The Prince of Nothing

Chapter 17 - [The Split]

I was rather pleased that overall, everyone thought I looked good. I was ecstatic that Saphryn thought I looked amazing.

Anyhow, I didn't get a lot of time to rejoice, because Lady Iva grabbed a massive sword and handed it to me. "What am I going to do with this?" I asked as I took the surprisingly light sword from her.

"Just a prop," she said, helping me attach it to the belt around my waist. "We're trying to create an image, here."

"You want me to look like my grandmother?"

"Precisely," she said. "An image that will keep you safe, to some extent, at least."

"That's brilliant," Vairyn said.

Lady Iva smiled. "The sword won't give you any trouble. Weapons of the Ahar clan are often very light and made of simple metals. They had no need for physically strong and heavy weapons because they mastered the art of fusing their vahri with objects. It's the vahri that makes their weapons strong. You've probably seen this with her mirror."

I nodded. "Makes sense."

She then attached another, smaller, knife to the other side of me. "This one is actually a useful one that you could use."

I chuckled.

After pulling away, she looked at me with a smile before turning to the boys. "Meet me back at the estate," she said, before taking my hand. "I have a little more to do with her before I send you off." With that, Lady Iva held her hand up. "Close your eyes, dear. You may get dust in your eyes if you don't."

I hesitated, but I did.

I felt odd for a moment, as if I was on a rollercoaster. My stomach rose into my throat and I felt a big gust of wind against my skin.

"We are here."

When I opened my eyes again, we were in the King of Warrior's mansion. "How..."

Lady Iva winked at me. She walked over to her desk and pulled out two things. It was eyeliner and lipstick. "Your grandmother always wore this strikingly dark red lipstick," she said as she held my chin up. "You don't mind, do you?"

I shook my head and let her apply the lipstick. I do know that my grandmother likes her dark lipstick. She always wore very dark red lipstick when she went out.

"And, she always wore thick eyeliner. She claimed it made her look meaner."

I chuckled as Lady Iva lined my eyes and winged them out. "Now," she said, "frown a little?"

I frowned, for rowing my brows.

Lady Iva stepped back and nodded with a short laugh. "You really are her granddaughter," she said, placing the eyeliner and lipstick into one of the pockets on the belt.

I smiled, a little embarrassed.

"Did she have any daughter's?" Lady Iva asked.

I shook my head. "Only boys, like my dad."

She nodded. "I know she always wanted a little girl," she said. "From her own sons to Saphirian, she's always been a mentor to boys. She always wanted more girls in her life. It's no wonder you two became so close."

I smiled, another thing I did know about my grandmother. "She always made jokes about how she was so unlucky for not having any daughters."

Lady Iva laughed.

"Were you close to her?" I asked.

"She was a good friend," she said. "She helped me a lot and I never got the chance to thank her."