Well I finally got two seconds together to write, and I did promise, so here’s some fluffy-fluff:
(Author’s preamble: We join our MC as she prepares for a night at the Opera, where she hopes to take in a show and possible inure herself to the Royal family in the process. She has been personally invited to the Royal Box by Her Highness Princess Echo Til Kadanos, and Mother has stressed that she must engineer every advantage at her disposal to try and secure some promise of future romance. Little does Mother know about her ‘daughter’s’ roving eye, and the Noble Knight who has caught it.)
You have been sitting perfectly still for the past hour, as Mesrine makes subtle changes to your outfit and hair, watching the sun dim and the sky turn orange over the city.
The girl is patient, thorough and utterly ceaseless in her search for some minor trifle to fix. A ruffle here, a stitch there.
It is exhausting.
You are desperate for some sort of conversation, as Mesrine is as pretty as a newborn lamb and exactly as intelligent. You stop her fussing over some errant thread and wave her away lethargically.
“Ser Farah? Would you come in here, please.”
You know for a fact that she must be standing outside your door as perfectly still as ever. You have heard snips of conversation among the staff that suggest she has rearranged all the guard-rotations so that they pass by your rooms. You believe she does this so that she can still perform her duties while being available to you at all hours.
You find that deeply flattering in a way that is difficult to describe.
Sure enough in a moment the doors are opened and Ser Farah strides in, taking her usual ‘at ease’ position in front of you.
…At least, you think it’s Ser Farah…
The strange being before you is… dressed in silks? Finely tailored trousers over toned legs, an intricately gilded waistcoat, a feathered cap?
You dismiss Mesrine immediately, and ask for no callers. You stand up and walk around her once, twice, a third time. You look her squarely in the eyes, which are accented with dark and delicate colours.
Nomad’s gaze she’s wearing makeup.
You maintain your composure exactly as Mr Gray has taught you, letting nothing slip. You adopt the thin, enigmatic smile your Mother has so perfected and raise an eyebrow in amusement.
“Heading into town this evening, are we?”
Her gaze is fixed on the wall behind you, her jaw locks slightly for a moment as she works to turn her embarrassment into stoicism.
“As a representative of House Calinas, I am to acquit myself in a manner befitting the ceremony of the evening. As milady’s Chief of Security I shall be at your side for the evening’s festivities and therefore compelled to dress accordingly.”
So formal. So darling.
You have to admit to yourself though, she does cut quite the figure in those clothes, uncomfortable though she may be. You run a finger delicately down the centre of her waistcoat, feeling the exquisite softness of the stitching and the hint of taut muscle underneath.
You look up at the feather in her cap, which vibrantly declares itself in hues of bright red at the base and shifts to electric blue at the tip.
The bird who surrendered this feather must have been glorious. Must as she may dislike it, the look suits her immensely.
“So you will accompany me to the Opera tonight?”
Ser Farah looks uncomfortable but she stays still, her eyes locked on the same stretch of wall.
“That would be my understanding, my Lady.”
The subtle intonation in her voice tells you everything. The tonal pause that turns ‘milady’ into ‘my Lady’ is Farah’s admission of longing, of jealousy, of possession. She is upset that you are going to the Opera to woo another woman, and she must watch you do so from the edges.
She cannot yet know how difficult this has been for you, how you try to steal glances at her in quiet moments, how you fear your Mother’s reaction when she sees you balk at the destiny she has engineered for you.
You push all of this to the back of your mind. Tonight is tonight, tomorrow is tomorrow.
You make a small gesture of adjusting the buttons of her waistcoat, reflexively drawing yourself close to her. You place your hands on her chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall of her chest as you gently place your lips on her neck, trailing kisses discretely along her skin.
A small intake of breath escapes but she dares not move, fearing that the moment will be broken if she makes some small misstep.
After a moment of silence you pull away, look into her eyes which have broken their focus on the distant wall and now lock to your own.
“You look so dashing tonight, Ser Farah. You have acquitted yourself wonderfully.”
You run your hand softly along her arm and smile happily at her.
“That will be all, thank you.”
Ser Farah clicks her heels together smartly and withdraws from the room, taking her original place guarding the door.
One who did not know her so entirely as you would have noticed nothing unusual about her demeanour, but you know for a fact that she is smiling at her post.