Just as I was getting up and planning to head to see if I could worm my way closer to Paetor. Maybe check if he was susceptible to a seduction, a knock came on my door. I stopped, memories of the blood smelling crew that had infiltrated the castle fresh in my mind. Approaching the door I didn’t feel the hairs on the back of my neck react with my instincts. Still I sniffed at the door and didn’t sense any blood in the air.
Opening it I looked on in surprise to see Georgina, “Oh, hello good sir. I know you’ve been fairly busy but I reached out to the Portage’s selected tailor that did the work on your current clothes and I wanted to bring you to another Lady of the house. She is just the head of fashion here and I bet she would love to use you to parade a new style around the castle. So if you’d come with me I would appreciate it.”
“Is this Lady of the house specifically summoning me?” I wanted to try and weasel my way out of this but if it was an official request I would have no hope to argue against it. I kept my face in a warm inviting smile as I waited for her to respond.
“Why yes it is. It is to meet with the third wife of our Lord. She is a young one and has yet to bear an are for the king so she is making herself useful by being bringing life to the court with fashion.” Georgina’s eyes sparkled as she spoke. The reverence she held for this consort apparently filling her mind.
“Well then, I would be glad for you to lead the way.” I watched somewhat amused as she clapped her hands softly with excitement. She whirled and started leading the way expecting me to keep up with her quickened pace.
I could barely follow where we were going in the labyrinth of the castle before suddenly we were in a small ballroom. A dozen ladies in waiting wearing fantastic gowns were practicing dancing with one another to the strings playing a slow song in the corner of the room. A young woman, barely into adulthood stood in the center of the room. Her chest was so meager even the tight bustiers couldn’t present them as much. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a tall bun with strings of brass and copper decorating it with interlocking rings. She moved with a grace refined over a lifetime as she lead a dance with another woman of the court.
“That is Lady Urist, she is actually from the western islands. The most exotic woman in our courts.” Geogina whispered as we waited.
Her eyes fell upon Georgina and I and her smile was dazzling and warm. She disengaged from the dance, handing her off to another practice partner before she wandered in our direction. She was effortless in avoiding bumping into anyone and stood before us. I didn’t realize how short she truly was until I was gazing down my chin almost at my neck. Georgina curtsied as I bowed to this young King’s Consort.
With a voice like a song sung by birds she spoke, “Aren’t you two just lovely to see today. Georgina I see you have been prompt in responding to my summons and you even brought Sir Dolan. Wonderful.” She took Georgina’s hands and held them warmly, ignoring the callouses that lined the seamstress’ palms. “I have just the grandest idea to revolutionize the men’s fashion trends. We have the unique opportunity presented by having a hero walk amongst us that I am just sure is going to take root like a weed that refuses to be plucked. Come with me.” She moved off towards a more secluded corner by a guard who stiffened in his post at the approaching noble.
“Do you not want to go to your parlor my lady? Where we have privacy?” I asked as we approached the relative silence away from the dance floor.
“Don’t worry about my ladies in waiting. We are preparing for the next ball. I’m hoping my various cousins will find a gentleman to ingratiate themselves to. One must have grace and poise if they want to be a second or third wife to a count, or even a duke if they’re lucky.” Lady Urist motioned for the guard to approach her. With hesitance he stepped forward.
Georgina’s confusion was plain on her face as she looked at the man. He was no fine specimen of manhood. The obvious experience in fighting was still plain on his face but he was also older than one might expect. The price of experience being the energy of youth.
Lady Urist gestured to the uniform, “I think frills are out. No more at the collar, no more at the cuff. It makes our men look soft. Now though, we are marching to war and a show of discipline and strength can be made in just what we wear.” She pulled at the shoulders, “Let’s make their shoulders nice square, broad and strong. Though I know most of their guts will struggle with the next part we should keep the chest and stomach tight to the body. Lean, handsome men should replace those that are obsessed with their own beauty.”
Urist took the thick cuff of the guards uniform and the small frill that presented itself. She scoffed, tossing it out of the way. “Look at the thickness of his undershirt where it meets the frills. When I spoke to my guard he said that it was actually a padded gambeson underneath the jacket. I don’t want our men walking around in true armor but I’m thinking a thick undershirt that reaches the wrists. A tight jacket, some sort of decoration at the neck, I’m still thinking about that. Maybe they could wear their crests lined through a necklace or even better yet an ascot.”
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Without preamble she turned the man around and motioned to the bottom of his jacket. “See how we have embraced coat tails, I’m thinking we do away with them on our jackets. I want something lining just below their hips so that when they sit down they don’t have to adjust their tails. Let them sit without worry.” She grabbed the seam down the center, “I want thick seams, something that could hold the clothes together even if it was gripped in a strong man’s fist. The pants should be of thicker cloth as well. Something that says a knife would struggle to strike them down.”
Urist lined her hands along his shoulders going up on her toes as she reached, “I was thinking that if the wearer doesn’t have naturally broad shoulders you could think of a way to keep the jacket presenting a nice square silhouette. I was also thinking for those that have too great a stomach to fit into tighter clothes they can suffer a version of the corset. I’m thinking though instead of cinching at the waist like a woman's, it will instead have a nice broad area across the stomach under the ribs. As if they had managed to keep it all in check despite their decadence.” You could hear the passion she spoke with as the guard blushed at all the compliments she was indirectly saying.
Georgina was enraptured as she looked on at what her lady was instructing. A sense of wonder and drive filling her to the brim. Just as Urist finished I felt both their eyes on me. “What about the colors, My Lady?” asked Georgina.
“That is it, I want black, night black. White undershirts, their vests can be accented in the colors of their houses, same with the ascot. I want thick round buttons of metal, bronze, copper, gold, no… silver I want them to be silver. Same with their crest, I want it to be a shining silver, engraved with his house’s crest. Can you imagine Georgina?” Lady Urist now approached me and looked at the frills that seemed silly now in her eyes. Outdated in a time or war. Why should their men look so posh when they should be radiating strength? “We debut this look at the ball. Our hero here, garbed in this, a show of his strength and sacrifice. I want his hand unbandaged if possible, if not then it should be prominent and without the gloves that are getting so common.”
Georgina grabbed my good hand. “Look at these minstrel’s calluses at the fingers. I could just imagine what it would look like with a soldier's hands. All the work they put into learning to protect the country would be on full display!”
Lady Urist smiled broadly as she listened to the excitement in her favorite seamstress’ voice. “Yes, I want this ready by the ball. However, don’t use portage colors. I want you to use the kingdom’s colors. Dark Royal purple with yellow, almost gold threads. Yes, it’ll be perfect. Though if the fashion doesn’t catch on I don’t want to embarrass my dear husband by marching him around in it.”
Both of them looked at one another clasping hands in their desire to create a new fashion trend and yet I was stuck in the middle of their machinations. One day I would tell the tale of the unwitting bard in the court’s fashion revolution.
They continued to gossip and talk over the details of how it was going to look. It was so difficult to step in with my own suggestion. “Lady Urist?” I queried hoping she heard me through their whispered conversation.
She turned to me with a smile, “Yes, Sir Dolan?”
“If you want to portray strength and stability, wouldn’t it be smart to play a military song when announcing me? I’m no soldier but if I entered with a couple veterans in tow it could make the whole scene far more impressive.” I kept my head bowed so I wasn’t looking directly down at her.
Urist gasped as she looked at me, “Brilliant… It must be done. My Georgina, I want all your best seamstresses on this. I want three sets. One for Sir Dolan, the others for our oldest of veterans. Commission the best metal smiths you can for their crests. It will be perfect.”
Their hands squeezed together before Georgina whirled and practically sprinted out of the room in her fervor to do what she was asked. Lady Urist watched her with a fine smile, “So excitable. It is wondrous to see. Now Sir Dolan. Your suggestion was wonderful and I appreciate that you are willing to be drawn into the court’s fashion. I know I look young but I am passionate. I hope my dear husband sees this.” A sad look shadowed her face for a moment before it was washed away with a smile. “I want you to dance with me. Let me go tell the band to play something strong and triumphant. We will show all my ladies how it will be when the whole court changes at the ball.”
I walked towards the dance floor and made my way through them with a modicum of grace. Hiding how easily it would have been after that lifetime I spent as the Mercurial Rose. Once I was in the center I waited. A sharp couple claps brought all the dancers to a standstill as the music stopped.
“Everyone, I have had a revelation at what is to come. I do say it will be very important for us to change. We as the ladies in waiting, the secret hand in the court will guide it into a new mindset. I fear that wars where I come from go one for years and the nobles grew soft while their people grew bitter and tired. We will not let this kingdom suffer the same fate. When this ball comes we will introduce a new fashion for the men, and with that this following dance. Now everyone stand back, I will demonstrate it with our own hero.” The authority in Lady Urist’s voice was unquestionable. People parted like leaves in the wind of her strength.
She approached me as everyone stared in amazement. “Ladies, when you dance with the men I want you to tell them how you appreciate their strength. If they have broad shoulders tell them how that makes you feel safe. If they are thin, compliment them on keeping healthy. Now, let me tell you how you can secretly lead a man in a dance without him knowing. It is a secret from my home that I share with you now.”
She held my hands as a deep tone with constant steady beats pounded out on a drum filled the air. With the slightest whisper of a pull she started to dance with me. Though our height differences were so much she still seemed comfortable at this moment. “It takes a subtle touch, like whispering with your body as you move into the dance. Keep your eyes from him, hide from his power. Whisper to him that he is strong. That you wished to see just how powerful his arms could be. I know this is salacious to practice. But we will mask it, learn a poem about war or a soldier and in the private moment in the quiet of the song speak it to him. Tell him it reminds you of his strength.” Soon it was me in charge of the dance, she hand handed it off to me with such subtlety that I barely noticed. I had so easily fallen into the steps of the dance.
Then the music stopped and she pushed herself close to me, “When it is done, I want you all to step close. This is where you can seal the thought into them that you could be one of their ladies. Don’t press directly into them like you are some common woman. Thank them for the dance, thank them for guiding you with their strength. And at the end whisper ever so subtly that you would cherish another dance later.”
We parted and she smiled, the women of the court clapping politely at her instructions while many of them nodded to one another.
“Now, who else wants to dance with our hero?” Urist called to the crowd.