The three ladies-in-waiting worked quickly and silently, though none too gently. One carefully plaited Valaria's dark hair into tiny braids and heaped them on top of her head. The other two maids attended her fingers and toes, buffing, trimming, and painting her nails.
"Bring me the perfumed oil, I'll apply it myself." she said shortly. The maids ceded without a word. It was an oil made from the flowers of Lover's Bliss, so the note from her husband had claimed. Valaria applied it thickly on her arms, neck, breasts, stomach, and thighs. Her maids colored and looked away she covered her fingers in the oil, and rubbed it on her nethers and inside.
Valaria stared expressionlessly into the mirror before her. Many women in her situation would be nervous, perhaps giddy...but she found it difficult to feel anything at all. Tonight she would be taken to her husband's bed for the first time, after having married him over a month ago. She had seen him only twice since, which was twice too much. Her movements in his home were closely watched, she was well aware she was more prisoner than bride and always would be. Even so, she had managed to make her plans and find what she needed to carry them out. After tonight, she would be free, her enemy would be dead, and her family avenged. Valaria closed her eyes on this cold and careless room...
Memory carried her back to the warm airy halls of her father's palace. She and the usual troublemakers were sneaking through the halls well after bedtime- Aren, three years her senior and inventor of many grand adventures; Jaliane, barely a year older, stoic, strong and gentle; Covres, nearly her age and wild as a capuchin; Genne and Gevrais, the twins who were so clever at getting into things and places the others could not. Their father was hosting such a grand affair the entire palace had been buzzing with talk of it for weeks. There was no way the group of them could just sleep upstairs with the other young ones, and not even have just one look at the splendor.
Down the stairs they crept, careful not to be seen over the top of the banister. It would not have mattered, the children quickly discovered, as the great hall was so filled with glamor and light and richly costumed men and women that six children in night clothes would hardly be noticed at all.
The people clustered together in small boisterously chattering and brightly glittering groups, or else spun in bejeweled pairs around the ballroom floor. As the children reached the bottom of the stairs, they dispersed, each following a different distraction. Valaria walked barefoot on the cool marble tiled floor, following a woman in a glittering golden gown and a masque with dainty stag's antlers. The woman carefully made her way to a tight knot of people at the back of the hall, calling out cheery greetings to those she passed. No one noticed her wide eyed shadow.
The knot opened to admit the new arrival, and Valaria moved closer to hear the suddenly hushed conversation. "Eviena, so glad you could join us. What do you think of His Majesty's fete?" Asked a gentleman in a blue coat who was being supported by a man in silver who seemed to need the help more than he did.
"Sparkling, Darling, simply sparkling." Replied the antlered woman, Eviena.
"A fine thing, let's all just get dressed up and pretend we're not living under the threat of invasion..." a dour woman in white grumbled.
"Don't be so dreary, Shayelle...Venterak is always making threats. They'd never dream of actually attacking..."
Suddenly Valaria found herself lifted into the air, and a stern voice made her shrink inside: "Aria, what are you doing out of bed?" Her father said loud enough to get the attention of the antlered woman and several others nearby.
"Father...I..." she stammered, but was not given a chance to plead or explain. The King whisked her away and lectured her all the way to the nursery.
None of the others were caught, having made good their escape while Aria provided the distraction.
The maids urged her to stand without a word, and stiffly Valaria obliged them. The three of them towered over her. Blonde ethereal girls with watery blue eyes that gave every evidence of stupidity. Just the way Venteraki men liked their women. They were not beautiful to her eyes, none of these strange pale folk were...not anymore. Valaria felt as small as a child, and could never hope to hide her dark coffee skin and dark hair from their stares and snickers. Every one of these people was as nasty and hateful as their King...she wondered how they could bear to live in a world with no pleasure or joy.
They produced a diaphanous white gown Valaria hoped she would not be required to sleep in, it rested low on her shoulders revealing every bit of bosom; the bodice they set to lacing up tight enough she had to catch her breath. It fell from the hips loosely in many translucent layers, so altogether, had she been as pale as these women, perhaps one would not be able to see straight through the thing.
Aren had been allowed to accompany their father to greet the Emissary from Venterak, because he was a boy and thirteen years old. He came back to the others with stories of the pale giant in unusual and austere black, his chilly and threatening demeanor.
"Why did you get to go, and not Jaliane or me?" Valaria objected when Aren finished his tale. She stood with hands on hips, glaring at her brother with undisguised envy. Jaliane shifted uncomfortably; she was a shy girl and disliked being dragged into disputes between her siblings, but that never fazed Valaria.
Aren blinked; surprised his sister still didn't get it. "Because you're a kid and just a girl anyway." He answered matter-of-factly. Their father had said the same, though his words were gentler...either way, Valaria would not accept it.
"That's not fair, I understand as much as you." She stepped up to her brother, glaring into his eyes.
Aren frowned and shoved her backwards. "Give it up Aria, Father said you couldn't go." Valaria growled under her breath, jumping to her feet and launching herself at Aren. The older boy just moved out of the way.
The other four children sat up, ready to see a fight, but Valaria didn't oblige them. Instead she grabbed Jaliane by the hand and stomped out of the room. The others sat in silence for a few moments, and then Genne piped in softly, "So, what about the other Venteraki? I heard there were four..."
"Where are we going?" Jaliane whispered, trying to maintain some dignity while her younger sister dragged her down a side corridor.
"I want to see the Venteraki emissary myself." Valaria hissed. "I'll show them I know how to get on with foreigners." Jaliane tried to object, but it was useless.
The two of them used the inner passages to get to the visitor's suite, but found the rooms to be empty. Cautiously Valaria slid open the door and crept out into the main room. There was no sign of the strangers.
Jaliane watched from the passage as her sister explored the room, afraid to stay and be caught, and afraid to leave Valaria to the mercy of the pale giants. Then Valaria opened the balcony door and went through. Jaliane decided not to follow.
Beside the rather small balcony was a path to a tiny private garden. Valaria skipped down to the garden below, and froze on the bottom step. In the center of the garden was a small tree in a golden pot, and it was unlike any she had seen before. It had spindly twin trunks so dark they were nearly black, the bark looked smooth, the leaves were large and dark green, somewhat heart-shaped. What truly had her entranced, however, were the flowers, nearly as large as her head and the color of blood, hundreds of fine petals surrounding a deep purple core. It was lovely and strange, and slowly, Valaria reached out her fingers to touch it.
"Who are you, little girl?" a man said suddenly in harsh tones, words clipped at the end. Aria wheeled and found herself face-to-chest with him. She backed up and stared wide-eyed at the young man, broad-shouldered with pale yellow hair and sharp blue eyes, and skin fair as snow. He was strange, frightening, and beautiful. Her breath caught in her throat. "What are you doing here?" he asked after she had only stared, growing impatient. Valaria realized he was barely a man, like her brother, but much taller- he had only the barest shadow of facial hair.
She took a deep breath, and curtseyed deeply. "I am Princess Valaria te'Arike, it is a pleasure to meet you, Lord...?" She smiled at him winsomely.
He smiled in turn, and by the gods his smile was charming, and mischievous. "Ah, Your Highness. I am," he paused and considered, clearly new to the language. "I am Lord Dalleris, Mayor of Eyriek."
"Mayor, really, at your age?" Aria was awed.
"Well, yes, I inherited the title from my father, like you did yours, Princess. So, you like our little Lover's Bliss?" He smiled again.
"I beg your pardon?" Aria blinked. Lord Dalleris laughed, and Aria could not help but smile, though she didn't share his jest.
"The tree, Your Highness. It's called Lover's Bliss, and it is exceptionally rare. In it's native land of Beraberos, far south even of Arike, it grows only in the mountains, and is cherished for its potent magic." He took Aria's hand in his casually, and lead her nearer to the tree. Aria marveled at his strong but soft hand, at the pleasant, musky scent of him, like no one she'd smelled before. She was amused Aren had found the Venteraki so threatening, for Lord Dalleris was nothing of the sort.
The tree had a tangy scent, like orange and pomegranate mingled with sunshine, eucalyptus, and other things she could not name. Aria saw that the leaves were veined in purple, and every possible shade of red was compassed in the petals of the flowers. "Have you been to Beraberos, Lord Dalleris?" She looked up into his keen blue eyes.
"Yes, I've been to many places, but this tree was brought from the King's own gardens as a gift to your father." He smiled and answered her question before she could ask it. "We brought seeds home, a live tree would not make a journey as long as that one, five weeks by sea."
