Spirit of Shadows

| Chapter Thirty One |

Em's POV

In the morning, Willowa had reappeared into my room with a loud knock. I grumbled, half-asleep but called out to her as soon as I was sure that my face was once again cloaked in the mirage spell.

"Good morning, miss! It's a lovely day." Willowa said cheerily. Her hair was pinned back into the familiar bonnet and her dress was a peach pink with white ruffles. She looked adorable but in her usual preppy way.

Once she was fully inside my room with the door closed, she handed me a pink coffee cup. I stared at the black liquid and lifted the cup to my lips, slurping it with caution. "Mmm." I mumbled as the rich acidity of the coffee flowed over my tastebuds waking me up from my groggy state.

"What will you be wearing for the first day of court, miss?" Willowa asked, already opening my closet to rummage through it.

"You decide." I said, dismissively and raised the cup for another taste.

About three minutes later, Willowa had me start a bath while she continued to look through my collection of dresses and shoes. I happily obliged to the bath and it wasn't long before I was out and dried off. A small knock on the bathroom door signaled Willowa with the choice dress.

"Try this one on, miss. I think it's perfect for the first day."

I opened the door a few inches so she could hand the dress off to me. Once the door was closed, I began to unzip the plastic covering it was stored in and held it up to admire the handiwork. The color dress Willowa had picked out, surprised me a bit. It was a robin egg blue with half sleeves and a crystal neckline. The skirt flowed out in delicate fabric layers and the waist and chest were cinched tight to fit. With a shrug, I zipped myself into the dress and caught my reflection in the mirror. Besides my altered face spell, everything seemed normal about me–even my bruises had faded dramatically, almost nonexistent to anyone glancing at me.

"It's perfect Willowa!" I yelled back. I heard her clapping on the other side of the bathroom door and pulled it open. Her eyes travelled over my frame and she nodded in approval.

"The blue really brings out your light hair and eyes." She said.

I was about to squint at her in question about my 'light hair' until I quickly caught myself and nodded along. "Yes, it's wonderful. Are we thinking of adding makeup today?" I asked to change the subject.

Willowa nodded and had me sit down on the vanity's plush chair. She hurriedly pulled out the drawers filled with organized cosmetics and I watched her fingers trail over them, mumbling to herself. After a minute, she seemed to have found what she needed and turned my chair to face her.

Within five minutes, Willowa had completed my makeup (which consisted of concealer, a light powder, subtle blush, and a swipe of mascara) and turned me to face the mirror. Immediately she had pulled my hair up into an elegant up-do and deemed my look finished.

"Beautiful as ever." Willowa said upon seeing me in the mirror.

I nodded and turned back to her, giving her a gentle hug. "Thank you. It's lovely!"

Willowa accepted my compliments and hurried me along, opening the suite's door for me, we were met with the familiar sight of Matthias. Of course, his face was altered as well with dark brown hair and eyes, but it was hard to forget that smile.

"Miss Hatcher." Matthias said, extending his arm for me. I took it gladly and without hesitation and waved back toward Willowa who was admiring her stylist skills on me.

"Have a wonderful time, miss. I'll be around when you get back." Willowa said with a wave. I returned the goodbye and together, Matthias and I walked down the hallway.