Yes, perhaps Elaina did enjoy herself a bit more then she had wanted to let on. But how could one remain so stony when they were being showered with praises and fabrics and accessories? The tailor's were so pleasant and eager to please her; the two younger men were entertaining Ani with stories on some of the outrageous things they had had to sew; while the two women were pouring wonderful comments onto Elaina, "What a beautiful broach!" One said, "My, what lovely hair!" the other sighed breathlessly.
Elaina was thoroughly pleased; she did not often get such comments as these, not even from her family. The fact that they may only be doing so because of who she was didn't really bother her in the slightest either. In fact, it barely even crossed her mind.
Then there was the oldest man, named Michael, who was fixed on having Elaina stripped of her attire so that he may have her measured. Elaina was somewhat wary at undressing with so many strangers in the room but, after much reassurance from Michael and badgering from Delilah, they had it done, to find that Elaina was of a slender disposition and therefore would wear mostly lighter fabrics, so that she may dance easily at her party.
Elaina was not exactly used to this. She had donned such rich, heavy material all her life; it was the sign of her status and title (or so her mother had said). When you were royalty did no one question these small details? Or did it not matter because of the fact that you were royalty? It made Elaina rethink many things she had once thought about the castle dwellers, and about life outside of the safety of her home.
"What is your favorite color my dear?" Michael asked.
"Green." Elaina responded after a moments pause, "Green like spring. And blue, like the lake beyond." her voice was soft, as though she was envisioning such peaceful things and reveling in the thought.
"And what about an animal? For the reception?" he continued, as he perused through his variety of green and blue cloth bolts.
Elaina could only think of one animal, glowing a brilliant, gleaming white. It's hair shimmering as it tossed it's horned head and whinnied, only a beautiful stallion such as this could have the honor of carrying around the man in the glittering black armor. "Only a unicorn." she spoke aloud her deliberations.
"A unicorn my dear?" Michael repeated as he looked up from some pale green muslin.
"Yes." Elaina nodded slightly.
"A unicorn?" Delilah's voice was accusing, "Don't you think that a unicorn is too pure?" Delilah crossed her arms defiantly and pursed her lips, as if it were a very important issue. There was a long silence.
"Are you trying to say, your majesty, that our princess to be is not pure?" Michael spoke out, pulling his glasses off coolly and wiping the lenses with his shirt.
Elaina and her sister could not do much but stare. Here was a man that defied the Queen herself! The other four dressmakers simply busied themselves about the room, amongst fabrics and lace. Delilah's glare was hard, but Michael simply pushed his glasses back on with the same cool demeanor and put his hands in his pockets as he stared back.
After a while Delilah, finally added, "I did not mean it in that sense tailor. I only meant that unicorns are the protectors of such fragility that they should not be mocked."
"Well, I think you'll make a wonderful unicorn Elaina." Ani smiled from where she sat upon a cushioned stool.
"Thank you, Ani." and with that, Elaina was to become a unicorn, the deadly protector of femininity, virtue, and chastity.
"A unicorn?" scoffed the girl, "Of all the disgusting, proud, vain creatures in the world, she picks the damned freak horse!" She drew back from the luminescent orb she had been peering into, floating just inches above a small pool of murky, cloudy water in the middle of her seer's room. There was not much else besides the podium, save the huge cauldron in the corner beside lines of shelves filled with miscellaneous bottles.
The old shrew cackled at this, "A unicorn's blood is a marvelous thing. Its horn is another entity all together. To slay such a creature would be a boundless profit."
Ambrose looked over at the eyeless hag, the area where her eyes should have been morphed over with mottled skin. He wrinkled his nose, consorting with such people was not exactly his favorite pass-time, "I thought the world ended if someone killed a unicorn." He thought aloud.
"The area they lived in would certainly change for the worse, but as for the world ending…that is nothing more then a fairytale. Now hush brother." Illiana said over her shoulder. She looked back at the prophet, "We are not going to kill this particular treat. She is merely a tool in the grand scheme of things and an important one, it's Seth we want to deal with right now."
'Then why watch her?' Ambrose thought, but he dared not speak it aloud. "Then what about the one boy we have now? What of Oliver? He is her lover is he not?" said Ambrose instead, "What use is he, but a good laugh?"
"He too is a tool. Him we need. His innocence and relationship to our girl proves quiet useful…Show me the boy." Illiana turned back to the decrepit woman.
The seer shuffled up to the orb and waved her hand over it. The curling white mists inside fell away, revealing the boy. Illiana liked this boy, and smiled as she saw him. He did not cry or whimper or spray the air with talk of God and the like during the duration of his captivity. He was strong, yet stupid: as are most men when they're in love, noted the demon.
She peered into the sphere to see Oliver with Rabah, the crow messenger, somewhere in the gardens of the vast under Kingdom. And he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, attempting to have his awkward companion smile. "Oh my darling," Illiana said as she watched the two, "You do not match with your dear Elaina. Not one little bit."
Illiana snapped her fingers after another minute of observation and a little red-skinned boy came fluttering in on leathery black wings. "Call in Emeel. We have a party to prepare for." She commanded. The small thing nodded before whizzing off.
"A party?" perked up Ambrose, "I am invited am I not, dear sister?" he smiled; he did enjoy parties.
Illiana simply shook her head, "Stop meddling in my work, brother. You have your own plans to carry out."