The Summer Court

Chapter Eight

The week had gone painfully slow. Elsine had anticipated seeing Kannon at every turn. But she realized that her father had allowed this first week to be sparse in events. She had days to herself when she would read or draw, bored out of her mind. Others she would be taken down to the library to study political texts and documents about her kingdom. In truth, she had a hard time focusing because she wanted to thank Kannon for the rose. She wanted to know if he had been serious when writing his note. Because there was no doubt the princess also felt those butterflies. She realized she would have to also thank Hamish for the flowers he sent and sighed. The thought was nice, but Elsine liked simple gifts. Large bouquets or extravagant chocolates seemed like too much. Especially considering they had just met. She would not be bought by wealth and lavish gifts. She wanted true love.

On two of the evenings, she had been able to promenade around the garden with the suitors and engage in conversation. There were no moments for privacy with an individual prince, however. The guards stuck close by and none of the princes seemed inclined to steal her away from the group. She was surprised Kannon hadn't jumped on the opportunity to bend the rules as he had in the Grand Hall. Hamish, however, had been adamant about butting into conversations— especially when Kannon spoke. They were so different that Elsine couldn't help but feel as if she were being fed chocolate cake and then forced to down sardines by turns.

She hoped that there were some horse rides planned. Then maybe there would be more space to breathe and fewer people talking to her at once. She loved riding, but it would also give her an excuse to see Darius at the stables. To say hello. The princess had not seen him since the night they had talked in the stables, and she missed her friend.

Today was the end of the first week which meant there would be an informal dinner party that only included the princes, her, and the king. As the preparations were getting done, Terwyn came to help Elsine get dressed.

Elsine jumped at Terwyn poking her with a pin, "Gracious girl you got the entire sky and the clouds fillin' that head of yours today!" The princess bit her lip, mumbling an apology for being so far away from reality. Her thoughts circled back, feeling guilty about writing off Hamish so quickly. She hadn't spent much time with him, so she only had her initial reaction to him and those stuffy flowers to base her opinion on. Sighing she bounced a little on her feet, frustrated.

She tried to walk away from the mirror. Terwyn, who was trying her best to cinch the girl's corset, grabbed at her with a squeak, "What is the matter with you tonight, my Lady?"

Stopping, Elsine rubbed at her collarbone feeling panicky. She looked desperately to her maid, "I'm sorry Terwyn, I am just so overwhelmed." This was true. The princess had never felt so many different emotions at once, nor had she ever had four males vying for her attention. And she wouldn't even mention the fact that she was expected to pick the best one and marry him by the end of the summer. Her face crumpled with the threat of tears.

Terwyn flapped her hands and muttered, "Oh dear." She hustled to the vanity to get the princess a handkerchief.

Elsine took the offered embroidered piece of cloth and dabbed at her eyes, trying to stop the tears. Composing herself, she reset herself in front of her lady's maid and squared her delicate shoulders.

Terwyn sighed, patting the princess' shoulder, "It's going to be alright, Elsi, you'll see. Keep your chin up." With that said she went about dressing Elsine, finishing her corset and slipping the delicate fabric of her dress over her head. The soft glowing gold of the fibers in the dress was spun with iridescent slivers of emerald greens and blushing pink. It wrapped around her bodice until it hit her hips at a delicate angle and flowed out softly in gauzy uneven layers that were stitched with the most intricate little flowers and butterflies. A delicate shift of lace wrapped each of her hands to her upper arms. Terwyn brought out a delicate jade necklace and placed it gently on Elsine's collarbone.

Elsine recognized the dress as one her mother had worn. It was one she had told her she would wear one day when the princess had been playing dress-up in her mother's armoire. Her crystal blue eyes welled as she ran her fingers lovingly over all the delicate features of the dress. She smiled at Terwyn in the mirror as the maid went to work pulling the princess's golden curls into a beautiful tangle of braids and twists at the nape of her neck, letting some flirty little curls slip out here and there to brush her bare shoulders.

"Are you ready to go down to dinner, Princess?" Terwyn asked softly. To Elsine, it felt like the maid was trying to make sure she was ready for what was to come after dinner. After all the outings and she made her choice. Was she ready for that? Taking a breath, she smiled quickly.

"I am now, thank you Terwyn you always work magic." The maid blushed but looked pleased. Elsine stood and headed for the door. She let herself feel the anticipation of how Kannon's mysterious jade eyes would light on her. And then she could forget the weight on her shoulders. If only for tonight.