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“Wait.” I gaped and looked to my lady-in-waiting. “You mean they actually cannot remove those? Even with magic?”
“Just as they can’t find entire portions of the palace that are on maps,” Clemencia said with a vigorous nod.
“Stars! You’re joking!”
“Not in the slightest,” my lady-in-waiting peered outside again.
I shook my head. “Well, that’s unbelievable.”
We fell silent as the line drew closer to the city gates. When I could make out the six soldiers manning the outer walls, Roar stood and went to the door again. “They’ll want to see me before letting us in. For you two, it’s time to change.”
The night before, in a small country inn, we’d spoken of our arrival. I needed to wear an elegant dress, and when we arrived within the castle walls, Roar and I should appear together—as a betrothed couple would.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to change.” He winked and left the carriage to present himself to the watchfae.
Thankfully, I had gotten better at shimmying in and out of more constraining dresses. With Clemencia’s help, I changed into a dress of crimson and gold. Leaping snow leopards were patterned on the sleeves of my dress—yet another nod to House Lisika. Once I finished, Clemencia fixed my hair, and together we performed a quick clean up of the carriage in case someone important peered in when we stopped. We’d just finished when a knock came.
“I’m decent.”
Roar opened the door again and entered. “Not decent. Dare I say, more beautiful than ever.”
“Thank you.” I beamed, and Clemencia grinned in satisfaction as Roar sat close to me.
“You’re confident in the family names? At least the Sacred Eight and the House of Aaberg?” Roar asked as the sleigh moved again.
“I am.” Mostly anyway. Beyond the last three generations of the great houses, the names of the family members slipped my mind. But would anyone really question me about that? I doubted it.
“She’s done very well,” Clemencia vouched for me. “And she’s nearly completed her dress while studying.”
Roar arched an eyebrow. “Where is it?”
I’d tucked the amethyst gown I’d been working on during the many hours of travel safely away in a lined basket. I hoped to finish it before the ball that opened the Courting Festival. Beneath the gown lay the vial of Warden Roar’s blood; my insurance in our agreement, hidden and safe.
“I’ll show you when it’s done,” I assured him. “Then I’m moving right on to Clemencia’s new frock.”
My lady’s cheeks turned pink. Though she had tried to tell me she didn’t need a nice dress, I wasn’t having any of that. Clemencia and I weren’t close in the same way Anna and I had been, but at the moment, my lady-in-waiting was the closest thing I had to a friend. I wanted to make something for her and to see the delight on her face when I presented a gown fit for royalty.
“Very well.” Roar peeked out the window. “We’re officially in the city.”
A shiver ran down my spine, and Roar placed a hand over mine. “You’ll do great.”
“What if I forget something important and embarrass you?” I asked.
“When in doubt, say little. Shy away from the Aabergs—especially the princes, Rhistel and Vale.” His face hardened at the mention of the warrior prince’s name. “They will want to speak with you. It is a Courting Festival, after all, but as you are my fiancée that should protect you from their gossip and wandering hands.”
I hoped he spoke true.
“Lady Neve, look outside.” Clemencia gestured to the window.
I peered through my window, and my heart beat faster. I was not new to cities. For as long as I could remember, Sangrael had been my home and though I despised the vampires within, I loved the energy that a city gave off. However, I was new to this flavor of city.
The wintery feel and the warmth exuded by longhouse taverns, log inns, and shops that we passed called to me. Fae walked the streets, and some stopped to wave at our procession. Each individual had rosy cheeks from the cold and excitement in their eyes. A few bowed or curtsied as we passed, and younglings waved wildly.
“They look happy to see us,” I commented.
“No one has seen a Courting Festival since the days of the Cruel King,” Roar said. “The early days of his reign, at that.”
“But that’s relatively recent.” I rifled through my learned lessons and came up with an approximate date for the beginning of the Cruel King’s reign. It was about five hundred turns ago, which for the long-lived fae, was not so long ago.
