(no subject)

[eldorne_girl]

Delia lay awake in bed, curled around one of her pillows. She couldn’t sleep. Every time she began to dose off, another thought, another memory, came to the surface of her mind. With a muttered curse, the slender lady threw back her covers and stalked to the center of her room. Standing still, she composed herself and stared straight ahead. She was so bored. So utterly, completely, mind-numbingly bored. It hadn't been like this before. Surely not. Then...there was a point to it all. A point to the flirting and backstabbing, to the shocking and dancing... Catching hold of a memory of music and balls, Delia smiled slightly. She loved dancing. Really, it was the only thing where she didn't have to think -

Keeping that in mind, Delia sighed softly and began to dance. Slower then she would in truth, but this was only practise. Skip this way in a half circle, and then retrace your steps and then some…

Delia went through the steps, her eyes half-closed, remembering the few months when she had first come to court. She remembered being free and new. She remembered flirting with the heir to the Tortallan throne, while his friends watched on with jealousy.

As she moved back to bed, more asleep then awake, she remembered dancing with Prince Jonathan while Roger looked on with an amused smile…

…smoothly, she stepped away from the masked prince, laughing and breathless. She felt drunk and flushed, the heady air filled with the smell of scented candles, wine, and perfumed nobles. The masked ball was in full swing, with some of the candles dead on the iron chandeliers so the light was darker, redder, then it should be. Turning with the other dancers to face the dais, she curtsied deeply to the masked man on the single throne, spreading her crimsonrubygarnetblood red skirts wide and letting them fall back to her sides with a silken whisper.

Delia felt unbalanced by the heavy tiara on her head, and she had an urge to reach up and rip it off. But not here, not in this ball. She had to find Roger, to tell him that she knew his game and that he could…

Looking to the dais, she took a step back and bumped into someone in the now thick crowd. The masked man met her eyes and gave her an amused smile. Somehow, Delia knew those eyes would be a bright, bright blue.

Comments

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

She couldn't think, couldn't breath...Delia swayed and stumbled through the crowd, brushing past the laughing, drunk courtiers. A girl in pale blue swung her around, landing a kiss on her mouth before releasing her. Shaking her head, Delia almost ran outside, ripping her mask off. Leaning against the wall, she breathed deeply. It was winter, with snow on the ground, but she wasn't cold. Just pleasantly cool. She let her head fall forward, and put the mask back on. Turning to go inside, she paused. There was a flash of red hair and, almost without thinking, Delia lifted her skirts and walked down the steps to the gravel path.

The green-eyed girl caught up with Alanna by the rose bushes, and her breath caught again. The moonlight fell on the squire, making the silver trim and mask glow. Beautiful, mysterious...

Delia just stood there, watching with eyes hidden by her mask and wondering what in the name of the Mother was she doing...

[the_lioness]

Alanna paced back and forth, oblivious to her surroundings. Delia was the epitome of everything she loathed about Court life. Jonathan was better than that. He deserved someone with honor, loyalty, spirit and compassion. Someone like... Alanna? No. She shook her head at the thought. Maybe? Seeing Delia dance with Jon definitely sparked feelings of inadequacy and jealousy. So why did she keep seeing Delia's laughing green eyes and wry smile just before she leaned forward and kissed her? Clearly she was going insane. Far be it from her to buck family tradition.

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

"The gardeners are not going to be very happy in the morning to find you've ruined the ground through constant pacing, you know." Delia says at last. Her voice is quiet, but some how very throaty in the darkness.

She doesn't move forward, just stand there, watching, waiting, with moonlight reflecting off her old silver tiara.

[the_lioness]

Alanna whirled around, her startled eyes quickly finding Delia in the darkness. More accurately, finding Delia's tiara in the darkness. Bristling, Alanna glanced toward the illuminated ballroom and couldn't help but think she got her wish after all. Here she was in the garden, enjoying the crisp air. The only drawback was that Delia had decided to encroach upon her peace and quiet, not to mention her personal space. Alanna absently rubbed her thumb across her lower lip.

"The gardeners will be more concerned with the number of empty tankards littering the King's lawn than with one small, worn patch of frozen ground." She paused, slowly walking toward Delia. "Why are you here? Did you not humiliate me enough inside?"

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

Oddly calm, the girl let the squire stalk towards her without making a single move back. "Humiliate? I do beg to differ, Squire Alan...after tonight, the other knights and squires will be utterly envious and your standing will have risen considerably. I do not think those things fall underneath the defination of 'humiliate'." Her light voice is the same as her hidden expression; calm, serene, and just a little bit all-knowing and worldly.

"That said, cannot I also enjoy the cool air? Inside, I could not think." She shrugs, a noticable movement when her white skin reflected the moonlight so well. "You never know...I could even being apologizing to you."

[the_lioness]

Alanna gulped. Of course her friends would view the kiss in stride. In fact, Delia is right. She might even be lauded for it tomorrow. Shuddering, Alanna stepped back and eyed Delia warily. She wasn't sure she wanted any part of a situation in which Delia was right about something.

"My, someone thinks rather highly of herself, doesn't she?" Alanna's smirk faded. "Why would you apologize to me?

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

Another small, graceful shrug, and Delia reaches up to touch the large, smooth garnet resting just above her breasts. It could be a nervous habit, but then again, it might not be.

To cover it, Delia gives Alanna a small, cheeky smile; very different from her normal ones. "For playing into your Prince's hands so much. I fear I have given him much to mock you for, and that was not my intent."

[the_lioness]

Both irritated and curious, Alanna allowed her gaze to follow Delia's hand. She stared at the garnet for several seconds before narrowing her eyes and glancing back at Delia's face. Her pride was unreasonably stung by the mention of Jon, but she stuck her chin out and refused to reveal just how uneasy she felt.

"Jon would find something to mock me for with or without your intervention, Lady Delia." Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "But it is always friendly in nature. Do not fear."

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

"Fear?" Delia's light voice held laughter in it, much like it could hold interest or modesty. The girl shook her head, laughing. Taking her mask off with a smooth gesture, she gave Alanna an amused look. Her face was young, still slightly rounded from childhood. Delia wasn't at the height of her beauty, not by far, but she was still utterly lovely to look at.

"I do not fear Jon."

[the_lioness]

"No," Alanna smiled grimly, a touch of envy clouding her vision. Flirtation, charm, love - these things came so easily to Delia. That's not to say that Alanna wanted to be good at these things. Goddess, no. Truth be told, Alanna wanted nothing to do with love. She wanted freedom, and love meant shackling yourself to someone else. It wasn't for her.

Alanna briefly wondered what it would feel like to have Jon look at her like he looked at Delia. She blinked. Nauseating, most likely.

"I can't see you fearing any man. You are far too aware of your own charms. No, it is rejection that you fear." Unnerved by Delia's gaze, she glanced at the other girl's mask. It looked empty without Delia's green eyes shining through. Alanna was suddenly afraid to remove her own, as if her very soul would be laid bare. She didn't want to be that open. That unprotected.

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

Delia's eyes flickered down to her empty mask, an odd little smile on her face. She knew she looked lovely in the moment, with her dress and old silver tiara and earrings and oh, just everything. So lovely, so precious, so pretty and wonderful and delicate...

Beauty and ugliness were two sides of the same coin; with both, one only saw the surface. Inside, Delia was just as ugly everyone else around her. Superficial, her lovely form floating above her empty soul. The squire in front of her still had the silver mask on, as protection, no doubt. Delia had removed hers for the same reason, to protect herself.

Somewhere inside her, Delia wondered if she saw herself in the mirror with that plain, black mask on if she would see someone home.

Unlikely.

"You read me so well?" The girl asked at last, her light voice almost...bland as she gazed at Alanna once more. No, not gazed; stared.

[the_lioness]

Alanna's breath lodged in her throat. Why did that keep happening around Delia? The other girl's eyes burned into her until Alanna was tempted to take a step back. No, she would not beat a cowardly retreat. Instead, she gave Delia a blank look, hoping she wouldn't notice that Alanna was actually looking at something over her shoulder.

"I fear I do not read you well at all. You constantly keep me guessing." She paused, licking her lips. "I'm curious though. How well can you read me?"

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

Delia ducks her head at that, smiling. Brushing past Alanna, the girl reached over and plucked a rose from the dead bush. Letting her mask fall to the snow-covered ground, she cupped the full bloom in her hands. It was a deep, purple-black, and made her skin almost glow.

"Shall we see? Black roses are for mourning, white for purity, yellow for jealousy..."as she speaks each colour, the rose changes to match; a snowy, glowing white; a vibrant yellow; a deep, blood-red..."and red is for passion." Delia pauses, and when she looks at Alanna, her green eyes are a mystery.

"Which colour do you think it should be, Squire Alan?"

[the_lioness]

Alanna watched the mask fall to the ground and land with a soft thud. She flinched. It was too fair to toss aside so carelessly. Delia's voice slowly drew Alanna out of her reverie, and she peered curiously at the roses. Which color to choose...

"Red," Alanna croaked. "Yellow. Red and yellow, both."

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

"Passion." A whispered caress of a word, the deep red petals pulsing faintly. "Jealousy." Sharper, the yellow almost harsh. Delia tilts her head, raising one of her delicate brows.

"Who are you jealous of, Squire Alan?" She asks quietly. "Jon? Me?" a gentle pause.

"Who?"

[the_lioness]

Alanna touched the blood red rose with a callused fingertip. It felt soft and smooth. Cool to the touch, yet unbearably alive. Alanna glanced at the dead rose bush in confusion and pushed impatiently at her mask. She suddenly wanted it off.

"I'm not sure, Delia." Alanna whispered, her throat feeling as dry as sand. "Again, perhaps my answer is 'both.'"

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

The rose went from red to yellow then to red again, never quite settling down but always changing.

"It can't be both," she said softly, biting her bottom lip. "Just one colour. For tonight, it can only be one colour. And it's your choice, you see. Red or yellow?"

[the_lioness]

Alanna watched the rose carefully. Every time she decided on a color, it would change again. Her breath quickened, and Alanna suddenly felt as though she were trapped in a never ending whirlpool, watching the rest of the world carry on as usual. She looked uneasily into Delia's eyes. Her answer slipped out just as the rose turned yellow again.

"Red." Alanna felt her face turn just that color and she cleared her throat.

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

The rose turned red, deep red, and stayed that way. And Delia smiled. It was a bright, and yet somewhat shy smile. Delighted, and girlish. It made her look younger, but not as pretty.

"Red it shall be," the girl reached out, and slid the squire's silver mask off, "Alanna." Taking a step back, Delia opened her hands and let the silver mask and red rose fall to the snow either side of her.

[the_lioness]

Alanna bit her lip. Why did I choose red? Am I insane? She let her eyes wander over Delia's face, puzzled at the obvious contradictions. One moment, Delia could be a lost little girl, and the next, an accomplished flirt with dangerous aspirations. Who was Delia? Distracted, Alanna doesn't try to stop Delia's motion, but is stunned to suddenly find herself without a mask. She stared frantically at Delia, feeling...

Exposed.

Confused. Delia had kissed her knowing that she was Alanna?

Nervous.

She frowned. "How did you know?"

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

The smile brightened, and there was an element of slyness in it. "Your brother, Alanna, has a sister." It was an answer...of sorts.

She stood there, waiting, looking young and lovely. Raising her eyebrow again, Delia offered Alanna her hand.

[the_lioness]

"You're right." Alanna puzzled over this. "But most people believe he has a brother."

Her world narrowed to Delia's dancing green eyes. Alanna sensed that her choice whether or not to take Delia's hand had been made the moment she realized Delia had followed her outside. Alanna reaches out with a shaky hand and traces Delia's palm with a fingertip. Bemused, she laces her fingers through Delia's and nods. She squeezes the soft hand, reasserting her strength, as much for Delia's sake as her own.

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

As Alanna did that, as Alanna took her hand and then squeezed it, Delia seemed to flow closer to her. Their hands were still between them, but Delia was so close now, so close...

Not taking her green eyes away from Alanna's face, she lifted their hands to her lips, and kissed Alanna's knuckles.

"You ducked him in the pond, but never really beat him up. That's what brothers do. Sister? No," a quick smile, "I don't want to talk about Thom."

[the_lioness]

Mesmerized, Alanna watched Delia lift their hands. She had plenty of time to back away, but couldn't seem to lift her feet. As Delia kissed her knuckles, Alanna unfurled her index finger and traced a line down the other girl's cheek. She barely touched Delia, the gesture a mere hint of contact, but the softness of her skin instantly registered. Chewing on her lower lip, Alanna peered at Delia curiously.

"I suddenly find that I don't either." Alanna offered Delia a hesitant smile.

[eldorne-girl.livejournal.com]

Delia smiles back at that, the brightness in her eyes warming. Green eyes, green for envy, jealousy, and for new life. And new life can be a new begining on new year's night.

"I am glad of that, Alanna." She says softly, kissing Alanna's knuckles again.