Everest
"Try this one! No, no! This one!" Lady Opilia exclaimed as she commanded the maidens to flash boxes of necklaces and earrings before the pretty green-eyed blonde.
"Pick anything for me," Evere said with her eyes focused on the pages of her book. She didn't care much about jewelery. Currently she was more focused on reading an encyclopedia about the Imi butterflies, found in the cave of the Uur. Apparently the Imi butterflies had eight wings and each section of its wings had a different shade of the same color.
Opilia nearly slapped her face. "Can you not read after the Selection? We have waited for this day for years. If I hadn't found out that you changed the dress last minute, you would have gone to the palace with mismatched shoes and earrings. Then my reputation throughout the land would be ruined!"
"It says here that Imi butterflies have the ability to stop time around anyone who comes close to them," Evere's delicate child-like voice muttered, green eyes glistening with curiousity, ignoring the nagging woman.
"Oh what do I do with you? If only you could marry a book, you would."
"No, madam Opilia. I belong only to his Majesty," Ever responded softly as her small doll-like hands closed the book. "Fine, I will pay attention."
The maidens smiled as they all flashed her boxes of exquisite necklaces and earrings that went with the ruby red dress.
Evere sighed. Clothes, Jewelry, all that didn't matter to her. All she cared about was meeting Najeer again. Almost a century away from her betrothed, how had she even beared it.
Tingles surged within her body as she remembered his voice whispering in her ears. And at the same time her skin itched with fear. What if the Emperor didn't love her as before. He had been away in battle for so long he must have met so many women with fairer skin and brighter eyes than hers. It was expected that he would dally around, but all she hoped for was that he still had even a bit of care left for her.
When she learnt that Emperor Najeer had returned from his invasions eight years ago, she became so excited that she began to send stocks of letters and face Illusion messages his way.
But he barely even responded, sending only one letter in response for every ten she sent. The tone of the letter sounded like he was equally as pleased to hear from her again, but, Evere could feel that something was off.
His letters seemed a bit distant. Not once did he send a voice carry message not to mention a face message. He was the Great Emperor even without access to magi-technology, he could have done it easily purely with his magic.
Evere would shake her head from the horrifying thought anytime she had doubts. The Emperor was a busy man, when would he find time to send a mimicker to her? The fact that she was receiving letters from him at all, meant something.
Najeer was the only one in Everes life keeping her sane, while living with power hungry brothers for a century. It would break her if, even he, forgot about her.
"Tell me why you decided to take another dress on the eve of the engagement?" Opilia questioned as a maiden levitated a mannequin robed with a layer of thin red inner garment.
"The dress was a gift from Princess Saraswatiya. She gifted it to me because before she died. I nearly forgot about it, but I must wear it today to honor her." Evere stood up from her seat, and as she did, Opilia levitated the red heavy dress over Evere's body.
Evere pushed her hands through the arm holes and the dress flowed down her body quite loosely, due to her small weak frame. As the bottom of the flowing dress touched the floor, the maidens giggled and immediately began attending to the back of the dress, buttoning and pinning all that needed to be done.
"Oh sometimes I forget how close you two were," Opilia sighed as a heavy cloud settled in her heart. Princess Saraswatiya had always been the one to set up dates between Emperor Najeer and Everette when they were younger. Contrary to what one would believe about the arrogance of royals. Saraswatiya was kind and playful, gentle to everyone around her. Even as crown Princess she treated everyone around her like they were her equals.
She personally had treated Everette as a daughter ever since the relationship between Najeer and Everette became revealed. She welcomed her into the family even before any formal arrangements for the Royal Selection. Because she saw the love Najeer held for Evere in his eyes.
"You still miss her, don't you," Opilia said in nostalgia as she levitated another outer robe, deep red in color with long elegant sleeves and gold flower embroidery. They all missed the princess.
The maidens paused fighting the urge to squirm as they looked at their young lady. Like a flawless white porcelain doll, she was gorgeous. The red dress had a transparent lacing from below her chest to just above her hips, revealing her slender delicate waist. She had a youthful charm rare among ladies with big green eyes and lucious blonde locks.
To put it simple she was too adorable and too cute.
Evere however was unaware about the maidens gushing over her as a sad twinkle lit up in her eyes innocently while her arms slipped through the sleeves of the outer robe. "Every time she visited she would always sneak chocolates to me, because she knew my family did not allow sweets in the house. I miss her. And I know her spirit still watches over us, I can feel it in my heart. His Majesty, must feel it too."
"It baffles me how, His Majesty, is nothing like her. Since her death, our In'er has done so many executions. He knows nothing about mercy?"
The Maidens urged Evere to sit down in front of the mirror so they could address her long flowing golden hair with floral ornaments and pins.
"It is not his fault he is the way he is. He was dragged to battle the week of the Princess' death. Duties never even allowed him to mourn." Evere said as she remembered the day she learnt Najeer had to go to the other side of the realm to fend off attack from the other Empires who saw it fit to wage war in the absence of a standing Emperor.
Back then Najeer's identity was kept a secret as no one had expected the next In'er to come from the Emperor's second generation. Though it was still a mystery till this day why the Emperor at the time, did not go out himself to fight rather than sending the only heir out in battle when he was still too young. A very questionable decision that shouldn't have been allowed because of its risk.
The life they knew it today would have been very different, if something had happened to Najeer in battle.
But he was stronger than anyone could have imagined. He overpowered the enemies conquering their lands instead. Only three realms were not yet in his grasp.
"I miss him, Opilia." Tears began to stir in Evere crystal eyes as she stared into the mirror looking at her features which didn't seem to have matured much since they last saw. She still looked like a girl rather than a woman. "I have waited for so long to see him again. What if he doesn't pick me to be his brde? What if he has completely forgotten about me?"
Opilia's eyes widened as her hand held her waist. "By the stars and the moon, if there's anything I am sure of, is that, His Majesty, could never forget his first love. Trust in the Emperor."
Evere looks down and bites her ruby polished nails. "I can't wait to finally be with him."