Nelly’s arms were full, and Edith ran to help her carry it all.
Once Thyme was finished with my face, I went behind the dressing screen to pull on the undergarments and dress Nelly hadbrought, letting her help me tighten the stays. It was astonishingly heavy—half of it appeared to be made from metal. I stepped into a pair of glittery shoes.
“It’s too big,” I said, trying to keep it all up and tight around my body. Thyme rolled his eyes and pressed what I’d assumed was a button sewn into the sleeve.
The dress and shoes shrank until they fit me perfectly. I laughed, twirling.
“It’s a fit glyph. The better dresses all have them,” Thyme explained. Then he swirled his skinny fingers around his head. “We need to do something about that. Please tell me you got their hairstyling glyph.”
My grin turned into a quick scowl, though I could hear Edith snort behind me.
What is it with these people and my hair?
“Upon pain of being eaten by tygers, that maid refused to give it to me. You should have trimmed her hair before we got her into that dress, Thyme.” Nelly turned to me. “On account of it drying into a thick and unmanageable mess, lady.”
Thyme sighed deeply and headed for the chest again, pulling out a comb and a small jar of product. He smeared it around his palms, then rubbed it through my hair. It smelled like sandalwood.
He pulled my hair back carefully, twisting and arranging the upper half, then fixing it with two sparkly combs.
Edith pulled me toward the looking glass with a bright smile and waterlogged eyes.
The lustrous eye shadow made my golden-brown eyes seem enormous. My neck rose long and slender out of a low sweetheart neckline while my blue-green hair tumbled down my back. The material of the bodice, shoulders, and wrists was adorned with bright steel, woven so finely by a metal mage that the dark wool appeared to be sparkling under a filigree of raindrops.
I turned, spotting where the dress accentuated my curves, the rich color making my skin glow. With the metal ornamentation on the bodice that resembled armor, I looked like a princess and a warrior in one.
I didn’t recognize the woman in the reflection.
On impulse, I grabbed my ribbons. As I touched them, I thought of Blake. Blake, whose men had burned down Edith’s and my home. Blake, who had saved my ribbons and gifted me a glyph. I hung the ribbons from the ornate belt encircling the dress.
There. Now I looked like myself.
You are beautiful. Almost as pretty as me.Flame’s voice in my head.
A grin pressed over my lips.It is not possible to be so magnificent, I replied.
I felt more than heard her contented purr.
“You look lovely, my dear,” Edith said, pride in her eyes. “You show them who you are.”
Donning the dress felt like I’d donned my own armor against them all. Still an Azure but now a tygress rider as well. Chosen by Flame.
I would not fail.
A knock resounded on the other side of the door, causing us all to freeze.
13
Thyme made himself scarce, Edith stepping away to allow me to answer the door. It was Nelly who approached me, squeezing my shoulder with her hand. “You will be all right, lady.”
I swept forward and opened it, surprised to see someone whowasn’tBlake Axefire on the other side.
I recognized the handsome man with golden hair and warm brown eyes from the Tyger Warriors in the Arena. The one who had spoken up for me to Princess Malissa. He was strong, lean, and well-built. He looked like he could run for hours through the woods, shoot a deer, and carry it home on his shoulders without breaking a sweat. He was dressed more formally now. A silver cuff encircled his wrist. Navy blue pants and jacket, shot through with metal threading and reinforced with plated armor at key points.
His eyes swept over me before he bowed his head, the gesture making my eyes go wide. “Lovely,” he muttered. Then he coughed. “Bracelet. I meant, you are wearing a lovely jade bracelet.”
Cheeks heating, I murmured, “Thank you.”
“My apologies if I caused any embarrassment. Rubi Morningtail, I am the Captain of the Guard and here to escort you to the king.”
