Till Death Do Us Part

Just This Once - Valentine's Day Special

She growled with annoyance as she forgot that elaborate dresses like this made dressing and undressing a two-person job. She had no idea such a simple thing as taking your clothes off could suddenly get so challenging. Kayla, her handmaid, was always there to help her take those bloody garments off at home.

Her face flushed at the thought that she might have to ask Gawyn for help. There was no way she would ever do that. She'd rather sleep in the damned thing. She stretched her arms, trying to reach the upper lacings. It would be easier if she had a mirror, but there was none here, and she was surely not going out to do this awkward dance in front of Gawyn.

Skylar huffed, annoyed when yet another attempt failed. She shook her hands and rolled her shoulders. It also didn't help that it was so cramped in here. She took a deep breath and tried again. This time, she managed to grab something that seemed like the right ribbon to pull, but her fingers slipped, and her elbow shot back, hitting right into the middle of bottles standing on the table. The vials rolled in all directions, and Skylar managed to grab a few glass ones and save them from falling. But a couple of others fell on the floor with a loud clatter.

"Skylar? Are you all right there?" Gawyn's voice came from behind the curtain.

"Yes! I'm perfectly fine!" she shouted back, her panicked voice high-pitched, while she hastily put the bottles back on the table.

"Do you... need help? With a dress?" Gawyn asked with evident hesitation.

Skylar covered her face in her hands and made an inarticulate sound of anger. But she had to admit that there was no way she could take off that bloody dress by herself. When the silence stretched for too long, she finally said, "Maybe? I... I can't undo all the lacings on my corset."

"I can do that. Can... can I come in?"

"Yes, please."

Skylar turned her back to the entrance, her face burning warmer than the steam-filled room. It was so utterly humiliating. She was glad there was no mirror here, so Gawyn couldn't see her face now.

The whisper of brocade curtain announced his arrival, as well as a draft of cold air from outside. There was not much space here, so Skylar could feel him standing right behind her.

"That's a lot of laces," he said. "I don't think it's possible to unravel them all by yourself."

"I might have noticed that." She scoffed.

His fingers started working in the upper part of her corset, and a shiver ran down her body. She pressed the front of her dress tighter to her chest, her heart fluttering like a wild bird in a cage.

Gawyn's fingers stopped for a moment. "I'm sorry, my hands are cold," he said quietly.

"It's fine, don't worry about it."

"You know, you can ask me for help, right?" he asked while his fingers worked on the lacing, and her corset was finally loosening up. There was something in his voice that she couldn't quite get. He was usually calm and collected, but now he sounded... a bit more human. Gentle.

"It's embarrassing not to be able to undress by myself," she said bitterly, looking stubbornly at one point on the wall.

"It's just a dress. That's why nobles have so many maids around all the time. There's no reason for you to be embarrassed. Here, I think it's done." He took a step back, and she immediately felt cold.

"Thank you."

"I'll leave you to it." The curtain whispered again as he left the room.

Skylar sighed with relief and looked over her shoulder to ensure she was alone. Then, she finally took off the rest of her clothes and dipped herself into the water. But even though the water was warm, her face still felt hotter. She slid under the surface in the hope of evening out the temperature of her body. But her heart was still hammering in her chest, not wanting to slow down.