Chapter 32

Part 4

Hilsith reclined on the couch and sang sweet love songs from the human lands to the north-east, and though Mark had never heard any of them before and the words were in a language he didn’t understand, they did help greatly to soothe his mind.

Talia sat perched on the arm of his chair with her feet on the seat between his knees and her chin in her hands, smiling and watching him.

“I saw a girl with that expression once. She had just been given a new pony.” Mark chuckled, quiet and rumbling.

Talia just smiled a little wider.

“You know, I could swear that I can almost see that wall move!” he remarked.

“You can.” Talia giggled. “Theramin cast it for my father. You were thinking hard then, and you missed it. See, wood is slowly flowing from the ceiling, leaving it higher, down the walls beside the door and into the balcony, which is growing larger. And the door is getting larger, and the railing is getting higher. Though it’s not finished yet, I think you can stand comfortably in there now, and there’s room on the balcony for about ten elves to join you when you have your chair here.”

“Wow, that’s right! It’s so slow I didn’t even notice it!”

“This is almost finished, Mark.” Nemia told him as she held it up. “Come in here, and we’ll see how it looks on you.

He stood, and the doorway was just over his head, and when he stepped inside the ceiling was clear of his height by a quarter of a meter.

“This is much better!” he laughed.

Nemia floated up and held the shoulders of the shirt against Mark’s. She had to reach so wide to reach his shoulders that her bosom almost touched his chest, and he thrilled for a moment at her nearness and her scent, then blushed crimson again.

Talia giggled uncontrollably, though she was trying to suppress it.

Nemia was oblivious to all of that. “Yes, that should do nicely.” she commented as she handed the shirt to him and settled back to the floor, then handed him the kilt as well. “Try it on.”

“Where?”

“Pardon me?” Nemia blinked.

Hilsith would have giggled had she not been engaged in song.

“Where should I go to try it on?” he asked patiently.

Nemia looked baffled. “Where… would you like to go to try it on?”

Now his eyebrows rose in surprise, then lowered in consternation. “I’m… really not familiar with your home, Nemia. I’m sure wherever you choose would be fine.”

“Oh. About one pace to your left would be nice. You would be within the sunbeam coming through the doorway.”

At Mark’s expression, Hilsith was so struck with mirth that she could no longer sing or play, and had to stop to laugh aloud.

“Ahh, you are still such a young elf, Nemia!” she chuckled as she set her harp aside and poured more tea. “I think you have never been beyond The Nine Valleys! His people have a strong nudity taboo, and he would like to change his clothing in a private place.”

“Oh.” Nemia stated in surprise. “Well, I have been beyond to visit Alilia in the forest lands with Yazadril, and I knew of the taboo. I didn’t think it applied to us here, as you are his Healer, and I am his tailor, and how could we do these things without seeing him naked? I thought exceptions were made for such things.”

“There was no offense given.” Mark explained patiently. “I’ll just change in another room.

“I must go with you.” Talia softly told him. “I was given to you, and Alilia said that she pictured me being with you as you went about your life. Now I’m terrified that if I leave your side, it will trigger the curse. Beyond what it would make us do, simply feeling it active within me is horrible.”

Mark went to one knee and gently hugged her. “That’s okay. Here’s what we’ll do. One of you amazing wizards will shake the hair out of that big white cloth and hang it in a circle. I’ll stand in it and change my clothes. You can be close enough to touch me. All right?”

“Thank you. That is very considerate.” Talia mumbled into the side of his neck.

“And very practical, since the other rooms are still too low for you to stand up in.” Nemia pointed out with a smile as she collected the clippings with a gestured spell and tucked them into a small cloth bag, which she handed to Talia. “I’m sure it would be difficult to tell how well your new things fit you if you were hunched over like that.”

Soon the cloth was hung and he changed into his new clothes. “There’s no buttons in the front of the shirt.” he commented.

Nemia slid a five centimeter wide gold mesh belt under the edge of the hanging cloth. “Wrap the front of the shirt around, one side over the other, and hold it in place with this belt around your waist.”

He considered his under-breeks, which were tattered but spotlessly clean, thanks to Nemia’s spell. He slid them under the edge of the cloth. “Could you make me a new pair of these? Those are about worn out.”

In only moments she passed him a new, white pair, and he drew them on under the kilt. They were tighter, and made of very thin, supple material, and only covered half as much of him as his old pair. “Hey! These are… different!” he protested.

“If they were like your old ones, they would spoil the line of your new clothing.” Nemia explained, and he had no response to that. “Are they uncomfortable?”

“No… Actually, they’re very comfortable!” he marveled.

He stepped out when he was ready, and while Hilsith played and Talia grinned, Nemia adjusted the hang a bit to eliminate folds under the belt. “There!” she declared. “Now just a few touches to finish it off.”

She handed him a pair of soft white leather sandals that laced halfway up his calves. When he had them on and tied, she floated up to him holding a diamond. “Hold still a moment. I’m going to set this in your hair-clasp.”

“Hey! Could I see that first?”

She handed him the glinting stone. It was a clear, fire-brilliant diamond as big as the tip of her ring finger.

“Great spirits of sun and moon!” he breathed. “If this is real, I could buy a mansion with it!”

“Perhaps, though it has a bit of a flaw, there, see? And I have many of them.” Nemia shrugged, and plucked it from his palm to resume her task.

“You have the good fortune to be marrying into a very wealthy family, Mark.” Hilsith chuckled as she set her harp aside and joined Talia and Nemia in looking him up and down.

“Do I look okay? I mean, will I look okay to all those Princes and Princesses?” he asked worriedly.

With a wave of her arm and a whistled trill, Talia Summoned a full-length mirror from her room. “Here, let’s all stand in the sunlight together.” she quietly requested, and when they stood together she set and angled the mirror at a distance that allowed them all to see themselves in it.

Even Mark was surprised by his appearance. The cloth was glossy white and luxuriously smooth, the gold shining, contrasting with his black hair and blue eyes. The kilt was a bit shorter than he was used to, its gold hem above his knees. The shirt’s gold-trimmed bottom edge was even with the top of his hips, gathered at his waist by the gold belt, and it covered the waistband of the kilt. Their proportions perfectly accentuated his powerful legs and muscular build.

Too, he was unprepared for how tiny the three beauties with him looked, or how gigantic he looked by comparison, as the tallest of the three was barely more than half his height.

“You are so beautiful.” Talia told him quietly. “Even you must admit, you look like a god.”

He was saved from having to reply by the return of Yazadril. “Well done, my loves, well done indeed!” he commended. “He is magnificent! He would brighten any court in the world!”

“Thank you.” Nemia smiled as she stepped to his side for a hug.