Between Daggers & Oaths | SNEAK PEEK
I ran my fingers over the delicate embroidery, white threads weaving shapes of desert lilies and curling ferns, soft beneath my touch. They wound around the hem and sleeves, flaring ever so slightly at my wrists. An intricate dance of petal and vine. Even the beads, tiny and white like pearls, were sewn with care into the design, catching and holding the light in a way that made them glimmer, like stars against a dusk sky. I never did care much for jewels, but these beads... they were more like memory than opulence. Like pieces of the oasis, sewn into the fabric that wrapped around me.
A soft veil, as light as morning mist, draped over my shoulders, trailing down my back. I tugged at the edges, smoothing the sheer white fabric as it fell, its embroidered trim fluttering like wind-kissed sands. It could hide my face if I wished, veil the edges of my expression behind delicate swirls of thread.
And around my neck, the rose quartz stones polished to a pale pink glow, strung together with simple gold. They held a warmth in their core, almost as if they remembered the desert heat. Perhaps that was why I favored them.
My slippers, soft against the stone floor, were dyed to match the dusty rose of my gown. Simple, with only a few white beads stitched in delicate designs, but practical.
I turned, letting the gown sweep around me in a swirl of pink and white. It was a vision of a desert bloom, I supposed. A reminder of what I was meant to be. But as I looked at my reflection, all I could see was the weight of it. Of duty. Of the countless eyes watching, waiting to see if I would rise or break beneath the promise of peace.
This was a dress for a princess. For a hopebearer. And tonight, I needed to become her.
