Entertaining the Vampire King

On the Road

Elizabeth had known about the trip to court long before mistress told me. She and William had discussed it in detail for weeks.

It was less than two hours to Ashworth, and Milda was eagerly awaiting our arrival. I hadn't ridden a horse for that long before, and my thighs were rubbed raw from the thin pants material on the saddle. Elizabeth was clearly uncomfortable as well. William watched us with a humor in his eyes. He laughed when I dismounted and nearly fell over.

Milda lived in a small cottage that was in view of town. We entered while William remained outside and tended to the horses. Her walls were lined with spools of material and thread. Every color imaginable, organized by color. Red, orange, yellow, even purple! I gawked openly at the lavish collection.

"Well ladies. You are very lucky that Mistress Emily was kind enough to lend me her favor with her lord. Your dresses are gonna be the prettiest pieces I've ever made." She laughed, her wrinkles apparent on her aged face. Miss Milda had to have been in her 60s, maybe older. She moved with grace and her hands worked surprisingly smoothly for an older woman.

"Well then. Pick your colors ladies, I don't have all day. If you two are gonna get picked up by Lord Henry, you will have to strike his eye and make sure it never leaves. You!" She said pointing at Elizabeth. She smiled and walked over towards the table with a stack of different colored silks. "Your hair... black. Your eyes, green. You have potential for green to do wonders for your dear." She said, spinning Elizabeth around. Milda was almost an entire head shorter than Elizabeth, but she moved quickly. Her hands wrapped around Elizabeth's waste, and around her breasts. She blushed.

"Good, good size." Milda said with her hands on Elizabeth's breasts. "These will get you very far, I assure you." She laughed and walked to the table, pulling two green colors of silk over towards Elizabeth's face. I watched the woman in awe.

"This is the perfect color. Yes, this is it." She threw the lighter olive green on the ground, and held up a panel of deep emerald, it practically sparkled in the light.

"Miss Elizabeth, this is one of my best fabrics. I have been holding onto this for a few years, but seems that it was made for you." She said, grinning widely. Her head snapped to look at me.

"Alright, you next sweetheart. And I haven't met you before." I walked over to where Elizabeth was just standing a few feet from the wooden table full of color. My eyes were wide in anticipation.

"Ayla, ma'am." I said curtly. She nodded and I felt her small hands grab my waist. "You're strong in your core. Good." Her hands cupped my face, and pulled me down to look at her. I was the tallest girl in the household. Miss Milda came up to my shoulder.

"Tall, yes . But not taller than most men, especially not nobles. They breed like stallions, I tell you. The men are all as tall are their horses!" She shrieked into my face. Her mouth curved into a smile as she studied my features. "Long hair, and what color? I can't decide if it's blonde or silver. Very strange. That may be an advantage for you sweetie. And your eyes, they look just like the sea last time I was there." She gently let go of my face and ran her hands down to my behind. "And this will definitely need to be tailored to." She laughed, patting my bottom playfully. "One of the largest I've seen. And such a small waist? I know the perfect style for you." She turned and walked to the table again. She held up a fabric with a color I had never seen before. It was blue, but dark like the river in spring. It was the most beautiful color I had ever seen.

*******

Elizabeth and I had spent two days with miss Milda. She worked tirelessly on our dresses. Elizabeth and I each had three dresses. The ball gowns were in the colors she had first selected. I had a blood red dress, and a black dress. I had never seen black in a fashion color before. Elizabeth's other gowns were gold and a light pink. William had entered the house once while she was being fitted. His face matched the exact shade of pink of her gown. He had since refused to come in unless invited.

On the third day, we were sent away with our dresses and a few other outfits for traveling. Suffolk was almost a ten hour ride according to William. I shuddered at the thought, until Milda allowed us to use a carriage she had stored in her barn. It was wood with iron bars fashioned on the windows. The benches were lined with a red velvet material, and we questioned on how Milda got a hold of a royal level carriage.

Elizabeth and I slept most of the way there, being awoken occasionally by the wheels running over rocks, or a strange noise in the woods. William drove the horses with ease, and we felt safe with him.