An Oath Of Lords And Ladies (ARTK, Book 1)

Chapter 23

Derun 15th, 3327 A.G

"How's that?" Nara's tailor asked. "Too tight?"

  She pulled at the waist of Nara's dress, making sure it was stretchy enough to eat in. Nara stared herself down in the mirror.

  When she was younger she'd wanted a green wedding dress, but they were completely out of the necessary dyes and fabrics- and it would take weeks to import them. She couldn't wear the dress with real gold a second time so soon, so she decided to stick with a light blue one to save time, since the tailor would need almost two weeks to make it.

  It was the most revealing piece she'd ever worn( not that it would matter to those who saw her in it since she'd be married in just hours), with the neckline stopping just a few inches above her chest. It was off shoulder and floor length, with sleeves that stopped at the elbow and had fabric hanging down as long as the dress itself.

It accentuated her waist more than she was comfortable with, but at least it's flattering- she thought.

She knew she wouldn't be able to eat much, even if she forced it down- because regardless of her reasons for choosing to marry, this was a big day.

People would be drunk for a full week afterwards, and they would have trouble performing their daily tasks- so the previous night the witch stayed up making large quantities of an herbal mix to help with that. Nara had never been one to drink more than a glass of wine, but she'd reasoned herself into two glasses. She'd need it for the night so she wouldn't talk herself out of it, after all.

Nara took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling the fabric of the dress stretch as her chest fell and stomach rose.

"It's perfect." She finally said. "Looks like... the wedding will be held today as planned."

  She thought of Renard, who would be in his chambers- having his wedding clothes fitted. He'd been surprisingly fine with the whole thing, to the point it was suspicious- so she decided to watch him.

  Granted, the alliance would benefit both houses in the long run- but he didn't seem like the type that really cared about such things.

  She was finally using a tactic her father had: Holding onto those people you didn't trust so they wouldn't have a chance to do something untrustworthy.

  Nara walked over to the small table her crown sat on and placed it on her head. When she looked in the mirror again, she smiled. The crown fit her so well, looked so right on her that it was almost a crime she hadn't been declared queen sooner.

  For the next few hours, as servants ran around making last minute preparations- she painted with Terricus. She wasn't very good at it, but it certainly wasn't the ugliest thing ever made. A few times, Terricus's fingers brushed against hers as he guided her tools- then he'd quickly remove them and apologize. She rolled her eyes each time. It'd been pushed into everybody's minds from the time they were children that men shouldn't even touch a married woman, and she found it incredibly stupid. Terricus had never been anything more than a friend. If that was an acceptable explanation growing up, why wasn't it now?

  When they were done, Nara was called to a room just outside the great hall for final preparations and Terricus was stationed just outside of it. Lillian pinned the piece of hair down that never wanted to lay right and tugged on Nara's shoulder sleeves a few times to make sure they wouldn't fall down, then fixed her posture. One of the classic Lute songs, as old as the gods themselves, started playing somewhere in the great hall- and Terricus opened the door for her.

  There'd been discussions about who would give her away, but in the end she'd insisted on herself. She wasn't an item, and she wasn't being sold. She would never submit to Renard. If anything, he would submit to her.