Page 77 of Grounded By Love
"Oh." Claira couldn't think of what to say. She wondered if the owners of these fine fabrics had met a gruesome end at the hands of rock giant soldiers.
She gave him a nod from across the room, as she swallowed hard against the lump that had formed in her throat. She didn’t wish to dwell on the idea of whose fabric these could’ve been and what might’ve happened to them. For all she knew, nothing had even occurred. There was the possibility the raids were performed on abandoned villages.
She focused on the fabrics before her. Her eyes landed on a deep and lovely shade of emerald fabric. She could very well imagine herself in a dress made from it.
"I think this would make a lovely dress." Claira said, as she held it up for him to see.
"Indeed. I do believe it will make your eyes stand out even more." His voice deep voice washed over her.
Taking the other fabrics from her lap she set them aside.
"Do no more hold your interest?" Kaeldar arched a brow, as he looked over the large stack of samples.
"Well, there are a few others I like, but I think I’d prefer to have a dress made out of the green fabric."
"Claira, please pick a couple more, if there are other fabrics you like."
Nervously, she shook her head. "No, really, the green one is fine." She didn't want to be too much of an inconvenience or cost him too much money.
"Claira." His voice turned stern. She looked up at him, he was leaning his elbows on his knees, as he focused on her. "Pick a couple more."
Giving a smile she took another look at the fabrics and furs laying before her. A deep purple appealed to her greatly, and the thought of having it trimmed with some white fur also tempted her. She set the fabrics aside, and then grabbed a light blue fabric.
As she held it up to take a better look at it in the light, it unfolded and a string of blue ribbon fell out from between the folds. A grin spread across her face. Now she would have a little bit of decoration for her hair.
"These two will be my other choices." Claira held up her finds for his inspection.
"Good. I’ll make sure to get those to the seamstress. I’m sure she will enjoy the challenge of trying to make a dress for a human. Humans seem to have a taste for more complicated clothing styles."
"I’m sure she will do a lovely job. I, myself, never understood the fashions for women, and I’m one of them." She gave a little chuckle, but it was completely true. Sometimes the clothing women were expected to wear was more than just a little on the ridiculous side. "Kaeldar?"
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"You really don't need to make me more than one dress."
He waved his hand. "It’s of no matter, Claira. You deserve to have nice clothing, and I will make sure you have what you need."
"Thank you." She’d given him plenty of chances to back out, so now she was just going to accept his generous gift.
“What will we be doing?” She asked, after a brief pause.
"I could always take you around the castle. Then, if you are ever by yourself you can get around without getting lost.” Then he added, "Of course, only if you would like to see the castle. I would understand, if you would prefer to do something else."
"No, I would love to see more." Although she wouldn't admit it out loud, she was frightened of leaving the room and flaunting her presence around the castle. At the same time, she had an insatiable curiousity for the new world around her. "It would be nice to see some more of the castle and maybe to get some history of what is around me."
"Then it’s settled." Kaeldar slapped his hands against his thighs. "Once you’re ready, we will head out and go around the castle."
Claira had a lovely time going around the castle. They barely ran into any other rock giants, to her immense relief. She got a sneaking suspicion Kaeldar had somehow planned their path and made sure his people were kept out of their way.
Kaeldar told her so many intriguing stories about the castle. There were some thrilling old tales about lust and betrayal, but there were also some more sweet stories about mystical beings who helped build the castle centuries ago.
She found it all fascinating. Claira experienced a splendid amount of joy wandering around with Kaeldar. It’d been like a fairy tale. They’d been living in the moment and enjoying their time together.
Any problems had been forgotten, it had been like they were the only two people in the world.
Claira was now sitting in Kaeldar's room by herself in front of the raging fire. Unfortunately, Kaeldar had been called away for some business, but he’d left a guard outside the chamber door, a rock giant soldier he trusted to keep her safe.
When she expressed concern over some of the historical stories he’d told her, he’d sprinkled in some more romantic stories. The rock giants seemed so violent, when he had told her about some of their more ugly histories, but it was good to know they also were also able to love.
