Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

As Jovana was about to leave the terrace, she stumbled over something that rolled clinking over the stone floor, "Monkey shit," She exclaimed. The exclamation pierced through her instinctive good manners as she was about to fall face down on the ground. But thanks to her reflexes, Jovana managed to keep her footing.

'Well done, Jovana. Thank God I was alone—-' Jovana's thought trailed off when she heard someone's voice behind her.

"I'm sorry about that. I dropped it by mistake and couldn't find it in the dark." The person said, and Jovana froze slightly, as she mused, 'I was sure the terrace was empty.' 

Her eyes went to the clinking object that almost cost her a fall. It was a vial of Serendipity, 'It must have been a camouflage one.' Jovana thought, since she knew some vials could protect the user from prying eyes, almost like chameleons do. But for now, Jovana was more worried about the stranger. He was looking at her with very sharp eyes.

"Well…incidents happen. I'm sorry you had to hear me cursing like that." Jovana said, and the man waved her off.

"It's fine. My name is Falcon Ridley." He introduced himself, and Jovana marveled in her mind, 'Falcon Ridley? What is the mysterious genius of the Royal Scientific Society doing here? People like him are generally too busy changing the world with their inventions to attend mundane events.' 

"Lord Ridley, I'm Jovana Stafford, and I'm really glad to meet you. I loved your treaties on the potential of chemical energy. It's truly amazing." Jovana gushed, while Falcon bowed his head as a thank you and picked the vial up off the floor.

"You are so kind, Lady Jovana. And, please, just call me Falcon." He said, and when Jovana nodded, he continued, "I'm glad we had a chance to meet. During events like this, I generally stay in a corner, wishing to be invisible."

Jovana let out a little laugh and said, "You should try to be a Debutante. It makes everything ten times more stressful." 

"Oh, I can imagine. Personally, I denounce the pressure this event puts on the shoulders of the young ladies of the kingdom. It's designed to make you feel like there is only one night in which to fix your future. But, luckily for us, that's not how life works." Falcon said, and Jovana nodded in agreement with him.

"Life is unpredictable. It's its curse…and its beauty." Jovana remarked.

"I completely agree. And since we are here, and I'm not invisible anymore…. Would you do me the honor of the second dance?" Falcon said, and held out his hand to Jovana.

Jovana blinked at him, as her thoughts raced, 'What is happening here? First Caspian Clifford, and now Falcon Ridley…. Both want to dance with me on the same night? Am I in some kind of trouble? Why, all of a sudden, am I so popular? I thought I would be invisible at this ball. The serendipity is even more powerful than I thought.'

Jovana's head was still spinning around, searching for an explanation, when she realized that Falcon was still waiting for an answer. "Sorry, I was just… It would be a great honor to dance with you, Falcon." 

"Very good. In that case, I think we both need to head back to the ball. It would be lovely to dance here, but I'm afraid it would be extremely inappropriate, even for me." Falcon said, as he offered Jovana his arm, and she took it as they walked back toward the ballroom.

'I have caught the most desired man in the kingdom thanks to serendipity. And now I'm about to dance with one of the most discussed minds of our time, thanks to an assumed spying. Silly me; I thought this night was bound to be boring.' Jovana mused, as they entered the ball, and immediately they faced Elijah, who had been looking for Jovana. 

"Jovana, you are here! I couldn't find you anywhere." Elijah said, his voice filled with concern.

"I'm sorry, Eli. I was just having some fresh air when I met my next dance partner. Eli, this is Falcon Ridley. Falcon, this is my brother, Eli Stafford." Jovana said, and introduced both men.

"Lord Ridley, it's a pleasure to meet you." Elijah greeted.

"The same for me, Lord Stafford," Falcon answered, and Elijah nodded as he looked at Jovana, then Falcon, and then back at his sister.

"Would you mind if I seized my sister for just a moment? I promise to return her immediately." Elijah said, 

"Of course, take all the time you need." Falcon replied, then Elijah grabbed Jovana's hand and started walking towards the entrance of the palace as he took Jovana outside.

"Eli, what's going on? I was about to—-" 

"Look at your dress. The whole bottom part is covered in dirt!" Elijah interrupted,

Jovana looked down at her dress, and realized that the balcony lacked the cleaning that it needed to be suitable for someone in a long dress. "I can't dance with Falcon like this!" Jovana exclaimed.

"Forget Falcon Ridley. You are soon supposed to appear in front of the King." Elijah said, and Jovana sighed.

"This is a real problem, Eli. I need to get back home, change and get back here again…. I'll never make it in time." Jovana said, as they arrived at their carriage, but instead of getting in, Elijah took her behind it. He opened the truck in the back and Jovana found it packed with clothes.

"I made plans to pack some spare outfits before leaving. You never know what can happen at these events." Elijah said, and Jovana beamed a smile at him.

"This is amazing! You're a lifesaver, Eli!" Jovana said, as she jumped at Elijah bursting with joy, and then quickly got inside the carriage to fix her mess.

As they walked back inside, Falcon was still waiting for Jovana as promised. He held out his hand to Jovana, while Elijah shook his head from a distance. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Falcon." 

"Please, Lady Jovana, you have no reason to excuse yourself. Even the most impatient man in the world would be glad to wait twice as long for the honor of your vision and company." Falcon said, and a blush crept up Jovana's cheeks as they walked to the center of the room. Those who already spotted Jovana with the Duke earlier couldn't believe their eyes as they watched them dance.

Unlike the Duke, Falcon was a good, but very silent, dancer. And Jovana couldn't help but speak to break the silence between them, "Do you often use serendipity, Falcon?" she asked, curious.

"Yes, but not in the usual way." He answered,

"What do you mean?" Jovana inquired.

"Most people regard those vials like they were some kind of entertainment. I treat them like an experiment." Falcon said,

"An experiment?" Jovana repeated, and Falcon nodded at her.

"Yes. One of the things that fascinates me about the vials of Serendipity is that their effect can't be predicted. And I'm verifying if that is true." Falcon explained, and Jovana raised her eyebrows.

"But…according to rumors, you are the creator of Serendipity. Don't you know how it works?" Jovana asked, 

"Rumors are just noise in golden halls. They can't be trusted as a reliable source of information, Lady Jovana." Falcon said, and Jovana was rendered speechless.

"May I ask you one more question, Falcon?" She asked, and when Falcon nodded, Jovana continued, "Is it true that you never dance at balls?" 

"Yes," Falcon answered.

"Then why did you make an exception for me?" Jovana asked, surprised.

Falcon looked at her, and a subtle smile fluttered on his lips, "I just followed my instincts, I suppose. I have nothing against dancing; it's all the rituals that come with it that really wear me down." 

"What rituals?" Jovana asked.

"Loud mothers screaming about the quality of their daughters, or fathers bragging about their estates. It's tiresome and a complete uprising of the order of things." Falcon said, 

"Order of things?" Jovana said, looking at Falcon with raised brows.

"The natural order, of course. No estate yield should make a weak and spoiled brat desirable from the point of view of the existence of the kind." Falcon explained, and Jovana nodded her head.

"I see…" Jovana remarked, and thought to herself, 'So I'm not the only one to despise the greedy side of these social events.'

"Just the thought of that turns my feet to stone. That's why I generally never dance at balls. I saw a spontaneity in you that I haven't seen in a long time… A spontaneity that couldn't be ignored." Falcon said,

"But, Falcon, that's unreasonable. Our upbringing is what makes us rightful members of society. It's the job of parents to choose the best course of action because, at the end of the day, we are the result of their hard work." Jovana said, while Falcon shook his head at her.

"If that were true, and it's not, siblings raised by the same parents would have the same nature and the same talents. But since we know that's not the case, it means that there is much more at work to determine who a person is and what he or she is up to. And like it, or not, from the evidence, it is clear that much of who we are is outside our parents' control —and even our own control." Falcon explained, and Jovana sighed as she mused silently, 'I don't know what to think. He looks at the world from a spot so far outside the norm that it's hard to judge his opinions.'