"Torva, there you are!" Aseära exclaimed when she finally found Torva in one of the many hallways of the castle, "What of Susrette and Aslana?" she asked as she rushed towards her.
"Oh, they are by the pantry" Torva replied
"Get them and come to my bedchambers" Aseära said to Torva, "The guests are resting at the moment, so this is our time to get Aslana ready."
"Yes my lady" Torva said already rushing to get the other girls.
"Do hurry, Torva!" Aseära called to her from some steps up the stairs, "We have so much to do and so little time!"
~.~
Some twenty minutes later, the three maids had already rounded up and convened in Aseära's bedchamber.
"Oh, Aslana, finally! I have missed you!" Aseära said hugging the straitlaced maid, who found it rather improper for her to be hugging her lady and just resorted to standing limply as her lady embraced her.
"My lady, we are running out of time!" Torva exclaimed as she rushed to the dress already laid out on the bed by the lady, "It is beautiful, my lady"
"Indeed" Susrette agreed.
"I know right? I thought it would suite Aslana's complexion and compliment her eyes" Aseära said as she left Aslana to go join the other two in their admiration of the dress she had chosen for her.
"Oh, it is beautiful" Aslana said as she too beheld the dress, green in color, "My lady, thank you. But I cannot take it, it is too much. In fact, all these is too much. You really don't have to do these for me"
Aslana politely refused the dress, causing the other three ladies to look at her like she was insane.
"Oh, my lady, we need to get her ready at once" Torva said
"Yes, indeed, Torva" Aseära replied, as they put Aslana on the dressing chair and began to lose her hair from its severe bun. Working on her as though they hadn't heard what she said.
In less than an hour they were done dolling up Aslana, not without some objections from her now and then, which was all ignored by the others.
"Beautiful, absolutely beautiful" Aseära said as they finished, stepping back to look at Aslana who stood before the mirror, not quite believing that the beautiful Lady in the mirror was her. Aslana has always been beautiful, even in her regular maid clothes, however, now she was even more beautiful, looking regal and elegant too, like a proper lady of high breeding.
"No other word for it" Susrette concurred
"Ah! Do you see it as well, Susrette?" Torva asked, shrieking and looking excited for a whole other reason, causing all the ladies to stop their appraisal of Aslana and turn to her.
"See what?" Susrette asked
Torva turned to look at the ladies with the expectant looks in their eyes as they awaited her response, "You really don't see it" she said, sounding surprised. Rather than simplifying what she meant straight away, she took Aseära to stand next to Aslana before the mirror and pointed at their faces.
"Oh my, I see it now" Aseära said
"What?" Aslana asked, still confused
"You two look alike!" Susrette said
"Exactly!" Torva exclaimed, happy they finally saw what she saw
"I don't…" Aslana was saying, her head portraying her disagreement with their view as she shook her head. She saw no resemblance.
"Ah, all for the better then!" Aseära exclaimed cutting her off, "Now, it would be so much easier for us to claim you are my relative come visiting"
"That's so true, my lady" Susrette agreed.
Aseära suddenly remembered she is yet to know who this beau is.
"Did you get a view of the guests?" she asked Aslana who affirmed she did, "Are you certain your beau is among our guests?"
"My beau, when did we start calling him that?" Aslana asked as she looked at the three ladies.
"Me! It was my idea, I mean, don't you think it's rather catchy?" Torva proudly told her and asked with her dark brows doing a funny dance.
"Well, I guess it's alright" Aslana replied
"Oh, stop keeping me in suspense, Aslana, who is the mystery beau that you wish to hide your status from?" Aseära pressed on, curious to know.
"Well," Aslana started, looking nervous and shy as she paused, looking away from their curious and expectant gazes
"Well?" Torva urged her to go on
"It is Hator, the Crown prince of Reig" she said
As Aslana's eyes looked up from her hands back to the ladies, she was met with looks of shocked faces. Torva's mouth was hanging open.
It seems nobody was expecting that.