"You will sit here until the earth eats away at your bones, and for you, my dear sister, that will be a very long time indeed ..."
*
After the use of dark magic, Liro is outcast from the sisterhood, stripped of her immortal grace and lifespan. Lef...
Liro was much too tired to appreciate the rarity of the silks laid out before her in a rainbow of colours. The sun hadn't risen yet, and she'd still dragged herself from the depths of sleep, in the early hours of the morning, to walk to the castle.
Her mood hadn't improved when she'd seen Kier, already waiting outside of the seamstress' quarters. He looked like he hadn't even bothered to go to sleep the night before. He looked awfully proud of it now, thought Liro knew he would come to regret it later.
They'd been ushered inside quietly, and Liro had yawned mercilessly as her measurements had been taken. Three times. She assumed it was for accuracy, though she wished the seamstress would hurry along her process.
Now, with bother their measurements taken, Liro and Kier were provided a quick breakfast break before returning to select fabrics and styles. The very idea of coming back to the seamstress' room made Liro want to ram her head against the nearest wall.
She matched pace with Kier as he moved towards the kitchens, an unusual lack of energy in his step. It didn't mean anything; he was just tired. Just as she was.
Olenna looked up as they entered her space, surprise and concern warring for control of her features. "What's behind this visit?" Her eyes cut to Liro expectantly.
"Don't worry," Liro grumbled, "nothing bad has happened this time." She folded her arms across her chest. "Do you have anything left over from last night?"
Olenna's shoulders released tension at Liro's words, and she nodded numbly. "In the back, there should be meat pies and cheese. Don't try to heat anything up; I need the fires accessible."
Liro nodded, before moving behind the woman. Kier stayed behind, and as Liro grabbed the meat pies and cheese, cradling them in her arms, she saw them talking animatedly out of the corner of her eye.
She bit into the cheese, chewing as she strained her gaze to take in every aspect of their conversation. Now, this was the reason that Kier looked so downtrodden. They couldn't possibly be getting along, not with a squabble like this. Especially if they were going out of their way to hide their contempt.
Liro was almost certain it had something to do with the Queens latest assignment.
As loyal as she believed Kier to be to his monarch, she didn't doubt that Olenna knew everything. About the Queen, the King, the rivalry between the two clans of hunters. Liro bet that Olenna knew of every fight that had transpired between her and Kier, as well.
Liro knit her eyebrows together before entering the kitchen, silently offering Kier one of her meat pies.
"Are you sure you can't let me heat this up?" Liro asked, gesturing towards the other meat pie in her hand. "It's hard as stones."
Olenna whipped her head around, a scowl lining her features. "What did I say before? No. Soften it with water, if it bothers you so." She pointed towards a jug perched on the windowsill.
Liro raised her eyebrows at Kier, Olenna's back now turned. If he noticed her, he didn't make any motion to acknowledge it.
Liro moved, her throat working to swallow the gulp of water. She stuffed her mouth with a bite of meat pie before taking another sip, and letting the liquid sit in her mouth for a few moments before daring to chew.
She heard Kier's voice, barely above a whisper. "Don't worry, Olenna. Nothing is going to happen."
And then he was beside her, taking the jug from her hands and using the same method to make his food edible. Liro finished her pie and downed her cheese, waiting for a few moments before deciding he was hardly done.
It would be better to return to the seamstress' alone. It would give her time to contemplate the consequences of ripping those useless silks to shreds.
The hallway was quiet as she walked, her footsteps echoing against the floor. Though the sun had risen, it seemed that most had decided to linger for a few moments longer. If Liro hadn't been up at the crack of dawn, she might very well have been one of them.
The seamstress' room was empty when she entered, and Liro loosed a breath of relief. She let her eyes wander over every facet of the room. The walls were cream coloured with gold accents painted along them. Deeply coloured wood made up every table in the room, and bright red cloth covered every sitting area. It was certainly cohesive; Liro wondered if the seamstress had picked the colours herself.
On a table lay multiple pieces of silk. Liro has only glimpsed them on her way out, but now she was intrigued. The last extravagant dress she had worn had been red, and she'd thrown up afterwards, the dress absolutely ruined.
She didn't want to be dressed in anything like that.
Her fingers reached out to touch the fabric, stopping on a pale blue silk that was almost silvery. Liro imagined that if one could see air, it would look like this.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Liro looked up just in time to meet the eyes of the seamstress.
"Have you decided which you would like to use?" she asked Liro, coming to stand beside her.
Liro smoothed her palm over the blue silk. She wasn't sure what the Queen would say; surely fabric of this caliber would not go unnoticed. But Liro wanted it. It was so different from anything else she'd ever worn, and in no way could be mistaken for the dress of the ritual.
"I'd like to see what you can do with this one," Liro said, indicating towards her choice.
The seamstress smiled politely. "I've got my sketchbook. Why don't we see what you like?"
Liro was almost finished with the design of her dress by the time Kier returned. Partly because she was so decisive, and also due to the fact that he had taken much longer than anticipated.
Her dress would be looser in her chest and legs, with the fabric cinched just below her ribcage. The collar would cut right to her throat, with sleeves running to her wrists. Liro didn't have want to instruct on any finer details than that. It wasn't her job to make sure she fit into another kingdoms aristocracy. That was the seamstress' job.
"I've got to get to the training grounds," Liro said, pushing to her feet. Her eyes met Kiers. "Don't be too picky. You're already behind schedule."
She felt his eyes burning into the back of her head as she left.
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