Well…thatGraylendoesn’t kill Adrian.
Let’s face it; Adrian wouldn’t even be able to blink before Graylen had him on his knees.
The seamstress shop is filled with rows of fabric—tulle, satin, cotton, and more, varying colors and lengths. Not a single pair of pants in sight.Great. It isn’t like I needed a reminder of my loathing for Crea, but this certainly keeps the feeling fresh.
“Miss?” A delicate voice floats over to me, but there’s no one in sight. “Ah, just a moment.”
There’s a grunt and a shuffle, a handful of dresses to my right rustling. A hand emerges, shoving the hanging fabric aside andparting it down the middle. The seamstress has her hair in a low bun, the coloring faded to gray and loose curls frizzed in a frame around her softly wrinkled face.
“How can I help you?” she asks, her gaze dropping to my leather pants, cotton shirt, and leather vest. Her mouth tilts into a frown, but she doesn’t comment on the state of my dress.
A small bell on the front door jingles, and two young girls walk in, their dresses fresh and hair styled.
“Scarlett, I have your order, but Marlene, yours is going to take me a few days,” the seamstress calls out to them. “Shipment got delayed.”
One of the girls grumbles and drags the other girl back toward the door. “We’ll come back tomorrow then, Alice!”
The bell jingles again as they leave, and the seamstress rolls her eyes. She mutters something as she watches the door close before looking back at me.
“I’m in need of a few dresses—three should do.” The words are sour as they come out. The dresses here are…stifling to say the least. The skirts are full and the waistlines suffocating.
She eyes me, likely trying to judge if I can afford three different items. I force a smile on my face, not wanting to piss off the woman who could find me a few good dresses, and fish out the coins Adrian gave me.
“You can call me Alice,” she grunts, waving her hand and stepping through the pile of fabric. “Tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll get you fitted.”
What I’m looking for is something that allows me the movement to run if chased or fight if provoked, but I settle on, “Something breathable.”
Alice bobs her head, humming as she shuffles past me and disappears behind another pile of clothing. “Color? Fabric?” Her muffled questions carry over the sound of swishing dresses. “Depending on what you want, I could have your order ready by tomorrow evening.”
I wander toward the sound of her voice, brushing my fingertipsalong the fabrics. There were shops like this in Runnswick, but they weren’t ones Father ever allowed me to go to—not that I was complaining about skipping out on those.
“Whatever gets them the fastest,” I mutter.
Alice’s head pops out from my left just as I’m about to pass her. “I have plenty of extra spools of linen in the back. Not the fanciest, but it’ll last ya.”
Before I can give her a nod, she’s already slipping back into the mountain of cloth, murmuring to herself.
Alice measures me for the dresses, scribbling numbers on a small scrap of parchment. She doesn’t make small talk—doesn’t ask me where I’m from or why I’m wearing what I’m wearing—and for that I’m grateful.
She finishes placing the last pin in the fabric she draped over me, sweat collected on her brow. When she straightens, she grunts and holds her back, swearing lightly.
“I have one that’ll fit you tonight. Give me a minute.” She spins around and disappears into a back room.
A middle-aged woman and man come in, the woman with high cheekbones and small flower pins in her hair. She jumps up and down, running and grabbing different dresses to show to the man.
They look so…normal. Not plagued by the knowledge of what’s going on in their own kingdom. I wonder how happy she would be if she knew the darkness that was threatening to take over the land.
“You can try it on in the back.” Alice’s voice shakes me from my thoughts.
I give her a small smile and take the dress from her, quickly slipping into it in a small, empty closet. As promised, it’s light and nottooconstricting.
It’s a simple sky-blue dress with capped sleeves and a paneled skirt, complete with a floral front-laced bodice that slips over it. My muddied boots don’t exactlymatch, but it’ll do.
After tossing my soiled leathers into a small sack, I pay herfor the dress, with an agreement to pay for the rest when I pick up the others. She sends me on my way, promising to have the last two ready by tomorrow’s sunset.
Another night in Lyland wasn’t the plan, but it’ll have to do.
The closer we get to the castle and to Runnswick, the more we’ll need to fit in. I’m not foolish enough to think someone won’t recognize either Graylen or Adrian at some point, but the lower profile we can keep, the better.
