Fareeha Amari stood in the art gallery in Rome, gazing at her painting. It was a landscape of the River Nile, with the rolling dunes of sand leading towards the great pyramids. It was the first work she had produced which she believed worthy of exhibition here in this city of creative minds.
She brushed her dark hair out of her face, adjusting her rather plain dress and standing up straight. "I promise, Mother," she murmured in Arabic, "I'll make you proud."
Ever since she was a little girl, she had always been inspired by nature and by art. Her mother had always encouraged this from her, and for most of her young life she had practiced her craft, aiming to paint a masterpiece. And now, she had finally done it.
However, while the people in her home country of Egypt had been impressed with her talents, these people here in Rome would undoubtedly be harder to win over.
Even with the renaissance in full bloom, people of different skin colours, like Fareeha were still treated like dirt. Hopefully, Fareeha would break the kind of mould the rest of the world had placed her society in and prove to everyone that she was a true artist.
As Fareeha admired her own work, a local nobleman, with a monocle and thick moustache admired it as well. "My, this is a rather beautiful painting isn't it.
She smiled, curtsying politely. "Many thanks, kind sir. It took me many days to finish it." She felt very proud to have been noticed.
"Wait, you are the one who drew this?" The man inquired, raising an eyebrow at her.
"I am," she confirmed. "My name is Fareeha Amari. I call this piece 'Morning over the Nile.'"
"You can't be serious," the man remarked, chuckling in amusement. "A girl like you couldn't have painted a picture like this."
Fareeha sighed, angrily. "I am serious, sir. I have been painting since my childhood. Art is my passion."
"Passion is irrelevant. A girl like you can't possibly paint a picture like this. Only we italians are god's great artists."
Fareeha was silent, her head hanging in shame. No matter how talented she became, she would never be appreciated...and all because her skin was a different color.
"I think it's a beautiful picture," a soft, soothing, Swiss-accented voice remarked. At that moment, a young woman walked over to them. She was wearing a rather beautiful orange and grey dress, her blond hair done in a bun. Judging from the jewels around her neck and the fabric her clothing was made from, she appeared to be very wealthy. "It really shows nature at its most peaceful."
Fareeha looked up at the woman. "That was my intent," she explained. "So many people believe that Egypt is an inhospitable desert; I wanted to show them the beauty of the great river and the creativity and passion of its people."
"Oh I couldn't agree more," the woman replied. "Mr Giovanni, would you kindly leave this young girl alone and take your archaic and outright racist ways with you?"
Fareeha blushed. This woman was defending her, a supposedly inferior creature. She was like a guardian angel, coming to save her in the nick of time.
"You can't be serious, Lady Angela," the man scoffed. "That girl's art has no place here."
"Mr Giovanni, might I remind that I am the primary donor of this exhibition. If I say the art stays here, it stays here," she told him sternly.
The man grumbled. "Fine."
As the gentleman walked away, Fareeha said, "You are very kind, madam."
"Don't be bothered by his sort, dear," The woman replied. "Please, call me Angela. What's your name, young lady?"
"Fareeha Amari," she answered. "Daughter of Ana."
Angela looked at the painting again, eying it over with keen detail. "Well, Fareeha, your art is amazing and I'm glad it's here among these other great works," she praised the painting. "Tell me, do you happen to take commissions?"
Her eyes widened, and she nodded. "Yes, of course. I'm very happy to paint something for you."
Angela smiled. "Good, I'm very glad to hear it. I'm actually looking for someone who would be willing to paint a portrait of myself."
Fareeha smiled. "I would be delighted, Miss Angela."
"It's Duchess actually," Angela corrected her, with a slight giggle. She was growing very fond of this young lady.
Fareeha gasped. A duchess wanted her to paint a portrait?
Angela looked at her, stroking the girl's cheek with her soft gloved hand. "I'll send someone to take you to my manor tomorrow, then you can begin your work."
"I...I'm honored."
"I'm glad you are," Angela stated, smiling happily.
As the duchess walked away, Fareeha smiled. This was her moment to make her mother and her family proud, and she was going to do it with a Duchess who had just stolen her heart.
xXx
The next morning, Fareeha was in the bathtub, washing herself thoroughly. She didn't want to be dirty in front of the Duchess. Impressions were always important, as her mother would often say.
As she got out of the tub and put on her best clothes, there was a knock on her door. That must have been Angela's person, come to collect her.
Fareeha soon hurried to the door, undoing the latch and opening it. "Yes?"
Outside the door was a young woman in a brown, buttoned coat and beige pants wearing a cap and with glasses. She had short, spiky brown hair and freckles on her cheeks. "Are you Fareeha?"
"I am," Fareeha confirmed. "And you are?"
"Name's Lena. I'm Duchess Angela's driver."
"Oh!" Fareeha stepped aside. "Please, come in. I'm not quite ready to leave yet. I should only need a minute or two."
"Sure," Lena walked inside. "Not a very good place to live here is it?" she noted. Fareeha hadn't been able to afford much better when she first came to rome. She had practically spent all her money just on the house alone.
"It's doable," Fareeha replied. "Artists don't need much in terms of living space, but I hope I can get something better with the money from selling my paintings."
"Good luck with that. King's been thinking of putting up the taxes for everyone," Lena mused. "So, you might be saving up for some time."
"You'd think royalty would have something better to do than just sit around being rich all day, making everyone's lives miserable."
"Oh I agree, love," Lena remarked. "But Angie's actually in line for the throne in these parts. I know that sounds weird, Swiss lady in an Italian royal family, but hey, weirder things have happened. I'm sure when she's queen, she'll make things a lot fairer."
Fareeha smiled. The more she heard about Angela, the more she wanted to see her again. "Tell me, Lena. What does Angela think of me?"
"Well, she's awfully fond of you," Lena admitted. "She was so happy when she asked me to bring her to you. I've only ever seen her like that when… suitors come around, suitors who happen to be girls."
"Oh my..." Fareeha blushed as she put her gold clips into her hair.
Lena chuckled. "Word to the wise. Be super nice to her. If she likes you as much as I think she does, you'll have a lot more than just money from paintings. You'll have a noblewoman as your girlfriend."
"That was something my mother taught me," Fareeha replied, putting on her eye makeup. "Always be kind to others, even if they are unkind to you."
Soon Lena led Fareeha to the parked carriage, allowing the egyptian woman to get inside. "In you go, my lady."
Fareeha climbed inside, carrying her paints, brushes, easel, and a blank canvas.
"Oh you don't need those, love," Lena told her. "Angela's got it all set up for you at the manor."
"Are you certain? I don't mean to be rude, but I'm rather particular about my paints."
Lena thought for a moment. "Well, okay, take your stuff then. I assume Angela will let you get comfortable before you start, so you can either choose your stuff or her stuff."
"I suppose so. Thank you again for driving me, Miss Lena."
Lena smiled. "My pleasure. Always a joy driving Angie's girlfriends around."
Fareeha blushed. Lena was really hinting that Angela had feelings for her, but Fareeha wasn't sure if she was playing some sort of joke. Lena did seem quite honest with her though, so it was possible Angela did develop some sort of crush on her.
Lena tugged on the reins of the carriages, the two beautiful driving horses trotting forward with the carriage rolling behind them.
It wasn't far to Angela's ,anor and they got there in a good amount of time. The Duchess's manor was a rather old looking building, even for the period, but it seemed a rather humble residence nonetheless.
"Well, we're here," Lena stated, opening the door for Fareeha to get out. "Welcome to Casa De Ziegler."
Fareeha looked around for a moment, taking the scenery in. It was a beautiful place indeed. She could churn out a dozen paintings of just the exterior alone and she wouldn't have been able to capture even a hint of the immense grandeur of Angela's estate. "Wow…"
Lena smiled. "Come on, I'll take you inside."
Lena led Fareeha inside of the manor house, Fareeha constantly gawking in awe at how amazing the building was. From the carpets to the fine suits of armour on display, it was clear that Angela was a woman of exquisite taste.
Fareeha made her way into a sitting room, setting up her easel. "Where is Angela?" she asked Lena.
"Oh she'll be on her way now. Just be patient," Lena said, leaving her in peace. "Duchesses are very busy."
Fareeha sat down at her easel, slightly nervous. She set about preparing herself, getting her canvas ready to paint. While she'd done portraits before, she was more accustomed to landscapes. She hoped that her nerves wouldn't get the better of her.
She wanted to impress Angela, not to just make the woman happy, but she wanted to stay here in this beautiful place with her, at her side as a loyal friend.
Soon, the Duchess arrived, wearing a beautiful white and blue gown with long gloves, a small white hat with a blue stripe on her head. "Ah, Fareeha. So good to see you."
Fareeha curtsied, blushing. "Thank you, ma'am. You have a beautiful home."
"It is isn't it?" Angela admitted. "It's been in my family for generations, and with every new member of the family, this house has gotten just a little bit more special."
Fareeha smiled. "I'm ready to begin work whenever you are."
Angela sat down on a chair in front of the easel, smiling. "You may begin when ready."
Fareeha nodded, wetting her brush and starting to paint.
Angela looked at Fareeha as she began to craft a masterpiece with the strokes of her brush. She was a very determined young woman, and Angela admired that greatly. "I hope Lena took good care of you," she told her. "I wasn't sure of your address, but Lena has a very good sense of direction."
"Lena was very kind," Fareeha replied. "So are you."
Angela blushed rosy pink. "Why thank you?"
Fareeha blushed too, hiding her embarrassed face behind the easel and kept painting. "You have a very distinguished outline as well," she stated. "So very noble." and breathtaking.
"You certainly are a charmer, Miss Amari," Angela giggled playfully.
Fareeha was blushing more now. The more she heard Angela's voice, the more she was starting to believe that Angela was very fond of her after all. Was this... love? Maybe this would be a good opportunity to ask her about that.
"Ummm, Angela," Fareeha then said. "Lena told me you were very fond of me after when we met in the gallery."
"Why yes, I was quite fond of you when we met in the gallery the other day," Angela replied. "Why do you ask?"
"It's just… I was curious to know if you were... " she gulped at the idea of her and Angela being a couple. "Interested in me."
Angela smiled soothingly. "And, what gave you that idea?"
"Something Lena said," Fareeha informed her. "About girlfriends."
"Oh," Angela said, surprised. "Well, I… you are a very talented young woman, very beautiful in fact, so naturally I would be fond of you… in that way."
Fareeha blushed. "You're beautiful as well, Miss Angela."
Angela smirked. "What do you say I treat you to dinner once this is done? And then we can all talk this over. After all, the paint will take some time to dry."
"I...I would like that," Fareeha accepted her offer.
Angela grinned. "I hope you've got my good side."
There isn't a bad side on you, Angela, Fareeha thought, dreaming of being embraced in the Duchess's arms.
Soon, Fareeha put her brush down. The painting was complete. "Would you like to see, Angela?" She inquired.
Angela nodded. "Yes please."
Fareeha turned the canvas around, revealing the portrait. It was very well done, retaining Fareeha's unique art style while paying close attention to the details on Angela's hair and face, especially her eyes.
The Egyptian girl blushed. "Do you like it?"
Angela's eyes widened in joy and glee. "I... I love it!"
Fareeha smiled proudly. "Thank you!"
Angela walked over to Fareeha and took her hands, gazing into her eyes lovingly. "Come now, Fareeha. It's time I treated you to dinner."
The young artist nodded. "Also, regarding my payment...consider it my gift to you."
"No, this is a gift to you," Angela spoke. She then leaned close and kissed Fareeha's lips.
Fareeha's eyes snapped open, but quickly closed as she began to kiss back, gently succumbing to Angela's kiss.
Angela wrapped her arms around Fareeha, holding the egyptian woman close to her, this embrace, this love, this kiss, her gift to Fareeha, a gift that would possibly lead to something so much more.
xXx
Author's note: Pharmercy again! This time in AU that people would commonly do Elsanna in, rather than Pharmercy, but hey, in this age of creativity, the skies the limt. I hope you enjoyed this little ficlet.
See you next time!