The crisp autumn morning brought Victoria out of her chambers with a smile. She wore her favorite, usual, green dress, with the matching color accessories. She did not yet know if she was allowed to wear her native realm royal colors, with the princess here, but she did not care at the moment. Her hair was down, draped delicately over one shoulder. Her eyes were a glitter with the sights of the new season.
The colors of the trees made up for the fact that the flowers were starting to wilting. Her face was alight, as she felt her feet crunch on a fallen leaf. She looked around a bit, to see if any one was watching, and spun around in a happy circle. Her arms were out stretched, and her face looking up to the sky. She felt like a happy child, once again. This was the first time she felt this content with being so far from home.
If there was one thing that calmed the ever-overworked nerves of stressing Lady Winifred Newbyn, it was a stroll that led her far from the confines of the dreadful court. She had managed to convince a nervous Cecile that she would be perfectly all right alone, and that there was absolutely nothing that she need worry about, she did not need an escort. She had been warned five times, yes, she’d counted, by her beloved maid that if her father found out she would, in the Amethystian maid’s words, be ‘as alive as ze chicken zat vas served yesterday evening for dinner’. However, Winnie hadn’t taken much notice. She’d told Cecile, who struggled terribly with her Sapphire tongue, that she might as well speak to her in the native language of the Amethyst realm, Winnie had, after all, grown up there and so spoke it sometimes better than her native language. However, Cecile was rather taken with a Saphiran manservant and was determined to be able to carry out a conversation without having to ask Winnie how to say something.
Winnie inhaled the lovely, fresh air of the early morning. Normally, she wasn’t a morning person at all, in fact, she couldn’t talk or really properly function until at least noon, but here, she was alone, and something had been bothering her, plaguing her dreams and thus her sleep. She refused to tell anyone about the uneasiness she was feeling, she could never reveal to anyone what had caused it, but it was preventing her from resting peacefully, so she figured she might as well get up and get out of the palace for a bit, before her father turned up to bestow some new suitor on her. She really wasn’t in the mood for that, especially not after Lord Wellington and the encounter with the slaver that it had led to. At least Ambassador Michael had been there to save her, though Winnie would have much preferred to handle things on her own. She enjoyed being independent and Lord Michael had made her dependent on him, a fact she could not forgive him for, no matter how attractive or stunning he was.
She suddenly heard a rustling noise and froze, her heart nearly stopping. Holding her breath, she strained to see past the trees that were hiding the person or animal from view. Please don’t let it be Lord Wellington or any other man of his kind, she pleaded silently. Finally, the form of a young woman came into sight. Winnie let out a breath of relief, then noticed that the woman seemed to be spinning around in circles. She knew that she had a tendency of doing that, in fact, she did it often, when she was sure she was alone. That and singing. She always seemed to be singing to herself softly or dancing around, or at times both. “Bit early in the morning for a dance, isn’t it?” Winnie’s voice was mocking and sarcastic, but not unfriendly. While she was more often than not unapproachable and distant, she saw no reason to be mean, despite her cutting sense of humor. She dropped down onto the grassy floor, not caring that she would probably stain her gown. She sat with her knees hugged against her chest, looking into the distance, too tired and nervous to make any kind of introductory or friendly conversation.
Victoria's spinning had made her think about a song that she knew very well. It did not sound nice translated from the Emerald language, but she liked her native language better any way. She started to hum it to herself, then fought to find the words. It had been many years since she had heard the song, but she loved it still.
She opened her mouth to sing, when she was stopped by a voice. Drat. Some one had seen her. And, just her luck, as she stopped herself, she stumbled backward. She stepped back quickly, trying to keep her balance. "Ah!" She said as she thought she was going to fall. To her surprise she managed to keep herself up right. When she was sure she had her footing back, Victoria looked for the new voice.
She smiled. "It is never to early to dance, especially on a day like today." She replied playfully, unable to hide her Emerald accent. Her curls bounced softly about her shoulders as she came over and sat by the other girl. "Isn't it too early to be sitting in the grass, it is still covered with dew." She replied in the same tone, as she felt the grass with her hand.
Then, seeing the slight nervousness on the girl's face, Victoria introduced her self. "I am Victoria Gilliam, of the Emerald Realm." She lent the girl a gentle smile, hoping that she might have found a new friend.