The sky was a friend the evening they got there. A group of knights and nobles approaching the citadel - Lucilinburhuc. The war was over for them, and the time has come for a well deserved celebration.

The simple people cheered for them as they crossed the gates, a big festival awaited them at the market square. Every one of them was assigned the finest rooms to rest and bathe, and in a few hours, the great ball would begin. And with it a monstrous calamity will be set in motion. Ludwig was well rested and ready when the efflorescence of stars started to cover the celestial face, lazily dancing around the crescent moon. He was excited to witness firsthand the beauty of princess Lepidia, that's become known across the land, and earned her the title of "The Gossamer Rose of Lucilinburhuc".

The banquet was barely starting. It felt great to him, to step in fresh, wearing festive, luxurious garments. The orchestra, consisting of a flutist, drummer, strings quartet, accordeonist and a harpsicordist, was providing a quiet background for the ongoing gossip, jokes and slight flirtation. The room was full of wigs and perfume, and the white face powder was so abundant, it became a subtle mist in the air, making it slightly harder to see and breathe, unless you looked directly upwards, throught the glassy dome of a ceiling, at the starry night - then the air was almost clear. Ludwig was not yet aware that he had eyes of many dames and maids already on him, voluptiously evaluating him as a man - a young, military hero, quite good looking too. No, he was still stunned by the sensory overload of the situation - the flowers, the finely crafted furniture, the tastefully lined tiles of the dance floor, the wonderfully harmonious music, the meticulously decorated cage dresses, all the names and faces he needed to be aware of. The people slowly began to fill the parquet, and doing so was also in Ludwig's fancy, but first he ate a bit here and there, then washed it all down with a sizeable glass of wine.

He looked around, and in a moment found a young dame idling by the table. He walked up to her, bowed as graciously as he could, and while gently extending his hand asked:

"Shall we?"

She blushed very slightly and was more than eager to accept.

"This is what this is," he thought to himself, "a spectacle of civility. In this savage world, only we, the human kind, can display such sophistication, so let's be a bold example!"

The music's flown in gracious thirds while they swayed elegantly, focused on the art and the performance, each putting up the best act they could, spiting the world outside the walls in unison.

While giving his all, he was surprised to get tapped on the shoulder. He quickly came to his senses and recognized this gesture as an "excuse me", he turnt around to see who's so eager to dance with him next and was stunned to see an innocent, radiatingly beautiful face - princess Lepidia herself. He gently grabbed her hand, they bowed to each other, and he spoke barely coherently:

"I'm honored."

She covered her giggling mouth and looked at him with the dark, smiling eyes that could melt anybody's heart.

"You seem more perplexed than anything" she said, still amused. "Are you by any chance Ludwig, the war hero, savior of eastern Pago?"

"Yes, I'm certainly Ludwig. Not so sure about the rest, I'll let the chroniclers decide."

"Not a thoughtless hunk of meat, are you?" She smiled, visibly having fun.

"Hopefully not, not what I want to be remembered as."

"Then how do you wish to be remembered?"

He had to give it a moment of thought, he wasn't sure himself. While wondering, he looked mesmerized at her dress - pure, simplistic white, yet covered in intricate tiny decorations, reserved only for the most observant. Despite being supported by a cage, it seemed to cause her no inconvenience, even in dance.

"A painter. I'd like to be a renowned painter. And I love your dress."

"Ah thank you, my tailors truly did a splendid job to please an artist! Why would an artist go to war though? Is there beauty to be found in carnage?"

"No, not for me. It's that I knew I need to work for my noble status, so I took the shortest route."

"A shortcut through bloodshed? Now that's poetic! But it's sure admirable, your resolve and perseverance."

"Thank you, my lady" he said humbly, nodding his head. He felt a very delicate kiss on his cheek, making him suddenly open his eyes in surprise.

"You're fun, but I have other matters to attend to. May we meet again, Ludwig the Painter!" She walked away with delightful cheer, while he stood there stunned. After a while of regaining his senses and reminding himself he's at a ceremony, he looked around to assess the situation. The dances have become closer, a bit more personal and... intimate. After the priness was gone, a few ladies started to approach him too, with a rather lecherous intent. He started dancing with them one by one, each submissive and wanting to be the one he honors for the night. Everyone was becoming less and less tactful and discrete, hiding obscene desires under the guise of civility. The moment the princess has left the hall, one of the men pounced on his lady partner and started to undress them both, only to proceed to pound her then and there. Everyone started laughing at first, but then joined the fun, and so a festival of civility was turnt into a grotesque, unsightly orgy of flesh. Ludwig's lust took over him too, soon enough, and he became a part of the crowd, losing more and more restraint with each moment. The room now was full of naked people changing partners every few minutes, moaning and groaning with no shame, some even dancing around throwing feces in random directions. There was laughter and depravity, and even the tired gaze of the indifferent moon was ashamed to witness this through the glass ceiling.

The palace doors were opened once more, and the princess was shocked by what was there. She slowly and reluctantly stepped inside the smelly hall of mostly passed out lunatics.

Ludwig, mostly naked, hid in the corner. It broke his heart to see his pure lady disgusted, even though he just thought of her lustily a few minutes ago while satisfying himself in a different woman. Not now though, now all he had was shameful clarity.

He saw a man stand up behing her, old, dirty and slightly fat, he walked slowly, drunken, reached his hand, visibly wanting to use her. Ludwig was furious. He stood up, ran to her, when suddenly, the moon itself fell on the man, also knocking Ludwig back and showering the floor with glass pieces.

After hitting the wall he tried his hardest to focus on what he saw. The moon was not alone. Someone's holding it. A tall, shadowy creature. It moved slowly, posed in a way that defies gravity. It bowed and reached out to her, then spoke with a voice that sounded like broken glass shimmering:

"Were my eyes not hollowed, would I perceive... your untouched beauty and angelic grace! Dear lady, grant me this dance, and your life shall end old."

Hesitant, she reached out to it, but once they touched, she became tranquil and peaceful, even slightly joyful. She was dancing beautifully while it was stomping around slowly, as if it was under water, reaping the sinners around with the crescent sickle of the moon. Terrified Ludwig dressed himself up quickly and hid, curled up in a ball. The spectacle was unbelievable - the blade was cutting through the piles of bodies effortlessly, while the nightmare wielder danced slowly and graciously, not putting much force into the swings. It was as if all earthly matter was like water to it, no matter if it's air or solid rocks. While the instrumentalists were already dead, the echoes of their craft filled the hall just for them and their feverish dance. It seemed as the worldly rules were abandoning the princess too, making her light and floaty. In the final pirouette she's descended onto the mundane floor, while her strange partner bowed in an impossible direction and ascended back to its heavenly place. Mesmerised, Ludwig found himself leaning heavily on the wall behind him, breathing like a scared rabbit. The princess looked at him with sorry eyes:

"And indeed, we do meet again, Ludwig the Painter. Fate cared for you this night, and I believe there is significance to be found in this. You should go now, before your cosmic debt comes crashing down on your head. This is not a place of fortune, not anymore."

"Thank you, my lady..." he said quietly and just left. She spent the rest of the night weeping, kneeling amidst the ruin of her people. The Gossamer Rose to contrast the humanity's ugly, unmasked face.