Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Jeros had waited until the last possible moment to transport them all to the royal palace of the Seventh Realm.
Their party consisted of Lexi’s tiger, her maid Rill, Madame Rosila’s three flighty seamstresses, and Commander Darkcord.
He hadn’t dared bring anyone else in case they were forced to depart in haste.
Before leaving, he had advised the commander to place Sevenrest on lockdown and instructed Nightleaf, the butler, and Mrs. Shimmerhill, the housekeeper, to prepare for war.
Jeros expected the worst from this meeting.
Not all Fae were as unreasonable and unteachable as his mother, but many were, and unfortunately, those many held positions of power.
He prayed his father would rise to the occasion, but he held little hope.
His sire could be as petty as his mother.
As they had come together in the meeting hall with the trunks required for the trip, Jeros kept Lexi tightly held to his side.
A gnawing sense of finality hit him, an ominous premonition of what was to come.
Just before he enacted the spell, he turned to her and said, “I love ye, my own. With a fury.”
“I love you more,” she had replied without hesitation, but her words did little to ease the worry gnawing at his innards.
And now they were here. Somewhat safely ensconced in his private wing that was kept ready should he ever deign to grace them with his presence.
“Stay closer than usual to yer mistress,” he told the Fae tiger.
Aylryd agreed with a low, rumbling growl that echoed throughout the vast marble atrium that served as the entrance to the wing.
Palace servants trained to serve with no expressions whatsoever scurried to carry their trunks and bags to the dressing rooms and ensure no want or need went unmet.
Jeros clenched his teeth, grinding them together, his irritation growing.
Rill’s sorrowful look plainly told him that the royal servants were thinking to each other.
He had no doubt they discussed Lexi among themselves.
Word of her scars would spread like wildfire throughout the palace and beyond.
The network of the Fae Serving Clan was more efficient at keeping their masters and mistresses informed than any other method of communication.
“It’s nice here,” Lexi observed as she and Aylryd walked with him through the wide hallway. Her tone said otherwise. In fact, it reeked of bog water. She wrinkled her nose. “Eww…sorry. Even I smelled that lie.”
“It is a cold place,” he said, “always has been. ’Tis why I remain at Sevenrest rather than waste my life playing politics at Court.”
“Well, at least we won’t be here long.”
He halted, his heart even heavier. “Ye sound sad—and entirely too knowing.”
She pulled in a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
“I am not blind. I know those servants were thinking to each other about me. They tried to hide their shock about my scars, but I saw it in their eyes. I’m sure the entire Realm will know within the hour that you joined with an imperfect mate.
” She squeezed his hand, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears that fed his simmering rage.
“I don’t care what they think about me. Just make sure you stay safe. All right?”
He cupped her cheek and brushed a kiss across the sweetness of her mouth.
“They are the imperfect ones, my own. Never doubt that.” Pulling her into his embrace, he held her tight, breathing in her delectable fragrance of lilacs and the woman he loved.
“Ye have taught me so much, and I am grateful. Without yer patience, without yer kindness, I would be less of a man. Less of a ruler.”
“Don’t make me out to be some sort of savior,” she whispered. “I am just me.”
“Ye are nay just anything. Ye are mine.”
Rill appeared and cleared her throat. “’Tis time to prepare her ladyship for the presentation, Yer Highness.”
“Keep that tiger of yers close, ye ken?” Jeros said to Lexi before grudgingly letting her go. “Closer than ye have ever kept him before.
“I will.” She eyed him for a long moment, then dove back into his arms and hugged him as if she feared she would never see him again.
He felt the same. The thought of her out of his sight drove him mad. But he had to be brave, for both their sakes. “It will be all right, my own,” he whispered into her hair. “As soon as my parents show their arses, I’ll spell us back home.”
She smiled up at him. “Promise?”
“I swear it.” He nodded to Rill. “Maintain a readiness to return to Sevenrest at a moment’s notice.”
The maid bowed. “Aye, Yer Highness, I will.”
As Lexi, her tiger, and the maid disappeared into the lavish suite on the east side of the hall, Jeros debated standing guard.
“Ye must prepare as well, old friend,” Darkcord said as he came up beside him. He rested his hand on the dark iron knob topping the hilt of his sword. “Fear not. No one will get past me.”
“I possess a sense of dread the likes of which I have never known.” Jeros turned to stare at the door through which Lexi had disappeared. “This will be a dark day. I feel it.”
“Maybe so,” Darkcord said, “but we shall win it.”
Jeros nodded and clapped a hand on the commander’s shoulder. “To victory, my friend.”
“Aye, to victory.”
* * *
“You are sewing me into the gown?” Lexi twisted around, attempting to see what the seamstresses were doing.
“Yer ladyship, please.” Lorilin hovered higher, baiting Lexi to turn back and face forward. “The silk, satin, and lamé are delicate fabrics that dinna take well to hooks, eyes, or buttons. Kelmila’s exquisite embroidery will ensure the folds hang perfectly and not gape.”
“And you’ll have to rip through it to get me back out? That seems wasteful.”
Phina laughed and zipped around in her usual hummingbird fashion. “Nay, my lady. Kelmila hides threads made to release the seams. Everything will remain whole to be useful again.”
“Most royals would not worry about waste,” Kelmila said around the mouthful of pins.
“I am not a royal,” Lexi hurried to correct. “And I hate to see anyone’s workmanship wasted.”
“Our lady appreciates us,” Rill said to the three seamstresses. “Never forget that.”
All three fluttering needleworkers dipped in the air with graceful bows. “We consider ourselves most fortunate to belong to the Sevenrest household.”
“Yes,” Kelmila added as she stitched with such rapid-fire strokes that she soon had the long train of the dress shimmering with panels of glittering black that mimicked Aylryd’s stripes. “Thank the goddesses we were not cursed enough to end up here at the palace. None are happy here.”
“They were talking about me, weren’t they?” Lexi knew without asking, but couldn’t resist seeking confirmation. Mammaw would call her a sucker for punishment, but Lexi just preferred to have all the cards on the table before she dove into the game.
“They dinna know ye as we do,” Rill said in a placating tone. “And they are trained to see nothing but that which is in front of them, my lady. They would have no idea how to focus on the shining of a person’s soul rather than their appearance.”
“How fast does gossip travel through this place?”
Rill made a face, flattening her lips together as if wishing she could keep her mouth shut.
“I feel certain the queen and her courtiers have been informed. As for the king…” The poor maid seemed almost pained.
“I dinna ken for certain. At times, it seems as though His Majesty battles for that which is just and good, but then other times, he gives the queen whatever she wishes. Almost as if he is too weary to fight her.”
“Give her anything to shut her up.” Lexi fiddled with the satiny folds of her gown, noticing that the longer Kelmila sewed, the heavier the thing became. If worst came to worst, and she needed to run for it, she would be doomed.
“Yer necklace, my lady.” Rill moved in to place a glittering onyx choker at her throat and fastened it.
Lexi rested her fingertips on the large onyx cabochon dangling from the center of the necklace. “In my world, onyx represents protection, balance, and strength. Sometimes, it’s even used as a talisman against evil. Quite appropriate for today. Don’t you think?”
“Most definitely,” Rill said as she stepped back to eye her work, then went to fetch the earrings and bracelet.
“Ye should be well protected, my lady,” Kelmila said. “I have sewn a few stones into yer gown as well.”
“And we made yer protector an onyx collar,” Lorilin said as she hesitantly hovered above Aylryd. “Might ye be good enough to have him allow me to place it upon him?”
“Be nice, Aylryd. Time to dress up and look our finest,” Lexi told the great cat.
Aylryd yawned, but deigned to stretch his mighty neck so the seamstress could drape the collar around it and fasten it.
As soon as Lorilin had it latched, she flitted well out of reach of the tiger, with her hands pressed to her chest and her cheeks rosier than they’d been before. “Oh my. That was quite exhilarating!”
“You are even more handsome now,” Lexi said to the tiger.
“We are finished, my lady,” Rill said as the seamstresses flitted over to the tall dressing mirror and hovered above it, waiting for Lexi to turn their way. “Ye have never looked lovelier, if ye’ll pardon me for being so bold as to say so.”