Iskra was blasted with heat as she stepped inside the unidentified shop. The smell of wax and musk overwhelmed her senses as she slowly put together where they were.
“Glass,” Jasyn said. It was only one word, but Iskra could sense calmness in his voice. His panic was beginning to burn out, and she took a shuddering breath of relief. What happened out there was a surprise. She never would expect a future king to struggle so deeply with being surrounded by his people. When she asked Esi for suggestions for today, she was the one who mentioned letting him engage with his people in a natural way. It was exactly why she needed to get him out of sight. If the arranged marriage was meant to instill confidence in the royal family, then Iskra needed to make sure to keep that image alive.
As they stood at the entrance to the glass blowing facility, Iskra couldn’t help but pity the man beside her.
“Slone will not let me escape glass,” Iskra muttered to herself, wanting to avoid speaking about what just transpired. She had a feeling Jasyn wouldn’t want to speak on it either.
“Prince Jasyn,” a man’s voice said as he approached them with thick gloves on, his eyes wide with disbelief. The shock must have quickly worn off as he remembered himself. Theglassblower bowed deeply and focused his attention on her. “You must be the queen-to-be, Lady Esi.”
Iskra opened her mouth to correct him, but then she remembered the role she was playing. It was still hard pretending to be someone else, to hide her identity when she was already hiding an even bigger part of herself.
“That is me,” she said, and the words must have not sounded convincing, because the man raised one of his brows. “Prince Jasyn and I were walking through town and stumbled upon the glasswork in your window.”
Iskra pointed behind her to the display she had actually missed when she guided Jasyn inside, and the gesture didn’t feel ladylike.
Jasyn seemed to have settled down, because he stepped in. “I have always been curious about how one could use their flame powers to craft such intricate work. I grew up being taught my flame should be forged to fight and kill a dragon. Here, you have created art.”
Although she wasn’t surprised his light powers were a secret, it still hurt something within her to hear Jasyn lie about himself.
“Oh, how kind,” the glassblower said. “Of course I can demonstrate. I have wine glasses Princess Syrena from the Rain Court commissioned for her new home with some pirate.”
“I didn’t realize the Rain Court had royalty.” The words were out before she could stop them.
Both the glassblower and Jasyn turned to her.
“Only the seafolk have royalty,” Jasyn explained. “Though it’s practically meaningless when so many mermaids are bestowed a title. Only our court and the Snow Court have formal royalty, since the other courts have progressed beyond such a government. Even then, our court is less formal.” Iskra listened, taking in each word. She appreciated how willing he was toanswer questions she hadn’t even asked yet. It was the most she heard him speak in the few days she’d known him.
“Let’s start,” the glassblower interjected as he headed to a large furnace. “This furnace is constantly lit and maintained.”
He went through each step, described what he was doing, and even allowed them to help. They simply turned the pipe as the glassblower used his power to heat the glass and bend it into a specific shape. This specific glass had a marbled effect with various tones of green.
Throughout it all, Iskra kept her eyes on Jasyn. He was much more at ease when he worked with his hands. Perhaps that was why she caught him tending to the garden so often. There must be a sense of safety with motion for him.
After finishing the wine glass, they moved on to making a vase. The glassblower gestured for her to blow through the pipe, but she tried refusing. He wouldn’t have it, and she slowly placed her mouth on the mouthpiece, gently blowing. She held back the fire within her, unsure if she could even call it in this form yet still determined to make sure it stayed put.
When Jasyn did it, she watched as he placed his mouth where hers just was, and she tried to ignore the bubbly feeling in her stomach. The glassblower gasped, and Jasyn laughed as the hollow ball they had formed drooped. She snorted, and Jasyn's smile turned to her. She dipped her head, facing away, unable to take the joy lighting his face. If she kept getting lost in him, she feared she would never be able to find her way out again.
The glassblower finished some final steps. Iskra didn’t have the mind to pay too close attention, but the glassblower revealed their work. Clearly, he had fixed Jasyn’s mishap but kept the charm, because it had the curve Jasyn had made. The shades of red were stunning in the sunlight once they finally left the shop.
“It’s perfect,” she said, the creation in her arms.
Jasyn stopped, and she was scared he would panic again, but he only reached out and pulled back the hair from in front of her face. Her eyes tracked his hands—she should really pull away. It was dangerous how that small act twisted her insides. “Thank you for giving me the space to breathe.”
Iskra blinked, taking in his vulnerability. She opened her mouth to say more, but his guard—who had been dutifully waiting while they were in the shop—stepped in.
“I think it’s time to return to the castle,” Mych said.
Jasyn stepped back, and she looked down at the vase in her hands. She didn’t know why she was feeling shy. Everyone knew Jasyn and Esi were to be married. It made sense that they were close.
She then looked at Bron, and he wore a stone-cold face. He was not impressed, or perhaps watching her be with Jasyn reminded him that his friend—the real Lady Esi—would be in her spot in a few weeks.
If Jasyn could survive the Undertaking, at least.
Six
As the carriage rattled back to the castle, Iskra twiddled her fingers. Her fingernails were painted crimson, her hands adorned with gold jewelry. It was how Lady Esi dressed every day. It was still foreign to Iskra to see such finery on herself, but she liked how it made her feel—like she was more than just a body built for slaughter.
The sun began to dip beneath the horizon, and if she didn’t get out soon, everyone would be in for a surprise.
