The Forsaken Hero

I glanced at the dresses in Anastia’s arms and shivered. The woman set them on a nearby shelf and tugged at my robe, giving me a questioning look. Reluctantly, I nodded and allowed her to take the garment off. The air felt particularly chilly, sending shivers down my tail, causing it to curl around my leg.

”You have beautiful hair,” Anastia said, running a hand through a long, crimson lock. ”But its color is hard to match. How about this one?”

She chose a deep crimson dress, a shade lighter than my hair. As she held it up, I stared, flushing.

”It’s...revealing,” I mumbled, hugging myself.

Anastia giggled. ”No more than the rags you were wearing before. There’s nothing to be ashamed of about looking lovely.”

I glanced helplessly at R’lissea, but she gave me an encouraging nod. I shied away from Anastia as she lifted the dress, but couldn’t help stealing another look at it. There was something mesmerizing about the fabric. It was thin and soft as satin, but held a deep luster, shining in the magical light.

The style was similar to the other garments I’d seen the women wear: a tight bodice, loose skirt and sleeves, and a wide V-neck that rested on the shoulders and fell midway down the abdomen. Despite the low neckline, the bodice was the only part of the dress that resembled any other dress I’d seen. The rest, from the sleeves to the skirt, looked more like someone had bisected a dress and then tied it together at certain points, twice at the hip and twice on the arms. The slits on the skirt began above the hip, with a tie mid thigh, while the sleeves bared the shoulders and were tied at the hem and elbow.

”I know that look,” Anastia said, grinning. ”Are you sure you don’t want it?”

I swallowed hard, flushing a shade darker. ”Um...maybe we could just try it on?”

Her grin widened, and she moved behind me, gathering my hair together. The dress slid over my head, its weight hanging entirely on my shoulders. It felt...odd, to say the least, the substantive slits making it more like wearing a corset than an actual dress. As it looked, the fabric was as thin and light as my sheer nightdresses, yet visually had more substance. It was loose enough that all of its weight hung on my shoulders, yet somehow it clung to my curves, emphasizing what little feminine charm I had.

Anastia tied the ribbons holding the sleeves and skirts together, humming to herself. I fingered the fabric on my shoulder, pinching the hem uncertainly.

”Like it?” R’lissea asked.

I looked up to see that she and Elaine had dressed in their previous attire. Shrugging, I let Anastia take my hand, tying the final ribbon at my wrist.

”It’s...weird. It’s been so long since I’ve worn anything on my shoulders,” I said. ”It’s heavy.”

R’lissea laughed. ”That’s true, but you’ll get used to it.”

I nodded, looking down at myself. ”The skirt’s long too.”

The divided skirt reached my ankles, light and loose. Every motion rippled through the fabric, making it swish like water running over a stone.

”How does it feel?” Anastia asked.

The seamstress circled me, examining my back. Similar to the front, the neckline was a deep V-neck that reached my mid-back. She smoothed a hand down the small of my back, finding the base tail.

”D-don’t!” I yelped, pulling away and flushing furiously. My tail lashed.

”Ah, my apologies. But is it too tight?” she asked.

I paused, glancing back at my tail. There was an additional slit in the back of the skirt I’d never seen on the other dresses. It started about mid-thigh and ran all the way down to the hem, dividing the back part into two. The cut was such that it parted perfectly around the natural curve of my tail, leaving it just as unrestricted as the short skirts I was used to wearing.

”It’s, um...nice,” I mumbled.

”Do you like it?” she asked.

I stared at the ground, tail flicking in embarrassment. My fingers gripped the sleeves as I shyly nodded, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

”Then it’s yours. As are the rest of these,” Elaine said.

Anastia held up the other dresses. The crimson dress I currently wore was a simple, solid color. There were three other plain dresses, white, yellow, and blue, and two much nicer garments of the same quality as the dresses the nobles had worn to the banquet. The first was a light green one with red flowers embroidered along the hems of the sleeves, skirt, and bodice, and the second was pure white with similar embroidery, only the thread was gold and shaped into stars.

She also had a few pairs of shoes matching the colors of the dresses. They were all the same style: slippers with ribbons cross-laced up the ankle, midway to the knee. She knelt and, one after the other, took my foot and laced a crimson shoe on. They were soft and light, yet surprisingly resilient. I could probably walk all day in them and not hurt.

”They’re so bright,” I said, looking over the assembled clothing and shoes.

”We ladies of Blacksand love a little splash of color,” Anastia said with a wink. ”It was hard even producing the white fabric for the one dress. But I noticed white seemed to be your favorite dress color, even if it’s boring. It should still look stunning with your red hair.”

I bunched the skirt in my hands, dropping a low curtsy. ”I’m sorry for troubling you. But, um...thank you.”

Anastia giggled and returned the curtsy before curtsying to Elaine. ”If you’re satisfied, I’ll take my leave now.”

”Yes, and thank you. I’ll be sure to reward your establishment later,” Elaine said.

The tailor retreated, leaving the door open a crack behind them. I turned to Elaine.

”How much do they cost? I don’t have very much money, but I’ll–”

Elaine sniffed, frowning at me. ”It’s rude to speak of purchasing a gift. Just accept it.”

I lowered my head and looked at the ground. ”S-sorry.”

”Good. Then shall we go?” she asked. ”There’s one last place I’ve made reservations at.”

”Um, should I wear this?” I asked, tugging at the skirt, trying to get it to cover a bit more of my hip. ”It’s a little...um...”

”You’ll fit right in,” Elaine said.

R’lissea giggled, taking my hand away from the fabric and holding it in hers. ”Don’t worry so much about it. Besides, you want to wear it, don’t you? Who cares what other people think?”

I looked at her gratefully and started to nod, then a picture of Luke flashed through my mind. What would he think if he saw me wearing something like this? Would he like it, or would he even notice? It kind of wanted him to see me like this, and–

I gripped my horn with my free hand, struggling to control my twitching tail. Why was I even thinking about that? None of it even mattered. Luke made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with me.

So why, then, did my heart ache like that? Why was I feeling disappointed?

I bit my lip, blinking away tears as they gathered in my eyes. R’lissea pursed her lips and gripped my hand.

”It’s alright, there’s nothing to be worried about,” she said tentatively, sharing a confused look with Elaine. ”Did I say something?”

Elaine shrugged. R’lissea opened her mouth to say something else, then understanding dawned on her face. Her eyes softened, and she hugged me, stroking my hair as she patted my back.

There were no words to say, nothing to express the loneliness and sorrow. Neither did she speak. The feelings that had melted away in the hot spring hadn’t disappeared, and were now slowly making their way back. I was relieved they weren’t as sharp or violent as before, having lost their edge in the warm water. R’lissea just quietly held me while I fought the tears.

It couldn’t have been long, but it felt like an eternity to me. At last, my eyes dried, and I was able to calm my troubled heart. R’lissea pulled back, holding my hands and looking into my eyes.

”Better?” she asked.

I sniffled a little. ”T-thanks.”

Her face warmed with a smile. ”I’m always here whenever you need a hug. You don’t even have to ask, alright?”

I nodded, and with Elaine, we left the changing room. The hot springs outside had lost some of their bustle. A deep crimson stain spread across the sky, the sun hugging the rim of the caldera.

We didn’t travel far, ascending only two levels of the spire before Elaine stopped in front of a sprawling building built over an entire hillside, its back against the spire cliff. It seemed to be a restaurant of sorts, save that it was built with the affluence and care of a palace.

The hill was surrounded by a low wall, filled with sprawling gardens of flowers, shrubbery, and small, winding rivers. The main building was at the top of the hill, with stone paths leading to canopies, gazebos, and other outdoor eating areas. Over half the locations already had customers, all dressed in high-class noble finery. A few looked like wealthy merchants, but those were few and far between.

A soldier dressed in ceremonial clothing bowed as we approached the front gate. ”Welcome to the Spire’s End, the finest dining establishment in the Empire.”