Excalibur's Seven - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

EURION WAS NEVER ONE for fancy parties. Well, she was, but not as a guest. When she went she was never invited, she just snuck in and had a field day pickpocketing rich people and stealing expensive things from the walls.
This party, however, she was invited to. And she would only be stealing one thing.
The worst part would be the clothes. Above all else, she hated fancy dresses and dolling herself up. Giselle, however, was insistent upon them all getting fancied up and blending in with the royal crowd. They would already stick out enough, she didn't want them to look the part as well.
So Eurion dragged her feet and followed along as the princess led them to the Vernal Palace, because she didn't have much of a say on the matter.
The trip to the palace took a full day, and they slept at a fancy inn before continuing to the actual palace. The Verbal Kingdom was a bright, happy place full of colors and life and blossoming trees and impossibly green hills. This was what Eurion thought of when she thought of faeries.
She felt like she would sneeze as she walked to the palace, which rested atop a hill, sitting above a glistening waterfall and nestled between tall mountains. Flowers were everywhere, even in places one wouldn't expect them to be. Vines crawled down the palace walls, and moss grew within the crevices of every stone in sight.
The inside wasn't much different. In fact, there wasn't much of an "inside" at all. Instead of hallways, there were pathways lined with flowery arches, with fresh petals strewn across the ground and the sounds of chirping birds ringing through the ambience of the palace.
The residential areas were properly inside, but there were high windows wherever there could be high windows. There were also several potted plants, some of which were wilted, but they brightened as Giselle walked past them.
Her room was just as extravagant and just as flowery. It was almost the size of a small church, a large window and a shimmering chandelier working together to light up the space. A massive canopy bed was the centerpiece of the room, and vines curled along its frame.
A spiral staircase in the corner of the room led up to a thin catwalk, which was where Giselle led them all right away. The catwalk opened up to another room, filled completely with clothes and a small folding divider in one corner for privacy.
Giselle turned to them all with a wide grin. "So who's first?"
The princess did not hold back for any of them. Chalice volunteered to go first when no one else did, and Giselle took care to make them look dashing. Their hair was decorated with vines and braids, but she didn't do a lot to it other than that. She replaced their green cloak with a fancier one, embroidered with Celtic twists along the edges, a golden armored vest fastening the cloak to their shoulders.
Lionel didn't take a lot. Seelies loved children enough, it was probably a better idea to make him less flashy. Eurion had no idea why there was clothes fit for a six-year-old in her closet, but there was a whole section for men already. Perhaps collecting clothes was a hobby.
After washing the grime from his hair and skin, Kit was next. His hair was neat for once when Giselle was done with him, a thin crown over his forehead to make him look like a real prince. He wore a red cape and form-fitting golden armor, and Giselle couldn't resist brushing shimmering dust over his nose and cheeks and across his eyelids.
She had fun with Selene. It was clear how lovely she found the Lady Knight, and after she was cleaned up, hair done into a braided half-bun, she was already a sight. Her dress was a silvery blue form-fitting at the top but easy to maneuver at the bottom, and covered completely in jewels. Her chest and shoulders were protected with silver armor, carved with swirls, and her skin was dusted with an iridescent powder.
Now it was down to Morgana and Eurion. They had a glaring contest, and it was getting clear that none of them would back down soon.
"If one of you doesn't volunteer, I'm picking," Giselle said.
Eurion didn't flinch.
When Morgana didn't either, Giselle sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine. Mog, get over here."
The Unseelie threw up his arms and rolled his eyes, narrowing his eyes at a smug Eurion.
"You'll look dashing when she's done with you, I'm sure."
"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of."
She went for her turn in the bath, and by the time she returned, Morgana was still arguing with Giselle.
"Just a little color, Mog."
"Absolutely not. This is what you're getting out of me. Live with it."
He was in a nicer version of his normal clothing, fancy black leather with a long, dark cape embroidered with silver. His hair was half up like Selene's, though fancier by far. Eurion noticed it was meant to make the black streaks look better, because there was no good way to hide them.
"Gold," Giselle offered.
"That clashes with my complexion."
"You're right." She chewed at her thumb. "Come on, Mog, just a dash of blue."
"If you put an ounce of color on me I'm not going."
Perhaps Eurion wasn't the pickiest of them when it came to formal wear.
The princess gave in. "You wound me, Morgana."
"Thank you."
"Not a compliment. Eurion, are you ready?" She waved Morgana away, and the thief stepped forward for her turn in the torture chamber.
"You can do what you want, but please, whatever you do, don't put me in a dress," she begged.
"Was that an option?" Selene cried. "Come on!"
"For you?" Giselle said, looking her lover up and down. "Not a chance."
The Lady folded her arms and frowned.
"Now, for you--" The princess turned back to Eurion. "I know just what to do with you."
From a large wardrobe, she pulled out a golden chestplace, shoulders encrusted with dozens of colorful gems. It would cover her stomach instead of just her chest, but it was made to be moveable, designed like the scales across a dragon's belly.
Giselle didn't put her in a skirt after that, but the red pants she gave her were loose enough to look like one if her legs we together. She wore a matching top beneath the chestplate. A large, flashy belt would throw it together, gold tassels hanging at her hips.
Her hair was pulled up, two braids on either side bringing it together, tied with a long red ribbon that hung down her back. Giselle brushed her eyes with a black powder, reddening her round lips, and putting the same gold shimmer on her cheeks as Kit had on his.
Eurion didn't like to look pretty. But as she observed heard in the mirror, she looked... well. She looked stunning. And she liked it.
Perhaps it was the clear homage to her heritage. She didn't expect Giselle to know of it, but she supposed the Fae did exist everywhere. Either way, it made her feel important, and it reminded her of home.
"Now that you're all fit for a ball, I need to make myself the star of the show," Giselle said, and shooed them away.
She wasn't done for at least two hours, and Eurion was starting to wonder whether they'd make it to the palace on time at this rate. Luckily the princess emerged before she could get too worried.
Her lavender hair was braided at the sides, though it remained as full as ever, and she'd decorated it with flowers and butterfly pins. A thin golden crown, a fancier version of Kit's, rested against her forehead, a blue stone serving as the centerpiece. A matching necklace wrapped around her throat.
Her dress was almost the same color as her hair, lined with dainty golden jewels and skirts so big Eurion had no idea how she would get down the narrow spiral staircase. It hung low from her shoulders, clinging to her chest for dear life.
Naturally, Selene was breathless. She could hardly say a thing, only thinking to escort the princess down the stairs after she was scolded for 'just standing there.'
Finally, the seven were ready to go. Eurion felt stunning in the sanctuary of Giselle's room, but the moment strangers could see her, she sunk her head into her shoulders, insecurity crawling up her neck.
It took two carriages to get them all to the ball. Eurion was stuck with Kit and Morgana, but at least Chalice was there too to distract her from the tension the filled the air whenever the two men were within fifty feet of each other. She enjoyed the company of both of them separately, but together, they became insufferable.
"You all look lovely," Chalice said in an attempt to ease the air.
"Thank you," Eurion replied. "As do you."
It didn't work, and they all sat awkwardly the whole way there. At least they didn't have to deal with a fistfight in a carriage.
When they arrived at the Seelie palace, Eurion could hardly focus on anything else but the sheer beauty of the place. She turned her body to look out the window of the carriage, eyes wide in wonder.
"Do all the palaces in Faerie look like a dream?" she asked.
"I'm personally terrified of the Unseelie palace," Morgana told her. "It's like they thought being depressing was a form of protest. It looks more like a nightmare as opposed to a dream."
It was ironic, coming from the man who fought with Giselle about a little bit of blue. She didn't say that, though. Morgana looked as tense as the string of a bow, ready to strike the moment someone set him off.
The carriages finally stopped before the palace, and Eurion scrambled from it in an unladylike fashion. She didn't give a damn about manners when the Seelie palace stretched before her, reaching high into the sky, as beautiful as anything she'd ever laid eyes on. If she could steal the whole castle, she would've.
"There you are!" Giselle called, holding her skirts and dashing towards them. "We need to come up with our plan."
"Well do we know where the shard would even be?" Kit asked, now standing beside her.
Giselle furrowed her brow. "That's a good point. Maybe we should figure out where it is before we come up with a plan. Shall we go in?"
They were all escorted to the ballroom, which was just as breathtaking as the rest of the place. It was less colorful than the Vernal Palace, but it was still very clearly Seelie.
It was already filled with life when they entered, an orchestra playing lively music that the dancers swung around to. This dancing wasn't boring and particular and easy to mess up. It was dancing for the sake of dancing, following the steps of the soul.
Giselle drew stares as she entered, but of course, she received a small fanfare for that exact reason. Selene clung to her side, serving icy glares to anyone who dared to stare at the Princess too long.
Eurion and the others got stares as well, though. They were clearly outsiders. She hated it, but Kit was bathing in the attention, reveling in the thought of dozens of eyes on him. It was clear he would struggle to pay attention to the task, just as he did back at the brothel, where all eyes fell on him and he couldn't deny the attention.
Sometimes she found his ego endearing, when he was being playful, but other times, most of the time, she just wanted to drive a fist into his face.
"Kit, focus," she said after he winked at a Seelie looking his way. He clearly didn't want to, but he obeyed eventually.
"How the hell do we expect to find a piece of metal with all this... stuff?" Kit said, gesturing to the whole of the ballroom. He was right, it was a lot to take in. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack, but they would have to find it before the ball ended.
"Well," Selene breathed, voice only loud enough for them to hear. "I guess we'll just have to split up. We're not finding this all together."