5. Is That Me?

Arthus stood in his usual spot in front of his window as he stiffly adjusted his attire. It was the finest works of green with golden embroidery made to look like leaves. He pondered how much time someone must have spent making it for him to only wear it now. Noticing one of his stockings was crooked he bent down to adjust it and winced in pain. His mind flashed back to his father coming to scold him for being so improper and discovered the state of Arthus' room. As bad as the beating he received was, he didn't want to imagine how bad it would have been if the maid hadn't gotten so much put back together beforehand. He had many bruises that still needed to heal and his ribs on his right side ached with every motion.

It had been several days since he'd had even a glimpse of Kymu and Liam. Though he couldn't bring himself to feel disappointed. He had gone completely numb emotionally. Today was his big coming of age celebration, something he'd waited so long for but wasn't excited now. Just a man going through the motions, making certain he was proper without a single hair out of place. There was a gentle knock on the door. "Come in." His tone was flat and cold.

"Good morning," greeted a sweet voice. It was one of the older maids, Agnes, brought him breakfast. "The cook made you something really nice for your big day," she said as she set the tray on the table near his bed.

He turned to face her. "Thank you," he replied. 

"Oh." She walked around the bed to him. "Oh look at you, you look so handsome and grown." She put her hands on his arms to give him an affectionate squeeze but he winced immediately. She knew what was wrong but didn't say anything, just let go with a sympathetic glance. She gently put one hand on his face and brushed his cheek. "Your mother would be so proud of you."

He leaned into her hand for a moment and smiled. It was both a sad and grateful smile. "Thank you Agnes." 

"Happy birthday dear." She said letting him go and turning to leave. Before she shut the door she added, "Try to smile."

He went to his mirror to have a good look at himself. His natural light copper face was covered in small freckles and his cheekbones helped to bring attention to his green eyes. He inspected his face and teeth at every angle to ensure he didn't have anything unwanted on him. He patted his black curly hair checking that not a single hair was out of place. 

Turning away from the mirror he stepped to the table with his food. It did indeed look especially tasty and carefully laid out. He poked a piece of pork with his finger but no appetite stirred. He quickly sucked his finger clean and went back to his window. He was as ready as he could be.

~

Hidden in one of the castle rooms Kymu was sat on a stool in front of a mirror. Several ladies fussed over every last detail about her, but she wasn't paying attention to them. She was staring into the eyes of her own reflection. In her mind she went over all the etiquette she had been taught over the last few days. She recreated dance motions in her mind, getting herself as prepared as possible. 

Today was the day she would be presented to Arthus' as his bride. "Is the prince nice?" She blurted out shocking the ladies and herself.

They looked back and forth at each other unsure what to say. "He's generous and kind," said one of the ladies after a long pause. "He paid me more than I make in a month for helping him with books for a day." 

Kymu thought that did sound rather generous which is good but not quite the answer she was looking for. 

"Was this your mother's?" another woman asked Kymu, pointing to her necklace.

"No, but I would like to keep it." She put her hand over it protectively.

"It does compliment her eyes very well," said a third woman. "A little dash of color to stand against her fair skin and white gown."

To this Kymu stared hard at herself in the mirror though she didn't feel like herself anymore. All the waves, braids and colorful ribbons had been removed and her hair brushed flat to look like a golden silk waterfall down either side of her head. It gave the illusion that her hair was much longer than before. Her blue eyes were missing their usual sparkle of wonder. After so much scrubbing her skin looked fairer and she smelled different. She always smelled like meadow flowers before but she couldn't recognize the sweet smell they put in her many baths. All the ladies complimented on how beautiful she was, but looking at herself she much preferred the way she looked before.

One of the ladies noticed she looked a little glum. "Cheer up. You are going to be queen after all. And your groom is very handsome." To this they all giggled.

"You're all ready. Now all that's left to do is wait for our que to bring you out."

~

In another room just a little ways down the hall, Liam stood in front of a mirror taking in the sight of himself. He looked older, more manly. In a well fitting uniform instead of his usual shirtlessness and tattered short pants. His hair was cut and combed back in place of the long matted locks he'd had for years. What scruff he had had been shaved clean and his face looked smooth.

His hand fiddled with the hilt of his new sword on his hip. He was comfortable with his homemade fishing spear but a real weapon like this was entirely new to him. He wondered to himself if he would really ever need to know how to wield it.

Liam couldn't help but let his thoughts travel back to his little house. Certainly by now his poor cooped up chickens were dead. He didn't have an abundance of belongings inside his home and he wondered if he'd be able to bring them here. He glanced about the room. "Will this even be my room?" he asked out loud even though he was alone. So much was uncertain and even more was to be resented about this day. He decided it'd be better to bury his feeling and be strong. This would be the best he could do to make today easier for Kymu.

He went over to the small window and looked down at the people. They were putting the final touches on everything, making it all perfect. After a bit he thought out loud again. "Well this is boring." He turned away from the window. "There's got to be another way I can pass the time."