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“Madam, it is not going to get any tighter than this,” the maid whispered apologetically, and her grandmother harrumphed in irritation.
“Well, I suppose it will have to do then. Hopefully we don’t have to let out any of the seams from the gown.”
A swath of pale dusky pink fabric dropped over Arie’s head, making her sway slightly on her feet, disoriented. Finally, the fabric was tugged into place, and the maid circled around to the front and fastened the small pearl buttons. Although the color was somewhere between pink and brown, it was still brighter than what she expected. It certainly wouldn’t have escaped criticism in the village. Only the darkest hues were deemed acceptable by the council.
Once her gown was properly laced and buttoned, the maid returned with several small jars of pigments. She opened each and set them on the table one by one. The maid regarded her with pinched lips before picking up a pot of white cream and slathering it on her. This was followed by a white powder dusted liberally over Arie’s face and neck, making her sneeze. A delicate pink glossy substance applied to her lips, and an inky black pigment was applied to her eyes and eyebrows. A loose, pale pink powder was then lastly applied to her eyelids and cheekbones. Only then was the heavy, ornate wig settled on her head. Pearls cascaded down from the hair, swinging with her every movement. At long last, the maid stepped back and observed her work with a satisfied look of pride.
Arie stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look anything like herself. She didn’t recognize the highborn lady in the mirror at all. Her skin was rendered flawless from the paint and powder, every freckle covered. It was like staring at a stranger. A wild impulse ran through her at that moment to throw the wig to the ground and scrub her face clean of the ridiculous paints and powders. A floral perfume, this one reminding her of honeysuckle, was spritzed over her wig and bodice as she stared at her reflection balefully. What was worse was her grandmother standing behind her wearing a smug smile that made Arie grit her teeth.
The door creaked open, and one of the guards stepped back to admit a young woman who appeared to be barely twenty. Her brown hair was piled artfully on her head, and her deep green gown draped her elegantly, but her expression was uncertain as she entered. The girl bobbed a quick curtsy before clasping her nervous fingers together.
“Grandmother, you sent for me?” The girl’s voice was barely above a whisper and a dull flush swept over her round cheeks.
“Madelin, stop gawking and get over here. You might as well make yourself useful. You may not be of the direct line, but I would remind you that this could have been you had you put forth any effort to gain the attention of the First Elite.”
Arie watched as Madelin’s blush deepened to crimson. “My apologies, Grandmother. I tried.”
“There is no try—there is only succeed,” their grandmother commented airily. “Madelin, this is your cousin Arie. You are to keep an eye on her and accompany her at all times during her engagement banquet. You will be there representing our entire family, so please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t do anything to embarrass me.”
Arie’s heart went out to the girl. Clearly, she had spent many more years under the thumb of their grandmother and that had squashed her spirit, turning Madelin into a timid young woman. Lady Vera’s tone turned sharp as she addressed Arie.
“Madelin is the only daughter born to your Uncle Farwel, my son. She is, in fact, my only granddaughter, aside from yourself. I have fifteen grandsons that have honored our family with their glorious numbers, many of whom you will be meeting at the banquet and during subsequent parties held here at the manor. Fortunately, my grandsons have more backbone than Madelin here. Except for the eldest five who have improved our family’s prestige by marrying well, they have all become huntsmen in their own right. In fact, four of them accompanied Huntsman Merik in retrieving you. Madelin will introduce you.”
“I am sure we will be fine,” Arie replied, wanting more than anything for the conversation to end.
Madelin was positively wilting into the rug before her, and it was making Arie distinctly uncomfortable on her behalf. Their grandmother opened her mouth as if to say something more but then clamped it shut, her jaw tightening as she gave Arie’s reflection a cool nod.
“Very well. I will leave you to finish your preparations. As you know, I haven’t been well today so I will not be able to attend the party, but the guards will accompany you and will be reporting back to me, so do not think that either of you will get away with any shenanigans in my absence.”
“Yes, Grandmother,” Arie and Madelin replied obediently.
Their grandmother walked serenely out the door, followed by the maid who smiled at them before hastening through the door before the guards closed it. Madelin took a deep breath and sank down onto the cushioned couch off to the side as Arie turned away from the mirror and met her cousin’s eyes. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Madelin’s mouth.
“You do look very lovely,” she whispered. “Only during the most special occasions are we allowed a bit more…color. The engagement party and joining ceremony of are always important events that allow us to vary our wardrobe a bit.”
“It is… pretty. But I confess it is far more uncomfortable than I am used to.”
Madelin scooted closer conspiringly, her smile widening. “I heard that when you arrived, you were wearing nothing more than a deerskin dress without a stitch of underclothing. Is that true?”
“Well, yes. I didn’t have much to begin with and my sole set became ruined during the course of the winter when Warol—uh, one of my mates, handled them a bit too roughly.”
Her cousin’s eyes widened. “So, it is true,” she trilled. “You were mated to Ragoru? What was that like?”
“Madelin…” she began.
Her cousin waved her hand with a grimace. “Maddi, please. I hate the name Madelin. That was the name of Grandmother Vera’s mother, and I’m told that she was just as cold and horrible as she is.”
“Maddi, then. This doesn’t bother you?”
Her question was greeted with soft laughter from her cousin. “Oh, gracious, no. I am quite jealous, truth be told. To have someone to love you… not many women can find that, not when women outnumber men over five to one—and the odds looking even grimmer for the next generation. Yet you have three who love you.”
“Two,” she amended sadly. “I have two. My Kyx,” she choked back a sob.
Her cousin frowned. “Oh, I am so sorry. Did something terrible happen to him?”
“You could say that,” Arie whispered. “He was killed by the huntsmen when they captured me. I watched them do it.” She sank down onto the couch beside her cousin and sighed. “I was so happy too, and it lasted for the entire winter before they came. My mates are everything good in my life,” she said quietly. “Not only do they love me more than I ever could have imagined, but with them, I never felt afraid. Rager, Warol, and Kyx—I love them so much that it’s a physical pain being so far from them. I can’t stop thinking about it, either. But of course, I wouldn’t, because they are my family. Truth be told, Maddi, I didn’t want to come to the Citadel.”
Maddi’s eyes filled with tears, and she wrapped her fingers around Arie’s hand in sympathy. “It was wrong for them to bring you back here. More so that it resulted in the death of your mate. If you had love and a family, to drag you here is terribly cruel. Especially only to be joined with Edwar.”
