• Graded • Dreams and Queens and Dances[Faith]

[Elyna]

2nd Saun 716

Music followed her up the stairwell. Below in the vast space of the ballroom, masked figures danced in careful circles and delicate movements to the sound of pipes, drums and strings. Elyna hummed as she climbed the stairs, her own mask dangling from her fingertips. The dress she wore was a deep red, velveteen in texture as it rose over the swell of her stomach. Her pregnancy was clear now and the dress was comfortable and loose. It whispered over the steps like the hushes caress of a lover as she made her way up and up and up away from the crowds.

She was a servant, not here to enjoy the sweeping gallantry to assist and to serve. Content with her station the woman knocked on wooden doors that rose high above her head. They swung open easily at her touch though and she slipped through, letting the gentle rhythm follow her into the opulent room.

Why was she here? The woman struggled to remember the instructions she’d bene given below and simply moved forward, searching behind the lush patterned curtains, in the closest and the wardrobe doors in her search for the queen.

“Your majesty?” She called out, hesitant. Unable to picture the woman clearly, she was confused. Worried that she would fail in her duty. Fingers stroked the smooth mahogany and she peered outside and into the night. It had fall thick and fast like a blanket over the land. Was it Vhalar already? She pressed her free hand, mask dangling from her wrist, to the bump as she felt movement within and smiled. No wonder it was nearly time.

[Faith Augustin]

Even A Slave Can Dream Of Freedom

The sounds coming from downstairs echoed into her chambers and she smiled a soft and gentle smile as she gazed at the image in the mirror. The mask was in place and her hair looked quite nice, with the feathers and subtle gemstones sparkling in there. She was almost ready to go downstairs and greet her subjects, on this celebration of her coronation. It had been an absolutely wonderful idea, of course, to have a masquerade ball and Faith was quite looking forward to it. Sitting there, watching her reflection in the mirror, she had sent away all of the other servants and told them to bring her favourite servant to her. Her Majesty had a plan.

And there, the unmistakeable sound of the heavy drapes moving and the softly spoken voice of her favourite servant. "I am here" she said and she turned around with a smile "Come through" it was not a question, of course, it was a command. She was used to nothing other than that and she watched as her servant stepped in. The young woman was pregnant, noticeably so and as Faith stood, so too was she, her body shape similar to the point of being very alike. "I sent for you, come sit with me" she said, and she moved to a comfortable chair, motioning for Elyna to sit on its twin, just opposite.

"You have worked hard and I am pleased with you" she said, with a smile at the young woman "So I thought that you might like it if you had a costume the same as mine and we looked identical. We could, in fact, both be Queen for the night. Would you like that?" Faith, slave or Queen, was fundamentally a generous and friendly woman and she didn't like the idea of having something that she didn't share with others. And the young Queen smiled and put out her hand, placing it gently on Elyna's stomach "Better a night of luxury than a night of work for this one, too" she smiled and waited to see what the woman next to her thought.

[Elyna]

The woman approached with care, concentrating on not tripping over her own soft slippers and thinking longingly of a pair of sturdy boots. It couldn’t be helped. There were rules about fashion apparently, and boots did not mix with ball gowns. She bobbed a polite curtsey as was only fitting towards the queen before sitting down. Head bowed in a gracious arc before she was addressed.

Following orders came naturally to the woman in her waking hours, as well as in her sleep and so she considered the proposition with care. Finally a cautious smile spread across her features. She would be wearing a dress, there was no changing that. But she would take the opportunity for fun in the situation and a chance to please the Queen.

“If it would please you, your majesty,” she agreed. Her back ached and she lent back against the plush chair, taking the minute opportunity to rest heavy feet before leaning forward. Her expression turned conspiratorial and she glanced back at the door, “there are some handsome men in the ball tonight, your Majesty. Is there anything I can fetch for you? Perfume? A sword?” The Skyrider listed the first items that came to mind. What would a Queen want for a ball? Perfume or cosmetics clearly. What would she, Elyna bring to a ball room? Weapons…she was far more used to fetching weapons for people.

“I was told that a ballroom is battlefield,” she mused, “does your costume allow for any armor? I would hate for anything to befall you…” She had a duty to the sovereignty. To protect the unborn heir to the throne.

[Faith Augustin]

Even A Slave Can Dream Of Freedom

The smile spread across the servants face and Faith smiled back at her. She watched as she sat on the chair and let out a quiet breath; Faith understood that. "It is a burden, this beautiful gift that we both carry, is it not? I am tired in my bones" she explained and she fully expected that the servant was likely to feel the same way. After all... was this her first baby? She wasn't quite sure, she thought so. But in truth, the idea of the two of them, identical costumes and able to pretend to be each other was delightful to her. "The dress is here. I thought we could get you dressed, then go downstairs together and no one will know" she confided with a wicked grin. It sounded quite delightful to her and she motioned to the dress.

"Swords or perfume?" she said and she chuckled. "Between you and me? I would much rather a sword than a perfume bottle any day. How about you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at the woman in front of her. Pregnant, tired, exhausted in fact. But something told Faith that she was a fighter, this woman "I would bet that you would rather a sword yourself. We have a number of weapons, you know. Just in case. Hair combs that are daggers nestled in your hair and long knives that fit to your thigh. Would you feel more comfortable?" she asked and sat back with a smile, resting her hand on her stomach.

"No handsome men for me, I'm afraid. My heart is taken. What of you?" she asked, motioning to the doors and, therefore, out to the party. It was interesting to her, to find out about this woman and the child she bore. She didn't know rightly why but at the moment it felt like it was just idle chatter and it allowed her to avoid the party awhile, so she was quite content. But in truth, she was also interested and she knew that this wasn't normal, but she was what she was and, as the Queen, she could ask what she wished. "What does your husband think of you working in this condition?" she wondered.

[Elyna]

Elyna remained quiet for a time as she considered her response. The woman didn’t want to complain to the Queen. She would carry out her duty as she was bidden and sworn to do. It was not her place to lament or moan but she was tired. Weary as Faith described. Worn down to the bone. She lent forward to collect the dress, pulling it back to her lap. Smoothing her fingers over the fabric she frowned as calloused palm pulled at the delicate fibers.

“It…difficult to feel so different,” she admitted, “I’m usually so in control and I know…my muscles,” because she was a servant? No that wasn’t quite right. The woman stood and shook the material out, holding it up to eye level before she nodded, satisfied. Daggers in a comb sounded like a brilliant idea and she grinned for a moment.

“I love it though,” she made her way across the room behind the screen for dressing. Set the dress down and started to pull her current attire up and over her shoulders. It was heavy, and hard work but finally she was able to drop it to the floor and pull the replacement over her arms and settle it over her body, straightened it at her hips and returned to the Queen. She held out her arms to display the dress as desired and even gave a small spin “in the quiet…when it’s just the two of us I think…I think I can feel him moving, or her,” the cautious smile spread and Elyna realised that she hadn’t had much opportunity to discuss such things with anyone.

“Do you mind what you have?” She asked, curious as she approached, “a girl or a boy?” Elyna folded her previous attired neatly over her arm and set it on the back of the chair. Moving through the room in search of the promised hidden weapons. Her husband?

“He would prefer that I didn’t work, he was worried that it would be dangerous,” how could serving the queen be dangerous? Well, aside from political assassination, but why would Elyna matter in that? Why would he worry…Malcolm. The babies father. “I’m not…” the words halted on her tongue and the frowned returned, “it’s just us…I’m not married. The Father is away. I don't know when he'll be back.” When, not if. Never if.

[Faith Augustin]

Even A Slave Can Dream Of Freedom

"Sometimes, what others think of as a burden is a pleasure. Yes, it is difficult and often painful, but it is exactly what you would choose" she wasn't sure where that bit of her personality came from, but she knew that she meant it completely. After all, it wasn't very Queenly, she considered, but it was an undoubted truth. Oh well. She smiled and sat back as the servant pulled on the dress, enjoying the moment of almost-silence, save for the noises of the woman as she pulled the dress over her, the noise of the fabric falling to the floor breaking the silence which comfortably sat between the two women.

"Beautiful" she said with a smile as the servant came out from behind the screen. "We look beautiful, do we not?" The Queen she might be, but she gave the servant a gentle smile and she motioned to a chair. "Have a seat and I will apply your make and do your hair. I have learnt how so that not even the other servants will know which of us is which" it should all be very jolly she was sure and that was something which delighted the child like part of her. Was it odd that the Queen should be applying a servant's make up? No, not if it was what the Queen wished to do. "It's very good being the Queen, you know" she said with a crooked quirk of her lips "No matter how outrageous your idea, people help you with it"

Sitting opposite her, then, Faith started to work on the make up. Careful and slow movements as she listened to the servant speaking. "That must be difficult" she said without judgement or pity when she explained that her man was away "But that is what we do, is it not? We wait for our menfolk to return" a hand moved and touched Elyna's swollen stomach, just a feather-touch "And you have the greatest gift of all right here. And more than enough to keep your hands full when they arrive to the world, I would say" After all, she very firmly believed that children were a marvellous blessing. Looking down at her own stomach she frowned slightly and wondered. She wasn't really sure who the baby's father was. Was it Master? She thought it must be, really.

How odd.

[Elyna]

Elyna smoothed the soft fabric over the bump of her stomach before she turned again. The skirts fanned at her feet with a soft whispering noise and she smiled. Sometimes the pretty dresses weren’t all bad, “what can I say your Majesty. You have excellent taste,” the smile was genuine and as she continued to play with the fabric, exploring the different textures with her fingertips. Until Faith surprised her by asking her to sit.

Hesitant the woman obeyed the request and sank into the chair. Surely this was supposed to be the other way around? The smile remained and turned impish. The Queen had a sense of humour, a playful side that the young woman could appreciate in another human being. Still, it was unsettling to have the highest ranking woman in the country attending on her. Not like a common servant, because she had far too much grace and poise to be anything other than what she was; regal.

“I think, your Majesty we’re all simply willing to help someone who shows such respect for our duties and kindness. My Grandmother always used to say, I’d catch more bees with honey rather than wine, or was it vinegar? Or sugar and salt? I think…I think that is what she used to say,” Elyna replied after careful thought. She tried not to flinch as the cosmetics were applied. Her face felt unusually tender. Never usually one to accept the touch of strangers on her skin the woman struggled to sit still, fixing her gaze above the mirror so that the movements didn’t put the Queen off.

The greatest gift? The smile turned into an embarrassed beam and the young woman ducked her had, smoothing her fingers over the curve once more, “maybe they will friends?” She suggested and forced herself to look up, “our little ones?” It was then that she realised that she had no idea who the Queen was married to, Cassander presumably? Wasn’t he a little young to have children? She blinked slowly, the Queen before was so unlike the foreign woman she’d come to associate with the crown.

[Faith Augustin]

Even A Slave Can Dream Of Freedom

The walls of the dream were starting to close in on the young woman, and things that were not quite making sense were becoming more stark. So, she focused on the servant in front of her and she was very careful to be gentle as she applied the make up. The servant did not seem to like it overly, so she did it quickly and, by the miracle of a dream, it was perfect in trills. She picked up the intricate headpiece which attached to the mask and she smiled, handing it to the servant to look at "Most of the work is done for us, here, in the fact that the headpiece contains what appears to be our hair. Isn't it clever? And look, I thought we could put these in it" she said and she stood, moving over to open a drawer. In there were a massive variety of combs and hair decorations, and she pulled out what looked like two intricate and jewelled stiletto daggers. "Here, is the stand for them so that you don't risk stabbing yourself in the head, see, it's a comb here. Then, they stand in it, but once they are nestled into the hair... like so" and she demonstrated. They looked like very beautiful sticks, twisting together and worn in the hair. "I think that they might be useful to you, don't you?"

And would their children be friends? Faith's eyes lit up and she nodded, eagerly "Oh, I would like that. Very much. It must be so wonderful. I have never had friends" now why was that, she wondered. That seemed like a strange thing to say really, so she frowned and considered more carefully "More flies with honey than vinegar. That's the saying, I believe. It's nice that your Grandmother said that, I have no idea who my parents were, of couse" the frown which furrowed her brow deepend and she looked at Elyna with a question in her eyes "Why is that? I must ask Master, he will know" and she stood, both costumes ready and she held her hand out to Elyna to step out into the ball.

And when she opened the door, it was to a place and a time and an experience that the young dreamer had no context for. She had no idea how a "ball" might look, no context at all for any of it and it fell down around her as she stumbled forward and, in her sleep, she mumbled to herself about drinking fruit juices and finding the tray of pastries. She had to find them, because it was time to serve them. From that dream of the unknown her thoughts fled and she awoke to find the cat looking at her and giving the low purr that meant it was hungry and wanted feeding now.

[Jade]

Well Earned Rewards

Elyna

Story 5/5
Structure 4/5
Collaboration 5/5

Knowledge
Faith: Generous and Kind, Regardless of Status
Faith: Would Make a Good Queen
Etiquette: Boots Don't Go With Ballgowns
Etiquette: Curtsying Correctly
Pregnancy Is Exhausting
You Can Catch More Flies With Honey Than Vinegar

Comments
I deducted a point for structure as there were a few spelling mistakes within some of your posts. Otherwise, this story was very cute to read, but also, gave another nice inside look to how Elyna was coping with Malcolm's absence and the pregnancy. Well done!

Faith

Story 5/5
Structure 5/5
Collaboration 5/5

Knowledge
Elyna: A Humble Woman
Elyna: Naturally Obedient of Command
Elyna: A Ballroom is a Battlefield
Elyna: A Warrior
Cosmetology: Different Shades of Make Up Match Different Skin Tones.
Pregnancy Is Exhausting
Its Good Being Queen

Comments
I really liked reading this thread and I found it so interesting how the roles were reversed here! It made me giggle when I read the summary of what the thread was. Faith played a lovely Queen, one I would imagine seeing in a fairy tale. Good job!