Voluntown, CT’s Young Writers Group

If you havent read the rest of the story, please go down to the first entry and read up. Thank you.

Emrea sighed “That’s all well and good but remember she is your grandmother and while she does have “grachorun” tendices, she just wants what’s best for you.”

It was Tayla’s turn to give an unladylike snort.

“I know it doesn’t always seem it but…” Emrea trailed off.

“While she thinks it’s the right thing for me, it isn’t.” Tayla said, sitting on the bed. She held up the remains of the ripped pillow. “I need another one. I’m tired. Don’t worry about the feathers. You can have one of the maids clean it up in the morning.

As Tayla grew older and more defiant, she had taken to destroying pillows whenever the Duchess had provoked her. After the fifth time, Tayla told Emrea to put extra pillows in the closet so that way she wouldn’t have to wait.

Emrea went to the closet and pulled out a pillow, thinking it useful, as he had countless of times before. Tayla took the pillow and laid down and Emera pulled the covers up to her chin.

After kissing her on the cheek, Emrea left, leaving Tayla to seethe for a few minutes before falling asleep.

~*~*~

“Tayla.” The Duchess waved a hand and the tea poured itself. “The Lord DeMeyer and the Lord Rickens both want your hand in marriage.”

Tayla placed her sugar and milk in her tea by hand. “Why? I haven’t even been to Court yet!” She set her teacup down and began to pace. “I don’t even know who they are! They’ve never even met me! They-“

“Actually, you have met Lord Rickens. Remember that ride when you were 12?”

Tayla started at her blankly. “I rode a lot when I was 12. How am I supposed to remember an exact one?”

The Duchess clucked her tongue. “You remember the time a bee stung your horse and
almost bucked you off?”

Now that Tayla thought about it she did rememeber. “Oh, yes. Some old gentleman grabbed his reins and- Oh no! Please tell me that wasnt Lord Rickens!”Tayla sat down.

“Yes. And he is very rich.” The Duchess took a sip of tea. “Plus he’s not that old. Only 53.”

“53? Hold old is Lord DeMeyer? Or do I even want to know?”

The Duchess smiled. “He is much younger. 31. But he’s not nearly as rich as Lord Rickens.

Here,” the Duchess placed two white slips of paper into an empty sugar bowl and held it
up. “Pick one of these.”

“What are they?” Tayla asked apprehensive.

“You’ll see.”

Tayla reached into the bowl and pulled out one of the slips. Opening she read, “Lord Rickens.”

“No!” Tayla sat up in bed, panting and sweating. In the early dawn light, Tayla could see Emrea as she ran in, wincing when she stepped on a feather quill.

“Tayla, are you alright?” Emrea asked, ignoring the pain in her heel.

“Yes,” Tayla said, still catching her breath. “I’m fine. Just a horrible, horrible dream. It seemed so real.” Tayla shook her head.

“Do you want to tell me?” Emrea sat on the edge of the bed.

“Grandmother got two offers of marriage to me. One was a 31 year old I had never met and the other that old man who grabbed Luka’s reins when he got stung by a bee. Remember Grandmother sold him because she said he “almost killed me”?

“I remember, Lord… what was his name?” Emrea thought for a minute before Tayla blurted it out.

“Lord Rickens.”

“Yes. That was him. Well, what happened after she told you of the offers?”

Tayla shuddered. “She put both names in a sugar bowl and had me pick one.” She shuddered again. “It was Rickens.”

“No wonder you yelled. Well, its over now. Will you be ok to go to sleep now or would you like a glass of water first?”

“Water please?”

Emrea nodded, patted Tayla’s cheek and left for the kitchen. Tayla grabbed a pillow and hugged it tight. Remembering the satisfaction on the Duchess’ face when she said “Lord Rickens” made Tayla shudder again.

A minute later Emrea came back, handed Tayla the glass and smoothed back her hair. “You’re sweating up a storm. You sure you’re ok?”

Tayla nodded, taking a sip. “It was her face. Right before I woke up I said the name and her face looked so pleased.” Tayla handed the empty glass to Emrea. “Is she really going to marry me off?”

“That is the point of going to Court but if you are asking if she would really put two names in a hat-“

“Sugar bowl”

“Whichever. A sugar bowl and have you pick one? No, I don’t believe even the Duchess is that insensitive.”

Tayla sighed and laid back down, still clutching the spare pillow. “I’m tired.”

Emrea kissed her forehead and fixed the blankets. “No more bad dreams. Think of lilies.”

“Tayla smiled weakly. “Yes, Emrea” and she fell back asleep before Emrea was even out the door.

If you havent read this story yet, please go down to the first entry and read up through the posts.

Emrea shook her head, “I’m not sure who I’m sorry for, you or the Court.”

Tayla simply grinned back. “Oh, its going to get worse. Dessika’s going to be presented at Court 3 months after me. You should see her. She’s convinced that she’ll have the Court wrapped around her finger within a day of setting foot in it.”

That got a laugh out of Emrea who was busy turning down the sheets and bustling around the room. She didn’t see Tayla’s face go serious.

“Hey, Em, listen. I was talking to the Duchess about the evil dress. It was like, almost as if…” Tayla paused and collected her thoughts. “She acted as if she didn’t know how enormously disgusting it was.

“No, she wouldn’t have known.” Emrea’s tone took on an edge of bitter humor. “The Duchess has no sense of style whatsoever. What she does have is a small army of acquaintances who consider her the most true form of a lady and would run themselves ragged to satisfy her. They create her style for her and whatever else she wants.”

Emrea fluffed a pillow, continuing. “Madame Fraxine, one of her devotees made your dress and apparently she is on standing orders, from the Duchess to give you the most unflattering of dresses and insist they are the hight of fashion. I suspect by now the Duchess has forgotten her orders and of course the Madame wont remind her.

By now the pillow was fluffed to Emrea’s satisfaction and she sat on the edge of the bed watching Tayla. “ Believe me, the last thing the Duchess wants is for you to look bad in court.”

“Why not?” Tayla asked feeling the fury coursing through her. How dare that woman! “Why not, if she’s so determined to ruin my life why not make me the laughingstock of the Court?” She would have ranted more but Emrea interrupted her with an unladylike snort.

“Not ruin your life, just make it miserable when you don’t completely submit to her will. “ Emrea stood and got out of Tayla’s way when she started pacing her chamber, venting her range on any defenseless inanimate objects in her path. There was a loud rip as a hapless pillow met it’s end.

Emrea dodged to avoid the worst of the feather explosion. “She needs you looking pretty and docile if youre going to be any use to her in Court. She thinks you’ll be useful for an alliance.”

“I can just imagine” Tayla hissed with venom, “the uses she’ll find for a pretty, young, marriageable granddaughter.” She nearly spat the last word. “Well she can take her uses and shove them, the stupid Grachorun” She stopped pacing and smiled a smile that glinted with malice. “She’s going to find a few changes in her precious plans.”

If you havent read any of this please go down to the bottom and read up. Thank you.

Dessika laughed, took one more look out the window and then joined them at the table.

*As they say* thought Tayla *the rest is history*

Tayla laughed to herself. By then Tayla had gotten used to having Shalie talk in her mind. When Tayla introduced Lyonna and Shalie, Dessika jumped about 4 feet in the air when Sahlie said *Hello*.

They had to explain that no, Shalie could read her thoughts unless they were projected to her, *Or just thought loudly* Shalie added.

Again Tayla laughed to herself. She had never understood how someone would think loudly until she met Lord Ashgood. Tayla had such a crush on him, she thought of him night and day. *Finnaly in one of our little get togethers, Shalie told me to *shut up about Lord Ashgood. Im tired of hearing about him* The thing was, Tayla had never mentioned her crush to the other girls.

“Tayla… Tayla… Tay!” a hand slapped on the table and Tayla looked up, startled. “What?”

“You trailed off and went to La La Land.” Dessika answered, rubbing her stinging hand. “Are you ok?”

“Of course. Im fine. I was just thinking about the day we met you and how you did a great impression of levitating when Shalie spoke to you.”

Dessika laughed. “I remember. I thought she was a witch.”

Tayla, Lyonna and Shalie looked at her, various eyebrows raised.

“Well,” she corrected, “an Evil Witch.”

Lyonna laughed at that “Shalie couldn’t be Evil if her life counted on it.

Now Tayla’s grandmother, now that’s another story.”

Tayla shook her head, “She’s not evil, just…controlling. She wants me to conform. You all know she’s not really Evil, right?”

“Of course” Lyonna nodded.

“Uh-huh” Dessika rolled her eyes.

*But what if her life counted on it?*

“Shalie!” they all shouted before collapsing in laughter.

~*~*~*~

It was ringing the last chime for 9pm when Tayla walked through the door.

“Is the Duchess still awake.” She asked the footman holding the door. He nodded at the parlor where the Duchess stood in wrapped in a silk shawl.

“Thank you” Tayla told him and went to greet her grandmother.

“You said a reasonable hour” Tayla said when she reached her. “9 o’clock

is the last reasonable hour.”

The Duchess nodded. “Fine. I still need to speak with you. Come.”

Once Tayla was sitting on the same love-seat she had earlier that day, the Duchess addressed her.

“Now, Ive spoken to your parents and your mother begged me to allow you to wear her dress on your Debut Night, the night you are to be presented to court. I don’t see why you cant wear my dress to another ball.”

Tayla rolled her eyes. “Grandmother. Do you honestly think that dfress would suit me, even a  tiny bit?”

The Duchess looked taken aback. “Why, of course.”

Tayla was silent for a moment, thinking on this answer. In the Turning Owl, she had told her friends that The Duchess was actually Evil and now it made her think.

“You honestly don’t know how horrible that dress is? It wouldn’t look good on the Princess of Norgrew, and you know she looks good in everything nevermind me!.”

“It would not! Madame Fraxien said it was the height of fashion and that you would look stunning in it! I believe her.”

Tayla shook her head. “Grandmother.”

Tayla sighed. She wanted to be extremely rude but her heart wasn’t in it. “Grandmother. I’m too tired to argue with you. I just wanted to say I’ll never wear that dress. Good night.”

She curtsied and walked upstairs to her bedroom. When she entered, she saw Emrea waiting for her.

“Did you have fun? What did your friends get you for your birthday?”

Tayla smiled wearily and tossed down a pink and yellow book on the bed.

“To be a Lady in the Times of Virtue” by Lauren Duggins.” Emrea read outloud. “Ok. Now what did they really get you?”

Tayla grinned and tossed two more books down. Emrea picked them up.

“Warlocks, Demons, and General Monsters and how to Defeat them. Protection spells included.”

She looked at Tayla. “Nice.”

She read the other one. “Sneaking, Spying and Lying. Why they are necessary and how to Implement each correctly.”

Emrea raised her eyebrows.

“Dessika got me that one. She said I’d need it. Court is all about that kind of stuff.”