„But my lady, the sapphire ones would look so good on you!” Milly pleaded while dangling a set of gorgeous earrings glittering with deep blue and red stones.

“I'm not comfortable wearing earrings.” Lorelei tried explaining for the umpteenth time and frowned.

“Very unpractical things.” Rish agreed while nibbling on a dried apple ring. “The big ones especially get in the way of fighting.”

“She is not going to fight!” Saya rolled her eyes, giving her cousin-in-law a critical look. “I'm with Milly. Without the earrings, something is missing.”

“Don’t you start too!” Lorelei grumbled as her heart tightened at the sight of the dangling gems and the skin on her back started to itch. She was probably never going to outgrow this reaction towards earrings and had managed to weasel her way out of wearing them up until now. Why, in the names of the Saints, were these two so insistent today?

Catching up on her friend’s mood, Saya squinted and her finger tapped her lips.

“I think I have an idea. I’ll be back soon. Milly, finish the lady’s hair before I come back. Make it something simple.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” The maid’s eyes glowed with a conspiratorial sheen. “Half and half, once more braided, then looped up?”

“Perfect.”

Giving her approval, the young woman ran out of the room, leaving the confused and anxious Lorelei in the servant’s hands.

Not losing a second, Milly began rearranging her mistress’ hair under Rish’s bemused gaze. Soon enough, six braids fell heavily over Lorelei’s shoulder but the maid was far from over. She took three braids on each side and braided them together, then looped them over her lady’s ears and fastened them with a brown string.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Lorelei felt relieved. The hairdo this time was comparatively tame considering Milly’s usually extravagant works of countless intertwining braids and ribbons. This fresh change also suited her unusual attire today.

Lorelei stood up from the chair and twirled a bit in front of the mirror, enjoying how her ankle-length skirt and slightly longer white underdress opened up like the petals of a morning glory. The blue sleeveless outer gown was decorated with silver angular swirls that intertwined and formed a cloud pattern from the hem up to her knees. Waving her hands, Lorelei curiously observed the long broad sleeves of her underdress, gathered at the wrists with decorative leather cuffs, and found they looked like the bells of a doghobble. To finish the unusual costume, a tiny short-sleeved coat that reached just below her breasts covered her torso, the whole surface of the red cloth adorned with blue floral patterns.

“Do you think this is… alright?” Lorelei asked Rish after some contemplation and a shadow crept over her face.

“And why shouldn’t it be, my lady?” The young warrior arched an eyebrow. “It’s not your first time in Binshi clothing.”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop with the ‘lady’ thing?” Lorelei pursed her lips which earned her a toothy grin from the Binshi. Her fingers hesitantly stroked the embroidery on the coat. “Won’t the representatives of the Great Clans think I’m being offensive, wearing such an attire despite being a Limerian?”

“Would you be mad at me for wearing a Limerian dress?”

“Of course not!”

“There you have it.” Rish took out another apple ring from the plate and bit triumphantly on it.

Lorelei considered arguing further but thought the better of it. It was impossible to convince her friend that there might be some nuances in who was wearing what attire when. Besides, it wasn’t like she could change clothes. Noah had explicitly requested that she wore this outfit. Despite him stating it was meant to symbolize the unity between Binshi and Limerians, she was still unsure how wise this decision was.

The door of her bedroom opened and Saya marched in, her chubby face beaming with delight, carrying a small chest in her hands. She put her load on the table and winked at Rish who, judging by her rounded eyes, had recognized the item. Without a word, Saya lifted the lid and took out a three-finger-thick silver circlet adorned with carved flowers and shimmering moonstones. On both sides, beads of pearls hung down, their ends attached to filigree crescents carrying a dangling row of moonstone drops.

“The hanging bits are called poves,” she explained to the stunned Lorelei, “and are technically not earrings. It should give you the little something that was missing.”

“No, I can’t take it!”

“Yes, you can.” Her friend ignored her protests and placed the circlet on her head. “I’m just lending it to you, alright. No need to be so tense. Now, ladies, what’s the verdict?”

“It’s perfect, Your Grace!” Milly’s eyes twinkled with the spark of an artist marveling at their masterpiece.

“Not all too shabby.” Rish whistled, arching an eyebrow.

“And you, my lady?” Saya’s face was the embodiment of tantalizing mischief.

Under the onslaught of smiles, Lorelei finally capitulated and hugged her friend.

“It’s so beautiful… Thank you, Saya!”

The women chattered some more but then Saya and Rish had to leave to prepare for the big event themselves. After all, the turgan-issa of the Wolf Mountain tribe and the turgan’s cousin had to be presentable.

The time passed in pretended calmness and nervous waiting until someone knocked on the door and Milly went to meet them. When she returned, her grin was even bigger than before, if that was even possible.

“His Highness has come to escort you, my lady. He is waiting in the anteroom together with Sir Duncan and Lady Nelini.”

Lorelei’s throat felt dry all of a sudden, forcing her to swallow hard. It wasn’t like she was going to be judged but still… she felt uneasy. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the anteroom with what she hoped was a dignified gait and greeted her guests politely.

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Duncan, dressed in his finest clothes and donning a red overcoat with cut sleeves and a black badger crest woven on the chest, held a large wooden box in his hands. He maneuvered his bulky cargo and managed to bow and even give Lorelei’s palm a playful peck. Next to him stood the rigid figure of Neli in her favorite flaming garments of red and orange. Lorelei didn’t miss the fact that both her and Duncan’s outfits harmonized perfectly and that the red decorative comb in her hair bore the carving of a badger too. When Lorelei’s eyes crossed with hers, the Marzbanati gave the young woman a polite but cold nod.

‘Nothing unexpected,’ Lorelei thought but her indignation was quickly swiped away by the sight of Noah, whose gaze hadn’t left her ever since she had entered the room.

He had exchanged his black doublet for a short-sleeved tunic in dark granite-gray. Silver clouds curled from its hem to his belt and up the chest. Beneath was a midnight shirt, sporting the same doghobble sleeves as Lorelei and a high collar with a lightning pattern. Together with his black trousers, this made Noah look clad in a thunderstorm.

After a round of greetings, he offered Lorelei his arm and led everyone outside.

Marching through the castle’s corridors, Lorelei felt restless with every step. Even Duncan had commented on her attire but her husband hadn’t uttered a word. Maybe Saya and the girls’ praises were indeed over-exaggerated?

“My lord,” she whispered cautiously, “I hope we didn’t overdo it with the circlet. If it is not to your liking, I can take it off.”

“There is nothing wrong with it,” he replied in the same hushed tone. “What makes you think it isn’t to my liking?”

“You never said…”

‘… anything,’ she almost blurted out but bit her lips on time. It was vain and petty, but she really had hoped to hear… something from him.

“I see.” His gray eyes sparkled and he smiled warmly. “I never complimented your look, my duchess. Please, don’t be upset, it was my mistake.”

“The Duke made no–”

“It’s simple.” He didn’t give her a chance to continue. “When one has perfection before their eyes, no words can give it justice.”

Lorelei tripped, but Noah managed to hold her steady.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m f-fine,” she said, happy to be saved by the change of conversation topics. “Did I aggravate your injury?”

“That scratch?” Noah snorted. “It is almost healed. Your salves are doing miracles. And I’ve been diligently applying the eye drops as prescribed every night.”

“That’s reassuring.” Lorelei was surprised to hear him sound almost like a scolded child and chuckled. “It was a good thing that it didn’t get infected. Or cursed.”

“I got lucky for a change.” Her husband shrugged but his intentionally light words summoned some dark thoughts to Lorelei’s mind.

Upon her request, Noah had told her about the ordeal with Baron Rowell, although she suspected him of downplaying the danger substantially. To think that someone would dare possess a Limerian noble and use curses and unholy summons to try and harm the Duke and the Barons… They had gotten out of a dangerous situation barely scratched.

‘Thank the Gods, it all happened in the wilderness,’ Lorelei thought and shivered, imagining the horror scenario of corpse-dolls being summoned in the castle. Even if Noah had assured her that there were protection charms throughout Ildemar that weakened malicious spells aimed at its inhabitants, she still was grateful that they didn’t get a chance to test them out.

“What dark thoughts are weighing on your mind now, my duchess?” Noah’s voice startled her but she quickly found her ground.

“Just pondering over the nature of luck, my lord.”

“Well, if you continue to frown like that, my lady, you will turn all the milk in the castle sour.”

Lorelei’s lips stretched despite her best efforts as she coughed to hide a giggle. Seeing her reaction, Noah brightened up and his step gained some spring. As their small procession exited the Grand Hall into the sunny spring noon, Lorelei saw five distinct groups of people waiting for them at the entrance.

The four Barons and their entourages were almost sparkling from all the gold and silver in their ceremonial attire and ornate armor. They all looked lavish, dashing, and dignified, the air of nobility around them almost palpable. Amongst the crowd, Lorelei spotted Jessup who waved at her happily but a moment later quivered, receiving a heavy slap on his neck from a tall man with the unmistakable De Mar curls and freckles.

But what truly piqued her interest was the fifth group. Except for Saya’s ginger-blond, all other heads had brilliant white hair, tied in braids or cascading freely down their shoulders. Most of the people wore clothes like hers and Noah’s, but Lorelei also saw for the first time another type of attire on eight of the Binshi.

It was a ground-long garment with sleeves like trumpets. Or rather, it was a whole set of garments plated one over the other, their neck-pieces and sleeve lengths arranged in a way so that each layer was visible, building a colorful cascade. The women wore circlets similar to Lorelei’s on their heads, and the men had carved wooden knives tucked in their belts. Said belts were thick and richly embroidered, adorned with silver buckles shaped like wolfheads. Heavy bone and bead necklaces hung over their chests and the clanking of bracelets could be heard in the hubbub. Both men and women had blue symbols painted on their foreheads, but the similarities between the eight Binshi ended there, for one stood out even in that colorful crowd.

Shana’s attire was the most precious, every gorgeous layer decorated with embroidery, beads, or silver platelets. Unlike the paw-shaped mark on the other seven, her forehead carried the image of a star, and her circlet was carved with depictions of humans and animals.

As Lorelei marveled at the girl’s dress, their eyes met. It was a fleeting look, a glimpse, lasting no more than a second. And yet, this second felt unnaturally drawn. As if time had decided to slow down, frozen by that unfathomable blue gaze. Lorelei felt that she was drowning in Shana’s eyes, the breath stuck in her chest and unwilling to come out. Splitting pain shot through her temples and ran down her stiffened neck.

It all lasted for no more than the blink of an eye. As Shana moved her head, the pain and the strange sensation disappeared, leaving Lorelei panting with a back drenched in cold sweat.

“Is everything alright?” Noah leaned towards her and whispered.

“Yes, of course,” she hurriedly replied. Her nerves were probably playing tricks on her, nothing more.

Still throwing her concerned glances, Noah lead her down the stairs. To Lorelei’s surprise, they didn’t remain in the courtyard, and neither did they go to the main gate of Ildemar. Instead, the procession exited the castle through the side gate that lead to Star-gazer Garden. Taking the narrow steps next to the bridge, they reached the little gravel beach beneath the walls of the keep.

On Noah’s sign, the procession stopped and fanned out. Shana stood on his left with the seven pristinely-clad Binshi, Gregor amongst them, standing by her side. Lorelei took the place on his right and the four Barons aligned next to her. Everyone else gathered behind them and waited in silence.

Only the quiet splashing of the waves and the cries of some adventurous seagulls out on their exploratory routs could be heard. As Lorelei was starting to wonder what was going to happen, she realized that the sound of the waves had disappeared. Her forehead scrunched up as she attempted to comprehend the sudden change. Then came the cold.

There was no wind but the surrounding temperature dropped to the point where heaps of white steam rose from one's mouth. Frost started building on the little pebbles on the beach, crawling slowly from the waterline towards the welcoming procession. A shining crust of ice had stretched over the fjord to a little patch of forest not all too far away, building a crystalline bridge out of a fairytale.

Eyes wide open, Lorelei didn’t want to blink out of fear that she might miss something. Up until now, the magic she had witnessed had been cruel, ugly, and sad – magic intended to either rob life or to counter malicious spells. As the bridge grew more substantial, its pure beauty touched something in her soul and made her tear up. With a fluttering heart, she couldn’t wait to meet the casters, and her wish was granted without much delay.

A white-clad figure emerged from between the trees, then another one followed, then one more, overall more than thirty people. Even from the distance, their clothes sparkled like fresh snow under the spring sun.

With a gracious and confident step, the white procession made its way over the bridge of ice towards castle Ildemar.