"If only I had gloves and boots." - Damsel by Evelyn Skye, pp. 195
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The disintegration of Elodie's dress throughout her journey
But oh, the wedding dress! It was a marvel of elegance, just as her sister had imagined, and Elodie was glad to have caved to Floria's exhortations. Heavy cream-colored silk fell like a waterfall from Elodie's shoulders all the way down to her legs. Crimson and gold embroidery - the colors of Aurea - trimmed the edges of the fabric, following her neckline, down the folds of silk across her torso, and along the hem of the long train that trailed behind her. She wore Henry's gifts - the pair of gold combs in her hair and the ruby-and-gold necklace with the coat of arms resting at the base of her throat.
From Page 68 of paperback movie-tie-in edition of Damsel, by Evelyn Skye
Now, for the light. The best would be a torch; the sticky residue on her dress - left behind by the dying swallow - could be used as fuel for a flame. But if she didn't have any fire, and certainly didn't want any from the only source down here that could provide it.
Which left the glowworms. Their light would be dim, but still better than nothing. If Elodie could collect some and bring them with her...
The dress! Its diapanous fabric would be perfect for wrapping around the glowworms. The cloth was thin and translucent enough that their light woudl shine through.
She crawled back through the short passage into the glowworms' chamber.
"You've already helped me a great deal," she said to the blue lagoon of worms on the ceiling. "But could I trouble you for a little more? Who wants to come with me on an adventure?
She tore off a wide swatch of her skirt, thankful for its many layers...
From Page 160 of paperback movie-tie-in edition of Damsel, by Evelyn Skye
✨Crystal climbing✨
She couldn't stop giggling, caught halfway between hysteria and soul-crushing fatigue. She laughed and laughed, thinking about how ridiculous it was that she was a princess in a torn-up ceremonial gown, wriggling around like a rainbow-painted caterpillar trapped inside a...inside a what? Elodie was too worn out to come up with a suitable analogy, and for some reason that made her laugh even harder.
From Page 134 of paperback movie-tie-in edition of Damsel, by Evelyn Skye
If I only had gloves and boots. All Elodie had was her dress, which was quickly running out of spare fabric. At this rate she would emerge from the dragon's lair wearing nothing but dirty undergarments like a feral princess. Whatever was left on her skin of the priestesses' annointing ceremony must look like a battleworn war paint by now.
Perhaps I have become a feral princess, Elodie thought as she tore off the penultimate layer of her dress and wrapped the fabric around her feet like mittens and socks.
From Page 195 of paperback movie-tie-in edition of Damsel, by Evelyn Skye
...the gems were probably collected over the centuries from the hems of all the princesses' gowns - Elodie remembered what her own dress had looked like when the priestesses first put it on her - and the coins were the same as the ceremonal one Queen Isabelle had placed in her hand before she was thrown into the gorge.
From Page 280 of paperback movie-tie-in edition of Damsel, by Evelyn Skye
Millie Bobby Brown as Princess Elodi
"Actually..." Elodie said, ear still cocked toward the music. "Floria will have to tell you [about how I escaped]. I have one more thing I have to do." She turned to leave.
"But we're ready to set sail." Lucinda knit her brows. "Where are you going?"
"To crash a royal wedding."
Lucinda blinked in confusion. But then she smiled, amusement arriving with understanding.
"You're going to crash a wedding looking like that?" She gestured at Elodie's tattered, burned, and bloody clothes and the ash and old paint smeared all over her. "Not if you are going to represent the House of Bayford, you're not."
From Page 312 of paperback movie-tie-in edition of Damsel, by Evelyn Skye