The irony is that it has been created by these despicable men who have driven all of them to at least nominally band together. Queen Grethe was concerned that I might want Oskar for myself. That is nearly enough to make me laugh.
King or not, Oskar would be a terrible, horrible husband for any woman, especially someone like me who's already been through a lot. Kenric has been a balm to every bruised, wounded, and broken part of me. Oskar would rub all those injured and broken things with salt and vinegar before setting them on fire.
I’ve only heard a little about what he’s done to Grethe, but it’s enough to know he’s a real bastard, and I want nothing to do with him. Little does he know, he wants nothing to do with me either. He might be a king, but he’s not my king. I have no qualms about killing him.
If I’m not caught, I can imitate his likeness long enough to issue a few orders that will get me out of here, and I’ll leave with Kenric. If I am caught, then I’ll carve a path out of here for Kenric and myself. I have no doubt everyone would turn against us. It would be a tough escape through a border and onto a ship to get out of this place. Jannick seems to be shaping himself into someone very much like his father. I think Jannick and Lord Geil’s son should become good friends so that Jannick can see the misery his father fosters in his court.
I might mention this to Queen Grethe at some point. I don’t know if Jannick will learn anything from it, but it’s worth trying. It doesn’t seem like Jannick and Makan, Lord Geil’s son, get along very well. Both boys seem to take after their mothers in appearance. I get ready and shoo Kenric away so we can all get some sleep. Today has been exhausting. Tomorrow won’t be much better. We need to get the new ladies settled in. These three will have to keep a low profile tomorrow. I need to prepare Inaba’s men. The rest of us will go shopping tomorrow.
Curling up in my bed, I press my face into Kenric’s shirt and go to sleep. I wake up in the middle of the night to send some messages to Amer, Ruvaen, and my parents. I tell them that Centis will burn because they’ve threatened Ellisar and beg them to have Ellisar call us back to court for any reason that works.
With my notes tucked in my pillow, I go back to sleep. Melina wakes me. Most of the palace is still asleep. We wake the actresses and get them ready to leave. They’re dressed like servants, with long-hooded cloaks. While the guards usually pay close attention to people entering the palace, they don’t often notice those leaving.
Kenric is here now, and we escort them to an exit where a sleepy guard waves them through, thinking it's just more servants running errands. They’re gone and paid for. Inaba’s “men” take positions on the carriage with their horses tied behind them as I say goodbye to my “ladies” and Kenric’s Fey “males.”
I give them the messages to deliver to Captain Mabry, and they leave. Melina says the other ladies will arrive soon. We return to the rooms, and I find a note. I head to the stables to meet Inaba’s men. The dolls I’ve glamoured to replace the missing Fey, along with some minimal items, are loaded onto the carriage.
They leave, and once again, the guards wave them through. I go back to my rooms, where Kenric can “console” me about living in these barbaric conditions and among people who practice such brutish customs. Melina is there, trying to “console” me as well, when the first of the new ladies arrives. According to Melina, all of these women have suffered at the hands of Oskar at some point, and they’re more than willing to engage in subterfuge, deception, and much more to help me escape his clutches.
The first to arrive is Lady Larissa Loos. When Oskar tried to bed her, her husband was offended and banished from Centis. Lady Larissa hasn’t been allowed to leave Centis, effectively divorcing her from her husband without giving her the chance to remarry. Oskar is an idiot for this. Next to arrive are Mila Mayr and Pia Meitner. Mila and Pia have both received offers, but Oskar has refused to allow them because the men are either too high or too low in status compared to the women. Neither woman is particularly attractive, either physically or financially, so neither has received another offer.
Oskar is an idiot for this, too. Lilli Bernhard and Maria Lang have also arrived. Her family traded Lilli to get her brother ahead, but this has left her unable to marry at all. Oskar is an even bigger idiot for this. Maria was once one of Queen Grethe’s ladies, and Oskar abused her while Grethe was forced to watch to prove to Grethe how much more powerful Oskar is. Emily Franz arrives last. Emily’s sister jumped off the cliffs into the ocean after Oskar cornered her. Oskar is also an idiot for being horrible to these women, this king more than deserves whatever punishment Ellisar is going to deliver.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Emily arrives with several women who aren’t titled who begin sweeping, cleaning, and tidying up. I gather them around me, tearfully, and lament the terrible conditions. I thank them sincerely for coming on such short notice and for being willing to endure such squalor. I am doted on and fussed over. Tea is brought in, and they try their best to comfort me since my companions have fled this place. They are, Melina has whispered to me, fully aware of the game and more than willing to play along.
One of them begins to build a fire to warm these drafty rooms, but the smoke and soot that roll out are just unbearable. While we prepare to go shopping for a dressmaker, Kenric is given a list of tasks. One is to find the castle chatelaine and complain about the clogged chimney.
The next is to find the king’s private secretary and complain about the rooms again. The chimney is blocked, the rooms are drafty and cold, and the staff here clearly cannot manage the situation. It seems the castle staff should have handled sweeping and mopping, but we’ve had to bring our own to keep our skirts from getting soiled.
Inaba and his remaining men join us as we head into the city to shop. The ladies are arguing about where to go, but they seem to agree on a few options, so we stop at the first one they select. I go inside to browse the shop. There is a sketchbook on display, so I start flipping through it.
No one comes over to help us, so Pia pushes her way to the back of the store and asks if anyone is available. Since no one responds, I suggest we leave and find another spot. The dresses in the sketchbook all look like variations on the same theme. There’s nothing original or daring about them. I’m too Fey to want to look like everyone else.
Finally, Pia gives up, and we leave. Mila tells the carriage driver where to go next. We walk inside, and a shop assistant quickly approaches us. I ask to see the sketchbook, and it looks beautiful. Some of the items are clearly variations of each other, but others are not.
I decide to sit with the dressmaker. I introduce myself to Ylfa Finnborg, a tall, statuesque blonde woman. I’m not sure she’s the right person for this, given the size difference, but I can describe what I want and show her the fabrics I already have. She suggests choosing something more golden than I had planned.
Melina gives me a subtle head shake, signaling that this might be a bad idea. It's probably upstaging Oskar’s wedding, since I have a few bolts of golden brocade. I was planning to use copper instead of gold, mainly to avoid that issue. I ask her to come up with some sketches she thinks would work well and agree to return tomorrow to see them. We leave and head to the shop Larissa prefers. The sign says Elka Ragney. This shop is intriguing. I see several designs, and they’re pretty interesting. We speak to them, but they turn us away.
They’re too busy with winter season balls. After some consultation, we settle on our fourth choice, Jagger Embla. We arrive, and the front of the store is filled with dressmaker forms bearing actual dresses. They’re quite good. Once I’m introduced to the shop assistant, we’re taken straight to Jagger himself. He has a mouthful of pins and is busy draping fabric over a form. I explain what I’m looking for in the autumnal shades that I’ve become known for because of my hair, mostly.
“You are a tiny thing,” Jagger tells me, “Are you sure you want to carry all that weight? Metallic fabrics are heavy.”
He’s quite right, but I don’t think I really have a choice. I must be both impressive and glorious.
I smile. “I am far stronger than I appear since I’m Fey. It’s an important event because I’m wedding Kenric to seal a trade agreement between my king and the king here.”
He frowns for a moment and pulls out a large ring of various colored silk pieces. He stands behind me, tossing each one underneath my hair to see which colors make it stand out the most.
“It’s a shame that purple is out. Your hair looks amazing against it. There is a dark blue that’s nearly purple that would look great. It would be stunning against the gold and quite nice with copper. Copper always looks best with greens. Perhaps a dark teal would be better,” he says.
He flips through his bits of silk and nods, “Yes, I think teal would strike a good balance between the copper and the gold.”
He begins sketching with colored pencils. The dress itself is simple, allowing the fabrics to stand out. I love what he’s drawing, but I insist on a slightly longer train. I want to showcase our skills with textiles, not just Fey silk. Fey lace is charming, and I’d like to see it included in the upcoming trade agreement. The underdress will be made in sections: gold in the front, with the sides and back in copper brocade, which will show through the outer dress.
To reduce weight, they’ll use silk panels where they aren’t visible. The outer dress is made of Fey silk in teal and features an embroidered lace set with pearls and gems. The train flows from the shoulders and uses the rest of the copper brocade. He pushes aside that drawing and grabs more colored pencils.
“I have another idea that I’d like to sketch out for you. Something more... delicate and perhaps a bit more decadent.”
He sketches a frothy confection of silk, lace, and brocade.
He flips the sketch pad around, and all of us coo, a collective, “Ooooo.”
Jagger laughs happily at our reaction, “I think I know which design wins. I think this will look better on you. It will suit your more delicate build. If you were a bit taller, the first one would be a better choice.”
Melina jumps into the conversation, “Both she and Kenric will also need some traditional garments for the wedding night. Can you make those as well?”
Jagger nods, “I’ll need to measure Kenric, but yes. We can do those easily enough. Add enough frothy lace and ribbon so that no one can see anything they shouldn’t.”
- If this chapter were a meme, what would the caption be?