Chapter 8
835 Words
He beamed, pleased. "Good," he stepped around me and scooped my hair to the side in order to fasten it. His breath touched my skin. I wanted him to place a kiss or a caress, something to define what the present was. But he fastened the necklace and turned me so he could adjust its position against the hollow of my collar bone. "Now I'm always with you," he said without meeting my eyes.
"I love it," I told him honestly, and lifted up onto my tiptoes to brush my lips against his, hoping he'd take the gesture and make it something else, something more. But he just accepted the light kiss with mild surprise, and a small smile.
"I'm happy you like it," he replied, "and now you should get ready." He steered me to the door, and down the hallway to my chamber, depositing me into Fiena's care.
"Something is very odd today," I told her as she washed my hair. I could hear Tillie fussing with my dress and undergarments in the main chamber. "Akyran is acting most… unusually." There was a flutter of hope in my chest that I squashed mercilessly. In all the centuries we had been friends, only a magic spell would turn Akyran into a lover overnight.
"Perhaps he's bespelled," I muttered. "But the only ones who could bespell a prince would be…" I frowned. "Leamoira did bespell Rivyn." She had not however, been near to Akyran for the past week, in order to place a spell on him. Still… The queen had not been discrete in her opinion that her sons were too unyielding and inflexible of late. It was possible that she had decided to do something about Akyran, and I had not been present at the time.
"Tillie," I called over my shoulder.
"Yes, my Lady?" She came to the door.
"Can you fetch me a glass of red wine and place it and my black box of spell components on the dresser. Be careful of the locket that I put on there."
"You think the prince bespelled?" Fiena asked me. She sounded amused. "Whatever gives you that idea, my Lady?"
I sighed out a breath. "I'm just being silly, I am sure," I told her. She held the cloth up for me to leave the bath and dried me before rubbing the scented oils into my skin. I caught the unmistakable scent of Fae rose. "New oils?"
"Yes, my Lady, do you like them?"
"Fae rose," I acknowledged. "I don't think that there is a Fae alive who doesn't like the scent. Expensive, however."
"These were a gift from the Prince," she told me as we moved into the main chamber and she helped me into my undergarments and shoes.
"See," I pointed out. "That's just… unlike him. A sword, a new bow, armour, spell components… those are gifts from Akyran to me. Perfumed oils and jewellery, never."
"Perhaps the prince has realised that a beautiful woman likes to receive other things than weapons and spell components?" She suggested, waiting for me to sit before the mirrored dresser. She began to work the comb through my hair once I sat. I could smell the hot metal of the curling wand heating in the embers of the fire.
"I honestly don't think Akyran knows I am a woman," I replied with a dry laugh. I should have ordered two goblets of wine, I thought wryly. I could use one myself to calm my nerves.
"I'm sure that's not true, my Lady." She divided my hair and began to curl them with the wand. I could smell the cinnamon from the soap she had used in my hair as it heated against the metal. She pinned the curl against my head and moved on.
Tillie returned with the wine and placed the goblet at my elbow. After a moment she placed the small black box of spell components next to it. I mixed the contents from several vials into the wine and stirred it.
I met Fiena's eyes in the mirror. "Just in case."
When my hair was curled and pinned, they helped me into the dress.
"Beautiful," Fiena said with approval and Tillie clasped her hands together in delight. The dress shimmered with golden threads, the top layer sheer except for the glitter, over an opaquer gold below. I hung the locket around my neck, its simple sentimentality perfect as the only adornment.
Tillie rubbed colour into my cheeks and lips, and Fiena released the curls, running her fingers through them to break them up and soften them.
"Thank you," I said to them. "I expect it will be a late night. Akyran will get bored of the formalities and we'll probably head to a tavern."
"Yes, my Lady." Fiena paused. "If he doesn't know you're a woman, my Lady, after seeing you in this dress, I'd be checking his vision."
"Thank you," I smiled at her, swirling before the mirror, pleased with the effect.
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