--The day that followed began like any other. On second thought, the day didn't start like it normally did. Lilia was awakened by the blast of horns from downstairs. Her hair was messy and tangled when she sat up in bed. She was wearing a smooth yellow night dress and was barefoot. A servant boy ran into her room huffing and puffing as if he had been running all morning.
--"Hurry please…He's coming… everyone is busy… come quickly." He said while trying to catch his breath.
--She stood up out of bed quickly sensing urgency in the boy's voice. They were usually very formal and polite in their speech. This one did not pause to give a single name, detail, or formality. "Who is coming? What is all the rush about?" she asked.
--"No time. Go out and get ready." He said before leaning against the wall still gasping for breath
--She lifted the bottom of her dress a little so she didn't trip as she ran into the halls. People were passing through doors and hustling through hallways this way and that. She walked down a random hallway in confusion about what to do since she did not know what was happening. Suddenly her mother appeared around a corner buttoning up parts of an elaborate dress as she walked.
--She took one quick glance at Lilia before saying,, "What are you doing? You look like a street urchin." She quickly called over one of the servants, a stout older woman named Madison, and simply pointed at Lilia. The servant nodded and quickly grabbed Lilia by the shoulder and pulled her over into one of the dressing rooms. Lilia had little choice in the matter. Madison was strong and had already locked the door to the room. She spent no time on courtesy or delicacy in taking off Lilia's dress. Lilia wanted to cover her panties or chest in the presence of the servant, but had to focus on catching the stockings that were tossed at her. Madison either didn't notice that Lilia was half naked or didn't care in the least. She hardly looked at Lilia as she threw more clothing articles at her.
--Lilia was struggling to fit on the tight stockings as the woman slipped a corset around her waist at a frightening speed. The laces were already threaded before Lilia could protest. She tugged the second stocking into place just before the laces were sharply tugged. All the air was pressed out of her lungs and her guts were squeezed to wherever they could fit. Madison tied the laces without a word and began forcing more articles of clothes onto Lilia. In only a matter of a few minutes, Lilia was dressed in an elaborate green dress that would make a peacock jealous. The procedure felt like torture to Lilia although, the servant didn't say a single word through it all. Makeup was smeared all over her face while a comb was forcefully pulled through her hair. The servant ignored her exclamations of pain as the comb yanked some hair out with each forceful tug.
--After the horrid beauty process was complete, Lilia was rushed to the second floor main hallway. All kinds of people of the castle were lined up along the halls. Her parents were waiting at the top of the grand staircase already dressed up. The queen pulled Lilia to her side. They all stood still as horns were blown on the first floor of the grand foyer. They acted as if they had been patiently waiting in an orderly assembly. They began their slow descent down the stairs that led to the front castle doors as they were opened. Two lines of knights slowly marched inside. In between them was a single man.
--When Lilia and her parents reached the bottom of the staircase, she was able to see what he looked like in more detail. He was tall and had deep red hair that flowed smoothly down to the tips of his ears. He was wearing a dignified gray pair of trousers and a shirt with long triangles of matching material that extended from the sides and flowed behind him along with his red split cape. His face was smoothly shaven, and his eyes had blue-green pupils.
--The king was quick to introduce himself, the queen, and Lilia to the man. The man gave a bow and said, "It's an honor to meet you. You may know me as 'the man from nowhere' as your good people have called me. You may call me Mark."
--"Oho there. We finally get your name. I figure any man that is talked about as much as you have is a man worth knowing. I'm glad to have you as my guest."
--The two talked for a short time before the king ordered a couple of servants to show the man to the guest suite that had been prepared for him. The neat lines of people dispersed after Mark had left their presence. Her parents even left to their chambers leaving Lilia standing by the staircase wondering what she should do. She soon returned to her room with the sole desire of getting out of her ridiculous clothing.
--She rubbed off the makeup and stripped off the outer fluffy layer of the dress. More layers were removed until she got to the simple white under-gown with the corset over it. It felt great to get out of the elaborate cocoon of fabric since wearing it made her really hot and sweaty. Her relief was not complete, however as the corset remained tightly bound around her. She may have been cool, but being able to breathe properly was now on her mind.
--Her hands felt along her back awkwardly as her arms strained to reach further. She could occasionally feel the laces, but the knot was nowhere within reach. Why would someone make something that could not be put on or taken off by one self? She tried rubbed her back on things in hopes of loosening the knot after giving up on reaching it with her hands. Breathing was difficult and she was getting very impatient.
--A knock on the door startled her upright. She kicked the parts of the dress under the bed and answered the door. Standing there was Mark, who was still wearing everything he arrived in. He looked over her with a quick motion of his eyes before turning away. "My deepest apologies go out to you, princess. I didn't know you were undressed."
--It was a bit odd that he considered what she was wearing to be undressed. But his courtesy caught her attention most of all. It was not uncommon to barge in while she was dressing. On a rare occasion that person would give a halfhearted apology, yet they never looked away to give her privacy. Her thoughts quickly drifted back to the corset squeezed around her. "That's alright. I need you to untie this." She said bluntly and turned around.
--There was an awkward pause before he stammered, "Are you sure?"
--She was clearly in an awkward position, although she couldn't care less at the moment. "Yes I'm sure. Just untie the knot and loosen the laces." He said nothing as his fingers pinched at the knot. Lilia just felt random tugging of the laces and then the squeeze around her waist loosened slightly before suddenly disappearing. The corset popped off of her and landed on the floor with a flop. The relief felt wonderful. Breathing was so much easier along with many other things. She rubbed her midsection and smoothed out the wrinkles in the thin gown she had worn underneath.
--She turned back to him, and was now a bit embarrassed. "Thanks for helping me with that."
--"It's wasn't a problem at all. Do you need help with anything else?"
She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not. He sounded sincere so she gave him the benefit of the doubt, and assumed he was being serious. "No, that's all I need. I'm curious why did you knock on my door?"
--He paused and looked contemplative for a moment. "I can't seem to remember."
--"Well you can rest in the honored guest's bedroom until you think of it."
--"That's what it was. I was looking for my room and couldn't find it. I was hoping somebody could tell me where it was."
--"I can help you. Just go down the hallway and turn right at the second intersection and it should be the big door that says 'honored guest'."
--He thanked her and left for his room.
She closed her door and briefly reflected over the exchange. It seemed odd somehow. He had been making eye contact for the entire conversation. He didn't say a single think after the awkward incident with her corset. She had already thought of half a dozen remarks that she expected from just about any man, if they had been in Mark's position. Of course she was grateful of his courtesy, but it caught her by surprise. She did not see him again that day, but this meeting was far from their last.
