Chapter 10
1198 Words
He led us on a slow circle of the room, pausing to greet and exchange pleasantries if he was feeling pleasant towards that person, unpleasantries disguised as pleasantries if he was not happy with them for whatever reason. Akyran was a master at holding a grudge and felt no need to hide who held his favour and who did not, at any given time.
The King and Queen were on a similar round, and stood with my parents, watching us. Akyran did not seem to notice as he paused us by Rivyn and Siorin.
"Brother," Rivyn greeted Akyran. "And the always beautiful Ecaeris, of course," he leaned over to kiss me as Akyran did likewise with Siorin.
Rivyn's wife suited the current court fashion of floating, gauzy fluttering ruffled skirts and draping sleeves cut to expose the arms more than cover them. Whoever dressed her had sensibly resisted the temptation to put her in sea colours and drape her in pearls. Siorin was less than comfortable with her oceanic heritage and would be embarrassed to wear such obvious references. Instead, she wore the softest shades of pink, both in the cloth and diamonds that glittered.
I leaned over to brush a kiss against her cheek when Akyran released her, taking more care not to crush the fabric of her dress than he had.
"You look beautiful," I told her. New to court and her position as Rivyn's wife, I had only met her once or twice when I had accompanied Akyran to the Court of Light, and when Akyran and I had gone to Nerith to investigate the activity of Dark Elves in the city.
I was, therefore, one of the few people that knew what Clareath had done to her.
It was not the first time I had heard of the bridle. I had come across them first during Phimion's rule in Nerith, and since then, mankind had adopted the device in various forms for various results - all of them unpleasant. It amazed me that mankind's stories were of Fae cruelty, when they had created such instruments of torture.
She flushed. "Thank you. Your dress is beautiful, too."
"We will not be late," Rivyn was saying to Akyran. "Siorin needs to rest."
"Mmm," Akyran arched an eyebrow. "Is that what we're calling it now?"
Rivyn's lips curled in a sneering smile. "Well, you know the cure to your jealousy, brother."
"Let's move on, Ecaeris," Akyran glared at his brother. Rivyn laughed. "And leave my discourteous brother."
"Come back Ecaeris," Rivyn responded lightly, "when you shed the unpleasant growth that's attached itself to your arm."
Whilst the exchange was not unusual for the brothers, Akyran's irritation with Rivyn was. "Akyran," I nudged him. "You're still scowling. People will notice. They're already talking about the two of you."
He released the scowl and unclenched his teeth. "Fae law is Fae law. Rivyn used to understand that."
"The Court of Light has always been more…" I searched for the right word. "Lenient. Rivyn is your mother's heir, and she was rather forceful with her desire for him to bend to her will. Perhaps he is merely accommodating her wishes. Once he is king, he will exert more of his own opinion, and you will find yourselves once again aligned on the subject of law and penalty."
"True," he breathed out, releasing the tension from his shoulders, and smiled down at me. "Always so sensible, Ecaeris."
"Well, one of us needs to be."
We approached our parents, and they stilled their conversation at our approach. I curtseyed to the king and queen, and then exchanged cheek kisses with Leamoira. King Treyvin was less inclined to break with formality than Queen Leamoira, and merely inclined his head to acknowledge me and then gestured to Akyran, stepping away with his son for a private conversation.
I kept one eye on Akyran as I greeted my parents. "You did not say you were coming for this ball," I said apologetically. "And I did not know until Eltarin told me during the game."
"It was an impromptu trip," my mother said, flicking her eyes ever so slightly to Leamoira. They had been summoned, I realised. I wondered what was afoot, but I could not ask in front of the Queen. Akyran's discussion with King Treyvin was not a happy one, I could see from their body language and the set of Akyran's jaw.
"Nerosh is doing well," my mother told me. They were aware of the conversation between the King and Prince and sought to cover for the argument obviously underway. "Skyshir's so proud."
"You'd think Nerosh the first heir born to the line," my father observed dryly. "Skyshir thinks he has done something so remarkable."
"At least he gives Iloria credit for her part," my mother smirked, "unlike other first-time fathers we could mention." My father and Leamoira laughed, in shared memory.
"Oh, Skyshir could not be worse than you were Carith," the Queen agreed with my mother. "I thought Entara would poison your wine for the first five years."
"Who said I didn't?" my mother replied, flicking my father a flirtatious look.
"A strong digestive system, and plenty of wards," my father acknowledged with amusement. "Kept me alive for those five years, I think."
"Talking about wards," Leamoira frowned at the argument. "I might need to employ one, I'm just not sure which is most in need of it - Treyvin or Akyran."
"Should we intervene?" I wondered.
"Oh, no," Leamoira dismissed the idea, shaking her head. "Akyran is out of line. Treyvin will pull him back into it."
"How is Akyran out of line?" I asked with trepidation.
My mother and Leamoira exchanged a look before Leamoira replied. "Nothing to be concerned about, Ecaeris. This dress, meanwhile, is marvellous."
"Thank you," I flared the skirts for her, so that the light danced off the fabric. "Apparently my dressmaker found a young girl who could weave straw into gold thread. I was able to assist her with the p*****t the girl demanded, and my dressmaker had the gold thread made into this fabric. It's surprisingly light."
"Does Akyran know?" Leamoira was amused.
"About where I source material for my dresses? I doubt he'd care."
"What was the p*****t?" my father eyed my dress with speculative parental concern, knowing the cost would eventually end up on his ledgers.
"Do not worry," I laughed at him. "She wanted her goblin benefactor's name, so the gold thread was free. There was only the cost of weaving and then the dress being made, and the dressmaker's finder's fee…"
"I don't know whether to be relieved or horrified," he replied.
"Considering the cost of a fabric woven out of threads of gold via goblin magic?" I arched my brow. "The manufacture of the dress was minor in comparison."
"And will be very difficult for anyone else to replicate," Leamoira observed.
"Well, they could find the same girl, but then they'd be paying for the gold thread," I replied as King Treyvin returned to us. Akyran had stormed out of the ballroom. "I should go," I said apologetically.
"No," Treyvin shook his head. "Give him some time, Ecaeris."
- Writer
