Not born to be a princess

Part 9

Above is the finished product of Sapph's new dress.

"How is shopping going to help me to stay?" I asked as I was dragged by Dani and Gran towards the market nearly running to keep up with the surprisingly quick older woman.

"You believe an old dress maker, you hear?" She asked tugging me into a old shop that only had a small sign hanging outside cracked from years of hot summers and frigid winters.

"Eldie? Pull up a chair for your old master will you?" She snapped to the middle aged woman who jumped slightly to attention seeing her.

"Ma'am! Of course, what can I do for you this fine evening?" She asked squeaking and pulling a chair from the corner behind Gran with a scared look in her eye.

"We have a code red and my old fingers can't fix her up something. This girl is a shifter, so better make it with replaceable lacings on the pants. I was thinking cotton leather combo and she'll need it quicker than rush." She ordered, making the woman stop listening intently and run off to the back room while her own apprentice watched in barely onstrained laughter.

"I'll need a pair of archer wrist guards with sheaths on them. Quick as ya' can now." She snapped noticing the apprentice who dropped the laughter in her eyes and ran the same direction as her mentor while I fiddled with my hands and chewed the inside of my cheek mindlessly.

"I hate to be a bother, but don't dresses take days to get?" Carlos asked, making me aware that he had followed behind us unnoticed by all of us except Gran.

"That's why I brought her here. With five hands helping it won't take three hours." She nodded, smiling at him with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"Then why did you ask me to come?" Slow understanding painted his face making him glare at her and shake his head quickly and put up his hands.

"My old hands can't even thread a needle. You will help them and like ot or so help me the only mission you will be doing is taking out my trash." She snapped pointing to a book beside him expectantly.

"Just do it, I've been on the other side of her wrath and I promise it isn't fun being her errandboy for as long as it takes to earn forgiveness." Dani smiled slightly, handing the book over when Carlos didn't give it and just stood with a frown and narrowed eyes at the older woman.

Before he could say another word the ladies came back out with rough sketches of the dress and a already begun one hanging loosely from a mannequin. It wasn't entirely what I had in mind, but after a few minutes of tweaking we worked out a design that was a lot more me than what they had in mind.

Lacing ran up the sides of the entire thing meaning if I had to shift it wouldn't ruin the entire dress just pop the sides. The leggings were easily my favorite part. They were more skin tight than anything i'd ever dared wear, but they were thick enough that it would be warm in this cold climate. The skirt more resembled a long coat being slit up the front making movements easier than in a full dress. If I hadn't been the one who helped to style it than I would have thoruhgt it was a rider's outfit.

While the more experienced ladies got to work on the leather and cotton I focused more on the wool coat while they stitched so finely that I couldn't even see their work piecing t together piece by piece.

Eventually I handed the coat over to Carlos who seemed to have an odd affinity for sewing and lost all argument after he'd learned it wasn't as easy as it appeared. I pulle don the legs first, hiding behind a panel and bending my legs experimentally and even daring a few small kicks to test how much give the offered. What I'd realized was that only the top layer was leather. Under it was soft lining same with the top they brought me when they had finished. I pulled it on easily given that the sides stretched slightly so I could. It clung to my naval and pushed my ample bosom up making it plainly obvious that I had more than enough of it.