He muttered uninteligably under his breath for a moment. Then he looked at his servant. "Just get my robes. I dont care which ones." He started walking and then stopped, looking back at Echo.
His expression softened. "Sorry. I'm being rude. I'll show you where your room is before I go to mine." He walked carefully over, leaving the anger out of his face and stride but it was still in his eyes.
He held out his hand, waiting. Echo took it, his hand dwarfing hers. He offered a warm smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Echo looked down, not smiling, but frowning. What could his father want? All kinds of images ran through her mind.
He interupted her thinking by stopping at a door. "This is your room. Mine is just one door down to the left. You'll be okay?" She nodded, still not looking up into his eyes where she new the golden sparks were still flying.
Dymetri leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, his lips lingering. Before he pulled away he whispered in her ear. "I'd do anything for you. Remember." Echo nodded sadly and walked into her room, unseeingly.
The prince sighed and left for his rooms to change into his robes. He cursed under his breath.
Echo wasn't paying attention as she closed the door, so the squeel from the other side of the room by the vanity mirror made her jump. She looked up. Three lady's in maid's outfits made of a soft looking cotton were looking at her.
All three of them began to talk to eachother in latin, scrutinizing Echo's appearance.
"Darlin, how could you wear a nightgown that entire time?" One of them, the taller and darker one, tisked.
"Find a gown for her to wear Evane will you?" She spoke to a smaller, more pixie like elf, who skipped towards the closit.
"I dont think that's neces--"
"Hush! We need to get you cleaned. Off into the bathing room. Chop-chop" She clapped her hands impaciently and ushered Echo into a room leading off of the main bed chamber.
This room was very similar to the bed room. The tiles were the same soft green as the bed spread. The shelves were a startling white, that contrasted with the dark, olive green wall mostly covered by three mirrors.
One mirror was full length, stretching from ceiling to floor and three feet wide. The second was enough to show from the waist up. And the third was a small mirror the was only enough to show you're face. The bath was like a small pool in the floor. It was a good five feet deep and just as much wide. The walling of the tub was also tiled only with black tiles.
Echo leaned against one of the walls and closed her eyes, listening to the bath water flowing from the tap, filling the tub. And it wasnt long until a sharp voice called her from her peace. "Come on, get undressed." The first lady snapped.
She clicked her tongue in impatience as she turned off the squeaky taps. She added a couple spoonfulls of some aromatic oil and came over to help undress the unmoving teenager.
Echo felt slightly uncomfortable walking to the tub completely naked, but the floral scent was calling her to the warm water. It seemed so welcoming that she all but forgot that she had an audiance of women watching her put one delecate foot into the hot bath water.
Echo sighed as she submerged herself in the hot water. The oils in the water began to remove the grit and grime from her skin as she rubbed her muscles, working out some knots in her shoulders.
Evane walked into the room. "Wet your hair, please, Miss." She held a bottle in her hand.
Echo did as she was told, and when she came up, Evane was at the tub's edge, pouring some of the cream into her hands. "Over here." She said quietly, not looking up from her hands. Echo swam over and faced away from the maid.
Evane set to work massaging the cream into Echo's long black hair. She chatted mindlessly for a while, but Echo wasnt really listening. The delicate fingers that were detangling her hair was doing as much help to her hair as to her mind. The aroma from the cream helped Echo detangle her thoughts and seperate them into groups that she could think over later.
Suddenly a bucket of hot water being poured on her head, woke Echo from her reverie. The girl caughed and spluttered as the water again splashed onto her head and ran down her face.
"Okay. Out." The bossy lady was back, weilding a towel in the air. "Lets get you dried and changed into a clean evening gown.
Echo stepped out of the tub, amazingly, without slipping, and walked into the towel. She yelped as she was suddenly attacked by two other towels. One made was drying her hair while the other two were quickly drying the rest of her body.
"Did you get the dress, Evane?" Echo's head emerged from beneith the towel in time to see Evane nod. Echo groaned. She hated dresses. All the women laughed.
***
By the time the ladies in waiting were finished with her, Echo had a light dusting of minerals to bring out the natural colors of her face, the dress was on with a corset beneith it, she was in heals that made her certain that she would eventually have a broken ankle, and her hair was made up in wavy curls pinned back with a floral clip. And Echo hated it. She felt like a dress up doll.
The dress was a lavender color made of a heavy silk. It was a slightly low cut and the skirt flowed out from the bodice. Intricate stitch work was done in white thread. And bows were pinned to her hips. Matching gloves that reached above her elbow provided an annoyance and discomfort every time she tried to grip something. But still, it was reletivly pretty in her eyes, Echo didn't like the feel of it though.
Echo suddenly jumped, along with the other women in the room. A loud voice was booming from somewhere downstairs and eventually more voices were added in, a comotion that would give anyone a headache. Echo sighed as she stood up from the vanity stool to see what it was all about. The dress was pretty, and Echo didn't want to end up shifting improperly and tearing it.
This was going to be difficult.
The dress:
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