I'd always felt more comfortable in a costume. Maybe it was because slipping into character felt like putting on a mask. It was freeing.
As I got older, Halloween no longer seemed to fulfill my desire to become someone else entirely. I needed more. That's when the trips to the Renaissance Faire started.
I'd gone before as a little kid, but I never truly dressed up. I had watched as people in fairy costumes or wenches would flit between the shops, surrounded by others who went above and beyond. My favorite costumes were the ones who went all out. There were Viking warrior men and women in full attire, or even people walking around in full suits of armor. Some went above and beyond and dressed as dragon-esc creatures with wings or even mushrooms with handmade mushroom top hats.
Now that I was twenty, I dove head first into the medieval world with my best friend Alyssa. She was into the historical accuracy aspect, and always designed her costumes to represent a maiden or adventurer. That was cool. Who doesn't like the fair maiden look? But as beautiful as her costumes were, I leaned more towards the fantasy creatures.
After years of experimenting and learning to sew, I'd finally managed to create the perfect frost elf costume. Everything was white with silver hardware which matched the silver leaves and ornaments I'd braided into the white wig. To top it off, I bought white contacts to block out the color of my eyes and a white crystal crown with silver embellishments to tie everything in with a fantasy element. My elf ears were adorned with gorgeous silver earrings that swirled to their shape before dangling beautiful gems. It was a gorgeous costume and I'd spent months on it just for this year's fair.
"We're gonna be late!" Alyssa called from the other room. It was an hour drive from us and since the parking was always terrible, we needed to get there early.
"Coming!" I yelled, slipping my feet into the brown leather boots I'd bought just for today. The skirt was long enough to hide them, so I opted for comfort over style. I carefully made my way to the door and grabbed my cloak.
"You look amazing." Alyssa smiled, tugging on her own boots.
"Thanks. I like the colors you went with this time. And the cloaks are a nice touch since it might rain." We'd considered going the weekend before since the festival went on every weekend for a couple months, but the weather had been so terrible we waited until the last weekend.
"The only problem with going on the last weekend is how packed it will be." She said over her shoulder as we headed to the car. I hiked up my skirts and followed behind, overly aware of the neighbor's kids across the street staring. I waved at them and smiled, but they stayed frozen with shock.
"Maybe they think I'm a ghost." I laughed to myself and tried my best to tuck my entire outfit into the car with me.
"Probably. Halloween is coming soon. You gonna come to my party?" Alyssa started the car and loaded up the GPS.
"Let's focus on one event at a time." I said nervously. I didn't mind parties with Alyssa, but this year she planned to host a bigger one than usual to celebrate her graduation from college. I wasn't sure if I wanted to show up alone.
"Well let me know soon so I can find you a date." She grinned, then put the car in reverse. I groaned and looked out the window.
"Later." I pouted. "We can talk about it later."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna hold you to that." She turned on the radio and we both settled in for the drive.
***
It took us forever to find a parking spot despite arriving right as the event started. So many people were pouring out of their cars and making the trek to the gates of the Renaissance Faire village. It was like the modern world disappeared as soon as you left the parking lot and walked down the gravelly path through the trees. If you ignored the few people who didn't dress up, it felt like stepping back in time.
I saw a few others dressed like fairy creatures, but nobody else dressed like an elf. I couldn't help but lift my chin with pride as people stared or did a double take as we passed.
We made our way through the entrance and headed straight to the food stalls. Alyssa was beyond determined to eat an entire turkey leg this year. The two of us picked our way through thick crowds, stopping to take photos with fellow enthusiasts who loved our outfits.
The line looped around, but wasn't terribly long. We shuffled up a few steps at a time, slowly making our way when a suit of black leather armor snagged my gaze.
My eyes glued to the tall, masculine figure as he walked in our direction. His entire body was covered in handmade leather armor. The leather covered everything, even his face, emphasizing his wide shoulders, slim waist, and the tops of his solid thighs. My heart galloped in my chest and all of a sudden the weather went from tepid to steamy hot. His legs took long, confident strides as he came nearer by the second and it took all of my self control to keep from launching myself at him. I swallowed, allowing my eyes to travel from his helmed face, wide chest, the generous bulge in the black trousers, and back up again. A shiver crept up the back of my neck and I knew he was looking at me, too. I blinked, my mouth suddenly dry, and tucked my shaky hands into the folds of my dress.
"Can you scoot up?" The guy behind me grunted, and I jolted out of a very inappropriate fantasy involving the dark stranger.
"S-sorry." I muttered, hurrying to join Alyssa in line. The side of my neck heated and I tried to subtly turn and watch the dark knight. His head was turned in my direction. I froze. He didn't break his stride, but sure enough, his helmet was tilted towards me as he passed. I stared wide eyed into the shadow of his visor until I couldn't see him without turning around.
As soon as he passed, I blinked rapidly and tried to calm my rapid breathing. Holy fuck. Images of that black leather gliding across the creamy pale skin of my thighs, my stomach, flooded my mind as I tried to quench my desire.
"You okay?" Alyssa asked, pulling out the money push she made just for today. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak just yet. "I'm so ready for this. The lines were so long last year. I'm going to devour this turkey leg." I flushed as the image of me devouring something else popped into my head.
***
One turkey leg and a million glances to find him again later, Alyssa and I made our way to the jousting tournament. A large crowd had already gathered. It was a beautiful day despite the mild temperatures, and more than a few people were washing their turkey legs down with some alcohol. A noticeably intoxicated group blocked our way to some of the only remaining seats.
"Hey!" Alyssa frowned at the loudest one, a typical squire dressed in an obnoxiously yellow tunic, and tried to get his attention. "Can you and your friends move out of the path please?" But they didn't hear us over their whoops and hollers as the tournament began.
"The lady asked you to move." A Viking warrior growled from the opposite side and the group backed off under the weight of his glare. His eyes found Alyssa and, if I wasn't imagining things, softened when he looked at her. "You can come sit by us. There's a little room." Alyssa beamed at him.
"Thanks! We'd love to. Lead the way." The three of us carefully made our way to the empty row he'd somehow saved, no doubt due to his welcoming aura. He was a huge man in every sense of the word. Bulky arms and a very defined chest and back bare to the world in his Viking attire. How he wasn't freezing, I had no idea. He and Alyssa hit it off immediately and she couldn't stop chattering for the first three rounds. Just before the fourth run, a pixie snapped at me.
"Could you move over?" Her face was pinched and her hair was bright pink. I sighed and looked to my left at Alyssa and her new Viking crush, Christopher.
"Is there any room down there? Someone wants me to scoot over." I asked them quickly, hoping to rid myself of the annoying fairy girl snapping gum in her mouth. Alyssa opened her mouth to tell the pixie to bugger off or something vulgarly equivalent when Chris spoke up.
"You can come down here. My buddy isn't here yet. He went to take a leak so he shouldn't be back for a while." He patted the empty bench next to him.
