I stretched and poked Maggie. She immediately woke with a start and kicked Emily who required two more kicks to get up. They got their dresses from last night on and I got a fresh gown on.
“We should hurry,” I said, grabbing an emergency knife.
“We don’t get one?” Emily asked.
“You never ask,” I said, handing her a switchblade and Maggie a dagger.
“Keep them concealed, but reachable,” I said, slipping mine into my sash. They followed my lead and we walked downstairs.
“We’ll eat when we get back, right?” Emily asked, sniffing towards the kitchen.
“Yes, and you can have my bacon,” I said.
“Let’s hurry you ninnies!” She rushed us and Maggie and I laughed.
“Good morning ladies!” Adelia greeted us.
“Your gowns are completed and ready!” She smiled.
“We owe you so much!” I smiled and handed her payment.
“Please, I love to please,” She handed me my gown in a wrinkle-free bag. She handed Maggie and Emily their gowns and we were on our way after I stole a few cream puffs.
“Bacon!” Emily said after we set the gowns on my bed. We walked back downstairs and I sat at the table. I grabbed several pancakes off of one of the servants’ trays. I grabbed some warm maple syrup and eggs. It was my favorite meal. I moved my bacon to Emily’s plate before she went nuts. She liked her meat.
“Will that be all?” A servant boy asked. He looked no more than twelve. I took pity on him.
“Take this as a tip,” I slipped him a silver coin and he stared in awe and thanked me.
“When she is done eating her way through the kingdom’s supply of sausage, we can go try on our dresses,” Maggie laughed.
“No need to judge Maggie,” Emily wiped her mouth and finished her breakfast. We walked back upstairs and we all got into our dresses.
Mine was many shades of blue. My top was light blue with jewels along the neckline. Going down my skirt it got darker where there wasn’t embroidery. There were several panels of embroidery from knee down with shades of blue, turquoise and violet. It came together perfectly like a mural on a blue wall. I chose a ball gown for the final dance.
Emily wore a beautiful emerald ball gown with satin layers. Her corset had ruffles and her skirt was several layers of sating and light green silk embroidery on the bottom of each skirt. The back of her top was a lace up with little green jewels along the strings.
Maggie had on a gorgeous pink ball gown. It was satin like Emily’s but much different. Her corset was dark pink and slightly ruffled. He skirt was the real beauty of her dress, quite like mine and Emily’s. She had three layers of dark pink satin. In the middle of her skirt, where your legs were, there were three or four layers of some rough light pink materials. It wasn’t mesh but it was see-through and sparkly and mixed perfectly with the dark pink underneath it.
“Let’s go one at a time,” I suggested.
“We need our shoes!” Emily gasped.
“I have mine,” I held up a pair of light blue flats with bejeweled toes to match the embroidery on my dress.
“Maybe we should just regroup before the dance,” I suggested.
“We can meet her and catch the coach to it!” Maggie said. The final dance was held in the chapel. It was beautifully decorated and ready to hold hundreds of people.
“Let’s carefully undress and unveil our masks!” I said. It was tradition to wear masks to the final dance. It seemed silly to have a festival t honor the flowers, but the land and agriculture created this land.
They left with their dresses and I went outside to the gardens before I had to begin preparing for the dance. I smelled some of the flowers there and I sat on a bench and sighed. I sat watched the world around me for a moment. I removed myself and really saw what happened in this square today. I saw a man proposing and my heart nearly melted. I spotted the clock and sighed. It was time for me to get back to reality.
“Let’s get your hair started,” I met Lindsey in the spa. It was just a place for noble women to get their hair and nails done. They could get their arms and legs waxed, but I had that done recently. I hated it; it hurt very much. I had to suck it up though.
I sat in a chair near the fountain. It was a small fountain with several chair placed around it and I felt Lindsey getting to work with my hair. She rubbed some special shampoo in it and I stood up to rinse it out. I sat back down and she rubbed some sleek conditioner in it.
I rinsed that out and I felt her run a comb through it until there were no more tangles.
“Now, we’ll get you dressed and we can style your hair,” She said, helping me keep my hair from dripping on the stairs.
I slipped into my dress again and Lindsey fixed the corset for me. I sat in the chair in my vanity and she began to set my curls as my hair dried. I looked out the window and watched the people get their jobs done.
Lindsey pinned up my hair, creating a cascade curls and I slipped on my shoes. Lindsey fixed my mask so it sat on my head without falling off. I looked in the mirror and loved what I saw. My mask was blue and turquoise with hints of purple and it complimented my dress perfectly.
It was nearly time to get going by the time my makeup was on. I just had to make my lips look nice and pink. I heard a knock on my door and I opened it to see Maggie and Emily fully dressed and ready. Lindsey left to get ready. She had her hair and makeup done. All she had to do was get her dress on.
“Tara, you look gorgeous!” Maggie exclaimed, “The mask and the dress go perfectly together!”
“Your hair makes it look even better!” Emily smiled. Her hair was one long, straight sheet of hair. It was sleek like her dress. She had an emerald mask encrusted with emeralds and a little green flower in her hair.
“Your dresses look amazing!” I exclaimed. Maggie had a pink make with swirls and twirls of light pink all around the edges. She had a pink flower behind her ear.
“The only thing I would add is where your hair is pinned up, add a blue flower!” Emily said.
“That would have been awesome,” I agreed.
“We can’t dawdle! We have to hurry or we’re walking,” Maggie said. I had my dagger hidden safely in case of emergency and we walked downstairs to the awaiting coach to bring us to the dance. My mother wore a lovely golden gown with extravagant embroidery like mine. She smiled at me behind a beautiful golden mask.
“You girls look stunning,” My father said, in a lovely suit and a gray mask.
“Let’s go dancing!” I smiled and we all climbed into the coach and we were on our way.
