Curse of Ash

Chapter 9

The night was just as glowing as the day was. Alyvia didn't expect it to be so, but everything about the north side of the wall, the fae lands, were proving Alyvia wrong again and again.

The world from the balcony, high up in the manor, gave a fairytale kind of feel. Looking down upon the land, everything gilded by the light of the full moon, Alyvia felt like a princess hidden away in the tower. She spotted a guard walking the grounds, his head rotating slowly as he paced his steps far below, a long and thin sword strapped at his side. She glimpsed the delicate points of his ears as the wind brushed through his long, dark hair. He reminded her of Tomas Danverz, Malena's older brother and her brother's best friend, with his round nose, the square jaw, the dark skin.

The guard suddenly lifted his head, eyes finding and meeting Alyvia's. She quickly ducked away, knowing she was just caught staring. Her cheeks flamed red.

She pushed through a swallow and straightened herself, turning back into her room and closing the balcony doors behind her with a rushed and soft click. Her fingers brushed against the polished brass of the handle, noticing there weren't any locks on the door. Which she supposed made sense—you'd have to be crazy to try and break into a room at the top of a tower.

Alyvia remembered a children's fairytale story she was told by her mother as a child, of how a girl was trapped in a tower, but a boy came to save her, scaling the building and came right through the window.

She gave the door one last look before shutting the drapes with a harsh swish and walked away.

Plopping down on her bed, she surveyed her room. While the ceiling was covered in hanging vines, the rest of the room was a pristine, untouched white. There was color in the brass items from the etching around the balcony door, to the door of her room and what she suspected was the washroom. The dresser had intricate swirls etched into the surface of each drawer, matching the nightstands on either side of the bed. The vanity was a light green, matching the drapes, vines and bedding.

The room was by far bigger than her one at home, more spacious and elegant. In fact, she couldn't recall ever being in a bedroom this large. And she knew that Kael's would be even grander, as the lord of the land.

Alyvia stood and moved to the wardrobe, expecting to find it empty. But upon opening it, she found at least a dozen dresses, all different colors and designs. They all had the same base thought: to be elegant and perfect to wear at court. Someone had taken the liberty to add their own touches and thoughts to each piece, while maintaining decency. Alyvia respected that, fingering at a particularly deep shade of red that she found alluring.

Would Lord Kael think it just as alluring? She thought, a blush rushing to her cheeks. She dropped the dress and decided to peruse the washroom, willing her cheeks to calm to normal. Though she was entirely alone, nobody to witness her here.

It was just as spacious as the bedroom. A tub sat in one corner, a sink and toilet in the other. A rack held towels and jars full of lotions, soaps, detergents, she realized upon reading the scrawls on each. Much fancier than anything she could afford back home. Their father sent money on occasion, and Reeves and Jenner took up old jobs around the city, and they had enough saved to live comfortably. But not enough to spoil and lounge in their earnings.

Alyvia sometimes wished she could be spoiled and pampered and didn't have to think about the consequences of money or lifestyle.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the square mirror above the sink, and promptly wrinkled her nose.

She couldn't believe no one stopped her from being in the company of a fae lord when she looked like she had been tossed around in a tornado.

Starting a bath, grabbing the best smelling soaps—rose and amber—and she went to work scrubbing herself for minutes or hours. She lost track of time when she patted herself dry and changed into a long and decent night gown she found in the wardrobe.