself would surely never taste such power, barring some tremendous cataclysm wiping out her father and the five siblings who stood ahead of her in the line of succession. No, Elisha Montague would never rule anyone so the best she could do was rule herself in a way which made the most of her life. That was what she had always considered her goal to be, and it was why she had chafed so terribly against the stifling restrictions of life among the Bene Gesserit. In fact she did not really envy Rose, for with power came responsibility, and with responsibility came choking expectations and standards which had to be lived up to.

Passing two grim-faced guards the women entered the bathroom, and Elisha marvelled at the sheer opulence of it. Gold fittings and thick fur carpets in a bathroom of all places struck her was so over the top as to be ridiculous, but then this was an Emperor's palace after all. She had always thought the bathrooms at the Landsraad Council chamber were fine enough with their immaculately polished brass and steel taps but this was on another level altogether. Rose settled into a chair before commenting on the discomfort her shoes were causing her and offering them up for inspection. The footwear was not really any more to her taste than the dress, and Elisha bit her tongue and resisted the temptation to tell the Baroness that if the shoes were so painful then perhaps she should not be wearing them.

"Very nice" she said eyeing the shoes critically, "Although I'm more a boots person myself".

Raising one leg as much as the wickedly short dress would allow she pointed out her own azure blue knee-highs. Rose then congratulated her on a recent Heighliner construction deal - in fact the same one which the Atreides Duchess had remarked upon and the last deal she had negotiated with Zaal Magorian before his unfortunate illness. It was less of a surprise to hear the Harkonnen mention it though, for they had also been bidding for the same contract. Was this the reason for wanting to get her away from the table? Surely she was not about to attempt to bribe Elisha into throwing the deal.

"So Elisha are you planning on staying on Kaitain long?" enquired the other blonde, "Or do you intend to your home planet once the festivities are over? Sebastain and I plan on spending a few days here and it would be lovely if you were to join us so we can get to know one another better".

Elisha was taken aback slightly since there was no further mention of business. What was this woman's interest in her then? From what she could see so far the two had next to nothing in common and she couldn't fathom a reason for Rose wanting to spend time with her. Fortunately her current professional position dictated her reply.

"No, I shall not be going home any time in the immediate future. Since I am my father's Landsraad Ambassador I am required to stay on Kaitain essentially full time" she replied, maintaining a polite tone, "Perhaps there will be a chance for us to become better acquainted if you truly wish it. May I ask if you're enquiring from a business or personal perspective?"

Determined to get to the bottom of the Harkonnen woman's motives quickly, Elisha nonetheless put her question in the warmest possible tone. In fact more than one Proctor at the Mother School had remarked on the fact that while she ranked among the most disobedient pupils they had ever known, her tact and politeness could rarely be faulted. Elisha had never seen any reason why in order to question and resist overbearing authority one necessarily had to be crude while doing so, and thus had always achieved high marks in communication and liaison skills and even earned the odd word of praise from her dour father when it came to her diplomatic ability.

While she waited for Rose to respond she adjusted once more the front of her dress to make sure that the view afforded to the Emperor and other male guests remained just so. She also accepted some complementary perfume from the bathroom attendant and proceeded to spray herself liberally. Her dress was indeed coated on the inside with an inbuilt freshening material, but she had been wearing it for some time now and it surely couldn't last indefinitely without replenishment. She didn't recognise the scent of the perfume, and deduced that it was probably something fearfully expensive that she'd never get the chance to use again; all the more reason to make the most of the Emperor's hospitality.

"Elisha from a personal perspective" replied the other woman at last, "If I wished business it would have been handled by our people. Nobility is a lonely life for people like us. I just wish to know you and your House better. Not something out of a history book or rumours. I hope this is acceptable".

The words sounded genuine enough, and in fact she detected a very faint hint in the reply that Rose may have taken some offence at her motives being questioned, but Elisha would not let go of her suspicions that easily. Both Bene Gesserit lessons and the hard experiences of life on the diplomatic circuit had taught her never to accept people at face value, and she still thought there could be more to this apparent offer of friendship that met the eye. Despite that getting to know someone was a two-way street, and it could not hurt to learn more about House Harkonnen and the woman who for now ruled it. Before replying she watched as the other woman delicately applied the perfume which she had used in quantity; how very prim and proper.

Still the preening princess. If you're going to use expensive perfume you might as well make the most of it.

Subtlety was not one of Elisha's strong points. Perhaps that was the core of why she'd never made it as a Bene Gesserit Sister. She believed that if something needed saying then it was better to come out and say it: quite the opposite of the Sisterhood who thrived on rumours, gossip, and what was better left unsaid. Her honesty and willingness to avoid the endless rounds of bluff and counter-bluff had won her appreciation among her diplomatic colleagues, but she knew it was not really becoming of a young noblewoman. Then again she was so far down the pecking order that she barely thought of herself as noble really. She certainly didn't feel rich enough, and rarely if ever used the courtesy title Lady Elisha Montague which she thought sounded frighteningly pompous.

"I realize you are viewing this with suspicion" continued Rose, perhaps sensing vibes of continued uncertainly from Elisha, "but all I want if possible is to be friends with you. Well I am about done here. You?"

"Yes, I'm all set" she replied, before lowering her own voice a little, "And indeed, it might be nice to get to know you better. I'm afraid I don't have any contact details with me tonight, but you can reach me through the ambassadorial office and it would be nice to spend some time together. I'm sure there is much you'd like to see on Kaitain".

Well that was done. She had offered the olive branch to Rose Harkonnen, and now she would just have to see whether the other was indeed genuine or planned to beat her over the head with it. She still didn't truly believe the two had anything in common that would lead to a deep friendship, but it was certainly worth finding out as much as she could about the ruler of her House's greatest industrial rival. She recalled an old proverb they had been taught on Wallach IX about keeping one's friends close and one's enemies closer; the Sisterhood knew a few things after all.

As they exited the bathroom Elisha saw that that musical entertainment had arrived, and Jacob Ginaz had gotten up and joined them for an impromptu performance. That was so like the Ginaz Marquis, whose lack of formality was legendary throughout the Imperium's upper classes. Elisha had a lot of time for a man like that, and rather wished other nobles would take a leaf out of his book. It was a shame that he appeared firmly attached to Niobe Atreides, or else she might have been tempted to chat him up later with a view to a post-banquet liason. Ginaz however was posing a more direct problem than simply being off limits for her sexual advances: he and his instrument were blocking the path back to her seat, meaning that she would have to walk around the other side of the table past Miral Alechem seated at the Emperor's side. If ever her former teacher and tempter was going to make a comment, this would surely be the time.

[Miral Alechem]

Miral had remained seated for the entire length of the soirée, scarce in her comments which ended up not being more than greetings and customary remarks on the atmosphere, guests or similarly idle chatter. The Truthsayer resented petty discussions and avoided them, for she had no interest in either the population increase of Cala City or the latest uprising in some nameless Giedi Prime slave pit.

That didn't mean she was deaf and blind to what went on around her; on the contrary. Miral Alechem kept an ear out for anything of interest, while her fathomless blue eyes perused the array of seated guests with concealed interest; at the same time she was half aware of DeLanier's endless droning on the evolution of Hagal commerce over the past two centuries, a completely useless and dull subject in which the Chamberlain seemed to be entirely submerged.

Nodding absently in his direction, Miral stole a glance at the Bellarusso girl, whom she found whispering with the Ixian Ambassador; initially the worry that the Emperor would not be interested had crept in her mind, but decided it was not a problem after all; for all of Elrood's interest in Elisha Montague or rather her dress, she had caught him glancing furtively at Dominique. For political reasons if not for anything else he had surely taken the possibility of marriage into account, which suited Miral just fine. After all, nobility married for many reasons, love often being the last.

Love….

Miral's gaze moved to the crouched silhouette of Marquis Jacob Ginaz, who had decided to stay true to his reputation as the rogue nobleman and disrupt the musical number by playing gutaara with the rest of the band, much to de Lanier's disdain. All this time, his eyes had remained fixed on Niobe Atreides with a look of unmistakable affection. The Marquis clearly didn't see it, but love was one of the most dangerous human feelings, that lead to loss of control, blurred judgment and weakness. The Sisterhood had taught her that when she was but a skinny girl with long raven hair ravaged by the fires of puberty, yet even Miral Alechem had defied those teachings on one occasion, which had ended with her lover's death at her own hands. She had learned her lesson then; painful lessons were, after all, the ones remembered best.

But ah! The Truthsayer leaned back in her chair, as she caught sight of two female figures returning to the table side by side: Rose Harkonnen, and none other than her old student, Elisha Montague. Miral remembered her well, for she had brought her into her office one night to make a valuable proposition which Elisha had then chosen to disregard, thus forfeiting the greatest opportunity of her life. Now there she was, swaying her hips as languidly as she could for Elrood's enjoyment but unfortunately for her, the short route back to her seat was being blocked by the serenading Marquis, meaning that the teacher and pupil were to be reunited for a few moments.

“Ah! Elisha Montague!” Miral spoke loud enough to force the younger woman to acknowledge her. “Not a word from you, despite having been my student. I see you have done well, after your unfortunate expulsion from the Sisterhood.”

Her lip curled. Yes, let her be reminded of it, just as she confidently shoved her assets in Elrood's face. The Bene Gesserit did not treat disobedience lightly.