“Well, now that you’ve seen each other, come over here and have a look at yourselves,” Wenda said as she took each of us by the arm and brought us to where Tana had relocated the mirror. So, while Tási took in what I had already seen of her, I was finally able to look over what Rhia and Wenda had done to me for the first time.
Wenda had chosen to be a bit more obvious in her efforts with me, and the more heavily shaded dark shadows above my eyes, and the thin line of black she had traced around them made the brilliant green tint of my irises almost seem to glow in contrast. She had also chosen slightly darker shades to highlight my cheeks and darken my lips, but it all worked together to bring out the contours of my face.
Rhia’s work on my hair was nothing short of amazing—she had pinned most of it up in a carefully arranged bundle of loose curls, while allowing a few strands to dangle down strategically onto my bare shoulders. Combined with Wenda’s makeup, the hairstyle framed my face and complimented Birt’s beautifully designed gown perfectly. I was almost rendered speechless by what Wenda and Rhia had managed to accomplish for both of us.
“Thank you, all of you,” I whispered. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for us.”
“You could stop sending me on all those useless errands,” Rhia shot back.
“Done,” I replied as I gave her hand a quick squeeze.
“If you are ready, Dreya Sintári, Commander,” Tana broke in and addressed us formally. “It is time for you to head downstairs.”
Karina was in charge of my escort detail as we made our way down to the reception. Since Tási had the night off, Ella took command of the guards and was already in the grand hall where the reception was being held, overseeing security there. We stopped short of actually joining in the festivities and waited in a small side room for the appropriate time to make our entrance.
Apparently, protocol required that I wait until after the King had arrived to make my first appearance. Once he had made his entrance, I would slip in and mingle for a short while before our formal introductions were properly made. It all seemed like so much theater to me, but Broda and the dwarven Ambassador had both insisted that we follow proper protocol. But while we waited, Venna stopped by with one final surprise for me.
“Oh my,” she exclaimed as she entered the room where we waited for our chance to enter the reception. “You two look incredible.”
“Thank you, Venna,” Tási smiled as she replied for the both of us. “You’re looking pretty good yourself.”
Tási’s description was perhaps a bit of an understatement. The gown that Birt had given her was a rich golden yellow that nearly matched the deep blond color of her hair. The cut of her dress complemented her leaner figure with a higher neckline and a more closely tailored skirt than either mine or Tási’s gowns had. It seemed like a perfect match for her, just as the others were for us.
“What brings you by, Venna?” I asked her curiously. “You should be enjoying the reception, and not be trapped in here with us.”
“Yes, I should,” Venna taunted playfully. “But Tási’s not the only one who had a surprise for you today.”
“You knew?” I asked in astonishment. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Do you really need me to answer that question?” Venna replied rhetorically.
When I shook my head in response, Venna smiled at me and produced a small box she had been hiding behind her back.
“This is a gift, not from me, but from your people, Dreya,” Venna told me solemnly. “I only have the honor of being the one to present it to you.”
She handed me the small wooden container that was almost a treasure itself, and I pried open the lid only to discover the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen inside.
Three large green stones made up the center of the necklace, each cut into exquisite ovals, and their facets reflected the flickering light brilliantly. Each stone was mounted in a setting of pure Khelduin, as were the elegant links of the chain that strung them all together. It was the perfect adornment for my bare neck, since the Amulet of Unity was secreted away.
“This is amazing,” I said as Venna plucked the necklace out of the box and draped it around my neck.
“It is,” Venna replied. “The stones and the raw metal, as you might have already guessed, came from the miners, while Renn was the one who actually worked the Khelduin. Ilvain’s carpenters crafted the box, and we’ve been keeping the jeweler, Siaol, hidden from you since he arrived so you wouldn’t discover what we had him working on.”
“You are so damn sneaky,” I responded. Venna, and who knows who else, had orchestrated an elaborate scheme to deceive me, managing to even keep the very existence of one of my citizens from me in the process. It was both heartwarming and somewhat disturbing at the same time
“Yes, well, be that as it may, it’s time for me to get back to the reception,” Venna taunted as she left us to rejoin the festivities.
The dwarven King had apparently made his entrance while we’d been talking with Venna, so I didn’t have long to wait after that before I was permitted to join the reception myself. Rhia opened the door for us, and I pulled Tási close and walked into the hall arm in arm with her by my side.
Once room for the necessary officials and security was accounted for, we had invited as many of my people as possible to the grand reception. I would have liked to have been able to invite all my citizens to attend, but our population had grown well beyond the limits of even the great hall to accommodate, so, we were forced to hold a lottery for the remaining seats.
Since I had some time before I was to be introduced to the King, I sought out everyone I could find who had taken part in crafting the beautiful necklace for me and thanked them personally for their exquisite gift. We had made sure to include members from all the important groups among the invited guests, so I was able to thank representatives from the miners and Renn and Ilvain themselves as well. Not only that, but I managed to meet the apparently elusive jeweler, Siaol himself as we searched the room for anyone who had played a role in crafting the gift my people had given me for the occasion. The bespectacled elf, Siaol, was the perfect image of an expert jeweler, right down to the neat outfit and tidy vest he wore. I didn’t get to learn much about him, however, because almost as soon as I finished thanking him, one of my guards came over to let me know that it was time to make the formal introductions.
We had been told what to do and expect, so as soon as it was time, Tási and I made our way to the location that had been chosen. It was in full view of all, so that our meeting could be observed, but not in the center of the room, so as to make it at least appear to be unplanned, despite the obviousness of how well-orchestrated everything was. It was an odd bit of political intrigue, but as long as it satisfied some requirement of etiquette, I didn’t voice my irritation with the blatant theatrical nature of it all.
Joining Tási and me on one side were Venna, Stel, Broda, Khorim, Ella, as head of security, and First Marshal Evans, who was accompanied by a lovely woman, Hollyn, who was quite a few years his junior. I raised an eyebrow as I noted the apparent couple, and he quickly looked away to escape my inquisitive gaze.
“Your Majesty,” Broda began. “I welcomed you to our lands earlier today, and now I have the pleasure of introducing you to our leaders.”
“You already know my husband Khorim, who has the honor of serving as our Minister of Information. Beside him is Captain Ella, who is in command of Palace security,” Broda continued, naming Ella as head of security during Tási’s brief departure from that role.
“Next to her is First Marshal Evans, supreme commander of our military forces, and his companion, Hollyn.”
Oh, companion, is it? Evans looked away again as I tried to catch his eye once more.
“Our Chief Minister Venna is also here with her husband Stel, who serves as our Minister of Finance,” Broda went on with the introduction before concluding with Tási and me.
“And now I have the honor o
f presenting to you our leader, Dreya Sintári, and her companion, Commander Tási,” Broda finally finished.
What was supposed to happen next was that the King would present me with a small gift, a token of friendship between our two Realms that signified his recognition of our existence but fell short of any formal support of our claim to be an equal Kingdom. But instead, as soon as Broda presented Tási and I as a couple, the King slowly tapped the little box he held in one hand against the palm of the other and contemplated what had just been revealed to him.
“Ambassador?” he said as he turned to his own representative. “Why was I not made aware of this unique relationship?”
“Your Majesty,” the dwarven Ambassador fumbled. “I have only discovered it myself just now. This did not come up during our discussions.”
This night was meant to be the first tentative step onto the world stage for my Realm, but it seemed that we had instigated a very heated discussion between the King and his Ambassador. What was truly distressing was that the cause of that conflict was the revelation of my relationship with Tási. I knew that such issues were not truly accepted in dwarven society, but I had decided to be open and honest with the King right from the start, rather than let it seem like I was trying to hide the truth from him when it was inevitably discovered at some time in the future. It seemed like that decision was about to backfire on me rather spectacularly, and as I squeezed Tási’s hand a little tighter I braced myself for the outrage that I was certain I was about to face.
“So, you make me stand here like a fool!” the King reprimanded his subordinate, but oddly, as he did so, he flashed me a quick wink.
“You let me come here, put me before two beautiful women with only a single gift to present to them?”
“I… I,” the Ambassador stuttered in obvious confusion.
“Relax,” the King finally said to him as he laughed at the man’s discomfort. “I was only having a bit of fun with you.”
“But it is truly a shame that between a pair of such beautiful women, I have only one gift to bestow,” he offered sincerely as he presented me with the small metal container.
“Thank you, your Majesty,” I replied with relief as his humor was revealed. It would have been inauspicious indeed for our initial political foray to end on such an unpleasant note and would not have boded well for my ultimate goals, to say the least.
“Your neck is already graced by some very fine jewelry,” the King commented. “The gift I have given you is yours of course, but perhaps, at least for tonight, you may wish for your companion to wear it.”
At his prompting, I opened the box and found a diamond encrusted bracelet nestled in the plush fabric that lined its interior. It appeared to be absolutely amazing, but I didn’t examine it too closely, so as not to seem crass. Instead, I simply wrapped the diamond band around Tási’s wrist, and closed the clasp for her.
“It is most beautiful, your Majesty,” I said as I turned back to face the King. “Considering how wonderful it looks on Tási, I consider it a gift for both of us, so you need not be too harsh on your Ambassador.”
The King smiled at my words and offered me a slight nod, acknowledging my play on his earlier jest. As he did, I motioned for Ella to bring forth the gift we had arranged to offer him in return.
Our own lidded box was made of wood and had been crafted by Dellon in the dwarven style. Thick carvings adorned its surface, and dwarven runes that proclaimed his title were engraved on the top. When Ella presented it to him, I offered my thoughts on the gift he was about to receive as the King opened the lid.
“I’m so happy we decided on this particular gift for you, your Majesty,” I told him as he opened the box. “A person of your character should be well-protected from harm.”
My timing was perfect, and just as I finished speaking, the King pried open the lid and saw what we had offered him; a pair of armored bracers crafted from the pure Khelduin that our mines continued to produce in previously unheard-of quantities.
He pulled one of them out and simply stared at the finely crafted piece of armor. Using the Forge Hammers, Georl had done the bulk of the work, while Hilgreth had finished the item in the dwarven style, adding the engraving that closely matched the work Dellon had put into the outside of the container we had presented the bracers in.
“Technically, your Majesty,” I teased him delicately, “I think that may count as two gifts for one person.”
“It might as well,” he replied in awe. “The metal alone would have been more than I ever anticipated, but the craftsmanship of these is beyond anything I expected. How is it that you have such fine smiths in your new… land?”
“One of them I stole from you, your Majesty,” I smiled as I gestured towards the table where my three smiths sat drinking together. “Hilgreth did a fine job finishing the bracers, but Georl did most of the forging. We’ve found that such collaborations yield the best products, so it’s become our habit to have people work together on the most important projects.”
“The half-orc made these?” The King replied in amazement.
“Yes, he did,” I replied as my grin widened.
“I had no idea that his people were capable of such work,” he responded.
“Not many do,” I answered him. “Usually because they refuse to give them the chance to demonstrate their capabilities. I’m trying to change that. My Realm is founded on the promise of equality for all. That openness is what has lent us the strength to come this far in such a short time.”
“Forgive me, Dreya Sintári,” Broda jumped in. “I fear that we are straying into topics that are better left for our discussions tomorrow.”
I bristled a little at her reminder, but held my tongue as I remembered the conditions that had been agreed to; no serious matters were to be discussed at the reception. Anything of substance was to be left until the meeting we had scheduled for the next day. So, I nodded my understanding back to her, and let the matter go.
We talked for a while about small things before it was time for the food to be served, and as we were led away to our seats, I could hear the King whisper a few quick words to Tási.
“It looks lovely on you,” the King offered his compliment as we were escorted to our places.
“Thank you, your Majesty,” Tási was able to reply before our paths drew us apart.
Because of the informal nature of the relationship between our two nations, we were seated somewhat far apart, and instructed to limit our interaction for the rest of the evening. I only agreed to that particular stipulation when Broda assured me that there would be ample time to speak with her uncle the next day.
Almost as soon as we sat down, the food began to be served. The feast began with lighter courses that suited the palates of our elvish citizens well, and then moved on to the richer foods that the King and the dwarves enjoyed so much more. I smiled when I saw the King compliment the orcish boar that I had made sure was included in the menu that night, and my grin grew even wider when he called for a second round of the heady brew that was served alongside it. I was more than just curious to see what his reaction would be the next day when I informed him of the origins of those two particular items.
Eventually the night grew late, and it came time for us to depart. Despite the fact that the reception continued to go on, decorum once again dictated my actions. So, in deference to the customs of the land in such matters, I cut my evening short and headed upstairs for the night. It bothered me somewhat to do things I didn’t really want to do just for the sake of appeasing some ancient tradition, but I intended to bring great change to this land, and that job would only be more difficult if I chose to rock the boat at every opportunity.
“Ugh,” Tási huffed as she plopped down on our bed. “That might have been more fun if we were actually allowed to talk to anyone.”
“I completely agree,” I replied as I sat down beside her so that she could help me undo the buttons on the back of my dress.
“I don
’t intend to follow those stuffy protocols forever,” I told her as we switched places. “Only for as long enough as I really have to.”
As soon as we were done, I slipped out of my gown and draped it carefully over the back of one of the chairs. Once Tási did the same with hers, we both tucked ourselves under the covers and snuggled together beneath the warm blankets.
“You’ve got a big meeting tomorrow,” Tási commented. “Do you want me to massage your back and put you to sleep tonight?”
“If I remember correctly, my love,” I replied as I slid my hand into the thick curls of her hair. “We’re both attending that meeting.”
“So, I think,” I whispered to her softly as I gently pulled her face closer to mine until our noses brushed together. “I’d rather we do something that’s a little more mutually beneficial.”
The next morning, I woke before Tási and simply stared at the amazing woman that lay sleeping across from me. After the rather enthusiastic night we’d had, the covers lay in a jumble, and little hints of her body were tantalizingly exposed between the folds of our blankets. But as my eyes wandered over her, my thoughts were not of an amorous nature. Rather, I was simply enthralled by her beauty and felt truly grateful that I had such an incredible woman by my side.
As I gazed at her, I recalled the passion we shared the previous night. When we first began our relationship, Tási had been an intense lover and she still had those same tendencies. But ever since I stirred the water spirit inside her and she finally gained access to the powers that came with it, the focus of her ardor had changed.
Before I woke the spirit inside her, she had been limited to conveying her desires with only the physical means that were at her disposal. But with the emergence of her elemental powers, Tási had gained access to the same sort of pure emotional abilities that I had. Over time, she had grown in both her confidence and control over those powers and had learned how to use them to convey her passions in a much more potent and direct way. While we still enjoyed the touch and feel of each other’s bodies, and the physical side of our lovemaking was still very pleasing, the majority of our focus had shifted to intertwining the threads and tendrils of desire that we were able to combine together.
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 52
