Oren was much better at the game than I was. Determined to beat him, we continued playing the next day in the afternoon again.
Damien was still nowhere to be found. And with only two days left before the wedding, I had to speak to him urgently.
Oren and I were set up in front of the fire, the warmest place in the room with the most light. We were in chairs across from each other with the table between us. I watched him over my deck of cards as he carefully played his next hand.
When he was done I placed mine. "I won! I finally won!"
He laughed as I started my victory lap around one of the chairs.
Someone knocked on the door.
Oren stood and walked over, a hand on his sword. Once the door opened slightly, he peered outside then opened the door widely.
Kymra walked inside, her eyes moving between the two of us. To Oren, she said, "You are mad, aren't you? Imagine the Alteazor finds out you're in Lady Emylin's room?"
I piped up. "Call me Emmy, please!"
They both seemed to ignore me. "We're only passing the time playing card games since he has conveniently forgotten about her."
The words stung. I didn't think that Damien had forgotten about me at least not in the way that Oren was saying it. Could it be true?
Kymra crossed her arms. "With respect, General, you should be careful." She whispered the next part so low I didn't catch it.
I walked over to them. "What's going on?"
The tension in the room was suddenly cut and Kymra turned to me with a smile. Whatever the conversation was, she didn't want me to know about it.
She curtsied in front of me. "Forgive me, Lady Emylin, I did not mean to be rude."
Oren turned to me. "Emmy, Kymra will take over for now while I go talk to the Guard with what they've found."
I nodded after Oren bowed and he quickly left through the door.
Kymra's long black hair was piled on top of her head, her translucent skin seemed to glow accenting her dark eyes and rosy cheeks and lips. She was dressed differently than before, she was no longer in armor but in a long green robe that reached her fingertips and trailed behind her as she walked.
Her fingers and sleeves of her dress were tainted in pink and blue like she had been mixing paint.
"I've come to get you, we're going to visit the Magister. He is expecting you."
"Who?"
"The Magister, he is the most knowledgeable person in magic in the kingdom. He is going to try and see if he can help with your Mark."
I started to walk towards her where she stood close to the door.
She held up a hand as I neared with a smile.
"My lady, you are hardly dressed to walk around the castle as a guest of the King. First, you have to change."
I looked down at the oversized T-shirt and jeans. "I don't have anything else."
And I didn't - the change of clothes that were packed in the duffel bag were already used and dirty and I hadn't found a washing machine.
Kymra smiled kindly. "Did you explore your room while you were here?"
I shook my head. I'd only found the bathroom and took the long bath I'd been wanting and the main room where the TV and bed were.
She signaled towards a closed door at the other end of the room. "Follow me, please."
Once the door was opened I saw that it was a closet packed with dresses wall to wall. The dresses were simple, some were ornate but all were beautiful.
I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Is this all necessary? I mean, can't we just, you know, appear there?"
She shook her head. "There are some rooms in Blackwell Keep that we can't 'appear' in - they are protected by magic. The chambers, this one, for example, and the Magister's Observatory are some of them."
My heart leapt. "He has an observatory? Does it have a telescope?"
Kymra nodded. "Yes, the Alteazor mentioned you would like that. It's almost night time too so we can probably see something."
I almost jumped inside the room, anxious to get dressed.
Kymra laughed and picked a dress out with matching shoes. It was a simple blue long dress and simple shoes.
"These might be a bit big but when you're done getting dressed, I'll tighten it up for you and see if we can make it truer to your size."
The sleeves were too long and went over my fingertips. If I didn't hold onto the front, I would step on it and trip. The fabric was blue then teal then purple - never staying one color for too long depending on the angle of the light. It was soft and comfortable but hugged my middle just right after Kymra adjusted the strings in the back.
Once satisfied, she sat me down on a chair in front of the mirror and brushed my hair back into a ponytail. She said it would be easier for the Magister to work on my neck.
"Is this what you wear too?" I asked looking at my reflection as I moved back and forth in front of the mirror.
She shook her head. "I wear armor or robes. Armor when I'm training or in battle and robes when I'm practicing magic. What you wear is what high-borns wear - it's what is expected. No one will look twice, I promise you."
"Who is here?" I asked as I watched her reflection.
She glimpsed up quickly. "At the moment it is the workers, getting everything ready for the wedding. There may even be some visitors to wish Alteazor and the future Alteaza a happy marriage. It's tradition."
I swallowed. I really needed to talk to Damien.
I cleared my throat. "Do you know if I'll get to see Damien soon?"
She shook her head. "He is much too busy at the moment with the preparations. It's why I was sent."
I tried to hide my disappointment.
She noticed and smiled at my reflection as I watched her work in the mirror. "You will see him soon, I imagine."
"Is he a good king?" I found myself asking the question without meaning to. It was something I'd always wondered, too chicken to ask Damien myself.
She nodded, smiling. "Yes, he is a good king. Just like his father before him."
I smiled and looked at my hands on my lap. Of course, he was a good king, he was a good friend.
"It's why I will lay my life down for him and protect him until my dying breath."
I watched the stunning creature as she brushed my hair. "What was his father like? Damien only mentioned him a couple of times."
She picked up my hair and started to braid then tie it. "He was just, kind, listened. He was a very good listener, loved by all - he was a better ruler than his brother, Robyn."
Damien's uncle - the reason the coup took place. Was that the name? Damien never mentioned it. My head throbbed suddenly, causing me to frown.
Kymra continued. "The late king's brother, he was cruel. He went mad - killed all the light fae - the little of them that were left, and drove them to extinction. He left none spared not even the children."
I covered my open mouth with my hand. "How horrible. Why would he do that?"
"He blamed them for his wife's untimely death. During childbirth, she and her kin did not survive. The light fae - they are life. It's hard to explain." She paused. "Their magic was very powerful they held the key to life itself." She shrugged. "When they couldn't save the Queen, well, he blamed them. He went mad with grief."
I watched as she delicately placed the braid around the high ponytail, then placed pins inside. "It was a very dark time for us. We all followed blindly - he was good with his words. He had the gift of a silver tongue. He could easily manipulate anyone with it."
I was enthralled in her story, waiting with bated breath for her words. I felt the sadness in her voice as she spoke, I was on the verge of tears myself.
"Well," she sighed. "Everyone except the royal family. Only his blood could see through his gift and see him for what he was. King Warren, he showed up and fought him, finally stopped him. It's how we found redemption. I hope we never relive those days."
"What happened to him?" I asked softly.
She placed some pins in my hair then set her hands on my shoulders, sighing, a far-off look on her face. "Executed, King Warren did not take long to carry out justice. He felt responsible for not acting sooner. He always believed that if he had acted sooner the light fae would still be alive today."
Damien never did mention why the coup took place, why his father felt the need to rebel against his own brother. Knowing now what took place, it seemed justified.
"I'm so sorry. I had no idea." I placed my hand on hers in a comforting gesture.
She instantly pulled away as if I'd burned her. I turned towards her and covered my mouth. "I'm sorry!"
She looked at her hand then at me and frowned. "I'm sorry, my Lady." She was formal again as if the previous moments didn't happen. "I didn't mean to startle you."
She cleared her throat. "We should be going, we should not keep the Magister waiting."