Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ASHLYN
Fyn pulled on the collar of his charcoal tunic as we rounded the corner of the hall. "I see you're allowed to wear sleeves today. Sleeves must be acceptable for a trip to the marketplace." He didn't smile. "Are you allowed to wear colors other than blue, or is that your assigned color?”
“It’s my favorite.” I tugged on the waist of the icy blue gown. "Did you dance with anyone last night?" The lady who approached him didn’t seem to persuade him.
"I think you know I didn't," he said.
"You are allowed to have some fun while you're here.”
"How kind of you, Princess.” He fell instep beside me as we continued down the hall.
“It looked like you had someone who was very interested in you. She was rather flirtatious.”
“What are you talking about?” His head tilted as if he truly didn’t understand.
“The fan. The women of this court use it to show a man she is interested in him. Novena told me about it.” I kept my face still.
“Well, she can wave that device all she likes—it won’t make me interested.”
“Oh yes, how could I forget? You have a lady waiting for you in Sygil.” I shouldn’t have mentioned her—or brought any of it up at all.
He stopped walking down the hall. “No, I do not. There is nothing between me and Kylana.”
Relief flooded me. I shouldn’t have been relieved to hear it. “Perhaps there is another lady awaiting you somewhere else then.” I braced myself for whatever he would say next.
“Ashlyn, there is no one else.” His eyes softened as he looked at me.
My throat constricted. I smoothed the skirt of my gown. “We shouldn’t keep Princess Novena waiting.”
I looked up at the archway that braced the major corners of the hall. Soon, we’d travel to the place I wanted to visit most. I wouldn’t be distracted from experiencing it all.
“After you.” Fyn gestured to the grand doors just down the hall.
Rustling wind screeched through the courtyard as a cluster of knights walked past.
I leaned in closer to Fyn. "I’ve been meaning to ask you… what does magic feel like?"
He halted, pulling his shoulders back. “Why are you asking me that?”
“I just need to know.”
Fyn’s throat bobbed as the guard pulled the carriage door back. “You know I don’t have any—”
“Princess Ashlyn, I was starting to think you weren’t joining me today,” Novena called to me.
"Your protector always looks so serious. Are all the fae this way?" Novena asked as Fyn bowed deeply before her.
“He always looks that way.” When I looked back at him, he was still staring at me.
"Interesting,” she said. "If you wish to stay behind, you may, Lord Fyn. My husband never lets me go anywhere without our guards. She will be well looked after."
"I am to escort her everywhere.” Fyn gestured toward the carriage that awaited us.
"Very well, then. Are you ready, Ashlyn? Soren has arranged for you to have whatever you pick out today."
"That is certainly kind of him.” I tried to keep pace with her, but her uneven steps made it difficult to walk beside her.
Fyn leaned in behind me. “How romantic.”
"What was that, Lord Fyn?" Novena turned back toward him.
"Just mentioning how extravagant I hear your markets are,” he said.
The heat overtook me until it faded.
He had lied.
The starlight responded to it.
“I hear your queen enjoys our fabrics," Novena said as Fyn and I climbed into the carriage behind her.
My sister had received many shipments of them and quickly had them fashioned into gowns. "My sister wears bold colors well."
"And you think you don't?" She asked.
"I am eager to find out." Muted green made up most of my wardrobe in Nythrel.
Novena seemed entranced by Fyn's ears for most of the journey until she turned toward me. "I've had my eyes on a gown made of crushed plum silk. The detailing on the neckline is extraordinary."
"Do you go to the market for all of your new gowns?" In Bailoc gowns were brought in for me. I had never shopped for anything before.
"We don't have to, but when you arrive, you’ll see why I enjoy it. There’s something about standing amidst all the choices."
“I look forward to it. Plum would go well with your hair."
"Indeed. I am most excited to see what Soren has picked for you. He's already sent word to the pigmentist,” Novena said.
"Picked for me?” I tugged at the end of my braid.
Fyn fought against a scoff that snuck past his throat.
“The royal family has a certain image they prefer to maintain,” Novena said it like it was normal.
Soren wouldn’t pick for me.
I gripped Fyn's arm as the carriage jolted forward, before I quickly pulled it back.
When the doors opened, the scent of spices flooded the air. Thick and heavy, their fragrances wafted to me. Finely dressed ladies walked the paths, parting for the royal carriage. Those near us curtsied for Novena.
Fyn steadied me as I climbed out of the carriage. The sunlight further illuminated the glow in his eyes. I found myself staring into them, before I turned from him.
A burgundy canopy of shimmering fabric hung between the stone walls, casting a deep rose glow over us as we stepped under the pointed arch.
The rush of voices filled every corner of the marketplace. People carried about—nobles, merchants, and household staff.
“Stay within reach of your chaperone or us,” the guard warned me.
“There are so many humans everywhere,” Fyn said.
“Look wherever you like.” Novena cast a quick glance at Fyn before she turned back to me. “I’ll be looking at the gowns. Josef can help you find me if needed.”
I had assumed we’d look at everything together, but Novena quickly ventured down a path that led her away from me. Nearly every guard followed her.
One held back as Fyn and I passed the tables of fruits and vegetables.
“Your question.” He glanced at the guard before looking back at me. “Just a curiosity?”
“Not now.” My voice lowered.
He held my gaze for a moment longer before he stepped back toward the table. “This looks extremely similar to our markets. You could have just gone to the one in the Heart. It would have saved you a lot of travel time.”
“Entirely the same, really?” I ran my hands over the golden apples that towered in the corner. “I haven’t had one this color in years… I think I was a little girl.”
“We will take one.” He gestured to the merchant. “And that… what is that?” He pointed to a metal bowl filled with liquid. Wrinkled green skin poked out the top.
“Those are pickles.” I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What is a pickle?” His accent made the word sound even more humorous.
“Please, a pickle too. The Lord Chancellor must experience one,” I said.
He reached for his coin pouch, but before he could pay for it the guard slid a coin across the table.
“Anything else, Your Highness?” Josef asked.
“Just the apple and a pickle.” I tried to force my lips to relax when I was smiling far too much.
“Thank you.” I grabbed the apple from the table and watched as the merchant handed Fyn the pickle.
His nose scrunched as he tasted it. “What did they do to this? It looks like a cucumber.”
The apple’s juice ran past my lips as I took the first bite. I wiped it with my sleeve. “It once was.”
“So they take a cucumber and make it… sour? Why would anyone want that?” He inspected the pickle as he rolled it between his fingers until it nearly slipped from his grip.
“They last longer this way.” I took another bite of the apple.
“Humans have strange taste… in pretty much everything.” He wrapped it back in its parchment and slid it into his pocket.
“You’re going to smell horrible,” I said.
“I’m sure someone will just fan me off later.” He watched me carefully. “What do I do with it?”
“I don’t know. You could eat it.”
“No. Absolutely not. Your apple maybe, but not that thing.”
“This is my apple and I will not share it with you.” I let my teeth sink into it.
“As long as you’re enjoying yourself, Princess.”
My title didn’t have the same ring when he said it. “You’ve given up on coming up with other names for me?”
“We’ve crossed realms.” His smile slipped. “Now it’s best I remember my place when I stand near you.”
I wanted to argue it, but I turned from him before I said something I shouldn’t.
Fabrics lined the walls of a far-off alcove, each bolder than the next. I reached for the silks, but pulled my hand back quickly.
“Is that where Princess Novena went?” I asked the guard.
He responded with a silent nod, gesturing me to follow him. I didn’t need to make my presence known to get by the crowd. The ladies who wandered around parted as I walked forward.
When I reached the alcove, everything grew quieter. Only Novena stood at the back, looking at the fabrics that draped over wooden frames.
Ladies peered in, but when they recognized Novena, they immediately turned.
“You may touch whatever you like, Your Highness.” A woman greeted me as I stepped into the alcove. She tucked her silver curls behind her ears. “If there is a gown you’d like to see, you just let me know.”
“Orin, do you still have the plum gown?” Novena’s voice swept between us.
“Of course, Princess. Any others you were eyeing?” Orin asked.
“Just the one.” Novena offered a polite smile.
“I put it aside for you after I saw you eyeing it last time you were here.” Orin gestured to a row of gowns on display. “Look around while I get it for you.”
I couldn’t get over the magnificence of the room—the colors that surrounded me. Each luxurious fabric felt different from the next.
“Is it always so quiet in here?” We were the only ones there.
“When a member of the royal family visits the market they are expected to keep their distance unless invited.” Novena’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly until she turned from me.
“So no one else will enter?” I wanted to see more people—talk with them, hear them laugh, but every amused sound existed outside the alcove.
“My friends will be here soon. They always come to shop with me, but I see they’re late.” Novena brushed a strand of her deep purple hair off her shoulder. “Where are they Vane?” She turned to another guard.
“I’m sure they will be here shortly,” the guard said to Novena.
“Here it is, Your Highness.” Orin carried the gown as if it were the most precious thing she owned. “This shade will be stunning on you.”
“That is the one.” Novena waved Vane over. “Pay her for it and see it returned to the carriage.” Novena turned to me. “Did you see nothing you’d like? Soren wants you to have what you wish. It isn’t a burden.”
“I have another one in the back that would suit her nicely, in one of my newer silks,” Orin said.
Novena nodded. “We’d like to see it. It is an honor for them to dress us. All eyes of the court are always on us. We make the fashions.”
“You wouldn’t want to disappoint them,” Fyn whispered as Novena turned.
“You find this most amusing, don’t you?” I looked up at him.
He studied me. “I’m not one for dress shopping, truly.”
“Princess Ashlyn, you may love this one.” Orin carried a gown over to me with gold embellishments around the waist and around the neckline. “They are all hand-stitched. It takes a great deal of time. If you wish to try it on, you may.”
“I’ll help you with it,” Novena said.
Each jeweled bead carefully caught the light. “That would be most appreciated.”
Novena and I followed Orin as she carried it into the back. With little effort, my old gown was removed and the new one was pulled up into place.
Orin’s slender fingers quickly tied the back as I peered in the mirror that stood in the corner.
The gown was everything—the embellishments—the way it braced me.
The blue was exactly as I wished it.
“Soren won’t be able to take his eyes off you,” Novena said. “We’ll take it. Vane will pay you for it, Orin. Have Princess Ashlyn’s other gown wrapped and brought to the carriage.”
Orin carried out my old dress.
I followed Novena as she stepped back into the alcove. "I haven't made my decision yet. This feels like too grand of a gift." Gifts like this were never freely given.
"It is what they do for us. Soren wants you to have whatever you wish." She uttered it like a promise. "This future can be yours, but if you wish to keep it, you may want to do more to keep his interest."
"Are you saying I don't have his interest?"
Novena stared blankly at me. "I wasn't saying that."
The starlight flooded me. Its warmth was unmistakable. “If he doesn’t like me as I am, then—”
"That is the wrong attitude to have when you have everything to lose for it." Her words slipped slowly from her lips. "I want for nothing, and all I have to do is appease my husband."
It was the future I was taught to want—the most luxurious riches at my fingertips, the status to never want for anything. The way she said it made my stomach clench.
"Lord Fyn," she called to him.
His gaze locked with mine when he turned around before he began to look at the dress.
"It is stunning on Princess Ashlyn, is it not?" Novena asked.
"Is that not the same dress she had on before?" He adjusted his leather belt. "I notice no difference."
I looked away from him the moment I felt his lie.
"Surely you are jesting." She smoothed her own gown.
"His duty doesn't require him to know these things." There were few things I could say to hide the crack that was slowly forming. I knew his lie, but his choice eroded my control. "I'm afraid he's hopeless.”
“Truly.” Novena flicked her hair over her shoulder.