Crescent (Old Version)

+ Part 15 +

Snow was softly falling outside the bedroom window. Steam and wafts of freshly-pressed eucalyptus were rising from a bath already being prepared in the bathroom. Two servants stood at the foot of my bed when I finally peeled my eyes open. The night before had been long, and my head was still sore from poring over everything that was to be expected of me tonight.

After attempting to show me a few traditional dances, Moira had eventually given up altogether. I was not to dance at all until I had a proper instruction. Eventually after learning my duties in order and being able to recite them backwards, sideways, and or in any way vertically, save something went wrong, Moira and I both decided sleep might benefit us both.

But, the day was finally here.

The servants pulled the covers back, and I knew I didn't have the energy to fight as they pulled me toward the bathroom. They both stripped me, untied my hair, and for a moment, they stared at my form as I stood bare in front of them. It wasn't the fact that I was naked that made me cover myself. It was the way their eyes picked and pried, noting every imperfection before they allowed me to step into the steaming water.

But, they didn't stop there. They both lathered soaps smelling of pine and vanilla into my scalp and over every possible nook and cranny. They wordlessly ran handfuls of water over my back, and when they'd finally scrubbed at least a thin layer of skin away, they dried me off and swaddled me with a towel before they sat me in a chair before the armoire in my room.

I was beet red. Maybe from the scrubbing, maybe from the embarrassment, but I hardly had a moment of peace before they set to work again. One tugged a pick through my matted hair while the other caked my skin with a white powder. My hair was tugged upwards and back, each strand delicately twisted. Diamonds and silver gemstone pieces decorated the crown of my head now, and my skin no longer looked quite so flush. Instead, my skin glowed, filled with color and a warmth I didn't feel.

The box Ceth had given me was unwrapped on the bed, and I found that the gift inside was a silver floor-length gown with diamonds decorating all the way down the bodice to the flowing skirt. Matching stiletto heels and a lustrous set of teardrop earrings came with it, all set out on the bed.

The dress itself was fit for a princess, or a lady of a court I imagined. It wasn't one of those gaudy dresses I remember seeing in shops in town. The fabric was thick and the satin smooth. As I slipped it on, I found it hugged every curve and the neckline perfectly covered the swollen notch on my chest.

Perhaps the only reminder that I wasn't truly who I was to pretend to be tonight.

It was as they finished with makeup and last touches that the noise of everything downstairs finally bombarded me. The servants bowed and disappeared before I could even say thank you.

Food was already being cooked for the evening and the smell of spices carried into my room along with the smell of honey blooms and flowers. More servants shuffled to and fro in the corridors outside, and I knew that furniture was being arranged into proper places downstairs before the guests arrived. Past the smells and sounds, I was lulled from my stillness by the sound of a piano playing sadly just down the hall.

The sound beckoned me out into the hall.

The notes were slow and somber, a song I'd never heard before, and it was coming from one of the rooms Moira and I had simply passed over on our tour of the castle. The door was open just a crack, and I heard the players switch seats. I could see Nic sitting at an elegant antique piano forte, slowly thumbing keys and trying to repeat the song just played.

"No," I heard Ceth's voice correct. "Like this." Then, I saw Ceth's frame as he stood behind Nic and replayed the chord progression.

"Dad, I know," Nic said but slowly played the proper keys back. Suddenly, it wasn't Nic sitting at that piano, but I saw Rosie.