Page 5 of Of Storm and Emerald
It was time.
Excitement and anxiety warred for dominance as she walked across the room to sit at her vanity, wiping her slick palms on her robe as she took a seat. Piper stood behind her with a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she gave precise instructions to the lady’s maids, before leaving to get ready herself.
They started with her hair, and Auraelia let herself get lost in the rhythmic ministrations of the strands being set into curls and waves, then watched in fascination as they wove delicate threads through braids before wrapping the ends to secure them.
When they moved on to makeup, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander.
She and Piper had dreamt of their twenty-fifth birthdays for as long as she could remember. They talked aimlessly about the dresses they would wear to Auraelia’s birthday ball, the foods they would eat, and the many,many, boys that they would dance with.
They’d discussed what they thought were the best ways to flirt and practiced the subtle art of ‘bedroom’ eyes.
A chuckle escaped as a memory of Piper holding a comb across her lip as a faux mustache so that“She could better get into character”flitted to the forefront of her mind.
“We’re finished, My Lady.” The delicate chime of one of her lady’s maids pulled her out of her reverie. She smiled and thanked each of them before standing from her vanity.
It was time for the dress.
Auraelia strolled across the room to where the box sat on her bed.
It was a work of art in and of itself. Ivory, with gold filigree inlaid on the lid, and if the royal blue satin ribbon that held it closed was any indication of what was inside, it was sure to be beautiful. She let the ribbon slide between her fingers as she gently pulled apart the knot at its center.
Inside, covered by a layer of royal blue silk organza, was one of the most beautiful gowns that she’d ever seen. Without taking it out of the box, she gingerly fingered the details of the bodice. She had no idea what the full dress looked like, but from what she could see, it was stunning.
Leaving the box where it sat, she headed to her dressing room where some of her lady’s maids waited to help her finish getting ready. Untying the sash of her robe, she let it fall to the floor, and for the first time since this whole process started, Auraelia took the time to actually look at herself in the mirror while her ladies worked seamlessly around her.
Everything was in coordinated shades of deep royal blue. From her shoes to her panties–and everywhere in between. And despite how much she loathed corsets and garters, she had to admit that they did something for her confidence. Her lips tilted up into a sly smile as she watched her lady clip the garter belt to her stockings, and the way that the delicate silver embroidery caught in the lamp light.
She loved the way that her corset accentuated the narrowness of her waist and the fullness of her hips–as well as pushing her boobs up to her chin.
If you’ve got it, flaunt it, right?
The longer she looked at herself, the more the anxious butterflies in her stomach settled.
As the ladies finished cinching her into her corset, Piper walked in with the gown draped across her arms. Auraelia gingerly stepped into the pool of fabric, and as her ladies fastened the round satin buttons down the back, she looked in the mirror, a small gasp escaping her lips.
She looked beautiful.
Her long, honey-blonde hair cascaded in waves down her back, and while the fishtail braids added an edge to the structure of the waves, the iridescent thread that had been woven through them made her hair shimmer like moonlight on water.
Her cheeks looked sun kissed. The dark makeup around her eyes brought out the gray and blue hues of her irises, making them sparkle like the stars in the sky. Her lips were full, with a perfect dip in the middle of her top lip, and the deep berry-red of the lip paint made them look all the more inviting. They even left her nose piercings, which her mother would most certainly have a fit about, leaving the pinhead sized diamond stud in her nostril and the delicate hoop of opal through her septum. Although the septum piercing was customary for the royal women in Auraelia’s family, her mother had not been pleased with the additional piercing through her nostril, regardless of how small it was.
But it was the dress that made her stand wide-eyed in the mirror.
With delicate touches, she ran her fingers over the bodice.
It was midnight blue with navy and pewter beading in intricate lines that looked like streaks of lightning. The design coalesced where the dress tapered in at her waist and shot upward over her breasts and then down the skirt in the opposite direction.
There was flesh-toned mesh across the upper part of her chest that continued down her arms, while branches of beading crawled up from her wrists in the same design as the bodice. The skirt–which was surprisingly light–had a satin lining that felt cool against her legs and was topped with layers of organza in an array of blues and grays, which made her look like a walking storm cloud.
As Auraelia turned in the mirror, her mother strolled into her chambers, stopping a few feet in front of her.
The queen brought her hands to her mouth, and with glassy eyes, looked at her daughter with immense amounts of pride. “You look beautiful, little bug. Though, I suppose you’re not so little anymore now, are you?”
With a smile on her lips, the queen walked to Auraelia, pulled her into a warm embrace and whispered, “How are youfeeling?” in her ear, before leaning back just enough to look into her daughter's eyes.
Auraelia’s heart sank as she looked back at her mother. Lowering her gaze, she hung her head and shook it slightly. Without missing a beat, Queen Adelina pressed a finger beneath Auraelia’s chin and lifted it so that they were once again looking eye to eye. After a few moments, her mother grinned, “Give it time, my love. You’ll see.” And with those parting words, and a kiss on the cheek, the queen excused herself.
Curious about what her mother saw, Auraelia rushed to the mirror. When she didn’t immediately notice a difference, she sighed and began to turn away from her reflection. But when she looked once more, she noticed a small change. Eyes that were usually a stormy blue-gray, briefly showed small flecks of green.
