I do not even have any time to react as we are winnowed into the Spring Court. I arrive into a room similar to mine back home--but so much brighter. I quickly go to the door only to find it locked, and I quickly run over to the balcony doors and swing them open. I stop myself from gasping at the beautiful scenery my patio overlooks. There is a garden right below my balcony, and then lush green hills lay in the distance and beautiful trees of the woods go out as far as I can see. I quickly walk back into my rooms and admire the pale green room sketched with patterns of gold. The ivory furniture and rugs sticks out against the green and the curtains on the windows seem to be made of silk with hold velvet. I take in the large canopy bed with my eyebrows raised. I know the Spring Court was known for its beauty but I never actually believed it.
The large ivory doors open and multiple ladies dressed in various pastel colors enter.
"Hello, Lady Velaris, welcome to the Spring Court. We are here to assist you to get ready for tonight's ball." A younger woman says to me.
"A ball?" I ask.
"Yes, to celebrate your engagement." She gives me a smile.
"Engagement?" I raise my eyebrows.
"Oh dear, it seems she was not informed of her own engagement." One of the ladies says to the other.
"Do we tell her?" Another lady asks.
"I do not think it is our place--"
"Hello? I am literally right here. I can hear everything you are saying." I tell them and they all turn to me and seem to observe me--or judge me. I cannot tell which.
"Nevertheless, we must prepare you." One of the ladies lifts one eyebrows as she looks at me, "We have much work to do."
I scoff a laugh at the insult and do not fight them as they take me over to the marble vanity and make me sit in the stool. I sit as still as I am able as they put curlers in my hair and place powder and rouge on my cheeks. They also place kohl around my eyes and on my long lashes to make the violet in my eyes stand out.
"Is this all really necessary?" I ask them.
"Do you not want to make a good impression your first time meeting your future people?" One of the lady asks me. I roll my eyes at her words, of course the ladies of the Spring Court would be snobby, I cannot wait to find out what the men here act like.
"Is my bare face not worthy enough?" I demand, and they have enough intelligence to not say anything else to me. I sit in the stool for hours as they work on my face and hair. Once they finally finish with that, they take out the curlers in my hair and style it so half of my hair is tied back while the other half falls down below my breasts. Then they begin placing layers of a pale purple dress onto my body. They place a corset on me, and actually tell me to suck in. I wanted to tell them what they could suck but I chose to behave. I let out a sharp breath as they pull the corset as tight as they can. Once they are completely finished, they take me to a long mirror and my mouth drops open as I take myself in.
I look beautiful.
And I hate it.
"We can use glamor's to make your hair color lighter and make your eyes less--" The one girl cuts herself short as she thinks of a word to use.
"Evil." One of the girls finish for her, I look at my eyes in the mirror and I have never felt insecure about them before this moment. I never thought my eyes to look evil, violet eyes were considered beautiful and unique in the Night Court. I never realized other courts might find them ugly. I consider their offer for a moment, curious as to what I would look like with lighter hair and different colored eyes, but then that girl would not be me.
"I have been fine with the way I look for almost three decades now, it will take more than a few lowlife maids of the Spring Court to make me want to appeal to their beauty standards." I say as I keep looking at myself in the mirror. I watch the girls look at each other and begin whispering at the words I had just said.
If they wanted me to be evil, then I will gladly be evil.
"Thank you for your time helping me prepare for the ball. You are dismissed." I straighten my shoulders and hold my head high as I turn to face them. They widen their eyes at the demand in my voice and quickly curtsy before leaving. I smirk as the scurry out of my rooms.
I decide that I like the power I hold when people think me to be evil and powerful--it felt good. I turn back to the mirror to look at myself once more and cringe at the sight of the poofy dress they stuck me in. Every dress I have worn in the Night Court has either been thin, tight to the skin, revealing, or flowy. They were nothing like this engorged piece of clothing they have me in now. I quickly turn from the mirror as I make my way to the doors to try to walk out of them--I expect them to still be locked but the knob turns as I twist it. I begin walking out of my rooms and struggle walking when I realize the shoes they have put me in were heeled. I huff a sigh as I continue making my way down the hallway, following the sound of music and laughter. I walk down the golden staircase and when I find where the ballroom is--I use my shadows to conceal me as I search for a familiar face.
Once I see him, I winnow over to where Rhysand and Azriel stand speaking to one another near the table of drinks. A couple of people stare at me as I winnow in but I do not care. Rhysand and Azriel both look at me with raised eyebrows, and then at each other.
"Do not say one word or I will murder both of you." I warn them, but Rhysand lets out roaring laughter and Azriel snorts at the sight of me. My mate snorts at me. "This is not funny!"
"You are right, sister, it is hilarious." Rhysand says, as he continues to laugh. I pull on the corset to try to make it more comfortable but I fail to do so.
"Can one of you explain what in the gods name is going on?" I ask, and their laughter quickly fades.
"You are being married off to one of the son's of the Spring Court." Rhysand tells me.
"No shit, I figured that part out, but why? We are about to fight against them in war so why the hell is--" I cut myself off when I realize, "Father made a deal with them, didn't he? So they would fight on our side of the war if I married one of the sons."
"Yes." Azriel says.
"I cannot even be upset about that," I look around at the giant ballroom and all the people here, "I will gladly marry someone if it will help us win the war."
"So you are not going to try to fight against it?" Rhys asks me, and it takes everything in me not to turn to Azriel--my mate.
"Not right now. I will find a way out of it in the future, but if it is the only thing to get the Spring Court to fight alongside us, then I will not hesitate to marry a son of spring."
"You already look like you fit right in, sister." Rhys says with a smile and I narrow my eyes at me.
"This will have to not be a part of father's deal, because I am not wearing one of these every single day." I point to the purple dress they put me in. People begin dancing on the dancefloor which allows me to see the throne that sits slightly elevated on the floor. I see the older blonde haired man speaking with my father, and I look to his right and see a brunette lady--who I assume is his wife--dressed in a pale yellow dress similar to mine. She is speaking to a younger blonde haired man. I look to the two other blonde younger men that stand next to the High Lord's throne and have to assume that they are their sons. I observe the two plain looking older sons and the more attractive younger one.
"Please tell me the youngest one is the one I am engaged to." I say quietly to Rhys who just shakes his head with a smile.
"No, he is in last place to become High Lord but he will be a good friend to have while you are here." Rhys tells me, and by the smile on his face I can assume that the youngest son is the one he has befriended.
"I do not plan on staying here long enough to make friends." I point out.
"You still have a while until you are to be wed, apart of fathers deal was that the wedding takes place after the war is won so we know the Spring Court will not betray us." My brother says, almost too proudly.
"Did you help him plan this deal?" I ask.
"Just a bit--"
"And while you were helping him plan this deal, did you ever stop to think about my opinion on the subject?" I look up to him as I clench and unclench my jaw at the small betrayal my brother has committed.
"Velaris, it is not like that--"
"Of course you would not see it like that, Rhysand, because you are a male and have full control over your life." I point out and before he can say anything else I begin to walk away and feel Azriel follow me. "Why are you following me?"
"Because I was ordered to keep an eye on you." He says simply.
"Of course you were. Everything that happens in my life is my fathers doing." I mumble as I continue to walk through the ballroom--I do not know where to. I finally decide to go greet my father and then I freeze when I see a familiar blonde priest at the High Lord of the Spring Court's side.
"What is wrong?" Azriel asks from my side. I look to him as I enter his mind and tap on his shields so he can lower them. I show him the memory of after I was captured from the Valkyrie camps and the vision that Priest showed me of my wings being ripped from me over and over again--
Azriel stares a deathly glare at the Priest, and the younger blonde priestess at his side notices Azriel and I's stares and whispers something into his ear. The Priest snaps his attention to us and smiles a horrifying smile at me as if he was also remembering the visions he put into my mind. I quickly turn around and walk the other way, back to my brother--whom I find laughing at something the youngest High Lord's son has said. Azriel silently follows me back as I make my way to Rhysand. His violet eyes seem to light up as he notices me walking back to him, he puts his hand on the boy's shoulder and says something so the blonde man would turn around to face me.
"This is my sister, Velaris." Rhysand says to the blonde fae, "Velaris, meet your future brother in law--Tamlin."