A Servants' Affair

For Spooktober 2024, word "space"

The dining hall behind the kitchen was not hard to find, and Lirin was waiting for him there. Her face lit when she saw him approaching, and his own heart jumped a little. It felt good to be wanted.

“I’m glad you’re here!” she said. “It’s already started, so let’s go in.”

She had waited outside for him, though he hardly could have gotten lost on his way to the dining hall. He was glad he’d come.

The servants’ dining hall had been transformed from its usual serviceable demeanor. Instead of the overhead chandeliers, lamps had been placed in little clusters on tables or along the walls, casting deep shadows and creating separate pools of warm light. Most tables had been drawn aside, but for a few which bore trays of tidbits, leaving space for dancing and for numerous piles of cushions. Musicians sat in a circle, facing one another to collaborate. The floor even had a scattering of flower petals, probably taken from the fading bouquets of nobles’ rooms.

Lirin grasped him by the hand and drew him into the room. “I’m sure it’s nothing like the feasts you attend, but it will do for tonight, won’t it?”

“It certainly will.”

“Dance with me?” She did not wait for a reply but tugged him into the open space.