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"Someone always profits off the misery of others," lamented her brother. "Those dam mages seem to be almost happy about this war. Can you believe they are having a parade, a parade. They are acting like he has already won the war."

"You can't deny that he has changed the tides." said her mother, biting her tongue as she continued her needle point.

"It's nothing that the six lords joining wouldn't accomplish."

"Yes, but they are still here."

"I don't get why they haven't made their move. Letting the mages fight our battles; it only reflects poorly on us. I've said as much to the lord of white."

"You haven't been sending letters again." she slammed the embroidery hoop down at the end of her patience.

"Of course, I have."

"Hubert!"

"Who's side are you on, Mother? The mages get praised as defenders while we are ridiculed for collecting the exorbitant amount of money needed for their magic stones."

"Enough with the we, you aren't a lord of stone."

"I may not be a high lord, but I am still of the blood."

"Please, on a technicality. Don't be like your father and ruin this family any further on this."

"Ruin? You are the one who failed to manage the finances and now I have nothing to inherit. If the lords of stone would just go to battle, I could make my fortune by joining them."

"Or you could die just like your father, Please I have a plan. I'm not sending my baby off to fight. Everyone loves the mage Ardal, the parade and its reception proves it. The lords have even caved to his influence and allowed mages to stay in the capital. He will only gain more influence and wealth. We should take advantage of things while we can and make use of the only thing your name is worth and get an invitation to the celebration ball. Ardal is looking for a wife, he has made it well known. If Margerie could get married to him or one of the other influential mages."

"Marriage? To a mage?"

"What's wrong with that?," said her sister. "I have no aversion to mages like you. Besides, I saw Ardal at the parade. He is quite handsome. I wouldn't mind marrying him."

"Of course you do," said Mother. "Honestly, I'm saddened you would think so poorly of your mother. I only want the best for both of you. Like it or not we have to move on from the lord of stone name." She tutted. "Not that it ever counted for much, If I'd known your father exaggerated about everything he had …"

"Do you really think I could marry the mage Ardal?" said Margerie, only ever listening to what she wanted. "Me and him. You know he's called the gentleman mage because he is so elegant."

"Delicate, is the better way to put it. All the mages are; not fighting honorably, I doubt he even knows how to hold a sword." Hubert spoke as if he had ever been in a fight in his life.

"He could still beat you."

"You don't know that. Some in the stone line are immune to magic. I could be one of them."

Yvonne laughed knowing that wasn't the case. Children of stone had a specific aura which he lacked.

"What are you laughing at witch?" he shouted as she apparently hadn't suppressed her laughter enough to go unnoticed.

Finally noticing her presence, Mother frowned. "What are you still doing here? Didn't you hear me ask for tea."

"Apologies mother, I believed saving the rug took precedence over tea."

She glanced at the stains of Hubert's boots she was scrubbing out. She clearly wanted me to finish cleaning, several halls were noticeably bare from Hubert's previous work. That didn't mean she wanted to concede to her being correct. "Obviously, but I didn't think it would take you so long. Honestly how I put up with such a useless girl. You know most wouldn't be as kind in my position."

"And I am grateful daily for the place you have given me."

"So you should." said Margerie oblivious to her sarcasm. "Mom, we have to go get a new dress for the ball don't we." She knew the ball was open to anyone, from the line of stone or a mage. An unprecedented ball meant to acknowledge mage's status as somewhat equal to the lords of stone. Even She was curious to go and though normally she would think Margerie's desire for a new dress frivolous this would be an occasion for it.

"Yes, we can go shopping this afternoon. I'm sure the wait will be longer considering the circumstances." She glanced in her direction. "We will go after tea."

She sighed and stood. She couldn't make her wait any longer. At least if they would be out shopping she would have some space to herself. She waded down to the kitchen hoping she didn't spill any of the dirty water as she went on the stairs. She did have the foresight to put the kettle to boil. She sliced bread to toast and knowing the temperament Hubert was in cooked some boiled eggs and sliced ham. The ladies of the house had a far more sweet tooth, jam on the toast and cheese tarts would be enough for them. She put them all on a platter to carry up to the sitting room. Hubert was still going on about fighting in the war as she set the table. she left as soon as everything was down, if they were going out she needed to get the coats and shoes in order. Part of her wished Hubert would go to war, then she wouldn't have to clean up his many messes. She knew it would only end in tragedy. He talked about the glory of war, the war that the papers and parades spoke of with flawless victories over the barbarians, but even those victories left new wounded in the undercourts and monastic infirmaries. Hubert wouldn't likely be one of the chosen to fight beside a lord in their sphere of protection. He would be lucky if he was made a platoon leader, but that was why mother never would let him go. He would already be out there if he could be an aristocratic officer safe at the field camps and not at the front lines. As mother had said, they weren't really a highborn family.

They only were recognized as a family of the blood, because father and his fathers have kept a meticulous family tree. They did descend from the line of white, but in all honesty with how far removed we were, about a third of the city could claim the same. The council of elders of the house of white only approved at the pressure of the lesser nobles who feared rejecting him despite a clear lineage might set a precedent to allow their own excision. The ruling lord of white didn't care enough to overrule them so they were allowed the hyphenated name brougia-white. That name didn't change much about our family's state, at least not financially. If Margerie was about to get a new ball gown, She had to redo the accounting for the month. She would once again have to shave off budgets elsewhere to make up for it. In all honesty they weren't poor, they just didn't exactly have the money for their current lifestyle. Poor money acumen really ran in the family. Father bought the current house they lived in celebration of receiving official recognition. It wasn't a noble's house in the elevated upper city, but a well off merchant wouldn't turn their nose up at a place like this, maybe not in its current state. They didn't have any servants and hadn't for a long time so the house was in a state of neglect and disrepair. She hated to admit mother was right but Margerie marrying a rich mage was one of the few ways to fix everything to their satisfaction anyways.

She hurried to the front door as she heard Hubert's boots stomp down the stairs. she laughed at herself shaking out their coats and helping them dress without a word. This house did have a servant, but it was her. She closed the door behind them enjoying the quiet as she went to clear tea away, eating anything left on the plates. In reality she wouldn't mind being a maid under normal circumstances. A maid was a quite respectable job most young women would be happy to have. It was one of the few jobs a single woman could get and make a proper living on but she didn't get paid or have off days or even that sliver of comfort that an employer had to treat you at a certain level of decency for fear of their reputation.

She finished cleaning the mud stains then went on to her normal cleaning schedule afterwards. It was pathetic and cowardly, but she knew mother would be in a good mood after shopping and if she saw the house clean and no reminders of our precarious reality she might get away with serving leftovers for dinner. She had a pretty good plan for how to redress them too.

She looked at her reflection in the clean bucket of water she dragged from the well. What was she doing with myself? She wondered why she couldn't leave, it's not like mother had any power to keep her here. When she was younger maybe, but she'd been of age since last summer. It would be a messy break if she left. She did too much around the house for them to willingly let her walk away. She told herself it was because she had nowhere else to go. Even country girls came with letters of recommendation and a relative in the city. She didn't particularly like her life right now, but she knew it could be far worse if she left without a plan, but she never seemed to actually make that plan for herself.

She had the vague far off goal of Margerie taking her as a ladies maid if she ever did marry well. Margerie didn't like to admit it but she was as close a thing to a confidant she had. Even if she scoffed she usually took her advice and was happy with the results. She didn't look one bit like her, she assumed they both strongly took after our mothers rather than father. She could take Yvonne along as her lady's maid and none would be the wiser; she was her illegitimate half sister. Whatever fudging of the truth would be made to maximize her appeal hiding our destitution would be one. Yvonne had already posed as her maid in the past. Leaving with Margerie that way would give her the salaried position I wanted.

Now she highly doubted Margerie would get anywhere near Ardal, but she had a good chance of making some match. She was pretty, and she might not be the brightest but not enough for that to be a negative. Mother was clever, she would probably find a man who would like her being a little dumb. This ball would be a good chance to meet someone, it wasn't just Ardal but many other mages who hadn't previously been allowed in the capital who would be attending. Most would love to forge connections with a lord even if it was just to allow them regular entrance to the city all the time. With a little stretch of the truth our family could give that. Most mages avoided marrying into the blood because they didn't produce mages, but we were far too distant for that to be a concern. Of course if they still were worried mother could use her, though she hoped it wouldn't come to that because that would ruin her chances of becoming a maid.

Her hopes that they would be in a good mood from their day out were dashed. Mother screamed her name as she entered the door, "Yvonne, Yvonne, get over here." As soon as she came into the entrance hall a mess of papers slapped her. She looked down, not letting mother see the resentment in her eyes. "Why didn't you take care of our bill with the seamstress? Do you know how embarrassing that was? You are lucky I had stopped by Horce's on the way there so I could pay her then, but still."

"I'm sorry."

"Is that all you have to say?" said Hubert, taking advantage of mother's anger to shove her down without any reprimand.

"It must have slipped my mind, forgive me. I will try to do better next time."

Mother narrowed her eyes, we both knew she probably just never told her about it. "I'll forgive you this time, but no more slip ups." She tossed a bag at her feet. "The ball is in a week. I expect you can have something ready, and won't have it slip your mind by then." She stormed off with Margerie sniffling in her wake. She opened the bag smiling, she knew what it was before she opened it. Fine silk thread dyed blue to compliment Margerie's eyes. She would tat some lace trimmings for her dress. A week would normally be a preposterously small amount of time to make anything, but she somehow met deadlines even tighter. It was one of her precious true joys. Her life was all the better for it, making unique and praised lace for Margerie went a long way in soothing the more extreme anger mother could have. Selling other bits also made up for our lack of funds. This skein of silk could make far more than just one dress's trimmings, though mother didn't know that.

Having finished cleaning and the leftover casserole already baking, She went upstairs to begin the work. Just before she reached the ladder to the loft, she was yanked back. She held her stinging scalp as She looked at Hubert who just pulled her by the hair.

"Where do you think you are going? To slack off?" He shoved me.

"No, I was going to start on making lace," she said, backing away.

"You better be," He kicked me before stalking away.

She stood stiffly feeling where bruises were growing and continued on her way. At least she had my work to console her. Something about the repetitive mathematical work always calmed her. She scarcely ever properly plotted out her designs any more. That should have been breaking a cardinal sin; missing even one wrong knot could start cascades of problems and ruin the entire piece. It always worked out for her. As her fingers flew twisting and flipping the bobbins she scarcely thought about any of the individual moves and more the final shape. Her mind already did the calculations from countless previous works. She would have become a lace maker years ago if it wasn't such a notoriously terrible job. Most who made lace weren't her age, because anyone young had other better options. She knew from selling my work the stereotype of a bent over old lady with broken fingers was true. Though lace could fetch a high price it took so long to make. They all worked impossibly long hours to make enough lace. She knew she was unusually fast, but she still wasn't quite ready to condemn myself to that fate. As much as she enjoyed tatting lace if she joined a workshop she would do nothing else the rest of her life. Lace makers even more than the titular spinsters rarely had lives or families. She had seen a contract before. You lived on the workshop premises and were only allowed out with permission even if you had filled your quota. She wasn't daydreaming about romance or marriage all the time like Margerie, she still wanted the possibility of a family that actually liked her one day.

Mother assigning her lace to make meant she would have a lighter load elsewhere. She knew she couldn't make what she wanted out of thin air. Most lace took months to complete and she certainly didn't let her know just how fast she actually could make things. She took this opportunity to go visit our neighbor. A true kind soul; she would visit her any chance she could. She was the rare mage that always lived in the city. Even the lords of stone wanted magical conveniences; a few select mages were vetted and allowed to remain all the time. She used to manage long range communication with a council of other mages. They still had a tight watch kept on them but the ones let in weren't the most dangerous to begin with. It took many mages and specific tools to do such complicated work. The fact she was one of them was a testament to her prowess. An unfortunate accident put her in early retirement and she has never been able to use strong magic since. Even as she walked into her garden that day she could see the tears at the edges of her bright yellow aura. She could tell a mage from across the room from their vibrant strong auras. Most people only had a color visible if she really focused; mages were impossible to miss.

"Yvonne," her teacher smiled as she stood to hug me. She tightly hugged her back. "I'm glad to see you. I was hoping to catch you soon. Come." Abigail ushered her into the greenhouse where they sat down at a castiron table set surrounded by verdant plants mostly from the empire"

"Did you see the parade?" she asked.

"Yes," She saw parts of the procession on her way to and from the market.

"Good, good. It is wonderful to have mages back in the city. You won't reconsider my proposal will you. I'm sure I could introduce you to a better teacher than myself."

"Don't be ridiculous, you were a wonderful teacher, a different one wouldn't solve my problems."

"I wouldn't hurt to try."

"Maybe but I don't want to build up my hopes for nothing. If I haven't made progress in all this time I doubt I ever will."

"You never know."

"I've made my peace with not becoming a mage. You were the one who first told me not everyone with manna can become a mage. Besides, even with everything loosening up with the war I don't think I would go unpunished for suddenly popping up as a mage within city limits after all this time."

She sighed, "Well you can still do me at least one favor can't you."

"Sure."

"At least promise to meet a mage I can introduce you to. I've thought about it and you have been far too isolated from mage society. I can hardly call myself a mage anymore. It would do you some good to meet others."

"Alright," she agreed. "I hate to admit it but it's true. I hardly meet anyone. I'm too busy with the house to do anything but leave for errands."

"You promise to make time?"

"I promise."

"Good." She smiled and closed her eyes as the mage pat her head.

"Speaking of going out. My family has an invitation to the victory ball. I couldn't go with them, but I have thought about going. It sounds so big I doubt I would see my family if I tried." It was the biggest event she had ever heard of; low and high nobles even the elite commoners were coming if they could find an invitation. A party that big would be perfect for getting lost and just enjoying the evening. The market had been buzzing with all the food that would be served. That alone was enough to tempt her.

"You are a mage, you ought to go to the mages ball. Meeting a mage doesn't always mean looking for a teacher. "

She placed her hand on her ring. "I wouldn't be going as a mage."

"You ought to, you don't have to worry about anyone knowing you. You will be able to talk to way more mages if they can sense your manna."

"Really? Yeah you should have fun. Not too much fun though. Everyone knows this ball is to help the war mages find a wife."

"You don't have to worry about that," She laughed.

"I don't know." she wiggled her eyebrows mischievously, "Just promise me you will introduce me before you do anything too rash."

"If I ever do find a man, you will be the first to know even before my own mother."

"I should hope so," she laughed. "I'll let you go. If you do plan on sneaking out I'm assuming you have ducks to get in a row."

She nodded. "I'll tell you how it went when I get back."

She scrambled back over the garden wall wondering how she could think she would get a sutor at this ball when she saw her inelegantly climb the low wall every time she visited.

The week passed quickly. The rest of the household was in a tizzy getting ready for the ball. Mother and Margerie fretted and fussed over finishing beauty improvements while Hubert fantasized about a duel with a wizard. Despite Yvonne's best hopes her work load steadily grew throughout the week . Running out to fetch random ingredients for a facial, being a guinea pig to see if a new cosmetic wouldn't cause irritation, trying to fix the damage of Hunbert swinging his sword before the increase in visitors came. Mother seemed to have every lady she knew over to both brag and seek advice about the ball. She scarcely had the time to finish the lace as the day arrived.