"Miri Fisher, get out of bed this instant!" The voice startled me out of my sleep.
It was only moments later that the door to my room burst open. Privacy was supposed to be one of the few benefits to being head of a Rider group, but when your best friend was Evin Larse, that benefit was virtually non-existent. Along with most of the others. My aforementioned best friend stuck his head in the room, shortly followed by his shoulders, chest and ridiculously long legs.
"It's my day off Evin, I intend to make the most of it." I buried my head under my pillow, settling once more into the warm dent in my cot.
"Do you remember why you have today off?" he asked, pulling the pillow from my hands. Groaning, I pulled the covers over my head instead, but moments later a pair of rough hands pried them loose from my fingers and pulled them all the way off the bed, letting the chilly winter air reach my bare feet and legs.
"I thought not." he said, now opening the shutters to admit a burst of frigid air. "Today is the first day of Midwinter Miri." he said matter-of-factly. I groaned again. How could I forget? Now I would have to spend the next five nights watching enviously from the sidelines as the realms most beautiful ladies, single or not, flirted and fought for the attentions of my best friend.
Under normal circumstances, this would have been unbearable as it tended to give him an inflated head for several days following. My circumstances, however, had become more complicated.
He settled himself in my desk chair as I reluctantly sat up. There was no use trying to sleep now.
"And why on earth does that mean I have to rise with the sun? You do that plenty for the both of us." He grinned fecklessly at me. Goddess he looked handsome despite the early hour. He had just returned from the southern border a week prior, and his skin was still sun darkened.
"Because it's Midwinter," he said, as though that explained everything. I scowled and gathered fresh clothes. As I stepped behind the curtain I'd hung in the corner to dress (a very good idea, especially if your best friend had a habit of barging into your room at ungodly hours) he continued.
"We're going to need all the time we can scrape together this year." I had just managed to pull on clean breeches.
"And why is that? What on earth do you expect will make this year different than last year, and the year before that, and the year before..."
"This year will be different Miri, because this year, you are going to wear a dress." I froze. It was obvious he took delight in my lack of response. I shrugged into my shirt and stepped out, not even attempting to refuse the idea of wearing a dress. If I protested, he would take that to mean that I had agreed. If I ignored him, there was a better chance I would get out of it.
After all, when he smiled at me like that, I couldn't stand to crush his hopes.
"Remind me again why I'm friends with you," I said, trying to make something out of my mangled bed.
He grinned, and his blonde hair fell across his eyes.
"Because I'm irresistible," he said with a theatrical bow. I rolled my eyes, affecting disdain. All of the parties were going to inflate his head plenty - I didn't need to contribute any.
"You wish."