fantasy – Page 10 – Longest Night Midwinter Masque

Video: Jasmine House

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Jasmine, whose scent lasts long into the night, an exotic perfume.
We surround your senses and intoxicate. We are wilder, lush, freer, and more passionate than most. Jasmine House surrounds itself with beauty; we live our lives with sensuality. Pleasure is found in seeing and touching, in the senses and in the mind. We are unrestricted in our canon: any tastes and desires will be met, all are for pleasure’s sake. To visit Jasmine is to enter paradise…
–Samaria nó Jasmine, Former Dowayne

Video: A Quiet Moment – Cyrille nó Alyssum writes to a lover

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My dearest Amelie,

You do not know how much your letter warmed my heart and brought joy to these chilly nights. There is much happening in the Court and amongst us flowers but you will have heard all the gossip by now and you know I am not one to share other’s secrets but do know I have heard most of the current whispers as always. What you will not have heard about is my health. I am unwell and we do not yet know the cause so you do not need to worry about something too well known. Most days I am alright and am able to maintain my duties and loves as I wish and on the days I am not my darling Amarante steps in and helps care for me. I could not ask for a better Second. The rest of my news can keep until I see you on the Longest Night but I do beg of you that you keep me in your prayers to Eisheth.

With all my heart,

Cyrille nó Alyssum

Video: How to Get in Touch with Orchis

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A woman is lying face down on a bed, her back bare, a sheet covering her from the waist down. A man’s hands are massaging her bare from off-screen. Soft, romantic music plays in the background

The woman moans and sighs contentedly.

WOMAN: Have you got any protection?

She sighs

Camera pans up to the curtains in her room. The music stops, replaced by loud metallic screeching and banging noises.

The camera pans back down to the woman and man lying in bed, wearing full body personal protection equipment, including body suits, medical face masks, surgical hair coverings, plastic face shields, and nitrile gloves.

Man: (whispering) You got the stuff?

The woman opens a bottle of antibacterial hand gel and squirts some on their gloves. They rub the hand gel vigorously over the entire surface of the gloves. Soft, romantic music resumes.

Fade to: white text on black screen: Get your Masque on!

Fade to: the woman and man stand opposite each other on the bed. The man holds out a measuring stick and touches it to her chest. She shrugs.

Video: Welcome to Dahlia House

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I’m Jocaste nó Dahlia the Dowyane of Dahlia House. And I suppose you’re here because you want to learn more about us you want to understand more about what makes us feel very special.

Well, to understand us you need to understand that many of us come from other Houses, originated somewhere else. We were chosen for this House because we demonstrated an ability to lead; we demonstrated a bigger vision; we demonstrated a deeper understanding of the allure of power.

Now, our friends at Mandrake and Valerian definitely understand that. But we’re talking about political power. We’re talking about the ability to lead people…into movements, into abundance, and into fulfillment.

And in fact, a night at Dahlia House is simply a chance to be to have an audience with us, to be part of that environment of power crackling with electricity, crackling with anticipation, with tension or flirtation and courtly love. To have the opportunity to be noticed. And the opportunity to be chosen, among many.

Every adept in the Night Court, regardless of your House gets to choose their own patrons. But in Dahlia House, we have many patrons that we can choose from any given night, or we can choose none at all.

And that itself is satisfying that itself is the tease, and the play, and the intrigue, that we inspire.

For example, I should have been in Gentian House. I should have been a mystic and a seer – a dreamer of dreams. But I wanted to change the way that they approach things. And at the tender age of 10, I tried.

And that is how I got chosen for Dahlia. That is how I was fostered into leadership of this House. Because bringing out the best in our lovers and making them earn that opportunity to see the private “us”, to have that pedestal of acclaim and achievement is seductive in and of itself.

Who doesn’t want to take credit for a queen, inviting someone to her bed? A king, recognizing you in public, and giving you his favor?

We are no stranger to those who have been locked out at the court and their ambitions have been thwarted one way or another. They get to play out that fantasy with us to earn our attention. And it’s no mistake that we are often called upon to be advisors to the court.

So, House Dahlia will definitely surprise you. Yes, we hold our heads up high. Yes, we all have imaginary crowns on our heads. And you will want us all the more so for it.

Please enjoy this Longest Night’s Midwinter Masque, the biggest event in Terre d’Ange. We look forward to meeting you and seeing you show your worth.

Video: Petrea’s Offer

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PETREA NO CEREUS and MARCO DECIMUS, her lover, lie in bed in her private chambers after an intimate evening.

PETREA

I wish your time in the city were not so short. Your visits come far too rarely for my tastes. You scholars – how you do wander. It’s a wonder you visit me at all, what with you jaunting from one end of the world to the other.

MARCO

(chuckles)

You know that I always make my way to you, no matter where my travels take me, dearest.

How go your plans for the Midwinter Masque? I know from your letters that Aliksandria tasked you with the preparations.

PETREA

(groans)

MARCO (CONT’D)

You have concerns of the ball? Or is it this scandal you have written about that troubles you?

PETREA

Oh the ball, itself, will be spectacular. But I fear there shall be no joy for me on the Longest Night. You know the City of Elua loves nothing more than a scandal. And I hate nothing more than a scandal – so tiresome.

(annoyed)

The gossiping grows worse by the day. One can no longer avoid the rumor mongering. There is even a whisper that I am humiliated by the thought of another Second being chosen over me – when nothing could be further from the truth. It has gone too far. The foolish stories are on the lips of every person in every shop on every corner throughout the city, not to mention in every chamber of every House here on Mont Nuit.

(angrily)

There is literally no one I do not hate right now.

MARCO

(laughs, then his voice turns serious)

You seem less and less content each time I see you. And this..this seems too much for you.

He pauses briefly as if something has occurred to him.

MARCO (CONT’D)

(thoughtfully)

Would you ever consider leaving the Night Court?

PETREA

You mean retire? It is not…it is not done.

(sadly)

One does not retire for the simple fact that one is unhappy in one’s place and dislikes courtly gossip.

MARCO

No, no, of course not. But there are other reasons for leaving. Marriage, for example. Others who have made their marque have married and left the Night Court. Left the City. Left Terre d’Ange, even.

PETREA

(thinking out loud)

Marriage? Well, yes, that does happen. But who would I marry? I have dear friends, it is true, but not any who would agree to a marriage of convenience and certainly not any whom are not entangled in..oh.

She pauses as his meaning dawns on her

PETREA (CONT’D)

Oh.

She is silent for a moment, realizing what he is suggesting.

PETREA (CONT’D)

Are…are you proposing marriage?

MARCO

I am.

PETREA

But surely you wish to marry for love, and not simply to take pity on an unhappy woman.

MARCO

I do wish to marry for love. And I would be.

PETREA

Oh.

MARCO

I love you. I love you more than any words in the world can express. Why do you think I come back to you time and again?

PETREA

I thought you enjoyed my company. That I was a stop along your way back to Tiberium from…wherever it is you go.

MARCO

Well there is that, but you are so much more to me than that. Marry me. Come to Tiberium with me. I have a home there. Perhaps not quite as lavish as Cereus House…

PETREA

(laughs)

MARCO (CONT’D)

(his words coming faster)

..but it is comfortable. Let me take you away from here. Away from this life that you do not love. We could travel if you like. Let me show you the world. There is so much more than what you have seen and experienced here in the City. Or not. We don’t have to travel. We can stay in Tiberium. We can have children if you like. Or not. You can study at the university if you like. Or not, if you do not wish. It matters not.

(more gently)

All that matters is that you come home to me at the end of each day. Whatever you want, I will give you.

(quietly)

You can return as often as you like. Whenever you like. I know that there are people here that you love and could not bear to be separated from forever. I know that this is your favorite time of year, and I promise that we’ll always arrange any travels so that you’re here at Cereus House for the Midwinter Masque. What do you think?

Video: Odilia Gets The Letter

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SCENE: [ODILIA is looking out the window, pensive, worried, something weighing on her mind.]

ROSANNA: (offscreen) Odilia?

[ODILIA turns to look at ROSANNA waiting by the couch, she manages a smile]

ODILIA: Rosanna.

[ROSANNA knows her friend, she knows better than to believe the smile.]

ROSANNA: What is it?

[ODILIA crosses to the low table and hands ROSANNA the letter lying there.]

ROSANNA: The royal seal…

ODILIA: Read it.

[ODILIA sits at her couch and sips her wine, watching ROSANNA read. She sits slowly too as she reads aloud.]

ROSANNA: (reading aloud) “Dearest Odilia, In these uncertain times when I have more on my mind than ever, I find my thoughts turning to you more and more.”
(breaking off) Odilia, this seems personal…

ODILIA: Keep going.

ROSANNA: (reading aloud) “The loss of my beloved brother weighs heavily on me, nearly as heavily as that weight that I never thought to bear. As the nights grow longer, I have more time than ever to consider that which lays before me. Mon coeur, I long for your arms and for your advice as to what is next for me. For us. I must take the crown and my mother has warned me that the weight of it will change everything. I stand at the precipice of something new, knowing now more than ever I will need guidance. And so I have made a choice. The Longest Night celebrations will soon overtake the city but my heart is not in them. Instead, I will stand Cassiel’s Vigil through the night, praying for Elua’s guidance and blessing. I regret I cannot share the evening with you as I had wished but to that end I ask for your assistance. As I cannot attend the fete at Cereus House, go in my stead and speak with my voice and represent me among your peers and other guests-”
(breaking off) Odilia, this means something.

ODILIA: Yes, it does.

ROSANNA: Has he asked you to be….?

ODILIA: No. Not yet. I thought he might but then the plague and the loss of his brother…there was no time.

ROSANNA: (reading aloud) “I can trust this to no other for no other is the queen of my heart the way you are, no other knows my heart and mind the way you do. I have every faith in you and place my trust in you completely. I miss you and pray the spring will bring us together again. Yours ever devotedly, Gustav.”

[She sets the letter aside and looks at her friend. ODILIA is valiantly trying to keep her composure but ROSANNA knows her friend too well.]

ROSANNA: Are you alright?

[ODILIA stifles a laugh. ROSANNA takes her hand.]

ROSANNA: Are you ready for this?

ODILIA: I have to be.

Purchase a Customized Poem for your Beloved!

writing quill

Longing to declare your love from the rooftops of the night’s doorstep, but not gifted with a silver tongue?

For a few gold coins, an Eglantine adept will pen and perform an ode to your beloved.

Click Here to purchase this unique gift for your special person. After purchasing, you will receive an email within one week (seven calendar days) from poet@thelongestnightmasque.com to inquire about your beloved for inspiration.

Proceeds from the Masque go to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

What is Alyssum?

Sweet Alyssum plant
Alyssum or Alisons (Lobularia maritima syn. Alyssum maritimum)

House Alyssum :: With Eyes Averted

Alyssum is one of the most difficult to reconcile Houses in The Court of Night-Blooming Flowers. Modesty? With Eyes Averted? How do these co-exist in a world that places such high value on Love As Thou Will?

If you follow Imriel’s line of thinking, Alyssum lies in the same area as Valerian only instead of physical discomfort, Alyssum provides shame to its patrons.

I’d like to offer another way of looking at it, taken from the ideas of modesty and the characteristics of the plant as well as it’s meaning and the lore of Terre d’Ange.

Modesty isn’t an inherently negative thing, it is often based in the desire to keep things away from people that will not appreciate them as they deserve. In this way, Alyssum is the same; you go to Alyssum for what is kept hidden from the eyes of the undeserving.

House Alyssum is approached via a drive lined with cypress trees; cypress trees are revered in many traditions for their upright growth and their resistance to fire. What shame can survive a fire? Rather than shame, a knowledge of one’s own value is what survives, particularly if we are to assume that the Adepts of Alyssum are consenting in their trysts.

The Alyssum plant itself is incredibly hardy, surviving drought and flood when other perennial plants do not. This is not a plant that symbolizes weakness or susceptibility to outside influence.

An Adept that displays the virtues of House Alyssum is not an Adept that is weak as many assume modesty to imply. The Adept Imriel sees isn’t shamed by her desires or his, she isn’t uncertain. To me, this is a House of hidden strength, a House of Adepts that, though they may blush to speak what they wish, know what they desire. They know themselves in a way we all can aspire to.

Face Mask-erade

Garb yourself in our attractive, limited edition protective face masks. Drawing inspiration from the characters and stories of the Kushiel’s Legacy books, the adepts of the Night Court have toiled away at these special garments.

These cloth face masks are available in very limited quantities only through Longest Night Midwinter Masque website. Proceeds from the Longest Night Midwinter Masque go to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.

View our current selection here and check back for new styles!

Stay safe and healthy and, as always, love as thou wilt.

Masque Prep Fanfic: Rosanna Baphinol nó Valerian

Almost from the moment the rumor began of an Official Consort to the Dauphin Mont Nuit had been aflame with questions. Supposedly said potential Consort was a close friend of hers, therefore to gossiping minds Rosanna just had to know all the details of how and why and when this affair had begun. Not that Rosanna would ever tell, of course. But with the future King choosing to shy away from the biggest party of the year, well the queries had started to arrive in more and more imaginative forms.

“A donation to the construction of a new shrine?” Rosanna rolled her eyes and continued to look over the collection of masks laid out for her inspection.

“So they say,” her Second replied with a shrug. Tryphosa made a note of who sent that letter and went back to sorting the growing stack of correspondence. “As though we need a new one. Besides, where would we put it? And in return for information on Lady Dahlia’s particular favorite gifts?”

“They are desperate to ingratiate themselves to her inner circle, if the rumors are true. As though I would give them anything.” She examined a mask covered in peacock feathers. “Besides, it’s more fun to watch them wriggle and guess.”

“Are you sure Mandrake didn’t bid for your marque?”

“Not at all. I just like the games of court and Odilia is giving them the spectator sport of their lives. A member of the Court of Night Blooming Flowers maybe becoming Royal Consort? And not a Cereus? It’s a scandal and I love a good scandal.” No, that mask wouldn’t do, she returned it to the pile and continued looking through the choices. One caught her eye, it was made up entirely of the most delicate, silver chains she had ever seen. silver chain masque It took both hands to hold it up properly, the metal glittering in the candlelight. Oh yes.

“Do you think he’ll be a good king?” Tryphosa leaned back on the settee, a lock of platinum hair falling becomingly across her face. Rosanna looked at her over her shoulder, studying her friend and Second. “What with his brother passing away so unexpectedly, the whole country turned on its head for months in mourning and gossip.”

“I admit I wasn’t ready when I had to take up being Dowayne,” she replied and held up the mask to her face. Even if her costume had been complete for some time she had yet to find just the right mask to complete her disguise. It all felt rather like a metaphor to life in court – any court. “My predecessor did leave quite suddenly, I thought I had more time to prepare for this. I imagine it was similar for him, on a far greater scale mind you.”

“But your family is, well,” Tryphosa waved her hand looking for just the right word to describe Rosanna’s huge family.

“Overbearing?”

“Rich is more what I was going for. Well connected is polite. They expected you to make Dowayne one day, so did you and never hid it.”

“True,” Rosanna gave a laugh. “But an assertive Valerian? It sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it? But as the youngest in a brood I never wanted to end up in my siblings’ collective shadows, so I do not think I can be blamed for pushing ahead. No matter how impromptu my promotion came.”

“Maybe the Dauphin is like that too. He’s so sweet, from what I’ve heard, perhaps people underestimate him. Does your friend hint at any of that?”

“If I am not going to hand over pillow talk to a high paying patron why would I give it to you?”

Tryphosa threw a pillow and Rosanna just barely ducked in time.

“Resorting to violence? Now who belongs in Mandrake?”

To be completely honest the girlish play was soothing. Rosanna did know quite a lot, enough to worry her over just what sort of traps the court was placing for her friend and the Dahlia’s golden prince. Being born into the nobility herself, she knew just how vicious the landed class could be. But she had faith in the Precept, which she held steadfast in her heart, and that Blessed Elua would be watching over them all on this holy night. Such devoted thoughts were cut short by the touch of a flesh and blood hand on her shoulder, and Rosanna pulled herself together.

“Oh hush,” Tryphosa grinned despite not getting the gossip she desired. “Are you done picking your mask? We have a ball to get to.”

Read the story of our Masque here and submit your fanfic story.