Lumina

3 ~ Preparations

Maizie

By the time Hildie arrived to dress the princess, the water had long cooled, Maizie's mind having been too far off to register the chilling tub enough to reheat it. "Besides," she muttered, pulling a lilac robe around her small frame once she stepped out, "were you not the one just warning me against magic?"

Hildie scoffed, even if she couldn't hide her own grin, and pointed to the chair in front of Maizie's vanity. "Sit."

"Oh," she placed a hand over her chest in mockery, "making demands of your own Princess?"

A wooden brush was scooped up by her lady's maid as she sauntered over. "Only if you want me to do something about that mess, Milady."

That was one thing Maizie had always enjoyed about Hildie's demeanor. In front of the Queen, she was as stiff as a board. But with Maizie, the walls fell away. It didn't matter that Maizie was higher in status, the red head spoke her mind.

One look in the mirror at her nest of a dripping dark mess had her cringing, "I love my curls," she admired as Hildie began to brush, "but the knots are incessant."

At that Hildie chuckled, but the whirling inside Maizie's mind cut off further conversation while the maid began her work. Even the rustling of guards outside her room couldn't penetrate the silence.

This was the night that she would become of age, that the Lumina's essence in her soul would start to awaken. And call to her other half, the stronger half. Queen Vita. The Regina Lumina.

For centuries one girl was chosen every sixty years to inherit the Luminae's magic. She would be titled the Regina Lumina, destined to rule Terralum into peace and prosperity. Maizie's magic long ago awoke inside her, but now that she was turning twenty, she was beginning to feel the chains of fate pulling her towards the Regina.

It was only a matter of time.

She wasn't sure what made her say it, but when Maizie could no longer stand that roar in the back of her mind she admitted, "I tried to leave, once."

Hildie's fingers halted in her hair mid-braid. Maizie's nerves fluttered. Her attempt hadn't necessarily been a secret, but it certainly hadn't been a topic she meant to bring up. Ever.

A moment's passing and her fingers continued their path down Maizie's hair as normal. What did the maid think of her admittal?

Hildie's voice was light- if not with the tiniest strain- as she inquired on the subject further. At this Maizie sucked in through her teeth, pausing when Hildie pulled the massive heap of fresh braids around her head and secured them into place with pins of smooth pearls.

Dark brown eyes met Hildie's green, full of curiosity, and the princess' shoulders deflated a fraction at the memory, "I packed a small bag and snuck out in the middle of the night, years ago. Hardly made it half-way through the courtyard before a guard was dragging me back to the castle, kicking and screaming."

There was a long pause. "Was it a full moon?" Hildie finally asked.

"Yes?"

She gave a breathy laugh and muttered softly, "Rookie mistake. New moon is always best."

Maizie turned with a scoff, "And you are so wise in the ways of sneaking?"

"If you knew about it then I wouldn't be very good, would I?"

Laughter filled the room and she turned back to watch Hildie finish pinning her hair. From there she moved to the princess's face, applying various powders and oils around her neck that blanketed the room in a scent of roses. When her eyes found the necklace, Maizie swore the maid's expression lifted with a small smile.

There was another moment of passing, then, "Was she very mad?"

"Furious," Maizie mused half-heartedly, "She beat the stars out of me that night."

There was a whispered apology but Maizie shrugged the event away. It happened eight years ago so her memory of that night, and the beating after, had long ago fuzzed along the edges. She didn't even remember what happened the following week, only that Chas hardly left her side as she recovered.

She learned a very valuable lesson never to outright defy Vita again.

Never.

A deep breath pulled the princess back to the present and she counted the seconds slowly as she exhaled. There was no use falling into the past.

"Done," Hildie exhaled a breath of pride and stepped back, her eyes dancing as she praised, "who said you had to be a Light to make magic?"

Before she had a chance to turn to the mirror to see for herself what Hildie's magic had accomplished, two additional servants knocked and, at her call, entered her room through the foyer with bowed heads. They ushered the princess down a festively decorated corridor of blues, whites, and gold- Terralum's national colors. Then she was in the tailoring room to begin the eternal process of endless skirts and vindictive corsets.

By the time the clock called the hour once more, a quiet maid with a small dark bun was just finishing the last bit of lacing. She stepped back to join the others in line, the three gazing at their princess with various faces of awe that had Maizie fidgeting in the countless folds of taffeta and blue satin.

"The attention is almost overwhelming," she admitted awkwardly when the three continued their stares. Hildie only shook her head and moved to guide her to a cheval mirror.

What Maizie saw stunned her to silence, too.

A deep blue dress molded her body, flaring out at the hips with the edges embroidered gold and accented in pearls. Face painted to perfection, eyes lined with kohl, and lips deepened to the depths of the Earth's soil, Maizie was the embodiment of the night sky.

"If this much is overwhelming, I can't imagine what tonight will be like," Hildie cooed.

"By Gods," was all she could manage. Her cinnamon skin shimmered gold with the highlights Hildie had applied to her cheeks, complimenting the bright pearls scattered about Maizie's dress and hair. Even her shoulders and down her arms had been slathered with a lotion that glimmered a soft gold. Maizie's mind struggled to comprehend that this ethereal reflection was her own.

A knock rapped at the door and the head seamster himself strode through, eyes widening at the princess. "You look like the goddess of the Night," Devhan breathed, and then shook his head, his hair having been twisted into neat bantu knots. "No, Anneith is no match to your beauty, Forla." He swept around Maizie in a fashionable olive outfit, scanning every inch of her gown. With a click of approval the seamster held the back of her hand to his lips and smirked. "Just as there is no match to my talents."

Maizie choked, "You made this yourself, Devhan?"

A simple bounce of his black mound of hair was the seamster's humble response to the brilliant work of art. He leaned down to Hildie with a whisper to which she gave a brief nod and excused herself. Maizie watched the maid dip around the corner and out the door.

"Devhan hand sewed every one of those pearls," Hildie explained upon return. "He was up nearly day and night to finish it; wouldn't let anyone else touch it."

One look at the dress was all it would take anyone to see the effort put into it, especially as the pearls and embroidery glinted off her dress with each shift Maizie made. She couldn't help but thank him over and over again.

Only one thing left was needed to finish her outfit. In perfect timing Hildie stepped forward, Maizie's new satin shoes in hand. It took a few smooth movements and Devhan had the shoes laced with a bow before they all stood back for the final picture.

"You look just like a truly regal Princess," Hildie smiled and stepped aside to make a path to the door, stating pointedly, "One who is about to be late for her celebration!"

*~*~*