The Nechi's Wife

✣ chapter three ✣

Two months later

"How was the voyage, Your Highness?" A servant asked me as he grabbed my luggage.

The blustery winds of Arania's capital, Witylt, raged around my head. Squinting, I clutched my skirts as I carefully descended the travel boat of which I'd been on for two months prior. It felt so wonderful to be on solid ground: no more rocking or seasickness or mold. "The voyage was fine," I lied.

I stood on the private dock, pending the rest of my company, Prince Flynd, his father, King Renyld, numerous Aranian nobles, and all their servants. "Anchor the boat!" A voice shouted somewhere around me.

We waited only a moment before the Royal Guard arrived with a line of carriages and soldiers ready to guard us from harm. A coachman opened the door of a carriage for me. "Do you need assistance, Your Highness?"

I shook my head as I entered. Hopefully, I could be alone in here. The claustrophobic rooming quarters of the boat had been unbearable and seeing how small this carriage was, I knew I did not want a repeat of my previous experience.

"Is there space in here?" Prince Flynd asked after poking his head inside to check.

"Please leave me alone," I pleaded wearily. "Sit somewhere else."

He glared. "Don't order me around, Ayan."

A part of me had hoped the trip to Arania might ease the tension between Prince Flynd and I, seeing as we'd be in close proximity for a long duration of time. However, it only served to worsen our relationship because the tight quarters aggravated us and whenever we came in contact, we'd end up arguing.

Prince Flynd stepped into the carriage and sat across from me out of pure spite. I scowled but didn't protest. I was too tired to fight with him.

We remained quiet during the entirety of the carriage ride. Stealing occasional glances but otherwise it was uneventful, for which I was thankful. I had a sinking feeling that this would be one of the few moments of peace I'd have before the whirlwind of palace life took over.

When we arrived at the castle, I was immediately met by my new staff: two women who called themselves my "ladies-in-waiting". They dragged me to my room where they fussed over things like my wardrobe and palace etiquette.

"Please, women, have mercy on me," I begged. "I'm so fatigued from the trip. Give me some time to recuperate."

The cheeks of one lady-in-waiting became ruddy. "I apologize, Your Highness. We were inconsiderate."

"I still don't even know your names," I said.

They looked at one another in embarrassment. The first lady-in-waiting, whose cheeks easily turned rosy, spoke. "My name is Blanyr."

The other woman, who had silky, golden hair, eagerly nodded, "And I am Ailis."

I struggled to repeat their names, but they were quite patient. "I'm sorry, it will be a while before I can pronounce anything correctly. I can barely say the name of this city."

"Witylt?" Blanyr asked, enunciating the consonants with ease.

"Shameful, I know."

"Not at all!" Ailis reassured. "And if it makes you feel better, we weren't sure how to say your name either."

"Ayan?"

They nodded vigorously. "We're in the same situation."

"I suppose we are," I agreed.

...

As the day paced on, the busyness of the day slowed until walking through the castle became like wandering an abandoned building. Occasionally, you could hear the light footsteps of guests or the soft murmurs of guards but otherwise, it was deathly quiet.

The Aranian castle was so unlike mine in Mereti. For one, it was always cold. Aranian winds brushed across the freezing ocean water as they made their way through the creaks and cracks of the palace. And many of the windows didn't have glass, they were simply open spaces shaped in the form of a window. When I asked a servant, he said they'd been trying to extend funds to add glass panels, but the money kept being directed to other endeavors—such as the stained-glass masterpiece in the Dancing Hall.

Dinner would be soon, but I was not excited. As I remembered the insipid plate of fish and rice I'd tasted on my wedding and the dried jerky I'd eaten on the boat for two consecutive months, my stomach churned. I would probably never taste a traditional Meretian meal ever again.

Currently, I rested on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My chamber was expansive and ornate, decorated with drapes of royal red and gold. And my sheets were of the finest quality, silky and warm beneath my fingertips. In Mereti, we didn't use such thick blankets, because the scorching heat of the sun carried on into the night, even when its piercing rays had descended into the Earth for slumber.

Eventually, a ringing bell sounded through the corridors, indicating it was time for dinner. I sighed as I sat up, anticipating another Aranian meal that would make me homesick, not full.

Blanyr and Ailis arrived promptly to change me into my "dinner gown". "Do you two change before you eat with your families?"

Blanyr shook her head. "No, it is palace etiquette, not Aranian tradition."

"How strange." I murmured as she opened my massive wardrobe. An array of inflated dresses filled the wooden enclosure to the brim. "Why are they so large?"

Ailis smiled strangely, as if she was unsure how to explain. "It's...fashion."

"Also, it is cold. The dresses will keep you warm." Blanyr added. "Now, during dinner you don't want to overdress. Something simple should work."

I watched as she pulled out a rouge gown that expanded much too wide in the skirts for my taste. Seeing my disapproving expression, Ailis spoke, "Could you try it on, at least?"

A great deal of effort later and I was in front of my mirror, wearing a dress that felt more like a cage than clothing. The worst was the textile enclosure they'd swathed around my torso. They called it a "corset". Ailis explained that possessing a thin waist was fashionable. Much different than in Mereti where having girth was considered attractive—it meant that you had enough wealth to feed yourself.

The longer I wore the outfit, the dizzier I became. My head felt light as I sank to the ground.

"Your Highness!" Blanyr cried as she reached to hold me up.

"Perhaps, we should loosen the corset." Ailis offered.

"Obviously!"

I was too breathless to contribute to their argument. Soon, after partially removing my dress, they'd loosened the corset. It was still constrictive, but I could breathe. "With all due respect...I hate Aranian clothing."

"That is a fair opinion." Ailis said. "We apologize."

"We?" Blanyr repeated. "I don't remember tightening the corset."

Ailis' eyes flitted around nervously. "No need to get defensive. Either way, dinner is happening now. You ought to leave, Your Highness."

I inspected my reflection once more. While I hated the way the dress felt, I did appreciate how it complimented my appearance. The way it hugged my waist and spread out at my legs in an expansion of red. "Alright, I'm off now. Goodbye." They waved as I went out the door.

I was certain I was late to dinner—surely not the best way to stay on good terms with my new "family". With a heavy sigh, I began to sprint—to the best of my ability—down the corridors. The lack of air seared in my chest, and my heavy inhales resounded in the crisp silence of the castle. Something told me this was a dinner I wouldn't soon forget.