Her voice was beautiful and soft and hypnotizing, sounding like a forest nymph from ancient stories. Tairren followed it, catching a glimpse of the songstress. At first glance he knew who the girl was; her red hair and lovely countenance gave it away.
His heart began to pound, excited and surprised to see her in the Forest Province, his abode. He quickly began to finger-comb his black hair and smooth out his old tunic. He tried to rub the dirt from his hands and trousers, but knew it would be of no use without his mother’s herbal cleansing soap.
He dashed up a small slope and hid behind a large oak tree, apparently catching Marrisa’s attention. He grunted at himself. He was irritated, knowing that Marrisa must’ve caught a glimpse of him. She had to have, because she stopped singing for a moment, and then giggled.
Tairren could feel his face turning bright red with embarrassment as he leaned up against the tree. He held his breath, then peeked around the tree to see what she was doing. She started singing again as she made her way through some tall grass and flowers, picking a bouquet as she slowly came closer. He went to walk out from behind the massive oak, but hesitated. He knew he should have made himself present, but he didn’t want her to stop singing…
He rarely heard her beautiful singing voice. She usually would only sing for royalty or nobility at concerts that would be held in the castle on a random occasion. Hearing her angelic voice amongst the enchanted forest was like magic. He fell in love with her all over again.
Tell him to find me a castle of lace,
Rosemary, love, and sunshine.
By the saltwater—on a mountain’s face,
Then he’ll be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to clean it with a fine feather,
Rosemary, love, and sunshine.
And sprinkle the halls with sprigs of heather,
Then he’ll be a true hero of mine…
Tairren began to come out from behind the tree, worried that Marrisa would realize that he’d been watching her. She continued to sing, passing the tree a couple of yards away. Tairren went to take a step, still fixated on Marrisa. His foot got caught on a large knotted root of the oak, making him fall towards the ground, and down the small leafy slope. Defeating the purpose of not wanting to look like a strange idiot, he caught Marrisa’s attention again, making her look over at him with curiosity. She rushed over to him, smiling. Embarrassed, Tairren got to his knees like a frazzled old woman who had just dropped a basket of fruit. He began to quickly pick up some of the sprigs of rosemary that spilled from his satchel, blowing the dirt from each one.
“What are you doing, Tairren?” Marrisa giggled, kneeling down to help him pick up the herbs.
She softly placed her bouquet down, trying not to scatter her flowers.
“I—I was just picking some herbs for my mother. Umm… What is a royal princess like yourself doing in the forest alone?” he asked, shyly catching a glimpse of her sparkling blue eyes.
“And what is a boy like yourself doing spying on a princess—like myself?” she teased, smiling at him. “I’ve come looking for your companionship...”
They simultaneously went to pick up the last sprig, her hand touching the spiny rosemary first, and his hand on hers. She could feel the roughness of his hand as he felt the elegance of hers. They were quiet, looking into each other’s eyes. After what seemed like eternity, Tairren quickly pulled his hand away. They both stood up, dusting the gritty earth off themselves.
Tairren cleared his throat nervously. “Forgive me—I was just captivated by your—beautiful voice,” he said, swallowing down his nervousness, glancing away from her tender blue eyes for a second. “You had my ears under some kind of spell.”
After an intense moment, Tairren noticed her bouquet still lying on the ground. He picked it up, giving it to Marrisa.
She smiled at him again, excepting it from him as if he had picked it for her himself. She brought the rosemary up to her nose, smelling it and admiring the small dusty-blue colored blossoms. It carried the strong aroma of spicy sweet evergreen, lemons and eucalyptus: tangy and sweet, warm and spicy—like the smells of love.
“Lovely,” she said, looking back into his eyes.
The luscious herb and blooms looked charming near her crystal blue eyes.
“Rosemary—an herb of love,” she said, caressing the tip of the sprig on his cheek. She giggled, then took his hand softly and placed the stem in his palm. “Now you must be faithful to me.” She teased him, smiling her beautiful smile again. “Legend has it that any person who is touched by a flowering sprig of rosemary by another, is to be faithful to them,” she smiled brightly, giggling.
“Should the touch of rosemary bind me to my lady?” he asked, smiling. His young heart pounded in his chest.
“If one wishes it,” she teased again.
Tairren came closer to her, wanting to kiss her then. He wanted to tell her how he felt about her. He wanted to show her how much he cared for her. His young body wanted to kiss her like lovers did. They stood so close to each other, looking into each other’s eyes. She didn’t move, seeming to wait for that kiss—for something to happen. He didn’t kiss her though, for the fear of rejection and anxiety of him being a common boy germinated inside of him. Instead he held up the rosemary to her, giving her back the flowering herb.
“Add this to your bouquet, for I will always be faithful to you,” he said, smiling, caught up in the innocent moment.
She gave him a warm smile, taking the rosemary from him and adding it amongst her wild flowers. She turned away from him, beginning to sing again. He walked with her through the beautiful forest, listening to her enchanting voice. She stopped singing, staring off as if in deep thought. Breezes came and went, playing with her long hair.
“…Does your suitor have to do those impossible things, in which you sing of—to have your love?” Tairren asked, looking towards the ground, then at her.
“Hmmm?” Marrisa came out of her daydream.
“Must he make you a golden crown made of fine feathers, or find a castle of lace?” He smiled, teasing her of the song she always sung.
“Am I not sweet enough for such a challenge?” She asked, teasing back. Her eyes gazed into his, mesmerizing him like deep clear spring water.
“Oh, yes—you are, princess,” he said, blushing. “You are sweeter than nectar—and one would be lucky to win such a sweet love…”
They stood before each other, staring into one another’s eyes again. She brought her lips close to his ear, nearly touching his skin.
“Then sprinkle the halls with sprigs of heather…,” she whispered, reciting the last line of the song.
She smiled again, then ran off through the forest, giggling. Playfully, he ran after her, just smiling, blushing the whole time with a rapidly beating heart…
†††
Tairren came out of his daydream as he walked out of the forest and into the Great Field of Minslethrate. The long way in which he went seemed to be quick as he was lost in thought. He smiled at his daydream, wishing that he could have relived it. He wished they were still in the Forest Province together. But at the same time, he regretted not telling Marrisa of his feelings for her that day… He wished he would have told her then how he felt. He began to hum the song that he remembered Marrisa singing as he continued through the field.
CHAPTER 4
The Lady Natalia Ducre’
“Lady Natalia! It’s time to get out; you’ve been in there all morning!” Sora hollered as she rushed into Natalia’s large chamber.
Natalia was in her bathing room with the door shut, and had been in there ever since the sun came up—two hours prior.
“The Lord and Lady Ducre’ are waiting for your appearance for dinner! Don’t keep your father and mother waiting, child!” Sora hollered as she barged into Natalia’s bathroom.
The candles were lit, nearly melted down to the core and Natalia lay in her tub, covered in stale bubbles.
“Sora! Leave me al
one! I’m not coming down yet! I’m still—soaking,” Natalia fussed as she sat up in her tub.
“Don’t you mean sulking? I know that water isn’t hot anymore and you should be a wrinkled prune by now. Come out and air out that soggy body of yours,” Sora said, motioning her dark hands for Natalia to stand up.
Sora was a middle aged woman with dark skin, and hair and eyes that were as black as the night sky. She was a large woman with a personality to match, that could keep anyone in line, except Natalia, who did whatever she pleased. Sora was loud and voice-tress and blunt and possessed an islander accent like Natalia’s mother, but her’s seemed to be much stronger.
The Ducre’ family was the only family that Sora had patience for. Sora was like a mother to Natalia, and had been Natalia’s handmaiden ever since she was born sixteen years ago. But even though Natalia put up her guard and acted like she didn’t care what Sora said, she still loved her, and seemed to be closer to Sora than her own mother and father.
Natalia’s mother and father were always so busy, just like any other noble couple of Minslethrate. With her father being a Marquis and her mother a Marchioness, her family was one of the most powerful families in Minslethrate. Lord Fernund seemed to always be off with business; and Lady Christianne was always shopping, having tea with other courtiers and noble-women, or locked in her personal study room of their huge home, reading or writing.
Lady Ducre’ would bring Natalia along sometimes to have tea, only if other courtiers her age were there, or if she wanted her to meet someone else involving the aristocrats of Minslethrate. But most of the time Natalia would be with Marrisa anyways, doing their own shopping, having their own tea gatherings, or just stopping by Tairren’s shop to say hello.
“Sora, let me be,” Natalia said as she reclined back into the tub. Stale bubbles fluffed out over the edges of the tub, looking like soft dried out clouds. “Just inform my father and mother that I am skipping dinner—I feel ill,” she said as she hit some bubbles off the side of the tub.
“Child, I already did that, I know you like the back of my hand and I knew you wouldn’t get out anyway. I just told you that they’re waiting so you would get out of that tub!” Sora said, sternly. “And you are not ill, if I told the Lord and Lady that you were ill they’d have those physicians up here faster than I could tell them—we don’t need your pretty blood drained for no reason. You know how the physicians do—one word of being ill and they’ll drain you like a milked cow!”
Natalia just acted like she didn’t hear her. Natalia never cared that Sora always got stern with her, or that she didn’t address her by saying your ladyship during every conversation they had. Considering that she was her servant; she was used to it and it didn’t bother her.
“Sora—don’t be so sore,” Natalia mocked, smiling.
She knew that Sora hated when she said that. She hated when Natalia mocked her name.
“Child, get out of that tub!” Sora yelled again as she scooped Natalia’s small and naked frame out of the almost cold water.
Sora’s large body seemed to easily lift her out of it, getting bubbles and water everywhere, including her apron and dress.
“Sora!” Natalia whined as she wiggled away from her grasp, trying to cover herself, “why do you do such things?!” Sora just shook her head as she grabbed Natalia’s robe, then put it on her. “I am not a child!” Natalia fussed as she snugly wrapped the robe around her.
“Then stop acting like one! You know I have to clean that tub of yours, you making me behind on my chores. And you know you have your afternoon lessons! A noble lady must be well educated!” Sora fussed as she directed Natalia out of the bathing room and into her room, nearly pushing her over. “Now I have to clean up that mess,” she said as she grabbed an undergarment from Natalia’s large wardrobe. “How do you take a bath for two hours? And what are you pouting for anyway? You knew this day would come for a couple of years now. It is a sad thing that we’ll be losing our princess, but you need to keep your pretty little head up. Cheer up my lady, okay?” Sora said, now smiling, patting Natalia on the shoulder.
Sora’s mood always switched from irritated to sincere within seconds. Natalia always thought she was kind of unstable and stressed out and needed to just relax sometimes.
“But I will be losing my companion, my sister, and I’ll have no one to talk to or be with every day,” Natalia said, frowning.
“Child—you are so dramatic. You got your mother,” Sora said as she took the robe off of Natalia, and then helped slip her undergarment down over her head.
Natalia laughed at her comment.
“You expect me to talk with The Lady Ducre’—or should I say, the most honorable Marchioness of Ducre’, every day?” Natalia said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes, mocking the way her mother and father would be announced and addressed when they would first arrive at any royal function.
“Don’t you mock your mother child, and what about that handsome young shop keeper named Tairren? He’s one of your friends and you and Marrisa are always chatting with him at his little shop,” Sora said as she walked back over to Natalia’s wardrobe, pulling out a red gown, her favorite red gown.
“Yes, well,” Natalia said with a shy smile as she looked away from Sora. “I am very fond of Tairren—and he is and always will be a great companion to me… And even though we are friends…,” Natalia stopped speaking, as if she were too shy to continue. “… It just won’t be the same without Marrisa here. And Sora you know, as well as I do, that my mother has been wanting me to socialize with other courtiers and nobles now that Marrisa is leaving Minslethrate,” Natalia said as she sat on a small chair next to her bed. “I know every lady and every eligible bachelor and lord in Minslethrate, but I choose not to associate with snobbish people. Every courtier and noble in Minslethrate carries themselves as high and mighty. I cannot stand that,” Natalia fussed as she pushed herself off of the small chair and walked over to her wooden vanity to brush out her long brown hair. Sora smiled, as if amused at what Natalia was ranting on about. “And my mother is always setting up tea dates with The Lady Daleasa Vaughn and The Lord Fredrick Vaughn for me—I can’t stand those twins, they annoy me so, Sora. I don’t know why my mother wants me to associate with condescending, annoying people.
“But after today it seems as if that will be the only people I will be able to affiliate with, besides Tairren. But my mother does not want me to socialize with Tairren, she actually forbids it. I can just imagine my parent’s bellowing out, “what impropriety is this?!” Natalia mocked in a voice she thought her parents sounded like. “Tairren is loving and kind—and I will always want him in my life…,” Natalia said as she brushed her hair, irritably.
“Calm down child, before you brush your hair straight out of your pretty little head,” Sora said as she fiddled through Natalia’s small jewelry box, picking out the usual brooch and hairpiece that she usually wore with her red dress.
“Child, you know you act like them too. Don’t go casting stones or it will come back and hit you square in the nose!”
“Sora! That’s not fair!” Natalia fussed back as she smacked her hairbrush back on her vanity.
“Child, you sound like your mother when she gets spoiled milk for breakfast—fussing over things that don’t matter… Come, get dressed. You have lessons in an hour.”
Natalia giggled at Sora’s comment. She then stood up to get dressed.
“I’m skipping my lessons this afternoon and meeting Marrisa in the Marketplace instead. This is the last time I will be meeting with my sister before she leaves… I hate how it will be our last outing, ever,” Natalia said, staring out the window into the open field which surrounded their massive castle-like home. “It’s a lovely day as well, maybe today will be a beautiful ending for Marrisa,” Natalia said with a frown.
“Oh yes, it will be! Especially with that grand feast and ball that is tonight,” Sora said as she helped Natalia dress. “How lovely everything will be wi
th the dancing and beautiful young ladies and those handsome young men! And I can only imagine the beautiful decorations and all of that wine! I am so excited for you all. Oh how I wish I could go!” Sora exclaimed. “It would be in my wildest dreams to ever participate in such a royal function,” Sora said, chuckling, “I would probably spoil everything!”
“Oh hush, Sora,” Natalia said, pulling her long hair to one side, over her shoulder. “They are indeed beautiful and enjoyable, but I’m not as excited about this one. I do hope that it goes well for Marrisa’s sake, and I hope Marrisa has a splendid time as well. Maybe tonight will help release some stress that she has been carrying around about her. But only God knows,” Natalia said as she looked into her mirror that stood next to her vanity.
Sora tightened Natalia’s laced up bodice that fit snugly around her torso. She looked beautiful in her elegant red dress. The sunlight from the window reflected off of the small red jewels that were sown onto her beautifully embroidered bodice. Sora clasped a gold chain around her neck that had a red jewel that dangled from it. The round jewel sparkled as the sunlight played off of it.
“You always look so lovely,” Sora said with a big smile. She looked at her like a proud mother would at her child.
Natalia studied herself in the mirror, appearing surprised, as if she had never seen herself in the red dress before. Her vibrant green eyes and light brown skin looked beautiful against the expensive red fabric.
There was an urgent knock at the door. Natalia turned quickly to open it, wondering who would be knocking so boldly at her door. She opened the door to find that it was just Alexa, another servant of the house. She was a short young chubby girl about the same age as Natalia. She had curly blond hair that was back in a frazzled bun and rosy red cheeks that had splotches of acne on them. Natalia wrinkled up her nose as she got a whiff of some of Alexa’s body odor; she always smelled of roasted poultry.
The Last Legend: Awakened Page 5
