Unknown (NaNoWriMo)

Chapter 25:

When I woke up, Khesir was gone, but Sanih was fretting about. Clicking her tongue, she rushed towards me once she noticed that I was awake. "Young lady, I almost had a heart attack when I heard that you were here instead of the hotel."

I gave her a hug and let her shoo me towards the bathroom. "What's the rush? We only have the ball today." This time she really acted like she had a heart attack. Clutching her chest, she let out an exaggerated gasp. "But we must make you perfect. Khesir is already in love with you, but what's the harm in making it more apparent." I laughed.

Khesir was such a stoic person, that if he became an open book I was sure more people would think he was insane. Sanih took her time in prepping me for the ball. By the time that she was done, I felt so pampered. Time was still a hard thing to grasp, since clocks weren't super accessible.

"When's the ball?" Sanih stopped in her fretting to let me know. "It is at 5 o'clock, right now it is 3 o'clock." That made me stop. Where did the time go!

Thankfully Sanih sat me down and dried my hair, while talking me through what the ball would look like. "There are going to be many people there. Middle class, nobility, and the royals of course." Names flitted through my mind. The four main noble houses. If I managed to make a better impression, Khesir's place as heir would be better secured.

No pressure. I let out a sigh. I would try my best, but I didn't want to ruin the night only making connections. Sanih had moved to the main event. She pulled out this amazing dress, that left me breathless. Of course I couldn't tell what the color was. "It's emerald." Sanih explained as she helped me in it.

I ran my hands over all the intricate lace work and beading. I couldn't help but remain speechless. "Where did you get this?" Sanih smiled and moved me in front of the mirror. "I may have started on it the first time Khesir talked about you." Turning around in shock, I looked at the gentle woman next to me.

Patting my arm, she led me down to a chair. Braiding my hair, she told me about the first time Khesir talked about me.

A door shut and Sanih looked up. Khesir was walking into the study. He looked a little out of it and he had his hand resting against his side. "What's wrong?"

He jumped a bit. Seemed like he was too lost in thought. Running his hand through his hair, he made his way to the couches in the corner. Sitting down, Sanih was not bothered and continued wiping the table down between them.

"I met someone." His voice was quiet and Sanih could barely hear him. Setting down her cloth, she moved towards Khesir. Sitting next to him, she pulled him close and had him lay down on her lap.

This was something that she used to do, when Khesir didn't know how to emote. He relaxed and once his breathing calmed down, she asked her questions. Who were they? "A girl. I met her in the weapon shop. She was waving a sword that was way too heavy for her."

A slight smile appeared on his face. "So I told her and she swung that very same sword at my face." Of course Sanih was surprised, but seeing that Khesir was amused she knew that there was more to the story. What else happened?

"She apologized, then I went to grab a sword best suited for her. She didn't realize that and thought I was going in for something else." Sanih lightly smacked him on the head. Teasing a poor woman, Sanih hoped that she gave him a taste of his own medicine. Did you give the sword to her?

"Not at first. I bought it and then I tested her." Sanih was worried at this point. Khesir had been training his whole life and she wasn't sure how well this stranger could match him. "I swung the sword at her. And she blocked." Sanih let out a breath, but Khesir wasn't done. "She blocked with a hairpin."