cinderella .

           with cinderella’s agreement, anastasia gave her own brisk nod, hoping the girl would take it to heart. even MAIDS should have some standard to uphold! though there was only one maid now and thus no point in proper livery, the redhead could not help but dream of the day she may have her own little circle of ladies to command, all neatly clothed and hair tucked away. CINDERELLA’s hardly what anastasia pictures in these reveries, but she supposed all had to make small sacrifices till their prince charming came about. figuratively, of course -- the ball had not gone as mama had planned, but anastasia had enjoyed her night nonetheless, dancing and watching the beautiful array of ball-gowned guests move about. not that she would voice anything other than her disappointment for losing prince kit, however.

 she received the reaction she had more or less hoped for from ella, deep pink smile perking up even more at the corners. though cinderella had a vast many talents that none of the family ever seemed to appreciate, it remained that one of her most important skills was mollifying anastasia’s ego. a DIFFICULT, thankless, unending task, like feeding some curly kitten who was constantly scratching for milk, but the youngest of the household took it on either way.   ❝ mr. chevalier said i shall be sure to wow them all at mama’s next soirée. this one has velvets embroidered with ROSES and pleated basques trimmed with gold embroidery! ❞ she gushed, mood as bright as could be.  nothing -- not delicious dish, nor handsome man ( who may also fall under the former’s epithet ) -- could compare to the feeling of dressing in a new frock for the first time. POOR ella, to never know the joy! little did anastasia know, she knew it even greater.

cinderella’s offer came as a surprise, a FIRST -- though usually, anastasia would leave for town without any warning to the other, so an offer to come along had not been possible. OR she and her sister had bogged the poor girl down with so many chores, it would be too difficult to waste hours following the twins around. naturally, anastasia could not wear an evening dress fresh out of the store . . . but even the spoiled SHE could manage a box that light. STILL, appearances are appearances, and in order to seem much better off than the tremaines truly were, having a maid to accompany anastasia did sound like a good suggestion. 

❝ -- all right. DELAY the tea, then! ❞ anastasia clapped her hands.  ❝ with you around to carry it, i should be home much faster. ❞ and she didn’t like to think of her dress waiting for her in the shop besides. waving her fingers as she primped herself in the reflection of a hanging pan, she instructed -- ❝ call the carriage, cinderella. ❞

♔  cinderella ｡❜

       ❝ i should hope SO, or else mr. chevalier will owe me quite a few pretty pennies. he promised this frock would make the prince LEAP from the carriage and swear his kingdom to me, ❞ anastasia utters with a laugh, practicing how it looks in the mirror. she had heard on good authority prince KIT would be visiting town today, and she’s determined to make an impression. porcelain fingers lain on her jaw, she turns her face this way and that, examining her immaculate reflection down to last red curlicue. ❝ hmm. i think pearls might be a nice touch. cinderella, fetch my jewelry box. ❞

♔ gentleman ｡❜

           he starts laughing, but -- at first -- anastasia has not an inkling as to WHY -- all she had said was that she had to flee her home because her sister was attacking it with a crushing battalion of a thousand sour notes. and she meant it with every bone in her body, with every ribbon in her dress. but, ever-trained to give some mirroring and cheery response to men, anastasia gives her own laugh and rolls a shoulder. ❝ -- you would understand if you heard it yourself, sir. it’s a miracle i can even hear you now ! ❞

♔ cinderella ｡❜

            cinderella’s answer was first met with merely a stare as glazed as she did like her morning muffins; certainly anastasia knew what daydreaming was, but she had no clue what on earth ella could be mooning over. knowing her, the blonde was probably fantasizing about . . . new aprons with mice sewn on the hem, or something or other. in a rare moment of CHARITY, anastasia decided to dole out some of her highly-valuable advice, tapping her closed fan to the palm of her hand. ❝ you know, if you spent less time dreaming and more time on your appearance, perhaps you wouldn’t be so dirty all the time. ❞ a worthy endeavor, to be sure. 

but anastasia’s focus could never stay on cinderella for long, and she promptly turned to the important matters. ❝ i need my afternoon tea and biscuits an hour early today! i’m going into town to pick up my new evening dress, ❞ the last was said with flourish, one shoulder tilting in emphasis, as if she expected some applause. 

@mutinousness​ :

♔ knxckleskissed ｡❜

                a smile comes like instinct after the girl’s compliment, but it’s nothing so genuine, true happiness difficult to dredge up after years of disappointments. anastasia soon discovers the girl goes to the same school her son is unable to attend, and . . . she’s close friends with prince ben. with the inn now back in cinderella’s control, anastasia doubts there will be any issues with the children’s trip. but she takes a second to respond, enjoying that sparse moment free of judgment before a person would discover who she is, where she is aligned. ❝no, i’m anastasia tremaine. my . . . family owns this inn.❞ somewhat nervously, as if she expects to be scolded afterwards ( even by a teenager -- especially by a teenager ), she reaches up to tuck a red lock behind her ear. ❝i’m sure cinderella will be fine with that.❞ 

♔ story teller ｡❜

      with a hand meticulously placing her curls to cascade oh-so-delicately over her shoulder, she caught her reflection in the glass once . . . and anastasia could hardly believe her own deceit. how FINE she looked, still! mama was right, jewels could do all the talking for you. perhaps there was hope for her yet to find a man who might save her. and one did call her then! anastasia turned immediately . . . only to find it was merely a street performer. any disappointment promptly wilted, however, when she heard the compliment. with complacent grin she went over to the man, more pink tulips in her cheeks than clothing now. ❝ well! you have very good eye, ❞ she tittered, but own eyes soon turned to the little theater. ❝oh--you should tell a story about flowers. ❞

♔ knxckleskissed ｡❜

                 so rare was it that anastasia would indulge her talent mediocre, touching those ivories that had once made a boy compliment for something other than her looks. and how dear he had been to her, her baker boy, before he left for paris to pursue his career and left her here with no future . . . with nothing but a SON to love and torment her in his memory. she loses herself among the tune of chopin and tristesse, not noticing the presence of the other until she speaks. jolting from the bench to be discovered with naked soul, anastasia has heated humiliations at the ready -- until she sees the GIRL, and her chair.

embarrassment dies on her tongue, but she closes the fall board over the keys.  ❝ . . . no, not really. ❞ something possesses her to say, candidacy so easily found with absolute (and harmless) strangers. smoothing a hand over her skirt, anastasia rises. ❝ but thank you. are you a guest here? ❞

♔ princexconsort ｡❜

                                     this day would not be the last shared between       the two of them, anastasia was ever determined. she was already       planning which gown to wear tomorrow for when she would come       back to the PALACE. even if he did not invite her -- she’d find some       excuse. though with most men, anastasia knew that it was proper       to keep them waiting . . . this was a PRINCE, a man with a target       on his back and a hoard of Cupid’s arrow-wielding girls chasing       after him. she couldn’t afford to allow him to forget her after their       dance. and . . . thinking of such plots, anastasia began to wonder       if she should feign illness to get him to look after her--but NO, no,       what if he plopped her in some carriage to be sent home? she could       not entertain that possibility, not yet. 

      his compliments made her shoulders spring upwards in her laugh,       happy to entertain the idea. ❝ Oh, well Mama did have him come       from France just to teach my sister and I ! ❞ not quite true . . . he        was some englishman who had only ‘ acquired ‘ a french accent       and over dramatic mannerisms in his two-year stay in paris, but       that was good enough for the tremaines, on their silly budget.

         ❝  Anastasia Tremaine, Your Highness, and it is so, SO              wonderful to meet you. And dance with you!  

           I’d be very happy to make the other ladies            jealous the whole rest of the night. ❞

♔ silkssongsandchivalry ｡❜

                        She wasn’t thinking properly -- she had not even anticipated the talk of religion, though with the mention of the godswood, any idiot would have predicted that. But not a queen who had not a single honest thought that was not simply related to what she would like to eat, or what color she would like to wear. But at least she had enough tact ( sparse though it was ) to not merely reply that she was not certain what her religion was. Her mother preached the Faith, but her husband’s mother had believed in the Old Gods, and she and Kit often visited the neglected godswood in her name.  This seemed safe enough to divulge, in place of speaking of her own impious uncertainty, but alas, her thinking had run her quite out of time once again; Anastasia settled for a smile, lips twitching to curve. The quiet queen, she was thought as. 

Unsure whether it was an offer or gesture, Anastasia took Sansa’s arm, speaking quickly in case she had thought wrong. ❝Thank you, Lady Sansa. You’ve been so kind to me today,❞ she uttered, following the young girl’s lead in both step and gracious manners. At least she could deliver these general proprieties without speaking of Old Gods and New, so used to parroting such phrases now.  ❝You must visit Perrault some day, so that I may repay your hospitality.❞ Her husband’s kingdom was nothing very grand, his marriage to her instead of Chelina of Zaragosa depriving the realm of the divisions she would have brought.  But at least the thoughts of war were not constantly hanging above the heads of its people.