Adara's Tapestry
Adara sat in her room, on the seat next to the window, sewing. A breeze was blowing gently in the room from outside, bringing with it the sweet smell of lilac and rosebushes from the flower garden outside her window. She was singing a little song under her breath, and the notes drifted through the open door and out into the stone corridor. She set down the needle she was holding in her long fingers and grazed her hands casually through the spools of fabric lying on the low mahogany table in front of her.
There were many different varieties, some soft and silky, some rough and thick, some a bright shade of ocean blue, somethe palest pink. Adara finally selected a silky pink thread and poked it through the needle. She deided not to use her weak Gift for the task today. She was feeling tired after all the classes and her walk in the garden, and using her magic could only exhaust her more. Adara tied the doubled thread together at the ends and poked the needle through the black fabric that rested on her lap and spilled over into the floor. She was making a tapestry, a large one, designed to grace the wall in front of her bed and to making the Sewing and Embroidery Mistress prodigiously proud of her.
Adara weaved her needle in and out of the folds of fabric deftly, her needle moving at a lightning pace and re-emerging speedily through the abyss of fabric. In several minutes her hand stopped, bent to come down into the fabric again. She exaimened her work, and, finding the tall rose beautifully crafted, tied a knot in the thread and cut it off with a pair of gold embroidery scissors that she had placed on the table beside her. Adara stood up, her blue poplin gown cresing as she did so. Industriously, ashe folded the black fabric and rested it on the low table beside her sewing things. She then proceeded to spin about the room in a dizzying fashion and come to a halt at the door. She mouth breathed out the last few mesures of the ancient traditional song she had been singing and she grabbed her cloak from the hook beside the door, making ready to go outside.
I can shape the world with a few strokes of my pen. Until the walls of fantasy come crashing down, all is perfect.
Cara had been walking in an outer corridor of the convent, her tabby cat, Legend, and sparrow, Star, by her side, when she heard an enchanting song echoing off the walls. She paused for a moment, blue eyes wide, revelling in the gracefulness of the song and voice intertwined, before turning and trying to follow the song to it's singer. She went back down the corridoor, her robin's egg blue dress swishing in time to her step. After a few wrong turns, she saw an open door, and hastened toward it as the song ended. As she hurtled down the hall, she slipped on a damp patch on a stone, and crashed into the girl who was just coming out of her room. Cara turned scarlet as Star flew around them, twittering worridly, and Legend rubbed against her leg, which was now showing through a new rip in her dress.
"I'm so sorry!" Cara exclaimed, hoping the girl was alright. "I must have slipped on a stone, are you alright?" She hurried to her feet, and offered a hand to the other girl, trying to hide her ripped dress . "My name of Cara of Blythdin."
Re: Adara's Tapestry
Adara felt something crash into her as she swung her cloak around to cover her shoulders. She fell down, her back lightly hitting the stone wall behind her. Her head spun a bit as she regained her senses. Shaking her head slightly, she stood up and brushed off her dress.
"Oh, that's quite alright. Are you okay? I'm bigger than you, I hope I didn't hurt you." Adara offered out her hand to the younger student. "Nice to meet you. I'm Adara of Coa's Wood." Adara's voice was naturally musical-it slid gracefully from one note to the other, ending in a low-pitched laugh.
"It is not a very lucky incident if it rips your dress, as I see it has." Adara's forehead cresed in worry, her muddy brown eyes anxious over the state of the other girl's dress.
"Would you like me to mend it for you? One of the few few arts I am accomplished in is sewing. Come, come I'll fix it. You may bring your animals and I shall give them a treat."
I can shape the world with a few strokes of my pen. Until the walls of fantasy come crashing down, all is perfect. Edited by: Tielle at: 4/15/04 3:39 pm
Re: Adara's Tapestry
Cara took Adara's hand as she picked herself up, blushing even more at the girl's calm response, and also at her ripped dress.
"I thank you very much." Cara said, trying to be as eloquent and lady-like as Adara. "No, it was not a lucky incident. And as my sewing arts are not refined I would be extremely obliged if you could mend my skirt."
Trying to act dignified, she held out her hand for Star to alight on and gestured for Legend to follow her. As Legend began to explore the room, Cara's eyes followed him warily, praying he didn't get into anything. As she moved Star to so the sparrow could perch her shoulder, her eyes lit upon the tapestry, which seemed to glow in the sunlight.
Giving a small, polite, gasp of awe she said, "That is a most wondrous piece of artistry! It seems so real, and so beautiful. It is easy to tell that sewing truly is an art you excel in!" Looking at Adara for permission, she bent to examine the tapestry. "The stitches are so small, and the colors are just perfect!" She exclaimed, eyes glowing with awe. "I don't know how you could make such a great piece with sewing! I always seem to tangle the tread, or poke myself with the needle, when I try to sew something." She told Adara wryly, relaxing, and beginning to sound more like her true self. Star, protesting to the movement, gave a small cry and perched on the window sill, cocking her head this way and that, seemingly also giving her own examination to the tapestry.
Re: Adara's Tapestry
Adara's plump face flushed gently with a bright pink colour. She shyly bent to look at the tapestry along with Cara, picking at a couple loose threads along the edges.
"Oh, I'm afraid you flatter me, Cara. I believe that this is one of my better work though. Most of them don't turn out so well." She gave a sad little smile and a sigh as if her tapestry was the most essential thing in her world-which it probably was.
Her forehead creased a bit in worry as she once again examined the rip in Cara's dress. "Well, I'm sure that you will get better as you go along. When I started sewing, I did many of the same things. But now that I have grown older and learned that sewing is so very important, I have started to enjoy it more. Now, would you mind changing into a spare shift while I fix the rip in this dress? It'll take but a minute-the rip is across a seam." Adara took a couple steps across the room and rummanged through her drawers, looking for a garment that would cover Cara up respectably while she made the necessary adjustments to the gown.
"Here you go. You can slip this on behind that screen and hand me your dress." Adara held out the light grey cotton garment to Cara.
I can shape the world with a few strokes of my pen. Until the walls of fantasy come crashing down, all is perfect.
Re: Adara's Tapestry
Cara smiled gratefully at took the shift. Walking behind the screen, she pulled the light dress on, happy thoughts drifting pleasently through her mind.
This is the first time I've actually had a real conversation with someone here. Maybe being in the convent won't be that bad, if I go out and meet more people. She mused I haven't really been that outgoing and gone to and met anyone here, even though I've been here a while, I should really meet some more people.
She stepped out from behind the screen and smiled at Adara as she handed her her ripped dress.
"I really hope you're right about my sewing skills," She said grinning "If they don't improve, I fear the Sewing Mistress will have a heart attack, if she keeps having to see my attempts at sewing." She paused for a moment thinking "So how long have you been here?" She asked, wondering how long others stayed. "I've only been here a couple months, but the Sewing Mistress already seems to hate me."
She pulled a wry smile at Adara, "not that you have anything to worry about. That tapestry would make the her faint with pleasure." She looked down as Legend rubbed against her legs meowing to be picked up. "Oh, this is Legend by the way, and that sparrow over there is Star" She said pointing to the sparrow who was preening on the sill. Startled by the attention, she trilled and flew to land on Adara's head. "I'm so sorry," Cara said, hurriedly beckoning to Star, who untangled herself from Adara's hair and perched on Cara's shoulder. "She's startled easily." Knowing this wasn't much of an excuse, Cara blushed, hoping Adara didn't dislike animals.
Re: Adara's Tapestry
Adara smiled easily and patted her black hair back into shape where the bird had landed. "That is alright. Star is a lovely name. My brother used to own a horse named Star-she was one of his favourites. And that is a darling cat you have as well." Adara unwound a piece of thread from a spool on the table in front of her a poked it through the sharp needle she held in front of her.
"I have been here for about two years now. My parents sent me her when I was 12, so now I am fourteen. I love it here- it is so calm and peaceful. I wish that I did not have to leave so soon, but perhaps my mother will let me study here longer. How old are you, Cara?" she added, tying the ends of the thread together and poking the needle into the fabric of the dress where it had ripped.
"That's starange," said Adara, not looking up from the fabric as her needle wove in and out through it expertly. "The Sewing Mistress is very kind to us usually, although she is occasionally...well, I really should not say anything. After all, she has been so kind to me. I am sure that she has a reason for any bad-temperedness. I really should not have said anything." Adara laid the needle down and sighed a bit worriedly, before picking it up again and tying off the end of the thread.
Adara stood up and shook out the dress a bit. She ran her muddy-brown eyes over the dress and spotted a miniscule rent in the cuff. "I will fix this as well, and no one shall ever be the wiser for any of it." She once agin threaded the needle and picked up the dress. "Now, do you like the convent? Many newcomers detest it, although I cannot imagine why. Everybody is so kind!"
I can shape the world with a few strokes of my pen. Until the walls of fantasy come crashing down, all is perfect.
Re: Adara's Tapestry
Cara blushed as she listened to Adara's comments on newcomers and the Sewing Mistress.
"Yes, well, I wasn't so happy coming here. At home I had a lot more freedom to do what I wanted, like read and go outside a lot, but here it's so regimented I can't think straight. I just thought the worst of everyone here, and avoided having too much to do with anyone." She paused a moment and then said, "I guess that the Sewing Mistress disliking me is my fault too. I have never liked sewing, and I was a bit sharp and disrespectful to her, because she kept correcting my work until I wanted to scream. My parents sent me here to punish me, not to give me lady-like skills. I guess I wanted to thwart them, and try to be as muleish as possible until I was sent home, but it doesn't seem to be working." She picked up Legend and began to pet him. "I know it was wrong now, but I was so frusterated when I came here, that I wanted to do something to rebel against my parents."
Cara grinned as Adara announced that she had found yet another rip in her dress. "I've always been hard on my clothes, I can never seem to keep them in one piece or clean for long. They're going to be in the best shape they've been since I got them. I usually don't bother sewing up the small rips."
Re: Adara's Tapestry
Adara looked over at Cara, the thread hanging from the corner of her mouth where she had been holding it to pick up the needle.
"Well," she said, taking the thread our of her mouth and threading the needle. "I came to the convent because my mother said that it would be best for me. She said that I would learn everything that I needed to know to get a husband, and my parents have a lways wanted my to marry well for the family. I don't mind at all. I trust my parents completley. I am sure that they will pick out a nice husband for me."
Adara finsihed sewing up the tiny rip in the cuff and tied off the end of the thread. She gave a little laugh and smoothed out the finished product.
"I am sure that your parents just wanted you to respect them a bit more. After all, that is what every parent wants from their child, respect and love. My mother and I have always respected each other and we get along perfectly. We sew together and eat diner together, and sometimes she requests that we go horseback riding together-although horses do frighten me quite alot.
"My brother never wanted to listen to my parents, and so they got angry at him and sent him off to the Magic school, although he wanted to be a page. So I think that it will work out better if you obey your parents-after all, they are much wiser and experienced, and they have only good intentions for you. At least, my parents, who are so very kind to me do." Adara handed the dress back to Cara and put her needles and thread away in a small wooden tray on her bedside.
"Would you like to go down to take a walk about after you have out your dress back on, Cara?"
I can shape the world with a few strokes of my pen. Until the walls of fantasy come crashing down, all is perfect. Edited by: Tielle at: 4/19/04 1:13 pm
Re: Adara's Tapestry
"Hmm," Cara said, not quite sure she was ready to belive her parents where just looking out for her, "I hope I at least get a say in whom I'm to marry." She shuddered, "I've seen some girls my age get married off to these old men! It's absolutly discusting how parents can be so uncaring to their daughter's feelings, and think of marriage as a way to get into favor of the King, not a binding love between two people. If I marry I want to marry someone I love, not someone who my parents like just because he has money."
Hoping Adara didn't think her contrary, Cara took her repaired dress, and went once again to the screened area to change. Adara certinly does fine work! She thought looking at where the rip used to be, You can bardly tell there was a rip here. After pulling the dress over her head, she walked out from behind the screen, borrowed shift over one arm, "The dress looks perfect!" she said admiringly as she handed the shift back to Adara, "You can't even tell there was a rip there!" Rembering Adara's former question, Cara looked out the window at the clear skies, and cheerful sun, "I think a walk outside would be a good idea! It's so nice outdoors today. Would it be alright if I brought my kestrel? She hates to be cooped up in the Mews all day."
Edited by: Lady Kaia at: 4/20/04 9:44 am
- Altered Destiny - Student Dormitories -
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