A Victorian Tea Party
Ariel walked down the hall listening to the clicks of her heels on the polished floor. The black train of her dress followed behind her, brushing the floor lightly. The hall was so massive, so long, and empty that Ariel had come to know this hall as the least active area in the castle. It lacked high traffic due to the rooms it contained. None were of much importance.
That lack of importance, however, did not keep this long, empty hall from being meaningless. At the very least, one could not say that it looked meaningless. Every step one would take would leave them mesmerized by its appearance.
A few times, between doors, there would be a small table off to the side joined by two wooden chairs at each of its side. Each of the arms or legs of the chairs and tables were once carefully carved, allowing for the beautiful details to be seen to this day. A potted plant or vase of flowers could be spotted on most of the tables. Ariel noted that the plants never seem dead, like how this hall never seemed dull and uninviting.
Of course, one could not say that no one walked the hall. In addition to the maids that must have been the ones to keep up its appearance, guards could be spotted in the halls every so often, offering their protection. They stood against the decorative wall, looking straight ahead. The queen wondered what thoughts went through their heads to pass the time. Did they have families or loved ones they often thought of as she did of her own family?
She also admired the way they stood against the wall, but yet did not lean against it in a tiresome manner as one would expect from someone whose job was to stand for hours on end.
Perhaps it was because they too found even the walls to be so elegant that they could not bring themselves to touch the wall. Decorative wood trim began at the bottom and climbed three feet up the wall until it stopped and drastically smoothed out into the cream colored wall.
Every so often down the hall Ariel would spot a huge photo—a painting, hung on the wall—generally of past rulers, family members, nobility, or just the occasional scenery. Surrounded by decorative, golden frames, she recognized a few people, but the rest held stories from the past that were yet for her to learn. They gave meaning to this hall.
Yes, perhaps this was her favorite place in the whole castle.
Ariel stopped in front of a modestly sized, white door and allowed a guard to open it for her. She handed an already closed parasol to a maid trailing behind her and stepped into the parlor. The sound of her heels were silenced by the carpet in the room. A simple pattern of deep red and gray covered the floor, which was the theme for the rest of the room.
The maid did not enter and the guard closed the door behind Ariel. She was left in the parlor with just a handful of people. There were a few servants standing near a table that was already set with cups, plates, and an elegant display of finger sandwiches and biscuits in the center. Three women about the same age as Ariel were also seated in the corner of the room. Judging by their outfits and postures, it was clear that they were her guests.
One stood in front of a large, mahogany bookcase reading the spines of the old books. Another sat on a gray, cushioned, window seat looking out the large window, occupied by some sight outside. The sunlight cascaded past her and barely hit the third woman, who sat in a matching armchair in close proximity. Next to her was a fireplace that was burning low.
Looking up, all three women smiled at the sight of their friend. "Ariel!" the woman by the window exclaimed as she stood up. She was wearing a green dress with elaborate skirts all sitting in certain ways to create the desired pattern. Standing up revealed its bustle that was just beginning to come into fashion.
The three of them joined together in front of Ariel and curtsied just a bit in acknowledgement, as their friend was still the queen.
Ariel acknowledged them with her own smile. "Good afternoon, ladies." Then, she gestured at the table that was set up for tea. "Shall we?"
They nodded in agreement and gracefully made their way over to the table that was covered with a gold colored table cloth. A male servant pulled out Ariel's chair for her to sit. Following that, the rest of the girls were then allowed to sit. While doing so, Ariel gave the order to begin pouring the tea.
The servants and maid, careful to not spill a drop, poured the tea in to each of the spotless, white cups. As she watched them, Ariel took a moment to put her hand to her head to make sure that her hair and blue teardrop hat were both up perfectly and in place. Finally once the tea was poured and everyone's preferred amounts of sugar and cream were added to their tea, the help left, except the maid, who was there to wait on them if they needed more tea or assistance.
"How is your husband, Florence?" Ariel asked the woman in green while stirring her tea with a silver spoon. It was still too hot to drink.
Florence, smoothing out the napkin on her lap, began, "He's doing well. The doctors expect him to make it through his illness, and he's already doing much better. I told my maids to perish the thought of making me mourning dresses."
The queen smiled. "That's lovely news," she said. Florence's husband was a nice gentleman and a good friend of her own husband. "I'm sure Eric will be glad to hear that."
"And how is the King?" the second woman who was once also sitting in the armchair asked. She was wearing a burgundy dress. It was a little more on the simple side, yet showed off her nobility at the same time. The most notable parts of it were its large, puffy sleeves that added volume to her shoulders and its matching, burgundy hat. It matched the dress so perfectly it looked to even be made out of the every same material.
Smiling as she thought of her husband, Ariel replied, "Very well, Ottilie. He's always busy though."
"Men," laughed Ottilie. "It seems they always are, king or not."
Ariel smiled and took a small sip from her teacup and set it back down on the saucer that matched the cup with its golden flowers painted on its white base. She took note how lovely the servants had set up the table. This in fact was her favorite tea set.
"Oh, Ariel, Josie. How's the orphanage project going?" Florence asked. "If I recall correctly, the two of you were rather immersed in it last time we spoke."
Josie was the first to speak. Her dress had a pink and purple floral pattern and its sleeves were puffed, stopping at the elbow. She also wore white gloves which only went up to her wrists. "I would have to say that it's coming along quite nicely, don't you agree."
Ariel nodded. "The expansion and extra funding should allow them to take in more children. The goal is for there to be less orphans roaming the streets."
"You two ladies have done such a wonderful job with this. It was such a wonderful project to take on," Ottilie congratulated.
"Thank you, Tilie," Ariel thanked. She returned to her cup and took another sip from it as she collected her thoughts. "I'm glad to actually be able to do projects. I wish that they let me take on something earlier, but it wasn't until I mentioned the children that they actually caved."
"I do hope that you take on more community projects soon. It sets such a good example for the other women out there. It shows that their job isn't just to stay at home tending to the children. There's so much more for them to do, and they're more than just property," Florence said.
Ottilie nodded. "Men think that we will lose our grace and elegance if we step into society or politics, but that's just ridiculous. I would appreciate it if I had a much larger role. Societal norms are so restricting."
Josie spoke up with a fact that she recently came to know. "They are calling women who are speaking against society 'modern women.'"
"I quite like that," said Florence. "The modern woman will go out and actually do something. Women shouldn't be stuck to finding a husband and tending to children."
"But we do love our husbands," Ottilie said with a smile.
"Well, yes. Oliver is rather supporting," Florence said.
Ariel nodded as well. "Eric was such a help with pushing the other men towards giving me the orphanage project. It's a shame other men can't be that supportive." She took another sip of her tea. "Josie? Is there still no plan to marry in your life?"
She shook her head. "I'm not marrying unless I'm in love, even if it takes me thirty more years to find a suitor. I'll just spend my time being a modern woman."
"A well-developed plan," Ottilie clapped.
"Ariel, I have to tell you, I really love that dress. It's beautiful, yet makes you look powerful and intimidating," Florence said, referencing her black and dark blue dress. The skirt was black and lacy at the end, but the bodice resembled a deep blue, sharp tailored jacket. "It looks rather modern."
"Thank you. At least I have a little more say in what I can wear than what I can do."
"I vote that that should change," Florence said. "We will start a movement. We are the women at the top. It's our duty to demonstrate to the rest of the women that they have more power than what society lets them think."
"That sounds wonderful," said Josie.
"A marvelous idea," Ottilie agreed. "I'm in."
"So am I." Ariel smiled at her friends.
She had discovered that the human society gave women so much less power than she expected, and she could not say that she agreed with it at all. It drove her insane that she was in a position of power, yet had so little, but now she was beginning making progress in participating in her kingdom. It shouldn't be so hard for her now that she got the ball rolling. Eric was on her side too with all this, but not all men were as understanding as him.
This was something she was always bothered by, but never felt she had the resources to fix. Now, looking at all her friends, she realized she did.
Florence was so persistent and strong. It was impossible to not hear her voice.
Ottilie was always so loyal. It seemed as though she was always there to support you.
And Josie might have been quiet, but she had a huge heart. She also was had dreams, and was determined to do anything she needed to do to get to them.
Ariel had grown acquainted to these girls, mostly in this room over their tea time conversations. Many smiles and laughter-filled moments were spent there.
So that meant that this was her favorite room in her favorite hall in the castle, and that this hall was not meaningless. There was no unimportant room in it. Something was starting right there in that very special parlor.
(A/N- While the Victorian Era is not my favorite history topic, when I'm in the mood, I really enjoy some of its culture and I find the women's rights movement of this period interesting. I think I was actually reading something on the women's rights when I was inspired, more by the culture of it, but I did end up talking about the movement. Besides, I like to think that Ariel would not just sit back and let men control society. She would stand up for what is right.
Now, if you base times off of the "Hans Christian Andersen theory" The Little Mermaid would take place around 1837, which is when the Victorian Era started. However, I really wanted to use more of the fashions and culture from the end of the era. So, because I can, I pushed the time for this up to about the 1870's. I was aiming to change it to the 1890's, but I thought that could be too much of a stretch.)