The Last Hope

35 - Siren

SONG FOR THIS CHAPTER - How Villains Are Made, Madalen Duke. Linked above! This song is so dramatic and definitely got me in the mood to write this chapter. If you enjoy the chapter please vote, it means a lot. Also, I actively encourage commenting and am trying my best to reply to any as quickly as I can. Want a chat? Don't be shy!

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Katerina was Mercy's new favourite person.

The dress was flawless, and it fit her like a glove. It was a deep sapphire colour, tight to her waist, with a plunging neckline that dipped low, and then flaring out past her hips to the floor so that it swished when she walked. Sleeves of gauze in the same colour as the dress looped around her thumbs, obscuring from view the crawling vine of ink up her left arm. Katerina had instructed Poppy and Frieda to darken her eyes with kohl and draw attention to her lips with a dark red shade before slipping out the door to the room, in order to get ready herself.

When Poppy and Frieda were finished, Mercy looked at her reflection in the mirror and audibly gasped. Something about the blue hue to the light streaming into the room brought out the colours in her peculiar eyes. Until now, she had found them unnerving, had never dared to stare into them too long in the mirror. But underneath the makeup - they were captivating, entrancing. She looked like a Princess.

That thought made her snort.

"Is it not to your liking, Your Highness? We could do something different with your hair?" Frieda fussed with the ends of Mercy's sable hair, and Mercy smiled kindly, shaking her head.

"It all looks perfect. Thank you, Freida, and thank you, Poppy." Whilst Frieda has tackled the makeup, Poppy had taken on the task of Mercy's unruly hair. Teasing the ends into curls and braiding it away from her face in intricate patterns.

One thing was certain, this would definitely piss off Alexandria. The thought darkened the smile on Mercy's lips as she rose from the seat at the vanity table. She gave Frieda and Poppy a look, "I guess I'll see you at the feast?"

Poppy shook her head, "oh, no, your highness. Servants don't get to go to the feast."

"Why not? Isn't it a holiday for all of you?"

"For all of us your highness." Frieda corrected, and Mercy made a face. Of course, as an Allunyah, Mercy would also celebrate the solstice. It was unnerving how little she really knew. Frieda continued, saying, "the five days of the solstice are celebrated all around Allunyah, but servants are not permitted to go to the feast."

Mercy's brow furrowed, "can't you sneak in?"

Poppy shook her head, "not if we want to keep our jobs."

"Well, do you at least get to enjoy the food?"

"We get to eat the things that come back to the kitchen."

That was awful. Mercy's lips pulled down into a frown at the thought. No doubt, it was all Alexandria's doing, Mercy had seen the way she'd treated the various staff around the citadel. "What if I requested you came with me?"

"With all due respect, your highness, that would only single us out from the other ladies' maids. We wouldn't like the attention."

Mercy chewed her lip and stopped abruptly when she tasted the waxiness of the lipstick. "Well, I suppose I will see you tomorrow? Thank you for looking after me so well. I really do appreciate it."

Frieda's reply was interrupted by a knock on the door, more hollow sounding than earlier, and Mercy turned to face the hidden door to the library. "Are you ready yet? I've been waiting for half an hour, there are only so many walls to stare at in this place." Sebastian's muffled voice floated through the door before Poppy crossed the room to open the door.