Warmth rushed over me from the top of my head down to my toes as if someone poured a pitcher of warm cream over me. Elden opened his eyes and a bright smile touched his lips. “It suits you.”
I reached down and stared at the braid of hair that lay across my chest. My brown hair had turned a magnificent blue—an iridescent quality to it like the color of dragonfly wings. But it was unmistakably the color of bluebells. My mouth popped open in awe, and I rushed toward the stream.
My face was untouched by magic, but my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes were a brilliant blue. And my ears! They were tall and pointed like the elf king’s own. I reached up and touched them, but felt only the round human ears beneath the illusion.
“Your ears are the same round human ears they ever were,” Elden said from beside me.
“I look”—I shook my head— “amazing!”
“I am happy you are pleased, but I still prefer your hair of mud,” Elden teased. Heteased!
I shot him with a look that promised swift retribution. “Mud is a perfectly wonderful thing to squish in your toes.”
Elden held up his hands in surrender. “As you say, Little Baker.”
I wrinkled my nose, but still glanced at my reflection. I may have stared a little too long, but I looked…dazzling. Shiny. And with the new flush in my cheek, I could almost pass for— happy.
“How long will this illusion last?”
“As long as you wish. I will remove it when we no longer have need of it.”
I nodded. I could get used to this, at least for a little while. We made our way back to our horses and through the giant wood, past door after door until they became more frequent. Until elves on horseback, in carriages, and carrying bundles of goods greeted us as we passed. The females wore long flowing dresses or tight-fitting trousers under flowing tunics. The men wore white shirts behind colorful vests and trousers to match the females. Most everyone wore shades of green, deep crimsons, and gold. They seemed to have been made in and of the forest itself. They wore flowers and ribbons woven through their hair.
We were in a grand village center now, with trees larger than any I’d ever laid eyes on. Homes and shops were built into the trees, becoming one with them. Curved doors and runes met my eyes. Smells of fried dough with sprinkled sugar, curries, rice,grilled vegetables, and spices I could not name reached my nose. I breathed in the new scents like a tonic. My stomach growled.
I wanted to eat everything.
Large signs swung in the cool autumn breeze in the square. Ribbons danced as they wound through the branches. The people were preparing for a celebration.
We passed smiling elf after smiling elf bustling about carrying brown paper packages tied with various colored strings. Pine-scented air curled through the cobbled streets, mingling with the smell of cinnamon bread and chimney smoke. My stomach grumbled and my nerves peaked. Would I have to share a room with the Elf King tonight?
We stopped before an enormous tree with a tall sign out front written in elder tongue. The door in the tree was curved like that of the others in Spindlewood. Flowers and shrubberies surrounded the trees which were themselves connected by little bridges that went from tree to tree. Gemlights glowed inlaid in the bark like jewels on a ring.
Elden slid from his horse and tied him up to a pole, then he turned to me and offered a hand. My stomach dropped. Did I take his hand? His eyes widened as if to say,we are supposed to be acting as husband and wife.
A portly elf with a long sloping mustache exited the door of the Inn and offered us welcome.
I smiled in greeting, then glanced back at the king who held a hand out expectantly. I pulled in a deep breath and took the hand of the Elf King. It was as if all of my senses converged upon the place where our fingers met. A jolt of fire shot up my arm. A warmth that went all the way to my toes. Elden helped me down from my horse and set me gently onto the grass. My toes hit, then my feet balanced, and Elden finally met my eyes with his own. Warmth filled my cheeks, and I noticed with a jolt of pleasure that his cheeks were also stained pink.
This was going to be a strange night indeed.
17
BREAD AND STEW
Elden and I shared a look for many moments. I swallowed, not exactly sure of what was happening to my stomach. I was flustered, my middle swirling in knots more surely than a kitten playing with a cluster of yarn.
This could not be happening. I was falling for the Elf King. I knew it as I knew the flush I’d seen in lovers’ expressions as they moseyed about the village, hand in hand. But, I’d never felt…well,thisbefore. I chided myself and glanced away from the shards of gold in the Elf King’s eyes, but not before I noticed a beautiful ring of bright yellow around his irises.
Breathtaking.
No. I would not fall for the Elf King. I was a human baker. He was, well, not only an elf but the king. We were just playing a part. I could play the role of an adoring wife, just for the night.
“Ah, well met!” The large elf strode up to us with a wide smile. “Welcome to the Spindlewood Inn. I’ll have my daughter, Terrine, retrieve your horses and give them proper rest and food.”
“Thank you.” Elden took my hand gently and led me over to the large elf. “My name is Elden, and this is my wife, Noelle.”
My cheeks flushed at the sound of my name on the Elf King’s tongue. He’d never spoken it aloud, and I’d feared he’d never taken the time to know it. Maybe he had been paying attention to more than just my baking.
