resist the siren's call

15

"If you don't have a plan for yourself, you'll be a part of someone else's."

I leaned forward in the mirror.

The room the king had provided for me was in the middle of simple and lavish.

The room had a soft pink theme coating every decoration, tinting the bedding and furniture as well.

There were three doors: one that led to the rest of the castle via a hallway, one that led to a balcony with stairs that led directly to the beach with only a four minute walk to the ocean, and one that conjoined Calliste's room with mine.

Nixie was staying in the room directly across from mine as well.

If anyone asked, I would tell them I did not enjoy castle life, as everyone seems too occupied with their appearance and their reputation to care about any thing else.

However in the privacy of my mind, I found I enjoyed many things about life in a castle.

One being clothing.

As it turns out, the fabric pieces humans wear that I previously thought were cumbersome are actually comfortable and fun.

I suppose I should be grateful everyone cares about appearance because, as a "guest" in the castle, the king was inclined to give me a full wardrobe of dresses.

Dresses that I would select and be fitted for in less than an hour.

I stood up from the vanity and knocked on Calliste's door.

When she opened it she asked, "Yes?"

"Do you know how things are going with the volunteers?"

"It's just about the only thing everyone in the castle is talking about!" She walked away and brought back the flyer the King had sent out.

By the King
A Proclamation,
For calling all eligible civilians to volunteer

King Raymond calls all men and women who dare to go up against a siren.
The siren has called upon the King for volunteers to demonstrate her particular set of skills.
Any and all volunteers who best the siren will be rewarded greatly, and given a medal of bravery.
Prince Caspian wishes to warn you all, this would be a deadly expedition.

"Do you know how many have volunteered?"

"More than Caspian is happy with. He's at every turn trying to persuade the people to resign their entry."

I smirked, "So, princeling has a problem with me?"

"You did kill half his crew. And all those bandits."

I gave a small smile, "It's what I love to do."

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

"It needs to be cinched in." The seamstress walked around me, pinning as she went until she stepped back to look. She slowly nodded before snapping her fingers for assistants to strip the dress off of me.

I stood uncomfortably on the small pedestal as another dress was draped on me.

The cycle repeated over and over until I could no longer distinguish the dresses.

I was wearing a pearly white dress when a male voice spoke from the doorway, "Which one will be the one you massacre the volunteers in?"

I smiled before turning to see Caspian. The seamstress gave a rushed bow before bustling around the room again.

"I was thinking a blood red color would go best."

Caspian grimaced, "Whatever you're planning with them, it won't go well. The whole kingdom will fear you."

Anger pooled in my stomach, "Isn't that what you wanted?" I stepped off the pedestal, "You wanted to show those in your kingdom the monsters that lived in your sea. Well here I am!" I spread my arms, "and I'll show them."

"This can be resolved without the sacrifices of civilians! I will have you escorted back to wherever you wish in the ocean-"

I laughed, "You ripped me from my home as a trophy for your father, and now you want me to go home?" I smiled as I looked right into his eye, "You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you?"

I walked away and stepped back up on the pedestal. "I think," I looked at the seamstress, "a nice navy blue dress for tomorrow would look nice." In my reflection through the mirror I met Caspian's eyes. "Don't you think?"

I knew he understood the implication when he met my eye. His eyes were set like stone before he turned and left.

When the door clicked shut the seamstress audibly let out a sigh before calling her assistants back in.

They stripped the pearly dress off and, just as I requested, draped a navy blue slim fit dress over my body.