She felt the water against her skin, and time seemed at a standstill. The only reason she considered getting out of the tub was the water growing cold, her skin was prickled in goosebumps. She looked at her wrinkled fingers and the now brown water lap against her skin. She had washed her hair at least three times; her scalp felt weird with the lack of grease, almost dry. She slowly retracted herself from the tub, letting the water pool into droplets which slid down her body. The cold air against her fresh skin felt like a shock. She grabbed a linen towel from off a rack and wrapped it against her wet body.
She finished drying off and carefully put on her delicate underwear and sleeping gown. The clean clothes against her clean skin felt refreshing and smooth. She put on some lovely flat slippers and walked over to her bathroom mirror. The image reflected was of a young lady, lightly tanned.
She had slightly arched dark eyebrows. She had long tangled brown hair, which was darker at the roots and gradually turned into a chestnut brown. It was straight, with the slightest wave. She had full pink cheeks, and a soft chin. I look like a lady, she said as she drank the image in front of her. As soon as she realized her beauty, she realized her flaws. The bridge of her nose had a bump, and there was defiantly an acne problem on her forehead. Oh Goddess I hope that clears up, no one will love a zit-faced girl. She sighed, and as she looked at her face from the side view she saw that her ears looked small, and that her lips were small – not plump at all.
She met her own eyes, and saw the clear serene blue with a tinge of topaz towards the center. They did not compliment each other quite right, which was odd; it gave her eyes a striking appearance. After gazing into her eyes she realized that it became quite plain after a few moments, and that her eyelashes were not very long. They were thick and black though, her lips were pale, and her overall skin color looked dirty. I look like I rubbed orange clay on my face. A tan is not complementary with my looks!
She felt very exposed for the first time in her life. She felt special, yet ugly. She felt accomplished, yet also lacking. As if she were okay, but not good enough. She walked over to the window to reflect her body against the glass. She was slim from the lack of interest in food, but her hips still seemed to large. All the food is disgusting here, how do those other girls shovel it into their mouthes? I should eat more, I feel faint often, but I can't bring myself to love it like others do.. She looked at her bust, They are not big. Should they be big? She looked at herself, her body looked balance. She was not striking, but she was healthy looking. After looking at herself for a while she realized she was not as thin as she thought she did. Her thighs looked too large. I'm shaped like a pear! She sighed again.
What does it even matter? Why should I care?
Then she smiled; it was full of self confidence. I'm beautiful enough for one person. Under all that dirt and grime, I'm just as pretty as I feel. I'm just the same as I was a day ago, a girl. She stretched her arms out and took in a deep breath. Letting the air slowly escape her she walked over to the princess-worthy bed. She lazed herself down and allowed the soft fabric to brush her skin. A heaviness pressed on her eyelids, and she drifted into a peaceful slumber.
She awoke that morning having not dreamt, her gown was wrinkled. She felt a drop in her heart at seeing her most beautiful garment crinkled. As she came back to her own body, she saw a maid scuttle out of her room. She thought she recognized her. It doesn't matter, i'm supposed to be silent!
She went to the bathroom and saw a fresh warm bath had been made for her. The steam slowly rose towards the ceiling. The tub had been scrubbed from her last experiment. That woman must have wondered how a "lady" had made such a mess! She took off her garment and looked at her body naked. Her belly-button was fascinating. She spent at least a minute staring at it. She poked her finger inside and brought out an assortment of dirty and gunk. Her stomach turned over and she immediately felt the urgency of the bath.
She sank into the bath and smelled the bath salts she could choose to bathe with. She chose a strawberry scented sack of small rocks and sand. She let some pour into the palm of her hand, she allowed a little water to mix with the sand and white rocks. She assaulted her ragged hair with the stuff. The small white rocks activated and reacted like soap. Bubbles slid down her body and into the water, lining the side of the tub with the fizzles.
She used the salt on her body, careful to be gentle on her bosom, but brutal on her belly-button. She cleaned every inch of her body. This time the water did not turn dark. She dried in the same fashion as yesterday, and this time she looked at the utensils laid out for personal grooming. She did not know how to use anything correctly. I'll take my chances on that comb though. She ran it through her hair wincing with pain almost constantly. Knots and tangles glued together could not part without a cry of pain from her mouth. Tears were streaming down her face by the end, her scalp burned, and her hair was almost dried. Her hair felt lighter, almost like feathers attached to her head. She felt glamorous.
Walking into the bedroom she saw that the Lady sat in a chair by the window. The towel covering her naked body felt miniscule. She felt exposed and embarrassed. The lady turned her head and noted her lack of clothing. "I'm here to assist you in picking a gown, and putting it on. You will need help. I still do." She smiled and stood up. The sleep had helped her looks tremendously. She looked ten winters younger.
After what seemed like an hour they had picked out a soft blue muslim gown and some darker blue leggings. The trim on the dress was an almost white, blue lace. Which the color closely matched her slipper shoes. The Lady instructed "Anna" on how to use all of the hygienic tools, their names, and also how often to use them.
While they were relaxing in the chairs, Lady Godfrey's face turned serious. She turned to "Anna" and asked, "Have you started you monthlies yet?" The younger girl blushed and meekly replied no. The Lady seemed pleased with this, "Your just the right age to pull this all off," She smiled, "You even look like my daughter, face features were slightly different. Her eye color was much different, she had doe brown eyes. But your hair and face shape match. Thats more than we could have asked for." She smiled and relaxed in her chair.
"Now Anna, today we are going to start your lessons as a lady."
"Yes ma'am."
"First off, who is the king, queen, and prince?"
"The king is Roald I of Conté and the queen is Lianne of Naxen. I believe the princes name is Johnathan" Everyone in Tortall knew the names of their loved rulers.
"Excellent. Today our focus is on your letters though, you need to not only speak Common well, you need to elegantly be able to write. In three weeks time tutors will be coming. By then you will need a basic understanding in writing, mathematics, and other womanly tasks. First you will learn your letters, then I will assign literature for most subjects."
"Yes ma'am, I understand." Alexandria's nerves were on fire with excitement. Whether it was learning a new wrestling move, or finding a robins' nest, she enjoyed all things new and exciting. She had a thirst for knowledge that knew no bounds. It was not until many years later that it was even dulled a little.
The rest of the day the two spent reading over scripts. Alexandria quickly learned how to be Anna. She picked up the tid-bits and facts of the kingdom that Lady Godfrey chose to tell her. By the end of the day she knew her numbers and letters. She had already written the name "ANNA" on a piece of paper. The handwriting was shaky and large. The Lady assigned her work, she must had to write a list of phrases on paper, until it looked like the example writing. The Lady left, and Alexandria worked until her hand hurt terribly.
She walked over to her bed and her body went limp onto her bed. Almost instantaneously she was asleep. She did dream this night, of spiders and flowers and other meaningless objects. She woke up feeling refreshed. She had another bath, feeling wonderful. She brushed her hair again, which had much fewer knots. I must brush my hair again before falling asleep this time. She cleaned her teeth well, and ate breakfast. Food had completely escaped her mind all of yesterday.
She tore into the food, gorging herself like a pig. The food given to a noble lady was much different than a common servant. It was delectable. I will never skip a meal again! Food like this makes life worth living. She finished eating and hummed a little tune while practicing her penmanship. The difference was already drastic. The Lady Godfrey will be pleased!
Later in the day when the said-woman returned she was pleased. She gave her a list of new words and phrases to memorize and write. Alexandria was kept busy for a few hours while the Lady was gone. The lady came back in with her sewing. She kept Alexandria company, and had idle conversation with her about the state of Tortall.
Two weeks passed and Alexandria was much farther along. She could even multiply. Her schoolwork was to be put on hold today because many gowns had to be fitted for her and her "mother." They went to the seamstress and a large wardrobe was made. Many fanciful gowns were made plans for, and Alexandria had her first measurements taken. The seamstress complimented her thin waist, and Alexandria blushed feeling a surge of pride.
They visited the cobbler, and had a large array of stylish shoes picked out. They were to be fitted to perfection. Afterwards they visited the stables and picked out horses. Alexandria automatically fell in love with a small long legged horse. The horse was a deep russet red, with white stockings and maine. Its tail had a slight curl, and it had a pleasant attitude. While walking the horse she realized it wasn't very smart, it constantly tried to rub its rump up against a tree. The lady made her give up the startling horse for one much more practical. A small to medium sized pony, a crème color with blue roan flecks on its hind quarters. Its coat did not shine as bright, and it didn't have long beautiful hair, but it was a level-headed calm horse. Easy for first time riders, she was a very sweet docile creature. They chose their track and gear well. If the wagon was trapped by snow during the winter, the Lady wanted to be able to escape without frost bite.
Alexandria saw the Lord Godfrey on occasion, and she realized what a gentle man he was. There was a look of ambition on his face, but it was a controlled one. This man wouldn't grasp for power if it engendered any risk.
The weeks past in a flash, and by the time the tutors came Alexandria was ready. She had even gotten use to being called Anna. She learned much from her tutors, always with her nose in a book she studied. Her tutors gave good reports about the quick advances the young noblewoman made. Both the Lady and Lord of Godfrey were satisfied that they picked Alexandria. Soon, Alexandria began to feel a warmth whenever she made either of her "parents" smile. Her relations with them were well, and she had not seen or heard of the Lady crying since she agreed to be her daughter. She got used to baths, but she still enjoyed the pleasure and privilege of it.
Weeks passed and she was surprised to see that the leaves had all fallen. On that same day the Lady announced that the next day they were to leave for Corus. The Lord had rode to the west to help protect the ports. "Order must be kept" seemed to be his saying. Alexandria went to bed that night thinking her name was Anna. She dreamt of the wonders of the prince. She had seen a painting of his father, and was astounded by his looks. I'm going to make a prince fall in love with me. She fell asleep with a silly smile on her face
