Lunamae (20 page)

“Can I help you Muirenn?” the lady at the
counter, Efa, asked me. The petite middle-aged woman owned the new
shop with her husband. They were both just a little younger than I
was. He had rights to the establishment and handled the book
keeping, and Efa did the purchasing and selling.

“I’m here to take a look at the silk that
came in,” I told her, looking around the shop. There were some
clothes already made in the shop, mostly for women who were no
longer able to sew or men without wives. Most of the shop was
filled with shelves of bolts of fabric. There were so many colors
and patterns I realized I should have done the shopping for the
clothes myself and made them by my own hand than allowing the chief
dame to have her servants do it for me. I liked a colorful variety,
even though most of the material I wore was wool.

Efa nodded and went into a back room. She
promptly returned with a shimmering white silk bolt. She ran her
hand over the fabric, enjoying the softness of it.

“How much would you like?” she asked me.

“I think thirty yards would do fine. If I
need more I could come back. I also would need a good amount of
lining material for it,” I replied.

“Very good.” The woman took the fabric back
to properly cut it and then went into the main shop area to gather
the lining fabric. She did the same with that and handed them both
to me. She only charged me a little for the lining since she would
make a good amount off of the silk that was donated.

I walked out, arms full. Eclipse pattered
behind me as I took my goods back to the keep. I was so glad we
finally had a fabric shop as otherwise we would have to wait until
a merchant came through. Efa had been quite good at haggling down
prices if they were too much so the whole village benefitted from
it. It was very convenient to walk to a fabric shop rather than
waiting.

Once I got back to my apartment I started to
get to sewing. Luckily, my mother had generously provided me with
an already fitted muslin pattern to work from so it wasn’t hard to
cut out all the pieces and sew them together. I didn’t even need to
size them to fit me as she had taken measurements before making the
muslin template.

Eclipse sat down in a corner to stay out of
my way although he eyed the shimmering fabric with mild temptation.
I knew he wanted so much to pounce on it every now and again. I had
only a few weeks to finish the garment and I wasn’t about to let
Eclipse deter me. I stayed quietly in my room. Emylyn came in every
so often to offer me a drink or help. Occasionally I let her help
with the sewing. She was still new to the art so I was a bit
hesitant at first but I need did the assistance.

As I carefully worked on the train and then
the bodice I could only imagine what Theron would think of me as I
walked down the newly made stone aisle.

Theron’s parents arrived from Midonia a few
days later. Queen Eirene and King Cyrus both came out of their
coach after crossing the Humble Bridge dressed in Fanarion robes.
Being Sedfyr, it was much colder than they were used to, so the
chief dame upon seeing them shivering, quickly rushed them into the
keep where it was warmer. She saw to it that they were given
apartments already prepared for them and suitable garments to wear
during their stay. Efa had been informed of their arrival in enough
time to make appropriate clothes—ones that exemplified their
status.

I had a headache, no doubt because of the
changing weather. I didn’t have the issue when I was younger but as
I grew older I started to notice things more with my body. I felt
as though I was beginning to fall apart. At least my soon-to-be
husband would be able to cure me from such ailments.

I was waiting at the start of the stairs on
the keep’s main level for them. As soon as they came in they both
embraced me as one of their own—which was customary since I would
be a part of the family very soon.

“If you would like to come up the stairs,
Your Graces, I will show you to your rooms. There is more suitable
clothing for this climate there for you. We wouldn’t want you to
catch cold before the wedding,” I told them both.

“Thank you Muirenn,” Queen Eirene said to me.
“I am sorry you had to go through what you did with my son. We had
no idea he was going to do that, but once he had, it would have
been even more confusing to try and explain it when we saw you. Our
son Alexo thought it was quite amusing, did he not?” I nodded,
perturbed as I recalled Alexo’s reaction. I led the couple up the
stairs and directed them around the side of the keep to get to the
guest apartments. The rooms that were made ready for the king and
queen were situated near Theron’s. He almost opened the door into
us as we passed.

“Mother!” he exclaimed, noticing his parents
had arrived. “I thought I heard footsteps outside my door. They
sounded too heavy for a single servant. How was your trip?”

“Quite well, Son,” she answered.

“How are you getting on?” his father asked
him.

“Nervous. I think both Muirenn and I are,” he
told his father.

“It’s not so bad. I have to finish the
wedding dress. You have it easy Theron. Efa makes men’s clothing
often,” I said.

“If you want any help, you only need tell
me,” Queen Eirene offered. “I need to get these hands busy again.
Besides, it would give me time to better know my almost
daughter-in-marriage.” I accepted her hospitality and left them to
get settled in their rooms. Apparently the custom in Fanarion is to
have two rooms for a married couple. If one wanted to come calling,
he or she would go to the others room. It seemed like a waste of
space to me. I would think they would get lonely. I didn’t plan on
adhering to that custom when I was married.

Theron waited for me rather than visiting his
parents. He was still standing by his door when I left them.

“Yes?” I questioned him. “What do you
want?”

“I was wondering if I could steal a kiss from
my bride,” he asked me.

“I think you can wait for it. I’m not your
bride yet. You have to hold off a few more days,” I teased, but I
did allow him a hug. He took the liberty of running his fingers
down my back. I struggled out, warning him he’d better watch
himself. Someone might see and think it inappropriate.

“It’s not my fault you are so tempting,” he
murmured. While it was only midday, the halls were dark and only
lit by fiery sconces on the walls. The light danced off of his
curls and cascaded down his olive skin. He took my hand in his. I
breathed in the air, catching for a moment the smell of his
skin—patchouli.

“You’ve been trading with the Chalosians,” I
noted. Chalos was the only region hot enough to be able to grow the
fragrant herb. The plant couldn’t grow well in Fanarion where the
trees aren’t as tall or close-knit. They prefer the lack of
solislight provided by the jungles in Chalos.

“I figured I might as well. It would be good
for me to get to know them before I rule. My mother is on very good
terms with the queen there, since it is ruled exclusively by women.
They call her Malixiea. I figured I should keep the good trade
demeanor,” Theron explained, painting swirls along my hand with his
finger. He then moved his hand up to my head to brush away a few
strands of hair.

“It makes sense,” I cooed. The headache I had
earlier was now gone, cured by Theron’s touch. He noticed it
immediately.

“Why didn’t you come to me sooner about it?”
he asked me directly.

“I didn’t want to bother you with it,” I said
earnestly. I pulled his hand down from my head. “You don’t need to
bother yourself with me just yet. I need to get back to work.”

“The dress?” he asked.

“Yes, the dress,” I stated. I held his hand
for one more second and then let it go, the soft skin ebbing away
from mine. It was nice to feel soft skin rather than calloused
hands. He didn’t have to worry about that—they would always
heal.

I went back to my apartment and was greeted
by Eclipse after opening the door. He had been waiting patiently
for me there.

“You are such a good little boy,” I said
while he mewed for me. He wasn’t really little anymore but he was
lean. I picked him up and started to pet his head. “I hope you like
traveling.” I had fully intended to take Eclipse on our journey
through Aelisonia which meant I would have to take him with us to
Midonia. I sat him down and got back to the dress. I couldn’t
exactly blaze through sewing it as I might have with another
garment. The main issue was if I were to ever prick myself I
couldn’t imagine how to get the stain out of the silk.

Eclipse sat down nearby and watched me
intently, keeping his eyes on the needle as it went down and up
through the fabric. He behaved surprisingly well—not trying to bat
at anything in the slightest. At least I would have some company
later. Emylyn was attending the chief dame as was required being a
maiden. I waited for Queen Eirene to come and assist as she said
she’d do.

“Are you ready, my dear?” the queen of
Fanarion asked me after we finished the last bit of the dress. It
was time to try it on. The wedding was tomorrow and we only had
today to adjust the dress to fit me in case my measurements had
changed since I started on the gown. I carefully lifted the dress
off of the floor and Eirene helped raise it over my head. My mother
knocked on the door and asked to be let in. Once she came in and
the door was shut behind she just stared at me. I could see tears
in her eyes.

“Hello Mother,” I said as I acknowledged
her.

“Your daughter is quite beautiful, is she not
Adelle?” Queen Eirene asked my mother.

“Yes,” Mother said, taking a deep breath to
get control of her emotions. “I have never seen her like this
before. It takes a mother seeing their daughter in a wedding gown
before you realize they are all grown up.”

“Do you require a handkerchief?” the queen
asked.

“I think I will be fine. It is quite a lot to
take in,” Mother replied with a sniffle, rubbing her hands
underneath her eyes.

“Tomorrow you will gain a son, and I a
daughter,” Eirene told my mother. Mother nodded and smiled. “You
never lose them. They will always be close in your heart.”

“Have the rings been made?” I asked. A
refugee woman from Chalos had come to Feyris recently and offered
her silversmithing services when she found out there would be a
marriage taking place. Rings were never permanent before. Usually
they were made of wood and crafted only for the initial ceremony
(although the chief dame found hers later to put on her finger to
remind herself of Leofric). In Chalos they were made in silver and
in multiple connecting pieces. Only the partner knew how to put the
pieces back. It was a way to tell if the partner was loyal—if the
ring was removed then only the other person would know how to put
it back. The woman from Chalos said she would make silver rings in
the look of the wooden ones for us, one solid band. It was a bit
unusual to hear of a woman in such a trade, but in Chalos the women
had the roles of trade and leadership and the men worked the
household. It was a bit backwards. At any rate, we were glad of the
woman’s service. She was tired of all the rules in Chalos so she
had been traveling from clan to clan until she came to our village.
The chief dame welcomed her with open arms, saying she’d be a great
addition to the workforce. No one disagreed.