The smell of paint filled the small room that Adelaide resided in. Small rays of moonlight filtered in through the cracks in the bricks a little extra light to the room aside from a dozen candles currently burning. Adelaide brushed a strand of curly, blonde hair from her face and hastily added several more streaks of paint onto the canvas in front of her. She worked with a hurried, precision as if fearful the idea in her head would disappear the longer it took her to paint it.
The light of the candles flickered as a breeze filtered up through the wood flooring and into the circular chamber. Adelaide breathed a sweet sigh, though, at the pleasant cooling it brought her, but didn't allow herself too long of a distraction before returning to the image she was attempting to craft. Some paint stained the sleeves of her night gown while a few patches of paint had made into onto her face. Adelaide's bright blue eyes dashed between the edges of the frame and her brush making sure to not miss a single piece of canvas.
Slowly, Adelaide laid her brush down to the side and stepped back to admire her work. Her cheeks were flushed but she was grinning manically at the landscape she had created. The blue of the sea fought ferociously for the center of the canvas battling against the deep brown of the looming mountain cliff. The greenery of the trees and bushes almost appeared to be moving in the violent wind that strained their branches and tore at their roots. Birds were un-phased, though, as they road the wind currents, soaring over the turbulent storm. Their faces were marked with peaceful expressions as they adjusted to the devastation and changes enveloping around them.
Adelaide nodded her head in approval at the scenery she had crafted. Satisfied and exhausted, Adelaide crept back to the small bed barely visible in the room. As she went, she blew out each candle, gradually dimming the light. She had to shift over several other canvases that littered the room as she walked before successfully reaching her bed and settling down into the cozy, cotton blanket. With one last glance at her latest masterpiece, Adelaide blew out the last candle and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
YOU ARE READING
The King's Artist
Historical FictionAfter being ignored for years by the small town she grew up in, Adelaide decides it's time to start fresh somewhere else as someone else. Fed up with the limitations that being a girl bring, she decides to take up the guise of a man in hopes of incr...
