Rory POV

"Ladies, please let me introduce you to my friend, Iris." Madam Kaya gestured to the cloaked figure.

Iris removed her cloak to reveal a bright pink hair that fell around her pointed ears. Her silky skin is a pale yellow like a creamy rose and her eyes are purple as ripe plums. Each ear faded from yellow to pink with a glittery texture about them. She had an ethereal beauty with her big eyes and plump lips. The tips of her translucent wings were poking out of her cloak. “Hello,” Iris said, melodically.

“Are you a fairy?” Emalynn yelled, excitedly. Emalynn went hopping around the room expressing her excited energy.

“She doesn’t miss anything, does she?” Iris giggled.

“No, ma’am,” I answered in disbelief. My mom told me stories of the fairies as a child, but in all our travels, I had never seen one.

“Don’t be rude. Introduce yourselves, ladies.” Madam Kaya said in a firm tone.

Emalynn stopped her rampage and joined me. Her tail swayed and bounced happily looking at Iris the fairy. “My name is Emera, but you can call me, Ema.”

“I am...Ro,” I said with a smile. I could smell the woodland air coming off Iris like perfume.

“That was good, but you hesitated, Ro. You need to believe that you are who you say you are, which is why I am here to help.” Iris explained. "I am going to help you look the part." Iris snapped her fingers with a dramatic flair. "This is going to be so much fun. Who's first?"

If I didn’t know any better, I would say Iris is some sort of bard or dramatic actress. She truly seems to dance with every word that she says. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this entire thing, but she makes it seem fun. I think Iris and Emalynn, I mean, Ema are kindred spirits. They both seem carefree.

"I will go." My mouth moved before I knew what was coming out of it. What the hell, mouth?

"Splendid!" Iris said in a cheery voice. "Come sit in front of the mirror while I prepare your glam charm, Ro."

I nodded and watched as she brought out a crescent moon pendant. It reminded me of when my parents would sit and watch the moon with me next to the lake. Those days are long gone. Iris pulled out a thick red book inscribed Athruithe in gold lettering. I had never seen such a book before. She pulled out a pen to take notes in her book as finished her preparations. Looking back at the mirror, I could see Emalynn- I mean, Ema. I have to get her name right. Ema is looking like she is going to burst from excitement.

“So, Ms. Ro,” Kaya smiled at me. “What hair color should we go with?"

What color should I make my hair be? Hmm. Rosewyn was born in a coastal city, Mare, in the human kingdom of Solis. Rosewyn is the only daughter of a blacksmith where she taught basic swordsmanship with her mother, a former adventurer. So, Rosewyn probably has her hair constantly tied back and long out of family tradition. Brunette seems rather common though… Being blond is too elvish… I could go silver like my wolf fur highlights or red like Myrra, my guild master.

"Ro, come on already. You're drowning me with suspense!" Ema whined.

"Am I? Does that mean you know what color your fur will be?" I asked. She seems so confident in herself and her decisions.

"Of course," Ema put her hands on my shoulders looking in the mirror. "My fur will be amber-like my eyes, and my eye color will be green like my mother's." Iris pulled some fur from Ema's twitchy tail. "Ouch." Ema patted her fur plucked tail. The gears in her mind seemed to be turning from the expression on her face. "Do I get to change my height too?" She asked Iris, happily forgetting the fur plucking.

Iris laughed at Ema's bouncy little tail waving around Ema's head. "I think shortening you a bit would be fairly simple."

Ema's ears dropped. "Aww… I wanted to be taller…"

"Ro's the only one in need of a height boost, Ema," Kaya teased.

"Hey!" I glared at Madam Kaya.

"Here, Ema. This pendant will enact the glamor charm based on what you asked for." Iris giggled as she handed Ema her little star pendant.

I looked back at Iris' work area to see a pot brewing with a glamor potion. When had she made the potion? "That was so fast…" I murmured.

"It's easy when the girl knows what she wants," Iris explained. "Plus, I have been around a while, so I have had time to perfect my magic. These pendants will last as long as you live. Should you die, the spell will break as if it never existed."

"So, the spell is linked to our magic?" I asked.

"Woah! Ro look at me!" Ema called.

I turned to see the snow-white monkey appear amber-colored with bright green eyes like a budding leaf. The pink dress still suited her well in glamor form. Her body seemed slightly smaller, and her ears and tail seemed to darken into a maple brown. Her skin even tanned from a peach color to a golden color to match. Ema was different. Beautiful but different. "Do you like it?" I asked her stunned face as she looked in the full-length mirror.

"It's not as playful, but I can make it work." She smiled at me. "Your turn," she declared.

Right. My turn. I had meant to go first, but my brain went down a rabbit hole, looking for a logical answer.

"How about you give this a try," Iris beamed at me as she handed me the moon pendant.

"When...how?" I stuttered.

"I snipped your hair a moment ago. Besides, you seem unsure of what you should do, so I threw something together for you." Iris answered. "Now, go on. Try it on."

I nodded and turned toward the mirror. The shiny moon pendant glistened silver like my ring as I slipped it on. My ring's red gem glowed a bit as my exterior changed. My spine stretched a little longer giving me two more inches of height while my hair turned red as the blood in my veins. The length of my hair straightened and stretched past my waist. My eyes deepened into a dark blue, and slight scarring appeared on my right eyebrow and left side of my chin. I even had freckles, now! This was the face of Rosewyn Sillber. I am Ro.

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My blue and silver gown seemed to shine more with my blood-red hair. I heard Iris whisper a spell behind me as my hair became braided and pinned like ribbons hanging from a twisted bun. I had slight makeup to make my eyes shine and cheeks appear rosy. I was astonished at the changes.

"Aren't you a beauty!" Madam Kaya complimented me. "The two of you will steal all the attention of every young man in the room tonight."

"That sounds fun." Ema batted her glittery eyes at me.

"Be my guest. Just don't get attached. We need to leave here as soon as we earn the money to go." I reminded her.

"About that," Madam Kaya cut in. She handed me a pouch of silver coins. "You got rid of those disgusting cave centipedes for me. So, here is your payment. That should be enough to get supplies, clothes, and transportation to the Wizard’s Guild."

"Madam Kaya, you are so awesome, but we can't depend on handouts from people. Ro's right that we need to earn our way on our own." Ema said, causing the room to become silent. "You have already provided us with so much. We need to work to pay our way from now on."

"Ema? Is that you? My best friend doesn't talk like that." I teased.

"She does now," Ema put her hands on her hips to emphasize her mature attitude.

Madam Kaya nodded her head at Ema. "Very well. You are hired. Starting the day after tomorrow you will be my errand girls. Now, come. We have a gala to attend."

"Wait...what?" I asked confused, Madam Kaya only pulled Ema and myself out of the room. She insisted that we talk about the details later. She wanted us to go have some fun as normal young ladies do at events like these. We walked back through the hallways to the main staircase where Elias and another familiar young elf stood waiting for us. The young male elf looked like Madam Kaya and Elias. He had long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and shimmering gold eyes.

"Katar! You're home." Madam Kaya hurried toward the young male elf. "Oh, my brother and my son are home!"

Son? Oh right. Uncle Elias had been training his nephew recently. I vaguely remember meeting him, but I was always in a hurry to go on another mission or train somewhere. This must be him. At least, he doesn't know it's me standing before him, or this could get awkward.

"Katar, come meet your uncle's nieces." Madam Kaya pulled her son forward to meet us. Ema and I gave a slight bow to our hosts. "This young lady is Emera Rhys," Madam Kaya gestured to Ema. "And this young lady is Rosewyn Sillber."

Katar bowed his head to each of us. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"Katar, could please escort my nieces for the evening? They haven't been to a gala in a while, and I am sure they could use a break from me." Uncle Elias asked. What was that man thinking? Katar has met me before… Would he recognize me? Probably not. We had met briefly.

"Of course, Uncle. It would be my pleasure." Katar grinned toward his uncle.

Madam Kaya came and whispered in my ear. “Let’s put your new identity to the test, shall we?” So that’s why they were dragging us to the gala. They wanted the gala to be a proving ground for Ema and me. Great another test. I nodded at her words.

"Have fun girls. We leave at midnight." Uncle Elias said before escorting Madam Kaya toward what I imagined to be the ballroom.

Katar didn’t say much, but he offered us his arms, so he could escort us into the ballroom. This whole situation felt weird, especially with Katar awkwardly glancing at me every 5 seconds. Ema just giggled at my discomfort as we walked down the staircase. We enter the ballroom to see Madam Kaya dancing with a handsome, older elf that resembles Katar. That must be Madam Kaya’s husband. Katar finally steps away to greet some friends allowing Ema and me to talk.

“What is going on?” Ema asked me. “You seem uncomfortable with everything since uncle told us to have some fun.”

She’s okay with this? “They are testing us, Ema. They want to see how well our new identities work, I suppose. Couldn’t this have waited? We need to rest and heal,” I sighed. “And Madam Kaya just decided we are going to work for her without even discussing it with us. Once we leave Pine Row, we won’t have these adults around to make plans for us or give us things. We will be on our own. It bothers me that they are deciding for us on everything.”

Ema took my hand and dragged me away from the crowd around us. “Ror- I mean Ro, you need to relax. They just want us to practice our new identities and have some fun tonight. That’s all. They all know we will be on our own soon with no help. No friends or a safe place to rest. This is their present to us. I know you are worried about being on our own, but there’s no reason to worry about what we can’t control. Please just allow yourself to get used to being Rosewyn and have fun during our time here. Besides, Katar can’t take his eyes off you. Even now, he keeps glancing over here.”

“Seriously? He didn’t notice me as my normal self, but now that I am a hot redhead, he can’t stop looking at me…” I groaned.

Ema pinched my freckled cheeks. “This is your chance to experiment and have fun. Go be a young woman who can have fun for a change. I plan to do just the same.”

“But…but…” I stuttered.

“Hey, Katar!” Ema called him and his friends. “Over here.”

Katar waved and walked over with his friend, a dapper-looking fox beast. They gave us both a warm greeting and asked us to dance. Of course, Ema wouldn’t let me say no, so I took Katar’s hand and walked to the dance floor. Katar’s hand was rough and warm in mine. He had the hands of a warrior instead of an aristocrat, which was a relief. I don’t think I could handle dancing with a snobby aristocrat. The music was a gentle waltz, so I uncomfortably allowed Katar to place his hand on my waist as we danced.

“Nervous, Ms. Rosewyn?” Katar asked, looking down at me.

I looked up into his amber eyes. They were kind and curious with the way they were looking back at mine. Maybe Ema was right. I could just have fun tonight since my carefree time at the guild is over. Besides, Katar seems genuinely interested in me, and I already know I don’t want a mate. A little flirting might be okay, right?

“You think I am nervous?” I questioned him playfully, trying to hide how forced it was coming out of my mouth.

Katar raised his brow at me. “Well, you seem to be constantly looking toward the exit instead of your dance partner.”

That sounded sour. He’s a wolf-beast-born elf aristocrat but still seems spoiled given his sour tone. “Aww. Did Katar get his feelings hurt because I wasn’t focused on him?” I said sweetly.

His expression changed from a confident smile to annoyance as his grip tightened on my hand and waist. “I think you are confused about my intentions, Ms. Rosewyn. As your escort, I was only concerned about your well-being.”

Oh, this guy is getting on my nerves. "You're right. A good-standing elf aristocrat like yourself would never look. I am only a lowly human that your Uncle has taken in. I think I have had enough dancing. Thank you, sir." I pulled away from his grip leaving him on the dance floor, dumbfounded. Poor Katar.

I made my way to the buffet table. There were locally sourced delights from savory to sweet. I picked up a plate to fill with delicious food. Roasted hog, tender beef cutlets, cheesy potatoes, fresh vegetables, flavored dressings, and sweet fruit platters filled my plate. It was a bounty befitting a royal banquet. Finding a place to sit, I enjoyed my meal when Katar came and sat down next to me. The food wasn't as good once my mood had soured from his presence.

"Enjoying your meal, Ms. Rosewyn?" Katar asked, curtly.

"I was. Is there something you need, Katar?" I answered without looking at him.

"Ms. Rosewyn, I think we got off on the wrong. Please allow me to apologize for any misunderstanding that may have occurred." Katar sipped his drink next to me. I was unsure what he wanted, but his words were very diplomatic. "For clarification, I do indeed find myself attracted to you. If that has offended you-"

Pppppleh. I spit out my food at his words and began choking. Did he just say he's attracted to me so nonchalantly? How can he just say that? Katar is an elf after all, and being attracted to me as a human is not allowed. My coughing continued as Katar began asking if I was all right. "You certainly... know... how to be... forthcoming...when you wish to be."

"Being aloof didn't seem to help our conversation much," Katar said, honestly as he offered me water.

I sipped on the glass contemplating his words. Had I been too quick to judge him? This whole situation was just weird. I looked over to the dancing couples and cheery musicians playing a whimsical tune. Uncle Elias was happily joking and drinking while Madam Kaya danced happily with her husband. Even Ema was still dancing with Katar's friend. The smile on her face made this evening seem less annoying.

"Feeling better?" Katar asked.

"A bit. Tell me, what is this gala celebrating?" I was curious why the whole town had come to the party tonight.

"Mom didn't tell you? The town is celebrating the end of spring planting. All the farms have successfully planted their crops for the season. My parents put on the gala as a celebration for the town and to boost the local economy. It started about 10 years ago now." Katar explained.

“How charming,” I answered. It was nice of Madam Kaya and her husband to do something like this for the town. Madam Kaya is truly kind just like Uncle Elias. Perhaps, Katar isn’t as bad as I once thought either.

“You certainly are an odd one, Ms. Rosewyn.” Katar smiled at me. “I have met many people since my mother is the governor of this town, but never an unpredictable lady like yourself.”

Great. Now, Katar was charming. My thoughts drifted to Jerico. Jerico had been similar in his approach to me by pushing his way into my life. Although, he was much sweeter about it than Katar has been so far. Not that things could go far with Katar anyway. He’s an elf on the outside and a wolf beast on the inside whereas I am a human on the outside and a hybrid on the inside. This is just a harmless flirtation, right? “Odd? Should I take that as a compliment, Katar?”

“Of course, Ms.Rosewyn. I wouldn’t mean it any other way,” His smile grew bigger if that was even possible.

Heat flooded my cheeks from his words. He was indeed a politician’s son. “Katar, you should know, I won’t be in town long. I am here to do some work and earn a good wage, so Ema and I can go traveling. I don’t intend to stay. I am not someone you can get attached to. Ok?”

Katar’s smile didn’t fade or flinch at my words. “You are rejecting my advances after calling me out on my obvious attraction for you. Tell me, Ms. Rosewyn. Is there anything that can be done to change your mind?”

How did I end up in this situation? My black curly hair never attracted this kind of attention. Does my red hair make that much of a difference? “Katar, whatever attraction you feel is only skin deep. There’s no changing my mind, but I can offer friendship if you truly desire to get to know me. Nothing more.”

Katar shook his head thinking over my words. “You are mysterious and guarded, Ms. Rosewyn. I will, indeed, accept your friendship, but I am determined to change your mind about me.”

“Best of luck, Katar,” I answered. There will be no changing of my mind. I can’t have a mate in my situation and nothing can change that.

“On that note, let’s dance again, Ms. Rosewyn. I want to show you a good time.” Katar gave me his best flirty gaze.

“Very well, Katar. Give me your best shot,” I reluctantly agreed. After all, I was here to have a good time according to Elias. Perhaps, Katar could show me a good time.