"So," the queen stirred her tea with a finely carved spoon, "the two of you met when you were children and you were raised by the royal blacksmith." Her lips pressed together at the fact, making it difficult to tell whether or not she found it interesting or disliked it.

While I tossed and turned in my bed, all I could think about was being engaged to Kayne. My mind had already set itself on what I wanted to achieve, so there was no turning back now. There would be peace between Icrodeia and Racaea.

When I decided to find Kayne this morning to tell him that I'd made up my mind, this wasn't what I had pictured. Though, what did I expect? I had to meet the High Fae Queen officially at some point. I'd meant to tell him at a decent moment, but when I saw him eating with his mother I could resist messing around a little. Pretending to be someone worthy enough to be engaged to a prince could wait.

"How did you end up living on Racaea's castle grounds instead of in Icrodeia anyway?" She watched as I picked at some bacon from her son's plate. I had already eaten before I had arrived, but I simply couldn't refuse the queen's request to join her for breakfast. It was bad manners.

Kayne tensed beside me, knowing that it was a touchy subject for me.

"When I was a child, I was sold to Racaea and Trik took me in." The memory was still clear despite it being over a decade and a half ago. When Trik was travelling around the continent — as he usually did — he had seen me trapped in a cage, ready to be sold as a slave to a disgraceful noble. The blacksmith had been appalled at the sight, so he had bought me just to ease my suffering. As he realised I didn't know where my parents were or even where I had lived before, he took me back to the castle to raise me himself.

"So, you plan to get revenge upon Icrodeia for treating you so poorly," the queen determined, placing emotions and words into my mouth.

"No, of course not. I don't hold it against them. It wasn't Icrodeia's fault, just my parents'." It was difficult to remain composed and not let my anger seep through. I knew she was purposefully asking me ridiculous questions in order to see if I was a good enough suitor, but it still put me on edge. I needed to act as queenly as possible as that was what the marriage was for, right? What did a queen even act like?

"What do you hope to gain out of marrying my son? Wealth? Power?" The High Fae Queen acted as if this was a casual discussion and not like she was subtly grilling me for information.

Kayne suddenly became very interested in his food, willing himself out of the conversation. I couldn't blame him when I wished I could do the same.

I placed another strip of bacon into my mouth to give myself time to think of an answer. This was still a facade we needed to uphold, I couldn't let that slip out of my mind. "To stop a war from breaking out and," I paused to interlace my fingers with Kayne's, "to be with the person I love."

The prince spat out some of his drink as it got caught in his throat, coughing and spluttering to clear his airways. A dusting of pink settled on his cheeks. Why had I loathed the thought of pretending to love Kayne? If I could embarrass him at every occasion I could, perhaps this wouldn't be so bad.

His mother didn't look impressed, but she at least looked like she believed it.

Once he had finished choking, Kayne turned my hand over so he could kiss the back of it. His emerald eyes stared up into mine with a silent message. I'll get you back for that later.

"I approve of your... romance," the queen interrupted, "I really do. It's just unfortunate timing as the marriage could be used to help Racaea gain an advantage."

"I've already explained how this will work and what we'll do if it doesn't. Can we not see how it turns out? It's worth a try," her son pleaded, letting my hand go.

"We might not have enough time for methods of trial and error." When neither of us replied to offer anything more, she sighed deeply. "Fine. I'll do this for you, Kay. But at the first sign of Icrodeia coming to attack us even with the prospect of an Icrodeian queen, Lady Lorella will take Sabre's place."

Relief washed through me. It worked. We had convinced the queen of our love, now all we had to do was hope it was enough for Icrodeia to rethink their plans. Maybe they could at least talk with Racaea to discuss what they were after.

"Thank you. Though, I thought I told you not to call me that." Kayne relaxed too, irritation replacing his tense features.

"Kay?" I hadn't even realised what the queen had called him as I'd been too absorbed in our small victory. A smirk grew on my face. "I might take that nickname up myself."

That made a returning smile appear on the High Fae Queen's mouth too. It seemed we did have something in common: making the prince suffer. I raised my glass of orange juice towards her in thanks for introducing me to the nickname.

"Misery. All I have with the two women at my sides is misery to wallow in." Kayne buried his head in his hands, though I could see his own grin through the gaps in his fingers.

I elbowed him in the arm. "Stop being so dramatic."

After a pleasant while of eating, the queen started a new conversation. "The ball is only a few days away. I'm going to ask Lady Lorella to stay at the castle for a few days afterwards in case your plan doesn't deter Icrodeia."

Kayne nodded. "That's a wise thing to do."

"Do you have a green gown to wear, my dear?" She asked. "That's the colour scheme I've decided for this event. Well, green and gold."

"I don't own any sort of gown." There hadn't really been an opportunity or need for me to wear such an elaborate garment. Besides, if I ever tried to store something like that in the blacksmiths, there would always be a fear in the back of my mind of it catching on fire somehow.

The queen waved her hand and a servant rushed over from where they had been hiding out of sight. "I will have the seamstress make one for you." She leant over and whispered into the servant's ear, talking to them for quite some time as I assumed she explained what she wanted the gown to look like. From the snippets I could pick up, it was something to match a suit. Kayne's suit?

The servant quickly left the dining hall when she finished, jotting down the details they had been told on the back of her hand.

"As you're a blacksmith, I assume you don't know the dances to any of the most popular songs either?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"That would be correct." It really didn't appear like I was cut out for a noble life.

She frowned. Even though she was several hundred years old, no wrinkles were present on her skin. An eternal youth granted by fae blood. "There's no time to teach you how to properly dance now, we'll just have to hope one mediocre dance will be enough to satisfy the people."

The people. It only just dawned on me that all of the important people in Racaea would be attending this ball. All the suitors that were hoping to be wed to Kayne, the court that helped rule the kingdom, nobles from all across the land, and potentially Icrodeian spies too.

From out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kayne's leg shaking, bouncing up and down. A nervous habit I'd noticed he'd had all throughout his life. My hand reached out under the table to hold his knee, hoping to be of some sort of assurance. Whatever he was worried about, we'd get through it. Together.

He flashed me an appreciative smile. It was something that sent warmth spreading through my body.

The servant that had gone to talk to the seamstress returned. "Miss Brynn asks for Lady Sabre's presence as soon as possible. She would like her to try on some gowns to get your vision perfect, your highness." They bowed deeply, keeping their gaze trained on the ground.

"Do you want to join me?" I asked the prince, watching as a blush formed on his cheeks.

He looked at his mother's stern face and then at me again. "I think I better not." Perhaps it was for the best, I didn't know how I'd react to wearing a big, puffy ball gown for the first time.

I shrugged. "Suit yourself." It looked like the queen wanted to talk to her son alone anyways. The thought of getting to wear a fancy dress that was too expensive for any common folk dreaded me, yet it also enticed excitement to awaken in me too.

As I made my way to the servant's side, I turned back to smile sweetly at Kayne. "I'll see you later, Kay." They led me out before I could take in his reaction to the nickname.

The inside of the castle was what I had imagined it would look like from its exterior. While the outer walls were made from a light grey stone that had aged over the years it had been standing, the inside was just as light and worn from time. The paper that decorated every inch of the castle's walls with an intricate pattern had begun to peel in some places, the occasional tear appearing too.

We headed down several corridors on the first floor and headed up a grand staircase with a cream rug running down its centre. After I was about to question where the servant was leading me, we stopped in front of a small door of white wood.

They knocked lightly before entering, bowing to a person who sat in the left of the room. "Miss Brynn, this is Lady Sabre. She's the woman the High Fae Queen wants you to make the gown for."

"Yes, yes. I remember. My memory hasn't thinned yet." A croaked voice replied.

I entered to see an elderly woman hunched over a desk to look over some designs, rocking back and forth in her chair. Grey wisps of hair covered most of her face until she looked up to see her client. Deep wrinkles were etched into her skin, showing just how long she had been alive. Despite her weak appearance, I got the impression from her glare that she could throw a mean punch if she willed it. Or at least a verbal one.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss." I lowered my head slightly to show my respect.

Brynn smiled weakly. "Well, I can't say the same." Her finger pointed behind me. "Stand on that platform."

I turned to see a raised part of the floor surrounded by full-length mirrors. It allowed me to see the full room in its entirety in their reflections. On one wall, rolls of richly coloured fabrics hung, ready to be used in an instant. All the others were covered with mannequins, each one dressed in an elegant gown.

As soon as I did as the woman ordered, the servant that had escorted me tried to rid me of my clothes. I swatted them away, confusion filling me as I prepared to defend myself. What were they trying to do? Surely this would be just taking measurements for the dress Brynn had been requested to make. Just like... just like I had done with the prisoner in the tower.

Traitor.

"Stop fussing," the woman snapped, sketching something furiously. "I don't have a lot of time. It's bad enough already that I've been called to make this gown at such short notice, I don't need you being a nuisance too." Did she just imply the queen was also a nuisance?

"Sorry," I murmured back. I would have preferred to undress myself, but the servant was insistent on helping.

When they had finished, leaving me in only my undergarments, they rushed over to fetch a dress from the back of the room. It left me time to take a true look at my body, in clean mirrors instead of the dirty one we had back at the blacksmiths. My skin was pale as I never went out into the sun much, always too consumed by the joy of creating weapons. A few knots found their home in my neck-length hair which was a deep shade of black. It contrasted starkly against the pale lines that wrapped around my back and arms, a reminder of how I had come to live in Racaea in the first place.

The servant helped me into the dress that they had struggled to carry over. It was created from a lilac silk with the top layer of skirts stitched together to form a perfect ocean wave of ruffles. The bodice was encrusted with several tiny diamonds, causing light to reflect from it and create fancy patterns along the wall. Two thin scraps of twisted lace were the only things that held up the gown on my body, acting as the sleeves.

I thought I would loathe something so restricting, something I would probably pass out in if I took one step into the blacksmiths, but I looked and felt incredible. It made me appear regal, royal even. I enjoyed it. Perhaps owning a gown or two just to occasionally put on wouldn't be a bad idea.

I twirled and watched the skirts fly in the mirror, a childish giggle escaping from me.

"Stay still," Brynn ordered as she sketched out several designs quicker than I thought her fragile hands could move. After I waited a little while, ignoring the seamstress' sourness by drowning it in my own joy, the servant helped undress me again to prepare me for the next gown.

This happened several times for many more dresses than I could count. A simple white gown with a faint floral pattern that had golden antlers as a belt, a sea of different hues of blue formed a long trail on another, a deep red gown with an ombre of orange coming from the slit in the skirt that reminded me of the fire I sat next to day in and day out. It was endless.

Brynn waved her hand towards me, still continuing with her drawings. "Alright, I'm finished with you. The gown will find its way to you somehow before the ball, I'm sure of it."

The servant helped me out of the dress for the last time and back into my normal clothes. I was a little disappointed, but I had bigger problems than wanting to spend the whole day trying on dresses.

Once I said my goodbyes and my thank yous, I stepped out into the hallway to find Kayne leaning against the wall, suffering from boredom. "Finally, you've been in there for hours."