Crown of Coral and Pearl

Ebb led me into the large room, its ceiling polished and painted like the one in the great hall. Tapestries and rugs covered the stone surfaces, adding a small amount of warmth. An enormous bed sat in the center, piled high with blankets and fur throws.

The only other furniture was a large wooden wardrobe, with doors carved into strange swirling shapes. For a room that was roughly the size of the governor’s house, it was surprisingly bare. Then again, this wasn’t someone’s house; it was merely a place to sleep.

A bath had been prepared in a stone tub carved out of the wall. A folding screen of painted silk stood next to it.

“Now then, shall we get you bathed and changed?” Ebb asked. “I’ll have a light supper brought, so that you can eat while I fix your hair. It’s very late, and the king will want to get his rest.”

I felt the same way. My eyelids were heavy, and my muscles ached from the climb. “What about the prince? Will I meet him tonight?”

“I don’t believe so. But I’m sure he’ll be here tomorrow.”

That was a relief, at least. I undressed behind the screen and climbed into the stone tub before the cold air had a chance to seep in. This was my first hot bath ever, and after so many days without washing, it felt wonderful. My aching muscles immediately began to relax. Ebb undid my braids and washed my hair with some kind of perfumed soap that lathered and foamed, then rinsed it all out with more warm water. I began to worry the water might rinse the stain from my cheek, but Ebb didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.

I could have stayed in the bath forever, but Ebb’s clipped movements reminded me we were in a hurry. I climbed out and immediately regretted it when the cold air hit my bare skin.

Ebb handed me a towel, then walked to the wardrobe and opened the doors. “Now, milady, you’ll need to choose your gown quickly. I believe this one is appropriate for the occasion, but there’s also—”

“You choose,” I said, sensing her urgency. “I trust you.”

As promised, a light repast sat on a small table to the side of a stool, where I perched so Ebb could get to work on my hair. I nibbled on some kind of dark bread and a creamy cheese with figs, but I was too anxious to eat more than a few bites. Ebb began to coil my hair, twisting and pinning with a deftness I hadn’t expected. Despite her efficiency, she was much gentler than Zadie, and she left half of my hair down, which was a nice rest for my scalp.

After, she helped me into a dark blue gown embroidered with threads of gold. I had grown used to the subdued clothing, though I still didn’t like it, but I admired the way the metallic threads shimmered in the light from the lunar moss set into small lamps in the wall.

When Ebb left to change as well, I opened my trunk from home, which a servant had delivered while I was dressing. I pulled out the little jar of stain for my scar and approached the large standing mirror slowly. I’d seen my reflection in the hand mirror in the carriage, but I hadn’t seen all of me at once. Not in my entire life, now that I thought about it. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this.

But before I could stop myself, there I was. Or at least a version of me, unlike anything I’d ever imagined. Who was this girl with the stilt-straight posture and neatly styled hair? The fabric of the gown was richer than all the others I’d worn, and I ran my hands across the flat plane of my stomach and the curves of my hips, accentuated by the corset.

Even my face was that of a stranger. My cheekbones appeared more pronounced, though that could just be the shadows in the dark room playing tricks on me, and the way Ebb had pinned up my hair made my neck seem long and graceful. I looked a little like my mother, I realized, with her golden eyes and proud mouth.

The scar was still covered by the stain, but I reapplied it anyway. Without the mark on my cheek, I could almost pretend I really was Zadie.

“What do I do?” I asked my reflection, as though my sister were there with me.

Square your shoulders, I imagined her saying. Chin up. The elders wouldn’t have chosen us if they didn’t believe we could do this.

I heard the door open behind me. I turned to Ebb, my heart suddenly beating faster. This was it. I was going to meet the king.

“You look lovely, milady,” she said, handing me a short capelet made of the softest black fur. “It’s cold in the corridors, milady. This will help keep you warm. Are you ready?”

I nodded and strode past her down the corridor, as though I’d been born to do this. In my mind, Zadie walked just behind me, assuring me I had.

* * *

Our company grew as we walked to the king’s chambers, far from the great hall. I noticed Grig and the captain fall into line behind us, and multiple servants seemed to appear out of nowhere, wearing dark, nondescript clothing under shawls and gloves woven from some kind of animal fiber. We came to a stop at a pair of tall stone doors painstakingly carved with horned beasts and roses, reminding me of the little button Sami had traded for. Zadie and Sami had insisted I take the traveling cloak with me, since Zadie wouldn’t need it in Varenia, but I’d never taken it out of the trunk during our journey. Now that I’d seen Ebb toss aside entire outfits like they were refuse, I realized how little value a single brass button would have to these people. I wondered how many pearls Sami had sacrificed for it.

The moment the doors opened, I was hit with the sickly sweet smell of illness, like a bin of rotting fruit at the floating market. Someone had gone through a good deal of trouble to try to hide the odor with perfumed incense, and the combination of smells was nearly overpowering. Several ladies stood near the king’s bed with little sachets pressed to their noses.

I’d thought my bed was large, but King Xyrus’s bed was twice the size of it, made larger by the skeletal man who sat propped up against a stack of pillows. He was so pale he nearly faded into the white linens surrounding him. His gray beard was long and straggly, matching the few tufts of hair left on his liver-spotted head. He looked ancient, older than the oldest Varenian elder. This man couldn’t possibly be the same age as my father.

I was led forward by Captain Osius, who stopped to kneel before the king. I imitated the ladies around me, wishing I’d practiced more back home, but curtsying as deeply as I dared without falling over.

The king’s watery eyes blinked open at the sound of the captain’s voice. “Your Grace, pardon the late hour. We have brought a special visitor from Varenia.”

With the help of a nobleman, the king sat up a bit straighter, smacking his lips like a child who’d just woken from a long nap. “Ah yes, Zadie. Welcome to Ilara, my dear.”

I blinked at the sound of my sister’s name on an Ilarean tongue, the z sounding almost like an s. No one here had called me anything but milady thus far, and it was a good reminder that I was supposed to be my sister.

I stepped forward and took the king’s outstretched hand, doing my best to breathe through my mouth. I nearly jumped when he started to cough suddenly and violently, his entire withered frame shaking from the effort, and released his bony hand as gently as possible. How could this be the man controlling the Varenians? If the governor knew about the king’s condition, why didn’t he stand up to him? And if he didn’t know, I would make sure Sami passed along the information, if I ever made it to the port market.

I waited patiently for the king to sip his wine, sloshing some of the dark red liquid onto the white bedclothes. I expected him to speak again when he finished, but he settled back down among his pillows and closed his eyes.

The nobleman assisting him stepped forward and kissed my hand before lowering himself in an exaggerated bow. After that, one by one, the other lords and ladies stepped forward, each offering their services and welcoming me to Ilara. The ladies, dressed in gowns made of various shadowy fabrics adorned with beads and bows, fussed over me and noted how well I looked after such an arduous journey. The lords were dressed similarly to Talin when he’d visited Ilara, but none had his air of warmth and vitality.

Prince Talin, I reminded myself. My future husband’s brother.

Some of the lords and ladies were pale, like Ebb, probably from spending so much time in this dark mountain. But even those who weren’t naturally fair-skinned looked wan and tired. I noticed a few people had used some sort of white powder to make their hair lighter. I’d never felt so alone in my life as I did there in that chamber, surrounded by all these otherworldly strangers.

Finally, when I was sure I would faint from exhaustion, Ebb found me and whispered in my ear that we should retire for the evening. Back in my chamber, she helped me undress for the night and prepare for my first real rest in days. The bed was so tall, a small footstool had been provided to help me climb in. Once among the blankets and throws, I felt ridiculous. Why would one person need so much space to sleep?

Ebb went to the door and curtsied. “I’ll leave you now, milady.”