Dalliah
Much to Tedricâs frustration, or so Iâve heard, our small party is taking place in the library where the fire is always lit to prevent damp, and the feeling it creates is the most relaxed.
There are 6 or 7 ladies that have joined us at Odelinaâs request and the table once dedicated for writing letters, is now filled with mugs of wine. To my surprise theyâve been served warm, something Iâve never seen before and there also appears to be a mix of spices brewed in too that reminds me of Christmas time. Not that Iâve gotten to fully celebrate it before.
I sigh aloud the first few times Iâve taken a sip, enjoying it far more than I should and by my second helping Iâm surprised not to feel it go to my head yet. Am I getting better at this or worse at being able to sense it?
Either way, Iâm a failure when it comes to trying to talk to those around me. All they seem to want to do is reminisce about their home on the islands, or their time travelling in the war. I of course can offer nothing to those conversations, so I just sit and nurse my drink while taking it in.
Itâs not that theyâre unwelcoming, in fact, theyâre the opposite. Itâs just all that they have to say interests me so much and really I donât want to interrupt them. This is the first time Iâm properly leaving my home, so to hear about how they were away for years and still are, fascinates me.
It gives me hope for my next move.
âHave you ever been in the water, Dalliah? I heard you were ill at the coast so mightnât have had the chance to try it.â Rebekah, a tall brunette asks me from across the circle we find ourselves in.
From the question you can tell that sheâs ignorant of the reason behind my illness, as sheâs smiling as if genuinely interested in my answer. I want to lie and say that I havenât to avoid talking about my accident and bringing the collective feeling down, but Odelina knows the truth and others might as well.
I swallow hard, pretending it was a sip from my now empty mug, âOnce, but Iâm not a strong swimmer.â
Odelinaâs head snaps in my direction, she must have heard me over her conversation with the lady next to her and offers me a small smile before clearing her throat.
âI was just saying to Grace about the mulled wine⦠has anyone else noticed how weâve managed to keep our heads so well?â All eyes turn to her and I mouth âthank youâ subtly when her gaze finds mine for a second.
âItâs because the heat melts away the alcohol, making it less strong and easier to take.â She laughs like itâs the most interesting thing in the world and while it answers my question from before, I think itâs an act to fully turn the conversation.
Iâm grateful and donât deserve the kindness she offers me most days.
Before long dinner is brought to us, as weâve been excused from the larger party and itâs nice to get a break from eating in front of so many people. Yes thereâs still quite a few here but itâs not as bad, and I was dreading having to sit at that long table again like we did at breakfast.
Now Iâm able to take my time as I try some of the fruits and pastries I donât recognize.
This is my first time properly eating at a court that isnât travelling or holding up in an inn somewhere. Itâs fair to say that Iâm used to simple meals, heartier meals but the one here is more rich and delicate. Iâm not sure what to think.
There are more courses, prettier plates and Iâve never been so glad for my mother having taught me the difference between silverware. Even if most of the women here are picking at it with it being such a casual setting.
âYou eat so well with being new to the party, what was it you did before again?â A woman whose name Iâve failed to remember asks from my right and I feel the heat go to my cheeks as I start to answer.
âJulie, you canât ask her that! She was a maid back in Apheya and we were told not to bring it up unless she wanted to.â Rebekah scolds her and I want the ground to swallow me whole from the way she talks as if I canât hear.
âI donât remember any of that, but I wasnât being rude⦠I just wanted to know.â She turns to me, clearly not wanting the point to drop and I try my best not to wince in anticipation of what she might say, âI was a baker back home and my mother was a cleaner, so thereâs nothing to be ashamed of around here.â
This surprises me, I thought they were all of noble birth and does it make me a bad person to feel glad in knowing that sheâs had to earn a living before as well? Maybe Iâm not the odd one out after all, or at least not as much as I thought I was.
âThank you.â I answer awkwardly and it sort of comes out like a question, but Iâd like to think that my face makes it seem genuine.
âHonestly you have less tact than a horseshoe.â Rebekah scolds my interviewer before taking a bite from her plate and rolling her eyes.
All before grinning at me warmly to try and make up for how uncomfortable I must seem, and to make it clear that Iâm not the problem.
But I am or they wouldnât be fighting, would they? Itâs not something I like to see unless itâs Avery and Odelinaâs playful bickering so I always avoided it where possible in the servantâs hall. Hence I have no idea how to undo whatever this is.
âYou would know, your first wage was for mucking out horses⦠remember?â
My eyes widen, not expecting that to be said and thankfully Odelina walks over, sensing tension from a mile away and clearly only catching the last few jibes thrown between the two.
The image of Rebekah mucking out horses in the fine dress sheâs wearing is hard to picture, but I canât help but try at this revelation.
âEnough!â She sighs, locking eyes with me to try and get a read on the problem at hand, âWhat on earth are you two fighting over now?â
It pleases me to hear that itâs not just a one-off caused by discussing me, and I donât miss the smug expression Rebekah aims towards Julie.
âJulie was asking Dalliah about her life as a maid, making her uncomfortable and ignoring the kingâs orders.â Thereâs no denying that she sounds like a child when reporting to her princess just now and itâs hard not to cringe even though she was trying to help me out.
That or using me as an excuse but I donât really care as long as this ends already.
âI wasnât making her uncomfortable, I was putting her at ease⦠itâs clear she has no idea the kind of lives we used to live.â
I donât appreciate being essentially called clueless, but sheâs not wrong. Are there any others that arenât these perfect noble women Iâve been fearing all night?
Odelina reads as much on my face and the corner of her mouth rises slightly, knowing how to help in an instant. The ladies are all gathered around me and before I know it, theyâre talking about the islands again, but rather than how beautiful they are or how much they miss them, they talk about their roles there.
Thereâs no one in this room who hasnât worked with their hands and even Odelina talks about how she used to manage the home with her mother, cleaning, cooking and fishing. It makes them seem more approachable, less intimidating and when I finally make the move to join in, I donât fail this time.