Like Morgause had promised, the new dresses had lower necklines and were more form-fitting. This allowed her collarbones and more of her neck to show through. Now it made her look more like she was her age, highlighting a figure that she could see was rapidly blossoming. Slowly Veronica turned this way and that in the mirror she had been given by the Queen, trying to get used to the new gown.

Overall though the dress was still a rather modest thing. The sleeves extended a little further than the wrists, coming down into a point. It emphasized her delicate hands which, despite long hours at writing and spell casting, were still smooth. Ever since she was a child in the litter she had admired the sophisticated hands that Morgause had possessed. She wasn't vain, but how she took care of her hands was the closest she would ever get.

As for the neckline, yes, it was lower. However, it wasn't anywhere near where she'd seen many women wear it. The hem of her dress still dragged on the floor so much that she knew she'd never be able to wear it whilst travelling, something she did a lot of these days. Even the bodice of the dress wasn't very tight; it simply hugged her somewhat closely.

This dress wasn't the lavender and silver thing that Morgause had described to her. It was a simple light blue, almost devoid of decoration. She turned around on her heels slowly, trying to get a better view of it. While she was most certainly not used to such things, she had to admit that she was enjoying how she looked in the new dress.

"It's the first of a few," Morgause said, helping straighten the dress out around the shoulders, "I just wanted to make sure that your sizes were correct. I'm glad to see that you've used a few of the cosmetic tips. A little light on the lipstick?"

Veronica grimaced when she thought of the waxy red paste that she had been given. She could deal with the charcoal for her eyes and the whitening lotions just fine, but she really did detest the lipstick.

"I'm not much of a fan," Morgause admitted, "I don't see the point in those beauty dots either. They look like bugs crawling all over womens' faces. In any case, there are at least four more of these coming your way. They should be much more fancy and there should be at least one riding gown. I'm trying to have them made in the latest fashion but it's a little hard. Some say go French and others-"

Morgause's soothing speculation about the clothes coming from Cornwall washed over Veronica. She looked at herself in the mirror again. Now more than ever she looked like her newly gained eighteen years. She looked like she belonged in a sorcerer's tower, learning spells and attending important functions with highborn Lords and Ladies. The farmer's daughter was receding fast behind her, gone with her childhood and her family.

Blinking she looked at herself again. It had been eight years since she'd lost that old world and gained a new one. Now after all that time she had found her footing, knowing more and more what she had to do to get around in her life and to navigate the court. The change had been subtle; but it hadn't been a bad one. She had become much more than what her mother could've predicted in her life.

She inclined her head slightly to look at the Queen going on about fashion behind her. The woman moved with an effortless grace, probably the effect of generations of breeding. There was something about her that just put other people at ease. Now, for no particular reason, she was trying to give that confidence to Veronica. She didn't need to. Just like Merlin there was no reason why someone like her should bother with Veronica, to help her become why she had.

"Why are you doing this?" she heard herself say.

Morgause turned around, surprised.

"I mean no offense," Veronica said quickly, "and it's not that I'm not grateful but…I really was just a peasant girl in rags when you saw me first. There was no reason for you to ask my name or to care at all."

Blinking Morgause sat down on Veronica's bed and looked at the girl. For a minute Veronica felt uncomfortable; she had spoken out of turn.

"I patronize many people at court," answered Morgause slowly, "Some are sorcerers, others artists, some bards…the list goes on. I give to abbeys and impoverished villages. There are some nobles who have become my wards."

She stopped for a minute.

"My parents died when I was twelve," she said, "Our house was a noble one, but it had very little money by the time I was born. We were given to their liege lord as wards for him to look after. He resented having to take care of us, hated us. Morgana was fifteen then; she was married off almost immediately and escaped. My negotiations went on for much longer and I grew up not knowing about my future. And then, the summer that I turned fifteen, I met my destiny when he fell off his horse in the woods."

Morgause closed her eyes.

"I can't say it was love at first sight," she said, "But by the time I was sixteen, a little young I know, I wished for nothing more than to marry him. It was around this time though that my guardian stopped hating me. Instead he decided I would serve as a suitable bride for himself."

Her eyes were bitter then and Veronica wished she had not brought the subject up. She opened her mouth to say something but Morgause raised her hand and shook her head.

"No, you asked and it's a story that I do not truly mind telling," she said, "He was fifty years old at the time and his years of cruelty had made me frightened of him. I point-blank refused to be his wife and I felt the consequences. My freedom was greatly restricted, I wasn't even allowed out of the castle. Then someone told him about my love."

Stopping she looked off into the distance.

"I was locked into my rooms and told that he himself would drag me down the aisle himself if I wouldn't cooperate. So I did the only thing I could do; give an indecent amount of my jewelry to a servant to get word to my lover. We concocted a plan together and I escaped."

Getting up Morgause walked over to Veronica.

"It was something of a shock when I found out he was the heir to the throne of Lothain and Orkney later," she said, "But I vowed to myself that when I became queen I would never do what my guardian did to me. I would never trample on people and force them to do my will."

Placing her hands on Veronica's shoulders she said;

"You were never a peasant in rags; even I could see that the first day you appeared. There was a spark, a fire there that needed a little help. Merlin would do that for me, but I could send you on your way with clothes and a friend in a far away place. If I can give assistance to anyone to stop them being where I was, then I will. Perhaps you will do the same one day as well."

Veronica looked at the older woman. It was hard to imagine her falling in love with someone like Lot who seemed her complete opposite. As if she could read her mind Morgause said;

"Often times the people our hearts choose aren't what we expect. Other times they are so obviously perfect for us it's painful that we didn't notice them before."

She looked at Veronica a little oddly before finishing;

"Lot may not be my counterpart but he is everything I could wish for, someone who loves me for my intelligence and wit and not for my dowry or political advantage. Believe me, I came with a host of political problems and nothing as a dowry but a few magical items salvaged from my parents' treasures. Most of all though, I love him back. That's what's most important in the end."

She removed her hands from Veronica's shoulders.

"Now," she said, smiling, "what was I saying? Oh yes, you should learn a few court dances…"