The prince knocked twice then, with a deep sigh, said, “I do apologise.”
“For what?”
But before he could answer, the door flew open. Two young girls with matching auburn waves, identical lavender eyes, and distinctly fae features stared back at me. They blinked for a few moments, seeming to take in every inch of my appearance. Their hungry gazes swallowed my gown, my hair, my face until, in unison, wild grins overwhelmed them and the door slammed shut. I could just about hear the sounds of muffled laughter and squeals as I waited, my chest tight with embarrassment.
“This is where we will part for now,” Arenn announced, pulling my attention away from the giggling. “My sisters will take care of you and accompany you to Luminessia.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “I’m not sure how mocking me behind closed doors will help me prepare for the ball.”
“Do not worry yourself, human,” he teased. “My sisters are impulsive, and they can both wield fire. If they didn’t like you, you’d be a pile of ashes by now.”
“How reassuring?”
“I jest, of course.” He drew back with a grin. “But only about the pile of ashes. They do both wield fire, so perhaps don’tgo pulling out any daggers around them.” He winked playfully before stooping into a bow and sauntering down the corridor. “Farewell, dear human. I am so looking forward to our dance tonight.”
My focus snapped to the door as it swung open again. The same two girls smiled back at me in an almost feline way. Their synchronised movements were slightly unsettling, but at least now they had stopped giggling.
“Do come in, Princess Naria, our brother has told us so much about you,” the one on the left said. Her tone was sweet and lilting.
“Yes, please enter. We have so many questions.” The one on the right spoke in a breathier voice, curling her fingers in a come hither motion.
Absolutely no part of me wanted to enter an enclosed space with two seemingly unhinged, fire-wielding faeries. But the alternative was to sprint back through the palace with an imaginary tail between my legs and possibly never know what might’ve happened if I’d attended Luminessia.
I didn’t want to marry Arenn, did I? He was handsome, but there was something dark about the way he looked at me – closer to obsession than love. But if that obsession meant that he would help me with Corlixir, then maybe in time, I would learn to love his roguish ways.
Swallowing down any fear, I smiled. “It’s lovely to meet you—” I paused. Of course, I didn’t know their names.
“Elsie,” the girl on the left chimed, “and my sister here is Elara.”
“Enchanting to meet you too, Princess.” Elara dipped her head. “Now please, do come in. We have so much to discuss and such little time before Luminessia.”
The twins moved aside to allow me to enter, and my trembling feet obeyed – ignoring the pounding in my chestand every warning bell ringing in my mind. The moment I had crossed the threshold, the door creaked ominously shut behind me.
“You can start by stripping off that gown. We have much work to do,” Elsie tutted.
Elara echoed her sister’s tutting. “Much work indeed.”
“When I heard that someone had caught dear Arenn’s eye, I almost ignited the banquet hall!” the twin, who was weaving intricate plaits into my hair, babbled excitedly. She was probably Elara, but I’d already been wrong twice. “You know, Papa was beginning to suspect that he was cursed. Twenty years without showing any interest in anyone, man or woman!” She continued twisting the strands of my hair, occasionally threading in a small flower or bud.
I’d been with them for almost an hour, and despite their insistence that they had many questions for me, I’d maybe uttered five words in between their chattering. First, they’d insisted that I bathe. Although it took five minutes of arguing before they decided on which scented lotion to use – nevermind that I detested the scent of jasmine. After that, I was slipped into a silky robe and plopped in front of a wide, willow-framed vanity. The girls then conjured heat from their fingers to dry and style my hair into stunning spirals. Once they were satisfied, one twin remained to braid parts of my hair while the other had spent the past fifteen minutes digging through the wardrobe.
“What do you think, Naria?” The other twin, possibly Elsie, popped out from a rack of dresses. In her hands were two glittering faery gowns. “This one reminds me of lavender, innocent and timid. But this one,” her teeth glinted as shegrinned, “is like dark amethyst.”
“Amethyst, definitely amethyst,” Elara answered for me.
“Good choice.” She tossed the lavender gown aside and swayed the chosen dress in her arms, swinging it around as though it was a dance partner. “Gosh, Elara, doesn’t she look magical?” the girl commented when she caught my gaze in the mirror. “And her human features look so cute! Such precious little round ears and a sweet button nose.”
I opened my mouth to remind her that those precious round ears were perfectly capable of listening, but the other twin chimed out first, “Our nieces and nephews will be so adorable!”
I almost choked.
“Are you alright, Naria?” Elara stopped tugging at my hair for just a moment to lean over my shoulder.
“Oh, she’s fine, just nervous probably,” Elsie answered for me this time. “Some of our wine will help. We’ll get her some when we arrive.”
Elara smiled, satisfied with her sister’s answer. Her nimble fingers returned to my hair, and for a brief moment, there was peace in the dressing room – until a sudden gasp from Elsie made us both flinch.
“Sister! Haven’t you been keeping an eye on the time? We need to leave, now! Luminessia starts in just a few minutes!” She rushed towards us with the amethyst gown, slipping off my robe and helping me into the dress while Elara finished the braids.
