The Promise of the Dawn

Chapter Three: Nobility

Had I known the journey over to the Estate would be so tedious, I wouldn't have accepted Cael's invitation, and would've simply stayed with my sisters. But I had already made my decision, which I was quickly beginning to regret the second Primrose woke me up before dawn.

"Come on Ris, you must get going if you're to get to the Estate in time" Primrose suggests.

 I groan, removing myself from the warmth of the covers and standing up to start the kettle for tea.

"No time for that. Get dressed quickly. Your bags are already packed" Primrose intervenes once more, throwing me a dress and busying herself tidying things up.

 I sigh loudly, removing my nightgown and beginning to get into the dress Primrose handed me.

"Where's Avelyn?" I question.

"She walked to the village. Apparently a publisher asked to publish a few of her poems in the newest edition of the magazine" Primrose replies.

"Really? That's great!" I reply, excited that my sister's hard work is finally paying off... for the desk's sake.Primrose looks unsure. 

"Well... I suppose. Although she shouldn't have her name published with them. Writing is unladylike and scorned in the village. She'll ruin our reputation with the townsfolk before we even have a chance to rebuild it" Primrose replies judgmentally.

"Since when did you care about our reputation? We live in an abandoned cottage near the woods, Prim. If we even had a reputation left before,  it's long since been ruined" I reply.

"Well yes, but now, since you're going to train with the Duke, we have a second chance to redeem ourselves, and she could ruin it for us. Don't forget this." Primrose responds, handing me a corset as I change into my dress. I shoot her a disapproving look.

"I'd watch your tongue, Prim. Some people may interpret what you say as entitled. Your sister is following her dreams, which is exactly what our parents raised us to do. Don't let the bigoted norms of our society get to your head." I reply, setting the corset down on our mattress. 

"You're not going to wear that?" Primrose asks me as I set the corset down.

"Of course I'm not" I reply with a reproachful tone. 

"But you're going to be walking through an entire town of nobility. They'll know immediately you're not from around there" Primrose replies with a concerned tone. 

"Primrose... if they see me and don't automatically know I'm a villager, that'll be a miracle" I scoff, gesturing to my plain cotton clothing, worn shoes, and unruly hair, which I pull into a messy bun, finishing it off with a cloth headband.

"You're not at all concerned about your appearance?" Primrose asks.

I shoot her a strange look, growing increasingly annoyed at this new attitude she's suddenly adopted.

"No" I reply.

"No I'm not. And neither should you."

It's at this moment that Avelyn reenters the cottage, her hands stained with deep black ink. She smells of wood and aging paper as she walks past me to enter the cottage.

"Oh good, you're still here. I thought I'd miss you" Avelyn says to me. There's a cheerfulness in her tone I never hear often from her. 

"What on earth did you do to your hands?" Primrose questions upon seeing Avelyn, rushing over to examine the damage. She then grabs a nearby rag and begins scrubbing at Avelyn's hands relentlessly, trying to remove the dark stains from her soft palms.

"Alright... I'm going to go..." I reply as I watch Avelyn's hands redden from the scrubbing.

"Bye Ris!" Primrose replies, keeping her gaze focused on the task at hand.

"Be sure to write" Avelyn adds, handing me a few sheets of scrap paper and an outcast quill from the corner of her desk. Primrose grabs her hand immediately after, beginning to scrub at it again. I shoot Avelyn an apologetic look before waving to her and slipping out the door. 

My bags are set outside the cottage, and I place the writing supplies in it before picking it up and draping the canvas bag over my shoulder, setting off towards the noble side of Arden.

 Arden had been separated into two parts by the current  presiding Duke: the nobles, and the commoners. To ensure the two social groups didn't coexist, a forest was planted between them.The forest I had grown to love had been planted in so much hatred. 

But I wasn't afraid of the Duke. I practically had an invitation to break his rules, and I wasn't about to lose such an amazing opportunity because of his close-minded thinking, so I set off towards the forest confidently, enjoying my walk through the woods, up until I reached the end of it and actually set eyes on the noble's village.

It was safe to say I had been unprepared to set eyes on such a sight. I was able to finally set eyes on the differences between them, and us, and I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it. 

The first thing I noticed was their location. Nestled within the trees at the foot of a mountain, and surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Next, I noticed their architecture. Beautiful, large houses built from various expensive materials like marble and polished stone, that loomed over the streets, which were built from shiny, polished stone as opposed to the plain, rough, cobblestone I'd grown up with in my village.

I stand within the trees of the forest, watching in awe as nobles strolled gracefully along the streets in their expensive, elaborate gowns, without worrying about soiling their skirts with dirt and waste.

It was all such a luxury.

I close my mouth, which I suddenly realize has been hanging open this entire time, and grab my skirt, making my way down to the streets from the forest as gracefully as possible. I try to match the strides of the ladies around me as I start down the polished streets, admiring how I can see my reflection in the stone, then almost running into a horse drawn carriage as I look up again.

"Sorry!" I apologize as the coachman yells at me from his high perch.

I continue down the street, where merchants line the streets with their small shops, advertising their products to passersby.

"Fine jewelry here!"

"Fresh produce!"

"Step right up to get your fortune predicted!"

They all yell in unison as I walk down the streets, looking around in total awe.

Most of the products these merchants are selling were in high demand in my own village, where we barely had enough crops to go around. I momentarily wonder why they're offering it here and not in my own village, where they probably needed it more, but I shake the thought off as I continue on down the street.

I receive strange looks from noble's as I start down the street, which comes to no surprise as I compare my own cotton clothing to that of those around me, who fashion silks and velvets and full skirts, but I learn to ignore all the gazes as I continue along. I'd received many-a-strange glances in my time on this earth, and nothing seemed to faze me anymore.

I suddenly hear the wheels of a wagon as it clatters along the hard stone behind me and I turn to look over my shoulder at it as it approaches. 

"Tours up to the famous Estate!" The coachman yells as the carriage clatters by me.

Having no idea where the Estate is located, I run behind the carriage, catching up to it and grabbing onto the back of it. I step up onto the back the carriage, making sure to hide myself carefully so the coachman doesn't see me. The wind ripples through my hair as the carriage drives me along, and I look back at the village as it slowly fades from my view.