Lost Royalty Writing contest

Behind The Mask

This is by

@warrior_srarhb

Behind the mask. Set during the set up to the party in Grea.

Delilah sighed as she got up from her table. She held her head high so the perfect pile of golden curls remained steady. With one hand she smoothed the green gown she had chosen. It was her favorite since it brought out the green flecks in her hazel eyes. With a measured step, she walked down the stairs. Her mother was sitting at a table at the bottom. She was sipping from a tea cup, one ankle delicately crossed over the other, then tucked under her chair.

Catching sight of her daughter, she set her cup down with a clink onto the saucer. "Really, Delilah, what took you so long? You should have been down here five minutes ago. And how many times have I told you not to slouch?"

Delilah straightened. "I'm sorry, Mother."

"Better. Now I want you to remember everything I have taught you. James is to be at the village hall today, you know."

James. Delilah didn't know what she felt for him. Her mother was always trying to get them together. He wasn't disagreeable, in fact, he was quite handsome and when she was younger she had had a crush on him. But to be married to him would seal her fate. She didn't want to be stuck in Grea forever. She wanted to explore. To someday go to the palace. But marriage to James, while perhaps providing for her needs, would tie her to this small town for life.

But what choice did she have? How could she, a woman, work her way up to the castle? Her choices were only between her mother and James. If that was her decision then she would choose James. He was one of the few people who even pretended to tolerate her company. Part of the reason no one talked to her now was that she had never had friends when she was small. Her mother had insisted that playing with the other children would brown her skin and dirty her clothes. So, she had lived in isolation growing up. Then her mother had groomed and trained her to look down on the other villagers which made the chasm between her and the others even wider.

But, maybe today was the day. The day that someone finally would see past the mask she always wore. The disguise that hid the girl inside that just wanted to be loved and accepted. But that was just an idle fantasy. She sighed again. She would go out to decorate the village hall and if James was there she would flutter her eyelashes at him and flirt to please her mother. The sight of the disgust in his eyes when she did that made her feel like dirt, but to avoid the wrath of her mother she could withstand one man's revulsion. But her mother was waiting. She had spent too much time pondering the situation she had been stuck in since practically the moment she was born.

After snatching her cloak off a peg, she settled it around her shoulders then gently placed the hood over top of her elaborate hairstyle. When she opened the door she was greeted by brilliant fall colors. Her mother was on the porch tapping a foot.

"Delilah, I do not have all day. If you would get your head out of the clouds and pay attention sometimes perhaps you would actually have some friends."

Delilah kept a neutral face, not wanting to show how much the comment stung. They passed by several people each one gave a small polite smile to the pair but then hurried on their way. Her mother was taking long strides but kept her back perfectly straight and the large hat on her head didn't move a centimeter. Delilah's shorter legs struggled to keep and still maintain an acceptable appearance. It was times like this where she felt like a young, chubby girl next to the tall stately figure of her mother. She had heard some of the comments that were whispered about her. How she was a snob and a prig, but yet still attached to her mother's skirts. It made her hold her head higher and keep a stone cold face. If the thought she was a snob then why not be one?

By the time, they arrived at the village hall, Delilah was wishing she had left her cloak behind. The walk over and warmed her quite well, and it was almost too hot. She glanced around, they were the only ones there, but that made sense since her mother was in charge of decorating. Her mother looked at the large room, probably already visualizing where decorations would go.

Her attention returned to her daughter. "Remember, Delilah, smile often." She pinched each of her cheeks to bring them color. Delilah had always hated that. It made her cheeks ache, she never did it by some how her mother would usually end up doing it anyway. But it was time to get to work. The village hall did need to get decorated. If James showed up she would flirt with him, if he didn't all the better.

***

I love this entry! The detail is so amazing, and it really feels as if we can completely imagine everything going on. The punctuation and grammar is excellent, and it is very well written!