6 The Crown Prince’s new clothes

"I know it's odd, but I'd reward you handsomely if you were to take the commission."

The tailor was clearly puzzled; his dark, furrowed brows were resting atop confused green eyes. "You… you want a mixture between pants and a gown? Isn't it a little… unorthodox?"

"Yes, Fabian. I will be the next female sovereign, it only makes sense that I dress as outstanding as my title."

Calluna had requested a sketchbook so that she could draw what she had envisioned her outfits to be like. Although it wasn't exactly 'befitting' of a woman in Killia, it was still fairly feminine. She had decided that since she was becoming the king and not the queen, she should have a wardrobe full of clothing that commanded respect – not just admiration. What she had drawn was a combination of common masculine and feminine clothing. Though it wasn't exactly a word that would make sense in this world: it had a very steampunk aesthetic.

Dark brown leather pants with tall black rider boots; they were decorated with a buoyant half-skirt that only went around her backside. The skirt was to be a rich, red fabric that she wanted to stand out and give her a royal aura. The top-half of the ensemble was essentially the same as it was for typical gowns; a black corset that could be worn somewhat loose to prevent further rib damage, and long velvet sleeves that extended to her middle finger with intricate embroideries all the way down. The shoulders were puffed, which Calluna had discovered was the case for most women's dresses in Killia.

"If this is what you want, Crown Prince, then I am happy to make it for you. Allow me to take your measurements, then give me one week to make the first one."

"Of course."

After Fabian had looked at the sketches for a while longer, all apprehension left his face and only excitement remained. It seemed that he was looking forward to making something new and challenging, and Calluna was glad that she wasn't putting too much pressure on him.

He went through a large quilted bag full of tailoring supplies to bring out his measuring tools. Taking measurements was an easy process that didn't take very long, but he was extra cautious when approaching her waistline due to her injuries. After he jotted each measurement down in a language that she couldn't understand, he had one of his assistants hand the prince four hangers with loose dresses – all dark colors! – on each one.

Fabian smiled warmly at her, his long black bangs framing his round jaw and giving him a very kind expression. "These are to wear at night or until your requests are finished, Your Highness. They are all corset free."

"You brought these for me? Thank you so much."

"Your lady-in-waiting asked if I had any to spare," he replied, "so I prepared some. I hope they ease your days."

"Oh, really? I will have to thank her, too."

Fabian placed a very light kiss on both of her cheeks before taking his leave, he and his two young assistants taking their leave. Calluna was very relieved to have received the extra changes of clothes, as the light colors and extravagance of the ones she was left with had been driving her crazy.

As soon as the tailor and his crew had departed, she looked at each of the dresses; black, brown, red, and green… all in dark hues. She was thrilled, and decided to wear the brown one. It was a light material reminiscent of silk and it flowed freely around her. The sleeves were also long and loose, making for an overall very comfortable article. She observed herself in the mirror with a smile, and although seeing something that wasn't the body she grew up in still shocked her a bit initially, she felt a bit more at home in this new dress.

"Next step, an eyepatch." Calluna noted to herself, frowning at the white bandage wrapped around her head. It stood out far too much for her liking, and her eye socket had mostly healed thanks to the physicians' poultice.

She strode leisurely to her nightstand to grab Eleanore's bell; within only a minute of ringing it, the maid arrived with a smile. "How did it go, Calluna? Did you request everything that you needed?"

"Yes, it went smoothly. He seemed very nice."

"That's wonderful, miss."

"Oh, and Eleanore?" Calluna called quietly after a moment of silence.

"Yes?"

"Thank you… for the dresses, and for arranging the appointment."

The woman's loving round face slowly turned a deep red, and her eyes were wide as she looked at the blonde. It may have been a trick of the light, but Calluna could have sworn it almost looked as though she began to tear up. "Your Highness- ah- Calluna, this is my job. You mustn't thank me for something so simple!"

The crown prince frowned at this, her sad amber gaze meeting Eleanore's. "What? You deserve thanks regardless of why you've done a good deed."

'Have these servants really never been given thanks before?' She wondered to herself, biting her lip with frustration.

"You're too kind," the woman said quietly, idly brushing the gray fringe of her hair back behind her left ear.

Assuming that she had just made Eleanore uncomfortable with the compliment, Calluna came out with the next topic she had meant to talk about. "How about eyepatches? As it turned out, Fabian isn't confident in his ability to make one. Do you know of someone else?"

"Ah!" Eleanore exclaimed, seeming to have remembered something important, "Captain Vincenzo asked me to tell you that he knew someone who made armor that was good at making specialty eyepatches. He said that he'd pick a good one for you."

"Is that so?" The prince responded, her lips pinching into a line. "Did he give us the contact information?"

"About that…" Eleanore paused, "he said that he'd get it for you as a gift, and to wait for him to give it to you. He also promised that he 'has the best taste' and 'would pick only the best' for you."

"Of course he did." Calluna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. I guess I have no choice but to wait. Hopefully he actually does have good taste and it wasn't just him being ostentatious."

Eleanore laughed at her sarcasm then motioned toward the mirror that was sitting between two of the tall windows in her room. "I can comb your hair and help you with your makeup, if you'd like."

Calluna served a warm smile in her direction before seating herself at the table and facing her own reflection. "Am I allowed to remove the bandage, Eleanore?"

"If you'd like to, you may. The doctor said that your eye was healed, but it's still a bit unsightly."

"Alright." Calluna brought her small, thin hands to the fabric and began to unwrap it carefully. Eleanore gave her a hand and took the used bandage away once it was undone, walking out the room to dispose of it.

As she stared at herself, she felt great discomfort. Gentle fingers rose to the scarred socket where her eye used to be, grazing over the surface of the soft skin lightly. It was still sensitive, but not extremely painful. The sight was so extremely foreign that Calluna wasn't even sure how to feel about it.

"Miss, Lukas is here to see you!" Eleanore called from the door.

"He can come in."

Light footsteps clicked against the stone floor and became slightly louder as they approached. Calluna carefully stood from her chair and turned round with her arms held open just a bit, already bracing herself for a hug.

"King Sister! How are you doing today?" Lukas asked as he wrapped his arms gently round her waist and rested his head against her stomach.

"I'm not doing so bad," she responded with a smile, "and you? How were your studies?"

Lukas pulled away from her and looked up at her face, and his expression immediately jumped to one of surprise. "Your eye!"

"Ah," Calluna brought her hand up once more to cover it, "I'm sorry. I was just looking to see the scar for the first time."

"No no no! Take your hand away," Lukas demanded, tugging her elbow to reveal the eye once more, "It looks AWESOME!"

The crown prince couldn't help but laugh at his antics, ruffling his hair as she always did. "You think so?"

"Yeah, you look so cool! It reminds me though, Vinny said that he'd come by with your eyepatch tomorrow morning. He bumped into me when I was on my way here."

"Huh," Calluna replied, "okay. I am interested to see what he brings to me."

"I'm sure it'll look awesome, but not as awesome as your scar. You look like a hero or something!"

"Pffft."

Calluna sat back down at the mirror once more and listened happily as Lukas talked about his day and each of his classes. Eleanore stood dutifully behind her, brushing her pale golden locks with great care and a soft smile to go with it.