Loving the Shadow

Chp. 1 Perla

In a dense forest away from a bustling bumbling loud  city a young woman lays in the grass, her sun kissed features being illuminated by the golden light peaking through the dense canopy. Her face serene and contempt, soft grass cushioned the resting woman encasing her in utter comfort and bliss, her pink lips part in a soft sigh as she opened her blue eyes to look up at the canopy, silver hair cascaded around her messily soft silver marking donned her face in elegant swirls and lines starting at the corner of her eyes and going out to the side. Her body was dressed in soft white fabric that flowed around her in the wind, it was light and elegant for the warm months coming upon them. Her head was crowned in a veil made of silk and her ears were draped in silver that came out to a long point. The breeze softly caressed the woman's skin in comfort and tried to lull her back to sleep but the woman had things starting to buzz through her mind, she knew she had to head back to her house soon for the maids would be looking for her. She sat up ever so elegantly and started to head off back to her place bare feet making no noise in the foliage all around her, her step was as light as air and she held herself as someone from a high blood. Reaching the edge of the forest she turned around quickly and bode farewell to the place knowing that she wouldn't return for a while. "You can show yourself now Sophie, I know you are hiding in those bushes over there" Her tone was light and full of laughter as she watched one of her maids crawl out of a bush on the side of a dirt road.

    "Ah, Lady Perla ya really got me 'ere." Sophie brushed off her dress and scratched the back of her head. Her voice held a heavy accent. " I was just trying to find ya, the Duchess 'az been lookin for ya she 'az." She nodded to herself and offers a chubby hand for the Noble woman to hold.

    Laughing at Sophie's antics Perla took hold of her hand daintily and proceeded to walk the short distance back to her house, "Is mother thinking of sending me off to another engagement?" She wonders to herself blue eyes looking up to the sky in miserey. Sophie stays silent as a conformation. They both approach the three story mansion misery at the events to come in their steps, neither of them knew of the silent observer in the woods prowling, waiting.

    Sophie was Perla's closest hand maiden has been since she was a elfling, caring for her when her mother wouldn't or didn't have the time to.

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Perla's door slams open as her overly excitable mother rushes through nitpicking over her hair and calling in the stylists to get her ready. "Perla what have you done to your clothes? They're absolutely filthy!" her angelic voice loudly states as Perla gets fussed over. Her clothes get yanked off of her in haste and new garments adorn her sun kissed body they are much heavier than the previous ones. Her hair gets brushed and braided into an intricate silver crown encircling her head, they dab on some light makeup to accentuate her eyes and cheeks.

"Do I really have to go through all of this, mother?" Perla rolls her eyes in the reflection as the silver jewelry on her ears is removed, briefly revealing her small elf ears that are only slightly pointed only to be covered with more jewelry in gold, this time giving the illusion of having longer ears.

Her mother's eyes close in frustration and grips her shoulders tightly then she opens her eyes and as she makes eye contact with perla through the mirror, "You know it is my dear," She let's go of Perla's shoulders and starts to wave her hand elegantly in the air.

"Remember you are nobility and as such you must engage with other nobles to be wedded soon," She starts to pace the room fervently and tidys things as she paces "You are cutting it very close as it is at twenty my dear, it is time for you to be wed." She comes to a stand still and catches Perlas eye roll. "I know you do not wish to marry." her eyes soften at her daughter, "But being a noble elf we have no say in the matter..." A distant gleam covers her eyes as she recalls her protests to wed at a young age.