Cold-weather dresses on the right, warm-weather dresses on the left. Undergowns in the middle, with shirts and breeches tucked underneath – I doubt my Noble roomates would approve of dressing like a boy, even if it is sometimes practical! Issabél was unpacking her bags, placing their contents in the clothes chest and on the shelves by her bed. She smoothed and folded each garment with care, remembering the time when, only two weeks before, she had been fitted for them. Breathing deeply, she caught the scent of roses, laced with just a bit of mint: the fragrance worn by her mother. My clothes still smell like home, she sighed.
Someone behind her cleared their throat, in a loud, imperious way. Too caught up in memories, Issa hadn't noticed that others had entered the room. Now she spun around, and was met by the sight of three young ladies, inspecting her and her possessions inch by inch.
"You must be the new girl" started a tall and skinny blonde. "Dedicate Quail said that there would be a pupil arriving this week. My name is Liesa fa Nadlen. This," the girl gestured to her right, "is lady Anna fer Dainen and this," pointing to her left, "is lady Maia ei Maddreyn."
Issabél stared, unsure of what to say. The first girl, Liesa, had a definite air of importantce. She was well bred, well dressed and well placed - and she knew it. The two others were also well bred, judging by their rich and costly clothes, but they were less sure of themselves, as if they needed directions in order to act. Issa pondered this for a moment, and then suddenly came to her sense and introduced herself.
"I…I'm Issabél."
"Pleased to meet you" All three ladies curtsied, and Issabél hurriedly curtsied back.
"So," said Liesa, "tell us of your hometown. We don't get much gossip in a temple community." Following her lead, the other girls asked things too. Why had she come to Winding Circle? How long was she to stay? Did she have magic? Was she bethrothed to anyone? Sitting down on her bed, Issa answered all of their questions, and then posed one of her own:
"Who had this bunk before me? There were still old sheets on the bed and things on the shelves. Did the person leave in a hurry?"
The other girls glanced knowingly at each other.
"Oh, she left in a hurry all right. Until yesterday, this bunk belonged to lady fa Toren." Liesa pronounced the word 'lady' as if it were a dirty word. "Her behaviour caused a scandal, so they sent her away." Suddenly Liesa smirked. "I heard she had to go to discipline!" Issa was just about to ask what the scandal had been about when a loud, clanging bell rang out. "Lunch time!" Lady Maia exclaimed joyfully. Her friends frowned at her unfeminine outcry and obvious love of food, then got up, smoothing out their skirts. "Come on. We'll introduce you to the rest of Pearl Cup."
"This is a surprise test."
At the teacher's words, Pearl Cup's senior students groaned in unison. The class was Comportment and Etiquette, the teacher Dedicate Quail, the strict dormitory head herself. Issa had only been at Winding Circle for five days, but already she knew that the dedicate was just as strict about schoolwork as she was about dormitory rules.
Now Dedicate Quail surveyed the small classroom, watching all twenty pupils with hawklike eyes. The sturdy wooden desks were placed in neat, orderly lines, with a slate and two sticks of chalk resting on each one. Never had a whisper or expression escaped her attention, today being no exception. Her student's faces were creased in frown and worry, a fact that did not put off or phase the stern woman as she slowly and briskly began to speak.
"You are to give a three minute speech on your family and origins, displaying proper grammar, posture and enunciation. A point will be docked for every sign of slouching, stuttering or mispronunciation, as well as for every personal Title misused. These past weeks have been dedicated to learning the names and addresses for all nobility, and such knowledge much be used and displayed accordingly. You have one minute to prepare."
The classroom broke out in noise. Dedicate Quail was infamous for her short-notice tests and evaluations, but...one minute! That wasn't nearly enough time to prepare! Quickly the girls exchanged facts from their lessons, calling out encouragement and advice to each other. Issabél was in the thick of it all, paying attention to other's comments, all the while bitting her lower lip in worry and concentration.
Family! she thought. Knowing these rich-bred girls, all of them will be 'fa's, 'fer's or 'ei's. They don't even know my last name yet! Wait till the find out that it's only 'Saienn', no fancy prefixe. I bet they'll do just like the ones back home and turn their back on me! Ohhh, I hope not! Liesa and the others are stuck up and sometimes mean, but at least they like me. Not like at home, where everyone just looked down their noses and pretended I wasn't there. They're not the best friends, but it's better than none! Ohhh, please don't let them –
"No more discussions!" ordered Dedicate Quail. "Our first speech will be delivered by – hmmm, let's see… Oh yes. Our newest pupil, lady Issabél, will deliverthe first speech. Hopefully we shall become better aquainted with her as a result."
Slowly Issa stood up at her desk and walked to the front of the classroom, taking care not to slouch or drag her feet. She stood up straight in front of the chalk board and, trying to ignore her classmate's eager faces, took a deep breath and said:
"My full name is Issabél Emaiyre Saienn, after my great, great grandmother. My father is Karl Saienn, of Ivelle, Emelan. My mother is Laianna, and her maiden name is Mayalis. She comes from Vilsa, in the Stepping Stone Islands. Both my parent's families have been land merchants for as long as they can recall, trading produce and cloth from around the Pebbled Sea." Issa was about to explain how her parents had chosen her name when she noticed the very large frown on Dedicate Quail's lips. She stopped, worried.
"Lady Saienn, where are the titles you have learnt? This speech is supposed to display your knowledge of them, and in the moments you have been talking, not a single 'Lord' or 'Baron' has come up!" Issa looked down at her feet blushing with shame as she explained that she knew of no title-holding nobles in her family, only well-to-do merchants like her father. The dedicate was taken aback for a second, and then mumbled a small apology and called up the next speaker.
Issa sank into her seat, on the brink of tears. She wasn't ashamed of her family, and had never truly wanted to be of noble birth. But she knew that the others in Pearl Cup thought highly of birthright and privilege, and once again worried that they wouldn't accept her. Trying to stay calm, she listened as five other girls talked of the families; Lords in Sotat, Barons in Capchen, Dukes in Anderran, and even a King in Lairan. After what seemed and endless list of high-class names, the belltower finally called out the noon hour, and Issa rushed to the dormitories to compose herself for a moment.
By the time she arrived in the dinning hall, the table occupied by the Pearl Cup girls was almost full. She tried to set down her tray next to Liesa, Anna – any of the girls – but none seemed to have space for her. Once again blinking back tears, Issabél took a seat in the far corner of the room, where a bronze-skinned girl was staring into her bowl of stew. She gave a small sniffle, refusing to cry, and then ate the rest of her meal in silence.
