There's nothing like a hot bath to wash away the tension in my shoulders. I went quickly, ensuring the water didn't cool too much before Thain got a turn. The tub itself had a drain to rid the bath of the dirty water once I was done with it, and there were large pitchers of fresh water steaming on a table next to the tub. It was a very efficient setup for the guests, but probably a pain for the servants. 

Scrubbed down, I drained the small tub and put my simple tunic and pants back on just long enough for Thain to switch places with me. Once he was in the bathroom and I in the bedroom, I pulled new clothes out of my bag. 

I spread a dress Kalor, my father, gave me out on the bead. Creased and wrinkled, it still fell beautifully in a design that reminded me of Eidelhein. 

Should I wear it? This was the nicest thing I owned, all of my other fae court clothing was back in Thanantholl. On the pristine estate, surely everyone would expect me to be presentable.

Listening for the sounds of water in the other room, I decided I had enough time to change before Thain was finished. I slipped out of my pants and tunic and pulled the dress over my head. 

It was barely down over my backside when a knock sounded at the door.

"W-wait!" I called out, struggling to put my arms through the delicate sleeves without ripping them. But the person at the door didn't wait at all.

The door flew open and I pulled the dress down into somewhat the desired location. A lovely fae with fiery hair and blazing golden eyes entered the room with several servants behind her.

"Wren, dear! This is what I was afraid of." The fae was stunning, her hair done up in a complicated fashion with little white flowers pinned to it. Her dress was very Autumn court fashion and flowed around her legs while constraining her torso in tight, luscious silks. She held a small folding fan and seemed to use it as she spoke and gestured as though it was an extension of her arm. 

"D-do I... I mean..." I sputtered.

"Lady Yevaron." The door to the bathing room swung open as Thain, dripping locks of hair, and only wearing a pair of black trousers, addressed the female who had burst into our room. "It has been a long time."

"Thainalan!" Lady Yevaron fanned herself and took in Thain's appearance. "You're looking as delicious as ever."

I blushed, silently agreeing with her. Thain's eyes moved to me for a moment, a subtle smile spreading across his lips so briefly that I had to wonder if I'd seen it at all. Then he turned and gave his attention to Lady Yevaron and her entourage once more.

"What brings you all the way up here?" Thain asked, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe. 

That seemed to jar her back to the present, as she realized she was in a rush just moments ago. 

Snapping her fan shut, Yevaron pointed it at me. "She has no clothes! I knew that son of mine would have forgotten something as important as this. He's down there gathering those lords and ladies and riling them up for your appearance, but he neglected the most important thing!"

Her blazing eyes were settled on me, full of passion and purpose. 

"U-um, what would that be, Lady Yevaron?" I asked.

"Your appearance!" Her fan flew open as she began fluttering it on herself. "That simply won't do. I don't know where you got an elven dress, but we do not need to draw attention to it."

I frowned. "But I am half elf."

"Right you are, dear," Yevaron said. "Which is why we will display your proud ears beautifully as Merri here puts your hair up. But where you got an elven dress does not need to be a question on anyone's lips today. I do not know where you've been these last months, but today you must be Wren, the poor child who was swept into the Wyldes with no home and who fights for a place to exist."

"You... have a good point about my dress, Layd Yevaron," I admitted. "But I don't think I need to play some sort of role. I can assure you, I'm more capable now that I've returned than I was when I left. I will fight my own fight."

"Stars," she sighed. "Do not let the lords hear you say that. But at any rate, I am here to ensure that you look presentable to a lunch of fae. Now, we've chittered away enough time, let's get you dressed!"

Expertly pointing to each servant behind her, she gave them instructions one by one. Someone to set up a dressing screen for my privacy. Someone to do my hair, tint my lips, remove my old dress 'and for goodness sake have it cleaned and pressed for the poor dear!' and someone to put me in a new one.

The room was such a bustle of activity that I lost track of the hands that touched me, the servants that pulled the soft fabric over my head, the hands that ran brushes through my wild hair. 

"My goodness, that is a lot to work with," Yevanna commented. "Which do you prefer, Wren, braids or a twist like mine?"

"Um, braids are usually my-"

"You heard her! Braids, Meri. Give her the sage sprigs in hers, the grayish-green will compliment her gray eyes," Yevaron said. "And you, master Thain. I knew you'd try to wear all black again, you get in here and put this on. I've had it tailored specifically to your measurements, and you will wear it to lunch!"

Thain sighed, or at least I think I heard him sigh in the room full of activity, but I didn't hear him protest. 

I smiled to myself. He must be used to this treatment if he's been Eberon's triquetram for very long. And though Lady Yevaron was a bit much to handle, I didn't dislike her entirely. If anything, it gave me some insight into Eberon's own behavior. 

"Let me see, let me see!" Yevaron was giddy as the servants began to finish their jobs and step away from me. All I could see when I tried to look down was a mountain of deep, bold red.

The screen was pulled away, and a mirror that I had seen in the bathroom earlier was now set up for me to get a look at my appearance.

"Perfect!" Yevaron said, snapping her fan shut. "Lovely job everyone. And Thianalan, you look ravishing."

First, my eyes drifted to Thain. Pants and a tailored shirt, the style I'd seen in Baeleon's court, hugged his form. It was a mixture of deep purple fabric with gold embroidery and buttons. A compromise of his preferred darker colors and the bright pops of color that Lady Yevaron so obviously wanted to put him in. No part of it went without embellishment, and he looked like he would fit in at court.

I know heat crept into my cheeks, and when our eyes met I saw something like appreciation in his expression. My eyes moved to the mirror, and I saw myself. 

Deep red skirts swirled around my legs, flaring out at my hips but drawn close and tight to my waist and chest. Golden embroidery detailed the very low neckline, adding the illusion of volume to my smaller chest. How they could possibly have whipped something like this up without measuring me was baffling. 

My hair was in a braid that I'd never be able to replicate, but it was lovely. Tiny sprigs of sage were tucked here and there artfully, and they hadn't removed the pendant that Thain had given me, but they did take it off just long enough to loop the chain twice, raising where the pendant sat on me to just below my collarbone. 

"Lovely, just perfect," Yevaron said. "You two will be just perfect at lunch today. Come on, everyone. It's time to find my dearest Schula! I know she'll be excited to see what I have in store for her."

I watched wide-eyed as she left the room, taking her entourage with her. It was as though a whirlwind had swept through and cleaned up after itself, the only indication it was ever here was my disoriented shock as the last person left and the door closed behind them.

"That is Lady Yevaron," Thain said, amusement in his voice. "Eberon's mother."

"Yeah... I got that," I replied. I looked over to Thain again. "Well, I guess we're ready for lunch."

He smiled, walking up to me and offering me his hand. "Would you like to head down now? Or I suppose we could go watch them take over Schula's room."

I held back a laugh, placing my smaller hand into his warm one. "I wonder if she's going to try to dress up Nassir and Spaulder."

"Oh, most assuredly," Thain answered, then stared at me thoughtfully for a moment. "On second thought, let me take you to one of the more peaceful spots on the estate while we wait for lunch to be ready."

I smiled. "That sounds much better."

Thain lead me down the stairs and carefully through the guest house. We paused just long enough on the first floor to listen to the commotion down the hall where Lady Yevaron was claiming her next victims before we slipped out the door. 

The sun was warm and bright, but not so much that it reminded me of a summer's day. We truly were in the reaches of the Autumn lands now, and I could see the light coloring of the leaves on the trees as yellow mixed in with the greens. The closer we got to Thanantholl, the more vibrant it all would be.

"Over here," Thain said, leading me around a corner and along a fence. "I've got an old friend for you to see."

I smiled, following next to fields and along orchards of apple trees. Thain even stopped to pluck one off of a low hanging branch, but he didn't eat it. Once the trees were no longer blocking our view, a great golden field opened up and I could see what Thain was bringing me to see.

Horses, running freely in a heard. They played and danced through the grass, swift and strong. 

"That's right," I said. "Eberon's family breeds them."

"In a loose sense they do," Thain said. "They're more like keepers of a favored breed. They don't put too heavy a hand in which mares are mounted, but sometimes they will pen preferred animals together for a while to try to get a particularly strong foal."

"Truthfully, I had a rather bad time with some horses in the desert," I mused. "Maybe it wouldn't have been like that if we hadn't ridden so hard for days on end, but it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth for riding."

"Oh, do you not care for them?" Thain asked. 

"No, it's not that," I said, watching them run and play through the grass. "It's more like... I appreciate them out there. Running and grazing. But if I had a choice in the matter, I'd much rather watch them than ride them."

Thain let out a soft sound of amusement. Nearly a laugh at my words and I smiled as I took my eyes from the horses to look at the dark, quiet fae.

"You said we were bringing me here to see someone?" I prodded.

"Ah, I suppose I did." Thain raised two fingers to his mouth and whistled. A low, long note that rose at the end. 

He watched the field, and I turned to see what it was he could be looking at. A dark horse who had been grazing looked up and came trotting over. The closer he came, the more familiar it looked...

"Boxfield!" I grinned as the horse grew closer.

"Here you go, Boxfield," Thain said, offering the apple he had stopped to pick earlier. 

The horse happily took it, and Thain rubbed the horse's neck while he munched on his treat.

"I like coming out here when I must visit the estate," Thain said. 

I gave him a soft smile. "You like the horses more than the people?"

He shrugged. "I like any company more than a house full of busy fae. It's why I don't venture out of my home in Thanantholl much, beyond spending time with Eberon and Schula."

I nodded. "I'm the same way. I can enjoy being out in the city for a while, but at the end of the day, it exhausts me. I don't know how Schula has the energy for it constantly."

We watched in peaceful silence as Boxfield finished his apple and wandered off, scanning the ground for the next patch of grass to catch his attention. In the field, foals pranced and frolicked around each other, sometimes pestering their mothers for attention. As the sun settled into the peak of it's journey across the sky, many of the animals sought out shady spots to laze under. All the while, we just watched them.

"Thain!" 

We both heard the distant call.

Thain sighed. "I suppose it's about time."

"Right," I said, leaning back from the fence. "At least I am hungry, so the food I can look forward to."

Thain brushed a stray fallen leaf off of my shoulder. "Let's go then, before Eberon throws a fit."

I smiled. "Okay."

And we headed back to the main building. Away from the peace of the horses, and our stolen moment of calm.