Gold Weaver | ✓

elf

ELF

The King made me meet most of the people in the room, one by one. He took me round to, I guessed, his favourites first and then let the swarm bombard me.

"Eleanor here needs her rest," the King said, still grinning broadly. It was the first time I'd seen semblance of happiness on his face. It seemed so out of place, his features twisting a little awkwardly in a way that made me wonder when he did last smile. "I thank you all for staying to watch the performance."

I was shepherded out of the room.

Before we reached the door, though, the King came close and muttered, "You can relax to tonight. Rest." He said it too quietly for anyone else to hear. I wondered if I'd heard it right myself but didn't have the chance to get him to repeat himself.

Jack met me, staring at me as if to gauge my reaction. "So?" He asked. "How was it?"

"Better than I expected," I said because it was true. What I'd expected had been to fail miserably, embarrass myself and the King, and be killed on the spot. So, in keeping my neck in tact, I called that a victory.

.  .  .

By nightfall, I'd spoken to all those that had been in the room. They'd approached me afterwards when Jack and I had just been milling around the garden.

He was educating me on flowers when the woman, who'd taken my father and I to the King the first time, came up to us.

"General Madden would like a word," she said, prim and proper as usual. I wondered what she'd be like on a night out. Maybe she'd surprise you and be a dancing on the tables type of girl. Jack furrowed his brows before marching off. "Don't even attempt running again," she said, when there was enough distance between us and him for him not to overhear. "The palace is surrounded."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

She clearly wasn't too fond of me. I could almost feel the daggers she was throwing me.

Oh sweetheart, I wanted to say. Glaring is not going to intimidate me.

She must have been in her thirties but her constant frown made her look years older.

Having completed the task she was set to do in coming over here, she hardly wasted another moment pivoting on her heel and going off. I watched her sharply stride away, until she disappeared in the crowd and lessening light.

They'd set up make-shift lights around the edge of where the guests all stood. It cast them all in an orange hue, which didn't help the stumbling of some of the ones that had drunk a bit too much.

"The Golden Woman is finally alone," a voice whispered behind me, just as they encased me in their arms.

I leant into his hard chest. "What you did back there was amazing."

He chuckled into my shoulder, placing a kiss there. "Amazing? No. These—" he said, bringing his hands to my boobs and squeezing. "— are amazing."

"Someone could see us," I said, laughing, even though I couldn't bring myself to care all that much.

I don't know what had happened between me being disgusted by him to letting him fondle my breasts through my dress.