Quest 088

[primrosella]

[Private//Hackable by Friends]

...Ugh. I'm certainly not doing that again. What an awful place. And I won't be wearing that dress or those horrible shoes ever again, either. I wonder if I might give them away to someone? It'd be a shame to let them sit around gathering dust in my closet if someone might want them.

I don't want Arthur to be right about her. We're friends, I know we're friends. I know she cares about things--for goodness' sake, she started planning her Midsummer party almost before we were all done talking about her springtime event! She had Neil working on the play, she--checks things and manages things and puts time and effort into them; that doesn't sound like the behavior of someone who doesn't care...

But that's how she's acting now. He's right about that much, at least--she didn't care to wonder if I'd like that place or not, or to warn me that it might not be my sort of affair. But something's wrong, I'm sure of that much. I'll have to continue to keep an eye on her, I suppose. I just...won't be doing it if it means going back to that...location.

Still, every cloud has a silver lining, as Daddy would say, and I suppose some good did come of it after all, in a very roundabout way. Tired as I was after last night, I still had trouble sleeping, and I ended up getting up earlier than usual; I suppose I was so caught up in thinking that I couldn't seem to settle down enough to fall asleep. But I thought a nice, long, early-morning ride might help to clear my head a little, so I went and got Valor and spent a while just riding around. And that's how I found my stone.

I brought it back with me and double-checked the spell as soon as I made it back; smooth, rounded, and of an unusual color. It's certainly smooth and rounded, and I've never seen a stone of quite this color--it seems to vary from very dark blue, almost black, to a cheerful green, all in patches. If that's not unusual, I don't know what is. And that means...

Teleportation at Random
-Salt Grains (easily bought)
-Dried Mistletoe (well dried, by now)
-Smooth Rounded Stone of Unusual Color (done!)
-Magic Wand (ready whenever I need it)
-Mortar and Pestle for Grinding

And it's certainly not as though salt is hard to come by. But first things first, I suppose. If I mean to wear this around my neck, I think I'd better have it made that way first, before I go enchanting it to teleport the person who rubs it around at random. But my goodness, wouldn't that be a surprise for the poor jeweler, though?

[/Private]

[Filtered from Alexis Hargreaves | Blue's Codes | Unhackable]

Well, that party at Victrola was...certainly an interesting way to spend an evening, wasn't it? Thank you for offering me the invitation, Blair. And thank you, also, to everyone I spoke with that evening, too; I very much appreciated the company. It was particularly lovely to make your acquaintance, Captain Kirk, and I do hope we'll have the occasion to speak again sometime soon.

But now it's back to the usual routine, it seems, and that's all right with me. Summer is coming, the weather is beautiful, and it's already June. Come to think of it, that means as of tomorrow, I'll have been here...ten months. Goodness, sometimes it really doesn't seem like it's been ten whole months but then other times it feels like it's been years. But it's nice, isn't it? I've made so many friends and gotten to do so many lovely things since I've been here.

There's a story in one of my fairy-tale books about a princess who was very stubborn and very spoiled, and whenever her father would bring a suitor before her, she would find something about him to ridicule. Finally, along came a young king, and he too the princess ridiculed, mocking him and calling him by a nickname that made fun of the beard he wore. And so she would have none of them for her suitor. But then her father the king found out about all this, and he vowed--and this is always the troublesome part in fairy tales, isn't it? Making a hasty vow--that he would have his daughter marry the first man that came through the doors the next day, no matter who it was.

The next day, a minstrel came along and happened to be the first man through the doors; the princess cried and cried at her misfortune, but her father was firm in his oath, and had them married. Then the minstrel took the princess away from her palace and brought her back to his own home. Along the way, they passed fields and fields of beautiful lands, and when the princess asked who such lands belonged to, her husband told her that they were the lands of the same young king she'd mocked for his beard--and that all those lands would've been hers, too, if she'd married him rather than ridiculing him.

When they reached the minstrel's hut, the princess was aghast because it was so small and rough and not at all the sort of place she was used to, and there were no servants to tend to her needs; she'd have to look after herself. And eventually, her husband told her that she would have to start working herself, to ensure that they'd have enough money to survive. So she tried selling pottery, but a drunkard passing through the marketplace on horseback accidentally ran into her wares and smashed them all to bits. Crying, she told her husband what had happened, and he arranged for her to work as a kitchen maid in a nearby castle--the castle of the young king she'd mocked, that might've been hers if she'd married him rather than ridiculing him.

But eventually, the princess realized that she had a duty to do her part to help them survive, and so she went to work in the castle, even though she was ashamed of her position and the fact that she was working in the very castle of a suitor she'd scorned. But she worked, and she did her best, and they managed, she and her husband the minstrel.

Finally, one day, she received word that the young king was having his wedding celebration that day, and the head servant gave her orders to deliver the wedding cake. Afraid that the young king would see her face and recognize her, the princess held the wedding cake high as she carried it, so that it would cover her face. But just as she walked into the grand hall with it, she tripped and fell, completely ruining the cake--and she began to cry, not because of her own misfortune, but because she'd ruined the young king's wedding day with her clumsiness. But then, to her surprise, someone helped her up and dried her tears, asking her why she was crying on her own wedding day; when she looked, she realized it was the minstrel standing before her, but dressed in the garb of the young king. He explained, then, that he had masqueraded as the minstrel, and as the drunkard in the street, in order to humble her spirit, punish her arrogance, and teach her compassion for others. The princess thanked him for it, and they were married properly, and that's the end of the tale.

I wonder, though, about that princess and her young king. It's one thing to teach her compassion, after all, and perhaps she did deserve to have her arrogance punished. But to break her spirit...well. I'd like to think that the young king might've loved her for her spirit. But of course, it's only a story, isn't it?

Goodness, I've certainly written a lot today, haven't I? It's a good thing I was in the mood for it, I suppose!

Oh, and if I might ask, now that I've told my story--does anyone know the name of a good jeweler? I'm looking for one that's good at setting stones, please.


[OOC: This tl;dr post brought to you by the letter Kanda Yuu, who decided to complain to Rosella about writing too much on her last post. Yes, she's doing it on purpose. I, however, apologize for it. >> Also, if your character was at Victrola last night and wants to say they saw her or talked to her there, I'm open to assuming!]

Comments

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

I wonder if she shouldn't start having all his meals made without salt. Have you heard that story before?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

It sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it. Will you tell it for me?

1/?

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

Merry, I think, must have told me this one, or else I read it in one of her books.

Once there was a king who had three daughters, and he asked each how much she loved him.

The eldest spoke first: "Why, as I love my life."

And that answer pleased the king.

So the second daughter answered: "Why, better than all the world."

And that answer pleased the king.

Then the youngest answered: "I love you as fresh meat loves salt."

And that answer did not please the king. What kind of a love was salt? Her sisters would have given him their lives and the world, but his youngest daughter's love was only as worthy as common salt? So he drove the youngest daughter out of the castle, and she was forced to make her own way in the world.

It was autumn, then, and very cold, and she went on until she came to a river. There at the river, she gathered up reeds and rushes to make a kind of cape to keep the cold out, and went on until she came to a manor house.

She begged for work there and they put her to work in the kitchens, scraping the lids and scouring the pots. And because she gave no name, they called her Cap O' Rushes.

One night, there was a grand ball held at the her father's castle, and the commoners and servants were allowed into the corridors to glimpse the guests and the king. But that night, Cap O' Rushes was too tired to go, so she stayed at home while all the other servants left.

2/?

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

But as soon as the other servants had gone, she took off her cape of rushes and was dressed as a princess again. And, secretly, she went as a guest and danced in disguise with every gentleman there.

But she left before the ball was over and sneaked back to the manor house so that the other servants would find her, still asleep (though she was feigning sleep), still wearing her cape made of rushes.

They woke her up and told her what a remarkable thing they'd seen: a mysterious lady had come in from no one knew where and danced with everyone there, even the king, and then vanished again.

"I wish I could have seen her," Cap O' Rushes said.

And Cap O' Rushes might have, for the king then ordered a hunting party in the hopes that the perhaps the mysterious lady would answer that invitation as well.

The servants were allowed to watch from the windows early in the morning as the hunting party passed by. But Cap O' Rushes was still asleep.

Or so they thought. For she pulled off her cape of rushes again and set out to join the party. And she rode with them as far as she dared before she knew she had to turn back, secretly, through a forest at the edge of her master's land, and return to the house.

The servants came and woke her again, though she was only pretending to be asleep, and told them of the mysteriously lady who rode out of nowhere to join the hunting part.

"I wish I could have seen her," said Cap O' Rushes.

A few days later, the king declared that there was to be a grand banquet at his castle, in the hopes that the mysterious lady would answer this invitation as well.

Because the celebration was so grand, the servants from the other houses were required in preparing the dishes. And so, all the servants from the manor house were called to the castle to help.

Cap O' Rushes found herself in the kitchen and she knew, then what she would do.

3/3

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

First she stole all the salt in the kitchen and hid it away in a locked cupboard. And no one noticed because who would pay attention to the scullery maid? No one at all. What worth was she? None at all. As little worth as common salt.

The cooks, of course, realized that there was no salt. But what could they do under orders of the king? They pressed on, cooking as best they could, but without any salt.

Meanwhile, Cap O' Rushes was made to stir the batter for a great cake. And as she stirred, she dropped her ring into the batter so that it would be baked into the cake. Only a princess would have a ring like this one, all gold and pearls. Certainly a common scullery maid never would.

And so the meal was brought to the table, with all the cooks and servants looking on nervously, even Cap O' Rushes.

And, of course, being made without a pinch of salt, the meal was tasteless and horrid. It was as miserable as sand and water. Nothing was worth eating.

"Oh!" said the king, realizing in horror what was the matter, "I had a daughter. And I asked her how much she loved me. And she said, 'As much as fresh meat loves salt.' And I turned her from my door, for I thought she didn't love me. And now I see she loved me best of all. And she may be dead for aught I know."

In despair, but to save what he could of the meal, the king ordered the cake be brought and cut. But what did he find when he cut the cake but the ring all made of gold and pearls.

"Whose ring is this?" he asked.

No on answered. Silence fell over the court.

"Whose ring is this?" he asked again.

And none of the servants stirred.

"Whose ring is this?" he asked a third time.

And this time, Cap O' Rushes stepped out from the crowd of servants at the kitchen door and said, "That ring is mine." And from under her cape of rushes, she produced a tiny, white hand, which the ring fit as though it had been made for it.

"But who are you?" the king then demanded.

Pulling off her cape of rushes at last, she revealed herself to be both the mysterious lady and the princess that the king had driven away so long ago. And she had proved, too, that she loved him best, and that she loved him as fresh meat loves salt.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Mmm, I like that story! And now I see why it sounded familiar, too--that beginning part, that's just like King Lear. Lear asks his daughters how much they love him, and Goneril and Regan bend over backwards singing his praises, but Cordelia only tells him that she loves him as meat loves salt.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's exactly that same story. King Lear is a bit like a fairy tale, though a far darker one that 'Cap O' Rushes'.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

I think you're right about that. Most fairy tales don't end with nearly everyone dead at the end.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

There are a few that are quite grim, though.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

And others are Grimm's!

There's the Cinderella story, of course, where the sisters chop off a toe and a heel to squeeze a foot into the slipper. Or the one where the servant impersonates the princess and in the end is rolled down a hill in a barrel filled with nails. Or the wicked stepmother that's made to dance in red-hot shoes...

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

And there's the story of the juniper tree too, of course.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

That's the one where the mother knocks the son's head off as he reaches into a chest for an apple, isn't it?

>:3

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

It is, yes. And it's his sister who buries him under the juniper tree, which brings him back to life--more or less.

~?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

And doesn't she boil his body and feed it to the father or some such? Ugh, that is a horrible story.

Nothing, nothing. "The Juniper Tree" shows up in canon. I was trying to be clever.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

Perhaps that's how it goes. And then his sister buries his bones.

It is one of the grimmer ones, I agree.

Aha, I should've known. My bad for missing it.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

And then he turns into a bird and retrieves gifts for his father and sister, and drops a millstone on his mother.

It seems as though it's always poetic justice in these sorts of tales, though, isn't it?

Nah, it's obscure and subtle :3 It's my bad

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

However violent it might be, yes, there is some kind of poetic justice.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

At least they're not all so violent. And sometimes in the ones that are, the violence only happens to the ones that deserve it. It's not so bad, that way.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

It is, as you said, poetic justice.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Still, I'd prefer to take the sort of justice that doesn't involve people dying, if I can help it.

[misterblackbird.livejournal.com]

Of course.