Frost Bite.

Chapter Fourteen.

Blythe.

I woke up before him and decided to slip away before any servants could catch us. He was a King after all which meant that he had a certain way of doing things, of introducing his love interests to the people. I shrugged into Zane's coat, buttoning it up before I headed over to the desk, grabbing a piece of paper and his quilt, dipping it into the black ink to scribble down a single sentence 'I'll see you tonight' I signed it with a 'B' then turned to leave, sneaking out of his Chambers and back towards the West wing where I found Mila pacing back and forth anxiously in the center of my room. When the door clicked open she paused and looked at me with worried eyes "Where have you been, my lady?" she questioned. There was a dress laid out on the surface of my bed, shoes set at the foot of it, a bath already drawn and various bottled scents lining my vanity. She hurried over to me, grabbing hold of my hand and dragging me towards the tub where steam was still emitting from it "The ball is to start soon, we must hurry" she stripped me then stripped herself and helped me into the tub. I sat silently as she worked on my hair and scrubbed salt into my skin, being careful when it came to my nails to properly clean them. My eyes stared down at the water, Nixtoni's face dancing in front of me, sleepy, tired and relaxed like he had been before falling asleep. I felt my heart start to race and my face grow hot at the thought of him so I cupped some water into the palm of my hand and ran it across my features. Mila kept shooting me odd looks, wringing out the cloth to dip it in more oils that she'd run over my skin to sooth it from the rough texture of the salt. She helped me out of the tub, using fabrics to dry my body and hair to an extent then she tugged a light blue gown onto my form and sat me down in the vanity chair. She worked to expertly roll my hair with round pieces of bunched up fabric, pinning them to my skull with pins that sat off to the side. She instructed me to stay still as she got dressed and threw her hair up into a messy bun on the top of her head, using an old, brown piece of ribbon I had seen her wear a few times prior. Instead of staying rooted in place like she had asked, I got up and made my way over to the foot of my bed, eyes scanning the dress that was made with a fine navy material that had blue gems sown into the fabric. The neckline was made of gold lace along with the sleeves and the tail of the dress, a gold that I recognized almost immediately "Who brought this here?" I asked, letting the fabric spill through my fingers like water as I turned to look at Mila. She was fastening her apron around her waist when I had spoken and only then seemed to notice that I was no longer sat at the vanity. She breathed out in frustration at my lack of cooperation but smiled while she made her way over to me, taking a stand at my side "One of the women serving under Prince Zane came to drop it off earlier" she replied, confirming my suspicions. I nodded, hand dropping back to my side as my eyes fixed themselves onto the dark blue sapphire that rested on the choker part of the dress that tied around the throat. The material then gave way to a neckline that dipped low in between the breasts and a corset that rested beneath it, covered in blue material but overlaid with gold detailing "Isn't is beautiful?" she uttered beside me. I tilted my head at the thought of him. The dress was like a materialistic representation of him, the gold representing his golden mane of hair while the blue was the color of his eyes, only a few shades darker than his, more closer in color to mine. I looked to the shoes that rested beside my feet, navy blue heels that were decorated in rose gold, not gold. My eyebrows furrowed up as I knelt and took them in hand, twisting them this way then that to take in their pinkish color of gold that was unlike anything I had yet to see either Zane or Nixon wear. Mila noticed my confusion and sat down on her knees next to me "Those are a gift from Prince Nazaiha" my body froze at the mention of the fourth son of the Triguard bloodline. I held the heel perfectly still, eyes glancing over the delicately woven pieces of rose gold that stood out against the darker, navy blue. Mila rose, hurrying across the marble floor and to the dresser where two small boxes that I hadn't previously noticed sat. She took them in hand then returned to me, once again falling to her knees beside where I sat on mine with a single shoe held in hand. I lowered the heel to look at her, her hand moving to open the first box, the bigger box to reveal a hair clip that was made from copper but the flowers on its had petals of sapphire. The brown metal was different from all the others, from the silver, rose gold and gold "This is from Prince Zachary" she explained, taking the hair piece and laying it in the palm of my hand once I had set the shoe aside. My fingers curled around it, a gift from the youngest of five brothers, the brother who was eighteen years of age, the brother closest to my current age. Mila set the empty box aside and took the smaller one in hand. She smiled faintly "Then this must be from Prince Navil" my back muscles stiffened at his name, the third of the sons, a man who was known for his strict ways and cold demeanor. He was the son most people were afraid of, the person the people of the Capital feared the most despite being a person who only saw to aid the city of Vextin and its people. His intentions were pure but that did not help the fact that he was in truth a dangerous man. She opened the box to show me the set of earrings that were placed inside. They were sapphire earrings in the shape of tears with black, obsidian chains and detailing "Each of the five Princes were given a rare metal at birth that represents them" Mila explained, her eyes lost as she thought back to a memory. I set the hair clip aside and took the box with the earrings, tracing them with my fingertips "Prince Nixtoni was given silver or white gold as the first born son" her words resonated with me, interesting me as she spoke them, explaining why Nixon always wore black, blue and silver instead of any other color clothing or armor. It was his color, his metal, it identified him according to his rank and title as the new King and first born son of the previous ruler "Prince Zaniel was given yellow gold, Prince Navil received onyx or obsidian-." she leaned across me, motioning from the dress on the bed to the small earrings that I held in my palm. She then turned her attention to the shoes "Prince Nazaiha is rose gold and lastly-." she picked the clip up off the ground to pin it in my hair, removing one of the rolls to set it in place "Prince Zachary was bestowed copper or bronze" it then struck me that I had all the gifts right there in front of me but one. My eyes scanned the room, head turning to look for a small box similar to the others but there was nothing. Mila looked on in amusement, her eyes softening as she watched me frantically searching. She grabbed hold of my wrist when I was about to rise and continue my search and pulled me back down to my knees "Right here, my lady" her fingers touched parts of my neck and I realized that I had been wearing his gift for some time. The necklace was always there, always dangling from my throat on a thin silver chain even when I would bathe. My hand shot up to grip the pendant, the simple piece meaning far more to me than even the dress or shoes that were of greater value "But, why?" I muttered, my hand lowering back to my side as I looked to the gifts, eyes scanning them, taking them in as if it was the first time I was truly seeing them. She knew what I was asking and pulled away to stand, brushing off the back of her skirts as she replied to my question "I guess they took a liking to you, my lady" the words were playful on her lips but to me they caused my stomach to churn at the thought of all five Triguard sons taking an interest in me. There was something unearthing about it, something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. What exactly had I gotten myself into?