Chapter 5
"Wrǖth Castle"
"Rise, my child, awake!
Arianna groaned as the distant voice called persistently to her. She felt a strong hand shake her arm gently yet at the same time vigorously. She strained to open her heavy eyelids and as she did, a blinding streak of white light flashed and she covered her eyes with her arm, turning over on her side.
"Arianna! Open your eyes, child, awake! See, 'tis a brand new day and I believe nearly all of Wrǖth castle would be desiring to see you; would be an utmost shame to sleep in on your first morning in your new home."
Stifling a yawn, Arianna forced herself to sit up, her hands pushing down on some very soft material. The faint smell of spices and herbs tingled her nostrils as she breathed in. Rubbing her eyes lazily with her right hand, she blinked cautiously as she opened them again. As she did, she found an old grey man sitting by the side of her bed with a cheery grin on his lips and his face aglow with merriment and glee that made his features look much less worn and wrinkled.
"Good morning, Arianna." The deep comforting voice of her Master greeted her.
"Good morning, Master Grêth." Arianna replied with a tired smile.
The old healer stood up and walked towards a small wooden door, situated in the center of the wall to her right, pulling on a long and thickly twined cord that sent a soft tinkling sound that echoed above her.
Arianna took this opportunity to survey intently her surroundings with ingenuous awe.
She was sitting on a low bed of jumbled furs and soft round pillows, stuffed with marvelously velvety down, they clumped on the spot where her head used to lay. Right across the bed where four tall windows from which even longer cerulean curtains hung, the two windows' drapes were neatly tied to the sides revealing the bright sky blue day. The sun was just rising as it was nearing mid –morning. Looking back around the room, Arianna took notice of the stoned walls, which were partially hidden behind woven rugs, and tapestries of different colors that festooned the entirety of the room. A large black bear hide spread out on the floor at the center of the room. The left wall opposite the door was hidden behind huge shelves and cabinets filled with all sorts of objects. Some held dusty bound books of various widths and sizes while others contained rows of bottles and vials filled with different hues of liquid and others still were racked with an assortment of both healing and aromatic plants tied in color coded knots and strings or stuffed in small pouches. A table and stool were situated at the far end of the room littered with written parchments, ink spills and quills. Another small table stand held candles and a single golden candleholder. A few unlit torches hung on torchbearers on the sides of the wall that were unoccupied. Arianna looked behind her and saw a miniature altar positioned just above the bed decorated simply with tiny figurines, scented candles and small squares of wood on which were painted symbolic images and characters.
The sound of the door opening broke Arianna's trail of observation and she heard a loud gasp of surprise followed by a squeal of delight. Sitting up straighter to see who had entered, she made out a plump middle aged woman dressed in brown leathery working garments clasping arms with her Master before kissing him warmly on both his gaunt cheeks. Her matt brown curls jiggling underneath a red cloth tied about her head.
"I can't believe it! Oh, Criastus! Praise the Gods in Kannaham above in all their glory! You have returned Master Grêth! Oh, what a shock ye hath given me indeed, when I hear the ol' bell ringing just a moment ago. Thought it might be a castle ghost or the sort! Oh blessed day indeed! When did you come in? Yester night? Nay… could not have been but early in the dark morning, I suspect. But then, word 'round the castle always travel fast, does it not? Twas only this dawn I hear the war bells ring and shouters calling but I daren't believe twas true! Now, I see it is! It is so!" the lady said, her voice sounded motherly and pleasant, though Arianna hardly understood a word she said as it was spoken fast and in a much more pronounced Western accent.
"Ah, Clavetti! How I've missed you and these endless chatters of yours! Dare I say that I never thought I would miss it this much?" Grêth bantered amusingly.
The woman laughed along but then her features suddenly grew serious.
"But, where art the army and the Lord Knight? I saw them not in the Great Hall. 'Twas empty!" she said, worry and fear suddenly filling her dark brown eyes. "Have they… Have they…"
Shaking his head reassuringly, the old man answered, "No, the Lord Knight Callium and the army are alive and well but urgent matters call them to the Groidoin watchtower. Fret not, Clavetti, they shall return home very soon. Only a little delay, that's all, will only be a short while now. Nevertheless, for now, there are other matters to attend. There's someone I want to introduce to you, my dear Clavetti…"
The Master then turned towards Arianna who was sitting motionlessly on the bed listening to their conversation. Clavetti turned her head following Master Grêth's eyes till it landed upon the most unlikely creature to end up on the old healer's bed; a scraggly looking young lass looking back at her with those curious looking amber-brown eyes and her limp scarlet hair tousled all over her face.
The Master then looked at Arianna with a warm smile, "Arianna, this is Clavetti, the Wrǖth castle keeper and care taker for many a year. She is the head mistress of this castle and tends to the needs and affairs of our people as well as the castle itself whilst the Masters are away to war or other important affairs."
"Clavetti, that young maiden sitting on yonder bed, is Arianna. We found her almost close to death in the now ravaged town of Vasdenin, far away in the Northlands. She has been through many terrible—terrible occurrences, she barely survived it all. I pray you make her feel welcome here, though she is but a stranger from the North."
Both females said not a word. Arianna shied under the woman's harmless yet scrutinizing gaze and bent her head.
Then, all of a sudden, she felt a strong arm wrap around her as she was pressed against the bosom of the plump mistress before being rocked back and forth with such enthusiasm, she almost forgot to breathe a sigh of relief when she was instantly released.
"Oh, you poor, poor child! What terrors you might've been through, I dare say! I should have seen it instantly rather than leer at ye like some vulture! By gods! You're nothing but withering skin and bones, my girl! Master Grêth, what have you been feeding this child? She looks starved to death! But, never you mind that now, dear Clavi will have it all fixed up for you, you'll be all right there, my girl."
She stroked Arianna's head and Arianna couldn't help but smile gratefully at this woman who seemed so kind and so gentle.
Master Grêth then wandered over to a table and took from a cabinet three small wooden cups as well as a dusty brown bottle filled with liquid.
"Shall we make a toast then, Clavi?"
Clavi stood up and said merrily, "We shall! We shall Master Grêth! All in a quick moment!"
The old man stopped midway in pouring wine into a cup, "A moment, dear Clavi? Why the sudden decline of celebration?'
Shaking her head with laughter, Clavetti exclaimed, "Tis not that I am declining to celebrate, my Master, but I just can't celebrate duly till I have this girl washed, cleaned, dressed up and given a hearty meal that would surely bring back a bit o' rosy glow to those pale cheeks. What IS this wear you have garbed her in Master Grêth? I have to say, it does seem like it hasn't seen clean water in weeks! And, oh by the gods, I dare ask the last time this girl has had a proper bath? She does reek as much as the sties do, doesn't she. Master Grêth, you must let me away this child a moment and once she's been bathed, dressed and fed, why I say, it'll put some color back in those pale cheeks now won't it?"
Arianna blushed crimson when she caught sight of herself in the mirror on the right wall just beside the bedside table. She was still clothed in that old torn undershirt that had already become of such sordid color; she too wanted to get out of it as soon as possible.
Setting aside the drinks, the old man chuckled as he understood the situation, "Why, you're absolutely correct Clavetti, we surely can't have her like this in her new home! Besides, I believe I've deprived Arianna of fresh bathing water for a time longer than preferred. But she's been ill for quite some time Clavetti, I only had kiltian leaves doused in spring water to rub her down with every night and I have to admit, the scent does wear off in due time. Therefore, I leave her to you, dear woman. I have all faith you'll turn this caterpillar into a stunning butterfly by the end of the day."
Arianna then suddenly blurted, "Yes, me… want…war-ter… bath…yes!"
She didn't care how crude or unintelligible it might have sounded; at least she had finally said something.
The woman looked taken aback as Arianna spoke. She understood the words and though it rang with the unmistakable willowy Northern accent, she had still spoken in the Local Western tongue.
"By gods! She speaks! And I— I understand her!" Clavetti exclaimed.
The Master merely smiled easily, "Why of course she speaks Clavi, you didn't think she was a mute, did you? I've been educating her in our tongue for the past month and though it isn't yet as what I hoped it to be by now, still she's learning and progressing each day. She can understand you and me quite wholly, though she still has some difficulty in putting her own thoughts into our words. However, she's trying, Clavetti and I'd be happy if you'd be willing to aid me in tutoring her. Oh, and would you kindly ask Madam Danae to see me in a while? Thank you, Clavi. There's a matter I would like to discuss with her. "
Smoothing down her apron, Clavetti replied, "Of course I would Master Grêth! Of course! Nothing would please me more than see her become one of us, learning our ways and all."
Arianna, yearning to say more, sputtered, "I know lot…words. Master Grêth kind… man…help me speak Local Tongue. K-n-now lot. La-earn still."
"Well now, so ye wilt dear lass. Ye wilt so so much! Now, come, off to the tub we go." Clavi said affectionately, though
Arianna slid off the bed and planted her feet on the floor, wobbling a bit. But she steadied herself and smiled at Master Grêth.
"You know you are completely healed, Arianna." Master Grêth said softly.
Arianna made a wide grin and tottered along outside with her arm upon Clavetti's.
She gasped in awe as she exited the room. It suddenly seemed that when she had stepped out from the room, she had exited from a cramped cupboard and walked into a giant's abode as she found Clavi and herself at the very end of a gigantic hallway that was lined with much bigger and more elaborately designed doors than her Master's. The ceiling was so high, Arianna nearly fell over backwards trying to look at it, and her eyes were wandering everywhere as she took in the magnificent carvings as well as the intricate art and portraits in large gilded frames on the stonewalls. A few exquisite items were displayed on high pedestals, some behind glass closures. Gigantic statues and various sorts of armor, weaponry and seals bedecked the halls. The windows were high and tall and streaks of sunlight flooded in and lit the hallway as they walked by. Passing by numerous doors along the way, Arianna grew enthused as she anticipated the day when she would be given the freedom to explore this vast and magnanimous castle.
Clavetti led her towards a large wooden door with an iron handle, opening the door with one hand and supporting Arianna on the other, she led the girl inside a dimly lit room where a large circular wooden tub was situated at the center of it. It stood about a bit lower than Arianna's waist and it was so large, Arianna reckoned that about two healthy female cows could sit in it quite comfortably. The windows were small and were located at the highest corners of the room. The thin streams of sunlight shone through them, illuminating the room a bit.
Arianna walked in cautiously as she looked around the room, her eyes couldn't seem to stop staring at everything at once. Clavetti signaled her to wait beside the wooden bathtub as she strode towards a cabinet by the right side wall.
Arianna then noticed that the bathtub was filled to the brim.
"Was planning to have a bath myself earlier, dear, but then I reckon ye'd be needing it more than I. Though, I think the water's gone a bit cold on me." Clavi explained when she saw Arianna gazing at the full tub questioningly. The woman opened the drawers of the cabinet and took out three long rooted bulbs.
"What that?" Arianna asked shyly, pointing to the bulbs. The dry taste in her mouth urged her to speak again.
Clavi stopped a moment, and then said with a shaky smile, "Oh, these you mean? Sorry, my girl, it's your accent. It's…well… different." Then, shaking her head, she put up a wider smile, "These are what we in the West use for bathing, we call them zopas meaning, to be clean. It gives quite a delightful smell that sticks to your skin and helps wash the dirt and grime away. It gives off bubbles too."
Arianna frowned at the new word, "Buh-bles? What buh-bles?"
Contemplating on her answer, Clavi simply sighed and said, "Ye will see, my girl. In a short moment."
She walked towards the tub and dipped her short stubby fingers in the water, "Aye, just as I said it was so. The heat's all gone but it ain't gotten cold yet. Come, my girl, we mustn't waste it."
She beckoned Arianna closer, and Arianna did. There was an awkward pause and Arianna stood there hesitatingly, uncertain of what to do. Then, with a patient smile, Clavetti pulled the old grimy shirt up above her head.
Then, before Arianna could think or say anything, she was rapidly stripped of her undergarments and was then carried quite easily by the plump woman and lobbed into the tub. There was a loud splash as Arianna was dropped into the warm water and Clavetti laughed well naturedly as Arianna's head emerged from under the water, sputtering.
Arianna didn't know whether to scream, laugh or cry. She was dumbstruck as she pushed her wet scarlet hair away from her face and coughed the water out of her mouth. She turned around to face Clavetti.
The woman then set two bulbs aside, the one she held in her hand she broke open effortlessly with her hands. Taking the fleshy pulp from the inside, she scooped a bit of water from the tub and rubbed her hands briskly together creating a foamy and aromatic mixture. Then, she reached over to Arianna and started lathering the solution vigorously all over Arianna's head. Arianna immediately drew away reflexively but the woman's hold on her was firm. Suddenly, the lathering mellowed down a notch and so did Arianna's tension. She then succumbed herself to the relaxing effect of the massaging of her head.
Clavetti looked down at Arianna, "Ye wanted to see what bubbles are? Tis this…"
Arianna glanced at Clavetti and suddenly she giggled. Rubbing her soapy hands again, Clavetti opened her palms and blew. Tiny transparent circles glistening with small rainbows started to float around Arianna and the peasant girl stared at them with delightful awe.
"Buh-bles." She whispered as she touched one of them and watched as it popped and disappeared.
Chuckling, Clavetti opened another bulb root and handing the peachy pulp to Arianna said, "Here. Make bubbles of your own, dear. Rub them on yer body so they can clean ye up and make ye shine like new glass."
Arianna did as she was told and was amused as well as amazed by the effect of this zopas.
"Now, wait here a while."
Arianna watched as Clavetti exited the room, leaving Arianna alone in a bubbly tub. She felt amazingly relaxed and she sighed in contentment as leaned back into the warmth of her bath. It did feel good be clean and smell clean. She continued rubbing her body, dabbling with the millions of bubbles that formed as she washed herself.
She then caught sight of a tiny flash of red underneath the foamy water and as Arianna lifted her right arm, she noticed a small bright red star on her right lower forearm. She touched it and wondered if it was a wound or a dirt mark of some sort. She took some water and rubbed forcefully on her arm but the symbol shone as clear as ever. Then, she stopped.
It was so familiar… but… why?
She closed her eyes and suddenly her mind was drowning in a wild spur of red and purple. She heard a loud rush of water and voices. Someone was calling her from afar and she strained to hear whose voice it was. It was a man's voice but she couldn't understand what he was saying…
She couldn't hear…
She couldn't see…
She couldn't breathe…
A flash of red sparked before her…
A loud slamming of the door prompted Arianna to rise above the foamy water, coughing and gasping for air.
"Are you aright there, my girl? Looks like you've had a bit of too much excitement in the tub, haven't ye? Come now. Come now. Was only gone for a wee bit and here I find you half-drowned." Chuckled Clavetti as she wandered back into the room and in her arm, she carried a fur made towel.
"Ar-rianna? Is it? Tis your name, my girl, isn't it?" she asked as she unfolded the towel.
Arianna wiped the water and foam out of her eyes and nodded, "Yes, my name. Arianna."
"Alright then, let's give you one more wash down and then you're coming out from there." Said the woman, then with a strength surpassing any woman of her age and height, she picked up a large wooden pail on the side and emptied the water all over Arianna's head.
The water was warmer and it washed every single bubble and foam from her hair. Arianna gulped for air again but this time she sighed in ease. She forgot about the eerie incident that had occurred and instead she stood up from the tub and stepped out into the fur towel Clavetti held out for her.
The woman began briskly rubbing the girl up and down, drying her damp skin as her water dripped from the tips of hair. Then, with one hand holding the towel, Clavetti reached beside her for a thin robe made of the least coarse fur but was a little too oversize for Arianna.
"Put this on, Arianna. May be a little size more than you are, my girl, but it'll do for the meantime, it will."
Smiling shakily, Arianna slid her arms into the robe and pulled it on her. The sleeves hung a bit over her hands and the hems were soaked by the puddle she stood in.
"It's… right… a little." murmured Arianna.
"Well, you'll grow into it in time." Commented Clavetti, already adapting to Arianna's peculiar slur in the way she pronounced her words.
"Now, off to your room. Just right across that of Master Grêth's, it is. He especially requested you to retire there. Most beautiful room of the castle I might say next to the Lord Knight's. I've called for a few young lassies to help you with your dress. My, you'll turn into a pretty sight after all this, I expect." twittered Clavetti.
Arianna grinned at her; it was comforting to have such an amiable companion on her first day in this foreign castle. As she allowed Clavetti to continue to dry her damp scarlet hair, she mused about what her future held for her in this castle and if she might be able to recall something of her past that might explain to her how she came to be part of this Western tribe.
Then, Clavetti said, "Now, let's away from here."
Arianna held the robe tightly to her chest for fear of it falling loose as she followed Clavetti back into the large hallway. As they retraced their steps down the hallway, Arianna no longer gaped openly at her surroundings but instead she scrutinized the artifacts more closely and began wondering what were behind all these other doors and where they would lead.
As they approached what seemed to be her door, she found it quite a bit more exquisite than the others she passed. The door handle was made of gold metal and fastened upon the center of the door were tiny gems and crystals that formed a miniature garland of ruby flowers. But before Arianna could reach out a hand to touch these precious stones, Clavetti had already pushed open the door.
Arianna's attention was immediately diverted as her new bedroom was revealed before her light brown-amber eyes.
It was the most magnificent room Arianna had ever seen!
It was an exceptionally spacious chamber with tall wide-open windows on the side and a glass door, which opened to a small balcony. The curtains were drawn to the sides, illuminating the room with a brilliant dash of sunlight. A bed was situated on the far left side of the room whose size and furnishings were fit for a queen. Its long velvety drapes were kept tied on the posts revealing the vastness of the covers and the downy pillows underneath the sheets.
A gigantic wardrobe was on the opposite wall next to the intricately designed dresser where baubles, trinkets and grooming items of all sorts were kept neatly in an orderly fashion. In another corner, situated there were empty shelves and trunks that had golden clasps and locks. A few low cushioned seats were arranged close by.
Arianna walked inside in a dazed fashion and looked around repeatedly. Hardly believing what she was seeing as she tried to absorb the unspeakable sensation bubbling inside her. She walked towards the bed and ran her hand along the sheets then walked towards the dresser and picked up a brush with soft bristles, running her finger along the engraved linings of its handle before returning it to its place.
She walked about the room for a while and then noticing the door opening to the terrace, she headed towards it expectantly. Stepping unto the surface of her veranda, she gave a quick small sigh of shock.
"Oh!" Arianna breathed as the extent and veracity of the panoramic scenery overcame her. She stood about ten stories high. Below her she could see the tops and cables of hundreds of small townhouses, shops and cottages that were scattered here and there, each abode possessing its own private though diminutive turf.
Arianna could make the thousands of people roaming about in the city, men, women, children, old folk and many more. She watched them go about their daily routine from her aerial view.
At the very center of the town was the town's square where the local market was also stationed. Dozens of colorful hides and furs used for makeshift tents were propped up with long poles while vendors and merchants made such raucous bargaining with their wrangling customers that the very sound of it echoed high above and reached even Arianna's ears. A muffled strident sound it may be but it was as a nightingale's music to Arianna's ears. The sound of life and animation! It was a remarkable sight.
She looked further to where a wide-open cobbled path her eyes following it to the city's wall which, Arianna estimated was about more than a hundred feet tall and it was so wide it enclosed the entire city easily. She couldn't stop staring at the battlements of the fortress wall were a few foot soldiers were patrolling about. The iron wrought gate was down and the giant wooden doors barred. A small moat was flowing around the castle's defensive wall as well.
Arianna could only but sigh in delightful awe as she breathed in the city air as it whipped around her damp scarlet hair.
"Ah, Wrǖth! The Western city of Waldǖrth! A beautiful city, is it not my girl? Ye will certainly find it well worth living in't."
"Yes, I love city. Is big and noisy but is beautiful city!" Arianna said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
"Now, come in child! Before ye catch a cold, ye have naught but that robe on now! Else Master Grêth might have a thing or two to say should ye fall ill once more."
"Yes…Madam Cla-vi." Arianna said and blushed even more when she mentioned the woman's name.
Clavi laughed gaily in reply and beckoned to her.
When Arianna had gone back into the security of her room, the door opened and three gossiping young girls, a little older than Arianna, clad in brown working clothes with soiled white aprons tied around them entered. The three of them carried a heap of colorful garments and ware in their arms. The chattered and giggled with excitement as they came inside the room.
Clavetti, with a disapproving frown on her face stomped her feet smartly on the floor immediately silencing the girls.
Then, with a small smile, she brought Arianna before them, "Now then, this is Miss Arianna. She is in the care of Master Grêth and I expect you to bestow on her the same respect and courtesy as you would to our lords. Arianna, these are some of the girls who aid me in castle chores and matters..."
Arianna smiled shyly as the maidservants executed small curtsies before her.
"Good day, milady." They all said in chorus.
"They will aid me in dressing ye for this sole time since Madam Danae will still be summoned to. She will then be your personal governess and matron."
Arianna looked up at Clavetti, "Oh! But…I…"
Supposing Arianna's thoughts, Clavetti interjected, "Worry not, my girl. Madam Danae is an extremely wonderful and delightful woman. Besides, Master Grêth specifically asked for her, did he not?"
Nodding with slight uncertainty, Arianna forced a smile. Somehow the word 'governess' though new to Arianna, somehow erected a distant fear in her befuddled memory.
Then, Clavi clapped her hands twice and immediately Arianna found herself being unrobed and then being hastily clothed in about three layers of garments: the undergarment, undercover and over cover. The over cover was the most elaborately designed, it was of a pale pink color strewn with a few glittering beads, while the under cover was the most uncomfortably as it was part corset and part underskirt.
Then, the girls started on Arianna's scarlet locks. After toweling it dry, they used a fine toothed comb to start detangling her matted damp hair. They did it with such precision and quickness, Arianna hardly felt any pain at all. When they had combed all tangles away and Arianna's hair was just about dry, they pinned her hair behind her head with a small comb.
She was relieved that her footwear comprised of just two simple black closed slippers that were made such a soft leathery material, decorated with small white pearls, and it was a perfect fit to her small white feet as well.
She was then adorned with a jewel necklace and a pair of pink studded earrings that matched her attire.
As she was being dresses, she could overhear the tiniest comments made by the girls.
"My! She has such tiny feet!"
"Her hair looks like it's aflame!"
"Did you notice her eyes, aren't they of the oddest color!"
"Her wounds are just hideous aren't they, have you seen the one along her thighs?"
Arianna tried not to make obvious the fact that she was conscious of their conversation. She spotted the red mark on her arm and immediately slid her arm into the long sleeve of her outer coat without any help to avoid notice since it had been plastered to her side all along.
When her hair had been neatly combed, her dress tugged into its proper place and her jewelry glittered in the sunlight. The three girls stepped back to let Clavetti look over the girl.
It was the most marvelous transformation Clavetti had ever witnessed. From a shy, smelly and terrified strange girl to this breathtaking beauty who looked in every way a Western woman herself. Clavetti never knew how thick and lustrous her dull scarlet hair was nor how well framed her tiny body was, though still developing into her full womanhood. Especially in her dress, which was a bright bottled green with puffed up long sleeves that were bound with a loose string at the elbows, her amber-brown eyes and scarlet hair were brightly enhanced, Clavetti surmised that this girl would turn many a lad's head in the near future. Then, there was still something else… something oddly familiar that gave a faint stroke on her memory but could not arouse what it was.
"You look very beautiful, my dear girl. An exquisite lady ye are now! Far prettier than any I had ever laid my eyes on."
Arianna gave a bashful smile, which only added to her beauty by her giving her cheeks a slightly rosy color.
Then, after looking her over twice, Clavetti said to the girls, "Well done, young ones1! Miss Arianna looks splendid indeed! Now, haste yourselves off to the kitchen and bid the cooks to send up a fine meal for our beautiful young lady for she is very famished from her journey."
The sound of the word 'meal' brought rising pangs from within Arianna as she started to recall exactly how starved she was.
"Oh! Food! Yes, I very hungry." Arianna said.
The three maids started whispering amongst themselves again after Arianna spoke and they giggled all the way out the door.
Clavetti took Arianna by the arm and said, "Mind them not, dear girl. They were just excited by yer presence here today.
The two females then started to converse with each other quite eagerly as they sat beside each other on Arianna's velvety bed. They had adapted so well to each other's company, Arianna immediately felt so at home in her new room in this enormous and vast castle though she had only seen quite a small portion of it.
"Perhaps tomorrow ye would like a look around the castle, would ye not?'
Nodding enthusiastically, Arianna grinned, "Yes! Yes! Love very to see castle! Is very big! But I want see it all!"
"Well, then. I'll see to it that we shall have some spare time on our hands for such a treat!"
Pausing a moment, Arianna questioned, "Where Master Grêth?"
"He's probably reposing in his room, my girl. Ye both had quite a journey, haven't ye? From East to North, the army has traveled and they have traveled for so long and so far. Doubts start to arise whether they would return, especially the Lord Knight who is Lord and Master of this castle and Wrǖth city. How would we fare if he were gone?"
A soft misty expression clouded Clavi's eyes and Arianna didn't know what to say to comfort her.
The sound of the opening door interrupted their somber ambiance as the three maidservants returned. Two were holding trays while one carried a large pitcher and a wooden cup.
Arianna's eyes brightened when they opened the cover cloths of the tray revealing such a wide variety of small dishes that smelled absolutely delightful. Arianna ravenously sampled cuts of lamb, poultry, and loaves of bread, slices of fruits, chopped vegetables, sweet pastries and many more.
Though the taste was altogether new and strange, Arianna found herself enjoying it immensely.
The maidservants watched in amusement as their strange mistress gobbled her food down, one of them poured Arianna a drink from the pitcher. Red liquid filled the cup to the brim; Arianna sipped it slowly, testing its taste, which Arianna found to be very sweet but delicious nonetheless.
Once Arianna had finished, the maidservants collected her empty trays and exited humbly from her room.
"Was very good!" Arianna said earnestly.
"Why, thank you, my girl. We Westerners are particularly fond of appraisals when it comes to our food and its quality. I will forward to cook your compliments anon."
Arianna grinned as she munched on a finger sandwich, as she mused,
What a perfect start to my perfect day here in the West!
