“It’s difficult to move like this without looking at my feet.” Sheilah complained. “Like trying to walk in the Redstone without checking for snakes and lizards.”
Fialla nodded. “Every instinct keeps telling me to be wary of my feet.” She complained softly to Sheilah. “I don’t know how Magdalene does it so easy.”
“Easily.” Sheilah corrected.
“Right.” Fialla muttered.
Sheilah stepped back and studied the patterns on the floor very carefully, and then the diagrams on the wall. She then stepped in the first position and followed the steps, remembering in her mind the posture and movements Magdalene herself had demonstrated.
“This isn’t so bad.” Fialla decided, and Sheilah nodded.
“Better than numbers and reading, at least.” she agreed.
“Sheilah!” Magdalene suddenly called. She looked up, and took notice of Sten again.
He was somewhat handsome to her, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, and he did carry a knife on his hip, which raised her approval of him, but her first interaction with him had been overwhelmingly negative.
He’d been staggering drunk during the daytime, like Atta’s father, back in the Redstone, and he’d reeked of sweat and sex and other things, things she couldn’t identify.
“He’s going to be your dance partner.” Magdalene called, even as he approached.
“My lady.” He greeted, and held out his hand. She took it, and the dance began.
“It’s okay to make mistakes.” He encouraged. “I made a lot of them in the beginning.”
Sheilah grimaced at him; he was much too close to her, his hand was on her hip, his smell was atrocious, and the hand she held was soft and spongy, like a baby’s.
She stumbled, he pulled her closer, she pushed him away, and stumbled back. He adopted a look of patience. “You’re getting the steps well, but there’s more to it than moving your feet.” He encouraged. “You just need to be patient, follow my lead, and it’ll click for you.”
She held her hand out for him, he stepped in, and once again came much too close to her for comfort. “What we really need is music.” He encouraged. “When I learned how to dance, there was no music, like now. I thought I knew how to dance, but when I attended my first ball, I discovered I didn’t know how to dance to the music at all.” He gave her a wry smile. “I embarrassed myself more than once.”
She nodded as they made a circuit.
“You need to loosen up.” He added. “You’re much too tense.”
She pushed away from him. “You’re too close.” She complained.
“Oh?” He murmured. “Don’t you want me even closer?” He whispered and pulled her closer.
She pushed him back again.
“I do not.” She stated flatly.
He sighed and rolled his eyes ostentatiously, and offered a patronizing expression. “Sheilah, you have to dance this close if you’re going to waltz.” he stated. “It’s not just about your feet. You have to move your arms, your waist, and your hips. It’s a dance.” He held his hand out for her again.
She eyed it distastefully. Davian, her father, his hands were rough, strong, worn and callused from work. The other men’s hands she’d held for one reason or another in the Redstone were strong and worn. Sten’s were baby soft, smooth, and unmarred. It felt weird in her own hand.
Plus he was much too close when they danced, as if he was trying to press himself against her, or pull her against himself.
His smell was also unpleasant. It was obvious that before he’d shown up, he’d been with a woman. He reeked of sweat and sex and some hastily added perfume.
She didn’t want to dance with him.
She looked back at Magdalene, who eyed her curiously, but indifferently. She looked at Fialla, who grimaced and pinched her nose a little. Sheilah nodded.
“One more circuit, what do you say?” He asked. “It can only get better from here.”
Sheilah’s stomach churned, but she took his hand, and allowed him to pull her into the dance.
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After they completed one revolution, she immediately pushed away from him and stepped back, struggling with her stomach.
“That was much better.” He praised.
“Of course it was.” Sheilah retorted. “I held my breath.”
His head tilted to the side a little, even as Magdalene approached to comment.
Sheilah racked her brain for the right words to say, to explain herself.
“You should talk to your mother.” She decided.
He gave her a confused look. “My mother?” He asked.
She nodded her head. “You need to ask her to teach you how to bathe.”
He immediately went livid and spluttered, “I have never been so insulted in my life!”
Magdalene moved to defuse the situation before it escalated, but Sheilah continued. She didn’t know the words in Stormheim’s tongue, so she switched to Redstone, which made Fialla’s eyes widen.
“You should wash yourself after having sex with your woman. It’s common courtesy. Do you not do that here? Your clothes smell bad, too.”
Magdalene blinked at her, confused, and then looked at Fialla. “Can you tell me what she’s saying?”
Fialla looked to Sheilah, who pushed away from Sten and went to the window, where she was noisily sick.
“She said... well, I don’t know all the words in your language, but... He stinks. He doesn’t wash himself after... woman... time. His clothes smell bad, too. Also sweat.”
Magdalene gave Fialla a baffled look. “Woman time?” She asked; Fialla made a tube with one hand and slid her finger in and out of it suggestively.
Sten was at turns pale and livid. Magdalene covered her face in her hands.
“This is ridiculous. A farce. There’s no way she could tell-”
“I can, too.” Fialla replied. “Our sense of smell is a little strong.” Fialla explained without malice. “If you want to help us learn to dance, then I’d suggest you bathe thoroughly. Also, whatever that smell on your clothes is...” She shook her head and held her nose.
He sniffed his jacket, and gave her a mystified look. Magdalene leaned close and sniffed. “The perfume?” She asked, curiously.
“I don’t know what that is.” Fialla replied simply.
“Where did you get these two girls?” Sten asked.
“It doesn’t matter. I think the lesson is done for the day, Sten. Thank you for showing up. I hope you can show up for a repeat performance at a later time.” Magdalene was speaking, but Fialla was over at the window, patting Sheilah’s back comfortingly.
“His smell- I couldn’t- I’m sorry.” Sheilah gasped as Magdalene came over.
“Well, that could have gone better.” Magdalene replied. “There are other ways of expressing distaste than throwing up out the window, I imagine.”
*****
“You will need to learn to dance. It’s an important part of your debut. You will likely have to dance quite a bit.” Magdalene encouraged. “But, since today’s lessons are ended... I suppose we have nothing to do except writing and reading practice.”
Sheilah groaned; Fialla adopted a grim expression.
“Don’t make those faces; literacy is important.” Magdalene admonished, and then paused. “I know; I’ll have you two accompany me to my study, so you can see what it is that I do. It should serve as a lesson in what will be expected of you.” She decided.
In her study, the one shared with Toril, She pointed at a stack of letters. “These are all from various lords and ladies in the kingdom.” She explained. “Some are reports, some are requests, others are complaints, but more than anything, they are our lines of communication.” She explained.
“I will give you a task to keep you busy: There are ranks of nobility. First are the dukes. They oversee large parcels of the land that makes up the Stormheim kingdom. A Duchy is divided into Earls, who oversee specific parts of a Duchy. An Earldom is further divided into Counties, overseen by Counts. Counties are divided into Baronies. Below the barons are Knights, though a Knight would have to be particularly distinguished for a Baron to grant them land.” Magdalene explained.
“Who are above the dukes?” Fialla asked.
“We are. The royal family, of course.” Magdalene explained. “My sister is a duchess, since her husband passed, and her son, whom you insulted in the dance hall, is the next in line to receive her title. He’s also your cousin.” She pointed to the stack of papers.
“Sort them according to rank. Dukes, Earls, Counts, Barons.” She smiled craftily. “Their wives have their own counterpart titles: Duchess, Earlessa, Countess, and Baroness. You’ll receive a bonus if they’re arranged correctly- which baron is in which county, in which earldom, in which duchy. Go.”
And, to make sure she wasn’t being completely unfair, she rolled out a map of Stormheim’s territories, divided unto the respective duchies, earldoms, counties and baronies. Sheilah and Fialla eyed each other, grabbed the letters, and settled into work.
*****
In the evening, as the girls were no doubt back in Sheilah’s apartments, Toril gave Magdalene a curious look.
“Those were already sorted, you know.”
Magdalene nodded. “I think Sheilah is one who learns by doing rather than studying.” She replied. “I’m beginning to think things like literacy and math will forever be beyond her, since studying is the only way to master those skills.”
Toril nodded. “I myself was never good at studying.” He agreed.
“Yes, but you did learn.” Magdalene disputed. “I think that perhaps I might need to assemble some aides to take care of the things she can’t.” She muttered. “On the other hand, Fialla- that elf of hers- seems to be better at studying. It might be beneficial to have her support Sheilah.”
Toril gave his wife a sour look. “Everyone will immediately say that Stormheim is now being controlled by the elves.” he replied. “They won’t care that she's a half-elf from the Redstone Valley. And even if they did, there are still people that remember how we got our noses bloodied by them. They’d think we would be trading one master for another.”
“This will need to be taken care of carefully.” Magdalene agreed.