A Court of Heritance and Destiny

Chapter 2 Etera

She was not the dress-wearing type. Not by far. The few times she did wear them was limited to moments far more important than a family dinner. But there she stood, before her closet, looking over the dress options.

It would be her first real introduction to someone new. She didn't count the one with Amaya, that situation was different from the start. She picked at her nails, debating if a dress was maybe a bit too extreme?

"Take the green one." Ikarad said and came up behind her, one hand wrapped around her waist. "It matches your eyes."

"But it is so..." She lifted the slewave of the dress he talked about. Mossgreen velvet with silver embroidered stars along the neckline and arms, its back was cut low to lessen any irritation on her scars. "Fancy."

"Compared to what?" He pulled out the next dress, a silver silk, bare arms and back. "This one?"

"I can't have my mating dress..." She had only worn it once. That night when the two stood in a temple with only the closest family as witnesses. "The green one works-"

"Or this one..." Her mate pulled out her third and final dress. Black soft cotton, from fitting down to below her knees, where it swayed out, the colour changed too, from black to a deep purple in a soft fade. The back was also open. "It is the least formal one."

"When?" Etera tried to remember the last time she had used that dress.

"That first starfall." Ikarad whispered. "Do you remember?" He had taken her to a mountain ledge, far from Velaris and prying eyes.

"I do..." They had danced together, laughed, It was one of the first times she had left the room after coming there. Before they had accepted the matebond, before she was the spy. "I was just surprised that I still had it..." It was over seventy years ago now... So much had happened in that time.

"I like it..." He placed a kiss under her ear and walked away, "But I like you in pants too." Etera still held on to the black dress, he was right, it was her least formal one.

"You like me in anything and nothing." Etera commented back, then she pulled out the dress. If she would carry one on any day, a day like today was the one.

"That, my love, is more than true." She bit her lip as she saw how her mate changed to his clothes. "Nervous?"

"A little." She admitted. "I truly hope that this is the real thing."

"For your sake or my brothers?" Ikarad asked back.

"Both." She put on the dress, distracting herself with smoothing out any folds and tugging on it to make sure it was on right. "It still fits..." It was not surprising per say, but a part of her had hoped that it didn't, that she had come that far from where she had been at that time. Ikarad came back to her.

"You look stunning." Etera just nodded, doing her best to clear her head.

"Just a bit dressed up." She said back, turning around to see an unusually dressed up Ikarad.

"Does it help that I also feel a bit out of place in a dress shirt?" His eyes sparked as he spoke, and Etera just nodded.

"Both of us, the ones out of place." She placed a kiss on his jaw, "Ready?"

"Redy." He held on to her and before Etera could protest, he winnowed them to the River house. "Don't give me that look." Ikarad whispered in her ear before losing his grip around her.

"I am not looking at you."

"I know you too well, mate." Etera walked over to the salon, waiting for Nyx and Nico to arrive. Ikarad came behind her, and if Etera knew him as he claimed to know her, he was taking it slow as his body regained its energy from winnowing.