Heart Over Sword

Evanna's eyes fluttered open after the sunlight beamed into the room, landing directly on her face. The startling light seemed to almost burn her eyes, blinding her to roll over and grab the nearest pillow to cover her head. Relaxing her body once more, her breathing became long and slow as she snuggled further into the bed. Evanna could not help but note how well rested she felt, especially after being on the road for so long.

The bed she lay on was as comfortable as the floating clouds in the sky. Or so she assumed. It was extremely comfortable, most likely more so than her own at home. 

Evanna sighed in content until her mind caught up with her and her lids snapped open before she bolted upright, staring around bleary-eyed. Realisation dawned on her as the disorientating feeling simmered down while she scanned the unfamiliar bed chamber.

The previous day flashed across her mind, and her erratic pulse beat calmly once again. Glancing to the side, she eyed the balcony doors. She swore she fell asleep outside. Not her best idea considering it was on the ledge of the balcony. Maybe I got up and climbed into bed? She must have been that tired and groggy; she could not remember.

Nodding to herself, convinced by her answers and utterly oblivious to the idea that somebody could have carried her to bed, she climbed out of it and began scoping her room. Within minutes, she found no escape routes besides the balcony, but she honestly did not have high hopes for secret passageways or the like anyway. So, it appeared, the only course, if she ever chose it, was the balcony, but it was too much of a drop for her to attempt. 

Evanna was back to square one.

A knock at the door startled her from her reverie, and they swung open gently without Evanna responding. Rina tentatively stepped into the room, her eyes looking at the bed only to become panicked for a millisecond before they found Evanna standing in the middle of the light, airy room. She watched as Rina's tensed body relaxed, and a bright smile lit up her face, "Good morning, my lady. His highness wishes to see you for breakfast."

Without much more Evanna could do about it, she nodded her head and walked towards her private dressing room. She let Rina pick out a dress for her; she did not wish to try and prettify herself up. The king's words still stuck to her like a thorn in her side. Plus, her only goal was to escape the palace, and luckily, the prince decided to remove her from the prison for some unknown reason.

He mentioned torturing her, something she did not wish to stay long enough to see what sort of techniques he wanted to use. Sighing, Evanna turned around after Rina helped her into a tea green dress, one where the sleeves were short and capped just below her shoulders, which were once again kept bare, with another part on the front of the dress wrapped around her neck. There were golden lacey leaves over the top of the sleeves and merging down her bodice. The rest of the dress flowed out towards the ground.

Evanna glanced at herself in the mirror. She was still to get used to the differences in dress style, yet she was rather happy not to have to deal with wearing a corset. Although, she still felt quite naked with so little on. Her bare arms and shoulders would warrant her a whore in Dunhurst, but from the way Rina was smiling at her, she knew this was the norm.

She walked back into the bedroom and sat down in front of the dressing table, and looked into the mirror at her overly messy hair. This typically happened to her thick hair when she slept well and most likely rolled around in her sleep. Evanna has never had anyone sleep by her side, so she did not know how she slept on a daily basis, but from the number of times her body was wrapped up like a cocoon or a pillow or two were thrown on the floor, she decided that was the case. 

After another twenty minutes of Evanna's tangled hair brushed through and swept up into a low bun showcasing her long neck more. Evanna thanked the handmaiden, stood up and began walking towards the double doors.

"Do you not wish to wear makeup?" Rina asked from behind her.

Evanna turned her head back and shook her head, "Do I need to wear makeup?"

Rina became flustered and began babbling, "NO! No, my lady. Please, I did not mean to insult you, my lady. Please, you are beautiful without such things. I just. Well there. I have served many ladies before, and none have left bare faced."

Evanna chuckled at her response; shaking her head, she raised her hands, "Rina, I only asked because I am not used to the customs here. Is it necessary that I wear makeup? That is what I meant." She chuckled again after staring at Rina's bright red cheeks.

The handmaiden noticeably sagged in relief and smiled brightly once more, though Evanna knew it was genuine, and she was beginning to like the she-elf. "No, my lady. It is not a necessity, and might I add, I really did not mean to insult you. You really do not need to wear makeup. It was only a suggestion because of the yellow bruising on your complexion."

"Oh," Evanna gently pressed her hand on her face before waving it off, "I am fine, truly. Thank you."

Rina nodded her head, "We must be going now, my lady. The king and prince await your arrival." The handmaiden began making her way out of the double doors without a second glance; Evanna hastily picked up her steps, alarmed by her comment.

"The king and prince!?" She exclaimed.

Rina stopped and turned to face her; a small, almost forced smile stretched her lips thinly, her brown eyes doe-like, "Yes, my lady. They dine together most mornings and evenings."

Evanna parted her lips, but her mind was blank, and words were lost on her. Rina took this as a sign to continue and turned before continuing to lead her down the stairs and hallways to an open framed door to a dining room. Rina stood to the side, her head tilted down, so Evanna could enter first. But the princess only stopped and stared inside the room. 

Due to her halted steps and no announcement of her arrival, the king and prince stood ceremoniously, their hands gripping their elbows behind their backs and staring at the marble table. Evanna couldn't help but glance between the pair. It really was uncanny how similar their looks and ages appeared. But, they were father and son. Definitely, blood-related, the elven king and prince oozed a chilling charm. 

And if you did not tread lightly, there was no telling what they would do to punish you. Evanna swallowed past the lump in her throat. She had a lot of work to do. Putting up with the two ice sculptors in the dining room and not losing her head in the meantime.