Etani met Nayishma, and the two linked arms. They headed for dinner, enjoying the silent companionship the other offered. Nayishma giggled at Etani's telling her about Epharis.
Pushing open the door to the private dining room, Nayishma trilled to the irritated-looking man who sat at the end of the table.
"I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend, King Alaric."
The man's face lit up at the sight of the straggler and he stood quickly, coming over to greet them properly. Etani gauged that he did not do that anymore, judging by Nayishma's tension.
Allowing the man to take her hand and brush his lips against it, she put on her best fake smile.
"It is my utmost pleasure to see you again, princess." he said, his voice low and growling.
She wondered if he realised that he had been rude from Nayishma's perspective. The princess only gave a slight tilt of her head as if to say 'See? Told you so.'
"The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty," she replied, resisting the urge to yank her hand back as he lingered, not wanting to let go.
Finally, he did so and greeted the princess politely, but his tone was bland.
"Have a meal prepared for the Princess Etani," the king called to a serving-man who stood to the side of an inner door. The man seemed to melt, he vanished behind the door so fast.
The king pulled out their chairs for them, one on either side of the table next to his chair at the end. They sat and Etani placed her hands in her lap, feeling awkward.
"Where have you been hiding, princess?" Alaric asked, watching her while making an effort to seem like he was not.
"I go from place to place, testing the area for secluded places to hide," she lied, knowing Nayishma would have a huge grin on her face. She had wanted to ruin Etani's night, she just knew it.
"I see, why do you not return to your rooms?"
"It's harder for people to find me if I'm not in my room." She met his eyes, the remark a pointed reference to him and his brother.
The moment drew on for a beat too long as she and the king stared each other down.
"You're an insolent little beast, aren't you..." he growled.
Her eyes narrowed. "And you're a megalomaniac, we all have our faults."
Nayishma choked on her water and gave a delicate cough as though it were unintentional.
The man looked like he was going to explode, while Etani looked back at him calmly, almost begging him to have a go.
The door opened and three servants entered, each bearing a large tray. Setting them down, their meals were revealed. The king got what appeared to be cow meat, cooked and seasoned with a variety of vegetables. Nayishma got an assortment of odd-looking meats and various roots. It was apparently good, as she eagerly started eating. Her own plate, however, held a large crystal bowl filled with a reddish-brown liquid that glistened ominously.
She looked at it doubtfully and then up to the servant who looked apologetic.
'From the prince,' he mouthed, and left.
If nothing else, she was sure he did not want her dead yet, so she picked up her spoon and took a sip. Energy zinged through her, and she looked down at the liquid in confusion.
Had the lich actually managed to synthesise a human soul? She did not think so, but the feeling left her hopeful. He was close.
She began to drink the liquid as delicately as she could, oddly enjoying the almost hypnotic feeling it gave her. She was glad for it and considered for almost a whole minute that she could go to see him, but then changed her mind again.
After they had finished eating, Nayishma stood to leave and Etani followed a beat behind.
"No, stay and talk awhile," Alaric said, standing quickly and motioning to the balcony where two large day beds languished in the dying sunlight.
Pursing her lips, she accepted Nayishma's hand, and the two women led the way out onto the balcony, the king following close behind them.
Settling themselves close together on one, the king was left to sit on the other and the three looked out over the city. Between them, her fingers clasped Nayishma's tightly, their hands hidden by their dresses.
"You should join us regularly from now on, princess," he said, and Etani squeezed Nayishma's hand.
"That is very kind of you, Your Majesty," Etani replied, not giving him a real answer. "Are you looking forward to the ball?"
"Very much so, I hope you both will attend."
"We will," Nayishma said happily, and the king smiled.
The remainder of their time was left to mild conversation that got no one anywhere but left them all feeling rather irritable, but Etani was too stubborn to give in.
When the women left, she made a quick promise to meet over the following days.
***
It was three days before she got to see the princess again, the woman kept busy with princess's duties, but finally, they met in the library. "You need to come to fittings!" Nayishma cried, flustered.
It was only two days before the ball and she smiled, embracing her friend and then allowing herself to be dragged off.
Neither woman was allowed to look during the process, to the point where a strip of fabric was tied around their eyes. Laughing, the two women felt their way around the room, bumping into each other and various objects. Finally, willing to obey the orders of the maids, she stood still and then stepped into the dress.
It was lighter than she expected, the dress lifted over her naked form. As far as she could tell, the dress was quite tame, made of an inner slip and only one other layer. The bodice was hard, and she knew it would cinch around her, even before it was finished being laced. She slipped her arms into the small sleeves that only covered her shoulders and dropped her arms. It was satin, soft and smooth.
Lifting her arms when she was caught trying to feel her gown for clues, she pouted.
Something was placed around her neck and something soft tickled her cheek. She tried not to jerk away, but it was hard. She thought they might have been feathers.
A heavy mask was placed over her head, and the thing fell down to cover the top half of her face. It covered her head in something she could not feel.
Around her wrists two soft cuffs were placed, but they felt incomplete.
"With markings just down her cheeks, darken the lips?" The maids were whispering to each other.
"Do you have ear piercings, Princess Etani?" Venorth asked, and she shook her head, her head moving weirdly at the movement.
"No, but you can if you need. It will only heal as soon as the jewellery is removed." She lifted her hand to catch the mask as it slid down her face and she felt something long that extended down away from her face to stop just below her chin in a beak-like shape.
"It won't do that once it's finished," Odvihe said gently, fixing it and holding it in place so she could be observed.
"I think patterned as we suggested, can we cinch her any tighter?" Sthiss asked.
"She's only into the lace, not tightened," Odvihe muttered and there was a pause.
"Oh right, I forgot how shapely she is…" Venorth said wistfully and Etani flushed.
"Her breasts are going to be around her ears, we might add more here for modesty." A brush of a finger traced a line over the upper curve of her breasts and there was a general murmur of agreement.
"All right, take her out of it, get Nayishma ready and we'll look at Etani's ears."
Slipping free of the gown, she was led away by Venorth and sat down in nothing but the slip.
"So, she will have a similar problem with the bodice, more for modesty," Sthiss said softly.
"I think the hips need to come in more, she looks like she's carrying around a pumpkin." Venorth added.
"Less on the neck, it's too overpowering. We can add more later, but removing them after will be hard," Sthiss murmured.
"I think otherwise it is perfect," Odvihe exclaimed, sounding far too happy.
Eventually, Nayishma joined her on the seat and the dresses were tucked away. Able to see again, the two settled into a long conversation about the ball. The maids gossiped about what the others would be wearing while working in the sewing rooms. Many of the women were having their maids work down there. Many of the costumes were spectacular, some of them were silly, but that was to be expected.
The ladies made quick work of Etani's ears, applying a pin to her lobes and slipping a small silver ring in each to keep the holes from healing shut. She did not want to mention that earrings had been a sign of marriage for her people. It would be fine.
"Stay here until the ball, the king won't think to come here," Nayishma said when it was time for Etani to leave.
Etani thought it was the first place he would go, but she agreed, and the two women spent the last remaining time together locked up, being fitted again and again and spending as much time together as possible.
***
On the day of the ball, the two women were permitted to linger on the balcony in the sun, but by the time lunch rolled around, they were forced inside to prepare. The ball would start at sunset.
Ignoring the protesting moans of the two women, they were ushered into chairs and their makeup was applied. They were not allowed to look at each other and all the mirrors had been covered.
Her skin was powdered, her face decorated, and patterns were drawn on her arms and across her chest.
Finally, with her eyes closed, she stepped back into the gown one last time. It was heavy and felt odd.
"Hold onto the chair," Sthiss ordered, and a foot was planted firmly against her backside as the strings of her corseted top were pulled tight, much to her wheezing disgust.
The maid had no issue rearranging her breasts in the top before adding a few more decorations, and then the neck cuff was applied. Things brushed her cheek again, but this time they remained, fluttering up around her right side. They would partially obscure her face, at least she assumed so.
Buttons down her back were pinned into place, pulling lace around her corset and shoulders, leaving most of her upper back bare or only hidden by lace.
Turning on command, she got a sense of the mass of her dress as it rustled. She thought the thing probably added a good foot to her overall size. At least no one would be getting too close to her.
Her hair was slicked back with a sweet-smelling oil and long strands were braided down the side of her face, and allowed to dangle down her front. The headdress was applied and pinned into place.
More painting of her face and the cuffs were added at her wrists. "Now Etani…" Sthiss whispered. Venorth and Odvihe were wrestling with Nayishma who did not want to wear a corset.
"I have added pockets to your gown. It will allow you to carry weapons on your person. In order to keep them from slipping free, the inner layer is separate. All you need to do is shift it to the left and the pockets will open; the more you shift, the wider they will open, so be careful. We do not suspect anything will happen, but you are capable of looking after the both of you. We cannot protect the princess, so make sure no man gets touchy with her."
Etani nodded, accepting the weapons she was handed and slipping them into place. Sthiss showed her twice how to shift the inner satin to open and close the pockets. She nodded again, satisfied.
"Two minutes, ladies!" Odvihe trilled and the sound of the divider told them they would soon be able to see each other.
Shifting herself to turn in the direction of her friend, her heart pounded at the excitement.
"A touch more on Etani's lips, I think," Sthiss said, and it was applied.
"Nayishma needs that to come up more, or she's going to pop out of her corset." Something was adjusted and when the maids were finally satisfied, the women were allowed to look.
Nayishma was ravishing in a white and crimson gown of frothy fabric that spilled out from her hips. Her skin was patterned with flames and feathers. Her corset was almost bare aside from a little jacket that stopped mid-way down her arms, the sleeve covered in little red and gold feathers.
Her headdress was undoubtedly a phoenix, a small bronze beak flowing smoothly into gold, silver, rose, red, and the occasional green feather that trailed down the back of her head to her shoulders, melting seamlessly into a long creamy white train that spread out behind her.
She wore armbands made of gold that were patterned into the style of flames and seemed to dance like fire when she moved.
Her face was its usual shade, her lips a deep crimson, and little lines traced down each cheek in three spikes away from her eyes, each one punctuated by a glittering red gem.
She did not wear a veil and her eyes appeared huge.
"Now turn and see yourselves," Sthiss said, sounding breathless.
Etani turned, not sure what to expect.
The sight of herself stole her breath away, and she knew she was the raven.
Her dress was made of layers of satin, and the same frothy fabric as Nayishma's, except more subdued. It reflected their animals well, the phoenix being flashy while the raven was sleek and subtle.
The satin was a deep metallic grey, covered by two sheer layers of the black frothy stuff, a pattern of flying birds starting somewhere behind her and stopping just below her bust.
Her bodice showed her black satin corset beneath, but was covered by delicate lace that covered the corset entirely, reaching up to her shoulders and spilling down only a few inches over her arms. A deep V at her chest that showed off so much cleavage she was not sure where it had all come from.
Her wrists were clad in two cuffs that were decorated with black feathers, yet when they caught the light, they shone blue.
A tight, wide choker covered her throat, long feathers rising up out of one side to cover a small section of her face. The top half was dressed in a mask similar to Nayishma's, except that it was long and black, stretching out past her face and down past her chin. The beak melted into glossy black and dark grey feathers that trailed down over her hair, but some stuck out, allowing her to understand why it had felt weird to turn her head. The mask had a lot of wind resistance.
She had been powdered with an odd substance that added a metallic silvery sheen to her skin. It counteracted the black wing outlines that had been traced onto her.
Long streaks of kohl had been painted onto her face under the mask, making her look as though she had cried. In her ears were large silver earrings set with sapphires and dangling tiny black feathers.
"Am I Morrighan?" she asked in wonder, turning to look at Sthiss who was crying happily. She nodded eagerly.
Morrighan was an odd figure in history that a descent few in the area knew of, believed to be the Goddess of war and destiny in that culture. But she had always taken the form of a raven and it was rumoured that she blessed a battle if there were ravens on the field.
She could not help but wonder at the choice.
Turning again to the radiant sight of Nayishma, she smiled at the beauty and had been about to speak when a gong went off.
"Oh, you must go or you'll miss introductions," Odvihe squealed, handing the two elaborately tooled silver masks that looked so akin to lace that she had to feel it to be sure it was not.
"Your masks can be worn as just a headdress, wear these instead if the masks get in the way."
"Introductions?" Etani asked.
Nayishma did not know either, for she shrugged, and they headed in the direction of the ballroom.
***
To get to the ballroom, one had to enter through the main doors and turn left, avoid the throne room, and instead follow the outer wall into a room that backed onto the throne room. They fell into the throng of people, or rather the throng of mythical creatures.
There was something of everything there: a peacock, a star, a woman dressed oddly as a jester. Some wore huge, elaborate gowns, and some opted for simple ones.
She knew early on that her mask was going to get in the way of her vision and she quickly slipped on the smaller mask, pushing the larger one up so that it rested on the crown of her head. She could see much better and it made her feel more comfortable.
Nayishma followed suit soon after, saying she was struggling to turn her head properly. The costumes looked amazing, and the ladies had done them both an enormous service, but they had been designed for fashion, not for function.
The line began to form several yards back from the doors to the ballroom and music drifted out to them. They were required to wait, and so Nayishma started up conversations with a man disguised as a black centaur unicorn. The horn was squishy when Nayishma asked to touch it.
His costume was brilliant, large squared off gloves, a glistening bare bronze chest, and a long mane running down his back. He wore hoof-styled shoes and had large amounts of hair coming out of his ankles.
He seemed glad for the attention, chatting happily with the princess. Etani however, felt as though someone was watching her and she looked around, finding several staring at her costume, but there seemed to be no malice.
Slowly the line moved and Nayishma made friends with a sphinx, a rabbit, and a cyclops.
The princess was delighted by the costumes, while Etani grew more anxious. The feeling of being watched would not leave her. She let Nayishma do almost all of the talking while she simply kept an eye on those around them.