d up onto the ledge to kiss her. She whispered something to him, and he laughed, lifting himself up and

ne. I would have preferred a tankard of ale, I thought, as I sipped it. "It's lovely to see. Well," she refocused on me. "Tha

rossed his face. What was it that he feared Leamoira might say to m

and my parents are here, Akyran is watching u

tily false lightness. "He's

at he wasn't being discret

won't be the one to tell you, see

glass to a servant that hovered ready for it. "I g

s us. I wondered what look she had sent him to elicit such a response, even as I turned on my heel and headed into the rambling

s if he had not just sprinted in orde

y parents before the ball

ed. "Shouldn't you be bathing

hen did you become so concerned

a stop before redirecting our path towards the wing of the castle that h

et them…" I said, but he was determinedly steering me in that di

said his jaw set. "And I have a trinke

d distracted. What manner of t

d, and passed my door. It was open, and I

led out after us.

n told her over his shoulder. "See,"

I reminded him. "I know how l

amber door and u

Ithyles strode into the room from the

eleased me and was digging through the

your dress didn't need it," he opened the neck of the pouch and drew out a necklace. The fine gold ch

ning it with his th

ket he had randomly picked up, but something chosen and made for me. "It's beautiful." It was a lover's token, and coming from any

n. I wanted him to place a kiss or a caress, something to define what the present was. But he fastened the necklace and turned me

against his, hoping he'd take the gesture and make it something else, something

ld get ready." He steered me to the door, and down the

arments in the main chamber. "Akyran is acting most… unusually." There was a flutter of hope in my chest that I squas

owever, been near to Akyran for the past week, in order to place a spell on him. Still… The queen had not been discrete in her opinion that her sons

called over

y?" She came

and my black box of spell components on the dress

ena asked me. She sounded amused. "W

d the cloth up for me to leave the bath and dried me before rubbing the scent

dy, do you

ink that there is a Fae alive who doesn

d me as we moved into the main chamber and s

, a new bow, armour, spell components… those are gifts

components?" She suggested, waiting for me to sit before the mirrored dresser. She began to work the comb t

d with a dry laugh. I should have ordered two goblets of win

with the wand. I could smell the cinnamon from the soap she had used in my hair

a moment she placed the small black box of spell components next to i

es in the mirror

d and pinned, they hel

shimmered with golden threads, the top layer sheer except for the glitter, over an opaquer gold

nd Fiena released the curls, running her finger

be a late night. Akyran will get bored of the f

know you're a woman, my Lady, after seeing yo

r, swirling before the mirr