Chapter Twenty-One
Rowan stood in front of the mirror and sighed. He hated to dress this way. Knights could wear their formal attire or their military uniform to the Winter Ball. However, since he hated wearing the uniform with all those ridiculous medals even more, he decided to deal with the stockings instead.
Bree had his clothing made to match hers again this year. And though he hadn’t seen her dress, he could tell from his tunic that it was probably green and gold. He couldn’t wait to see her in it. And even more, he couldn’t wait to peel it off her.
He met Dagan in the hallway of the guest wing.
The wizard was wearing his usual ceremonial wizard robes, which were blue, long, and had silver trim.
They had no sleeves, so his arms were bare.
His trousers beneath the robes were not visible while he stood still, but were probably also blue and likely much more comfortable.
“Why do you get to wear that and I’m stuck in stockings?” Rowan asked, huffing.
“Perk of being a wizard,” Dagan said, smugly. “Actually, I do have to make one change.” He placed a hand on his robes and said something Rowan didn’t understand. The robes turned red. “Sid’s dress is red. At least, I think she said red.”
“You didn’t listen when she told you?” Rowan asked, chuckling.
“Well, she was naked when she said it so…”
Rowan nodded in agreement. A man couldn’t be expected to remember details like that when their woman was bare before them. It had to be common knowledge.
Dagan would be formally escorting Sidonie inside this year, so they went down to the hall to wait until their ladies arrived. Then they would meet them in the doorway to lead them into the hall. It was a tradition that began with the first Winter Ball.
Finn was waiting near the throne when they walked in. He looked much more at home in his formal attire, his stockings molded to his legs as if he were born with them. Rowan wanted to kick him for it.
“Aww… You two look so pretty,” Finn said, grinning as they approached.
“Ass,” Rowan muttered. “Where is Adelphie?”
“I’m waiting for her, the same as you.”
As if on cue, Adelphie appeared in the doorway.
Finn smiled at her choice of gown. She was wearing a dress made of buckskin that came only to her knees.
It had a fur trim that skimmed the top of her breasts, exposing her shoulders.
Her blonde hair had a few small braids on each side, and she had tall brown boots with fur trim to match.
She certainly looked like a ceremonial version of a Sabra.
Finn approached her and she held her hand out. He took it and kissed it. “I want to take you outside and have my way with you, m’lady,” he said, leading her into the room. “You can even leave the boots on.”
“Finnley!” She pretended to be offended. “How dare you speak to me in such a scandalous manner!”
“I can certainly show you scandalous, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“I expect you to keep your word then,” she replied, laughing.
Celeste came next, dressed in a tight black gown that somehow made her look even taller than she already was.
Sir Raymun met her at the door. He had also been the one to escort her last year.
Finn watched them enter and was curious now if something romantic had developed between them.
He would have to interrogate his father later and find out.
Celeste was followed by Cicilly, in a burgundy gown. Sir Nicholas was her escort, of course. It was no secret to anyone now that the Queen Mother and First Knight had become a couple during their trip to Vale, and no one seemed surprised by the news upon their return either.
Dagan looked up to see Sid in the doorway.
She was definitely dressed in red, but it wasn’t a gown.
She was wearing robes like his, only hers were more fitted and had sleeves.
She looked enchanting, every bit like the sorceress she was.
He was pleased to see that she still found ways to surprise him.
“Impressive,” he said, bowing and taking her hand.
“Oh, this is just the beginning,” she replied with a teasing smile. “Wait until you see what I have on underneath.”
His mind was reeling with the possibilities, making it hard to speak.
She laughed and took his arm, letting him lead her into the room.
He started to ask her just what she meant, but she wasn’t paying any attention to him.
Her eyes were focused on something behind him.
He looked over and saw Rhea in the doorway.
She was beautiful in a white flowing gown. There were tiny pink flowers that started at the top and cascaded to the bottom. Half of her hair was pulled up, pinned with more pink flowers.
“What should we do?” Sid said, frantically.
“What do you mean?” Dagan said. “Reeve will probably escort her in.”
“No! They still aren’t speaking.”
“How can that be? They’ve shared the same living quarters for months now.”
“Just go!” She shoved him forward and he didn’t argue.
He met Rhea at the door, and she gladly took his arm. He led her over to Sid, who immediately gushed over how beautiful her dress was. Dagan looked around and didn’t see Reeve in the hall, but he knew that it would soon be Gabby’s turn so the knight would have to show up eventually.
After a few more ladies made their entrances, Reeve finally entered the hall, sneaking in from the kitchens. He hadn’t wanted to be there when Rhea came in. If she saw him, he knew she would turn around and leave, as she’d done every time they’d found themselves in the same room by mistake.
When he saw Rhea on the other side of the hall, his heart broke. She was even more beautiful than he’d imagined. He’d overheard her talking about her gown with Gabby and knew exactly what it would look like but seeing her in it now hurt much worse than he expected.
The past several months had been hell. His brilliant plan to have her share their suite had failed, miserably.
Rhea stayed in the room she shared with Gabby until Reeve left each morning and she didn’t return until after he went to sleep.
He’d even tried to stay awake for a few nights, hoping to hear her come inside, but she would always slip past him.
He couldn’t be certain she wasn’t flying into her room so he wouldn’t hear her footsteps.
She’d made it a point to avoid him. If he looked in her direction in the hall, she would ignore him. If he approached, she would walk out. It was obvious she had no intention of forgiving him since she wouldn’t even allow him to apologize.
He would just have to admit defeat and set her free. Nothing could prepare him for this, so it made no sense to keep putting it off. He would tell her tonight that it was time to end the marriage. This arrangement obviously wasn’t working for either of them, no matter how much he hated it didn’t.
Purple in the doorway caught his attention. Gabrielle looked lovely in her dress. Her hair was up and he almost never saw her wear it that way. She certainly didn’t look like a little girl anymore. She was becoming a young woman. It was terrifying.
He started to move toward the door but stopped when a tall boy approached Gabby. His sister blushed, which was something else he never saw her do. The boy bowed and took her hand, but when he kissed it, Reeve stepped forward to intervene.
Gabby glanced up and saw him coming. She glared at him with eyes sharper than his sword. He stopped in his tracks. Then she smiled and pretended like nothing had happened as she took the boy’s arm and marched right past him.
Rowan walked over and slapped a hand to Reeve’s back.
“That was a surprising entrance,” Rowan joked. “I didn’t know she liked Oliver.”
“Neither did I,” Reeve said, frowning. “Who’s Oliver?”
“Sir Ainsley’s squire and son of Lord Hamon. He’s a nice boy.”
“There is no such thing as a nice boy,” Reeve scowled. When Rowan laughed, he shot his brother a look that said he wasn’t amused.
“Oh, ease up. I’m sure you were harmless at that age.”
“Were you harmless at—how old is he? Seventeen?”
“Ooooh, no, no, no…” Rowan remembered what happened between him and Bree when he was seventeen. It’s the very thing that caused their separation.
“And now you understand me perfectly… Though, I guess if he breaks her heart, I could always send you to take care of him.”
“Funny. Why does everyone always joke about that? I don’t enjoy doing killing people.”
“Maybe not, but you certainly are good at it. I was with you in Sire. And speaking of protecting young girls…” Reeve trailed off and nodded toward Sarita, standing in the doorway.
Rowan didn’t hesitate. He came forward and greeted the princess. She was wearing a light blue dress with white feathers in her hair, behind her silver crown. She smiled when he approached and bowed to her.
“You look lovely, tonight,” he said.
“Thank you, Rowan. You look nice too.”
He led her over to the throne, where she stopped and frowned up at him.
“Rowan?”
“Yes?”
“If my father were here, do you think he would like my dress?”
Rowan’s throat tightened. He wasn’t sure how to respond but he squatted down and took her hands in his.
“I’m sure King Frederick is watching you, right now, and I’ll bet that he just loves your dress. I know I do.”
“Do you miss your mother?” she asked.
“I do. Just like I’m sure you miss your father?”
“Yes… It’s easier this year. Last year was harder, but Bree says he’s proud of me and he would be here if he could be.”
“That’s true. He is extremely proud of you, and he would definitely be here if he could be.”
Sarita nodded and gave a small smile. Then she kissed Rowan on the cheek and walked over to Celeste. Even though she had kissed his cheek many times, this one hurt a little more than the others.
He was torn. On one hand, he’d lost a parent, so he understood exactly what she was feeling. King Frederick was the only father she’d ever known. The only father she knew about still. On the other hand, he wanted to tell her how happy he was to learn that he was her father. But how could he?