Chapter 76

[MEMBERSONLY]

Rabba ve, everyone!!

Thank you to all my dear readers and Comrades and I've thanked all those who commented for the last update individually in the last thread ( My replies to the Comments made on the Last Chapter). Thank you for all the wishes on the New Thread, the pics, the words, the love and even the poem! In the honor of getting a job (congrats dear!), Rocking Soni has offered to treat us all to coffee and beverages for tonight's narration so make sure you use the best of opportunity and make her happy in treating us! *wink*

Congrats to Farwa dear on making Dazzler and to rockprincess for making it to Groupbie from Newbie and also in wishing the latter a happy vacation. Will miss you dear!!

On behalf of all my dear readers and Comrades, I welcome our new readers rini_kat and zainza to the land of Arhasia...

IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE YOU READ THE CHAPTER:

I do hope you remember the description of the ballroom I had given in an earlier chapter. It was detailed in the Candle lighting chapter before all that dungeon drama. Chapter Seventy Two: Lighting Candles

Also, I hope you remember the symbols of the CARDS that I had detailed in the post Interpreting IPKKND: Chess and Cards

You may have noticed the chapter's title. And, I know some of you will have realized it is a very significant title especially in the context of what is happening and where it is happening and who all are involved in it. For those of you who do not know what a quadrille is: it is, well, a kind of square dancing where four couples will take the center, each couple arranged in a square. The couples will each be in two separate circles, the girls in the inner circle and the men in the outer circle. Eh, square, I mean. Its square dancing, you see. So when the music changes, the inner circle will move in the counter-clockwise or clockwise direction (that is, a change of partner) and hence by the end of the dance, all eight dancers will have danced with four different partners each.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY this dance scene was prepared in my head long before I began the FF. So one could say that it is because of this chapter finding seed in my imagination that I decided to write an FF around this scene. This dance scene is the foundation of this FF and hence the climax highlight! That is why the chapter is important to me because this chapter created this FF and hence I wanted it to be on the New Thread. Thank you, my dear readers and friends, for making this dream come true.

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Nine: The Moves of the Quadrille

With the ceremony over, the ball was the highlight next and Lord Akash announced that it was time for the Orchestra to play.

The musicians were all seated or standing on the platform with their instruments readied and the conductor lifted his directing baton. The music began, flowing through the room and making everyone smile and become eager for the dance.

The first dance, as per the Castle protocol, was the quadrille.

Since it was Lady Anjali's special day, she was decided to be the one who would name the men who were to be at the quadrille, and she walked to the center of the ballroom to announce her picks. The first two names were evident choices.

"The First Lord, the Second Lord," she began, "and my Husband, certainly, for I must dance at the quadrille myself." And this remark earned a round of laughter from the assembled.

"But who will be the fourth person..." she looked across the room at the men assembled and her eyes fell on the one standing beside Rahim Chacha, "Master Aman!"

Master Aman was startled that he was chosen to dance alongside his Masters but he smiled gratefully and, with his hands in his pockets, strode obediently towards the center of the ballroom.

Each square that made the floor of the ballroom, either black or white, was large enough to accommodate two people to stand together within it. Among these squares, four squares in the center of the ballroom are each marked by a singular symbol of a card suit, and these squares were placed in the center at approximately equal distance from each other.

Lady Anjali watched as the men chose their places randomly: her husband onto the Square of Diamonds, her brother onto the Square of Clubs, Lord Akash onto the Square of Spades and Master Aman on the remaining Square of Hearts.

"We are forgetting something here," said Lady Anjali merrily to the men, "Do you plan to dance by yourselves? Without partners?"

The crowd laughed again and Lord Arnav grudgingly stepped out of the square followed by the other men. They looked around the room, seeking a suitable partner.

The General walked towards his wife, held her hand, and whispered in her ear, his mask brushing against hers, "As soon as you finish directing us to the quadrille, I will expect to find you in my arms."

Lady Anjali smiled mischievously, "Would I dance with any other?"

He winked at her and walked back to the center while the other men were choosing their partners.

Lady Manorama was in the crowd, furtively pointing out to her son the extravagant of the young girls who had come to the ball. He smiled at his mother and walked towards her, and then to her shock, he stretched out his hand towards the eldest Gupta girl.

The red blush under Payal's mask was enough answer for the Second Lord. He held her hand and led her to the center.

Lord Arnav's roaming eyes had crossed Kushi's gaze several times but she tried to focus on righting Ram's ruffled hair and not look up, in fear he might pick her though that was an absurd fear. She knew there was a challenge made between them but they didn't have to dance together to answer to the challenge. They could, very well, dance with other partners and be judged on the basis of their separate dances...

She looked up and saw that he was leading Lady Lavanya by the hand to the center. A strange feeling crossed her heart and Kushi could not recognize it. Her eyes were on Lady Lavanya's face and she saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

Kushi smiled sadly, My poor Lady Lavanya. What a heart she has! She still loves him, even when she knows she must part from him on the morrow...

Suddenly she realized that all the people crowded before her had moved away and she was standing alone with Ram in that place. A handsome face was before her and his warm eyes looked at her through his mask, "Will you dance with me at the quadrille, Miss Kushi?"

Kushi was too taken aback by the offer, not able to believe she was going to be entered into the esteemed quadrille of the elite masquerade of the Castle. Her thoughts blanked and she could not regain the voice to reply, but she found her hand slip into Master's Aman waiting hand and then she was being led to the center of the ballroom.

Walking to the chosen squares as before, the General and Lady Anjali were soon positioned on the Square of Diamond, Lord Akash and Payal on the Square of Spade, Lord Arnav and Lady Lavanya were on the Square of Clubs and Master Aman had led Kushi to stand in the remaining square, the Square of Hearts.

As she positioned herself, Kushi nervously recollected the rule of the quadrille: The Squares were the unchanged center for the men in the outer circle, and the girls, who made up the inner circle, were supposed to move in the clockwise direction with the shift in the music.

Master Aman and Kushi were standing to one side of Lady Lavanya and Lord Arnav. The two girls caught each other's eye and smiled.

Then the Orchestra started playing and the dance began. The Music was a fast one and they waltzed away. All the assembled in the ballroom moved forwards and began waltzing around the quadrille including Master Gupta with Garima, and Master Happy with Mistress Madhumati, Lady Manorama with Lord Manohar who rolled his eyes when his wife shot frequent glances at the quadrille and muttered something about a 'Bruised Beauty'.

The only couple who was not dancing was Nani and Ram who sat and, along with Fortune, watched the quadrille.

I shall only be able to provide a few snatches of conversations that were conducted in the quadrille among the separate couple amidst all the dancing and the shift in the music, for it was a quick few minutes of dancing and everything passed like a blur for those in the quadrille.

"Have I ever told you how fine a dancer you are?" said Lady Anjali warmly as she danced in sync with her husband.

"You find me to be fine in everything, my Lady Queen," said her husband with a smile.

"That I do. You are the best thing that ever happened to me," she beamed at him

"How much you love me, my Lady Queen," he kissed her on her lips and they danced.

"Have you ever danced with a man before?" asked Lord Akash, enjoying his every moment.

"Often at Village Fairs, my lord," replied a blushing Payal, and then she looked at him, "I let them hold my hand when I dance with them but this is the first time I'm dancing with a man, letting him hold my heart..."

"You are such a delight to dance with Ms. Kushi," Master Aman said, holding her hand and turning her about.

"You're quite good yourself, Master Aman!" she smiled.

"Maybe we should enjoy dancing like this when we can't practice swords," said Master Aman with a jolly wink.

"Maybe..." Kushi said absentmindedly, and then the music shifted.

The men spun their women to their next partners and Lady Anjali swirled from the General's arms to her brother's caring ones.

"Watch your step, Chotey," remarked a cheerful Lady Anjali, as she looked up and noticed his gaze was on someone else in the quadrille, "Your mind is distracted."

He looked down at her and frowned, "Don't accuse me for losing your own step, Di, just because I'm not my brother-in-law."

Lady Anjali laughed , "He's a better dancer than you."

Lord Arnav smiled slightly, "And you're worse than Lavanya."

"Ah, Miss Kushi," Lord Akash beamed, through his mask at his partner, "After your sword fighting sessions, I believe this is the closest we've been."

"True," said Kushi, happily dancing with him, "and I see how you have flourished upon the repayment for my training."

"Your sister amazes me and I cannot term our relationship as 'repayment for training' anymore. She is more than that to me."

"I am pleased and relieved to know that," assured Kushi, "But slightly apprehensive too, as to where you intend to take your amiability with my sister to."

"Time Immemorial," said Lord Akash, with a wink, "And I assure you, she will be safe in my arms."

"That I am certain of."

And then the music shifted and the girls were spun to their next partners.

"You are a lot changed, my lord," said Payal to Lord Arnav.

"What do you mean?" Lord Arnav looked at her.

"You are less horrid toward my sister, I've come to learn," said Payal as Lord Arnav twirled her by one hand,

"That's merely because I have better things to confer myself with than some village girl's antics," he said, expressionlessly

Payal sighed and muttered to herself, "I see the change has not polished your prejudiced speech towards us village folk."

But Lord Arnav had not heard it over the music and besides his gaze was on where Kushi was dancing. He did not like it one bit how she was being spun into every man's arms even though they were his brother and brother-in-law and his loyal servant.

Kushi, in the meantime, found herself in the arms of the man she was only vaguely introduced to. And though she could not see his face, something about his eyes seemed familiar to her, "Do I know you?"

"I don't think you might," said the man in a strained voice, "I'm Lady Anjali's husband and have been away more often."

"Yes," said Kushi, smiling, "But it is so good of you to come here to celebrate the occasion of your unborn child. My good wishes to you, sir. And from my family too."

"Thank you, Miss...?"

"Gupta," offered Kushi, dancing, "Kushi Kumari Gupta."

And then the music shifted and the girls in the inner circle were whirled to their next partner and the General unwillingly spun Kushi into the waiting arms of Lord Arnav.

Kushi stared at him wide-eyed as his hands pressed on her back, keeping her possessively close to him. He moved her to the music and they could not take their eyes of each other. He twirled her before him and then drew her to him and brought her arms around his neck. Then he dipped her and she closed her eyes as she felt his breath on her bare neck.

When he straightened up, he made her move and sway to his steps, and Kushi closed her eyes engrossed in the dance of his beckoning. She felt perfect in his arms. When she had danced with Master Aman, Lord Akash and Lady Anjali's husband, she had felt the need to talk. But here, in his arms, she only wanted to drown in his warm hold and to succumb to any dips and sways as his dance demanded her body to. The music rose to a heated speed as it reached its close and Kushi opened her eyes and saw how dark and aroused his gaze was, having her pressed so close to him, moving her to his will.

"So," began Lady Anjali, who was dancing with Lord Akash, "I see some sparks erupting between you and the elder Gupta girl."

"You must be hallucinating, Di," said Lord Akash, focusing on his feet than on his cousin's face.

"Oh is it?" Lady Anjali smirked, "Well, whether you hide it from me or not, I suggest you make matters of the heart be known at the earliest lest someone else finds her worthy and carries her off."

Lord Akash's startled gaze moved from Lady Anjali's face to where Payal was dancing with Master Aman and seeing this expression of Lord Akash, Lady Anjali giggled heartily.

And then, as she danced, her gaze fell on the couple dancing at the other square and she felt a relieved warmth in her young heart. Chotey holding Kushiji in his arms. She looked towards where Nani was seated and saw that the elderly woman was also watching those two.

Nani patted young Ram's shoulder, as he played with Fortune beside her, and pointed to the couple, "Don't you think so, little Ram, that those two look magical together?"

Ram looked at the couple and only gazed in surprise that Kushi was indeed dancing with the man she had always told him she had despised.

It was Fortune who answered for Nani and only the boy and the elderly woman heard the bird's words, "Oak and Creeper!" And then he was silent again for the rest of the night.

To return to the INDEX

REGARDING THE SONG: The song that inspired me to make this chapter, the song that inspired me to write this FF was...well,when one night, before writing the FF, I saw this entire chapter in my head while listening to the Instrumental of Dancing Jodi from the movie Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Just like how I asked you to listen to the Nick Lachey's song for the ArShi dance, I would earnestly suggest that you listen to this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDeDqk9B4MY after you read the chapter. Remember the moves are fast and there is no break in the shifts from one partner to another. There are so many VMs made on this tune for ArShi but this is the only one I could find so far that has come closest to the feel and the speed with which I intended the moves for the dance at the ball https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DliKINI-fTg. Even if you don't watch the video, at least listen to the song, close your eyes and imagine the entire scene.

Now, with regard to the song, I will tell you exactly where the shifts in the partners take place (with respect to Kushi's position and according to the minutes of the first link (I will give it here again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDeDqk9B4MY)

From the beginning of the song, she is dancing happily with Master Aman, and then at 1.04, where the drumbeats rise and all other music is dimmed, she is transferred to Lord Akash with whom she merrily dances. At 2.07, where the first male Haule Haule is pronounced, she changes course to become General Jha's partner and if you are listening to the music, you will hear how she dances uncertainly with him. But slowly the fire builds and then comes the magic twist in the music. Exactly at 2.57, the General twirls her right into the arms of Lord Anrav and the female chorus that rises right at 2.58 is the surprised pause (Rabba Ve) between them and the intense dance that climaxes the entire dance to its perfect finale! Oh, I have goosebumps while writing this coz I am hearing the music and seeing them dance as I write!!! AH!!!!! Me in la la land!!!

Aquiline2013-02-10 08:26:19