The Fall Formal
The Bellerose Dynasty
In the aftermath of the Bellerose family splitting from the Espinoza Dynasty, Lis is left scrambling to adapt to the new reality she's been thrust into. Going from being the youngest of the generation to the sole heir of a dynasty is a big adjustment, and school is about to start up in earnest with the Copperdale Fall Formal on Saturday. Things are changing rapidly, and she'll have to adapt or be left behind.
Lis had a lot of thoughts and feelings to work through in the aftermath of the disastrous Harvestfest dinner, and most of them were worked out on the training dummy in her backyard. Arabella's phone had been blowing up all night with calls from Lis's aunts, and Lis had received a few concerned texts from her cousins.
None of them understood the feud either, and even Arabella's sisters seemed a little bit lost on why Arabella and Vanessa had fallen out so badly. But Arabella had withdrawn both herself and Lis from the dynasty, and that was hard to take back.
Wham! Lis slammed her wooden sword into the dummy. Her parents both went back to work today, not even giving them time to talk about everything that happened.
Just great.
Bad tempered as she was feeling, Lis was very relieved when Aeris texted to ask if she could come over. Seeing her friend was exactly the distraction she needed.
"Lis, you look glum." Aeris frowned, quick to pick up on her friend's mood when she arrived. "What happened?"
"Harvestfest was a disaster, Aeris." Lis moaned. "Mom and Aunt Vanessa had a massive fight because Aunt Vanessa wouldn't accept Dad into their dynasty. I don't know why, something about his parents... but things got really heated, and Mom ended up leaving the dynasty!"
"That seems extreme. They really couldn't talk about things??"
"I don't know. I'm really upset about it, and she's still mad. She was talking about starting our own dynasty instead, and I'm worried she might even start a rivalry."
"Surely she wouldn't go that far!" Aeris shook her head. "No, it's all still fresh. I'm sure it'll be fine, you've just gotta take your mind off of it."
"..Yeah, you're probably right." Lis let out a breath. "I've got a target set up around the side, want to practice archery?"
"It's only like, my favorite thing. Obviously!"
"What about your Harvestfest? Was yours good?" Lis asked.
"Oh, yeah. The usual stuff. Mom and Dad cooked while me and Erin played soccer, and then we played board games after dinner. Everyone had the day off, so we just relaxed."
"I'm jealous." Lis admitted with a sigh. "I wish we'd done our usual small holiday at home."
"Probably would've been a lot less drama, huh?"
"It would have!"
It was all too soon when Aeris had to leave, and Lis was left to try and fill the rest of the day until her parents got home. With the house already clean, she decided to finally take Ella up on her offer, and visit the Cat Cafe in Ciudad Enamorada.
She didn't particularly feel like going alone, though, so she invited the Young Nobles Club to go with her. Maybe they would have some advice on the family situation, too.
It was raining in Ciudad Enamorada, and the cafe was almost empty when they got there. Lis and Amarachi headed straight to a booth by one of the big windows while Sophia and Channing ordered coffee and pastries for the group.
"How was your holiday?" Amarachi asked Lis, and the full story came tumbling out all over again. She was so frustrated by it all- she didn't want to build a new Dynasty, she liked being part of the Espinoza one! Amarachi listened with patient concern, but unfortunately didn't have much in the way of advice for her. "As unfortunate as it is, this'll be something your mother and aunt have to sort out. There's very little us younger members can do about inner-dynasty conflict."
"Have you had something like that happen in yours?"
"Not recently, but when I was much younger. That's a story for another time, though, let's try and get your mind off of everything."
Lis had been hanging out at the cafe with her friends for a couple hours when Ella came out from the back of the cafe. "Lis, you came to visit!" She called out cheerfully.
"I did." Lis confirmed, standing up and going to hug her cousin. "These are my friends! Amarachi, Channing, and Sophia. This is my cousin Ella, she owns the cafe."
"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Ella." Sophia answered politely. Ella laughed and waved a hand.
"No need for the formality! I'm glad to have you all here. How are you holding up, Lis?"
"I'll be okay." Lis answered. "But I guess this means we won't get to do Winterfest together, if this doesn't get sorted out."
"We'll find a way, don't worry. But I'm glad you came by, how are you liking the cafe?"
"It's very cozy." Lis answered. "I like it a lot."
"Good! I have to get back to the kitchen, but stick around as long as you like, we're open until five."
"Alright, thanks Ella."
Sophia and Amarachi went outside to play with some of the stray cats, leaving Lis and Channing indoors to finish their drinks. Channing had plenty to tell her about the court of Willow Creek, effectively taking her mind off of her own family troubles with gossip about the Goth and Spencer-Kim-Lewis families. Eventually, they got onto the topic of the upcoming fall formal dance at the school, to celebrate the end of fall break and return to school for the winter.
"Have you asked anyone to be your dance partner yet?" Lis asked Channing. "I hear that's what you're supposed to do for these things."
"Not yet, no. Have you?"
"I haven't. Do you want to go with me?"
"Sure! It'll be fun. I think we're gonna have a club hangout at the Tea Parlor before we go, if you're able to join us for that."
"Yeah, that sounds great!"
When evening started to fall, Lis actually joined Amarachi and Sophia on the train to Ondarion, getting off at the station in Verdemar. She planned on visiting the blacksmith, to finally get a proper sword now that she'd gotten a little more skill built up.
Walking from the station to the blacksmith's shop, Lis's attention was drawn to a peculiar sight- a sword lodged into a large boulder.
"This is a nice sword, why would anyone leave it lodged in a rock?" She wondered as she stopped to examine it. Out of curiosity, she tested the hilt, but the blade didn't budge from the rock. A closer look revealed a plaque, with the following inscribed.
Simcalibur beckons a Sim trusted and true,
Adept with a blade and ready to pursue,
A kingdom awaits their guiding hand,
where Commoners trust and understand,
But if they fail to prove their worth,
The sword's displeasure will quake the earth.
"Simcalibur, huh? Kind of a funny name for a sword." Lis chuckled to herself, and continued on her way.
The blacksmith equipped Lis with a classic longsword, still a fairly simple weapon but much heftier than her wooden training sword. He had her do a couple practice rounds on the dummy out front, making sure she knew how to use it safely, before telling her she was good to go.
Lis kept practicing a while longer while she waited for the train. She might like this even better than archery!
Lis got home just in time for dinner, and to her dismay, Arabella had "something important to talk to her about." After yesterday's family drama, this couldn't possibly be anything good.
"Your father and I have discussed it, Lis, and we've decided that the best course of action is going to be to start our own dynasty. But first, I need to bring you up to speed on some of the history in both our families, as I imagine you've been pretty confused as to what the big deal is."
"I have, yeah." Lis admitted.
"I haven't told you much about the Magic Realm before, but you know that is the place where all Spellcasters come from. It is currently ruled by the three Sages, Lady Faba, Lord Ember, and Lord Silversweater. They are assisted in running the Realm by a council of magical families, including the Charms. That is your father's family. My father was a respected alchemy teacher in the Magic Realm, and lived there until he met my mother. She was not a Spellcaster, and marriages between dwellers of the Magic Realm and the non-occult were strictly forbidden. So when my father fell in love with her, the Magical Council, including the Charms, voted to exile him. I grew up in Ciudad Enamorada, and did not ever go to the Magic Realm until I moved here. Is this making sense so far?"
"Yes, it is."
"Good. A lot of the dwellers of the Magic Realm are very... narrow minded, in regards to the non-occult. Your father always wanted to be an astronaut, but he was expected to pursue a magical career, so when he rebelled, he was also cast out by his family. That is why our family bears the name Bellerose, rather than Charm." Arabella continued to explain. "Vanessa, unfortunately, has refused to see reason on this topic. In her eyes, even being formerly associated with any of these powerful Spellcaster families is grounds for the cold shoulder."
"And that's why she wouldn't let Dad join the dynasty?"
"That's right. I'm afraid the power of being Dynasty Leader has gone to her head a little bit."
"Given all of this, Peter and I have decided it'll be best to strike out on our own. I know you are quite close with your cousins, and I would encourage you to maintain those ties. They're all lovely people, and just because we're no longer part of the dynasty does not mean we're not family." Arabella finished. "Does all of this make a little more sense now?"
"It does." Lis sighed. "I had no idea there was so much family history."
"It's not something that's really come up before now." Arabella shook her head. "There is just one more thing I need to ask you, my dear."
"What is it, Mom?"
"I want you to be the Heir of our new dynasty. It might seem silly to make an official question of it, given you're our only child, but I wanted to propose it formally just the same."
Lis laughed. "Of course, Mom." She agreed. "..Can we make Swordsmanship one of our skills?"
"If that's what you want." Arabella laughed. "Though you'll have to teach your father and me."
"I will, don't worry!"
Lis got up early the next morning to have breakfast before she went to join her friends at the Tea Parlor. She was still sad about the Harvestfest drama, but she felt better about it now that she understood why things went down the way they did. She could only hope that Vanessa would eventually come to her senses, and their dynasties could reunite.
In the meantime, she would take pride in being her mother's heir. There was something else to tell her friends about today.
The Tea Parlor was quickly becoming one of Lis's favorite places, with the elegant decor and classical music always playing. She and Amarachi arrived first, and spent some time just talking before Sophia and Channing got there. Lis showed her the new sword she'd gotten from the blacksmith, and Amarachi promptly suggested they duel, and see how it held up.
Lis's skills were continuing to improve with her constant practice and friends' mentoring, and she managed to best Amarachi in their duel once again. Amarachi congratulated her. "Your skill's improving nicely, and you wield the new sword well. You could probably duel for someone's love, now!"
"You can duel for that?" Lis laughed.
"Well, yeah. If you and someone else are in love with the same person, you can challenge them to a duel to settle who gets to ask them out."
"That seems efficient."
"It is. No silly games, just pure skill."
"I like that." Lis laughed. "I wonder what else I'll be able to duel for."
"Keep practicing, you'll find out."
When Channing and Sophia finally arrived, Lis challenged Channing to a duel as well. As it turned out, they both had the same type of sword! They were on about the same level, so that made sense. As they dueled, though, Lis noticed an odd fluttering sensation in her stomach whenever they came in close. Her eyes briefly locked with his, and she couldn't help but wonder why she'd never noticed what a brilliant blue they were.
She snapped out of it pretty quickly, though, and returned her focus to their duel. She couldn't slip up just because her friend had pretty eyes! And why was she still thinking about them?
Her arms aching from dueling her friends, Lis gladly accepted Sophia's invitation to waltz instead. One of these days, Sophia promised her, she would invite Lis to one of her family's grand balls.
Lis thought this was just fine, personally. The grand ball sounded like an awful lot of attention and pressure, as much as Sophia insisted it was fun.
After a couple hours, the club split up to go home and get ready for the dance. Lis had picked out her dress with Arabella earlier in the week, when they shopped for her high school wardrobe.
How strange, it had truly only been a week, and so much had changed.
"Lis, are you ready? Come out and let's take some pictures before you go!" Arabella called.
Lis stepped out into the hall, and Arabella's face lit up. "Oh, look how grownup you look. That dress fits you beautifully, my dear."
"Thank you, Mom. I really like it." Lis grinned.
"You have lots of fun tonight, alright? And make sure you tell me and your father all about it in the morning."
"I will! Thanks, Mom."
The party was already in full swing when Lis arrived at the Copperdale Auditorium, and her friends were quick to pull her in to join them. The music was blasting, the energy was high, and Caitlin Landgraab was woefully underdressed.
Which was embarrassing, given her family's wealth, but nobody held it against her too much. It was just funny that even country girl Aeris was more dressed up than her.
"Where's Erin?" Lis asked Aeris when they sat down together to eat some food.
"Silly girl went and got a cold." Aeris scoffed. "That's what you get for going swimming in the middle of the night on the brink of winter."
"Yeah, that... doesn't seem like a good idea."
"It was not, and I told her, but noooo. I'm just her sister, what could I possibly know?" Aeris threw up her hands in exasperation, and Lis laughed.
"Hey, at least you tried."
When they got tired of dancing, Lis suggested that they all go get pictures together in the photo booth. She got photos with Aeris, Amarachi, and Sophia before she managed to get Channing to join her for one.
He looked very nice, in his dark blue suit. She found herself admiring him again, and wondered why she hadn't noticed how handsome he was before.
She shook off the thoughts again before they could become distracting, and threw herself into the night's activities.
It was well past midnight when Lis arrived home, and she only stayed awake long enough to load her photo booth pictures into her photo frame before collapsing into bed. She had had so much fun, but now her legs ached and she just wanted to sleep.
Tomorrow started a new week, and she just hoped it would be a little bit less insane than this one.
I hope you've enjoyed Lis's story! This'll be the last post of her current arc, but we'll come back to her soon enough!
Next week, we will join Ava Evans, the heir to the Espinoza Dynasty as she begins her second year of study at Britechester University, and faces the aftermath of Vanessa and Arabella's quarrel.
Thank you for reading so far! If you want to be notified on posts and see builds related to the story, you can follow me on Facebook (Paxxieplayssims) or Instagram (PaxxieLovesDinosaurs) through the links on my page. I'll see you next week!
- Paxxie
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