Chapter 3 – New Friends
Relina looked out the window of her carriage and sighed. It was the end of the first week on the road. Her servants were starting to complain about the length of the trip. She had heard they talk to each other, asking why she couldn't make the route shorter since she was a witch. Their words hurt Relina a lot. She was hurt to see that even her most trusted servants shunned her.
The princess looked at the baton on the floor of the carriage and sighed. She picked it up and examined it. She wanted to break it, but couldn't, for it was Father's farewell present. Rhys had wanted to encourage his daughter to be proud of her sorcerer half, so he gave her a sorcerer baton. He didn't teach her how to use it, for he had wanted her to figure it out herself.
Relina didn't want the gift. She wanted to hide her - what she considered – ugly secret. She wanted a new start in the place where nobody knew the secret. Relina knew that she needed to find a safe hiding place for this.
"Arg! This is stupid!" exclaimed the young girl. "What's the point of embroidery class anyway?" She threw down her work, frustrated, "I'll never get this."
The girl beside her smiled. "That's because you need more practice Ella. It's not too bad once you get use to it."
"Easy for you to say, you're so good." Ella looked at her friend's tiny stitches and sighed. "Besides, Sewing I don't get the point of finishing school. If it isn't for you Areida, I would've run away right after I arrives."
Areida smiled gratefully. She was about to say something when Madame Edith, the headmistress, entered.
"Here's a new friend for you girls – Relina of Bamarre." (Relina didn't tell the headmistress that she was a princess, because she wanted to fit in.) All the girls looked up from their work, stood and curtsied. When they sat down, Madame Edith stepped aside, and there, in the doorway was a shy-looking girl. Ella and Areida, along with every other girl in the room, studied her. The new girl was very tall with dark brown hair, and she was very beautiful. She looked like she had been travelling for quite a while. None of them had even heard of Bamarre and thought that it must be a distant place. The girl looked ordinary enough but for the ring of white eyelashes. She swept into a graceful curtsy that made even the best student envy.
"Sit down miss, Sewing Mistress will tell you what to do." Madame Edith left the room.
Relina stood in the doorway, not sure of what to do. She glanced around the room at the strange faces and was suddenly scared. Her Kyrrian wasn't that good yet, and she was sure her accent was horrible.
Then, she saw a girl with dark hair and spicy green eyes smile at her and beckon her over to sit in the chair next to her. Relina smile gratefully and walked across the room.
"I'm Ella," the girl said. Then she gestured at the girl next to her, "This is my friend Areida."
The girl had cinnamon skin and curved-up lips. She smiled pleasantly, "Hi."
"Hello," Relina smiled back. She had perhaps finally found friends.
Sewing Mistress came over and gave her a needle, some threads, and a cloth with a pattern of a bouquet of flowers.
Relina knew what to do. She threaded her needle and started working right away. Ella and Areida tried to get her talking. They talked and learned things about each other. Relina learned that Ella was a merchant's daughter from Frell, and Areida's family ran an inn in the neighbouring country of Ayortha. Relina told her new friends about Bamarre – mostly Drualt's adventures and her mother's, although she didn't tell them that Addie was her mother. She also didn't reveal that she was a princess, instead, she said that she was daughter of knight.
Relina was half finished her work. Ella gawked at the flowers that Relina had sewn. They were beautiful, and they seem so real.
"Wow, and I thought I was good at sewing," Areida said after peering at Relina's work.
The new girl smiled. "Embroidery runs in the family, that's all. You don't want to hear me sing."
"I can help you," Areida said.
"Yeah, she's amazing at singing," Ella put in. "I'm not good at either. Manner Mistress hates me, even thought I have great manners."
"Come on, Ella, don't lie," said Areida while trying to keep a straight face. She gave up and started to giggle, but stopped after getting a look from Sewing Mistress.
Relina was a quiet person, so after getting to know one another, she was content to do her work. Ella and Areida gave up on trying to make her talk and talked to each other.
Even though they were whispering, Relina had managed to hear some of the conversation. Her heart sped up when she heard them talk in what seemed like Bamarrian. Without thinking, she interrupted the girls.
"Benthu okemmo Bamarrian?"
Ella was Areida stared at her blankly. Relina was disappointed and went back to her work.
"What's wrong?" Ella touched her shoulder.
"Oh," Relina looked up, "Nothing. I, I just thought you could speak my language. That's all." When the girls looked confused, Relina explained. "I thought I heard you speak Bamarrian to each other."
Ella knotted her eyebrows, and then her face cleared. "We were speaking Ayorthaian. It's Areida's native tongue, and I'm learning from her."
"Oh. It sounded a lot like Bamarrian. Could you say something in Ayorthaian again?"
Areida said a couple more things in Ayorthaian, and Relina nodded, satisfied. It confirmed her theory.
"I think Ayorthaian and Bamarrian came from the same roots, that's why the two languages are so similar," she explained. [A/N: like French and Spanish come from Latin roots]
"Wow! I'd love to learn a new language, would you teach me?" Ella became excited.
"Ella is very good at languages," Areida put in. "Could, could you teach me too? If it's similar to Ayorthaian, then it wouldn't be that hard."
"Only if you teach me Ayorthaian," Relina replied with a smile. She was beginning to like it here.
~*~
Thanks so much for reviewing!! Don't worry about the pairings, 'cause it'll be all right.
If you want to see a picture of Relina, go to:
members.rogers.com/maplerose/relina1.jpg
I changed her eye colour to brown instead of green because it fits the picture better. The original looks better on paper, but my scanner is messed. The bands on the dress are supposed to be silver.
Relina looked out the window of her carriage and sighed. It was the end of the first week on the road. Her servants were starting to complain about the length of the trip. She had heard they talk to each other, asking why she couldn't make the route shorter since she was a witch. Their words hurt Relina a lot. She was hurt to see that even her most trusted servants shunned her.
The princess looked at the baton on the floor of the carriage and sighed. She picked it up and examined it. She wanted to break it, but couldn't, for it was Father's farewell present. Rhys had wanted to encourage his daughter to be proud of her sorcerer half, so he gave her a sorcerer baton. He didn't teach her how to use it, for he had wanted her to figure it out herself.
Relina didn't want the gift. She wanted to hide her - what she considered – ugly secret. She wanted a new start in the place where nobody knew the secret. Relina knew that she needed to find a safe hiding place for this.
"Arg! This is stupid!" exclaimed the young girl. "What's the point of embroidery class anyway?" She threw down her work, frustrated, "I'll never get this."
The girl beside her smiled. "That's because you need more practice Ella. It's not too bad once you get use to it."
"Easy for you to say, you're so good." Ella looked at her friend's tiny stitches and sighed. "Besides, Sewing I don't get the point of finishing school. If it isn't for you Areida, I would've run away right after I arrives."
Areida smiled gratefully. She was about to say something when Madame Edith, the headmistress, entered.
"Here's a new friend for you girls – Relina of Bamarre." (Relina didn't tell the headmistress that she was a princess, because she wanted to fit in.) All the girls looked up from their work, stood and curtsied. When they sat down, Madame Edith stepped aside, and there, in the doorway was a shy-looking girl. Ella and Areida, along with every other girl in the room, studied her. The new girl was very tall with dark brown hair, and she was very beautiful. She looked like she had been travelling for quite a while. None of them had even heard of Bamarre and thought that it must be a distant place. The girl looked ordinary enough but for the ring of white eyelashes. She swept into a graceful curtsy that made even the best student envy.
"Sit down miss, Sewing Mistress will tell you what to do." Madame Edith left the room.
Relina stood in the doorway, not sure of what to do. She glanced around the room at the strange faces and was suddenly scared. Her Kyrrian wasn't that good yet, and she was sure her accent was horrible.
Then, she saw a girl with dark hair and spicy green eyes smile at her and beckon her over to sit in the chair next to her. Relina smile gratefully and walked across the room.
"I'm Ella," the girl said. Then she gestured at the girl next to her, "This is my friend Areida."
The girl had cinnamon skin and curved-up lips. She smiled pleasantly, "Hi."
"Hello," Relina smiled back. She had perhaps finally found friends.
Sewing Mistress came over and gave her a needle, some threads, and a cloth with a pattern of a bouquet of flowers.
Relina knew what to do. She threaded her needle and started working right away. Ella and Areida tried to get her talking. They talked and learned things about each other. Relina learned that Ella was a merchant's daughter from Frell, and Areida's family ran an inn in the neighbouring country of Ayortha. Relina told her new friends about Bamarre – mostly Drualt's adventures and her mother's, although she didn't tell them that Addie was her mother. She also didn't reveal that she was a princess, instead, she said that she was daughter of knight.
Relina was half finished her work. Ella gawked at the flowers that Relina had sewn. They were beautiful, and they seem so real.
"Wow, and I thought I was good at sewing," Areida said after peering at Relina's work.
The new girl smiled. "Embroidery runs in the family, that's all. You don't want to hear me sing."
"I can help you," Areida said.
"Yeah, she's amazing at singing," Ella put in. "I'm not good at either. Manner Mistress hates me, even thought I have great manners."
"Come on, Ella, don't lie," said Areida while trying to keep a straight face. She gave up and started to giggle, but stopped after getting a look from Sewing Mistress.
Relina was a quiet person, so after getting to know one another, she was content to do her work. Ella and Areida gave up on trying to make her talk and talked to each other.
Even though they were whispering, Relina had managed to hear some of the conversation. Her heart sped up when she heard them talk in what seemed like Bamarrian. Without thinking, she interrupted the girls.
"Benthu okemmo Bamarrian?"
Ella was Areida stared at her blankly. Relina was disappointed and went back to her work.
"What's wrong?" Ella touched her shoulder.
"Oh," Relina looked up, "Nothing. I, I just thought you could speak my language. That's all." When the girls looked confused, Relina explained. "I thought I heard you speak Bamarrian to each other."
Ella knotted her eyebrows, and then her face cleared. "We were speaking Ayorthaian. It's Areida's native tongue, and I'm learning from her."
"Oh. It sounded a lot like Bamarrian. Could you say something in Ayorthaian again?"
Areida said a couple more things in Ayorthaian, and Relina nodded, satisfied. It confirmed her theory.
"I think Ayorthaian and Bamarrian came from the same roots, that's why the two languages are so similar," she explained. [A/N: like French and Spanish come from Latin roots]
"Wow! I'd love to learn a new language, would you teach me?" Ella became excited.
"Ella is very good at languages," Areida put in. "Could, could you teach me too? If it's similar to Ayorthaian, then it wouldn't be that hard."
"Only if you teach me Ayorthaian," Relina replied with a smile. She was beginning to like it here.
~*~
Thanks so much for reviewing!! Don't worry about the pairings, 'cause it'll be all right.
If you want to see a picture of Relina, go to:
members.rogers.com/maplerose/relina1.jpg
I changed her eye colour to brown instead of green because it fits the picture better. The original looks better on paper, but my scanner is messed. The bands on the dress are supposed to be silver.
