"No no, you must make the curls tighter." Cried an exasperated Delilah to Rella, one of her ladies in waiting. "I can't go to the Alexandra Gradwall's birthday party looking less pretty than her. Just because it's her birthday doesn't mean she should forget I'm the most popular." Rella looked at another lady, with annoyance. "She really must stop trying to be better than me. It's folly." Rella went out into the hall to call upon one of the servant boys for a pot of hot water. "She still bein' vain as ever then?" Asked the boy. "As ever. That girl will get what's coming to her one day. And I don't think she shall enjoy it." The boy nodded and ran off to do his errand. Rella turned back and began to braid gems into the remainder of Delilah's uncurled hair.
Rella had to admit, Delilah was very pretty. Though, most girls of her age and status were pretty, but Delilah was a living Diana. A rarity among beauty. Most of the women that were the most beautiful in Delilah's station were blonde, blue eyed, and thinner than a candelabra. Delilah was different. Delilah had long chestnut colored hair, with waves that were perfectly even, and perfectly natural. Her eyes were the shapes of almonds, and the color of honey. Her lips were full and naturally pink. She had a long neck, and was quite well developed with regards to her bust. She had the smallest waistline a woman of her stature could afford, and thin, but not skinny legs. Her feet were unbelievably small, and she was as graceful as the most graceful of birds. With a voice to match. She was, physically, the perfect woman.
But underneath the sweet icing, was a festering, stinking, sorry excuse of a human being. Delilah was spoiled, vain, and ignorant. Delilah's ignorance was probably the thing that annoyed Rella the most. Rella had attended a bare minimum of school. She was only taught how to read, write, and some arithmetic. It was all she needed to write and read letters from her mother in Valana, where Rella was the heir to a small clothing business and a medium sized village home, and work out the sums of Delilah's spendings.
Rella wanted so much to learn more than this. She wanted to be learned in the ways of the world, to make it sound as cliché as possible. Rella envied Delilah. Not so much for her beauty, but for the opportunities one possessed in her position. Delilah had the opportunity to learn sword fighting, history, literature, any sort of learning was at her disposal, but no. Delilah would rather learn about court etiquette and which dresses to wear for which time of day and balls. Which men were the most rich and handsome. All to do with parties and marriage and nothing to do with knowledge, philosophy, anything that was actually useful. Rella knew about balls, and marriage and dresses and such. But Rella wanted to learn about things that mattered. Fabrics, money, jewels, they could all be traded back and forth. They had no real value. They could be given up for a bigger price with not a second thought. Rella wanted the biggest prize of all. Something that couldn't be bought with money. That couldn't be traded or purchased. Rella wanted knowledge, and love. But mostly knowledge. She yearned for knowledge. She wanted it so badly. Love she regarded as a second priority. But she was very picky about love. She didn't want someone handsome, rich, or even with a high title or good business. She wanted to love someone with all of her heart. And wanted them to love her back.
Delilah had two men after her. One was a little common boy who was absolutely infatuated with her. He waited at some of the parties that Delilah went to, and Delilah never seemed to notice him. He didn't make enough money for her to notice him. The only reason Delilah noticed Rella was because Rella was her confidant. Delilah had few real friends. Her male friends were potential marriages. Female friends were potential competitors for those marriages. Rella being neither competition or prospect was the only person that Delilah felt she could trust. Rella was honored, and exasperated by this reality. She was honored that She could be trusted by Delilah. She was exasperated because Delilah rarely had anything interesting to say. Most of it was gossip about rich men, less fortunate women, and scandalous situations. But Rella understood that this was the life that she and Delilah were born to live. She was not satisfied with it, but she understood it. Rella was determined to somehow learn something that would be useful in life. The only problem was, she didn't know how.
Rella had asked Delilah if she had the status to order books for her maid, and Delilah said that she would not order books at all because it was unattractive for women to be intelligent, and Rella had no reason to be intelligent anyway. So Rella had to find another way to get her books. Delilah was right about one thing, most men found intelligence in women very unattractive, so there were few places where a woman could buy, or even read books. Rella had no time to go to the palace library because she was busy ordering, arranging, designing, and creating dresses for Delilah, and sometimes other ladies in the court used Rella as a designer for their wardrobes. Rella had plenty of money to find books, she just had to find someone who would let her buy them. No matter how much money she bribed the men with, they didn't let her enter the library, or even order a book. Rella felt her purpose in life slipping away. She had to do something about it, and fast.
(chapter change)
Rella had to admit, Delilah was very pretty. Though, most girls of her age and status were pretty, but Delilah was a living Diana. A rarity among beauty. Most of the women that were the most beautiful in Delilah's station were blonde, blue eyed, and thinner than a candelabra. Delilah was different. Delilah had long chestnut colored hair, with waves that were perfectly even, and perfectly natural. Her eyes were the shapes of almonds, and the color of honey. Her lips were full and naturally pink. She had a long neck, and was quite well developed with regards to her bust. She had the smallest waistline a woman of her stature could afford, and thin, but not skinny legs. Her feet were unbelievably small, and she was as graceful as the most graceful of birds. With a voice to match. She was, physically, the perfect woman.
But underneath the sweet icing, was a festering, stinking, sorry excuse of a human being. Delilah was spoiled, vain, and ignorant. Delilah's ignorance was probably the thing that annoyed Rella the most. Rella had attended a bare minimum of school. She was only taught how to read, write, and some arithmetic. It was all she needed to write and read letters from her mother in Valana, where Rella was the heir to a small clothing business and a medium sized village home, and work out the sums of Delilah's spendings.
Rella wanted so much to learn more than this. She wanted to be learned in the ways of the world, to make it sound as cliché as possible. Rella envied Delilah. Not so much for her beauty, but for the opportunities one possessed in her position. Delilah had the opportunity to learn sword fighting, history, literature, any sort of learning was at her disposal, but no. Delilah would rather learn about court etiquette and which dresses to wear for which time of day and balls. Which men were the most rich and handsome. All to do with parties and marriage and nothing to do with knowledge, philosophy, anything that was actually useful. Rella knew about balls, and marriage and dresses and such. But Rella wanted to learn about things that mattered. Fabrics, money, jewels, they could all be traded back and forth. They had no real value. They could be given up for a bigger price with not a second thought. Rella wanted the biggest prize of all. Something that couldn't be bought with money. That couldn't be traded or purchased. Rella wanted knowledge, and love. But mostly knowledge. She yearned for knowledge. She wanted it so badly. Love she regarded as a second priority. But she was very picky about love. She didn't want someone handsome, rich, or even with a high title or good business. She wanted to love someone with all of her heart. And wanted them to love her back.
Delilah had two men after her. One was a little common boy who was absolutely infatuated with her. He waited at some of the parties that Delilah went to, and Delilah never seemed to notice him. He didn't make enough money for her to notice him. The only reason Delilah noticed Rella was because Rella was her confidant. Delilah had few real friends. Her male friends were potential marriages. Female friends were potential competitors for those marriages. Rella being neither competition or prospect was the only person that Delilah felt she could trust. Rella was honored, and exasperated by this reality. She was honored that She could be trusted by Delilah. She was exasperated because Delilah rarely had anything interesting to say. Most of it was gossip about rich men, less fortunate women, and scandalous situations. But Rella understood that this was the life that she and Delilah were born to live. She was not satisfied with it, but she understood it. Rella was determined to somehow learn something that would be useful in life. The only problem was, she didn't know how.
Rella had asked Delilah if she had the status to order books for her maid, and Delilah said that she would not order books at all because it was unattractive for women to be intelligent, and Rella had no reason to be intelligent anyway. So Rella had to find another way to get her books. Delilah was right about one thing, most men found intelligence in women very unattractive, so there were few places where a woman could buy, or even read books. Rella had no time to go to the palace library because she was busy ordering, arranging, designing, and creating dresses for Delilah, and sometimes other ladies in the court used Rella as a designer for their wardrobes. Rella had plenty of money to find books, she just had to find someone who would let her buy them. No matter how much money she bribed the men with, they didn't let her enter the library, or even order a book. Rella felt her purpose in life slipping away. She had to do something about it, and fast.
(chapter change)