Elven Oath

Chapter 4

Vevina

A s I make my way back to my chambers, I can’t help but feel irritated. No one was telling me anything, not even my father but I know something is going on.

Why was the entire castle brimming with unease, and why did it feel like I was being purposely kept in the dark?

The door to my chambers creaked open, and as expected, my maids were already there, waiting for me with a bath prepared in the middle of the room.

The scent of lavender and rosewater was calming, though it did nothing to ease the frustration gnawing at me.

I say nothing as I strip off my dirty dress, feeling the cool air against my skin. Walking over to the tub, I step in and sink into the warm water. The maids, Dorina and Agnis, immediately began their work, scrubbing away the dirt from the orchard. Their hands are gentle, though their chatter was anything but quiet. As usual.

They gossiped as they always did, their voices light and filled with the kind of inconsequential nonsense that usually went unnoticed by me. I’m only half-listening as I stare at the water, trying to sort through my own thoughts.

My father had been more irritable than usual lately, the tension around the castle thicker than ever. I wondered if it had to do with the visitors in the hall. The ones I hadn’t been introduced to which seemed extremely odd on my father’s behalf.

"Did you see them? They were magnificent," Dorina’s voice cut through my thoughts, her excitement clear.

I blinked, turning my attention back to her, though I didn’t speak. She was always talking about something or someone, usually with that same swooning tone. But then I caught the one word that would pique my interest.

"Dragons."

Dragons? My ears perked up. Maybe if I stay quiet I can figure out what is going on around here.

"Magnificent?" Agnis muttered, her voice gruff with age as she scrubs my arms with a silk cloth. "You mean terrifying. They should have been kept far away from here. Bringing them into the courtyard..."

"But did you see them?" Dorina interrupted, ignoring Agnis’s scolding tone. Her cheeks were flushed, clearly more excited than concerned. "They were beautiful. Especially the one with the golden eyes. So handsome. Like something out of a story."

I sat up a little straighter in the bath, the water sloshing around me. "Dragons?" I asked, my voice cutting through the idle chatter. "Why are there dragons here?"

Dorina’s eyes widened as if she had forgotten I was even in the room. For a moment, she hesitated, biting her lip as if she’d said too much, but her excitement was too great to be contained. "Yes, my lady. Three of them. Didn’t you see them?"

I shook my head. "I’m not sure. I’ve been in the orchards with the children."

She leaned in as if she were sharing a grand secret, excitement on her face. "They’re from the Dragonkin, the ones our people used to have ties with in the old stories. And they were all so handsome, especially the one who stood in the middle, the tallest one with golden eyes that almost glowed."

Golden eyes. My mind flicks back to the Great Hall, to the brief glimpse I’d caught of one of the strangers before I had left. There had been something strange about the man standing before my father.

He had carried an air of power, something otherworldly. Could it be that he was one of the dragons Dorina was so eagerly gossiping about?

"Why are they here?" I asked again, more insistent this time.

Dorina glanced toward Agnis, who gave her a sharp look, as if silently warning her not to say too much. But Dorina was too caught up in her gushing. "I heard it has something to do with an old pact between our people. Something important."

Agnis, sensing quickly where the conversation was headed, placed a hand on Dorina’s shoulder, her grip firm, and pulled her away from me.

"Enough, Dorina," she said sternly. "It’s not our place to gossip about such things in front of Lady Vevina. You should know better."

Dorina’s excitement dims under Agnis’s stern gaze, and with a small, guilty nod, she steps back from the tub, quieting herself. But my curiosity had already been stirred, and the vague mention of some ancient pact lingered in my thoughts. Something important? What could it be? And why was it being kept from me?

I glance at Agnis, who was now busily scrubbing my back with more vigor than necessary. The older maid was loyal to my family, always quick to hush any talk that might stir up trouble, but I could sense that there was more she wasn’t saying.

Something was happening and the fact that dragons were involved made it all the more pressing.

But Agnis wasn’t going to tell me anything, not if she could help it. The old woman would never go against an order from my father. And Dorina, though full of gossip, had already been silenced.

Leaning back in the bath, I stare up at the ceiling, frustration swirling in my chest. What was my father hiding? What were those dragons doing here? And why did I feel like this concerned me in ways no one had yet explained?

The water had cooled by the time Agnis finally finished scrubbing away the last traces of dirt from my skin.

I felt a certain kind of detachment, letting the maids work over me while my thoughts spun, trying to piece together the fragments of conversation I’d overheard.

Dragons.

Pacts.

Why hadn’t my father told me anything yet? My frustration simmered beneath the surface, but I knew better than to press the maids any further. Agnis wouldn’t let any more details slip, and Dorina was too eager to please the older maid to risk defying her.

Stepping out, I allow them to wrap me in soft, perfumed towels. The scent of lavender clinging to my skin, doing little to calm the restless anxiety building inside me.

Without a word, they ushered me to the dressing chamber where my gown was already laid out, a shimmering piece of silk and gossamer in the colors of the high elves.

A deep emerald and gold, the colors of nobility. It was beautiful, but something about it felt... off.

“Let’s get you dressed, my lady,” Dorina said with an almost giddy excitement, a lightness in her voice that contrasted sharply with my growing unease.

I allow them to dress me, slipping into the layers of the gown without complaint. Their hands working quickly, tightening the laces at the back, adjusting the flowing sleeves, arranging the intricate embroidery that trailed down the bodice like vines.

It was an elegant dress, one fit for a royal occasion. But why such finery today? No one had mentioned any formal events. No council meeting, no royal visit... nothing to warrant this level of preparation.

As they worked, they chatted in soft tones, this time avoiding any mention of dragons, as though they had been warned not to speak too freely around me.

I remained silent, letting their conversation pass me by as my mind wandered back to the throne room, to the strangers standing before my father. Who were they? And why had they come?

Agnis steps forward with a collection of jewels, and I watch as they fasten the necklace around my throat.

My heart begins to race inside my chest.

Dorina carefully places rings on my fingers, gold and silver bands etched with elven runes, while Agnis threads fresh flowers into my hair, small, pale blossoms that smelled faintly of jasmine.

It wasn’t until they began arranging my hair that I finally spoke. “What is all of this?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even.

Dorina’s hands briefly still as she twists a lock of my hair into an elaborate braid. She exchanges a quick glance with Agnis before offering a weak smile.

“It’s a special day, my lady,” she says, though her words are evasive, as if she’s afraid of the words.

Agnis, as usual, was more direct. “You’ll understand soon enough, my lady. There’s no need to worry.”

Worry? The more they avoided answering me, the more worried I became. Something was happening, something important and it was clear I was being prepared for it. But no one had told me what.

Finally, they finished with my hair, adorning it with delicate silver pins shaped like leaves, before standing back to admire their work.

“You look beautiful, my lady,” Dorina says softly, her voice full of admiration.

I turn toward the mirror, anticipation and unease knotting in my chest. When I looked at my reflection, my breath catches in my throat.

There I stand, dressed in the most exquisite gown I have ever worn. My hair styled in elaborate braids, adorned with flowers and jewels that sparkled in the soft light of the chamber.

The girl in the mirror didn’t quite look like me. She looked like someone ready for a grand ceremony. Like someone prepared for...

A wedding.

“Oh, Gods!” I whisper.

My heart drops to my toes as realization washes over me like ice water. The dress, the jewels, the flowers in my hair: everything about my appearance screamed tradition. Not just any tradition, though. The garb I wore was unmistakably that of a bride.

A traditional Elven wedding gown, complete with the emeralds and diamonds that symbolizes unity and peace between families.

I take a step back from the mirror, my pulse quickening. “Why...?” My voice was barely a whisper. “Why...?”

Dorina avoided my eyes, fidgeting with a piece of fabric on my sleeve, and it was Agnis who stepped forward, her expression calm but firm.

“It’s not for us to explain, my lady,” she said, her voice low and measured. “Your father will speak to you when the time is right.”

“When the time is right?,” I echo, disbelief creeping into my tone. My hands tremble as I brush them over the fabric of the gown, the weight of what is happening slowly sinking in. This wasn’t just a formal event.

This was... my wedding.

But to whom? No one had said anything. Was I to be married off like some political token, without so much as a warning? My mind spins as I think back to the visitors in the Great Hall. Could it be them? Could it be...

The dragons?

I feel the walls closing in around me, the air thick with uncertainty and a growing sense of dread. My father hadn’t told me a thing, and yet here I was, dressed for a wedding I didn’t even know was happening.

My stomach twists with the realization that my life is about to change in a way I can’t control, and no one had thought to give me a choice. Not even the courtesy of an explanation.

Anger at my father begins to take hold of me and I feel my blood begin to run hot under the surface. He could have told me instead of moving me around like some chess piece for his amusement.

Agnis and Dorina stand there silently, waiting for my next move, but I can’t even speak. My heart is pounding wildly in my ears. A thousand questions racing through my mind all at the same time.

How had this all been arranged without my knowledge? And more importantly, who was I about to marry?

There was only one thing I knew for certain: by the end of the day, everything would be different. And it seems there was nothing I could do to stop it.