***
“Kyrin, this is Azimeth.” Alric turned and put his hand out to the elf.
Kyrin studied her. The elf was a few inches taller than her, with a slender build, and the tip of her ears poked out through thick blonde curls that fell just below her shoulders. She was beautiful, as all elves were, and Kyrin immediately didn’t like her.
Finn saw Kyrin tense, so he moved to her side.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Lady Kyrin,” Azimeth said, bowing. “It’s an honor to be in your service.”
Kyrin forced a smile but didn’t say anything.
“She’ll be staying in one of the rooms beside the Lady’s chamber,” Alric explained. “However, when you’re awake, she’ll be with you.”
Everyone was watching Kyrin, and she fidgeted nervously with her dress. They were waiting to see if she was going to attack the elf, or if she was going to do as she’d done for the last week.
They were all suspicious of why she’d started wearing dresses, with her hair down, and how her flail was sitting on her bedside table. She’d also started sleeping in the bed, though they knew she was getting cranky from not sleeping well.
“Here, Azimeth, I’ll show you to your room,” Finn said. It irritated Kyrin how she smiled so sweetly and then allowed him to carry her bags into the castle.
“Well, she seems nice,” Alric said, walking up to Kyrin.
Kyrin just nodded.
“I know you don’t want her around, but I think this will help.”
“Do you want her around?” Kyrin asked finally.
“Yes. You need a companion.”
“Very well.”
He sighed. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“What do you mean?” She couldn’t look at him, so she gazed into the orchard. It was spring, and the apple trees were in bloom. She couldn’t wait until it was filled with apples again.
“I mean… you’re wearing dresses, doing your hair, and your flail isn’t hidden under your skirt either. I just don’t see what changed all of a sudden. Last night, when one of the knights joked about your flail, you didn’t give him so much as a second look.”
She fought back her temper and shrugged.
Alric took her hand. “I just want to understand why the change.”
“Don’t you like it?” she asked softly.
“Of course I do, but it’s uncharacteristic of you, which makes me nervous.”
“Maybe I’m just changing.”
“But why?”
Kyrin pulled away from him. “I’m going on my afternoon ride. Do I take her?”
Alric watched her walk over to her horse, and then he followed her. “You don’t have to, but it would be nice.”
“I’d like just a few minutes alone. I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”
He nodded and helped her onto the horse. She had a hard time getting up in a dress, and side-saddle still seemed awkward, but she did it anyway. As soon as she was ready, she kicked her horse and the mare took off in a gallop toward the trees.
Once out of sight of the castle, Kyrin spun in the saddle to sit normally, not caring how unladylike it was. Each afternoon she rode alone and allowed herself some time to do what she wanted and to stop acting like someone else. Her only regret was she didn’t bring her flail with her on these outings. She was pretty sure if she ran into Qualsax though, she could handle them on her own with magic.
As soon as she got to the cave, she dismounted and tied the horse to a tree. The cave was the one she and some knights fell down, and the one that led into Qualsax. She didn’t plan on going into the cave though, but the black scorch marks along the outside wall were her doing.
She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the anger build. All day, she walked in the castle, doing nothing more than smiling and simple nods. She had nothing to do, nothing to relieve the growing urge she had to lash out at someone.
As soon as her hands touched, they began to glow purple and a smile formed on her lips. She spun, threw her hands forward, and shot a flaming missile at the cave wall. Pieces of rock flew when the magic hit, and a black dent stained the area.
She pounded the side of the cave with all of the magic she could muster. With each hit, she became more furious and the spells deadlier. By the time she was done, the cave wall was crumbling, and she was out of breath. Tears streamed down her face. Not tears of sadness, but of fury. She hated how she was living and how she couldn’t pull herself away from Alric so she could return to normal.
Exhausted, she sat down on the dirt and leaned against the charred cave wall. There was no way she was going to go back into Valhara with red eyes from crying. She had to put up a front that everything was going well and that she was happy. She was sure that anything else would get her moved under Azimeth when she and Alric got married.
When she was calm again, she stood up, brushed the dirt off of her dress, and mounted her horse. Knights were out training in front of the castle when she got there, and one reached up to help her off of her horse. She ignored his scowl when he lifted her down. It was their duty to treat her like a noble, but she knew how badly they hated it.
Kyrin walked into the castle, deciding she couldn’t put off the Lady in Waiting any longer. Azimeth was waiting on the stairs for her, and met her with a soft smile.
“Welcome back, Lady Kyrin,” the royal elf said, bowing.
Kyrin forced a smile. “Thanks.”
“What would you like to do for dinner?”
Fighting the urge to comment on the taste of elf meat, she just shrugged.
“King Alric will be eating in the dining room in ten minutes. Shall we join him?” Azimeth asked.
“Sure,” Kyrin said, and then turned to walk down the stairs. She almost tripped on her dress and was just cursing silently when Azimeth joined her.
“If you lift it slightly in front, it’s easier,” the royal elf told her. “Not too high though. It’s not proper to show your legs.”
Kyrin lifted her dress and walked down the stairs. She hated that the royal elf was watching her every move, and she suspected that she was going to be correcting everything Kyrin did.
They both sat down, and Kyrin was irritated when Azimeth sat directly beside her and immediately put her napkin onto her lap. Kyrin couldn’t help but let off one spark of rebellion and didn’t mimic her etiquette. The dark purple napkin stayed beside her plate.
“Good evening, Ladies,” Alric said when he walked in. He was dressed in his official purple tunic, and Kyrin figured he was dressed up to impress his new fiancé.
“Good evening, my Lord,” Azimeth said sweetly.
Kyrin just glanced up at him but didn’t speak. He sat down beside Kyrin and kissed her hand lightly, just before their dinner was brought in.
She didn’t feel like eating, so she sat back while Alric and Azimeth ate and chatted lightly about their day. Kyrin kept quiet. She was too irritated to chit-chat and didn’t feel like being corrected on her manners, so she avoided both.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Alric asked when he noticed she wasn’t eating.
“Not really,” she replied politely.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes”
Alric put his fork down and reached out. “Let me have your left hand.”
She hesitated and then held it out. He took it and frowned. “You’re burned.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” Kyrin forgot that in her rage, she’d slightly singed her hand when one ball of magic ricocheted off of the rock wall and came back at her.
He quickly healed her hand and then kissed it softly before turning back to his meal.
“How did you burn yourself?” he asked her.
“I don’t remember.”
Alric glanced at her questioningly.
“Fine, I was stoking the fire.”
“It’s not cold enough for a fire.”
“I was cold.” Kyrin shifted uncomfortab
ly when both Alric and Azimeth were watching her. They soon went back to their dinners, and Kyrin stood and left the room.
When she was in the privacy of the bedroom, she tossed a blanket onto the floor and then laid down and stared up at the ceiling. It was still more comfortable than the bed, and she missed it. The thought of Alric sharing that bed with Azimeth, while Kyrin slept on the floor, was more than she could take, and she broke into tears again.
The nicker came over and cuddled up against her side, then lightly patted her arm. Kyrin’s comfortable life in Paragoy had turned into a nightmare. She loved Alric, and once he convinced her he wouldn’t marry another, she grew to love the marriage too. Now he was not only bringing in another wife but a royal elf.
Kyrin fell asleep crying and wondering when the wedding would be.
Alric sat down on the bed and watched Kyrin sleep. He hadn’t seen her on the floor in a while, and he wondered why she was sleeping in a dress. That thought brought on the question of why she was in a dress in the first place.
When Kyrin left the dinner table, Alric was able to explain to Azimeth some of her duties. Not the least of which was to alert Alric, Finn, or Trox if Kyrin was injured. He wondered, not for the first time, if a Lady in Waiting would help her at all. Another thing that worried him was her sudden change, not only wearing dresses but a personality transformation.
Feeling that she may need some comfort, Alric got down on the floor and laid beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and shut his eyes.