Between the Veil and Crown

Arvek 31

When Arvek realized he was awake, he felt it better to not open his eyes just yet. In part, he hoped by doing so, he could go back to sleep. He still felt so tired.

But instead of going back to sleep, his brain just became more awake, wanting to think about things. Asking questions like, what was he supposed to do today? He had been busy for so long it seemed impossible to believe he had nothing planned for the day.

It was then that he became aware of the fact that he was not alone in the room. He opened his eyes, a little surprised to see that he wasn't in his room. This room was much airier; it had more light. The furniture present were made of white woods and marble. It was contrasted with dark red cushions, carpets, and edges.

Slowly, it came back to him.

He was at the lake house the royal family owned. He had arrived the night before. He had arrived with Rovyna.

He sat up, trying to process that information. On the other side of the room from the bed was a sit down vanity. Rovyna was sitting at vanity, already dressed for the day and finishing combing out her hair. When she caught sight of his reflection in the mirror she smiled and said, "Well, good morning. I hope I didn't wake you."

He shook his head, putting his face in his hands as he attempted to wipe away the remaining sleep in his eyes.

"I suppose it save me the question of whether or not I should wait for you at breakfast," she said. She put down her comb and started twisting her into braids. He watched her for a while, fascinated with how deftly her fingers worked with her own hair.

"Do you want me to wait up here with you?" she asked. But the tone of her voice suggested she already knew what he was going to say next.

He shook his head again. Clearing his throat a little, he said, "No, you don't have to stay up here on my account."

"Very well," she said cheerily. In a matter of minutes, she had finished with her styling and placed an ornate clip in the middle to keep everything in place. Despite the fact that she couldn't see the back of her head, her hair was impressively done, with braids sweeping her hair out of her face and interlocking with each other to create an artistic design on the back of her head. What wasn't braided was left loose, cascading down her back with slight waves. She patted her hair to make sure everything was in place. Then she stood up, turning around to face him.

Even though she had no one to impress but him, it was obvious that she had put careful thought into her appearance. She wore light shades of pink on her dress, accentuated by white lace. The lace's design was matched by silver jewelry she wore.

"I shall see you downstairs, then," she said. With that, she swept out of the room, her skirts swirling in her wake.

He waited until he heard the door click shut before falling back into the bed. He stared up the ceiling, hoping to sort out his feelings on the whole matter, as well as his reflecting on his decision to take the whole set of vows.

He never got answer the question, as his stomach reminded him that he had not had a lot to eat the day before. So a quiet breakfast without worry of a plan later sounded very appealing. Much more appealing than lying in bed thinking about how life had changed.

When he got downstairs, he found Rovyna at the table with only a cup of tea. The table had been spread out with a fair amount of breakfast foods, from soft cheeses to light pastries, to strips of salted meats.