by Aya Ling
“This will certainly do,” Ari said. “With matching jewelry and accessories and slippers—oh dear, I forgot, I need to buy slippers to go with the dress!”
Carefully folding up the gown and stashing it away in a large chest, Ari straightened up and smoothed back her hair. It had been several months since she’d lost a chunk of it in the market; now it was nice and long and thick. Now she’d be able to experiment with elaborate Rivieran hairstyles.
“I cannot wait for our next day off,” she exclaimed passionately. “Have you both decided what to wear for Valeria’s wedding?”
Marcella gave her a blank stare.
Georgiana made a face. “I don’t feel like dressing up in a big frilly gown and heels. And I don’t know how to dance!”
“If you can survive unarmed combat in Giles’ class, then you can learn how to dance,” Ari said, putting her hands on her hips. “And what’s wrong with big frilly gowns anyway? It’ll just be for a day. It’s not every day that you can go to a wedding, especially when it’s going to be the biggest event throughout the country.”
Marcella looked away.
Georgiana still looked doubtful.
Ari groaned. “Come to the Market Square with me next time we have the day off. I’ll take you shopping. Both of you.” she emphasized, tapping her foot.
Her two roommates flinched at the word “shopping,” as though it struck them on the face. Shopping was for vain, vacuous court ladies who knew nothing apart from giggling and flirting, who were willing to subject themselves to arranged marriages and domestic life, who knew nothing other than parties and balls and galas.
Still, when the end of the month arrived, Ari was surprised that both her roommates seemed ready to go to the market with her.
“I want to purchase some training equipment,” Marcella said.
“Mother will want to mold me in the fashion of my sisters and cousins,” Georgiana said, wrinkling her nose. “So I might as well go. At least I can decide what I want to wear. It’ll be easier to argue with Mother if she sees that I already have something prepared.”
“Good,” Ari said happily. “Let’s go!”
Market Square was even busier than usual. Ari had to fight her way through throngs of shoppers, all the time glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Georgiana and Marcella were following through.
A trio of fashionably dressed ladies flitted by, apparently also looking for appropriate outfits for the wedding. Ari paused to observe their hairstyles, accessories, and dress patterns. In doing so, she also caught snippets of their conversation:
“...what on earth should I wear? There are too many gowns to choose from!”
“Do you think James likes white?”
“Lydia, I didn’t know you fancied him. You always seemed to prefer Ralph.”
“Well, it’s just too bad Ralph is already taken...”
Ari felt rather uncomfortable. So there were ladies moving on to James, simply because he was the next prince available? Apparently, his eccentricity did not hinder some people.
Well, it was none of her business anyway. Better concentrate on her outfits instead. She had already planned on wearing her newly-mended lavender dress for the ball. Now she had to look for a gown for the ceremony.
“Have you found anything to your liking?” Ari asked her roommates.
“Marcel has found a dress,” Georgiana said, pointing.
Marcella had chosen an apple-green gown that went well with her flaming red hair. Ari approved her choice. Even though the Tintagel princess was set on becoming a warrior maid, she clearly displayed the Tintagel people’s natural aptitude for fashion.
“What about you, Georgia—I mean, George?”
“Not much luck.” Georgiana made a face. “The few gowns I found decent enough didn’t fit me.”
“Maybe we can find something at the cloth merchants’,” Ari said. “Ready-made gowns are convenient, but you have to be extremely lucky to find one that happens to be your size and style.”
“I will be going,” Marcella said briskly. “I must go look at the training equipment before they are all sold out. Giles told me they have a new kind of leather ball. Squeezing it will strengthen your grip.”
“All right,” Ari said, marveling at the efficiency of the Tintagel princess. “We’ll meet you for lunch.”
After arranging a time and place to meet, Ari took Georgiana to the fabric and cloth stalls. Usually she preferred to pick her own colors and design. Besides, tailor-made gowns would ensure that the dress fit in the right places and concealed unflattering parts of the body.
“Please take a look, milady!” a vendor cried at Georgiana, shaking a shimmering piece of silk in front of her. “The color matches your eyes perfectly.”
Georgiana fingered the silk. It was rich and smooth, certainly of high quality.
However, Ari frowned. “This shade of daffodil doesn’t suit you. I’d say pink—perhaps rosebud pink—will look better on you—it goes with your brown eyes.”
“Pink?” Georgiana looked scandalized. “I don’t think I can wear pink.”
“Why not?”
“Pink is too girlish! It makes you look soft. Weak, in fact.”
Ari rolled her eyes. “Pink suits you just fine, Georgiana. And honestly speaking, do you think Giles or Ulaf or Darwar would have weaker fighting skills if they wore pink?”
The image made both of them laugh.
“I bet Ulaf would rather face the Dark Lord’s army than be caught in a pink shirt,” Georgiana said, wiping away tears of laughter.
“Definitely.” Ari pictured her own great aunt in a pink gown with her lead-tipped staff and daggers, and burst out laughing again.
They spent some more time wandering in the market. Ari had finally decided on rich blue velvet for the ceremonial dress. She already had a pair of white beaded slippers that would go well with the color.
Georgiana took much longer. Eventually, she gave in to Ari’s coaxing and decided to purchase the rosebud silk they had seen earlier.
To their surprise, the silk was already gone.
“Another lady bought it,” the merchant said. “You’ll have to come back next week, milady. Good quality silks are sold out quickly, especially when the royal wedding is coming up!”
“But we can’t come back next week,” Georgiana said. “Our next day off is in a month.”
“Well, the royal wedding is still three months away! You’ll still have plenty of time to have your dress made. Come back next month; I will have the silk reserved for you.”
Georgiana relented, possibly because she didn’t want to spend more time looking.
“I’m going to see the training equipment,” she said. “That leather ball Marcel mentioned sounds interesting! I wouldn’t mind strengthening my grip—the sword I got from my elder cousin is too heavy. Do you want to come, Ari?”
“Go ahead,” Ari said, who had no interest in strengthening at all. “I have more shopping to do.”
It took a pair of shoes, three collars, and five tippets before Ari was finished, but when she was done, she was extremely pleased with herself. After looking at several dozen pairs, she had finally found the perfect pair of slippers to go with her newly-mended lavender gown. The slippers were of a sparkling amethyst color, with tiny beads inlaid in intricate patterns on the foot. When Ari tried them on and took a step, it felt like she was floating on clouds. They were a dream on her feet; she had never felt slippers that matched her feet so well.
She looked briefly over her shoulder, wondering if Howard was still monitoring her whereabouts, but she didn’t see any trace of his bald head or moss-green tunic. This was strange; a giant is always noticeable. Perhaps Howard was thirsty and had gone to look for a local bar with the biggest mugs available. Or perhaps he was certain that she had given up hope of running away.
Suddenly, she felt the weight of the packages on her arms completely gone. Someone had snatched her pile of purchases, right out of her arms.
Ari was furious. She had spent the entire morning looking for those slippers! Squinting hard, she spotted a retreating figure and took off after him.
Her morning runs hadn’t been for nothing. Furthermore, fury aided her speed. She caught up with the thief right at the edge of Market Square. Without thinking, Ari made a flying leap in the air and crashed into the back of the thief, bringing both of them to the ground.
If she were Princess Valeria, Ari might have succeeded crushing the air out of her victim and thus rendering him unconscious, but as she was slender enough to buy her dresses at the smallest sizes, the thief only let out a string of curses and struggled to get up.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Ari muttered. Using what she had learned in unarmed combat class, she grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it backwards.
The thief yelped. “Stop! Stop, I beg you!”
“My goodness!” a voice said. “Look at that fine young lady! Caught a thief all by herself!”
Ari looked up. A plump middle-aged woman, with a small boy holding her hand, was staring at her. Several other onlookers stood around, in varying lengths of distance, all of them wearing identical expressions of shock. Including one of the shopkeepers who had given her a good discount on a set of tippets.
Horrified, she realized that she was sitting in a most undignified position on top of the thief. Her hair had come down from her pearl-studded hair net, and one of her shoes had fallen off.
The thief, probably sensing that her grip had loosened, suddenly yanked his arm free, scrambled up, and ran off. Ari tried to stop him, but tripped over her own packages, which were left on the ground, and fell forward. She threw her hands forward so she avoided hitting the ground with her face, but still, her elbows hurt from the impact. By the time she picked herself off the ground, the thief was gone.
She was frustrated with herself, yet thankful that she had retrieved her purchases. She had spent so much time hunting down the perfect pair of shoes. While she hadn’t succeeded in overpowering the thief, she had managed to save her shoes. And it was all thanks to the fact that she had paid attention in Giles’ class.
Ari clasped her precious amethyst slippers to her chest and tucked them in her bag, making sure the opening was securely fastened. Nothing was going to separate them—until she had the slippers safely stowed away under her bed.
Rip.
“Damn!”
Ari looked around to see if anyone heard her. Fortunately, the lake was huge enough that the nearest person was too far away to hear her. It was all Ulaf’s fault, she thought resentfully. He hurled expletives and insults like a hailstorm. How could she not be influenced?
She was practicing again with the blunt-ended sword Great Aunt Matilda had given her. Georgiana had practiced with her earlier, but left half an hour ago. Her mother, Lady Greenwood, had ordered her to go home for the rest of the day, with the ostensible excuse of missing her youngest daughter, but Georgiana grumbled that it must be something to do with the wedding.
“She’ll most likely want to see the gown we bought at the market,” Georgiana said, annoyed. “To see if it has enough lace and bows, if the neckline is low-cut enough, and if the skirt is large enough. I told her that I didn’t care for pretty dresses and makeup, but she says I’ll understand when I grow up. As if I care!”
Ari didn’t understand Georgiana’s hostility towards pretty clothes either, but she didn’t bother to argue. Ever since she received that nasty bruise on her face, she had been working hard to keep up with her peers.
Her archery, unarmed combat, and horsemanship were much better now that she worked hard to avoid further facial injuries. However, her sword work was not improving as much as she’d hoped, even though she trained constantly with Georgiana and Marcella. Prince James also showed up frequently; he seemed to enjoy dropping by when he was least expected. But even with his help, Ari still struggled to master the moves. For example, every time she performed a downward slash, the childhood memory of her striking her foot would emerge, which made her unable to concentrate properly. It was frustrating, but Ari grit her teeth and continued practicing. She had no intention of allowing Boris or some other hostile classmate to plant a scar on her face.
Today she had used too much strength and sent her sword flying into the tree, where it stuck in a clump of branches and leaves. Ari groaned, but there was little she could do other than climb the tree herself to retrieve it. When she finally got her sword and was carefully descending, a sharp twig caught on her tunic, causing a large rip across the back.
Ari looked at her tunic and sighed. Since she had begun training more seriously, she had learned to get used to her clothes being smudged and torn. Because of the frequency of disasters, she had even caved in and asked Henrietta to teach her how to darn. Today, however, the rip was so large that she decided it would be better to go to the tailor’s.
Since she was going to the palace, Ari hurried back to the sleeping quarters. She slipped into a pretty cream-colored dress and fluffed a comb through her hair. She twisted half of her hair into a knot and piled it on her head, but let the rest of her golden hair curl down her front. She remembered seeing a few court ladies wear the same hair style. On a whim, she added a milky pearl necklace she had bought at the market. Now that she was presentable, she headed towards the palace tailor’s wing.
It took her some time to find the tailor’s wing, for it had been several months since she last went there for her uniform measurements. It didn’t help that the palace was so enormous, either. After going down the wrong corridor and ending up in a dead end, Ari grumbled and wondered why she had appreciated the grandness of the palace before.
“Princess Arianna?”
Ari blinked. Tall, lean, and handsome. Impeccably dressed in navy blue velvet.
“Lord Simon?” her voice almost sounded like a squeak. Thank goodness she had taken the effort to dress up.
“How have you been?” he asked, smiling gently at her. “I heard that you are enrolled at the Academy.”
“Oh... er...” Ari wondered what he thought of her. “Unfortunately, I am. My Great Aunt Matilda—she’s the Lady Matilda—forced me to follow her path. “
“Ah, so you are Lady Matilda’s great niece,” Simon said. His gaze traveled to her gown. “It seems a pity that she made you become a warrior maid. Pardon me if I am taking liberties—but your beauty seems far more appropriate for other capacities.”
Ari blushed. “Er... well, thank you. You are too kind, sir.”
“No problem. So, what brings you to this part of the palace?”
Then Ari remembered that she was still carrying her torn tunic under her arm.
“I’m lost. Can you direct me to the tailor’s wing?”
“Certainly. Allow me to escort you.”
Ari blushed again and protested that she could get there herself, but Simon insisted. He even took her bundle, saying that a lady ought not to trouble herself with carrying things. Ari opened her mouth to say that it was hardly any trouble; she had lifted weights in classes, but quickly stopped. Perhaps Lord Simon would not like picturing her lifting weights.
When they reached the tailor’s wing, Ari thanked the young nobleman profusely.
“It is my pleasure to be of assistance,” Simon said, smiling. “I suppose you will be attending the royal wedding?”
“Of course.”
“I will look forward to seeing you then.” He gave her a polite bow, and left.
Ari looked after him, a silly grin on her face. How fortunate it was that she ran into him! Such a nice young man he was!
The entrance to the tailor’s wing was wide open. Due to the upcoming wedding, assistants and maids were hurrying to and fro, carrying loads of clothes that needed to be sewn and hemmed and trimmed.
Ari nearly bumped into a couple of maids who were rushing in, their baskets overflowing with silk and velvet. It was only with the agility she learned in Giles’ class that she avoided a collision. She felt a bri
ef moment of gratitude and promptly chided herself. She wasn’t supposed to be happy about her lessons. She was supposed to look for a way to leave the Academy.
“Heavens!” she heard someone groan. “How in the name of gods can we fix this in time?”
“No matter what, drop other things you’re working on! We HAVE to mend the dress in a week’s time!”
“A week? But there’s also the king’s tunic, the queen’s dress, the prince’s outfit, and the bridesmaids’ gowns... oh, and Prince James! He should have come in long ago, we still haven’t checked with his outfit! He never bothers with the state of his clothes!”
Ari could relate to their pain. Too many times she had been tempted to run a comb through James’ hair and straighten his collar. Looking for the source of turmoil, she spotted a group of tailors who were gathered in a corner. One was holding the most exquisite gown she had ever seen. It was pure, snowy white, sparkling with numerous diamonds and pearls, and god knows how much lace and embroidery all over the gown. The train was a good twelve feet long—whoever wore it must take care not to trip—a disaster indeed if descending a staircase.
“What’s wrong?” she asked a nearby seamstress, who looked like she was going into hysterics.
“It’s Princess Valeria’s wedding dress!” the seamstress said shrilly. “Her Highness spilled chocolate cream over the front of her dress this morning! No matter how hard the laundress has tried, she can’t get the stains out of it!”
Ari gasped. That was tragedy indeed. Nothing could be more important than the bride’s wedding gown.
“This comes from having a princess who happens to be a food connoisseur as well. What possessed her to sample the tarts when trying on her wedding dress?” The royal tailor, Peregrine, groaned. “And after all the time I spent measuring her figure, trying to make a dress that will make her look thinner!”
“I told you to design a navy blue or dark red dress.” A sewing mistress said severely. “White is the worst color to make a person look thin.”