Page 34 of Winter Goddess
"Tamara, if you and Ada want a lift to the Dragon Realm, let me know. I need to talk to Dewi tomorrow."
Tamara sighs. "Does that mean I have to reschedule your dress fitting?"
I cluck my tongue in disapproval. "Priorities, Mara, priorities."
Chapter Twelve
I'm going to kill Tamara.
Or the seamstress.
Or both of them.
Now I know why Tamara was sure to ask when exactly I was planning to leave for the Dragon Realm. Not that she would know when to be ready. No, so she could tell the head seamstress to prick and torture me beforehand.
I'm standing on a pedestal in just my underwear and the seamstress is taking great joy in prodding me in all sorts of uncomfortable places. I have no idea why she even needs to measure me. She has magic, for goodness sake. She probably takes great pleasure in pricking the future Queen with fixing pins. I have to keep a close grip on my magic, otherwise the seamstress might have already been set alight.
My first law as Queen will be something about the dress code. Specifically, the Queen can wear whatever she wants, including jeans, t-shirts and baggy hoodies. And if it's a dress, it doesn't need to have frills, a gigantic neckline or holes that show too much skin. All things that I'm dreading my coronation dress to have.
I asked my guys if there are any guidelines for coronations, but it's not something that's ever happened here in this Realm before. Beira was the first and only Queen, there's been no need for a coronation. That's probably why Tamara is so excited. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, even for immortal Guardians.
There have been coronations in other Realms, however, and Tamara is using those for inspiration. She's even muttered things about William and Kate, but I hope I misheard that. Surely they don't know about Earth monarchies here in the Realms?
"What's the dress going to look like?" I ask the seamstress out of boredom, but she just continues to prick me with needles. That woman has no respect. I have no idea if it's just me she treats in this way, or if she's generally a cold-hearted bitch happy to make other people suffer by making them wear horrible dresses.
To pass the time, I extend my magic and concentrate on the people in the rooms and corridors nearby. Everyone seems to be busy with either war or coronation preparations. I'm beginning to think that they're both just as terrible. There are two people far beneath my room who are talking about the crown. I think the plan is to use my current, smallish Princess crown and turn it into something that resembles that of my mother but isn't quite the same. I refused to wear my mother's crown; I'm keeping that one safe for her until she's better.
I skip a few conversations about the upcoming feast - that only makes me hungry - and stop when I find a group of male Guardians gossiping over what female Goddesses will be attending the coronation. I smile. Life goes on, even in the middle of a war. I listen to them for a bit, but hurriedly continue on when they start talking about me. No thanks, I have no intention of finding out what the male Palace population thinks about me. It will either make me vain or crush my self-confidence.
A sharp pain on my belly makes me snap back into the room.
"That hurt," I complain, but the seamstress has already turned around and is packing up her things. Good riddance. Maybe I should find out if I can design my own clothes with my new powers. That would be a nice revenge against that mad woman.
I wait until she's left, then I put on some loose linen clothes that aren't suited to the Winter Realm weather in the slightest, but will be perfect for visiting the dragons. I quickly teleport into the kitchen and grab some cinnamon rolls, before heading into my office.
Ada is already waiting there, looking a lot better than when I last saw her.
"How are you?" I greet her warmly while giving her a quick inconspicuous body scan. She's healthy, if still a little underweight. That will hopefully be fixed soon. Her aura is a lot more vibrant as well, swirling with excitement.
"I'm well, thank you. Tamara has told me about Dewi and her mother. Are you sure she's Bridget's daughter?"
"Not one hundred per cent," I admit, "but close. Did she ever mention her parents?"
Ada laughs. "We didn't exactly have time for small talk. I rescued her, she imprisoned me as a thank you, that's the extent of our relationship. But I heard a lot of gossip while I was in my cell. Dewi was a demigoddess before the Morrigan took over, but after I rescued her, something happened and she turned into... more."
I wonder if her transformation happened at the same time as my own. That would be rather interesting. Two demigoddesses, both becoming Gods on the same day. Maybe there's a connection? So far, neither Algonquin nor anybody else has been able to find a record of this happening before. I thought I was unique, but as it turns out, there are at least two of us anomalies.
"Agierth is quite nice though," Ada continues. "She's sensible if a little rash sometimes. She also knows how to handle Dewi's mood swings. The guards said that those were bad before the imprisonment, but have become worse since I freed her. She's not an easy woman to be around." She shrugs. "No idea how Agierth does it."
My magic alerts me that Tamara is approaching the office. I let the door swing open to welcome her in. Much quicker than telling the guards to do it.
"How was your dress fitting?" she asks with a smile in her voice.
"Don't or I can't be held accountable for my actions," I reply tonelessly. "That woman is the devil."
"Oh yes, she likes it when you struggle." She chuckles. "Are we ready for a trip into dragonland? I have to say, I'm rather excited. Their Realm is one of the few places I've never been."
"It's beautiful," Ada says dreamily. "The sunsets are the best, when their dark red earth is bathed in orange light... They have some very strange plants, like small trees with spikes."
