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Audiara - Story of a Lady Written By Ariella |
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PART 1 Audiara stood at the top of the reception stairs in the Great Hall, waiting for her name to be announced. She caught herself chewing on a delicately tinted nail and thrust both her hands behind her back, out of sight. "Now, Audiara, you have no reason to be nervous!" she thought to herself. After all, her last six years had been spent in a convent preparing for this moment. She took a deep breath and smoothed her skirt, noticing as she did that her hands were shaking. Irritated, she hid them again just as the trumpets below her blared. “Presenting Audiara of Legann, daughter of Imrah and Marielle of Legann!” The herald declared, turning to watch Audiara’s progress down the grand staircase. Audiara grasped the railing with one hand, using the other to hold out her heavy formal skirts as she had been taught. Now that the moment was upon her, she realized how irrational her many fears had been. After all, how hard was it to walk down a staircase? Relaxing, Audie risked a smile and a look around. Below her the gathered nobles were smiling and whispering to one another. To her right, a squire was waiting to present her to the King and Queen. Right in front of her was a small furry streak…Audie’s eyes widened and her lips parted in a small scream as she tripped over the cat and felt herself falling down, down that long, ceremonial staircase, leaving all dreams of glory and honor behind her… |
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PART 2 Audiara sat on an embroidered stool in the Queen's parlor, waiting for Her Majesty to receive her. Closing her eyes, she recalled what had happened after that nightmare of a fall. On her way down she had heard the gasps and screams of the court, and a voice wailing,"No! Cream, come back here!" She had passed out at the bottom of the bottom of the staircase, and when she next woke up she was in her bed in the room she was assigned. On her dresser was a note from the Queen, requesting an audience. Now that she was here, Audie knew she was about to be sent home. After all, who would want a lady who couldn't even walk down the stairs without falling? Her father would kill her...Audie jumped up from her stool as Queen Thayet entered the room. "Please sit down, dear." Thayet smiled at the trembling girl in front of her. "Now, first I want to apologize for the incident yesterday. It was unfortunate that it happened during your first appearance, but I think we can turn that to your advantage. Most people feel nothing but sympathy for you." Audie gaped at Thayet in surprise. "I'm not to be sent home? People don't think I'm silly or clumsy or-" Thayet reached over and took Audie's hand, laughing at her distress. "No, no child! No one thinks you are any of those things, at least not from last night. Some people will always dislike you, but that's life. And it's certainly not your fault that one of the many palace creatures got loose." The Queen looked over at Audie and said, "That was what tripped you, by the way. One of the creatures Daine was nursing ran off and managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. So you see, there was nothing you could have done." Audie's mind was whirling from all the new information, but all she could think of was the cry from the night before. "Cream? Was that the cat?" Thayet looked at Audie in amazement. "Audiara, you are amazing. All that has happened, and you can still recall the name of the cat! Yes, Cream was the cat. Now, we have decided not to do another formal introduction, but there is a ball coming up at which we will present you to the court. Is that alright with you?" Audiara nodded. "Very well then. I hope to see you again soon." Thayet rose and took Audie's hand. "You are very welcome here, Audiara." |
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PART 3 Audiara walked back to her room, digesting the information she had just received from the Queen. "Well," she said to herself, "At least no one thinks I'm completely hopeless. And now I know why there was a cat in the Great Hall, and - oof!" Turning a corner, Audie had collided with a girl about her own age, garbed in breeches and a tunic. This must be one of the 'lady knights' she had heard so much talk of...but she didn't look all that special to Audie. "Sorry, must run!" the other girl gasped. "Lord Wyldon will skin me alive if I'm late!" Giving Audie a quick bow, she tore off down the hallway. Audie watched, bemused, when she heard another voice behind her. "Don't mind Satricia, if she's not five minutes early she thinks she's late." The speaker was a tall boy with suprisingly bright green eyes. He was followed by another girl and a boy who Audie thought looked vaguely familiar. "The schedule around here will cure her of that soon enough. C'mon you two, I'm hungry." That was the girl, beckoning to her companions. "Neal, Roald, hurry up or we'll be late!" Audiara gasped and almost bungled her curtsey in surprise. That familiar face was the prince! When she looked up, three pairs of laughing eyes were watching her. "You're new here, aren't you?" said the boy addressed as Neal. "Roald won't bite, and right now, he's just a squire like the rest of us. A hungry squire, if his stomach is being as insistant as mine is. So, if you'll excuse us, my lady, we are off to aquire sustanence." The boy gave Audie an extravagent bow before striding off down the hall. His companions followed, shaking their heads. Audie watched them go, wondering at the large amount of strange people she had met thus far. A WEEK LATER It was the night of the ball when Audiara was to be presented, and she was experiencing extreme deja vu. At least this time she didn't have to deal with any stairs. Audie stood in front of her mirror and admired her dress, smoothed her hair and fixed a stray curl. She was waiting for two of her new friends, other new court ladies who had helped her get over the embarrassment and insecurity of her first week. A rap at the door sent her scurrying over to throw it open. "Lisana! Kerrine! You look lovely!" Audie hugged them both gingerly, as they all tried to keep their gowns from tearing. Kerrine made a face. "Maybe I should have been a page...they get to wear breeches!" she declared. Lisana and Audiara giggled. "I'm serious! Oh, hush you two...let's go down." The trio swept down to the ballroom, where they joined the throng of people already dancing and talking. As Audie gazed around she noticed Kerrine was right - most of the female pages and squires were wearing a loose, flowy style of breeches that allowed much more movement than the heavy gowns of all the other girls. She noticed Kel and Neal, who waved before running off to the assortment of duties they had to attend to; as well as Daine, who she had visited in order to meet Cream. The cat had taken a liking to her, and now resided in Audie's rooms. But she paid the most attention to those she had not met - the lady pages and squires. From what Audie had heard, these girls did all the things the boys did, and that frightened her. How did they get to be so strong and self sufficient? Her parents knew Alanna the Lioness, and had nothing but respect for her, but Audie had assumed that she was a special case. It never occurred to her that other girls might want to follow in Alanna's footsteps! Someone tapped her on the shoulder, jerking her out of her reverie. "Sorry, did I startle you? I'm Tallitha and this is Mardria. We noticed you watching us across the room, and thought you looked lonesome." Audiara took Tallitha's offered hand, and found that the other girl had a grip that could shatter stone. Did that come from hauling around a sword and lance and...whatever else pages needed? No, that couldn't be it, because Mardria's handshake was gentle... perhaps she knew the effect her friend had on others fingers. Audie introduced herself and moved aside to let Kerrine and Lisana meet the new girls. As she peered around the room again she heard the trumpet fanfare that announced the entrance of the King and Queen. Everyone sank to their knees as their Majesties took their seats. Thayet surveyed the room and caught Audiara's eye, beckoning her towards the throne. Rising, Audie tried not to tremble as she made her way forward to try this introduction for the second time around. |
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PART 4 Audiara's stomach was a mass of butterflies by the time she reached the King and Queen. Their Majesties smiled at her, and Thayet reached over to take her hand. "Don't worry, you look lovely." the Queen whispered. Audie tried to smile, but she felt frozen. Turning out to face the court, Thayet waited for the murmurs to die down before making her announcement. "Good evening, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying yourselves, and I shall not take up too much of your time by rambling on." There was a brief spate of laughter, and Audie relaxed a fraction, managing to paste a smile on her face. "I am sure you all remember Audiara of Legann, whose introduction to Court ended in a minor catastrophe." Thayet paused. "The pun was unintentional, I assure you!" Even Audiara managed to laugh this time, and the Queen squeezed her hand. "Rather than put the poor girl through that again, we decided to present her to you all tonight. Will you please welcome Audiara, daughter of Imrah and Marielle of Legann!" The room exploded in applause as Audiara made her curtsey. Raising her eyes slightly, Audie could see all her new friends clapping hardest of all. Grinning from ear to ear, she curtseyed again, this time to the King and Queen, before gliding off to join Kerrine and Lisana again. Several new faces came up to greet her, most of them girls her own age. "Now aren't you glad you stayed?" Kerrine whispered in Audie's ear. "Half the girls we just talked to were pages or squires who said they would have died of embarrassment if something like that happened to them!" Audie stopped and spun around to face her friend. "They said that? Really?" she asked. Kerrine nodded, smirking a bit before schooling her face into a proper, polite, smile. Kerri had thought Audie's ideas about lady knights were silly, and was thrilled at this opportunity to prove herself right. Audie rolled her eyes and looked around her thoughtfully. Reluctantly she admitted to herself that Kerri was right - the girls who wanted to become knights weren't all that different from herself. They just had different ways of expressing themselves. As she turned back to the crowd, Audie caught a snatch of Kel's conversation with Neal about the use of a lance, and grimaced. She preferred her mode of expression. Daine waved to Audie from across the room, and Audiara started across, keeping her eyes down to avoid trodding on people's toes. When she was halfway across, she saw a small furry streak in front of her, and heard someone wailing, "No! Cream, come back here!" |
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WRITE A REVIEW OF THE STORY HERE! TORTALLAN TALES |
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