Early morning rays from the sun warmed her bed, making her too hot, kicking the covers from her body, all of this movement told her brain that it must be morning, to get up.
She yawned, stretched her limbs, blinked the sleepiness from her eyes and untangled herself from her many sheets, blankets and even her own bed cloths.
Making her bed, having her breakfast of a large sweet roll and two cups of hot tea were done within the first hour of her waking. Knowing that Madam Carisa would be arriving late in the day, due to the enormous size in which she had grown with her pregnancy, she would have to open the store by herself.
It was still windy from the previous night and the chill of winter had still not left the earth, she would have to wear something that would keep her warm.
In the end she wore a dark green dress with snug mid length sleeves a high waist with a dark cream accent color bordering the square low cut front and the cuffs of the sleeves. The rings she wore about her neck were nestled in the cleavage of her, what she though overly plump, breasts. The long mirror that hung at the end of the wardrobe by the door is where she brushed her terribly long, thick, curly pitch-black hair. It took some time to brush out all of the knots and unevenness in her hair, when she was done her dark curls had formed a dark halo about her, reaching to her lower back. She knew that by the end of the day she would have a full head of massive unkempt curls.
Her complexion was slightly darker than those of the common city folk, not uncommon, but a little more exotic than the norm. Madam Carisa called it an 'olive' complexion, whatever that was. It was a naturally darker complexion, sort of like when one spends too much time in the sun but hers was always this color. Madam Carisa said that her complexion was lovely for the color of her eyes and hair, both of which were black. 'Child, if you only had royal blood, you'd be the center of all of those noble men and the object of jealousy to every blue blooded woman in the court.' Madam Carisa had told her that once, only a year back, while Madam Carisa was helping her alter some of her dresses after she grew in a few places.
Knowing that the large iron key in her pocket was the only thing to open the lock on her door, she headed down two flights of wooden stairs to the bottom floor of the shop. A solitary white painted door with an oval glass window was the only entrance and exit out of the building. Above the door, like most shops, was a large beautifully painted sign that read, "Seamstress Carisa", a sensible name, something that anyone looking for a seamstress could find. The sign had a painted measuring rope and needles on it, very well done and mostly weather proof.
The dead leaves that once hid under the snow were now strewn about the front walk and even the cobble stone street that the shop resided, she's have to find the broom to sweep those away.
Inside of the shop, after unlocking the door and entering with the dinging of the over head door bell, she opened the blue curtains, tying them back to let the sun in and starting a two log fire to take away the remaining night chill.
Today was the day that the display dresses would be changed from heavier clothing to lighter, more colorful, season appropriate attire. This would give her a chance to display some of her more recent work; the dark rose colored, crushed velvet gown with creamy brown satin trim around the neckline and wrists, the golden honey brown satin gown with a paler honey colored flowered pattern barely visible until in the light and the delicate beading that she sewed onto the folded neckline that fell off of the shoulders, and her favorite, the multi-toned striped green skirt with the dark green, long sleeved bodice that she embroidered silver vines all about the hems to. Madam Carisa said that this dress was very bold and might be too dramatic for some of the ladies but trusted that someone would indeed by it.
The changing of the current fashions would have to wait until the front stoop was cleared of the leaves; this at least would let her see the other shop owners open, the ones who had homes away from their shops.
She took her time sweeping, enjoying the birds singing, they had come back from their winter journey only a short while ago and their songs made her happy. The few trees that were between each building were budding, either with new leaves or flowers. The first of the flowers were starting to poke threw the ground, still only just a lump of green protruding from the earth but it was only a short time away until the bright reds and yellows smiled at her.
Cobbler Myden was soon opening his door, he waved at her before he disappeared into his shop. He was a pleasant and good-humored man, slightly older than middle age; his son would soon be arriving to work on the days shoes with his father. Madam Carisa dealt with these two cobblers on a regular basis. More often than not, they would go hand in hand with creations. He would come to her with a pair of shoes and ask to have something made to match that could be sold with them, a handbag, a bodice or a coat. Madam Carisa would also buy fabric to have a dress made and give Myden a large portion for shoes. The two were often planning on how to sell each others products; Thera thought that before long, the two would simply merge. It would only make sense but it was not her place to point out such things.
Across the cobbled street was the glass blowers shop, he and his wife lived above his shop. These two were young, only a few years older than Thera herself. He had purchased the shop off of the original owner to whom he was apprenticed to for years. The older man had lost his only son and wife to a terrible sickness, having no heir to take over the company he was more than willing to have someone buy it and run it. It wasn't uncommon to see the elderly gentlemen come by for a visit, the wife would always come to the shop door to greet him, kissing him tenderly on the cheek and ushering him threw the front doors, as if he didn't know his own way in.
Next to the glass blowers shop was the sisters bakery. These two Thera found amusing; they were both terrible gossips and both terribly plump. 'Don't breath a word of anything to them you don't want the entire city to know', Madam Carisa had told her sternly, it only took one telling. They were both unmarried, not to say that they did not have suitors, it was just that they had not chose to settle on one man. 'How those two can carry on like that without being burned it beyond me, it is so unlady like' Madam Carisa said to her one afternoon after a brief visit from the short, blond, round, rosy-cheeked sisters.
Soon, the barking from the jewelers shop alerted her that Master Galian had opened. Galian was a younger man, older than herself but younger than Madam Carisa, he was unmarried but terribly attractive. He kept six very large guard dogs in his shop overnight, to protect his goods. These dogs would attack and kill anyone that was not their master, on several occasions they had adverted theft and had actually mauled a thief almost to death only two winters back. Thera often thought of Galian in a romantic way, he was terribly charismatic, always handing out complements, always smiling, always laughing, he was intelligent, obviously talented and very well dressed, not to mention deep pockets.
Galian was often over after hours to look at the newest fabrics for an update to his extensive wardrobe, always picking out the most expensive, the most exotic and the most luxurious. He always wore his goods 'good marketing' he told her, indeed it was. Although, there was something peculiar about him, something that she just couldn't put her finger on. He was so well kempt, so well dressed, so well groomed and so handsome, with his blue eyes and golden hair and doing well in his life but why hadn't he a wife? He was always in the company of women, either as friends or as clients and yet he was not courting any of these ladies? The baker sisters had said that a male cousin lived with him, another handsome man, to be sure, yet they said that they bore no resemblance, maybe a distant cousin? She merely shrugged it off, this was none of her concern really but one had to wonder.
The stoop was soon clear of debris of the nights windstorm, she put the broom away in the cupboard and began to change the wooden mannequins in the window from their winter wear to their cooler spring wear.
She hung each garment carefully on a hanger to be hung upstairs, in the storage area, where they will be kept safe and clean until next year.
As she began to arrange the first garment up she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, outside the window. It was Madam Carisa, her arms full of canvas bags, most likely supplies from the other shopkeepers, some new trim or beads to adorn the neckline or hem of future wears.
The once shapely Madam Carisa was now grossly enlarged in the midsection from her pregnancy. Her dark blond hair was braided and coiled about her head, her cheeks rosy from the brisk walk in the cool air, she hadn't even made the full way across the street when all of her arms burden spilled onto the stones.
Thera immediately dropped her work, pulled her skirts up and jogged to the fallen merchandise.
"Oh, curse this burden of mine, I wish it would hurry and leave my body so I may carry on like a normal woman!" Madam Carisa huffed as she knelt on the street to try and gather all that she could.
Thera grabbed the canvas bags and tried to shove all that she could into them, for her ears told her that there were travelers approaching fast.
"Surely they'll stop or move around us," Carisa whispered anxiously, as she glanced nervously over her shoulder to the approaching clatter.
Thousands of tiny, precious, multi-colored, glass beads lay between the cracks of the stones, these were lost, there was a bag of fresh rolls and a few glass jars of preserves within arms reach, several small triangular shaped items wrapped in waxed cloth (which she guessed to be cheese), a few bolts of fabric and Madam Carisa's knitting things, for her baby and other miscellaneous items.
The sound of shoed horse hooves were dangerously close, Thera dared a look and was shocked to see what looked like a herd of giant black horses charging directly for them with no signs of moving, slowing or even stopping.
"Hurry, girl, hurry," Madam Carisa's voice shook even as she continued to haphazardly throw items into her canvas bag.
The sound soon began to flood her senses and just at the last possible moment, she felt a pair of arms grab her from behind and yank her off of the road, she watched in disbelief as a dozen, very large, pitch black horses trampeling everything that the two women couldn't put into the bags.
Two pairs of horses with rider garbed in crimson and black lead the way and tailed a glossy black carriage, with crimson curtains and a driver in all black with his cowl drawn up to hide his face. This party unsympathetically crushed what was left of Madam Carisa's burden.
Tiny glass beads shattered, cheese smeared across the stone, beautiful silky fabrics ripped and stained with horseshoe prints, jars of preserves and random wrappings now lay ruined in the wake of the entourage.
Thera watched in disgust as the carriage and it crew disappeared from sight.
"You should be more careful, girl, if I wouldn'a grabbed ya when I did, you'd be layin' in with the rest of the damaged goods."
Thera, startled by the voice because she had almost forgotten that she had been pulled out of the road, turned to see Cobbler Myden.
"Are ya alright, missy? Nothin' harmed when I yanked ya outa the way?" He asked kindly, his lined face showing concerns.
She patted herself gently, checking for any bruises or such, doubting that she'd find any, "No, sir, only my hopes of salvaging the goods is damaged, thank you."
He nodded, "Tis best to check on your Mistress."
She spun to see Carisa on the other side of the street in the company of the young glass blower and his wife; Carisa seemed to have managed to salvage on full sack of goods, just as she herself had.
Thera gathered her skirts in one hand and rushed across the street to her Mistress, followed by the cobbler.
"Are you all right?"
"Oh, I'm fine, dear, only upset that those things are now ruined and I have to repurchase them. Who would have such a gull to drive threw here at such a reckless speed? Could they not see us?" The blond haired woman gestured angrily toward the direction that the carriage had disappeared to.
"I'm sure they did, Carisa, but whether they cared or not is another matter." The young glass blowers wife said.
"My goodness! What just happened?"
The twins, Flavia and Dorene, wiping their hands on their aprons, already covered with flower and bits of dough joined the small group of shopkeepers.
"My clumsiness almost got us squashed upon the road, that is what," Carisa absent mindedly brushed the lose, floating hair out of her face, it seems to have escaped from her braids in the attempt to save her items.
"Myden and myself had to pull these two ladies off of the street before those horses splattered them like those preserves there," The glassblower told the twins.
"Did they not see you?" Asked the other twin, with them dressed alike it was hard to distinguish between the two.
"No, they surely did but that didn'a seem to slow 'em," Myden answered.
"How absurd! Who would do such a thing?" The short blond twin questioned outraged.
"Someone in a rush, obviously," Melios told them.
Carisa sighed, "We should take what we have left and take it to the shop, Thera, you should see if you can clean some of this mess up so it will not damage any stead or a passerby."
Myden took the bags out of the two women's hands, "Le' me carry these for ya, no need to repeat what just happened."
"Don't worry about the mess Madam Carisa," Melios spoke up, "I'll look after it, no need for you to worry about it, Thera can spend that time tending to you and fetching what you lost."
Carisa's big blue eyes glassed over, "You are all so kind, thank you."
"We'll have a fresh batch of rolls for you in just a few minutes, dear, free of charge," the one blond smiled at her.
"Thera you come over when you get Miss Carisa settled in," the other blond finished.
Thera draped her arm gently across Carisa's shoulders to usher her carefully across the stone street, "I'll fetch the things that we lost, Mistress, don't you worry, don't go getting yourself worked up, you've got enough on your mind with the coming child and the spring orders," she patted her gently on the arm, "I'll make you a cup of tea."