Krista Lenz walked upon a wide and twisting road as she made the mile-long journey to the village shops. It was a pleasant day - there was barely a cloud in the sky, and Krista enjoyed the feeling of the spring-time sun upon her face. The morning dew clung to blades of grass adorning the sides of the road and poking through its cracks. Passing by fields of wildflowers and tall grass, Krista smiled - she loved visiting the village. A quiet and sleepy town holding a few shops, a church, and a dance hall was all she needed, and that was where she was headed.
Today, Krista had no particular reason to visit other than to perhaps check for new sheet music or buy some lace for a dress. Mostly she just wanted to be outside - any excuse to escape the lonely estate on which she lived was worthy. As much as she adored her father, living alone with him in an estate of their size left her very lonely, and very bored. He was loving, of course, and tried to be attentive to her; but the looming depression he succumbed to when Krista's mother died had never set him free. She had never known her mother, as the woman died shortly after giving birth to her just over sixteen years ago. Occasionally, Krista and her father would visit her mother's grave in the town a few miles from theirs', but since her father's depression had worsened they had not gone.
It took Krista less than an hour to reach her destination. As she reached the top of a rather steep hill, the village came into view, nestled between fields of crops. Once reaching the bottom, a familiar voice shouted out to her.
"Miss Lenz!" It was the voice of Jean Kirstein, a man of supreme self-confidence and blatant honesty, who was never willing to release Krista from his company on the rare occasion she made conversation with him. Jean was the son of the village reverend, and he certainly took after his father - they shared the same long face and narrow, hazel eyes.
He made his way over to her and bowed politely. "Would you allow me to accompany you?"
"Mr Kirstein," she curtseyed and allowed him to take her arm. Mr Kirstein was not the ideal candidate for her company, but he was better than nobody at all. "What business brings you into town today?" She asked.
"Nothing in particular," he said. "I just thought I would see who was in the village on this fine morning. Yourself?"
"I am simply looking for new sheet music; I seem to have exhausted my grandmother's collection."
"Well, you must come and play at the church again soon! Everyone enjoyed you immensely last time." Jean said. "But I had imagined that you would be crafting a new dress; are you in search of supplies?"
"For what occasion would that be, Mr Kirstein?" Krista said as they reached the little village. The streets were busier than usual, due to the warm weather and clear sky.
"My! Have you not heard?" He exclaimed, looking at her with a shocked expression. "Dr Jaeger and his wife are holding a ball in celebration of their son's coming home. Colonel Keenan's brigade are returning to the village."
"Well, then. If that's the case, then yes, I shall be in need of materials!" Krista laughed. "That is if I receive invitation, of course."
"I have no doubt that you will, Miss Lenz." Jean said. "Do tell me; how are your father and grandmother? I do hope that they are well."
"Yes, they are, thank you." Krista smiled through her lie. Her father was not well; in fact, she had not seen him in two days. Once again he had stopped eating.
The trip in the village was interesting, but Krista longed for the quiet in which she needed to find the things she wanted. Jean Kirstein was a man who talked as if every day were his last to speak, but she was too shy to refuse the man's company. After an almost full half hour of she listening to him and answering his questions as briefly as she could, they ran into Krista's friend Sasha.
"Mr Kirstein!" Sasha exclaimed from the other end of the street, her unkempt hair bouncing up and down as she ran to them. "Krista!"
Jean bowed. "Good morning, Miss Blouse," he said.
"Yes, good morning to you, too." She said quickly. "Krista, there is a matter of urgent importance of which I must speak to you in private. Mr Kirstein, would you excuse our company?"
Jean looked almost dumbfounded for a second before replying. "Yes - of course - I apologise," he said awkwardly. "Do let me know if everything is alright. Oh, and Krista-"
"Yes?"
"You must promise me your first hand at the dance - I shall not take no for an answer."
Krista faked looking pleased. "Of course," she said, and walked away as Sasha took her arm. "What happened?" She asked once they were out of earshot.
Sasha laughed loudly, brashly; it fit her character so well. "Nothing!" She said. "But I know when to get you out of a situation like that. I would not want to see my best friend passed away from boredom, would I?"
Krista laughed too. "Well then let me extend my deepest gratitude, for you may have just saved my life!"
"It was my pleasure. Now," she said, fixing her hair, "what exactly did you come here to buy?"
"Nothing in particular, I simply wanted to leave the estate for a little while. And you?"
"The exact same. The dogs would not stop barking, I thought they would drive me insane. It is as if my parents just let the animals run around wild…" She continued. Sasha lived on a small farm several miles from the town, and as a result she always looked dishevelled in some way, though her smile was charming. What Krista liked most about her was the air for mischievousness she exuded - something Krista felt she was missing from her own life.
They decided to visit the shop of fabrics, a small, cosy place, with rows and rows of different materials hanging from the ceiling and adorning the walls. The owner, Mr Graham, was a slightly eccentric man, and he, like Krista, played the pianoforte. He would sometimes sell her sheet music for a very low price considering how much she could and would be willing to pay for new pieces. Krista was incredibly grateful for his services to her, and purchased two new pieces of music and some lace while she was there.
"This is for the ball, I presume then?" Mr Graham asked her as she handed him her money.
"I think so - as I have heard, everyone in the town is invited."
"You'd be correct there - even I am!" He said, laughing.
"And I am!" Sasha called from the the other end of the shop.
"I am so glad," said Krista, "for balls are a rather hectic occasion, are they not?"
"But that's what makes them so much fun." Sasha said, bringing her purchases to Mr Graham.
A few clouds were dotted in the sky when Krista and Sasha left the shop, waving goodbye to Mr Graham.
"Are you excited for the ball, then?" Sasha asked. "I know I am. Just think! There will be so many men there to dance with that we have never seen before!"
Krista laughed. "I am not quite sure how I feel about it. It shall be pleasant to see new faces, but it is rather intimidating, do you not think?"
"Not at all!" Sasha laughed. "In fact, my mother was mentioning to me that I might even possibly find a husband!"
"A husband?" Krista asked, shocked.
"Yes, Krista, you shall have to get one sometime soon! You cannot just keep avoiding men forever, else they shall all be snatched up, and you will be forced to marry someone like Mr Kirstein…" She teased.
"Heaven forbid!" Krista said. "But he is not terribly awful, you know. Simply rather…"
"Arrogant? Nauseating?"
"Sasha!"
"Oh, Krista, come on now. I should not be expecting some kind of confession of your love for him now, should I?"
Krista laughed. "Oh, no. Certainly not. I am just simply not interested in getting married!"
"Why ever not?"
She sighed. "I suppose I just do not want to leave my father all on his own." Krista said.
"That answer is adequate, I suppose," Sasha grinned.
A short while later, Sasha said goodbye, and as much as she adored her, Krista enjoyed the silence on the way home. The walk felt far longer on the way home, she found; without half the excitement to return home as she had enjoyed when leaving, the journey seemed to drag.
The estate on which Krista lived was a wealthy one, of which she was the sole heir. It had belonged to Katherine Marshall, Krista's mother, before she had married her father, Henry Lenz. Krista was now in the situation her mother had been: heir of the estate but with no siblings, nor male cousins to speak of; not a single uncle, only aunts; and although her father was a widower, he strongly refused the proposition of a second marriage, so there was no chance another heir could be born.
This refusal to remarry was deeply loathed by Krista's grandmother, an uptight, traditional woman, who valued accomplishments above all else, and was driven by money and estate. She lived but fifteen miles away, so she spent much time at the Lenz estate, which was slightly larger than her own. Since Krista had turned sixteen a few months prior, Elizabeth had been dropping less-than-subtle indications that she wanted Krista to marry, just as Sasha had done, although in a much less friendly way. However, she had yet to find a man she deemed worthy of her granddaughter's hand; Krista dreaded the day when she did.
Approaching the estate, Krista saw her grandmother's carriage parked near the stables. She sighed quietly before regaining her composure and making her way back into the house. Her grandmother had a certain knack for making Krista feel worthless - though in the company of others Krista's grandmother was anything but critical. Krista was greeted by the head cook when she arrived home, which still caught her off guard: after one of their maids had resigned from her position, there had been changes in their system. Krista made note to ask her father when a new maid would be appointed to their staff.
"Krista, you are finally back." said Elizabeth Lenz, as Krista entered the sitting room. She was sipping tea from a beautifully decorated china cup, her thinning grey hair pinned elegantly up.
"Good morning, grandmother," Krista said quietly.
"Been visiting the village again, have you? You ought to have taken the carriage." Her voice was loud and firm - it seemed to fill the room, dominate it. "Once you have dealt with your purchases, I would like you to join me here. There's a matter I would like to discuss with you."
Krista curtseyed and left the room. When she returned, her father and grandmother were waiting for her. Her father gestured for her to sit. She smiled when she saw him there - was he finally feeling better? Either way, Krista was relieved, for her grandmother seemed less intimidating when Krista's father was there.
Krista sat across the room from them both tentatively. This was an oddly formal meeting, even by her grandmother's standards - Krista could almost feel her grandmother's eyes boring into her - was she in some kind of trouble? She could not recall anything she had done wrong.
"Krista," Elizabeth Lenz began. "I should like now to discuss the topic of marriage with you." There was no question in her words.
"Krista?" Her father urged upon the silence that ensued. "Have you anything to say?"
"No," she spoke quietly, not looking her intimidating grandmother in the eye. So after all of those hints, they were finally going to speak about it formally. How fitting, she thought to herself, after Sasha had mentioned the topic in the village. She supposed it was going to happen eventually.
"I believe to have found someone suited to you, my dear." She went on, her voice becoming sharper, emphasising the word dear. Krista's heart sank. "His name is Bertholdt Hoover, and he is in possession of a very wealthy estate in the north of the country. Now, nothing has been arranged let me make that clear, Krista; I am simply saying that he would be a very suitable match for you, and I am telling you to do everything you can to make that man propose to you."
Krista's eyes threatened to spill with tears. She knew that this had been coming, but not quite so soon; at least, she thought she would have time to prepare. Krista's father sat up a little straighter and smiled painfully at his daughter, an apologetic expression in his eyes.
"He is a perfectly amiable, man, Krista. I have met him myself. He shares the same disposition as you do. And he very much enjoys listening to the pianoforte."
"How can you be so sure he would favour me?" She asked her grandmother, her voice barely audible, and wavering with the anticipation of tears. "How am I to undertake such a huge task?"
"My dear, he has no reason not to! An accomplished woman of your age, with such beauty? He would have to be a madman to refuse you. Look at that pretty blonde hair; you look just like your mother." She glanced at her son, a small smirk on her thin lips. "And once a man falls in love with a woman as beautiful as that, it can be difficult for him to love again. Isn't that so, Henry, dear?"
Krista's father's hand shook as he raised his cup to his lips. "Let us not speak of this now, please, mother."
"Very well." Her voice was strained. She turned back to Krista. "But we are discussing your marriage, my dear. Now, the perfect opportunity has arisen for your meeting. She leaned forward and presented an invitation. As Krista had expected, it was to the ball Mr Kirstein had informed her of, the celebration of the return of the brigade at Dr Jaeger's estate.
"Mr Hoover' closest childhood friend, Reiner Braun, is part of that very brigade, so he shall be attending with no doubt." Said Krista's grandmother. "As will you. Your first impression is crucial, especially in a public setting such as this. If you perform well, I have no doubt that you shall be engaged within the month."
Krista's eyes once again fell to her lap. A single tear escaped her eye and landed on the fabric of her dress, staining it. Krista hoped that her sadness would fade as quickly as the tear mark. She had just a month; at least, a month at the earliest - and then what would she do? Worse - what would happen if he did not like her? She would surely be blamed by her grandmother.
"Say, is that a horse?" The eldest Lenz turned attention from Krista to look out of the window, where a figure was riding down the path on horseback.
"Good, that must be her." Said Henry. "Apologies. I must excuse myself from the room."
"Her? That's the new maid? Good Lord, son, who have you hired?" There was suddenly a loud knock on the door. "Henry! This is the woman you told me of?"
"The very same, mother. Please excuse me." The man got up from his chair and went to answer the door. Krista peered over to the doorway as her father let in the stranger. The stable boy went to tie up her dark-haired horse.
"Good evening." He smiled at the girl.
"Sir," she bowed. Krista's eyes briefly caught the unknown girl's. They glistened with intensity; Krista was suddenly taken aback. The smallest smirk flickered on her face before turning back to Krista's father.
"Welcome to the Lenz estate," her father began.
"Henry! Bring the girl here. Address yourself!"
Jean got a closer look at her when she followed Mr Lenz She was tall; far taller than Krista. Her skin was tanned, and her hair was long, falling far past her shoulders; it was dark, and straight - but unkempt. Freckles dotted her cheeks and nose. Her eyes were narrow, a deep and dark brown, and her lips were curled into a smile. She was without a doubt the strangest but most striking girl Krista had ever seen.
She curtseyed for such a long time that it was almost mocking.
"Mrs Lenz," her voice echoed through the room, a hint of a laugh in her tone. "My name is Ymir."
