Sundown

twirl and pirouette

"Put the flowers by the window, light the candles and put them away from the curtain, good gods you will burn it all! - and where do you think you're taking those silks?! put them in the trunk over there!" Saoirse hurriedly gave a string of instructions as Pauline's room was being set up.

"Saoirse?"

Saoirse turned around and a fresh-from-the-bath Pauline stood by the velvet threshold.

"Where have you been? The Prince will be here any minute! unless... he prefers you like this which I am sure he does." Saoirse teased her, a smirk covering her lips.

Pauline blushed scarlet upon the comment and shushed Saoirse.

"how do you know he's coming?" the princess asked.

"well, my forgetful lady, I was supposed to make arrangements for some private time for you and the prince of Brookwood, as instructed by your very own mother. You and him are to take the royal carriage and go hunting today." Saoirse replied while simultaneously rushing Pauline into a lilac gown that made her emerald eyes shine.

"could you not have arranged for anything else but a sport? you know how much I hate the outdoors."

"compromise for love, princess. The prince is all for a good throw of the spear and bringing down wild boars and more or so I've heard."

As Saoirse was almost done with Pauline's hair, a serving maid entered the room, bearing the news of the arrival of the prince in the tower. Saoirse hurried the maids out of the chamber at that till there was only herself and Pauline.

"Remember, you can always say no to him if he demands anything you do not want. You don't have to be a doll he can bend as he likes. I will go see if the carriage and your guard are ready." Saoirse said.

"I trust him Saoirse. I cannot think of him risking my comfort for his pleasure. You can trust him too, it really is okay." Pauline exclaimed smiling at her.

"I know. I just felt like I should say it. You don't mostly place yourself first after all. It is universally hard I think, for those born a woman."

and smiling, Saoirse left the chamber, bowing to the approaching Prince in the hallway, who greeted her back with a small smile and a little nod of the head.

She stood there watching him for a while, as he waved his guard away and instead of barging inside a lady's room like most of their lovers and men of high birth do, he knocked his knuckles at the door in a gentle rhythm till Pauline opened it for him.

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Saoirse sat in her bed in her small room, Timothee's dagger in her hand. She turned it around and unsheathed it slowly, running a finger down its blade and caressing its hilt, which was forged with gold, carvings of a lion's head adorning it.

She wondered why he'd given it to her. Was it hers to use now or just for safekeeping? He kept an armory full of his personal weapons and yet he couldn't keep another small dagger safe with him? Who was he hiding it from him, if he was hiding it at all?

An idea suddenly struck her mind and she hung up little wool balls on her wall. she inched back as far away as the room would allow and took her stance. Aiming for the hanging wool, she threw the dagger in a straight line but it missed the wool ball by almost half a foot.

She sighed and went to retrieve the dagger when she heard footfalls outside her door. she quickly bent down and picked the dagger up and sheathing it, she hid it in the deep pockets of her worn grey gown.

Before long, a serving maid knocked at her door and she opened it to find her standing there with a bundle full of folded golden silk and with her another serving maid stood with boxes upon boxes of what looked like different kinds of sequins and jewels.

they entered and putting all the stuff down on her bed they went on to explain to Saoirse how the queen wanted her to make a silk doublet which she could present to the royal family from Manis Land who were to arrive in two days.

"Two days? How am I supposed to do it that fast all on my own? Did she not assign this to me and a few of the royal tailors as a team?" she asked. bewildered.

"The tailors are already engaged in making other gifts of raiment for the arriving guests, also, she said the cloth doesn't need to be altered. It is already the size it needs to be. And this for you." handing Saoirse a note and saying thus, the two maids left her small room and Saoirse huffed, thumping down on her bed, putting the jaw dropping-ly long silk cloth and the boxes of sequins and semi precious jewels aside.

She had hoped to visit the arena again but that would have to be put on hold she was able to get this done or soon she would find her head decorating the spikes. Before she got started, she hastily opened the little scroll of parchment sealed with the royal wax seal. She had anticipated it to be from the queen as well, containing some other instructions about the doublet or maybe even to ask about the arrangements for Pauline and Prince Ansel's visits around the kingdom but her eyes went wide and her heart started beating a little faster as she recognised the handwriting on the parchment.

A mountain's gap lies between a twirl and a pirouette. A little dance lesson for you in the ballroom of sweat and blood tonight. Come stealthily else don't.

- you don't need a name written when its already sitting at the tip of your tongue, waiting to touch your lips.