Swan Song

Four

The day wound down and Anike found herself back in Odessa's room as she helped the princess for bed.

"So, what was wrong with this one?" Anike asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." she huffed as she slipped into a nightgown. Anike stifled a laugh at her friend's expense as she put Odessa's dress in the laundry basket for washing tomorrow.

"It couldn't have been that bad. Was he an ogre? With long teeth and bad breath? Did he threaten to eat you?" said Anike with a grin.

Her steely glare began to soften, "Not as bad as an ogre I suppose." she said sitting at her vanity so Anike could wrap her hair.

As Anike ran the brush through it a few times then started braiding Odessa's long straight dark hair, she couldn't help imagining her friend married to an ogre. Poor Odessa would have to live underground as ogres detested sunlight. "An ogre might be an improvement on some of your suitors. At least you wouldn't have to rise with sun, what with the perpetual darkness."

Odessa rolled her eyes, "You're hilarious." Her remark dry before they both started laughing. Anike finished wrapping Odessa's hair up and covered it in her silk sleeping cap, glad she was able to make her feel a little better.

"Nevermind about me. How was your day?" Odessa asked.

"Oh..." should she tell her? "Well, you know. The usually. Cleaning. Running errands. Pilfering snacks while Barnaby isn't looking."

The princess sighed, "You're a terrible lier, Ani."

"How do you do that?"

"I don't do anything. You're a terrible liar. The worst in the Sphere I'd say. A two year old could out lie you. So what really happened? Good gossip? Fall into a rabbit hole? Pocket dragons attack the village?"

"Pfft. Nothing like that. I...I met someone."

"Really?" Odessa sounded interested.

"Two someone's actually," Anike continued.

"Love triangle?" She gagged. "Just pick whoever more handsome and see where it goes." She winked.

"No, Dess, not like that." She laughed. "Well, one was a man, actually. But the other was an old woman." Anike told her about all that happened.

"Wow! That's amazing. And very strange." Odessa said finally. Anike was still pacing as she worked on her own hair and Odessa sat on her large round bed canopy bed.

"So are you going to look for him?" Princess Odessa asked.

"Who?"

"Roan, of course."

"Why would I?"

"To see if he's real? To see if he remembers what happened? To be sure you're not insane?"

"All excellent reasons," Anike agreed as she went behind the privacy screen to remove her dress and change into her nightgown.

"Tell me everything!" Odessa said excitedly as she made her way beneath the covers, "I'm stuck here with another suitor. Let's hope this one can actually bother--"

Just then there was a knock on the door, "Good evening your majesty," Rebecca bowed as she entered, "Evening, Anike."

"Good evening," Anike, now dressed, nodded, coming out from behind the screen.

"Good evening, Rebecca," said Odessa.

"I came to remind you of the change in your schedule. The mercer will be here tomorrow so you're to be up early for your dress fitting —Thank you for getting that new fabric for me Anike. And then your tutor will be in right after you meet with Lord Negash so you'll have to skip going to the book shop."