Of Thorns and Glamour

A Deal

It has been a few long, very long days since my parents told me I must get married and my encounter with the trickster. Mother has been more gentle with me, while I hadn't seen my father at all since our fight. I was told he was making preparations and would be gone, which made me feel both anxious and relieved. Every time I was in the room during our first encounter, the need to knock on that door like Inchiki had told me to grew stronger, but it never felt right or necessary. The impulse was hard to ignore though, as I caught myself right before I landed my knuckle on the wood. "Lilliume what are you doing," I whisper to myself and leaned my head against the cool of the door. "Malphas warned you about him, and even your instincts screamed at you." I try to knock some sense into myself, and I exit the room before I have the chance to change my mind.

I sketched his face, or at least what I had remembered of it when we met, in a small diary kept under my mattress. I looked at it occasionally, not really knowing why, but felt my stomach flutter and toss. I worried that maybe there was something wrong with me, but when I asked my handmaid Cyntias, she only asked me who had caught my eye recently. I told her I hadn't met anyone that I felt was attractive, and she just exclaimed that I must had a weak stomach.

My handmaid and I weren't very close, since I don't age nearly as quickly as the denizens of our court, and they are considered mortal in some senses. I had outlived my last handmaid who was already quite old when I was born, as she was my mother's handmaid before me. I probably will spend a good amount of time to get to know Cyntias. Unless I am killed or locked away, I probably will know quite a few handmaids. I try not to think about it too much as I know attachment to those who are only but servants is not allowed. The servants though seem to care a great deal about me more than other gods in our court, other than their loyalty to my mother and father. They had said a few times that they feel comfortable around me as I don't make them frightened constantly for their lives. Which intern let me feel more comfortable as I didn't have to pretend to be someone I was not.

Cyntias tried talking some sense into me about the marriage, encouraging me to although maybe not marry a match created by my mother and father, but to actually get to know someone. She said to suggest a masked ball, as it would allow myself to hide my identity and see if the suitor wanted me for who I was and not just my title. I did and although it took a few attempts mother finally agreed to the idea.

"Alright my dear, but if you fall for someone who is not worthy of you, we will choose instead." I agree to her terms and soon the ball was upon us. Dress after dress my mother could not decide to what to put me in, even though this wasn't my first ball. Although before they had not let me dance with any suitors as I was considered too young. I tried to tell her that all of them were beautiful, but the tailor brought out the last dress they had prepared, and even I had to say that this one bested the mall. It was a light teal blue, lacy and looked like it was constantly flowing and moving like wind or water. Flowers decorated the embroidery and my shoulders were bare with long transparent sleeves that were loose until the wrist where it was laced closed. It wasn't heavy but it was almost as touching the floor, covering my feet.

"Its a little frilly, but I think this one has looked best on her." She glances down at my chest and raises a single brow down at me, "Dear, I would suggest filling it out just a bit more and-"

I interrupt her before she could say more, "Mother, I already told you I will not shift my body." I didn't want to let the matches only see my outward appearance as it had little to do with my personality.

She clicked her tongue and grabbed a piece of fabric from my dress, "Then make sure this one shines like a diamond in the rough. If she herself won't be flashy then this dress will catch every eye of those who attend." She walks out of the room, the lack of echoes of her heels my only indicator that she has left as I do not watch her with my eyes downward. The tailor finishes with their notes and adjustments needed for my gown. I change back into my own clothes and walked in front of the mirror the tailor had used.