The Talamute Prince

Now that Patrick is gone the maids, seamstress, and her hands return. They stand to the side looking at me. I'm surprised to see that they aren't afraid of me after the slight display of power. I'm guessing it's because they are ignorant to the true nature of such things.

"I'm sorry about the dress." There isn't much of it left other than the bottom layer which was made from the material I wasn't sure what was.

"The king warned me. He said you tended to burn fabric, but the base is still intact so we will go from there. We should have everything fixed by dinner, so just as soon as you're ready." She bows.

"Give just a minute please." I smile gently at the older lady. Melena seeing me struggle a bit to stand after the exertion of my powers comes to help me up. I reach my feet and stand for a moment to steady myself before attempting to get onto the stool.

"Are you okay?" Melena holds my back as I almost tumble back stepping down. My hand still gripping hers as I sway a bit. I've never tried to push through my weakness before. I probably shouldn't have tried. The coronation wasn't till tomorrow and I was exhausted. In truth I just wanted to be done with it.

"No, not really. I um, I'm sorry about the last time we spoke. I should never have treated you like that." I let go of her hand as I stand on my own now ready to try my luck with balancing on the stool. I stand beside it for a moment then take a step up. It's difficult at first but I manage to compose myself.

"I get it. I mean we had spent the better part of the voyage lying to you. I'm not sure if I would have reacted with such patients myself. I'd have probably blown everyone up." She smiles and I laugh a bit. Melena went over to the balcony and look out with her hand on her gun ready.

I stand tall with my head up as I stare in the mirror at the dress that is being repaired. The top of the dress including the sleeves is a lace with golden leaves sparkling on vines that wrap around my chest arms and part of my back. It even went about halfway up my neck all the way around. The main body of the dress is shiny solid gold that covered my breast and drops in the back all the way down to my waistline. This material continues down to my knees where it went back to the lace. The bottom was different as the top where the lace was covering all my skin tightly the bottom was loosely pleated. The front of it ends right at my toes but the back is allowed to flow at least three feet behind me. I feel like a banana.

"Just as beautiful as I pictured it. Perfectly executed for such an event." The seamstress says as she steps back looking at her work. Her helpers finish up a few stitches here and there.

"It's kind of monotone isn't it?" I look at my reflection at the dull gold color that hides my pale skin. It's awful.

"Yes, dear it is. It's the custom color for a queen to be in at the ceremony at least. I did try to give it some flare without overstepping traditions. I have been informed you make your own dresses, and this will be the only one I get to design for you." She looks a bit disappointed. "You have such a perfect figure. And you stand so much better than even the present queen. She fidgets a bit from time to time." I smile.

"I wasn't allowed many freedoms as a child, but my clothes were my favorite one. When I learned to make my own, I was brought any material my heart desired and I had a rainbow assortment of every kind of dress from fancy to fun." I'm helped off the stool. It's tight around the thighs and it made it very difficult to move correctly. I now turn to see the back with as much of a polite smile on my face as I can muster.

"So, then you enjoy it very much I take it." She asks as she walks around looking to make sure everything is in its place.

"Yes, you don't get to talk to the royal family much do you?" She quickly glances away.

"Other than to give directions, no it isn't proper behavior." I go behind my wall to change from the horrid thing. I replace it with one I had made. My chest rises and falls as I collect my thoughts and come back out.

"Things are so different here." I say and they move to the seat in front of a vanity. It's almost time for dinner. The seamstress collects her thing as my maids tend to my hair and makeup. Another task I'm used to doing myself.

"The queen says that servants are better off silent. So, I usually just make her dress and leave quickly." I smile with a hint of sadness that the hierarchy here is so much crueler than my home.

"I'm sorry, I'm not use to it. My servants in my former home were very friendly and allowed to speak freely. In fact, it was our royal seamstress that taught me the art." I'm enjoying the conversation as my own hand maids barely spoke at all. It is odd that the only people I use to speak with now barely say a few sentences at a time. With Patrick's reaction to Heather speaking up I can see why. I wonder if I hadn't been present what punishment she would have had to face for speaking so freely.

"It's nice to hear it called art, People here don't see it as that." She says.

"What else would it be? The ability to take something simple like a piece of cloth and turn it into a gown like this even if it drowns out my skin tone is an art. The design itself is beautiful." I did love the design, but it would look better in a red or maybe pink.

"Thank you, your majesty." The look in her eyes says it all. She's never been complimented on her abilities.

"Please call me, Laoonica. I much prefer to be called by my name." she smiles.

"Do you mind if I ask about the color of your hair? Is it naturally two colors?" I chuckle a bit. My hair was different from any one I've ever met.

"I was born with it. My father's hair was black when he was younger, and my gifts cause the blue highlights. It's why my eyes are as blue as they are." I look over at Melena who is walking back and forth from my room to the balcony. She seems on edge even with the four extra guards outside.

"Yes, well I've the perfect idea for your hair that will show off both colors. When it's time for the ceremony I would love to style it for you."

"Of course. Are we finished for the night with all of that?" My maids are doing my makeup first so I'm speaking around them doing stuff.

"Thank you. Good day to you, Laoonica." her and her hands leave taking their mess with them.

Tasha starts on my hair for this dinner. She might not say much but she does have a way of making my hair look amazing. She takes some curlers and rolled the black and blue strands separately. All but a blue strand on one side of my face and a black on the other. She braids those two strands and then loosens the braided sides. She sprayed them with a substance that stinks and causes me to cough. Tasha then rolls them and clamps them making them look like small flowers. She pulled the blue along my hair line pining it in place with clear pins and then the black strand right behind it. She adds the spray to the rolls as well causing stiff curls of each color then pulled them tightly back with a hair clip that cause lines in my hair. The curls were left to dangle in the back and even though my hair is down to my bottom straight it only reached the middle of my back now. I look in the mirror and turn my head side to side.

"Wow, it looks amazing I have always just pulled my hair up into simple styles, but this is absolutely beautiful." This made her smile as big as she could. As I stare in the mirror, I almost don't look like me. It seemed to be the new theme of my current home.

"You do look absolutely beautiful." Patrick says. I glance over at him.

"Thank you. Is this dress to informal?" all these dresses didn't seem to impress him anymore, or they probably didn't to begin with.

"Wow, my brother might have a bit of a hard time focusing with you next to him." Melena looks me over.

"So um, what exactly am I supposed to do? No one has told me my part in all of this. They just stuff me in a dress and doll me up to do what?" No one had told me my role in the ceremony yet.

"What?" He seems distracted as we make our way to the elevator.

"Tomorrow during the ceremony. No one has told me how to behave." He pushes the button and we're whisked away.

"It is actually really simple. You will enter the room from the opposite side from me. We'll meet at the end of the carpet where I'll offer you my elbow and you'll take it then walk down the aisle together. Once we reach the steps to the throne, you're to release my elbow. You'll continue up the steps curtsy to the priest, turn and curtsy slightly to me then step to the side to stand in front of the smaller throne and wait. I'll still be at the bottom of the steps still while the ceremonial priest does this big speech. I then comes up the steps to the priest who is standing in front of the big throne, I vow to obey our laws and then I'm crowned. Once crowned, I'll step up beside you be handed another crown. You turn curtsey as I then place it on your head. The two of us will hold hands stand as the crowd bows before us and be seated allot of bowing and cheers then a dance, a dinner and off to bed. Trust me you will be exhausted from it." I hang my head a bit. It did sounds simple enough, I think.

Dinner thankfully goes off without a hitch and I return to my room alone. Well, save for the guards. I flop down on the bed and close my eyes. I'm exhausted. Melena steps out of the room leaving her guards on the balcony. I drift off into a dream.

"This isn't where you're meant to be." My father's voice comes from the balcony. I stand and walk out to him.

"Father, I've missed you so much." I wrap my hands around him. I close my eyes as I push into his chest. I feel his figure grow smaller in my grip and I pull away looking up.

"You are beautiful." It's the Talamute prince.

"You can't be here. Guards!" I shout but no one comes. He steps toward me until my back reaches the wall between the openings and I can't move back any further. He leans in placing his hand on the side of my face he lenses in and kisses me passionately. I can't help but give in. I would have blasted him with fire but for some reason none of that works in my dream.

"Good morning, Laoonica." I open my eyes shocked to see the morning had come so soon. How had a kiss lasted the entire night? Even if it was a dream it didn't seem a long enough one to make morning blink into existence. I wasn't sure if it had been a message from my father or if it had just been a weird dream.