The Dark Side of Power

Awen hated winter. It was the worst season, in her opinion, cold and wet snow making it impossible to get errands done in any sort of decent manner, so why anyone would want to get married in winter was completely beyond her understanding. The Crimson Wedding, all anyone had been able to talk about for months, had been arranged years ago by the Kings of Ostaria and Oce to join the two countries together at last. Preparations had been underway for almost a month since the Princess of Oce had finally come of age, everything had to be perfect and exact for the Prince’s approval. Awen felt a tiny bit sorry for the Princess having to marry such a stuck-up piece of work, even if she was probably exactly the same. "Awen! Get up, the sun’s up!" Lanzijm, the court physician and her closest thing to a friend banged on her door to wake her up. Sighing, she sat up, shivering slightly against the bitter air. It didn’t take her long to wash and dress, the bitter winter air motivating her, though even with her woollen shawl on, Awen was still cold. She really hated winter. "Rhiantona has asked for you already, though who knows why she’s up this early," Lanzijm grimaced as he looked out of the window, "and more snow fell overnight, so be careful walking around outside, you really don’t need a broken ankle right now." Awen hummed in agreement, lighting the office fire and standing a little too close for Lanzijm’s comfort to try and warm herself a little before seeing to Princess Rhiantona. "Don’t set yourself on fire. I’m going down to the village, is there anything you need?" Awen thought for a few seconds, "I don’t think so, but I’ll probably end up going down for either Rhian or Emyr anyway." “You’re going to set yourself on fire if you’re not careful,” Sion, Lanzijm’s apprentice, announced his presence, “if you’re going to the village, could you get me some ginger and witch hazel?” Lanzijm grimaced, “I don’t want any more experiments.” Sion grinned, “it’s only for Awen when she inevitably sets herself on fire again. I haven’t been down to get any more since the last time.” With a cautious look, Lanzijm nodded, grabbing his bag from the hooks and departing. Awen sighed softly, before following him out of their living rooms, making her way through the maze of castle halls and passages to Princess Rhiantona's quarters. As a servant to the Royal family, she was often called on to make last-minute adjustments to attire or appearance for balls or appearances - transfigurations were easy enough for a witch and cheaper for them than asking the seamstress to alter things. And Awen had a sneaking suspicion that Rhian just liked to watch magic. "M'lady?" Awen called softly, knocking on the open door. "You asked for me?" "Awen!" Rhian called over, though still out of sight, "come in, I'm just in the bath." Carefully stepping into the room, Awen scanned for Rhian's maid Aurelia, but she was nowhere in sight. Breathing a sigh of relief, she called through, "how can I help, M'lady?" "Could you fetch me my towel? Then we can talk about what to wear. Father sent word earlier that some of Princess Elyn's entourage would be arriving later today and we're to greet them, only I can't find anything suitable." No wonder Rhian had sent for Awen rather than her maid; the castle staff were still a little wary of her magic, and often around Awen herself. Rhian had often called on Awen to help her get dressed or get her ready instead of Aurelia if there was magic involved. Awen obeyed, locating the towel left by the bed and bringing it around to Rhiantona, holding it up and wrapping it around the Princess as she stood, helping her out of the steel tub. Her blonde hair dripped onto the stone floor as she dried it off with a towel, smiling at Awen and leading her back around to her bedroom and sitting in front of her vanity. "It's almost like a court appearance, but to greet these guests I thought maybe something a bit nicer?" Awen nodded, opening the wardrobe and going through the court dresses; she couldn't fault Aurelia here, the way she stored Rhian's dresses in categories was immaculate. "Are there any, in particular, that you wanted to wear or for me to transfigure?" Rhian turned in her chair to face her, "perhaps the blue one, with the flowers. Maybe if you made it a little more... I don't know what word to use here, but a little fancier than what it is." The dress she was talking about was one of Awen's favourites, so it was difficult to see how to make it any better than it was, but she knew what Rhaintona had meant, and so laid it on the dining table ready. Awen might have been tall by her homeland's standards, but she was very short for Ostaria, so reaching the tables from a standing height was sometimes a little difficult. She managed, however, and, holding her hands over the dress, muttered a few enchantments, feeling the magic coursing through her body. It had been a while since she'd performed anything more than a little glamour or two, so her magic now was stronger than ever and it was good to feel it again. She'd need to be careful she didn't get drunk on the feeling. But it was done quickly, so she needn't worry too much. "All done, M'lady." That certainly drew Rhian's attention, as she quickly approached to look over Awen's creation. "Subtle, but definitely worth it, I think it'll do nicely for the welcome. Are you coming?" Rhian asked, sitting once more in front of the vanity with the towel. Awen watched as she tried her best to get it as dry as possible. "Do you mind?" Their eyes met in the mirror, though Awen looked away just as quickly, obliging and drying her hair, leaving it perfectly straight and ready to be styled. "To answer your question, m'lady, I'm not sure. Lazijm hasn't said anything about it, nor has King Emyr, so I assume not." She helped the Princess into the dress, now with gold stitching and silver flowers in the bodice and sleeves. "I suppose father's been listening to Rhodri again," she rolled her eyes as Awen laced up the back, "I know it's his wedding, but Rhodri needs to get his head out of his ass, he's not going to be able to keep you hidden from his soon-to-be wife or her family for much longer." Awen didn't react, keeping her eyes trained on the back of the corset. These situations often put her in a tough spot, and she'd learned very early on it was always better just to keep her mouth shut; even if it was Her Royal Highness speaking on the matter, if Emyr walked in and heard, Awen would be executed without a second thought. Once she'd dressed Rhian, she helped with her hair, falling back into the security of her magic (she'd never tell anyone, but she had no idea how to use any of those instruments that Aurelia did) and stood by as she did her makeup. "Did you need anything else, your Highness?" Rhian shook her head, "No, thank you, Awen." Awen gave a little curtsey before leaving, closing the door softly behind her. Closing her eyes, she leaned against it and sighed softly; with the Crimson Wedding just around the corner, anytime she was called by a member of the royal family, she had a mini anxiety attack thinking she'd done something wrong and they'd decided to execute her for it. Of course, she knew Rhodri would make that decision anyway as soon as he took the throne, but that time was a long way off yet, so she didn't have to think about that any time soon. She quickly made her way back to the physician's rooms where she lived with Lanzijm and Sion, Lanz's apprentice, trying to stay out of everyone's way. "Awen!" No such luck. She turned to come face to face with King Emyr and immediately dropped into a deep curtsey. "Your Majesty. What can I do for you?" He smiled softly, "I'd like for you to be present when we welcome Princess Elyn's entourage. Along with Lanzijm. It's proper to have a full court for these things, and I'd like to show them the proper respect while they're here. Of course, they won't be here for long, she'll just keep a few of them on once she settles with our courtiers here." Awen nodded, not quite meeting the King's eye. "Yes, Sire, we'll be there." He nodded and left just as quickly as he'd arrived, heading in the direction of his daughter's rooms, allowing Awen to run off to let Lanz know of the new plans for the morning. "Awen?" Sion looked confused as she crashed through the door, slamming it behind her and collapsing against it as she tried to catch her breath. Lanz appeared in the doorway that led to the infirmary. "What's going on?" She often forgot he had super-human hearing, even though they'd known each other and been travelling together for four years. Still gasping, she said, "Emyr sent... whew, sorry, Emyr wants a full counsel for receiving the Princess' entourage, something about respect, but we need to be there." He nodded, "sure, I'll get changed. Si, you know what the warning signs are for green flu?" "Rash on the backs of the hands, fever above thirty-eight, and hallucinations." "Good, keep an eye on those in there, and if any of them progress, you fetch me, understood?" Satisfied as Sion nodded, Lanz disappeared into his room, and Awen did the same, though she wouldn't change, only layer a few glamours on herself; she hated the weight of transfiguration, and glamours were easier, so she didn't have to keep transfiguring her clothes each time. She glamoured herself to look court-appropriate: a full-length black dress with half-sleeves all with a bronze edge, her hair pulled back into a bun. She couldn't do anything about her eyes, unfortunately, but that was that, and she'd just have to deal with the comments and stares that she usually got just walking through the halls or the village. Being the only witch in the country had more cons than pros sometimes. But then she was ready, greeting Lanz in their main living room, the two of them making their way through the halls towards the throne room where they would welcome the Royal entourage from Oce. "OK, ready?" Lanzijm looked at Awen, who nodded, her gaze turned to the floor to avoid making eye contact with anyone, and keeping her telltale eyes out of sight. Together, they entered, walking to where the King was sitting on his throne. Lanz bowed as Awen curtseyed, and once the king greeted them, they took their places in the court. There was general chatter, as usual, Awen staying silent and as out of the way as possible. "Are you OK?" A familiar voice came from behind her, and she turned to face Daryn, Rhodri's manservant. He was usually present at these things to attend to anything the Prince might want, though he rarely ever did much. Awen smiled softly, "a little nervous, I'd planned to get started on the wedding flowers at the Wedding Ceremonial house this morning, so this has put me a little behind schedule." He nodded, but the grin on his face remained, "you'll get it done, you always manage to pull it off. I'm sure it'll look incredible." Daryn had been in awe of her powers and abilities since she'd arrived at the castle with Lazijm and often followed her around while she fulfilled her daily duties if he had a spare minute (and sometimes when he didn't, which often landed him in hot water with the Prince). Lanz was convinced his interest was more than just her magic, but Awen refused to listen to him on the subject; this was the last place Awen would put down roots. "What flowers did they request?" Awen looked away as they were hushed, but hissed, "crimson roses," just as the doors opened to reveal about seven or so royal courtiers of Princess Elyn. They were announced at the doors as they walked through, going straight up to King Emyr's throne, each bowing or curtseying before him. "Welcome," he spoke loudly, ensuring everyone could hear him, "to Ostaria. Please allow me to present my son, Prince Rhodri," Emyr gestured to his son on his right, "and my daughter, Princess Rhiantona," he made the same gesture to his left where Rhian stood, eyes scanning the crowd. "And my counsel." The counsel stood, lining the room, inclining their heads to welcome their guests, Awen following suit, though her eyes never let the cold stone floor. Awen knew it was only a formality that she was there, so once the pleasantries were over, she quietly approached the King to be excused. "Sire?" She curtseyed as he turned to her. "Awen, what is it?" Emyr frowned. "I wonder if you could excuse me; I have a lot of preparations to get through for the Crimson Wedding, and with only two more days..." He nodded, "yes, of course, you must go." He nodded, inclining his head to her curtsey before she scurried away, removing several layers of glamour once she was out of the Throne Room. The Wedding Ceremonial House was exactly what you would think, and luckily for Awen, only a short walk away from the main castle building. She hurried in, the lock no match for her magic, and closed the door behind her as she tried her best to keep the cold out; a warming spell in a room this big would have little to no effect. Slowly, she made her way to the centre of the room, taking a deep breath and calling up every bit of magic she could muster. There she stood, centre aisle, arms raised as she created vines of crimson roses covering the pillars and along the edges of the seats, the stems wrapping around anything they could find and climbing up the walls and around the arched windows. It took everything she had, but she managed to fill the room, the crimson roses a stark contrast to the white marble. But once it was done, it was done, and Awen stood there for a few minutes to admire her work. Rarely had she been able to do so, having usually performed magic under the watchful gaze of one of the Royal family, and didn't like to be in their way or around for much longer than necessary. It was beautiful, even if she did say so herself, and at least, since the roses were a creation of magic and not entirely real, they would stay perfect until the big day, and she wouldn't need to use so much magic for anything else, which was a relief. But then she had to brave the ice and snow outside again, which soured Awen's mood somewhat. Who would plan a wedding in winter? What person thinks a winter wedding is a good idea? Awen grumbled, wrapping her arms around her for warmth as she hurried back into the main castle. She regretted now not going back to her room to get her woollen shawl to give her at least a little more protection against the cold, but there wasn't going to be much time now to rest. But at least the room of Crimson Roses was finished.