The Goldsmith

3. Ira part 3: Invisible Chains

Still tastin' metal, it lingers on my lips
I let it haunt me so I don't ever forget
All of the battles
Invisible Chains - Lauren Jauregue

"Princess Arinya, daughter of Queen Ailey and the late King Orion." announced the booming voice. Arinya took the delicate fabric of her dress in her hand and walked into the ballroom, with Mykolas and Onika in her keel sole. After the announcement of her mother, it would be hard to lose her bodyguard. Not that she minded. The ballroom was made of glass, like every room in the Glass palace. Loose and transparent curtains hung against the glass walls. The silhouettes of the dancing royalty were visible to the people outside. The floor was made of a sparkling material that resembled a mirror. The room was lit up by a thousand fireflies. They were a gift from Vosien.

She could see the glittering of jewels and fabrics when she looked around the room. All four courts were present. Lieta, Vosien, Viasna and Zima. It caused a weird whirl of colours and fabrics. There were even halflings present that had special features such as tails, wings, or fuzzy ears. But the elves of the different courts stubbornly kept to their colours and traditions. Green and brown for Viasna, the Spring court. Red and yellow for Vosien, the court of Autumn. Blue and black for Zima, the court of Winter, and freezing your ass off. And last white, light blue, and silver for Lieta, the Summer court. And in Arinya's opinion, the best court. She was only a little biased.

She walked proudly towards the dance floor and the son of a Duke of Zima asked her to dance. Onika stood before the princess and showed her teeth. Mykolas reprimanded her, and she sat beside her master, still wary of the man. Her glance clarified Arinya stood under her protection. And Arinya shared her sentiment. She would rather dance with Mykolas, but again, she wasn't allowed to do anything fun with her bodyguard.

She gave the royal a small bow and held out her hand. He was less confident with the wolf and bodyguard watching every movement. The man took her spinning; she had to admit; he was an excellent dancer and handsome with deep blue eyes. But she liked her man a bit more broody and playful. When the elf took a break from spinning her around, she looked around.

She always liked to marvel at the different fashion trends between the courts. She saw a dress made of flowers, twigs, and insects, and she realised in fascination that the insects were still alive. She tried to remember the face of the Viasna elf so that she could ask her how she kept the insects in check to not reveal her naked figure to the audience. When the man spun her again, she saw a dress made of the stars picked from the night sky. And even saw another elf waltzing alongside her with a dress made of peacock feathers. She made so many spins that even her mind spun. 

"Excuse me," he let her hand go and she carefully made her way through the crowd to the table with the drinks and food.

"Are you all right?" Asked Mykolas gently, his hand on her elbow to prevent her from going down. His wolf leaned against her legs, her head against her hip. Arinya nodded and drank one of the sparkly drinks while she petted Onika's head with her other hand. She looked around and saw a Vosien elf coming toward them.

"Oh look, Kamilla." She waved to the elf. It was a short elf with curly red hair. She was the only elf she knew of that could smile with all her teeth on full display. She often reminded Arinya of a wild spirit. Her red hair was short and curly. She wasn't wearing a dress, but leather pants and a jacket. With her wicked knives on her side and her blade on her back. Normally Vosien elves wore short red dresses that often resembles flames.

"Don't you have a job?" Mykolas teases the elf. She rolled her eyes and looked into the crowd. Onika came to greet her with her wet nose. Kamilla's absent-minded petted the wolf on her head.

"Yeah, but prince Dorsteinn is enjoying the freedom of flirting with males." Arinya followed Kamilla's eye view, and she saw Dorsteinn indeed flirting with a beautiful Lietan elf in a silver uniform. Arinya was giggling. Lieta allowed the relationship between the same sex, however, only for people who weren't in line for the throne. The prince was dressed in flashy blue and red garments. His hair was a darker red than his clothes. The freckles on his face could be seen from this distance. He had a sweet dimple when he laughed. He was more muscular than the palace guard. It showed that he had already fought his whole life and spent all his free time training with the soldiers.