Clara winced. “Never say never, Your Majesty. When Marne Ceresa says come to Rome, we go. Without question.”
“The team will now go through the samples we brought and bring in some ready-made items in a variety of sizes for you to try, Your Majesty. That way you have at least a few items in your wardrobe while we finish the rest.”
The younger assistants left, each taking a cart with them. Still muttering softly to himself, Manford followed them. “So many yards. I’ve never seen such a mountain of a man.”
I reached up and patted Dörr’s hand on my shoulder. “My Darkest is appropriately named.”
14
DÖRR
There were so many things about Miðgarðr to learn. I tolerated the short grumbling human’s ministrations, but when he asked about cut and cloth, I had no idea how to respond.
Gunnarr slapped his hands together and rubbed them with anticipation. “I’ve got this, guys. Leave it to me. You’ll be the finest dressed Blood this side of Yggdrasil.”
“So says the man who dined with our queen in tighty-whities,” Myrk said.
Not that we’d known or cared about what the man wore. Myrk just liked to get his digs in as often as possible.
A sharp metallic clatter drew my attention to the man who’d measured me. He’d dropped his shears onto the table. Now he glared at Gunnarr. Two red circles popped up on his cheeks, his brow furrowed almost as deeply as mine, and his nostrils flared. “Sir, please say it isn’t so.”
Gunnarr shrugged sheepishly. “It was all I had at the time, and I was hungry. When you’ve got to eat, you’ve got to eat, you know?”
Svar clicked his teeth together harshly. “You arrived wrapped in animal furs. If we trust anyone to help with wardrobes, it should be Lokken. Even Clara approved of his clothing. I believe she called it a suit.”
Lokken laughed. “It was indeed a suit but designed for a boring professional convention on climate change. We’ll need more formal outfits for court.”
My upper lip curled with distaste, and Myrk bit back a curse. “More formal than the cage of cloth you wore? How shall we protect her, then? We at least need to be able to access weapons if we can’t?—”
I sent him a hard nudge in the bond, reminding him of the humans. He clamped his lips shut.
The grumpy human brightened, some of his ire shifting to interest. “Ah, so it’s bodyguards you are, then? Of course, that makes so much more sense. That changes everything.”
He pulled a large leather-bound tome out of the storage case and heaved it onto the table. He pulled open the front, scanned the page, and then carefully turned through most of the book’s pages toward the end. “Ah, yes, exactly so.”
The younger human stepped closer and gazed over his shoulder, his eyes widening. “Are you sure?”
“Did I ask your opinion, whippersnapper?” Manford harrumphed, shaking his head, while he jotted down more details on the smaller book he’d written our measurements. He occasionally looked up at the larger book, then peered over his glasses at each of us, as if reminding himself visually of our various sizes.
“But the cost,” the younger man whispered, casting an apologetic look up at me, as if I would be embarrassed.
“Fine.” Manford heaved a disgusted sigh and stepped back to the door that led to the smaller room where our queen was still trying on some of the things the humans brought. He tapped onthe door but didn’t open it, waiting for someone to come to the door.
The head tailor herself cracked the door open. “What is it, Manford?”
“I beg your pardon, Your Majesty,” Manford raised his voice slightly. “Forgive the intrusion, but I had a simple question.”
“Of course,” Helayna answered. “Manford, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I merely wanted to check to see if there were any limits you wished to place upon your men’s suits. I had an idea, you see, but it would cost more?—”
“By all means,” she broke in immediately. “No restrictions or limits. I want them to have the very best.”
“Exactly so, Your Majesty. Thank you for confirming.” He turned back to the younger assistant with a knowing smirk on his face.
They consulted over the book and their notes for several minutes, the younger man’s eyes getting wider by the moment.
I couldn’t care less. Instead, I found myself dwelling on the fact that our queen would request next to nothing for herself but then tell the humans to spare no expense for us. Even when we didn’t care about earthly possessions or pleasures.
