But it did.
Oh, it did.
Three of the dresses were simple. With the long sleeves and a-line bodies, scooping off the neck and in different colors. But the other two...
Tulle.
Somuch tulle.
So much tulle that Nyssa nearly wept. With bodices of boning and corset backs. A navy one that fell off the shoulders, its bottom shimmering with tiny jewels in the fabric. The Noble had liked it but decided it showed off too much of her skin that was still healing.
But the second one.
A pale blue loose ballgown with the sheer corset fabric over visible boning and long sleeves, a high neck that sat on her protruding collarbones. Nyssa had to hold in her emotion when she felt the fabric against her skin and held the skirt's layers upon layers in her hands. This was the one the Noble decided he wanted her brought to the maidens in.
A carriage was sent for them the next morning.
Nyssa was put in the dress and given a black cloak much larger than herself to wear, presumably to keep her hidden. She'd been brought out of her room a while before dawn to be scrubbed clean, her hair actually brushed. They took her arm out of the sling but left it wrapped, and Nyssa was forced to hold it against her stomach on her own. The pain of the broken bone made her tremble, but she tried not to let it take over.
It was just she and Bechmen who went in the carriage. It was a great, audacious thing with the crest of Man on the doors. The Porters who accompanied this carriage wore different gambesons than the ones the Noble had. Like the carriage, they were clearly part of the King's personal collection.
They spoke very little throughout the ride. Nyssa tried not to fumble much with the tulle of her dress, but as it was something she never thought she'd feel again, she couldn't help it.
"It will take us half of the day or more to get there," Bechmen said as they got a few miles down the road. "We will only stay tonight."
Nyssa didn't reply.
The beach to her left, she looked out of the windows as they rode. The path they were on was still being worn in, and the carriage bumped over rocks and into holes. The small patches of forest that had once settled sporadically down the coast were now absent. They passed by the two smaller estates, both of which resembled the one she was at herself, though not as large. The noise of seagulls filled her ears the closer they came to the settlement, and as it rose in her sightline, blood drained from Nyssa's face.
It was a castle.
Not an estate of tents and men working to build around it, rummaging with stone and building materials... Thinking it would be a stage of a castle being built, perhaps a few rooms including their Throne Room and Great Hall.
No.
There was still a long way to go with the towers. She could see stone being hoisted on pulleys to continue building up. Rocks and men lined the beginnings of a great wall around it. But the first level was done, parts of the second and beyond going up faster than she thought possible. She began to wonder how many slaves they'd brought with them.
And then there were the ships.
More than she could count. They sat in the ocean, some moving, some anchored. A few were pulled near the shore. Small boats moved from the ones further out, bringing men ashore.
With the sight of this castle and the ships, Nyssa's heart knotted.
A different fear gripped her than before, and she realized there would be no vanquishing these people.
The only thing she could do was keep her people from falling into slavery. She would have to negotiate peace, tradings... Whatever she had to do to keep the people of Haerland free and safe.
Nyssa blinked back the panic threatening her insides, and she sat back in the seat again.
"Does the sight of such a castle being built make you miss your own?" the Noble asked her.
Nyssa didn't respond. She continued to watch outside as they entered the settlement, staring at the people who paused to watch the carriage go by. Starved men with lashings on their backs. Porters walked between them, whips winding in their hands. Nyssa's chest hardened as she watched one strike down a man who had fallen to his knees.
"What's in this for you?" Nyssa finally asked the Noble. "Why go through all this to bring the Prince a gift of Haerland when he has not asked for one?"
Bechmen shifted, apparent that he had not expected her to ask such a question.
"Earned respect and riches," he answered simply. His head tilted as he looked her over. "And you?" he asked upon meeting her gaze.
