Who's Blue?

Chapter 13 - Don't Worry

××Blue××

The day of the test was upon me sooner than I wished. Instead of waking up alone, a knock on the door had me stirring from sleep. Just as I was sitting up in the much too large bed, Diesel spoke from the other side.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah!" I called tiredly, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and adjusting my nightgown. According to Isabel, all the girls in the kingdom wore them to bed.

The door creaked slightly as Diesel pushed it open, dressed in his sleepwear as well since all his clothing were the the room with me. At the beginning of my arrival, he had slept in a shirt but after a few days of sweating himself to death as he put it, he had let go of the notion of needing a shirt. I couldn't deny that it was a nice sight to see.

"Isabel will be here in a few minutes to help you get ready for today. Try to stick with her as much as possible. She will help direct people away from any unpleasant conversations." As Diesel spoke, he crossed the room to the connected closet area. I watched as he pulled down a clean dark blue shirt, a black overcoat and black pants. It was much more fancy than his usual attire.

"Won't Isabel be expected to be with Chrom?" I asked.

"Normally, yes. But she's the best person for you to be with during this event. Hopefully eyes will be on her." I frowned at his words.

"Why can't I stay with you?" By this time, I had walked over to him. Standing right next to him made it easy to see how my question caused him to freeze up. He cast an unsure look down at me.

"People," He began, pausing to think for a moment, "People have been talking. A strange girl in the castle, sleeping in the same room as one of the princes." Diesel cringed at his own words.

"They've been talking?" It was a question but he didn't answer and I didn't expect him to. He had already confirmed it. The servants stares over the last two weeks had increased and now it made sense.

"Hey," Diesel spoke, setting a gentle hand on my exposed shoulder, "You don't need to worry. It'll all turn out okay, and if it doesn't, I'll protect you." He smiled down at me and I couldn't help but smile back. His words warmed my heart.

Before I could speak, loud knocks were heard before Isabel's distinct voice shouted my name from the room next door. She had let herself in. Diesel growled, a sound I wasn't sure he knew he was even making, and turned on his heel to slam the door to his bedroom shut just as her smiling face came into view.

"Aw, Diesel, c'mon!" Isabel whined from the other side.

"You can't keep coming in here without asking. This is our room, not yours," Diesel shouted back, gritting his teeth as he leaned back against the shut double doors. I didn't hear Isabel's response, too focused on Diesels last sentence.

"Our room?" I breathed. Diesel snapped his head in my direction, a blush I'd never seen on his face before appearing before my eyes.

"I mean, yeah," Diesel spoke, using the door to stand himself up. A large smile split across my face and I stood to get closer but my words were quickly cut off by the sound of Isabel's yelling.

"I have work to do in there Diesel! We are on a timeline!"

Diesel threw his head back and groaned, a harsh glare replacing the cute blush and shocked eyes. I smiled at him, brushing his arm with my hand as I walked by, and then pulled one of the heavy doors open to greet the impatient woman on the other side.

Her and Chrom's arms were full of bags and boxes. With an impatient look and a stomp of her foot, she shot herself into the room. Chrom came in only to drop off the boxes and bags he held. As he left, he took Diesel by the arm and pulled him out with him.

"Bye!" I called after the two retreating men. Diesel waved and smiled softly before he was out of view. Isabel slammed the door shut behind them. She turned to me with a devious look.

"We are going to have so much fun!" She squeeled, yanking clothes out of bags and dragging shoes out of boxes. I even saw a few hats, which I was entirely not fond of.

"I don't want to be too flashy," I said, watching her hold up a frilly pink dress.

"Oh c'mon, I can make you look so pretty," She sang, tossing the pink mess of fabric behind her.

"I'm supposed to blend in, Isabel. Not stand out like a sore, bloody thumb." My words were directly aimed at the bright red dress she held up next. She rolled her eyes but tossed it aside.

"You don't have to stand out to look beautiful," Isabel spoke softly, seeming to find something more interesting in the pile of clothes than her own words. It wasn't until she held up the dress she had set her sights on that I understood her silence.

The green dress was perfect. It wasn't too bright or too dark. It was off the shoulder, which I worried would show too much skin, but Isabel assured me it was a common style at events such as this.

"Is your dress off the shoulder?" I questioned. She smiled at me sweetly.

"It can be."

I thanked her and let her continue her process. Next came the shoes. She wanted them to be perfect but the first pair of brown boots that fit me were what I chose. Isabel seemed exasperated but since we were running low on time, she relented.

"I'd really like to put your hair up for this. How do you feel about that? I've only ever seen you with your hair down," She said, turning around with a brush in hand. She took one step and I jumped up, panicking.

"Uh," I stuttered, "I'm not so sure."

"Pleaseeeee," Isabel whined, approaching. I jumped back quickly, tripping right over all the clothes strewn about the floor. That had Isabel stopping in her tracks, a worried look crossing her face.

"Are you okay? I don't have to do your hair."

"I just, I've never had anyone do my hair before and I'm not so sure it would look good," I tried to reason. Isabel looked entirely dejected but smiled and nodded anyways, trying to seem understanding. It only made me feel worse.

"Will you help me with the dress?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Of course! I brought a few for myself too!"

Together we helped each other into the dresses and she let me barrow some jewelry from her personal collection to match.

"I'll have one of the servants come in and clean this up for us. We have to go," Isabel commanded, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the door.

"Actually, could you give me just a minute?" I questioned, tugging my arm from her grip. She nodded and promised she'd wait outside for me.

As soon as the door was shut, I grabbed up the brush and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, twisting a strand of hair over the hair tie and pulling a few pieces from the front to frame my face. It exposed my ears terribly. I sighed, ready to pull it out when a piece of fabric caught my eye. It was most likely a scarf of some sort but it worked perfectly to use as a headband, and if positioned just right, it covered my ears enough to look good.

With a large smile and a little twirl, I made my way to the door to find Isabel.

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Hey I'm back yall