Page 86 of Born of Starlight
Dumbstruck, I nodded with acknowledgment before guards escorted Sybilla out of the throne room.
Chapter23
Asterie
My assigned bedchamber was light and lofty, with vaulted white birch ceilings. Silver was etched into the floral wallpaper. It was vastly different from my tower’s daunting iron points and shadows.
The maid had laid out three gown options for the night’s festivities. I cautiously eyed each. The thought of adorning myself in finery was unsettling.
I winced at two of the gowns—one a lacey gold monstrosity and the other a pale blue color that would only serve to make me look sickly.
My fingers settled on the last of the gowns—it was the color of a ripe plum. Visions of burgundy fruit hanging from trees in the orchard lingered in my mind. It had a simple bodice and boned structure—no lace or ruffles that would make me feel like a prized pet. The silk was delicate and soft;this would do.The bell sleeves hung long, nearly to the ground, and I hoped there would be no need to use a sword with those.
After bathing, I untangled my hair with a wide-toothed comb before I stepped into the wine-colored gown.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in.”
A pretty maid with braided chestnut hair poked her head in. “Good evening, High Enchantress. Are you ready for my assistance?”
“Yes, thank you. And you may call me Asterie.”
The maid carried an abundance of vials, brushes and hair curlers. She looked slightly disheveled, and her skirts were an inch too long.
“What should I call you?” I forced my voice to be gentle and nodded for her to place the overflow of items in her arms on the vanity.
“Oh…” She seemed shocked that I had asked, and she gathered her composure. “Elsedora. But my friends call me Elsie.”
Her eyes dragged down me subtly as if waiting for me to attack.
“Well, Elsie, it will take a while to make me look remotely presentable to a royal court, so I am sure we will have time to become friends. Tell me about your life here.”
The girl’s shoulders relaxed. Within minutes, she was at work on my hair and enthusiastically sharing information like a tea kettle bubbling over. She grew up in the North Corridor with her parents and brother. When she spoke of them, an air of melancholy hung over the retelling of her childhood. I smiled as she spouted off about her favorite places to visit in the North. She unraveled the curlers from my hair with precision.
“Excuse me for asking, but…” Elsie faltered. “Oh, never mind.”
“No, please—I insist. You can’t offend me with any question.”
Her worried look turned conspiratorial. “The warlock traveling with you. Is it truly him? Fenristhe Destroyer?”
My lips drew into a line. “Yes, it is truly him.” I wasn’t sure how much more to share, so I left it at that.
“Is that…safe? And what is he like?”
I sighed.What harm could sharing my anxieties with a lady’s maid do?“He’s here on the Queen’s request—as her guest. He hasn’t tried anything yet, but I am unsure if he is safe. And he’s infuriating. Horrid. Cocky in an oddly enchanting way. I’d advise steering as far from him as you can.”
Elsie finished lining my eyes, stepping back to admire her work. “Well, he soundsterrible.” Her voice held amusement as though reading between lines I didn’t know I’d drawn.
Those lines for her tostay away from the warlock.Because he was truly horrid or because the thought of him with any other woman made my stomach hurt?
Elsedora took my hand and guided me to a floor-length pedestal mirror. There was no explanation but sorcery for what she had accomplished. I shook my head, staring at myself a moment longer—my hair hung in sleek, shining curls that cascaded over my shoulders. It had seemed like she painted so much on my skin, but I was pleased to see none of the colors were garish.
“You look beautiful, Lady Asterie.” She smiled warmly. “You will surely catch the eyes of that‘horrid’ and ‘cocky’warlock looking like this.” Before I could correct her misunderstanding, she stepped back toward the vanity.
“Oh! I almost forgot.”
Elsie retrieved a green velvet box as I slipped on the heeled shoes left for me. Within it was a rose-colored teardrop gem necklace. It caught the light from the window and created a fractal pattern on the ceiling.
