The Party I

Icarus woke up with a loud breath of relief. He was still alive and wasn't missing a limb. Sharply, he turned to where his prisoner lay, and found her fast asleep on the cushion. She appeared innocent and harmless while she slept. But Icarus knew the moment she wakes up, she was going to run back to being disrespectful, and unreasonably arrogant. The fact that her life was in his hands seemed to elude her sometimes, and that was the reason she had the audacity to stand up to him.

He rose from the bed and got straight to freshening up. Although she was a prisoner and didn't deserve the luxurious hours of sleep she was getting, Icarus chose to ignore her. She needed as much rest as she could get. Tonight was a big night, and she was going to make her first debut as his 'bride to be,' to the public.

He hadn't heard anything yet, but Icarus was certain that rumors were already flying around the place. If he concentrated hard enough, he might even be able to hear the thoughts of the people around, but he would rather trouble himself with getting ready for the big event than listening to people's thoughts.

By the time Icarus was done in the bathroom, Isabelle was already up. Just like him, she had woken with a surprised expression on her face. She probably didn't expect to see the light of dawn again, but here she was staring at his wet naked body.

He had forgotten that he had someone sharing a room with him, and walked out of the bathroom without clothes on. She had seen him naked, but she was quick to turn around and hide her embarrassment. He would have teased her, but this time Icarus felt flustered as well. It was odd, but this was the first time any woman had seen his nakedness by accident.

"G..Good morning.." Isabelle stammered, but got no reply. The next time she turned around, Icarus was all dressed up and was ready to leave. Although a feeling of disappointment washed through her, Isabelle was overall happy that she was being left alone. But no sooner had Icarus left, Julian appeared out of nowhere with Maria standing right next to him. She had a tray of food with her, while Julian had a large shiny box in his possession.

"Good morning.." Julian greeted as he lowered the box at Isabelle's feet. "I've brought you new clothes as promised. Did you sleep well?"

Isabelle's eyes darted from the food in Maria's hands to the box on the floor and finally to Julian's face. Aside from the food, she was confused on what to say about the clothes, and the reply to Julian's question.

"I did.." She managed to reply. She leaned down a bit and opened the box beneath her, and just like Julian had said, there were clothes inside, and they were her exact size. She wanted to ask how he got her measurements, but that would look as she was undermining his good intentions.

"Thank you." She replied with a smile. She felt the need to change into one of the clothes just to show how appreciative she was, but instead of doing that, she decided to just check everything in the box out and thank Julian upon inspection of each article of clothing

There were a total of twelve different dresses in the box, but the last one was what really caught Isabelle's attention.

Isabelle's jaw dropped slightly, but she was quick to hide the shock on her face. Julian said something about getting her new clothes, but these were beyond just normal clothings. They were really taking this bride stuff seriously, but this amount of luxury was much even for her. She had been a princess once, but her people were modest, and weren't as extravagant as this.

She pulled a dress from the shiny box and her cheeks flushed red as the fine silk slipped through her fingers. This gown alone must have cost a fortune, probably more than all the dresses she had back at home.

The fabric, a luxurious blend of rosy red silk and delicate lace, cascaded in gentle folds that whispered of elegance. Isabelle ran her fingers over the fabric once more and marveled at the meticulous craftsmanship, each stitch a testament to the artistry that went into creating such a masterpiece. The tailors here clearly were more talented than the ones she had back at home.

"You like that one?" Julian's voice interrupted her admiring session. "Maybe you should wear it for the party tonight. You'll be making your first appearance as his bride to be tonight after all." He announced, his usual smile still playing on his lips.

It dawned on her immediately, she knew these dresses were way too expensive to be casual wears. They were party dresses, and this man had tricked her into selecting the one she found most admirable.

"Party? He didn't mention it to me, are you sure it's okay to prepare for something he didn't inform me about?" I returned, a flimsy excuse to try and get out of the current situation.

"Don't worry about it, he wanted me to break the news to you myself. He said something about not wanting to deal with your attitude."

She knew he was mocking her, both Icarus and Julian, they were both trolling her, but she maintained her composure. The man in front of her might seem nice, but Isabelle could tell he wasn't as lenient as Icarus. This man might actually kill her if she tried to talk back to him.

"I'll prepare for the party. What time is it?"

"I'll have Maria inform you when it's time to get ready. For now just eat your food and wait for the next command." Julian said before leaving the two ladies alone in the room.

Isabelle had no idea how parties worked in this place, but she had Maria to give her all the information she needed. For now she would just act along with everything, while she prepares her own plans in the darkness. It might take years, decades even, but she was not going to stop until she finds a way to return to her people.