Chapter 34
I ’d meant to pull the curtains to darken the space around the bed, but when Pernilla rushed inside sometime in the morning, I figured my body didn’t really need the darkness.
“Are you awake?” Pernilla asked as she made a ton of noise unlocking and relocking the door.
“I am now,” I grumbled.
“Sorry, Miss Sosie. We have a long day ahead of us, and I thought it best to get started early.” She set another tray of food down on the table, collecting the dishes I had used the night before.
I jumped out of bed, forgetting that I was dressed only in a sheer piece of fabric. “Let me help you with that,” I said, trying to stack the bowls on her tray.
Pernilla looked at my bare arms and legs and quickly turned her head. “Did you find the other dresses?”
Were there more? “I, uh, I haven’t had a chance to try them on yet.” I thought Wylen had told me that the fae weren’t bashful. Pernilla seemed to be embarrassed by my state of dress. “I can go do that now.”
She just nodded, still avoiding eye contact.
With a sigh, I walked into the bathing chamber and found another similar dress in the stack of clothes I hadn’t gone through.
But this dress was made of grey wool, and I slipped that over the top of the sleeping shift, assuming that’s how it was supposed to go.
By the time I walked back out into the room, Pernilla had made the bed, fluffed the pillows, and was standing by the window looking down at the courtyard.
I joined her and noticed all the hustle and bustle going on below. “Is that for tonight?”
Pernilla nodded several times. “My queen has not hosted the Vernissary Ball in several years, so she is focused on making this one the best.”
“Why not?” I asked, and when Pernilla looked confused, I added, “Why has it been several years?”
“Oh, well. Uh, the queen wasn’t able to…she wasn’t allowed…” Pernilla pressed her hands over her mouth. “I’ve said too much. Come now. I need to take your measurements.”
“My measurements? For what?”
“For your gown tonight,” she answered as though I’d asked the dumbest question. “The queen has requested a specific dress for you, as she has for most of us in her court.”
“That seems a bit…micromanagement.”
“I’m sorry, I do not know the word micro…?”
“Micromanagement. It means it sounds like your queen wants to control everything.”
Pernilla huffed a laugh and shook her head. “Yes. That is a good way to explain.”
“You speak my language well. I’m sorry that I don’t know any of yours.” She’d pulled me into the center of the room and pushed my arms straight out to the sides.
“Oh, no need to apologize. It is my understanding you just learned about your true heritage?” With a charcoal pencil in one hand and a fabric tape measure in the other, she quickly started jotting down a thousand different measurements from the girth of my head to the size of my feet.
“Yes, just a couple of days ago.” Had it really only been a few days? So much had happened since my mother’s phone call the night we busted Walther Clews. “How did you hear?”
Pernilla chuckled while she wrote down another measurement in her small notebook. “Court rumors travel faster than lightning. It would be wise to remember that always.”
“I don’t think I will be here for very long,” I confessed.
Pernilla huffed again but said nothing.
She spun me around and then pushed me into the chair at the table.
Playing with my dark curls, she started humming to herself.
Twisting my hair in her hands, she examined what I would look like with my hair up.
My hair down. My hair braided and twisted.
And lastly, she held a piece of ribbon around the crown of my head and continued pondering.
“Is everything all right?” I asked, my stomach growling as the aroma of breakfast wafted through the air.
“Yes, yes. So, sorry.” She started gathering her things and waved a hand at me. “Please eat before it gets cold.”
It didn’t feel right to eat in front of her, so I stood and held the tray of empty dishes for her while she unlocked the door.
I didn’t miss the way her eyes shifted between me and the hallway several times.
But I’d decided I could comply with the queen’s orders for one day and sit inside this room until the ball tonight.
“I won’t try to escape. I promise,” I told Pernilla with a smile.
“Good,” she sighed in relief. “The guards are stationed outside the stairwell anyway, so you wouldn’t get far.”
Well, there’s that.
“I will be back later to set up your bath and prepare for the evening.”
As she stepped into the hall and I passed her the empty tray, I said, “Pernilla, thank you for your kindness.”
She blushed and ducked her head. “My pleasure, Miss Sosie. We all want to make sure you feel welcomed here.”
It took me a moment after she left to replay her words in my head.
Who wanted me to feel welcomed? It was as if the queen knew that I would be coming.
Had been planning on it. I pulled the chair over to the window and sat on my knees so that I could look down into the courtyard.
My mind spun with thoughts as I watched the empty space turn into a grand dining hall.
I missed Tris. I even missed Wylen a little, if I was being honest. I hoped I’d see him tonight so he could help me navigate these court politics.
And if I were to meet my real father, I wanted Wylen there to… why did I want him there?
I settled on the conclusion that, in this short amount of time, Wylen had become my friend. And I wanted a friend by my side tonight.
T here must have been something in the food.
I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and shortly after Pernilla left and I’d eaten the oats and fruit she’d left for breakfast, I found myself drifting off as I rested against the stone windowsill.
Eventually, I shuffled over to the ridiculously comfortable bed, stripped down to the satin shift, and climbed under the quilt.
It wasn’t until the sun had moved to the other side of the courtyard that I woke and pulled back the curtains…
only to find at least ten women in my room.
They paid no attention to me as I wiped the sleep away from my face and tried to reorient myself to the situation.
I felt drowsy, weak, and a little hungover.
Didn’t I read somewhere not to take food from the fae? And I’d already eaten two meals.
Tris would be furious with me.
“Miss Sosie,” Pernilla’s voice cut through my self-deprecating thoughts. “Your bath is ready.”
“Okay, thank you.” Lugging my legs over the side of the bed, I stood, still feeling a little woozy from my very long nap.
A bath would help. And as I walked into the bathing chamber, steam from the hot water danced above the tub, and scents of lavender and jasmine filled my head.
Despite not having complete indoor plumbing, this looked like one of the most perfect baths I’d ever seen.
I had no idea where Pernilla got the hot water, but I’m sure it was a chore, and I’d be sure not to waste a drop of it.
I closed the door to the chamber and slipped out of my dress.
Despite the chaos happening in the bedroom, the thick wooden door blocked out all sound and helped me notice the window high above the tub, letting in just enough light to see what Pernilla had done for me.
A small table made of stone sat next to the tub and contained a tray full of oils, soaps, and sponges.
There was a red silk robe hanging next to the tub beside an oversized towel and a pair of slippers with wool inside that looked better than any I’d ever seen in New Rothwick.
I sank into the tub and breathed in the aroma from the oils.
The tang from the jasmine mixed with the soothing scent of the lavender instantly put my mind at ease.
I washed my hair twice. I scrubbed myself with the softest soap I’d ever used that smelled like a vanilla bean.
I massaged my neck with two of the other oils from the tray—a cinnamon one and something that smelled like cloves.
Who would have thought I’d need to travel to a hidden realm to enjoy taking a bath this much?
And enjoy it, I did. I must have drifted off again because when someone knocked on the door, the water was cool, and I had no idea how long Pernilla had been trying to reach me.
“I’ll be right out,” I said, trying to clear the fog in my head once again.
Maybe it wasn’t the food. Maybe there was just something about the air of this realm that helped me sleep.
Or perhaps it was the crushing weight of everything that happened, and everything that was about to happen, shutting my system down.
No, I couldn’t think like that. As I dried off, wrapped the soft robe around me, and stepped into the slippers that melted across my feet, I shook my head.
I needed to have a clear mind tonight. I needed to be sharp and ready for anything Queen Fiadh might throw at me when it came to my biological father.
I needed to play my role and confidently navigate the court so that I could bring Gil home.
The women in the bedroom were all petite and had curly hair like Pernilla.
Dressed similarly, they flitted about like bees but moved in a way that looked like they were performing a choreographed dance.
Most of them ignored me, but when Pernilla rushed my way and wrapped her arm around my back, everyone stopped.
Her smile stretched wide across her face, and her flushed cheeks shone with whatever excitement was dancing in her eyes.
“Miss Sosie,” she said, voice breathy like she’d just finished running. “What do you think?” She waved her hand, and two of the women hustled forward, each holding one side of an elegant dress. Presenting it to me to view, they dropped their heads and held their arms out in front of them.
“This is mine?” I asked, absolutely awed by the sight in front of me.
“It is,” Pernilla answered with excitement.
“And you all made this today?”
The entire room giggled. “No, dear. Not us. The queen’s seamstresses.”
“This is amazing,” I said, reaching forward to touch the dark green material.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.” And that was the truth.
Emerald green satin was used as the main fabric and stitched to create a corset bodice and a three-panel skirt.
Along the corset were rows of black beads and twisted metal that looked like twigs.
Like nature was wrestling for control. I continued to run my hands over the intricate details, feeling excited about wearing this amazing gown.
“Let’s get you dressed,” Pernilla said with a wink.
I succumbed to the women and let them take full control. If I were being honest, it was a rush. A thrill to have so many people taking care of me. They knew what their queen expected, and they weren’t going to let me disappoint.
Time passed quickly. It must have taken at least an hour to dress me, style my hair, and apply makeup that was much different from what I was used to wearing.
I’d argued with Pernilla about my undergarments—ones she insisted on instead of letting me wear my own.
She’d won that battle. I fought against wearing the crown of twisted black metal that danced around the top of my head like frozen snakes because I wasn’t fae royalty.
Pernilla’s sister, as she’d introduced herself to me, insisted that everyone would have some type of headpiece tonight, as was customary for the Vernissary Ball.
By the time the two youngest ladies were painting the kohl around my eyes, I’d stopped fighting with them and just let them do what they thought best.
And when they were finished, and I looked at my reflection in the full-length mirror one of the women had brought into the room…I couldn’t breathe.
“Whoa,” I finally whispered, not recognizing the person staring back at me.
They’d tamed my unruly curls, pinning a part of them down so that they lay flat underneath the ornate crown on my head.
The dark rouge one of the ladies brushed along my breasts helped them appear fuller than they did in real life, accentuating the cut of the bodice.
Twists of black fabric made to look like twigs danced across my hips, highlighting my curves and blending into the slits of the skirt that flowed down to the floor.
And the flat sandals they’d given me were not like the ones we wore in my world.
Black ribbon twisted up my shins to my knee, weaving an intricate design similar to the metal on the crown sitting on my head.
Pernilla patted my arm. “You are beautiful.”
I felt the sting of tears from her words. They made me miss my mom. “Thank you,” I whispered to her, then a little louder said, “Thank you all. I don’t know how you did this.”
Another round of giggles filled the room, and as I continued admiring the gown and all its little details, the group of women quickly packed up and started to leave.
Pernilla spoke to someone in the hallway as she shooed the ladies away, and a few moments later, she clapped her hands together and looked at me with a kind smile.
“The guards will escort you to the ball now, Miss Sosie.”
“Will you be there? ”
She nodded. “Yes. But we may not see each other. There will be a lot of guests.”
“I understand,” I said, surprised at the pang of sadness that trickled through my chest. Aside from Wylen, Pernilla and her ladies were the only people I knew. I hoped I’d get to see her at least once tonight. Or before I left. If I was leaving tonight.
“Don’t fret,” Pernilla teased with a slight brush of her hand against my arm. “You will be just fine.”
I swallowed hard and tried to think of a response.
But Pernilla disappeared through my open bedroom door, and two guards quickly filled the space.
I lifted my chin and reminded myself not to fidget.
I had a job to do tonight, and that was to get an audience with the queen and my father and figure out a way home.
One of the guards cleared his throat while the other one stared at me.
It was that hungry kind of look a man gives a woman when they like what they see, and although I should admonish him for it, I didn’t.
Instead, I walked through the door, pushed past them, and headed for the stairway that would lead me to the Vernissary Ball.