Chapter 13 Helayna
HELAYNA
Wrapped in a black robe, I sat in a swiveling cushioned chair while an army descended with brushes and scissors and tools I didn’t even recognize, while others rolled in racks of clothing.
All the colors of the rainbow. Short and long, dresses, pants, thick furs, sweaters, and light gauzy creations. More than a little overwhelmed, I didn’t even know where to start.
Clara patted my shoulder. “These are just to see what you might like so we can start building you a complete wardrobe. Your Majesty, this is master tailor Kathleen Grimley.”
A dark-haired human woman curtseyed and then stepped closer, offering her hand.
Dressed in a simple but elegant black suit, she moved like royalty.
I wasn’t very good at estimating ages, but she seemed relatively young compared to Clara.
I started to shake the woman’s hand, but Kathleen startled me by dipping her head and lightly kissing my knuckles.
“Your Majesty, thank you so much for considering my team.” She straightened and turned to three other even younger people behind her.
“This is Hawkins, Thorpe, and Stokes.” Each of them bowed their heads as she called their names.
Two men and a woman. “The rest of my team is still taking measurements, but I’ll introduce you forthwith. ”
“Thank you so much for coming on such short notice. I hope it wasn’t too inconvenient?”
“Are you kidding?” The other young woman exclaimed, though the man beside her elbowed her hard. “What? I’ve never been on a private jet before. It was incredible.” Then her eyes widened, her mouth hanging open for a moment. She paled so quickly she swayed. “Your Majesty.”
I laughed, shaking my head gently. “Please, don’t be concerned. I’m not used to formalities myself. I’ve never been on a private jet either. At least not that I remember.”
“Then we should correct that lack at once, Your Majesty,” Clara said tartly. “Perhaps next time we’ll fly to London and visit Grimley’s on Savile Row rather than bring them here.”
Smiling, Kathleen inclined her head. “You would be most welcome, of course, but my team is also honored to travel to you, Your Majesty. You’ve given us a wonderful opportunity to devise something entirely new and unique.”
“I have?”
“We’ve created bespoke menswear for years but never had such a delightful challenge as the one presented by the men in your service.”
My Blood. Thinking of them made my mouth water, even though I’d fed long from Dorr again before we left the suite. “I can’t wait to see what you create for them.”
“But this consultation is for you, Your Majesty.” Kathleen turned to her team and one of the young men pushed a rack close enough for me to reach out and touch the garments.
“I gather you most likely won’t need formalwear, at least initially, so we’ll focus on everyday wear that will be both luxurious and comfortable. If I may make some recommendations?”
I nodded. “Please. I know nothing about modern clothing.”
For a moment, I feared I’d misspoke. Her eyes flared, her head jerking slightly as if she was temporarily stunned or shocked.
After all, she and her team were human. I might look like them on the surface, but my Blood certainly didn’t appear “normal.” I assumed she knew what that meant but perhaps I’d been mistaken.
Clara lightly touched my shoulder again, soothing some of my nerves. “Her Majesty has only recently returned to us.”
“I’m quite out of touch, I’m afraid. I lived a very secluded and solitary life before finding my family again.”
Which was true in more ways than one. Clara dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief and gave me a brilliant smile. “We’re so grateful to have you home, Your Majesty.”
“Do you prefer bolder colors or neutrals?”
“I don’t know, honestly. I’m open to anything.”
“With your hair’s red tones and your creamy complexion, your best colors will be anything in the green tones, but especially emerald.
” She selected a hanger with a shimmering green blouse.
It had a high neck with buttons down the front and flowy, graceful sleeves.
“This one’s silk. It’s breathable and delightful against the skin. ”
I started to stretch out my hand and touch it, but I hesitated, dropping my hand to my lap where I clutched my fingers together. My stomach twisted into knots. Sweat broke out on my forehead.
Dorr’s bond swelled like a black tide in my mind. :My queen, shall I come to you? What is it?:
:I’m fine,: I assured him. He’d been reluctant to leave my side even for a moment, but I’d finally convinced him this small private room was entirely safe while he and the rest of my Blood were fitted for their new clothes just outside. :It’s silly but this particular color upset me.:
The door opened and he strode across the room, making a beeline straight to me. Several swaths of black cloth hung off his mighty shoulders and another human rushed along behind him.
“Sir, a moment, sir—” The man’s eyes flickered over to me, and he jerked to a halt and lowered his eyes. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn’t realize—”
“It’s alright,” I broke in gently. “I’m afraid I can’t wear that color.
It caused me to have a visceral reaction Dorr couldn’t ignore.
” As soon as he stood behind me, he dropped his big hands to my shoulders, his fingers gently kneading.
All the knots eased in my stomach, and I was able to smile again. “Perhaps another color?”
:Do you know what about the color is upsetting?: Dorr asked.
:When I was inside Jormungandr, Loki came to visit me. He wore a signet ring and parts of his suit in the same color.:
Dorr’s fingers tightened. :Then we shall beware anyone wearing this color. Loki can easily change his appearance. According to the old myths, he once even turned himself into a horse.:
“This is Manford,” Kathleen said. “Would it be acceptable for him to continue taking measurements while we talk?”
“Of course. Thank you, Manford.”
The man’s sharp, quick movements reminded me of Bj?rg, scurrying alongside me as we made our way to the dining table. Curious, running here and there, drawn by all the interesting sights and smells. Though as soon as the humans arrived, she’d disappeared.
Manford muttered softly to himself as he reached up with a long tape, stretching to his tiptoes to get to the top of Dorr’s shoulders, and then scribbling down notes.
“Perhaps something similar to the browns in Manford’s coat?” I asked.
The man stiffened like I’d insulted him. He wore matching glasses that rode low on his nose and he was slightly balding. Combined with the way he tipped his head to peer over the top of his glasses, I put his age much closer to Clara’s than Kathleen.
“Nobody wears brown these days, Your Majesty. Though this is a very fine chestnut coat if I do say so myself. I made this coat forty-five years ago, and it has held up quite nicely.”
Kathleen smothered a grin as she turned to place the blouse back on the rack.
“A rich chestnut brown would add depth to the reds in your hair, Your Majesty, though Manford’s correct in that it’s not considered a very fashionable color nowadays.
Once we take your measurements, I’ll be sure to include some browns for you to try and see if you like them.
This olive green would also look nice with your hair as well as this darker spruce green.
Or are these too similar to emerald to suit you? ”
I reached out and smoothed my fingers over the spruce. “Not at all, these will be fine. What kind of material is this?”
“It’s an all-natural wool fiber. We can make a variety of basic, functional pieces that you can mix and match, from pants and skirts to dresses and jackets.
This blouse is also silk, and this one is linen.
We generally only use natural fibers for everyday wear, and then something like this taffeta or satin blends for formal occasions, both of which are more cost effective.
Though anything you see in the catalogues or here on the racks can certainly be done in pure silk, depending on the cut and drape required. ”
She was starting to use a few fiber-specific terms I didn’t quite follow, so having the ready-made pieces available helped me follow along. “I think for daily wear, I’d like comfortable, timeless pieces, but I do enjoy the feel of this silk. Is it very expensive?”
Before Kathleen could answer, Clara said, “Expense is not a concern, Your Majesty. In fact, all your underthings should be silk or fine-spun cotton.”
Kathleen looked over at the young woman, and she immediately stepped forward with a large book tucked under her arm. She opened it up and laid it across my lap. “This is our catalogue of lingerie designs.”
I flipped through several pages until a page of long, flowing dresses caught my eye. They were for sleeping and lounging, according to the description. But if I was spending most of my time with my Blood… “I like these, along with these lounging robes. Maybe with fuller sleeves, like this?”
“Of course. In the old days, they were called dressing gowns, and the ladies might even receive friends in such clothing. What colors would you like? Or how many—”
I opened my mouth, but Clara butted in before I could say anything. “One of every color you have. Then sets of underwear and bras in the same colors in a variety of cuts.”
One of the assistants started writing everything down. “Got it.”
Kathleen stepped closer and turned through several pages until the images were all of skirts, pants and jackets. “Do any of these styles appeal to you, Your Majesty?”
I flipped through a couple of pages, but nothing really caught my eye. “These seem to be more… How do I say it…”
“Conservative?” Clara offered. “Or even business, professional attire.”
“Yes, exactly. Like I should be overseeing teams, making travel plans, buying properties. Which I suppose I may do.” Frowning, I looked up at Clara. “Or is that more what you do?”
“You express a desire or need, and I direct your team to accomplish that goal. But if you’d like to wear more business-like attire, that’s perfectly acceptable.”
Kathleen thumbed through several more pages to the back of the catalogue. “We also have more casual styles like these. Hand-knit sweaters with relaxed wool trousers or simple skirts.”
“Oh, yes, these are more my style, I think. Soft, fluffy, cozy things. That sounds perfect.”
The assistant wrote more notes.
“More elegant and timeless colors, like greens and browns?” Kathleen asked. “Or would you like some neutrals?”
I flipped backward through the book, just casually looking at the images to see if anything else sparked.
“Woodsy colors would be great. White, cream, even gray would be fine too. Not very much black, though. I spent too much time in the dark to not wear colors now. Although, what’s this color?
” I pointed to an image of a woman wearing a long floor-length gown and jewels at her throat.
“Midnight blue. It can appear to be black until the light hits the material just so, and then you see the blue undertones. We also have a similar green color we jokingly call midnight moss.”
“The color of your eyes,” Dorr said reverently. “Inky moss.”
I looked up at him with a soft smile. “That sounds way better than dark green.”
“You will need formal gowns for court,” Clara said. “For instance, if you’re called before the Triune. Queen Shara was very forgiving when she visited us given the situation, but generally, Triune queens have high expectations for appearances at court.”
The thought made my stomach knot again. Not meeting Shara—she’d been perfectly friendly and had literally saved my family home. But the thought of making court appearances made my stomach churn with anxiety. “I have so much to learn.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Your Majesty. If you like the style of this gown, let’s have several made up and ready in case you do need to make a formal court appearance.”
I nodded. “One in midnight blue and one in inky moss, please.”
“Absolutely, Your Majesty.” Kathleen flipped the page over to an even more elaborate gown. “We also have extremely formal designs available if the need arises. Stokes created this one, beading it all by hand with pearls and crystals to make it glitter from every possible direction.”
The gown was certainly stunning with a wide, full skirt. Yards of delicate lace made it look airy despite the heavier beading around the bodice. “I can’t imagine wearing something so fancy.”
“It would certainly be appropriate to wear to Queen Marne’s court in Rome,” Clara said. “She prefers all the pomp and circumstance.”
“What colors could you do this in?”
“White, though that might appear too bridal for a court appearance. Silver, gold, and black for sure, though I’m sure we could do something in the darker green or blue as well, Your Majesty. The trick will be finding appropriate crystals to match but I’m sure it would look lovely.”
The female assistant cleared her throat nervously, drawing our attention to her.
“I also have an incredible smoky deep purple I’ve been dying to create something with.
” Her head cocked slightly as she gazed at me and her eyes unfocused.
“I can see it like a dream.” She blinked, clearing away the haze, and quickly added, “Your Majesty.”
Her words touched something inside me that resonated. It felt right. “Let’s do it. I’d like a dream gown, but I would put it at the bottom of the list. I can’t imagine we’ll need to go to Rome any time soon.”
Clara winced. “Never say never, Your Majesty. When Marne Ceresa says come to Rome, we go. Without question.”
“The team will now go through the samples we brought and bring in some ready-made items in a variety of sizes for you to try, Your Majesty. That way you have at least a few items in your wardrobe while we finish the rest.”
The younger assistants left, each taking a cart with them. Still muttering softly to himself, Manford followed them. “So many yards. I’ve never seen such a mountain of a man.”
I reached up and patted Dorr’s hand on my shoulder. “My Darkest is appropriately named.”