Four days later, Ariana, Shea, Chandra, and all the female fairies who could manipulate their sizes to that of a human stance, banned together in Chassity’s room, conversing about the party and how much had been done, or had yet to be accomplished. Olivia would have been honored to join them if only she hadn’t been preoccupied in the kitchen with creating a food list for the event, and with the ingredients she fell short of, she sent her husband into town for them.
The main thing left to decide upon were the guests. All those at the castle, of course would be there and then Arayah, Grix, and maybe even the doctor would be invited as a thank you for his help. “Oh, and do not forget to invite the nymphs,” Chassity said, rummaging through a pile of books on her bed that housed sketchings of elegant dresses for special occasions.
The women fell silent. “Are you sure, miss?” Ariana looked up solemnly from the list of pending guest she was recording, to the lady of the house poised at the opposite end of the bed. “We know how you despise them.”
She sighed, slumping into the small pile of white pillows behind her. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about them and that my Lord of the Night has been honest and spoken of how they came to be. We all know of their disturbing history together, but they obviously meant something to him, besides being play toys, or they would not be here,” she said, recalling how Kayleb explained to her how he was able to make the woodland females and Jacob like him, that his heart was what chose who was to unite with him or die. “Besides, they continue to watch over the forest and the mountains and allow us to live amongst them without so much as a fuss. They should be commended for their good deeds, for carrying on with caring for the Earth, even though their powers…their birthrights have been taken away and they are no longer bound to the forest. It wasn’t their fault a new life, a sunless life, was forced upon them. Not if it is true what Kayleb has told us.”
The planners nodded in agreement and The Sisters, Elektra and Atlanta, were added to the otherwise unquestioned guest list. The room thrived once again with lively chatter and debate and all opinions were heard save for Chassity’s whose thoughts were on telling her friends the bad news of her departure from Heaven, and then there was the good news of her wedding to their Master which she had not even told Kayleb about.
She canvassed the room with a despairing demeanor, absorbing the entire eloquence that was her chamber. Much like the other rooms of this mansion, there were paintings displayed of various works, revolving around religion, which were created by Italian artists such as Giotto di Bondone, Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi, and Donatello. Donatello,chose male cherubs as his fascination for his projects and two of these framed beauties hung by the center window, the largest in the room. Chassity had always loved, and was partial to, Donatello’s portrayal of the darling baby angels. She had his paintings deliberately positioned by the center window, believing that when she viewed the chubby bodies, it was best done so in the purest of light, for any other luminescence would manipulate the images.
Over the fireplace mantel and at other generous intervals throughout the sleeping quarters, were colorful clay vases from Egypt, enhanced not only by the region’s thought-invoking hieroglyphics, but also by the various array of flowers arranged in them. Because of the flowers, the twinge of the air that encased the women was weightless and sweet against the less-pleasing odor of scorched wood from the ferociously crackling fire.
The bedding was rich in color and was made from either cotton or very expensive silk spun abroad and sold locally. Not all items were collected by Kayleb on his scavenger voyages, but also by Jacob or The Killian Brothers when they would travel to distant lands on errands or business. However, the major role player in the collection of so many of Porta Ille’s artifacts was Arayah Cross, who sent for them after the castle was finished being remodeled.
