by Robin Roseau
“Yes, but I don’t know which of you.”
“Come for us both, and let the two of us work it out, then.”
“If she declines, that is what I will do.”
“Good. My birthday is mid-winter, and Tisha’s isn’t until summer.”
I laughed again. She drew me back along the path then turned me to her. “Darfelsa, if you need something from me, you only need ask.”
“Then I will tell you that I do need something from you. For now, I have my grandmother, but eventually, I’ll need someone to make sure I know what is happening in Sharden region.”
She nodded, brushed cheeks, and then turned and walked away. I stared after her, wondering if I could have been as gracious as both of them were being, and realized I probably wouldn’t have been.
* * * *
I opened my eyes. Ahlianna had tried to be careful, but I was already half awake, so when she settled onto my bed, I woke the rest of the way. “Good morning,” she whispered. “Happy birthday, Darfelsa. I am so proud of you.”
I smiled at her. “I’m proud of you, too.”
“Are you nervous?”
“Yes.”
“You’re making the right choices.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Mother agrees with me,” she said. “She’s not typically wrong on things like this.”
“No, I suppose she isn’t.”
“You have a big day. Captain Felist has something special planned for training today.”
“She does? What?”
“I have no idea, but I told her to plan something special.”
I scoffed. I probably shouldn’t have.
I arrived for training twenty minutes later, to discover there were sure a lot of people hanging about the training ground, including my entire security squad, a number of other members of the royal guard, my staff, Ahlianna, Gionna, Allium, and Valsine. Mother and Father were there, Shalendra with them.
There were benches set up, and chairs for my parents.
“This is not good,” I muttered.
I closed the distance to my parents. “Seriously?” I asked.
Mother kissed my cheek. Father gave me a rare public hug and whispered how proud he was of me. And then he gave me a little push towards Mariya, although I took a detour to Shalendra. She grinned at me, kissed my cheek, and then told me not to get too hurt on my birthday.
I shook my head but turned to Mariya. I got three steps before there was a yell, and someone was screaming and running at me.
I acted largely on instinct, largely. I’d had years of training, after all. I dived out of the path, pulling my belt knife and scanning for the nearest available weapon.
My opponent was a man in rough clothing, but I recognized a member of the Royal Guard. He had a shovel and was swinging it at me. My knife was largely useless against that, and so I moved quickly away until I could steal a cane from a little old lady, watching from the edges.
Since when does Grandmother use a cane? It was there for me. She protested anyway, but she didn’t fight me for it.
Cane against shovel still didn’t result in the best odds, but I wasn’t going to try to go toe to toe with him, anyway. He was twice my size, after all.
But the cane was a better weapon against the shovel, and I could use it to deflect his attacks. He came after me, I deflected twice, ducked away more than that, then after pushing the shovel well out of line, I reversed the cane and hooked his ankle, then pulled.
It was only his own training that kept him from getting seriously hurt. He flailed and dropped. I unhooked his leg and spun around behind him, hooking the cane around his neck. At that point, I could have killed him, but we both froze, and then he tapped the ground rapidly.
I stole his shovel from him, leaving him for “dead”.
* * * *
I took some bruises. I typically did. But for better or worse, I successfully defended myself from up to three attackers at a time. Of course, they weren’t fighting with their true skills, or I wouldn’t have done so well. Mariya periodically gave me the briefest breaks for water, sending in a young page with a glass and a towel to mop the sweat. But otherwise she kept up the attacks for the better part of an hour, and I was absolutely exhausted.
I took a few blows that could have been fatal if they’d been swords or the head of an axe, but none of them were. I wasn’t perfect; I wasn’t good enough to be a member of the Royal Guard.
But finally I slumped, and Mariya said gently, “That’s enough.”
I stood still. She came up behind me. I only made sure it wasn’t a fresh attack. She gestured, and the page stepped forward. She held the water for me, and then I turned to her, accepting a hug. She never minded I was dirty and sweaty.
And then the applause began, and I think it was Father who started it. I pushed away from Mariya and stood as straight as I could, my hair matted. I brushed it away and looked around.
Mother and Father approached, coming to a stop. Father held up his hand, and the people quieted. “Quite impressive, Daughter. Why did you learn to fight this way?”
“It was something Allium said, years ago,” I replied. “You don’t always have a sword at hand, but there’s always something. The examples she used were shovels and axes.” I gestured. “None of these men was fighting with the skill of a member of the Royal Guard. I might be able to hold out, at least for a while, against common soldiers, but I’ll never be as good as my opponents here today, as good as the people whose lives are devoted to protecting us.”
“Captain Felist,” Father said. “My daughter’s training has been at your direction.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You are commended, Captain. I dare say my daughter did better than I would have today, and probably even better than I would have done at her age.”
“She’s worked very hard,” Mariya replied.
I turned to Mariya. “Please tell me we’re done today.”
She smiled. “We’re done today, although I’ll see you later.”
“Yes,” I said. “Thank you, Captain.”
* * * *
I don’t know how it happened, but Gionna, Allium, and Ahlianna beat me to the baths. Ahm was with them. They undressed me, and then Ahm saw to me, taking her time, and it was absolutely lovely. It was lovely, but then I sighed. “I wish I could have my own Ahm.”
Ahm giggled and said, “I like doing this for you, Princess Darfelsa. You’re always appreciative.”
I hadn’t expected the plans for training, or help in the bath. Those were surprises. But I didn’t think there would be any more today. I had my plans for my special day of celebration.
But I wasn’t going to rush the pampering, which eventually led to my quarters.
I actually had five different outfits planned for the day. I’d worn one for training. I had a second planned for lunch. We had made special arrangements. But it wasn’t time for that, and so I dressed simply and then spent time with my friends.
As the lunch hour approached, everyone left, and two palace maids appeared to prepare me for lunch. It was a new dress, and they saw to my hair and makeup as well. Then Ahlianna arrived in her own dress, looking quite nice, and she knelt before me to strap my shoes to my feet.
“This isn’t our normal way of doing things,” I told her.
“One time only,” she replied. Then we both stood, and we looked at each other. I wasn’t sure what else to say, so I said simply, “Thank you.”
Lunch, along with our plans for the afternoon, were to be women only. We met Gionna, Allium, and Valsine in the corridor, and Mother was at the central staircase.
* * * *
We had taken over the entire restaurant, a detachment from the Royal Guard already ensuring our security. We climbed from the carriage, and I offered Mother my arm. Discounting the guards, we stepped through the doors first, staff waiting to greet us, kneeling. We stepped past them.
My remaining guests were already here. Sh
alendra looked lovely, smiling at me. Beside her was her mother, Sumina, and sister, Zenthra. They curtsied as we approached, whether for Mother or me unclear, but I told them, “That’s enough. Get up and say Hello.”
We shared greetings, cheeks brushed and kissed. Shalendra knew everyone, of course, but I introduced Sumina and Zenthra. And then we sat for dinner.
“I imagine I’m not the first to wish you a happy birthday, Darfelsa,” said Sumina.
“You’re not, but thank you. Thank you for clearing your day to spend it with me.”
“It is our pleasure,” she replied. “Your invitation was unclear what to expect.”
“Lunch,” I said. “And then there is a birthday custom from Sharden that I wish us all to experience. It is quite old fashioned, and I am looking forward to it. There is then a dinner celebration, and dancing later.”
“That sounds lovely,” Sumina said.
“What custom?” Shalendra asked from beside me.
“You’ll see. I first saw this custom a long time ago, but I’ve never been able to do it for myself. My grandmother imported staff to help us see to it.”
And then Mother broached a fresh topic, and she managed the conversation for the next hour and a half, which I appreciated.
* * * *
“You seem nervous.”
I leaned closer. “I am having the most lascivious thoughts about you, and I’m afraid your mother is astute enough to read my mind.”
She laughed. “Let her.”
“It’s going to get worse.”
“Oh?”
“It’s a very interesting custom.”
“Oh, if I wasn’t intrigued before, now I am doubly so.”
“I wonder if Sumina and Zenthra are sufficiently brave.”
“And you’re not going to explain more than that?”
“Nope.”
“Who else knows about this custom?”
I grinned at her. “Everyone from Sharden, I imagine.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“You really should learn to speak more precisely, then.”
“Of the people here, who else knows what we’re doing this afternoon?”
“Perhaps, oh, everyone who arrived with me.”
“That is so not fair!”
“I know.”
She spent several minutes trying to pry information out of me. When her sister figured that out, she went to work on Valsine.
And Valsine, on the spot, began making up the most outrageous lies, and in the middle of all of them, gave out half the truth, which I found especially funny.
But then Valsine told the best lie. “Actually, I’m only teasing. Darfelsa, it’s only fair that Zenthra understands, so when we get to her part, she’ll understand the implications.”
“I’m not sure that’s wise,” I replied.
“The custom is quite unusual, but perhaps not as unusual as customs to the north. In Sharden, before a princess can marry, there is a different ritual.”
“They don’t have princesses there.”
“It’s an ancient custom, and they used to,” Valsine said. “Before she may marry, there is a ceremony. It involves the friends and family of the princess. They choose a woman of the village, and a friend of the princess. And then everyone involved in the ceremony has her body painted. The princess will officiate the ceremony, so she is painted quite specially. And then, once all are painted, and dressed in the ceremonial clothing, the princess proposes marriage between the woman of the village and her friend. If they agree, they are married immediately, and the princess may marry exactly one year later.”
Valsine looked around. “Let us see. Family.” She pointed to Mother. “Family. Family.” Ahlianna and herself. “Oh, interesting.” She pointed to Gionna. “Friend.”
“Hey!” Gionna complained.
“Woman of the village,” she said, pointing to Sumina. “But of course, she’s already married. Woman of the village.” That was Shalendra. And then she pointed to Zenthra. “Woman of the village.”
Zenthra began laughing, followed by the others. I said nothing.
“I don’t think you’re taking me seriously, Zenthra,” Valsine said. “When the servants ask us to disrobe, and they begin to paint our bodies, maybe then you’ll believe me.”
“I find that unlikely,” Zenthra replied. Valsine simply shrugged. But no one asked further.
* * * *
We had a lovely meal. From there, we took carriages back to the palace, and then I led the way through the palace to the parlor.
All the furniture had been removed and replaced with what we would need, and several women from Sharden were already waiting, along with Ahm.
Shalendra and her mother and sister came to a stop, looking at the women, looking at me, and looking at the waiting equipment.
“I’m not marrying Princess Gionna,” Zenthra eventually said.
“Perhaps you will be overcome by her beauty,” Valsine replied. “It is customary for these women to help the eldest amongst us.” Two women stepped forward for Mother and two more for Sumina. They drew them both forward, and then they began to undress their charges. Sumina resisted at first, but Mother fully accepted. There may have been words whispered, and then Sumina accepted the attention.
“And two more for the princess,” said Valsine. “As she will officiate, and two for the sister of the woman from the village, as she must give away her sister.”
“What’s going on?” Shalendra whispered to me, as the remaining four women came forward to see to us.
“Perhaps Valsine isn’t lying,” I replied. “Don’t you want to help celebrate my birthday?”
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to believe.”
“I first saw this custom when I was very young, and I’ve wanted to experience it for myself ever since. I really would like you at my side for it.”
And that was all it took.
They undressed us and then put us in short slips that barely covered anything before directing us to stools.
And behind me, Valsine said, “As friends, and as the woman of the village, we help each other.” I don't know if anyone whispered something to Zenthra, but she allowed her clothes to be changed. “We take turns helping each other.”
For the most part, the eight women focused on the four of us, although they also assisted the other five. They used a variety of pencils and brushes to decorate our skin in the most amazing patterns. They had flowers waiting, which were woven into our hair.
And then there were the traditional costumes, a sort of gown rarely worn anymore.
We were nearly done before Valsine said, “I haven’t seen this tradition in years. It’s a little strange, though.”
“How is that, Valsine?” Mother asked.
“Well, of course, typically it would be a man and a woman, and so the man would have arranged all of this, but would not have been prepared in the same room.”
The women began dressing me. The others so far had been dressed in white, but my costume was more ornate and in light blue and gold. Shalendra’s helpers asked her to be patient, but said they would help her in a moment as they focused on me.
“In the custom,” Valsine said. “The friends and family from both sides of the new marriage help the new bride to dress. Sometimes, the man has already asked the woman, in private, and knows her answer, but in the most traditional form, while they may have discussed marriage, they may not have, and he invites a marriage once she is dressed.”
One of the attendants stepped to Shalendra and removed her shift, whispering they would dress her now. Another handed a garment to Zenthra and whispered something. She looked at the garment. She looked at me. She looked at her sister, turned away, seemingly oblivious to everything. And then she began sobbing.
“What’s wrong?” Shalendra asked. She turned.
I knelt.
And Zenthra, still crying, stepped forward to help her sister into her first undergarment.
An
d then clothing was pressed into Sumina’s hands, and she was crying as she stepped to her daughter.
“What’s wrong?” Shalendra asked.
“Look at the princess,” Sumina said.
Shalendra turned to me. I was kneeling before her, dressed in a costume unique from all the others, and waiting.
“Darfelsa?”
“My cousin is very good at tall tales, but she stopped a few minutes ago,” I said. “It is traditional for you to accept being dressed, regardless of your answer.”
And then she started crying, and that got me started, and I don’t know who else.
But still, they dressed her, and as they did, Valsine explained the remainder of the custom. “It is customary to perform this tradition on a day that is already special, in which there is already to be a celebration. The bride’s birthday, perhaps, or the groom’s. The harvest festival could find itself host to several proposals.”
They continued to dress Shalendra, although two of the woman knelt before me, helping me to manage myself.
“In the most traditional form, there is a proposal in the afternoon,” Valsine explained. “And if the bride accepts, an official ceremony follows, perhaps before dinner, perhaps after, the very same day.”
Shalendra began crying more loudly. That set off a new round for me.
“The bride, of course,” Valsine explained, “May decline. She may ask for a different day. I might suggest, however, that taking advantage of the planned festivities may be wise.”
They finished dressing her, our friends and family each helping. And then our mothers took Shalendra’s arms and turned her in a slow circle, ending before me.
“Shalendra Robella,” I said, still kneeling, “will you do me the great honor of being my wife, from this day forward?”
“Yes, Darfelsa!” She replied. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Ahlianna and Valsine stepped forward and helped me stand. I didn’t need the help, and traditionally, it would have been male relatives. They helped me stand, and then I pulled her into my arms for a deep, deep kiss.
Valsine opened wine. Ahm helped to serve. “It is not tradition to toast,” Valsine said. “We share a glass, and we have not yet heard if Shalendra accepts our existing arrangements.”
“Father,” she said.
