Page 5 of Manor of Wind and Nightmares (Fae of Brytwilde #3)
“Time for your bath to wash the human stench off you.” Daisy scrunched her nose, studying me with disdain.
I knew she hated being forced to treat a mere mortal like I was her princess, but all three were loyal to their princess and king, and had vowed to help me maintain my disguise.
“You need to make an impression, even on the guards and servants escorting you to the palace tomorrow.”
Daisy, Sage, and Ellery insisted on helping me bathe, scrubbing me so hard I had to bite back my yelps. While Ellery helped me into a nightgown and Daisy combed through my wet hair, Sage fetched the first vial of potion from a hidden compartment in one of my trunks.
Sweet with a slightly sour aftertaste, the potion burned my throat as it went down. Warmth spread throughout my body.
“It takes time for the change to first take effect,” Sage explained. “The other doses will all be to maintain it, but this first one may be a bit unpleasant. Then again, if you go to bed now, it’s possible you’ll sleep through it.”
With that, they left me alone. The room felt eerily still and quiet in their absence. Nothing kept me company but trunks full of someone else’s style of clothes, hidden instruments for killing, and the vials of potion meant to help me in that task.
I repressed a shudder, reaching for the hilt of the dagger secured beneath my pillow.
It was the one comforting habit I’d begun since my training.
Even though I knew I was mostly powerless in this world, surrounded by magical fae who could glamour and manipulate me against my will, the cold bite of steel grounded me.
Reminded me that, win or lose, I could at least fight back.
Daisy’s harsh voice pulled me from the first restful sleep I’d finally dipped into early this morning, after tossing and turning for hours. “Wake, mortal. The Willowbark escort has arrived, and it won’t do to keep them waiting.”
Sitting up, I blinked blearily at her, my fingers slipping up for the hundredth time to feel the tip of one of my newly pointed ears.
Daisy’s eyes widened. “You do look just like her.”
I ran my fingers through my hair, draping the now-red locks over my shoulders. It was an odd sensation, like, despite still possessing my own body and mind, I had become someone else entirely, but I shoved the notion aside. Temporary magic, I reminded myself.
There was no mirror in my room, which was probably for the best, as I had no time to gawk at my reflection.
“Come,” Daisy urged, setting a tray on the bedside table.
Ellery brought over a dress from one of the trunks.
The cloth was a pale shade of lavender, its skirt embroidered with delicate vines and flowers.
Its collar was adorned with tiny jewels in varying shades of violet, catching the light with every movement.
I stifled a groan, wondering if Princess Briar had insisted on such an impractical outfit, or if the maids had picked it out just to spite me.
As I nibbled at my bread and eggs and sipped some tea, the maids finished their preparations for our journey, ensuring all my vials of potion were carefully packed and hidden away.
Once I’d finished my breakfast, Sage urged me into the washroom.
I cleaned my teeth and emerged in time to find all three maids waiting with toiletry items and my dress.
Once they’d helped me into my outfit, Sage wove a complicated braid around my head like a crown.
I fastened my traveling cloak around my neck and pulled on my boots.
Withdrawing my dagger from beneath my pillow, I slipped it into the hidden pocket sewn within my cloak.
“You’re ready,” Daisy announced, giving me a none-too-gentle shove toward the door. “Now behave like a princess. We will escort you down, and your servants will load the carriage. Don’t pay too much interest to the guards and servants Willowbark sent. They’re beneath you.”
Her scolding went in one ear and out the other as I trailed her out of my room, along the hall, and back down the steps toward the dining room.
Smoke from the low-burning fire mingled with the scents of bacon, eggs, and toast hovering thickly in the air.
Based on the slant of the sunshine trickling through the windows, the hour was early, but many of the tables were already full of sailors and dockworkers eager to return to work now that the weather had improved.
Commotion at the door drew my attention.
Emberglade servants were filing out with my trunks while King Wystan looked on, his orange eyes blazing.
The real Princess Briar was nowhere to be seen, either cleverly concealed as one of the king’s guards or still upstairs in bed, dozing through the early hour.
As Daisy guided me toward the door, I noticed one of the Willowbark guards standing in the entryway with King Wystan, dipping his head low in deference as he spoke.
His green and gold uniform was pristine, each button on his jacket gleaming and his dark leather boots polished to a shimmer despite the miles he and his companions had traveled.
“Your Majesty,” he was saying, “it is our honor to escort your daughter through our kingdom. Know we will defend her with our lives.”
The young man lifted his head, revealing his face.
My gaze swept over his sharp jawline, which was dotted with stubble, his high cheekbones, and his piercing gaze.
His short black hair was swept neatly back but for a single stubborn strand that hung over one eye.
As I watched, he stiffened and brushed it away.
It was impossible to guess a fae’s true age, since they were nearly ageless, but he appeared young, not much older than I was.
As if sensing my stare, the man’s eyes flicked toward me.
Heat seared my cheeks, and I glanced down at the floor before inwardly reprimanding myself.
A fae princess wouldn’t be caught eyeing a lowly guard, and if she were, she certainly wouldn’t be shy about it.
Here I needed to be the opposite of what was expected of me at home: I needed to take up space, use my voice loudly, and be unabashedly proud and bold.
Lifting my chin, I found that the guard was still studying me, so I flashed him a smile.
Briar would likely be mortified that I’d given the man notice at all, but now that I was playing her role, I had the freedom to choose who I’d be.
I could be a more gracious princess than she, one who took the time to be kind to those who were protecting and serving her.
The guard’s answering grin revealed his dimples and made something in my stomach flutter.
I told myself to pay those silly feelings no heed.
“Your Highness,” he said as I approached, his voice deep enough to reverberate in my bones and smooth enough to send a chill through me.
“The stories of your beauty fall short. You’re exquisite in person. ”
King Wystan huffed. “Your flattery is needless, bodyguard. Your duty is to keep her alive, not woo her for your prince.”
“Indeed.” The guard straightened, pressing a hand to his heart.
“My name is Nam Junseo, Captain of the Guard. I’ve been assigned by His Royal Highness himself to personally attend to you as your bodyguard.
You’ll be safe with my guards and me, princess.
” Junseo turned to King Wystan with a final dip of his head. “Your Majesty.”
Junseo offered his arm, so I looped mine through it and allowed him to lead me from the inn and out into the cool morning air.
The cobblestones were slick beneath my boots as we approached a small caravan of gold and green carriages.
Fine white steeds stomped impatient hooves.
As the Emberglade servants finished loading my trunks into the nearest one, countless Willowbark guards settled into the carriages.
My maids were directed toward the second carriage with their own traveling bags, but Junseo led me to the first. “You’ll ride with me,” he said in his smooth voice.
My heart fluttered. I’d hoped to be placed in a carriage with my maids, where even if I had to tolerate their dislike, I would be safe from scrutiny.
If the prince’s assigned bodyguard was tasked with keeping me near, I’d have to be extra careful to keep up my ruse.