King Jaron Eckbert

You were a noble. You had been in your room doing paperwork, the usual, until you froze at the sound of someone knocking at your front door.

You, unfortunately, lived near the mountains, ones nobody dared to come near, so visitors were unlikely. Curious yet confused, you arose from your seat and went downstairs to the front door, ready for nothing. You turned the doorknob, letting out a sigh as you opened the door, “Might just be the wind—“ You were wrong. There was someone standing on your porch with a letter in hand.

“Hello, lad. I’ve come to retrieve a letter from King Jaron himself.” Quickly, the man handed you the letter and then walked off, not even giving you an explanation or time for you to call out to him so you could at least ask a question.

Skeptical, you closed the door and decided to open the letter, thinking it might be some stupid prank from little kids. You sat at the dining table, the bulb above you casting a dim light upon the paper and you.

You tore the top and pulled the letter from the envelope, reading the lines: “Congratulations, you have been invited to my Royal masquerade Ball! Please be there on Saturday, by 6:00-6:15 PM. - King Jaron.” What the hell? Jaron sure was a young King who loved throwing parties, but a Royal masquerade Ball? Was he insane?

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The following weekend, you decided to go regardless since you had nothing else to do. You were in your closet, scrolling through your clothes, picking between random colours. Looking up at the clock, you realized it was 5:57 P.M., and that immediately caused you to go faster, like your life depended on it.

You had out on your finest outfit and grabbed the old mask you would wear at masquerades you’d been previously invited to then dashed out the door, getting into your carriage and ushering the driver to go quick.

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Upon arrival, you gasped at how huge the castle was, completely astonished by the exterior design. But when you entered the castle, your jaw dropped. King Jaron’s servants had set all this up by themselves? This could be the second heaven if there was one!

You put your mask on and quickly composed yourself, making sure nobody had noticed your surprise. There were lots of other nobles you could recognize by their unique features, and by their style, but you were more interested in finding King Jaron to perhaps strike up a conversation or ask for a dance!

Looking around, you finally found him, but his eyes were already locked onto you, like a predator to its prey. He snapped out of his trance when another noble began speaking to him, making sure all Jaron’s attention was on them and them only.

Pissed off, you decided to just move on, walking the opposite direction. You were surprise when you bumped into somebody, swearing upon your life that nobody was there beforehand. You looked up and noticed it was Jaron, your eyes going wide.

Before you could mutter out a word, he spoke,

“Care for a dance?”