A Court of Golden Shadows

Chapter 13

She looked in the mirror and a smile lit up her face. She was wearing a pink sleeveless dress, the top of the dress was of a beautiful shade of rose gold and at the bottom, small flowers complemented the soft tulle. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone to a ball and wore a beautiful dress made with soft and expensive fabrics. It was before they became fae and even before her father lost his money.

She tried to avoid those thoughts as she concentrated on her hair. She spent almost an hour deciding how to fix her hair. For a moment she considered asking Nuala and Cerridwen for help, but she couldn't be sure that they would keep her secret from Azriel and they must be busy enough taking care of Nyx.

She finished her hair and looked in the mirror, feeling satisfied with her dress and hair choice. Pink was not the colour of the Night Court, but she wore it because she was not going as a member of the Night Court, she was going as Lucien's companion. Besides, she had never liked how she looked in black. It always reminded her of her mother's funeral and the day everything started going down.

As soon as she finished, she got up from her vanity and felt an urge to look through the window. Just a few seconds later, she saw Lucien walking to the house in a traditional Autumn Court suit. She hurried down the stairs and opened the door before he even had the chance to knock.

Lucien was standing at the front door. His long, red hair was loose, but carefully combed behind his ears. He also had a small pink flower in his hand. He parted his lips as he slowly took Elain's figure, from her golden slippers to her nicely done hair design. A few seconds passed before he sighed and cleared his throat.

"You look..." He hesitated before completing his sentence.

"You are beautiful." He said, finally meeting her brown eyes.

Elain felt her cheeks go pink. She felt more beautiful now than ever. She couldn't remember the last person who had genuinely told her she was beautiful.

"Thank you. You- you look very handsome too." She answered shyly. They stared at each other for a while until Elain looked away and Lucien cleared his throat again.

"Shall we?" He asked, extending his arm for her to take it.

She took his arm and he took them both to the Autumn Court Palace. They entered together and Elain could feel some eyes on her and Lucien. Would they be wondering what he was doing here after so long? Would they think that she was his partner or wife? She was starting to get nervous when Lucien gently took her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Hey, don't worry. You are perfect." He whispered only for her to hear and, as his words were magical, she started to feel her body relax. She squeezed his hand back and whispered a little thank you only for him.

As soon as they entered the ballroom, she was marveled by the decoration and the fae couples dancing with the music. She let go of Lucien's arm and he positioned his hand on the small of her back, guiding her through the party.

Suddenly, she heard someone mention Lucien's name and the hand at her back tensed and protectively round her waist. That's when she saw Eris approaching them.

"My my, I never thought I would see you two here together. Seems like you found yourself a nice partner, little brother. I wonder if she would like to dance." Eris said, getting closer to Elain and extending his hand, a wicked smile on his face. Lucien then shoved Elain behind him and hissed at Eris.

"Don't you dare get closer to her." He said, his body and muscles tense, his arm securing her behind him. Elain touched his arm in an attempt to calm him down. Fortunately, Eris retired his hand and took a step back.