Chapter 22
“ The mental part seems like the hard part, but it's really the easy one because basically, you just do it even though you don't want to," Wrenley told me as I stared up at the silks. The open skylight made it seem like they stretched forever into the bright blue sky and the stars beyond.
"The physical part is harder because you can't force your way through stamina and muscle the same way. Both just take time. But you're already strong and enduring, so really, that means that both parts are easy," xe reasoned with a smile. "Besides, I'll be here every step of the way."
“Wrenley,” Madge’s voice cut through the morning chatter, and we turned to look toward the enchantress. “Come forward.”
Xe went to the middle of the room, xer feet padding softly on the sand to meet Madge. By the way xe stood, with xer hands behind xer back and chin raised defiantly, xe acted like xe was being called front and center for castigation. And honestly, for Wrenley, that was a safe assumption, especially given that Madge had watched xer talk to King Asmond the other day.
“What can I do for you, Madge?” Wrenley asked.
"You will be primamusa," Madge announced. "You will have specialized aerial choreography using hoops, so I will work closely with you."
Wrenly looked back over xer shoulder at me, xer eyes wide with surprise, but I just smiled and mouthed “congratulations” back at her.
Yes, this did throw a wrench in my plan to rely on Wrenley’s expertise to guide me through the next three weeks, but this wasn’t about me. Xe worked hard at aerials, and xe was damn good at them, too.
Plus, Wrenley was a terrific friend, and I was happy to see xer talent appreciated and given a place to show off xer skills.
Before we finished stretching, Madge ran through the first set of choreography she wanted us to learn. The moves didn't seem that dissimilar to some I had done in previous conductions. The fact that I'd be doing them suspended in the air by a thin piece of silk fabric certainly added a degree of difficulty and terror.
"Just keep on dancing. The storm will rage, but we dance on anyway," Rowan said from behind me when I was only a foot off the ground. "And you'll eventually get where you need to go."
The familiar idiom put me at ease, and Rowan’s reassuring timbre didn’t hurt either. I took a deep breath.
"Now twist your leg back," Rowan instructed. I carefully turned my body, keeping the fabric snugly around my calf. Put your left hand above the right."
I readjusted my hands on the silk, and he said, “Not quite. Your hand needs to be higher.”
He’d been close behind me, but now he moved into my space, so I could see him from the corner of my eye as he leaned and put his hand over mine.
“Is it okay if I move your hand?” he asked, and I nodded.
With that assurance, his fingers wrapped around my hand, and his chest was pressed against my back as he reached.
“You’re locked in with your right hand and your leg, so just let go with this one,” he said. “And when you fall, I’ll catch you.”
“Did you say when I fall?” I asked.
“Everybody falls sometimes,” he said matter-of-factly. “So let’s do this.”
With my hands in the right place, he let go and stepped away so I could try the trick on my own. I contorted in the air, with my body appearing to float between the ribbons a few feet off the ground. It didn't seem that far, but when all the weight was suspended on the fabric and my grip, it was actually frightening. The sand softened the impact, but it could not eliminate it entirely.
“Excellent form, Isadore,” Madge commented as she walked past, inspecting all the muses. “Now you have to do that about twenty feet in the air and add some magik. But that won’t be for a week or so. I want to be sure that none of you will break your necks when we combine all three.”
I took a deep breath and pushed through the fear. I focused solely on my movements, the fabric between my hands, the precision of my balance, and my body.
From across the room where Wrenley was practicing with a hoop, she gave me an encouraging smile, and I tried to offer one in return.
I made it through the rest of the day without breaking any limbs, but I did have a few fresh bruises from a tangling incident with the silk. I also had a new blister and body aches in multiple muscles I had never used before. But I also had a new sense of pride, and I was doing a halfway decent job despite my severe fear of heights.
I was also learning a new skill, and I wondered what Adora would make of it when she found out that I knew how to do aerials. Probably just rage and disappointment, I assumed.
After practice, the other muses once again all went to hang out. I declined because I was too tired to do anything more than pass out in bed. Wrenley offered to stay back with me, but I was only sleeping, so I told xer to go have fun.
It took a full week of practicing aerials before I was finally able to stay awake for a couple hours afterward. Still, I just laid in bed, working my way through the small library of books that came with our room.
It was almost another whole week after that before I finally let Wrenley and Rowan convince me to hang out with them. And it wasn't so much letting them convince me as not taking no for an answer.
The parade was in honor of King Asmond's twenty-third birthday, so he, his family, and the Kingdom were the main themes. Floats were adorned with colorful flowers and sparkling crystals, and one was entirely devoted to the royal flora, the sunflower.
"Why does the float with the hot air balloon look so melancholy?" I asked as the somber float rolled by.
"Well, because it's meant to be melancholy," Rowan said, then lowered his voice as he explained, "The King's father and mother, the late King Edvard and Queen Pippa, went on a balloon ride for their anniversary, as was their tradition. But four years ago, they were caught in an unexpected storm, and they crashed, and unfortunately, they both perished."
I grimaced. “I remember hearing something about that now. How tragic.”
“That must have been so hard for the King,” Wrenley said thoughtfully. “Losing both his parents so abruptly and then being thrust onto the throne in the midst of it.”
“He’s done well through it all,” Rowan said. “The kingdom and the people adore him.”
Bannerman carried rainbow-colored flags, but they became overwhelmingly pink as the heads of the towering giraffes came into view. The gorgeous animals walked leisurely, with sanguine smirks, as they surveyed the crowd lining the roads on either side. The long manes that ran down their necks were adorned with colorful ribbons and flowers, and people held up outstretched leaf fronds for the animals to eat as they went by.
The giraffes themselves were part of the procession, with the royal family riding on the backs of the giant animals. Each one had a bespoke saddle and a blanket marked with the rider’s sigil and name. The reigns stretched six feet from the saddle to the bit in the giraffe’s mouth, with flowers wrapped around the strap.
The first animal was the smallest, but it was still a giant. Even from the vantage point where Rowan, Wrenley, and I watched from the balcony, the giraffe's head still towered above us.
The King's younger siblings led the procession, beginning with Prince Edvin, who was not yet sixteen, and the King's ward.
Behind him, sharing a single giraffe, were Asmond's younger brother, Spencer, and his new bride, Beatrice.
"They only wed a few months ago," Wrenley explained to me in a low voice as they rode by. "There were rumors that the wedding was rushed because she was with child, but there's no sign of the baby. The King fears that Spencer wants to get his hands on his duchy, and the only way to do that is through marriage."
“How do you know so much about the Lamida royal family?” I asked xer.
Wrenley shrugged but wouldn’t meet my eyes when xe said, “People like to talk. You’d learn things too if you came out more at night.”
Following them were a pair of giraffes walking side-by-side, each of them dual riders. The one on the right was the King's only sister, Duchess Karla, with her toddler daughter, Lady Zara, in her lap. The other giraffe carried Karla's wife, Marcella, and their infant son, Lord Lukas.
Finally came the largest giraffe, at least two stories tall, higher than I had dared climb on the silks yet, and the King sat high in his saddle. His smile was wide but frozen, and he waved politely at the crowds below.
Wrenley leaned forward on the railing as he drew closer. Asmond's eyes finally went up to the balconies where we watched. They landed on xer, and I swear, the moment he saw xer was the first time his smile appeared genuine.