“Oh?” I ask nervously, hands running across the silk as I look down at my body, “oh good or oh bad?”
“Definitely good, Lady Alexis,” she grins, “verygood.”
Nerves trickle down my spine as I take a deep breath and turn towards the mirror, instantly gasping in awe at her work.
The satin has been cut off completely at the top, leaving only two thin straps that rest on my shoulders and nothing else. The straps fall down past my collarbone to the top of my chest, the thin material reaching for the rest of the fabric that barely covers my breasts. The dress cinches underneath my boobs and remains tight all along my body, the emerald green hugging every curve I have before it loosens in a beautiful flow around my legs.
“You left the length,” I smile appreciatively.
The dress isn’t cut short like the Warrior dresses and instead falls to the front of my toes. It does have something special added to it instead, aslit, as Gail called it, so that my left leg is exposed quite literally from my hip bone down to my ankle. I blush at the addition yet admire how the dress is both a mixture of modesty and pure sexiness. For the most part I’m covered like the women of Knowledge, while the eye-catching swells of my breasts and the slight vee of my hip is exposed like the women of Warrior.
It’s perfect.
“I owe you too much,” I stare at myself in awe, “this dress is one of a kind, Gail. You have so much talent for your age.”
Gail gives a glowing smile, “I thought you’d like the cut down your leg. Let’s you be you, only sexier.”
I couldn’t explain it better myself.
I smile at the young girl and pay her in full, laughing when she packs up my gold dress and promises to return it at an earlier time tomorrow night. She’s just about to leave when I stop her at the door, my confidence high right now but not high enough to brave the maze of the castle.
“Gail, if it’s not too much trouble, would you mind showing me the way to court?”
She must hear the slight desperation in my voice because her smile is too knowing for her age. She nods her head with a tilt and urges me out the door.
I quietly run my hands through my straight hair and pull it forward, the style simple but worn as an ode to humans. I know full well that everyDiscerni woman will be wearing their long hair down their backs in curls tonight, but I’ve opted to let my golden brown locks frame the front of my face and fall just above my breasts.
Gail walks us to the main entry of the castle, stopping before two sweeping double doors on our right that are opened wide to the loud court within. I give her a small hug and thank her for showing me the way, then flatten my palms on my stomach as I smooth out my dress. The noise from inside is more raucous than what we heard in the city, the clanking of mugs against tables and the sounds of laughter carrying throughout the castle. I watch from afar as hundreds of grins line the faces of the people inside, everyone already seated and conversing in excitement for the night to come.
But even as welcoming as the court looks from the outside, for some reason I find myself stuck at the doors and unable to join. I’ve never been so nervous before- my heart is literally beating its way out of my chest. I’m about to reconsider the whole night when a familiar sound at my back has me taking a deep breath, my heart finally settling as I turn to greet Golem and lunge into a tight hug, hopefully conveying what it means to see him right now. Golem’s arms move around my back without pause, the coolness of his magical being pressing against my body and lending it’s calm. I give him a tight squeeze and then step back with a smile, the two of us turning together to embrace the court that lies just beyond.
“I think I’m ready, Golem. How about you?”
I swear I see a small grin grace his clay lips in answer.
CHAPTER V
THE COURT OF WARRIORS
The room used for the court is immense, its sharp black walls angled to an open ceiling as if daring to slice the sky itself. Two long tables follow along the sides of the room until they reach a third at the far end, that one cutting across the middle and commanding the space for attention. Behind the long side tables are two massive fireplaces that are built into the walls, the heated flames roaring as the smoke travels up and billows into the open sky above. Pines as tall as the castle itself line the walls on both sides of those fireplaces, their brown and green bodies also reaching for the sky in a cutting dare just like everything else.
The whole of the room is just so defiant. It screams Warrior from head to toe.
There must be more than four hundred Discerni and humans sitting at the tables, all of them still boisterous and grinning as they drink into their conversations. My eyes focus on the farthest table at the end of the room and take in the dark, beautiful wood that’s meant to stand out from the others, the richness of it so proud that it acts as a feature of importance. Its legs are fashioned in the likeness of tree trunks, the top intricately carved as branches that curve over the sides. I immediately notice the Prince sitting in the middle on a beautiful chair made of mahogany, his presence alone giving the table it’s proper due.
Keane is clad in a rich satin black shirt with a prominent cut down the middle, the slit revealing a large portion of his tanned, muscled chest and the thin black chain that rests across it. Another heavier black tunic sits over that shirt, the rich fabric threaded with green to form leaves along his collar. His brown hair is long and perfectly messy on the top while trimmed to perfection just above his ears. His intense brown eyes immediately find mine and follow my every move, everything about him looking absolutely regal as he slowly stands up from his chair.
That simple stance commands the court in a single heartbeat, prompting everyone in the room to turn and look at him as they quietly stop their conversations. I avert my own glance from his and ignore the small flutter in my chest when I do, continuing in my solo walk with Golem as the two of us proudly walk between the tables.
Keane remains standing until we finally reach him, his brown eyes catching mine once more before I slowly lower my head and offer a deep curtsy.
“Lady Alexis of the Court of Knowledge, honored guest of the King…” the Prince states, releasing me from my bow, “thank you for finally gracing us with your presence.”
There’s a slight hint of sarcasm in his tone, one I match as I reply with a smile.
“I was unable to find the way, Your Highness.”
Keane’s brown eyes hold mine as he smirks. “What a pretty lie, my Lady.”
