The Offering

Chapter Fifteen - Daella

As soon as the afternoon lesson is finished I find Fynley talking with Renja and Millie.

"Fynley, I was wondering if you would like to go for a walk in the gardens with me before we need to get ready for the ball tonight?"

She smiles at me and nods. "It does look like a beautiful day outside, would you ladies like to join us?" She asks looking at the other girls.

"No, I am joining the other girls to draw." Millie smiles before following the girls out of the room.

"Renja?" She asks with a smile.

"Not today, I might have a rest before all that dancing tonight." She smiles at both of us before following out the other girls.

"Well I guess it's just the two of us." Fynley smiles at me.

Two guards follow us out to the gardens as we follow the paved paths, glancing at the different flowers in bloom.

"I was right, it is a beautiful day today." Fynley smiles, her face up to the sun. "Spring is definitely my favourite time of year. What about you Daella?"

"Autumn."

"Yes, autumn is quite beautiful as well, all those coloured leaves and the sun showers."

I glance over my shoulder noticing the guards at a distance.

"I wonder if the fae put on plays in the city centre?" She asks, stopping to look at a flower. "I remember watching them as a child during the spring and summer, the different characters with their costumes and painted faces." She smiles.

"My village didn't put any on, but there was a travelling group that came through a couple times." I reply not sure why she is talking about plays right now.

She nods. "I always thought it must be so hard to remember all those lines, each different person, pretending to be someone else, they would have to remember how to move and sit and stand and look and act like a completely different person. It must be tiring."

"Yes, I'm sure it would be exhausting."

"Of course, there were always some actors who were better than others. They would study their lines and fall into their character so when they were on the stage and performing no one would know any different. I guess that is what made them so good. That you could almost believe they were the character." She smiles at me, her words becoming clearer in my head.

"I always thought I would make a terrible actor, it seemed like a terrible way to spend ones time constantly pretending to be someone else just to get paid a few coins." I reply as we start walking again.

"Well it wouldn't just be a few coins, it would be their very lively hood, without the stage and the money they made they would likely be cast out to the streets without a roof over their heads. While some of them might be naturally more gifted at acting then others, that doesn't mean someone couldn't become better by watching those around him, learning from the others." She runs her hands over the leaves of the shrub in front of her. "Still, acting would not be something I would ever want to choose. No, lucky for us we have been chosen to live here with the fae, surrounded by beauty."

"Yes, we have been blessed." I agree with a small smile.

"Perhaps we should be getting back inside now, we want to look our best for the ball tonight." She says, looping her arm through mine before turning and walking back to the palace. The guards wait for us to pass before following us.

Fynley talks about the ball, her excitement for the dancing, wondering who will be there, which of the High Lords will ask her to dance. I listen, agreeing with her quietly and smiling along.