As Lady Foxglove began to bounce around like an overactive teenager due to mild boredom, her mind cast it's memory net far, far back...
She did so love indulging in a bout of personal lengthy expository. Made the time pass!
...
If the Goddess Ravena had ever deemed Lady Foxglove important enough to merit a close inspection of her life, she might be a bit surprised at how it turned out.
All the lies, and deception, and betrayal that would she do...a single woman's bitter goal to win at any cost, to cheat death itself...her vanity, her arrogance, and her wrath...
It all started with a cake.
To be honest, it was a strawberry cheesecake. This was Years before the struggle that would inevitably set her on the path she was on currently. But it was the first time she realized how to solve something in her own way.
Little Araline was quite hungry, that day. Day-school was finally out, and the dread day had finally come-the mansion had been sold out right from under them-the Kingdom's Taxwizards had been particularly vicious that year, gathering gold and foreclosing taxdodgers to fund the Kings land war in Saras. The Foxglove family would have to suffer the indignity of a slightly smaller mansion, now.
But Araline really only cared about her grumbling stomach, at that point. Sure, she had eaten a nice lunch but she was hungry *now*. Tugging on her mothers skirt, and then her fathers trousers was an exercise in futility. They were busy packing belongings and generally being distracted by every little thing.
"Did you have lunch?"
"Erm, yes...but"
"....then ask one of the kitchen servants, I'm busy."
But there WERE no more kitchen servants. They were all let go. Since there was no more kitchen.
So she wandered away, skipping down the road in cute little half hops as only small, cute girls can possibly do. Though Lady Foxglove would often in the future practice her footwork in the same way, if she didn't think anyone was watching.
After a time, she encountered a group of her sometimes friends, discussing recent developments of a dire nature-centering on the cake Mr. Bokew the Baker had laid out on the window of his bakery. As mentioned, it was a strawberry cheesecake. At first the small group, glamored by the glorious pastry, decided to pool their money and buy the pie after an half hours discussion.
Araline spoke up. "...but who gets the biggest piece?"
The argument started over from the beginning.
With no conclusion being reached after a time, the group decided to do what bored children usually do-cause trouble. They would all try to steal the pie, naturally.
Araline hanged back-and watched as everyone tried, one by one.
The first one, a loutish girl named named Tarica, merely stormed the window pinwheeling her fists like a berserker.
Mr. Bokew, being an excellent enchanter in addition to a baker, spotted her right off and turned Tarica into a donkey. She went braying down the street like a true jackass. The children laughed so very cruelly. They never saw her again...until the very next day, anyway.
The second was a slight, quiet boy named Serco. He tried to sneak up and take the pie, even go so far as to cannily attempt to camouflage himself under a wooden box. Unfortunately, Mr. Bokew noticed that ordinary boxes do not move every few feet when one looks away, and sounded the alarm-by which I mean, he summoned a flight of stinging pixies to chase Serco away. Which they did, laughing and jabbing him with their tiny pitchforks. A sure warning for his future, Serco would become the kingdoms top Pixie Exterminator one day in revenge.
The third to go was a slightly older and more cunning boy by the name of Lawar (who would become a lawyer when he grew up). He actually walked up to Mr. Bokew and tried to convince him to sell the pie at half price, arguing vociferously that any further trouble caused by his friends could be avoided, and all could profit. Mr. Bokew turned him into a donkey, as well, but he at least he enough dignity to go find a stable while the spell wore off. While Lawar would eventually gain his degree in Lawwizardy and suppress most of his childhood memories to be a better asset to his profession, he never quite got over the habit of snacking on oats in a bag for lunch.
Fourth was a slim and somewhat girl who most called Tirus, who attempted to lead by example-figuring out a plan of attack, whereby one of them would act as distraction, and another would grab the pie, and a third would hide it with intent upon an equal three share. Unfortunately, no one listened to her-she attempted to do so by herself, and predictably Mr. Bokew trapped her in a red balloon, wherein she floated up away into the summer sky. This was Mr. Bokews favorite way of dispensing young troublemakers, and he had done it almost a ninety eight to a hundred times. She landed in the city park, and enjoyed the ride.
At this point, most of the children were quite discouraged.
But, Araline had a plan of her own...she had watched, and thought about it. She turned slowly to her requisite crush, a handsome boy named Caellat. He had been sweet upon for a time-clumsy love letters and melted chocolates in his grubby little hands. He wasn't a total moron, and he even had a nice fancy hat he wore, so she encouraged him oftentimes, enjoying the attention. Thus, she whispered to him now.
"...you know, if you got me that pie we could share it...together." Araline had said with a slight smile.
Given such motivation, Caellat did what others had thought impossible-through a combination of skill and cunning (and a bit of luck) he managed to actually get the pie, and all it cost was a small fire in Mr. Bokews mailbox.
When the cunning boy reached the alley, one slightly mushed strawberry cheesecake in hand, dreams of a first kiss and probably marriage and children dancing in his mind-Araline snuck up behind him and struck him lightly on the head with a small bit of wood. He went down like a sack of potatoes, and would later convince himself that this really meant she loved him even more.
Laughing, she stole the cake from his outstretched fingers-along with the boys fancy hat and the contents of his pockets-and skipped down the road back home, whistling merrily.
As it turned out, Araline ate only a single piece of the cake, and threw the rest away.
She really wasn't that hungry, anyway.
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Topic: Roll to Dungeon Quest - It's not you, it's me. (Read 191356 times)