The One Knight Stand

.: Kiss Lily :.

31 | Kiss Lily

Scrubbing her skin raw made good sense.

Blue dumped a frigid bucket of water over her shoulders and lathered up.

Rinsed off.

Toweled dry.

I lost... I lost...

Bungled it up bad.

Sir Pilar was waiting for her in her room. Her curly hair was undone, a parcel sat at her feet.

The squire and the knight regarded each other as a mongoose and a hawk would.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said.

"Then we won't. The carriage for the Mayor's estate leaves at seven. The masquerade starts at seven thirty sharp."

"I'm not going."

Sir Pilar sighed. "Why, Blue?"

Because I don't want to risk seeing him there. Or be reminded of how close I came to victory.

"Because I didn't bring a dress," she said instead.

"I figured you wouldn't." Pilar handed Blue the parcel. "I took the liberty of preparing one for you."

A peek in the box revealed pale yellow silk bejeweled with canary stones. Prim lace accented the bust. A ballgown. Conservative. Long sleeved and high necked in the fashion of the era.

"I wore this dress at my first competition ball. Only a few years younger than you. And a few pounds heavier too." A wry chuckle. "I knew you wouldn't accept an entirely new dress, so I had mine altered."

Blue tried it on, nerves betraying her. The buttons clasped snugly around her waist. The eyelet sleeves hid her bruises. The sunny hue contrasted with Blue's warm medium skin nicely. The hoop skirt gave Blue the illusion of curves and she smoothed the ruffles into place.

Pilar was right. It was the nicest gift she'd ever received.

"Why?" She asked. "After all I've done. Why even bother?"

"Women like us," Pilar rubbed the back of her hand to hint at what type of woman she meant. "Have the misfortune of being masculinized, dehumanized, over-sexualized, and stereotyped all I once. I can't say I fully understand what hardships you endured in the village, but I've spent my entire life making sure no femme knight contracted after me would be seen as anything but that. A warrior. Who happens to wear pretty clothes when she wants."

Pilar waved Blue over to the full length mirror, and the squire delicately crossed the room. How did noble women glide so gracefully wearing so many layers? Sacrifice their souls to the Dark Lord? Is that why they never left the house? Is that why they tittered at each other behind their lace fans? Coquettishly summoning Koukajou for perfect posture and unblemished skin?

With practiced ease Sir Pilar pinned Blue's braids into a sophisticated, gravity defying updo.

Pearl earrings, comfortable flats, and a matching choker brought the creamy ensemble together quite nicely.

"Lord," Blue gasped at her reflection. "Who the hell is that?"

If the girls could see me now...

"A future knight." Pilar smiled, motherly.

"Well. I, uh," spit it out. "Thank you. For this."

"Thank Camleang, actually. He's the one who guessed your measurements. He even dropped it off at the tailors for me. Poor boy's been running errands for me ever since we stepped foot in Hullbeck."

"I'm surprised he had time." Blue grumbled.

"Why wouldn't he?"

"I see him creeping in across the quarter all day. Wetting his whistle with the locals. Which he has the right to do, by all means."

Pilar picked up on the jealous tint in her voice.

"Oh." She laughed. "Oh. You think honestly think Bo capable of seducing women on a whim?"

"He's done it before!"

"With you, perhaps. But Bo isn't the type to sleep around."

That shut Blue right up.

"Not true! I saw him leaving a strange cottage late at night and a woman waved him goodbye. Explain that then!"

Pilar retrieved yet another gift from the box. "Your mask. He was picking up your mask. I put the order in late and the detailers had to work overtime to finish it. Bo paid extra so it'd be done in time."

...Had she been projecting all this time?

"But... but why all the secrecy?"

"I told Bo to keep it a surprise. I told him the errands were for you and he didn't ask any questions. Not even he knew what was inside the parcels. It's probably just as well he's mute, that boy can't hold water, much less secrets. Especially around people he trusts. It wasn't easy, either. The jeweler keeps odd hours and the corsetry was nearly impossible to find. He got lost countless times before he found it, was nearly mugged from what he told me. Between my demands and his spying I don't know how he managed."

That explains the map. And the shifty behavior. And the late nights.

Bo was doing all of that for me.

(And then you snapped on him like a bear trap.)

Fuck.

(And even after that he carried on with Pilar's errands. Because that's just who he is.)

Fuck!

An apology was in order.

Blue fastened her mask, a simple full face piece trimmed in gold to match her gown. Her wary eyes were left exposed.

"Well now I feel rather foolish."

Pilar spritzed Blue with kiss lily perfume before escorting her out the Raunchy Rooster to the carriage waiting outside. "Everyone does, at some point. The question is how you're going to handle it. Hurry along now, the magic wears off at midnight. Or something like that."

Torrance and Wu were already dressed, masked, and she could only tell the two apart by their voices. Their brother chords sat thick on their shoulders.

"Good evening, Miss Sanlanh." The Crocodile respectfully nodded. "Flax is a fair color on you."

The Wolf beside him saluted. "Lookin' good Blueberry. Almost tricked me into bowing."

Blue took her seat, shooting Wu a venomous glare, and Pilar stepped back. She was unspeakably fond of those three, as she secretly was of all squires in her charge.

"I'll be by later. I have to take care of some logistics back at the club. Represent Anachakar well, as I know you all will. Away!"

The driver snapped the reigns and the carriage jerked forward.

"Wait, Sir Pilar!" Dread seizing her, Blue leaned out the carriage window. "I've never been to a ball before! What do I do? What do I say?"

Without a word, Pilar tapped her royal crest and smiled a rare smile.

Blue looked down, bewildered, and finally noticed the applique embroidered on the left side of her chest in shimmering golden thread.

Wings, thorax, antenna.

Oh Lord no.

It was a hornet.