Windborn by Alex S. Bradshaw

Author:Alex S. Bradshaw [Bradshaw, Alex S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amber Feather Publishing
Published: 2021-04-27T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen:

A Dress Made of Midnight

Valna dragged me to the Windborn’s longhouse, insisting on finding me something new to wear for when I made my oath to Erling.

“It’s a special occasion.” She was elbow deep in a pile of clothes. “You need to wear something special.”

“You’ve already given me a new tunic. I don’t need anything else.”

“Nonsense. We’ve got a few hours before those old farts stop moaning to Erling about whatever. Plenty of time to find something appropriate.”

“If I need something appropriate, shouldn’t I be wearing clothes I can fight in?” I asked. “I’ve got my armour, my shield, and my axe. That will do, won’t it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. First, you should never turn down an opportunity to wear something fancy. Second, you can fight just fine in a dress. It doesn’t restrict your legs as long as it’s not too tight and we’ll make sure you can move your arms. I like to wear nice things, Edda, I don’t like to be defenceless.”

I sighed and resigned myself to the fact that the next few hours would be spent clambering in and out of dresses.

“Oh, I forgot I had this.”

Valna straightened, dragging with her a long flowing gown that shimmered as it moved in the air. At a glance, it was the colour of midnight, dark and deep, but whenever the fabric moved colours floated out of the blackness. Shades of green, purple, and blue blossomed at the edges and then faded again.

“This is perfect.”

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

Valna whipped the dress to get rid of some of the folds and it seemed to explode with dancing lights as though the Winds had been captured within the dress.

“I can’t wear that. It must be worth a fortune.”

“It’s something that Erling’s given me, so it didn’t cost me anything, really. It’s what I wish I had to wear when I took my oath. I thought that Rollo, that’s Gerda’s dog, had gotten his teeth into it years ago. Oh Edda, you have to wear this.”

I stepped forward and took it. The fabric slid through my fingers with only a whisper of friction.

“Come on, let’s see if it fits.”

It didn’t.

The waist was too small and my chest was too wide. The seams stretched and Valna had to help me pull the dress off. She ran to find some help and after a short while she returned with one of the women I had seen mending clothes at the well.

“Edda, meet Tove. She’s a wonder with a needle and thread. She’ll let that dress out in no time.”

“This seems like a lot of trouble,” I said. “I’ve got things I can wear—”

“Don’t be silly, lass,” Tove said, waving away my objections. “It’s the least I can do if you’re coming up here to show that Hraki what for. It will be the work of a moment.”

She pulled a small box from somewhere and took out a measuring tape. She wrapped it around me, first measuring my chest then my waist and finally my hips.

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