The Beginning of Everything by Kristen Ashley Page 0,53
monkey with a soul of molten silver.
And he did not mind this.
On this thought, his mother moved into his rooms and he turned his attention to her.
Using the creams and lotions and elixirs of their land since she was a maiden, her beautiful face was nearly unlined, simply a few across her forehead.
However, two small indents at the bridge of her nose had appeared since his father died.
Her hair was mostly black, with but a silver thread here and there.
And for the night’s events, she wore a long-sleeved choli top covered in a profuse pattern of jet beads, the same beads at her waist and hips, from which flowed the sheers of her skirt that exposed her legs encased in leggings that ended at her ankle. Her feet were in beaded, flat sandals.
All of this was black.
Mars most definitely tired of all the black.
The extravagant ruby necklace at her neck was the only thing Mars liked.
He did not share that with his mother.
When his attention returned to her face, he saw she was running her eyes over him as well.
“So, you’ve decided. You’re changing the Firenz uniform, moving away from the blades,” she remarked.
“We ordered a number of these,” he replied. “They came with Cassius’s envoy. Only my men for now. We’ll then assess. But the leather of Airen is the best in all lands and they’ve made some improvements to their leather armor, which was already exceptional.” As he caught the look on her face, he shared, “It’s not as constricting as you’d think.”
“I shall miss the blades,” she murmured, stopping in front of him.
His father wore the blades, as did her father, as did her son.
It was time, in many ways, to move from olden things.
Ares had taught him that.
“It’s handsome,” she said, lifting a hand and resting it on his chest.
Mars couldn’t argue that.
A sleeveless, sandstone-colored leather upper that had no collar and fit to his skin closely. He was able to don it by loosening the leather laces at the sides. Trousers of the same, though buttoning at the crotch, therefore no laces.
But he wore his sandals laced up the leather at his calves. He was not yet ready for the heat and rubbing of boots.
“And I quite like the mantle,” his mother went on.
As did he.
A heavy crimson silk that went to his ankles at the back and cinched at his neck with a wide, gold clasp studded in the center with a large Firenz ruby.
The back of the mantle was embroidered with fire out of which rose the coiled Firenz black asp, its head raised, green eyes alert, mouth open, forked tongue snaking, fangs bared to strike.
The same snake was forged in gold with eyes of emeralds and these were affixed to his leather arm shields that were buckled to his forearms.
All in all, vastly different than the ceremonial royal finery of golden chest shields, thick leather blades tipped in gold and rubies dripping from his kilt, and helmets with plumes of vermillion feathers his father wore.
And a damned sight less heavy.
“We’re to be away soon and I’ve been told the others are gathering in the vestibule,” Mars noted quietly. “Did you come for an escort down the stairs?”
Elpis lifted her gaze to his.
“I hear the cheers of the crowd all the way to here,” she replied. “The acrobats and fire eaters are already entertaining. Our people have something to watch so we have a moment before the procession. I’d like to take it.”
He needed to take a moment for Silence before they left as well.
But he’d give his mother this as he would give her most anything she asked.
“Then do,” he invited.
She turned, and from the folds of her skirt, took a long, thin box he hadn’t noticed she carried when she arrived.
It was ebony, and as he moved with her to his bed, where she laid it, he saw on the top it was crusted with large, exquisitely-cut rubies and crescents of onyx.
It was seeing that, his gaze went to her face.
But he had her left profile. He could not see her wedding chain.
He heard the clasp release, looked back to the box she had opened, and felt his chest grow tight.
In a bed of black satin, two long, thin chains rested.
The top one: simple, minute, but brilliant gold links. Though there was a hoop studded in flawless rubies at the place where the chain hit the lobe of the ear.
The bottom, the same links, but at the lobe hoop of rubies