Here I am. Rising from the dead once again.
Special thanks to Ladynefertankh for beta-ing this chapter for me! :)
Anon. Reviews:
Guest (from Finland): Oh my goodness, thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
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Sutton gaped at the lavish order. She'd never owned anything "fit for royalty" in her life.
"Steve! That's too much! I'd be fine with a few simple outfits just to get me start-"
"Now, I have to go. I'll see you shortly!"
He left with a wink and Sutton sputtered, watching as Sprinkles followed closely behind Steve as well.
"I'll be back," Sprinkles called. "I have to make sure the house is safe."
Sutton glared as she was abandoned. Liar, she mentally muttered. You just like Steve better and clothes are boring to you.
With no other choice, Sutton turned back to the seamstresses and gave them a grimace of a smile.
"Sorry about all this," she said. "You can ignore him. Normal clothes are fine. Honest."
The woman who appeared to be in charge cocked her head.
"Ignore the king? I'm sorry, but I cannot do that. Besides, fit for royalty means we have no restrictions."
She grinned widely and another woman in the back clapped her hands together as she spoke up.
"Does that mean I can pull out the blue velvet? I've had such grand ideas for a wonderful cape."
The first woman gestured with one hand in the air.
"Oh. Pull everything."
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Sutton had never been so thoroughly measured in all of her life. They'd wrapped measuring tape over every curve of her arms, knew her inseam, arm span, waist, hips. All of it. They even knew her shoe size. She thought it would be over after that, but it wasn't. Because although they had every conceivable piece of information they could need to size her clothes, they were still using her to decide on color palettes and general styling choices.
"These blues are wonderful," said one woman. "And a perfect fit for the Rogers' house."
"Yes," another agreed. "Lilacs too. It suits her skin tone."
"Um, thank you?"
Sutton sat in a chair with her hair piled and pinned on top her head as the last woman evaluated different necklines and collars.
"Oh dear." She tsked as she noted the bit of bruising on Sutton's neck. "What happened here?"
Sutton cleared her throat.
"Uh, well, I was kinda choked? By a goblin."
There was aghast murmuring at that and a few women shook their heads in disdain.
"Well, for now, how do you feel about high necks?"
"Fine?"
"Wonderful."
Fidgeting, Sutton tried to brush back some hair without moving enough to disrupt the women around her. The fabrics and prints they were selecting all looked amazing and actually had substance. So many clothes in stores were tissue paper thin and oddly cut, but it didn't look like you could see through even the cotton fabrics they had here.
A new wardrobe was a thrilling prospect, yet she still felt like she was taking advantage.
"Um, Evelyn, right?" Sutton tried to recall how'd they'd introduced themselves before they'd dove in with measuring tapes and posture correction.
"Yes, my lady."
"I was just wondering, how often does he give you orders like this?"
The women tittered and Evelyn smiled as she pulled out yet another bolt of embroidered fabric.
"Oh, never." She said. "Can you imagine the message that would send?"
Sutton frowned. Another woman, Sutton thought her name was Helen, stepped forward and lifted Sutton's arm. She rubbed several swatches of different fabrics across the skin of Sutton's forearm and then stood back to watch.
"Do you have any known irritations to any materials," she asked.
"No. Do you usually do the test before asking?"
There was more giggling, and Evelyn put a bolt of paisley fabric away after Sutton saw it and winced.
"Helen primarily works as a gifted healer," Evelyn said. "Though her talents as a seamstress cannot be ignored. She's able to make a dress feel like a second skin."
"It's an entertaining hobby."
Helen moved back as the skin on Sutton's arm didn't react and nodded to herself.
"Looks good so far. You should be free to use whatever you find suitable."
They let out happy agreements and Helen gave them all a polite curtsy and made for the door.
"With that, I should be heading back to the ward. I do hope you'll be pleased with what we create for you, my lady. I have full confidence His Majesty will be more than satisfied."
The women in the room looked rather pleased with themselves already and Sutton felt like she'd missed something.
With Helen gone the other women were about finished up. Sutton sat still as one woman rearranged her hair into an actual style and eyed another at the edge of her vision as the woman took in a dress.
"Hey, so I was curious," she said, as casually as possible. "What about would a wardrobe like this cost me if I were to pay for it?"
"Oh, my lady. You don't need to worry about any of that."
"Right, ok. But I can't stop feeling weird about this. I mean, Steve- er, His Majesty? He already paid me for the help I gave him. This is too much extra. Don't you think?"
"Perhaps in a normal circumstance, my lady. But not in your case. It will be an honor for you to wear what we make. Besides, His Majesty is known for being generous."
Sutton furrowed her brow, but felt the fight leaving her even as she sat. Something about what they were saying was off, but she didn't quite know what.
"I guess there's no point in arguing with any of you," she relented. "All of you are so stubborn."
They all tittered again, seeming amused by her, before the one working on the spare dress stood.
"You can wear this for the rest of today, my lady. If it's to your liking."
The dress was a rich blue color, and Sutton recalled them mentioning something about it being associated with Steve. The bodice had boning and a large eight-pointed star embroidered with silver thread on the front panel. There was more silver embroidery along the edging and looked as though it'd sit off the shoulder when worn. The skirt itself was full and soft, with multiple layers; and a sheer train draped down from the shoulders to skimming the ground.
"This is the nearest we have available for your size at the moment," Evelyn said.
Sutton hesitated before skimming her fingertips along the soft fabric.
"You want me to wear this?"
"Of course, my lady. It'd be no good to keep you in your traveling clothes."
Sutton looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. Is that what they assumed she was wearing? She supposed they did have a bit of dirt on them from the ride over. And the dress was very soft.
What would Steve think? Seeing her in clothes like-
"Yeah, sure!" She said, voice overly enthusiastic. "It's beautiful, I'd be honored to wear it."
They helped her into the dress, showing her how to layer all the different garments, and laced the back up for her. It wasn't as constricting as she was honestly expecting. The petticoat layers were made from some lightweight fabric that was nearly translucent and the corset was supportive, but wasn't pulled so tight that it was hard to breathe. Most of the bulk came from the dress itself in layers of tulle that were comfortable and loose around her legs.
"You guys are amazing," she said as she gazed at herself in a full length mirror. "Do you have magic too?"
They giggled at the compliment and shook their heads.
"You flatter us, my lady."
"You can order enchanted pieces later, if you like, my lady. But they'd have to be sent for."
"Wait," Sutton said. "Really?"
A sharp knock rapped on the door and it opened. All of them turned to look and Sutton crossed her arms as Bucky whistled.
"Well," he said. "Looks like you can clean up." He eyed her dress and sent a mischievous grin to the seamstresses. "I see what you did."
Sutton shifted her hands to her hips and looked down at the dress. Besides the star on front, she didn't see anything unusual about it. Was the cut weird? Was this a medieval fairytale thing?
"What's wrong with the dress? It looks fine to me."
"Oh," said Bucky, "it's perfectly fine. Steve will love it."
The women grinned and looked further pleased; Sutton still didn't see the significance in the dress. Instead, she rolled her eyes and made her way towards the door.
"Whatever, Buck- uh, Sir Barnes." She cast a sheepish look back at the women and awkwardly smiled. "Sir Barnes," she muttered to herself.
Bucky merely continued to smirk and waved her further forward.
"I've been sent to fetch you. His Majesty's council is loathe to let him leave so soon after such a long absence."
Sutton turned back to Evelyn and the others to wave. They curtsied in return and she made a noise in the back of her throat as she tried to fumble and curtsy back.
"Thank you all so much! I can't wait to see what you make!"
They smiled and laughed as they said goodbye. She followed behind Bucky into the hall and further into the castle, a bit of a skip in her step. He was still glancing at her with smugness tugging at his lips and eyes. Sutton fluffed the skirt a bit and kicked a leg out, amazed about how far her leg could go without the tulle really moving, it was so full.
"I'm not going to have you ruin this moment with your mockery," she said.
Bucky turned his head down towards her and she placed her hands on her hips again, secretly enjoying the way the bodice felt.
"It's not every day I get to dress up like a princess, ok? I'm going to enjoy while I- oh."
"Did you just remember you have no wardrobe and Steve is purchasing you an entire armoire of similar dresses? So you don't, in fact, have to enjoy it while you can?"
"You know what? I remember being a lot nicer to you in my world. I even let you do sword training in my house."
Bucky let out a sharp laugh and mockingly bowed without breaking stride.
"My apologies, my lady. I shall endeavor to treat you more gently."
"Oh, shut it."
Sutton gave him a light shove, amusement still clearly showing through her grumpy facade.
Her attention shifted the the hall around her as they walked.
So this was a castle.
Tall walls arched high above them and tapestries longer than she was tall hung down, telling stories of the kingdom's history and glories. There were marble busts of past rulers and blooming plants she didn't know the name of. It was regal and awe inspiring, and yet welcoming and open all at once.
There wasn't nearly as much gray as some of the fantasy shows and movies usually used in their color palettes.
Other people roamed the halls as well, some fancily dressed and others more plain. But as far as Sutton could tell almost all looked quite happy.
"It's busy around here," she said to Bucky.
"It is a castle. More than just the king live here. And even more, they're probably preparing for the upcoming feast."
"Feast?"
Bucky glanced down at her and directed her to take a left turn. Sutton had absolutely no idea where they were going.
"To celebrate Steve's return, of course. Though, as far as the people know, Steve and I were both battling against Loki's forces in the hills and were hindered from returning with our army. Regrettably, I'll have you ask you not to be fully truthful if asked."
He seemed to ponder a moment and then continued.
"And I suspect, also, that the feast is a welcome to you as well."
"No one wastes any time around here, huh?" She hummed. "So, what's my story then? You both stumbled across me and I helped you find a trail home?"
"More likely that we found you in some remote village and saved you from your naive isolation."
"Hey!"
Sutton shoved him again and Bucky snickered. A few people cast them curious glances as they passed by to complete their chores. Maybe they didn't interact that sort of way here. No, of course not. What was she thinking? This was a royal fantasy court. There were obviously rules and decorum. She tried to stand up straighter and cleared her throat as they approached a tall set of double doors.
One opened up a crack as they reached it and the man from earlier, Coulson, snuck out. He closed the door behind him and then noticed them with hardly a blip of surprise.
"The meeting isn't over quite yet, I'm afraid," he said, already guessing their purpose.
His gaze slid over Sutton, froze, and then snapped back. He took in the new dress she wore and then looked to Bucky with wide, disbelieving eyes. A smile burst across his face and Sutton fidgeted with her hands as he stepped forward.
"I'm afraid I haven't properly made your acquaintance, my lady. Forgive me. I'm Coulson, His Majesty's personal adviser."
Sutton reached for his hand to shake it, but he grabbed her hand and, instead, brought it to his lips to kiss her knuckles with a bow. Heat rushed through her face and Sutton stammered as she took a step back.
"Oh, hah, I'm, uh, Sutton. Sutton Regan."
"Absolutely splendid to meet you, my lady. I've been trying to tell His Majesty for years now that he ought to find a-"
"Coulson," Bucky cut in, voice raised. Coulson stopped mid-sentence and frowned at the interruption. Bucky raised both brows, eyes widened. "How much longer will His Majesty be detained?"
With a sniff and a shake of his shoulders, Coulson straightened himself out and raised his chin.
"His Majesty will be occupied for a bit longer. There were several developments in your absence. He actually requested your presence, to discuss further action."
Bucky frowned and seemed unsure. He glanced at Sutton and Coulson pressed further forward, holding out an arm for her to grab.
"I assure you she will be perfectly safe in my care."
Sutton ran a hand down her arm.
"I'm fine, Buc- Sir Barnes. I can look after myself."
Bucky didn't look like he quite agreed. But a summons from the future king, one especially concerning battle, was one he couldn't ignore. After a hesitation, Sutton put her hand on Coulson's elbow and the man shot a triumphant smile up at Bucky.
"I'm sure His Majesty will call when he's finished."
Coulson began to lead her away and Sutton looked over her shoulder to cast a bemused look at Bucky. He frowned further.
"Coulson," he said. They stalled only slightly and Bucky's head dipped lower. "Discretion goes a long way."
Coulson pressed his lips together momentarily, but the expression melted off his face as he turned back around. He gave Sutton another one of his prim, polite smiles, but it reached up to his eyes more than it had initially.
"Would you like to see some of the castle grounds? There's some lovely gardens I'm sure you'd enjoy."
Sutton smiled politely back.
"Sure."
The gardens were lovely. There was a fragrant, floral smell filling the air that managed not to be headache inducing, and it looked like every color of the rainbow was showcased in the wide variety of flowers. Coulson took great pride in explaining to her the garden layouts and all that was planted in them. Some plants were given by allied kingdoms as goodwill gifts, and they were planted in prominent, showcased places.
"This one's called the Devil's Bell." He pointed to a deep red flower that hung down like the Bluebells Sutton was familiar with. The flower itself was delicate and the petals were pointed. Coulson gestured to an amber stone next to the flower.
"The soil has had to be charmed into being warmer, because these usually grow at the base of a volcano."
Sutton knelt down and pressed the back of her hand against the dirt. Heat radiated through her skin and it only grew hotter closer to the amber.
"That's incredible," she said, looking up with a smile. Coulson held out a hand to help her back up, even if she didn't need it.
"Story goes that the flowers serve as a warning for the dragons that live the volcano if someone is trespassing. But only the dragons can hear their ringing."
"Spooky," said Sutton. "And kind of a weird choice for a friendly gift, aren't they?"
"They're meant to symbolize protection and attentiveness, but I understand the sentiment. They're not my favorite either."
"Well, I think it's all great. I've never been in a magic garden before."
They continued walking down the stone path and Sutton tried to keep the dress from dragging on the ground.
"You can put in requests for a personal garden, if you like," said Coulson.
Sutton's head snapped up and realization dawned on her face. Heat washed over her.
"Oh, Steve told you I helped him, didn't he? Look, while I appreciate it, he's already giving me an entire wardrobe and I really can't accept any more. I'm putting my foot down on this one."
Coulson smiled primly again.
"If you insist, my lady."
Sutton breathed a sigh of relief that at least one person in this castle wasn't going to insist on her accepting more thank you gifts. What in the world would they do for someone who actually saved his life?
Sheesh.
A pattering sounded on the path behind a hedge of thick rose bushes, and Sprinkles came jumping into view.
"There you are! This park is so big, I had to sniff very carefully to find you."
"Funny," Sutton said, crossing her arms. "I thought you were checking the house."
Sprinkles shifted before she trotted over and pressed against Sutton's legs. She looked up with her stupidly adorable, big brown eyes and Sutton felt it was impossible to even pretend to be mad at her.
"This house has an outside," Sprinkles explained. "I had to check it out too."
Sutton rolled her eyes with a huff but rubbed behind Sprinkles' ears.
"I'm sure the castle is safe."
"She wants to be prepared," Coulson said. "I can admire that. Good work."
Sprinkles smiled at Coulson then looked back to Sutton and stuck her tongue out at her.
"Hey! I knew you know what that means!"
Sprinkles laughed and bounded away out of reach as Sutton made a swipe at her. It was still a little weird to have her dog literally talk back to her, but it seemed more right somehow. Like she was always supposed to have had a voice. And getting to see her happy and able to stretch her legs outside whenever she wanted filled Sutton with a bubbling joy.
She'd make sure she was able to get a little cottage with a garden when she got on her feet here.
"Am I keeping you from anything," Sutton asked Coulson as they doubled back towards the castle. "I really can look after myself if you have something you need to do. I promise I won't wander into the west wing or anything."
"West wing?"
"Oh -ah- it's just a joke. Never mind."
"I always have time for His Majesty's priorities."
Sutton nodded and Sprinkles raced ahead.
"King Steve is done talking; you can see him now."
"Funny how you also know that when you were inspecting the grounds."
Sprinkles didn't even acknowledge the statement and Sutton shared a droll look with Coulson. He merely waved a hand, allowing her to go up a set of stairs first on their way back to the main building.
They'd only been in this world for a few hours, and yet Sprinkles traversed the space as if she'd been living there for some time. Sutton and Coulson followed after her, and Sutton recognized a few tapestries as they neared the room Steve had been having his meeting in.
Coulson rapped his knuckles on the door twice before opening it and stepping in.
"Lady Regan, Your Majesty."
Sutton walked passed him and wrung her hands as he stepped aside.
"Thanks," she said.
The room was not as open as many of the others were, with less space for voices to echo around. A wide circular table took prominence in the center of the space. There were a few maps laid out across it and some small figures that she supposed might represent troops for reference. She smiled at Bucky and Steve and waved as they stood over the table.
Coulson coughed and when she looked back at him, he bowed.
"Oh- whoops."
She tried to curtsy gracefully as Steve stared. He'd changed as well, she noted as she looked up. He was now wearing an outfit more similar to the one she'd found him in. Her gaze darted over his buttoned doublet in muted gray and gleaming silver, black breeches, and tall riding boots.
He looked… quite sharp, Sutton allowed. She wasn't about to let 'handsome' slip out yet again. Lord knew Bucky would catch it.
Bucky cleared his throat and both Steve and Sutton snapped to attention.
"They, uh, gave me a loaner dress," Sutton explained. She plucked at some of the tulle of her skirt and avoided eye contact. "I probably look silly in something so fancy-"
"No," Steve interjected. "No, not at all. You look-" He took a breath and swallowed. "You look beautiful."
Sutton ducked her head and shrugged her shoulders and she briefly made eye contact.
"The dress is really nice."
Bucky rolled his eyes and Sprinkles made her way over to Steve to snoop on what he was doing. From another side of the room came a scoff.
"Oh lord." Tony groaned. "How long will this go on for?"
He was kicked back in a chair and rubbed at his temple as he watched them with derision. Sutton put her hands on her hips and frowned.
"It's called polite conversation."
Tony nearly crossed his eyes and made a sort of choking noise as he stood.
"So, it's worse than I thought."
Brushing off his comment, Sutton turned back to the others. Bucky grinned and Steve stared studiously down at his battle map. Sutton moved forward and studied the map next to him. The land was an entirely different shape than anything on earth. Islands dotted the coastline and symbols marking mountain ranges lined the middle of the page.
"Definitely not Kansas."
"No; it's Andolasia." Steve supplied kindly.
Sutton chuckled.
The figurines were carefully carved and some looked like blue ogres or maybe icicle men. They were scattered down from the mountains with a few knight shaped figurines making a line to block them. Near the top of the mountain was a flat bottomed piece of glass that resembled an ice shard.
She wasn't sure of the map's scale, but it looked like the conflict was at least several miles away from the outside villages. Most of the knights were lined up at the base of the nearest mountain, and Sutton assumed that was around the place Steve and Bucky had experienced their incident.
"What's that one for," she asked, pointing to the ice shard.
Steve scowled.
"That marks Loki's fortress, and last known location. We're not sure when he managed to get it built, but it's right outside our kingdom's borders so we had no real right to stop him. Until he started being aggressive, that is. But he waited until he was established before showing his true colors."
"That's weird," Sutton remarked.
Tony leaned over the table and eyed her with a bit of humor.
"How so?"
Sutton shrugged.
"It seems like a lot of work, you know? To use resources and build a fortress right next door to a large, already stable kingdom. And then want to try and invade?" She gestured with her hands. "But I don't really know much about military tactics."
"You're right," drolled Tony. "You don't."
Sutton made a face at him and Sprinkles laughed below her. Two large paws landed with a thud on the tabletop, rattling the figurines, and Sprinkles pulled herself up into view right in between Sutton and the table.
"I can fight," she declared. "I can fight very good! I was very good at school, but I only bite mean things so they gave me a new job."
"Oh?" Sutton perked up. The rescue's file had mentioned some defensive training in her past, but it was interesting to hear about it from Sprinkles herself.
"What was your new job," Bucky egged on.
Sprinkles lifted her head higher in a haughty display and primly adjusted her paws.
"To wait for My Girl so I could protect her," she said. "It was another Find It game, and they didn't give me any hints, but I'm very good at Find It too. I knew when she came in!"
Sprinkles smiled and tipped her head back to see Sutton.
"You were a little slow, but that's ok! You didn't go to school like me."
Sutton gripped at her heart as emotion rushed through her. Those sentimental bumper stickers and magnets really weren't lying were they? All this time she'd thought she'd been the one who picked Sprinkles. Sutton wrapped her dog in a squeezing hug and gave Sprinkles a kiss on top of her head.
"Sprinkles, you're the best dog in the world."
"I know!"
"Beautiful, just beautiful." Tony broke up the moment as he moved around the room. "But to get everyone back on track, we do have more important matters to attend to."
He sent them all a smarmy look.
"A feast, for example."
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Thanks for reading despite the wait times, guys! It means a lot to me. The chapter was kinda just more fun of Sutton experiencing new situations, and I hope you don't mind the pace. I just like exploring fantasy worlds. :)