Heirs of the Gods

Ch 18: Oh, how the mighty have fallen

For all of Ella's previous complaints about the apparent lack of monarchs in the palace, meeting the King was a daunting prospect.

This was the King famed for his cruelty and sadism when dealing with trespassing humans. This was the King that ruled with an iron fist. A King of death and war.

This wasn't lost on her as she finished the last touches on her appearance before heading out to dinner. Of course, she'd spent her life among the nobility, so while Ella wasn't afraid of accidentally committing a breach of protocol and etiquette, she was still unnerved.

It was simply that his reputation preceded him. She was a human woman, he was a human-hating King, it was pure logic.

Gidden's words reverberated in her mind, reminding her that it was rumoured that he could read inner thoughts and bend minds at will. Catastrophically, she wondered what would happen if she accidentally thought something he considered disrespectful and he took offence.

Stopping her morose line of thoughts with a firm shake of her head, she scolded her mind into submission before giving herself one last cursory glance in the mirror.

Clothed in iridescent plum, Ella's dress was made of heavy, flowing skirts that accentuated her waist with its clinging bodice. The balloon sleeves were cuffed at the wrist, where metallic silver threads decorated it, as well as the collar. It was an exquisite gown that spoke of elegance and sophistication, with its rich colouring making her skin almost glowy, as opposed to simply pale. Ella was once again fascinated by faerie fashion.

Much to Ella's gratitude, Katram had taken it upon her to fix her up for the evening. She'd fussed about her for hours, artfully styling her hair, braiding the top half into intricate braids and letting the rest cascade down her back in a curtain of thick, silvery curls. Katram had been delighted at having someone to attend to, muttering about how there were never visiting ladies or dinner parties, something she seemed to enjoy.

With a last fussy smoothing of her skirts, Ella took a calming breath and made her way out of the room.

"Lovely as she is malicious," Aedion hummed, slinking towards her as soon as she stepped out. He took in her entire form languidly, regarding her with such a devilish, insolent grin that her neck and cheeks flushed.

"Are you always just lurking through the hallways outside my door like a lost puppy?" Ella said, lifting a brow, feeling the urge to lash out, just to stop him from looking at her that way. It made her skin prickle.

Hypocritically, she took a moment to appreciate his attire, albeit in a much more discreet and dignified manner. As usual, he wore all black. Dark leather boots, trousers and a luxurious, high-collared suede doublet, woven with golden metalwork and burnished gold buttons down the front, the same colour as his eyes. He looked devastatingly handsome, as always, much to her annoyance.

"My my, someone's quite full of themselves. My own bedroom is right over there," he gestured towards the only other door at the end of the dead-end hallway.

A blush crept up her face, and she resisted the urge to wince. Not for the first time, Ella wondered if there was some fae charm to force her to shut her mouth, an ability she was grossly lacking.

"I didn't know that," she said stiffly. "Very well, we should be going then. I don't want to be late," she casually waved off the subject. Aedion seemed amused at her quick change of conversation but didn't comment on it.

"It's called being fashionably late." Aedion strolled beside her at a leisurely step, no doubt slowing down his usual long strides to accommodate for her slower ones as she lightly lifted her skirts to avoid dragging them excessively while they walked through the long halls and stairs.