┌── ⋆⋅ Synopsis ⋅⋆ ──┐
A young woman is dragged into an unexpected adventure and given a new identity. She knows who she was, but has no clue who she is now. Our heroine endures many advances, opportunities, and situationships which eventually led h...
The lace worker, imposter duchess, awoke with parchment paper scattered about the fluffy comforter. A small well of ink puddled beneath the hand which still held the quill. From the width of the ink blotch on the sheets, she had slept for hours. As she aroused and reacquainted herself with her surroundings, she heard someone else rustling about the chambers.
"Excuse me, your grace, I didn't mean to wake you," a young girl spoke with a heavily eastern accent from the unwelcoming borderlands.
Her words were clear but drawn out. She was a pretty, and a little frail creature. She looked to be of elfish descent, which was uncommon in Sands. Her elongated cheekbones and thin pointy fingers along with the pointed ears demonstrated that she was part elf, if not full-blooded.
"What time is it?" Eleonora asked the young handmaiden, who stood at the foot of the bed. The young girl was setting out a gown, some jewelry, footwear, and undergarments. It was all arranged on the chest at the end of the bed in the order it would be needed to dress.
The gown was a grey with silver lacing woven into the bodice. Another garment with the Triena colors, and this time also with the coat of arms. The coat of arms was the pattern woven into the skirt of the dress in silver, but a sapphire threading upon the hem.
"Almost time for the evening meal." The young woman announced as she set out the last of the items.
Eyes were rubbed, and sleep vacated the imposter Duchess as she sat up in bed. A yawn escaped her lips, and a long stretch occurred. "Please call me Nixie." Even if she was supposed to be impersonating the Duchess Eleonora, somehow she wished to have her own name known. It was probably not the wisest of moves, but she did not wish to completely slip into the false identity.
"Oh no, I must not. It isn't proper to be so informal, your grace." She said while shuffling nervously about. She was still working, but some of her ease had departed. The young handmaiden began preparing water for a bath.
The bath tub was set up in the middle of the sitting room, and a few screens had been erected to create a private space.
"Is the dinner with the Countess' court?" Nixie asked as she tried to clean the aftermath of falling asleep with quill, ink, and parchment upon her lap.
"It is with Countess Florian in her chambers." She answered. "I'll take care of all that."
Then the young woman ushered Nixie from the bed to the screen divider in the corner of the room. It was another spot which was created while she was sleeping. It was a wonder she had not awoken sooner.
Nixie struggled to get out of the gown she had been wearing since that morning. The back of the gown was laced close, and the corset was tied tight. "Can you help, please?"
"Oh. Yes, of course." The young maiden walked behind the screen to assist.
Her eyes were upon each lace tie, and her nibble elongated fingers set to work. She reached her hands up to unlace the back of the gown, unveiling the corset and another layer of ties and loops. She made quick work of it all, then gently folded each layer of clothing and stacked them into a pile.
The bath basin was steaming. Even though the water was added some time ago, it remained hot. It was likely something to do with Elven magic. The water was covered in an array of blue flowers and the scents of thyme and chamomile filled the air.
The young handmaiden had the sapphire gown tucked into her arms. Slowly, she worked towards the door of Nixie's chambers. "Your official handmaiden will be in shortly to help you dress for this evening." After she spoke, she rushed to the exit.
A look over to the bedchambers, somewhere in the brief span of time the bed had been made, the scattered parchment stacked, and the ink blotch was nowhere in sight. Something to examine more closely later, but all was back into its original order; the way it was when Nixie had first entered the room.
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The official handmaiden had come and went. She was not as warm or likable as the young handmaiden. There was a less sociable nature about her. At her departure she denoted, "Wait here. An escort will come to take you to dinner, your grace."
Nixie set. She moved about the chambers, trying out the various seating: dining room, sitting room, and bedside dressing bench. Each was tested for comfort, and as she did so she became more familiar with the room. The bed was indeed spotless, and not a trace of ink was found.
When all her exploring was done, she was still waiting. Nixie sat in the sitting room with a view of the door. There were not many sounds in the room to be heard, except for the gurgling of her stomach which grew louder in anticipation of the coming meal.
Abruptly, two knocks sounded off the main doors, followed by the entering of the same two burly men from that morning. They were dressed in the same grey royal tunics. Each held one of the doors open, the corridor was visible as the light from the fading sun. A symphony of footsteps came first, then two noblemen followed. One man was dressed in crimson red and gold and the other man with sapphire eyes and golden hair wore all black. The latter was the nobleman from the hall full of sunlight.
"Duchess, I'm Sedrick of Florian and this is Gregorio Warlight, a dear friend of mine and a friend of the Triena Prince."
When Sedrick spoke, it was like beams of sunlight; his smile was infectious and his manner was warm and inviting. He carried himself like a commoner. He did not have the noble air about him, except for his facial structure, which was much like his mother's. If not for Bee's information session earlier, the Prince of Florian would have been mistaken for a herald.
The four men stood at the edge a step beyond the threshold. Nixie stood to her feet, and in doing so, Nixie became Eleonora once more.
Gregorio smiled and bowed his head, but Prince Sedrick offered his arm. "May I have the honor?" He said.
"Yes, you may." His arm was taken and together, they turned to leave. The noblemen, and Eleonora first and then the guards followed.
In the hallway there were four Florian guards, and Bee. She grinned at Eleonora and curtsied.
Gregorio offered his arm to Bee, and they walked in front of Eleonora and Prince Sedrick. Behind them all, the Florian guards preceded in a rhythmic step formation. The Triena guards stood at the right and left sides of the group. The little convoy slowly made their way down the corridor to the Countess' quarters.
