by Raven Bouray
“It takes a fair bit of work to keep looking like this. I think I may stop soon. How has your business been?” She could hear her father’s words clearly despite being on the outskirts of throng while he had moved his mount closer to the other lord so they could speak more softly.
“Well enough. The fish have been rather stubborn as of late, but the clam farms have never been better. My son has even brought a gift for your daughter, as is custom. We do hope she approves.”
“You know girls, they do adore pretty things,” her father replied, and Emmaline could have scoffed at that. But she had a face to put on and an expectation to be met and so she smiled prettily and tried her best to look half dim.
“Good afternoon, my lady.” A voice from her flank nearly made her jump. With all the horses and clanging of weapons, armor, and carts of goods, she didn’t hear her visitor come up behind her.
Emmaline turned in her saddle to face the speaker. “Good afternoon to you, my lord.” She bowed her head and smiled at him.
Edrin DeVross was quite handsome sitting on his bay horse with his dark hair slicked back and blue eyes bright and calculating. He had always been handsome and favored his mother, but unfortunately enough for her and probably some other poor girls, that particular trait did not apply to his disposition. “You look as beautiful as I remember, even more so in fact with your birthday coming up. You almost seem to glow.”
“You are going to make me blush if you keep that up. Thank you for your compliment. You look very dashing as well. I hope your journey wasn’t too tiring.”
“Not at all. It is good to be away from the sea at times. Too much salt can make one’s skin so dry, and fish hardly smell good.”
“Slimy, flopping things, aren’t they? Fish?”
“Yes. But the common folk deal with that. I have the new task as firstborn of inspecting the clam farm for pearls and commissioning them for sale and jeweling.”
“My! How exciting! Pearls are so very pretty!” Emmaline sighed internally as he practically puffed up his chest in some display of power.
“I’m glad you think so. I’ve brought a gift for your favor to give to you on your birthday. I hope that you will find it worthy.”
“I am sure I will. I do love presents,” she tittered. “The castle will be so full now. You have come quite in advance. My party is not until two days from now. Won’t you be bored here without your duties to attend to?”
“I’m sure I can find some way to occupy my time and possibly yours as well, my dear lady.”
Please. By the Six, no. The thought of him spending any time at all with her made her skin crawl but she smiled and looked adequately honored and bashful at his advance. “Perhaps we can, my lord. There is the garden and the training area. Perhaps you can show me how skilled you are. I love to watch the guards down there. They look so strong.”
She didn’t miss the glint of annoyance in his eyes at her statement, but he kept his smile neutral. “Of course. I would be more than happy to do so. But for now, I must go attend to my father. Farewell.” He reached for her hand, and she allowed him to bring it to his lips for a kiss before he pulled back from her and walked his horse back to his father. She rubbed the spot onto her pants to rid herself of the imprint of his lips and the slight dampness they left behind.
If this was what it was going to be like for the next two days, she may go mad. But she had to find out what other families were going to be there. The DeVrosses were out of the question for her, but to exclude them would have been unwise for her parents. They were a prominent and rich family, despite being slithering snakes, and so she would have to endure it for this great game of politics.
As they made their way through the village and listened yet again to the bustle of the market district, the merchants with gleaming eyes and hungry pockets shouted at the procession of newcomers, “Hello, fine lord! Have a look at my wares!” The loudest of them called out, and Emmaline winced and tapped her heels to Arya’s sides to get her closer to the front and away from the harsh din that had begun at their procession.
The guards once again opened the gate, and they filed in, a few at a time, and ascended the path up to the castle. It did not take long to reach the entrance, and Emmaline looked around for her mother, who had undoubtedly been told of their arrival long before now but did not see her. Which was odd. Her mother was the epitome of a proper lady of the household, wearing fine clothes, hair immaculate, and a gracious smile and word for any guest. Emmaline looked back at her father, who also had a look of confusion before he smiled and waved ahead. With another turn forward, she spotted her mother, soft shoes and light blue gown making little sound as she glided forward. Her blonde hair was pinned and styled perfectly and true to form. A welcoming expression and outstretched arms brought the riding party to a halt.
“Lord DeVross, how wonderful to have you as our guest. I trust you are not too weary from your journey?”
“Not at all, Lady D’Terin. Although the air here is distinctly less salty and the land is far more green than I am used to.”
“What all that salt must do to your poor skin. And young Edrin! So happy that you could come. I am sure you will make us all swoon with your fine dancing skills at my fair daughter’s celebration.”
The men began to dismount, and servants approached the horses to take them two at a time to the stables. Her father was nearly last to dismount, and the horse master took the warhorse away carefully. Emmaline watched Lord DeVross approach her mother and take a bow before grasping her hand and giving it a kiss. It was difficult to suppress a shiver of disgust. She had no idea how her mother could stand to let him even be around her, but that is why she was far better at this game than Emmaline.
“Come along, Dove.” She hadn’t noticed her father approach, so engrossed with watching and listening to everything else.
“Yes, father.” Emmaline turned and brushed her curls from her shoulder before swinging her leg over and letting her father help her down off of Arya. She begrudgingly let Robert come and take Arya to be groomed and fed, even though it was usually Emmaline who took care of all of that. A lady could not possibly be seen cavorting about in the stables and tending to her horse when there were lessers around to do it for her.
Of course, that isn’t what she had been taught but it was how she had to act. Wearing one face while being another. It was all a giant masquerade ball with nobility. Appearances were the only thing that mattered to them, even if what was underneath was rotten. Once her feet were back on solid ground, her father gently urged her forward toward her mother and Lord Sinister, and she begrudgingly acquiesced. “It is odd that you have come so very early. Most of the guests will not be arriving until tomorrow evening or possibly the next morning.”
“There was some talk of a summer storm near the coast, and I wanted to be away, lest it keep us from this grand occasion.”
Emmaline quietly snorted and was nudged in the back by her father. “My dear Lord DeVross, you must be at least a bit hungry from your journey. How about we sit together for lunch in my study and discuss renewing our trade agreements early?” Her father's large form passed by her as he deftly and gracefully placed his body in between that of mother and beady eyes. His face showed interest while his eyes told a different story, the blue of them slightly harder than usual.
“Why, that would be splendid, Lord D’Terin. I will have you lead on.” Lord DeVross gave her mother another gracious smile and lingering look before he followed her father into the castle.
Her mother’s attention turned back on Emmaline as soon as they were out of sight. And she could tell that her mother was less than thrilled with something, “Your father smuggled you out of here earlier.”
“Yes?” The word was drawn out, half a question and half statement.
“You missed your lessons.”
“Yes, but father said--.”
“Father says quite a lot of things.” Her blonde eyebrow arched perfectly. “But you know how
much he enjoys bending the rules. And he knew that we were to have visitors today. You both should have been back much sooner.”
Ah, her mother had been worried. That was not good, “We were, but then things happened and now we are here.” She was trying to be cheerful, but things were not looking well on that front. Her mother was beautiful, kind, generous, and intelligent but she was not persuaded nearly as easily as her father.
“Things? Well, I will have to interrogate your father later about it. You need to go up and see to the tutor. You are too late for the embroidery, but you still have time for history. Off you go.”
“Mama.” It was drawn out, nearly petulant, and that word was answered by a stern set of blue eyes.
“Off. You. Go. Be glad that Edrin seems unconcerned with your state of dress. Goodness me, is that dirt?”
Emmaline nearly ran to the castle, not wanting to get a stern but gentle lecture on the proper things ladies do and don’t do. Sometimes she didn’t want to be a lady. Maybe things would be easier if she had been born a boy. The soreness from earlier in the day had faded away now, for which she was glad as she ascended the staircases to her tutor’s room. At least she had gotten out of embroidery. They were stitching foxes onto handkerchiefs. History was much more fun.
Chapter 5
Her history tutor was seated near the window with glasses upon his nose which was planted deep into a book. His white hair stood half on end like some sort of madman. And briefly she contemplated escape, but just as she had leaned back to shut the door, he closed his book.
“Lady Emmaline, you are very late for your lesson.” When he turned to face her, his pale, wrinkled visage sported a teasing glare, and he gestured her in.
“Sorry, Master Telgrin. Father and I went for a ride, and he said that he would talk with Irine at least, but I suppose he didn’t manage to do so.”
“No, sadly not, but no matter. You are here now, and the only task I have in the day is to teach you something of the world we live in.”
“Haven’t I learned everything yet?” Emmaline sat down in the chair across from his and rested her hand on the writing table that was sparsely used. He preferred to talk and have her listen, then ask her what she learned, and in the early days, she had merely daydreamed until she was reprimanded by her father for not taking advantage of the things he was trying to give her that other girls didn’t have. That succeeded in making her sufficiently guilty, but after actually listening to Master Telgrin, she found that history was fascinating and they had gotten along well even since.
“History is happening now. Constantly. New things are happening with each moment we breathe that are being recorded for your children and their children to read about and learn from. You will never learn everything about history. I even chronicle the history here in your home day to day.”
“That must get rather tedious.”
“At times, but one never knows what fact may be important later that you learn now. It is always best to be prepared, as I always say.” He nodded mostly to himself before looking back to his desk, rifling through some papers and books and pulled out a volume. “Now. We’ve gone over dwarves many a time and more since you have been back. Fascinating people, dwarves. So different, yet so much is the same.”
“Are we to go over them again, Master?”
“No. No. Staying on the same thing for too long makes the mind dull. So I will have you pick. Should we go over the Erudin, the Valskyn, Erisin, or Elven history?”
That gave her pause. “Elven history? But they are all gone now, aren’t they?” No one had seen an elf in over ten years. Not since the fire that was set in their forest. People said the smoke clouds could be seen for many miles and had not dissipated until nearly two days later after the fires had been snuffed.
“Perhaps they are, but valuable information can still be gleaned from all places. The Sundering, the barrier that still encapsulates the Elven forest, and even their gods.”
“The Sundering is Elven?” Emmaline hadn’t known about that particular fact of the cataclysmic event that had formed their world.
“Yes, the separation between Erisin and Brecirin. As I’ve told you before, they used to be one rather large land mass. The formation of the Half-Sea and separation of the two has been studied extensively. No mage alive can boast of that sort of power, and even if they were to work together, it would have been quite the feat, but somehow the elves managed it.”
“You’ve never referred to the Sundering as Elven before, Master. I was just confused. I know what it is and when it happened, but we’ve not studied elves overmuch.”
“Hmmm? One is often forgetful as the years creep up on them. Well that is what the event is referring to, my lady. But the elves are a mysterious people and always have been. Rarely would you see them out of their forest home, aside from every five years or so when the Queen or King would make an appearance at court. It was quite the affair.”
“You saw one?” Emmaline was leaning forward now, listening intently.
“I was one of the court historians, oh yes, much younger than I am now. They were otherworldly, smooth skinned, fair faced, beautiful, every one of them, even the males. But the Queen was a sight to behold, hair that nearly touched the floor in flowing waves, and a glow that made one want to shield their eyes. She walked as if the world was hers, as if she owned everything around her, and her husband consort was never away from her. They say the Elven queens and kings are betrothed before birth, and husband and wife are bonded in a way that transcends our own ceremonies, a true life and death bond.”
“That sounds terribly romantic.”
“I wouldn’t know about that, but it does make for interesting literature. Elves were here long before we were and live to be---.”
“--Around two thousand years old,” Emmaline finished proudly. That fact she had known, although she wasn’t quite sure where she learned it.
“Yes, indeed. Good work. Now our people only live to be a little over a hundred with good health. And how long do dwarves live?”
“Usually around 300, but many die before they reach that number due to dangerous and unpredictable mountain work.”
“And the Erudin?” He quizzed. “Odd as though that race is.”
“Between 400 and 500 years old. It is a combination of superior science, magic, and the climate they live on, which is a rather large and very temperate island.”
“And where you were born, as well.” He nodded once more and looked back down at his book.
“I wish I could remember it. Mother and Father make it sound so wonderful.”
“It seems a shame that your accident robbed you of those first few years of memories. What a place to forget though. Perhaps one day you will go back with your family and remember something of it.”
“But it is all well despite my memory loss. Father tells me stories of it all the time. The singing towers, the gem powered flying machines, the vast libraries and astronomical equipment that uses the sun and stars as power.” She knew she must look starstruck but also know that Master Telgrin looked similar when he was particularly interested in one of his many topics.
“They are a fascinating people, you know. So very advanced and secretive. It is amazing they let your father and mother onto the island at all. And the Valskyn, dear girl?”
“No one knows anything about how they live or how long.”
“Right you are. No one has come back alive to tell the tale. The Frost giants have never taken kindly to intruders.”
“Good thing they have never come to our side.”
“Too right.” He looked back down at his book and thumbed through to land on another page in his book. Emmaline knew that he was about to change subjects, as he was wont to do. Sometimes he would get an itch and go off onto a tangent that was hardly the topic they had started with. She rather enjoyed it. “Now, something new perhaps. About elves, since you boast no knowledge of them but interest aplenty? And I cannot remember if I’ve mentio
ned much of them either now that I think of it. The most basic thing is that Elves are physically not too much different from us, aside from thinner frames and pointed features.” He thumbed another page and looked down at it for reference. “Elves have three gods, two of which are female and one male. Aside from being unevenly balanced in the female to male ratio, we have more of them at a total of six.”
Emmaline had been taught about the Six, like any other child. “But we have gone over and over the Six, Master.” She paused and cocked her head inquisitively, “The elves have three gods? What an odd number.”