Post by Avive de Rocaille on Sept 3, 2006 13:02:42 GMT -5
I woke that morning as the rosy dawn crept into my room, turning the cream colored walls a lovely shade of peach. Yawning, I threw off the covers and padded to the basin in the corner, splashing my face and hands with the cold water there. Shrugging into an emerald silk gown with long sleeves and a square neckline, I deftly did up the buttons in the back. I added a silver necklace and earrings and black slippers before brushing my thick brown hair and plaiting it into one long braid. Grabbing my spectacles off the nightstand, I put them on my head so as not to lose them. I crept into the kitchen for a bowl of porridge and an apple before heading for the library.
The library is my favorite place in my house. It has large bay windows that look out over the fields and rivers of Siovale, and when it’s sunny, the entire library is filled with light. The bookshelves are crammed with tomes of D’Angeline, Aragonian, Caerdicci, and even Habiru literature. I pulled down my D’Angeline translation of the Tanach, the Yeshuites’ holy book, and, pushing my spectacles down onto my nose, began to read it.
In the beginning, Adonai created the heavens and the earth…
Completely absorbed in my reading, I didn’t notice my father walk into the library. I love my father. He is a powerfully built man, with brown hair streaked with gray, and soft brown eyes. His hands are calloused from riding, but they always hold a tender caress for me. “Avive.”
I looked up, startled. “Good morning, Father.”
“My pet, there is something I needs must discuss with you.”
I stuck a ribbon into the heavy book and slammed it shut, harder than intended. Pushing my spectacles up, I fixed him with my icy blue gaze. “Yes, Father?”
“Avive, in a fortnight, you will be 18. I feel it is high time that you, well, make friends with something other than a book.”
I frowned at him. “What are you suggesting, Father?”
“I am suggesting, well, you’re young and pretty. I am sending you to the City of Elua to stay with your third cousin Alain. I have already written to him to announce your arrival.”
I have only met Alain once before. He is tall and handsome, but loves horses and women more than literature and study. “What can I learn from Cousin Alain, Father? The man has never read a book in his life!”
“Now, Avive, your cousin is a smart, influential young man. He will take you to court, he will teach you to be a lady. And, Elua willing, he will help you find a husband.”
At the word husband, I relaxed. A husband, someone who loves books, and children. Yes, a husband would be a lovely thing to have.
“When am I leaving, Father?”
“Soon after Midwinter, my gem. That should leave you plenty of time to get ready.”
“Yes, father.”
He walked over to me and planted a kiss on my brow. “That’s my precious daughter. Your mother would be so proud of you.” He turned around and left the library.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose with one hand. If I had to go live with Cousin Alain, he had better have a library. Opening the Tanach again, I kept reading.
And Adonai spoke to Abram saying, “Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.”
The library is my favorite place in my house. It has large bay windows that look out over the fields and rivers of Siovale, and when it’s sunny, the entire library is filled with light. The bookshelves are crammed with tomes of D’Angeline, Aragonian, Caerdicci, and even Habiru literature. I pulled down my D’Angeline translation of the Tanach, the Yeshuites’ holy book, and, pushing my spectacles down onto my nose, began to read it.
In the beginning, Adonai created the heavens and the earth…
Completely absorbed in my reading, I didn’t notice my father walk into the library. I love my father. He is a powerfully built man, with brown hair streaked with gray, and soft brown eyes. His hands are calloused from riding, but they always hold a tender caress for me. “Avive.”
I looked up, startled. “Good morning, Father.”
“My pet, there is something I needs must discuss with you.”
I stuck a ribbon into the heavy book and slammed it shut, harder than intended. Pushing my spectacles up, I fixed him with my icy blue gaze. “Yes, Father?”
“Avive, in a fortnight, you will be 18. I feel it is high time that you, well, make friends with something other than a book.”
I frowned at him. “What are you suggesting, Father?”
“I am suggesting, well, you’re young and pretty. I am sending you to the City of Elua to stay with your third cousin Alain. I have already written to him to announce your arrival.”
I have only met Alain once before. He is tall and handsome, but loves horses and women more than literature and study. “What can I learn from Cousin Alain, Father? The man has never read a book in his life!”
“Now, Avive, your cousin is a smart, influential young man. He will take you to court, he will teach you to be a lady. And, Elua willing, he will help you find a husband.”
At the word husband, I relaxed. A husband, someone who loves books, and children. Yes, a husband would be a lovely thing to have.
“When am I leaving, Father?”
“Soon after Midwinter, my gem. That should leave you plenty of time to get ready.”
“Yes, father.”
He walked over to me and planted a kiss on my brow. “That’s my precious daughter. Your mother would be so proud of you.” He turned around and left the library.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose with one hand. If I had to go live with Cousin Alain, he had better have a library. Opening the Tanach again, I kept reading.
And Adonai spoke to Abram saying, “Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.”