Crowns of Flame and Ice - Book One

(19) Death to the End

Two weeks had passed since my argument with Quilo. Two weeks of walking through snow in silence. We'd spoken very little, he'd only asked if I needed anything when we'd passed a nearby town two days ago. The words he'd hissed still cut deep, even now time had passed. I'd known Quilo for as long as I could remember, he'd cursed at me, yelled at me, cut me and yet... these words had stayed longer than any bruise had. I wasn't entirely sure why they stung so much. Snow had arrived a lot sooner than we'd originally hoped, a blanket now coated the forest floor. I'd enjoy the peaceful silence it brought if I wasn't stuck with Quilo, this type of silence was suffocating.

I glanced down at the piece of parchment gripped between my fingers, reading the notes Quilo had hastily written. I cursed, Quilo turned to face me from where he walked ahead. "Today's Tuesday right?" I asked and when he nodded I groaned. "We've got to go to that dinner party at the Bellmore manor tonight." The Manor sat east of here, a large estate that had apparently once been full of roses. Now, much like the rest of Vauxhaven, the land was withering. "We'll have to start travelling there now if we want to make it in time. We can find something to wear in the town centre", he said with a frown. I nodded, the dirty clothes I wore now most likely wouldn't send a very good impression. We'd have to stay in the city tonight as the likelihood of reaching the forest again after nightfall wasn't very high. The thought of sleeping on something other than my hard bedroll made me smile a little. We began the slow walk toward the city and I looked forward to seeing something other than bare trees and snow.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A little over two hours later we stood staring out over the cluster of buildings, the line of trees at our backs. According to the map I held this area was home to a small section of basic shops that stretched all the way up to the Sevian river. The Bellmore manor sat half a mile south of the town centre. "I'll meet you back here in an hour," Quilo said before stalking into the throng of people ahead. I frowned, fine. I really was not looking forward to spending an evening pretending to like him. Hopefully, he'd find some skinny brown haired royal to occupy his time. I huffed, I'd sooner sleep on the streets than listen to him bed someone if he brought them back to wherever we stayed tonight. It was likely that the options available would be small, especially with the number of people coming into town to celebrate the solstice.

I moved towards the various stores, swiping up an apple from a nearby cart and tossing the owner a coin. A small store to my left caught my eye, in the window was a beautiful red gown on a mannequin. I approached, marvelling at the intricate teardrop diamonds that covered the skirt. I'd have plucked my eyes out if I'd been asked to sew each of those stones on by hand. I adjusted the straps on the bag at my back and tucked the apple into my pocket.

The dress store was invitingly warm as I stepped inside, a bell above the door dinging as I walked through. A friendly looking sales assistant popped her head around one of the many racks inside with a cheery "hello!" I smiled, her dark skin and beautiful array of tight curls caused me to feel a pang of jealousy. She wore a beautiful red jumper and dark brown trousers, I wanted to ask her where she got them from. There were eight racks of dresses in the small store, organised by colour and then by length, I wondered how they all fit. The pretty sales assistant stepped around one of the racks, "do you need any help?" The word 'no' immediately rolled to the tip of my tongue, but I resisted, swallowing the word and instead nodded. She beamed, and I remembered to start talking. "I need something formal, but not too formal" and I cursed myself for not being able to describe things better. She nodded, all the same, rising onto the tip of her toes and clasping her hands together "any length or style in mind?"

It occurred to me then that I truly had free reign over what I wore, my mother was not here to decide for me. "I'd like something a little longer and perhaps something that's fitted at the top but flares out at the hip," I said, trying my best not to fidget. I always hated things that clung to my hips, my mother and sisters always pointed out the dips and bulges in my sides. It wasn't as though I was overweight, I did plenty of exercise despite the fact I enjoyed a few too many slices of cake. My thighs were a little thicker than what was deemed acceptable, my shoulders wider and my hips more prominent. The woman nodded, dashing over to a couple of rails nearby and slinging a few dresses over her back.