The Dunehei Chronicles | Book One: A Roseless Thorn

Chapter 4 Idota

Aster stared at himself in the mirror that Sheon held, running his hands along the lacy, mesh sleeves of his new shirt. The clothes were tight on his body, but they weren't uncomfortable, nor were they as restricting as he originally thought they would be. Why the king wanted him to fight in such expensive-looking clothes was beyond him, but it wasn't his place to question the decisions of his master.

"You look lovely, Aster," Sheon smiled. It didn't reach her eyes, he noticed. A shame that was, Sheon had a beautiful smile and he liked it when she gave him one in full sincerity. There was something the elf slave knew that he did not, and it was clearly bothering her. Perhaps it had something to do with her cryptic words from yesterday?

He shakes his head, his bestial ears flicking back and forth. He had been hoping for the fogginess that encircled his mind to clear up by morning, but it had not. It felt worse now if anything, like all his thoughts were trying to push through a thick blanket. It was hard to think straight. In fact, he didn't feel like thinking at all.

"Just your makeup left now." Her voice was kind and gentle, but for some reason, he decided to interpret her words as orders. That was fine though, orders were nice, much easier to follow orders than to try and think on your own.

He unlatched the lid of a small wooden box that sat upon a nearby stool. Inside were an assortment of brushes, a small sponge, and several shades of concealer, all of them untouched except for one color that was almost gone. There was a bottle of mascara, some eyeliner, and a few shades of blush that he could apply as well.

He took the sponge, careful not to rip it with his claws, and dabbed at what little of the concealer was left. He turned back to the mirror and applied the it perfectly, covering any blemishes or bruises he had. Next, he added the mascara to make his eyelashes look fuller, then just a tiny bit of eyeliner that made his already vibrant yellow eyes pop like tiny stars. He picked up one of the brushes and dipped it into the bottle of the lightest blush he had, drawing it out and dabbing it onto his cheeks ever so gently, just to give his cheeks a light, rosy hue.

It never made sense to him, wearing makeup in the arena. It would all get washed away by sweat and blood and would leave his face a runny mess. But the King liked it, the King wanted it, and so the King shall have it. It was not Aster's place to question his master. It was his place to follow orders and do as he was told.

He packed everything away and Sheon lowered the mirror, tucking it under her arm as she retrieved the box of makeup from him.

"The diplomat will arrive in a few hours, be prepared, and try not to smudge your makeup," Sheon spoke.

"Okay," Aster said, voice empty, hollow, and barely more than a whisper. His face was impassive, like he was constantly staring off into space and wasn't fully aware of his surroundings.

Sheon bit her lip, looking like she wanted to say something, "Aster you... I... Just be careful today, okay?" Then she lowered her voice to a whisper, but his sensitive ears could hear her just fine. "Things are going to be happening soon, and I just want to make sure you will be safe when they do."

He looks at her curiously, head tilting to one side as he regarded his fellow slave with blank eyes. What did she mean by that? And why was she whispering? Was it because she didn't want the guards to hear her? He could smell the two guards right on the other side of the door, hear them too—their breathing, the slight shuffling of their feet, the rasp of leather, and the click of a mechanism as a guard drew their pistol and checked it over before placing it back into its holster.

"Okay." He wanted to say more, to ask her about her cryptic messages and what it was that she knew that he did not. But he didn't, if she had been ordered not to tell him anything, then he didn't want her getting into trouble. And he didn't want to get into trouble for being too curious either.