Horses Stables

Making her way down the to the stables, Princess Desdemona, or to those she knew well enough, Des, took her time. She was in no rush, she was the type of creature that enjoyed the moment and at the moment the future was too dryer to think about. She acknowledged that she was perhaps being a little overdramatic, there were thousands out there who have less fortunate circumstances but that certainly did not make her dislike her situation less.

At last she arrived at the stables. From what she could tell, the only other human in the stables was a serious young stable boy whom, she was on good terms with. They'd reached to an unspoken understanding and that was he would leave her alone, unless otherwise asked. Unlike those other castle dwellers who constantly pester her asking whether or not she'd like the afternoon tea.

Nodding in greeting, she past by the stable boy, Nicolas as he was known, and headed to her steed. He was a graceful horse, dubbed Charles by Desdemona and who was currently in the middle of feeding.

She greeted her horse cheerfully. "Good day Charles! Do you wish me to groom you?"

The horse nodded in response and continued eating.

Desdemona proceeded to let herself in the stall to comb his hair.

Having been told by Lady Mamya to get out of the Dowager Queen's rooms, Bavona slowly strolled toward and around the stables. She felt extremely bored and it showed on her young face. In her left hand she limply held a few plucked blossoms, dropping them as she walked.
That morning she had donned one of her older gowns, hoping to be able to sneak into town to see Otto, but so far had been unable to work up the courage.

Her great Aunt would not have minded her love with the young baker... but her mother would. Passasa had ideas for her daughter's future and they did not include a floury young baker's assistant.

Entering the stables, Bavona noticed the Queen's younger sister and approached carefully.
"Greetings your majesty." she stated cheerfully, curtseying. "May I ask where you will be riding?"

Desdemona who was enjoying the company of Charles the steed was rather startled to hear an unexpected voice. It was one of the ladies in waiting of the Dowager Queen, one whom Desdemona on certain occasions spoken too. Of course, they hadn't really forged a friendship but she did not dislike the girl.

Desdemona however, recovered quickly and answered before the girl thought she was draft.

"No where at all Bavona," she said airly. "I was just combing Sir Charles here." She nodded at the direction of the horse.

"Has the Queen granted you the afternoon off?" Desdemona asked noticing Bavona's rather bored look.

Bavona sighed, her smile fading slightly.
"No, my lady." she murmured, dropping the last flower. "The Dowager Queen has no use for me... and therefore Lady Mamya chased me out." it had been comical watching the fat dowdy woman run at her, flapping her hands like a cackling chicken. And frightening as well...

"Do you too have nothing to do save this?" she asked, hope lacing her words.

"Afraid not." Desdemona replied amicably. "I'm free to do whatever I wish on my visits here, though I am expected at court. However," she said with a rather rebelious gleam in her eyes, "I much rather spend time with the society here, then with some of the society there."

Though it was true, Desdemona shouldn't have answered so honestly. She was a Princess afterall, and a Princess admitting something like that could prove scandalous. Besides, it was only her one person that she did not want to see. Everyone else at court was bareable.

"I hope you would keep that comment between us Bavona." Desdemona winked.

Bavona smiled, never having been trusted with a secret before. "Oh of course, your highness." she curtseyed again. Never in a million years would she betray the trust of the queen or her sister. As for the Dowager Queen... there had never been anything to tell.
She could understand why the young princess would like the court here better than where she had come from.
"It is nice to see you here. The queen seems happy to have you here and..." she trailed off, not sure what else to say.

"Yes," Desdemona smiled at Bavona, responding positively to the girl's friendly manner. "I like being here as well. I'm rather fond of my sister you see, and I miss her terribly when I am back at my father's palace."

"Do you have any siblings?" Desdemona asked Bavona wondering if she did have if they were as close as her and Cassie was.

Thrilled that Desdemona liked being at the castle, Bavona smiled. "Your sister...um the queen, forgive me. Is very nice. Very sweet." she had never really spoken to the queen, but she had heard everything about her from Lady Ravpola, who specialized in royal gossip.

"No, not through blood." she answered. "My step-father has a daughter about my age, but she doesn't like me."

"No forgiveness necessary, after all it's just the two of us here... and well Charles." Desdemona looked at the horse pretended to be suspicious. "But I think sure he can keep a secret."

"Oh that's a downright shame!" Desdemona said sadly. It really was though in her opinion. "Why doesn't she like you might I ask? A friendly girl like you."

"Thank you..." she sighed, sitting down against the stable wall and not caring if her dress got dirty. "It really is so tedious to walk around bobbing my head and apologizing to every lord and lady in the world. Some of them are so mean." she murmured, resting her chin on her hand.

"She thinks my mother stole her father from her... and hates me because of it. Plus I'm the bastard child of a soldier and a banished princess. Not very high status..."

"Yes, I do know what you mean." Desdemona said continuing to comb Sir Charles' mane. Oh didn't she? How many Lords and Ladies did she wish she could smack some sense into has she met?

"Oh..." Desdemona exclaimed. She felt the need to apologize. "I'm sorry I didn't know..." Illegitimacy was frown upon and usually people did not like discussing their rather... unique parentage as it may cause a scandal.

Desdemona suddenly felt a small prickle in the back of her neck. A solider and a princess... that's exactly what her and William were. She'd no illusions about her and Will, she knew what her duty was to her father, but sometimes she couldn't help but... imagine. "Pray thee, tell me what happened to your mother and father?"

Bavona laughed at Desdemona's agreeing statement. She really liked the princess.
The apology caught her off guard and for a moment she was speechless. "Oh you do not need to apologize, my lady. You could not have known." she smiled at the sensitivity.

"My father died in a battle and my mother is here in the palace. She is the Dowager Queen's niece and since she was banished from Mystenia, she is welcome here."

Once again, Desdemona felt the need to apologise. "Oh dear... I'm sorry to hear about your father. I can't even imagine what you and your mother would have felt." It was true that she wasn't exactly close to her father, but still, she loved him dearly and she wouldn't have been able to imagine what would happened if something ever happened to him. And her mother... well she recognized a sort of kindred spirit with her. A beloved solider killed in battle... well she knew she'd be absolutely devastated if Will ever was - heaven forbid - fatally hurt in battle.

"But, she's the queen's niece!" Desdemona lightened up. "That makes us distant cousins, doesn't it? Well distant cousins by marriage I think..." Desdemona laughed at herself. "You know I never really could figure out how these cousin things work in the first place."

Nodding, Bavona smiled. "Thank you. I did not know him well, but I did feel the lose... through my mother. She remarried fairly soon though, but my step-father ignored me since I am a girl." she sighed and stood up, brushing the straw from the back of her dress.
"What about your parents?" she asked, curious.

Delighted to hear they were related through Desdemona's sister's marriage, Bavona giggled.
"That is wonderful. You are very kind, you know. No one has ever been this kind to me. And no, I cannot figure it out either."

"Ahh..." Desdemona nodded. Being a female did have its disadvantages sometimes... especially in the department of choosing one's own husband. Desdemona gave Charles' mane several last strokes before she decided to stop. "There you go Charles, all ready to go."

She put back the bush while answering Bavona, "I love my mother, she's... she's beautiful and graceful, every bit how you think a queen should be. And she's a wonderful mother as well. My father on the other hand.... Well he's... well he's a King." Desdemona said struggling to articulate her rather strained relationship with him. "He is a good king but I feel..." She found a wooden bench nearby and sat down. "He is unsure when he is with me. He does try though, and I love him for it but sometimes... I disagree with some of the decisions he makes concerning me." Like agreeing to marry me off with a man who's old enough to be my grandfather.

Bavona listened intently, her eyes wide with curiosity. She knew that her own life could have been very similar to the woman before her. After all, she was a princess, even her father had been royal, despite his low occupation. But she didn't envy Desdemona, that would have been foolish. Too many if's came between their lives for envy.

"Oh I see. I always thought having a father would be a bit like that. I wonder why men like women, but dislike daughters." She smiled as if joking. "My mother says I will be very fortunate to marry at all, but I think I would be happy with any man who loved me. Wouldn't you?"

"Well I don't think that they dislike daughters necessarily." Desdemona said thinking about other men she knew who had daughters and doted on them. "King Oberon seems dote on his daughter."

Then her face broke in to a smile at Barona's mother's apparent comment. "Why would she say that?"

At the thought of any man that would love me Desdemona wondered about her apparent situation. She knew she wouldn't be able to love Yorick... he was vile. And she suspected that the Baron would not love her. She imagined he just wanted her for everything she stood for. She was just a property, something to be taken and have on a parlor to have guest to gawk at. She inwardly shivered. Was that how her life would be?

Bavona nodded. "Of course, there is the occasional father who loves the daughter. But the son is the valuable one." she wrinkled her nose and chuckled. "Pay me no mind... I am told I speak my mind far to offend for a lady of the court."

"She would say that because of my parentage and my... Mystenian blood. No Lord would take a conquered woman to be his son's wife. Not any good Lord anyway." She noticed that Desdemona suddenly seemed troubled and hurried to the woman's side.
"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned her words had hurt the other girl.

Desdemona pushed her rather depressing thoughts at the back of her mind and put on a straight face. "No I'm quite well, thank you."

Desdemona nodded smiling once again. It seemed as if Bavona and her were very much alike. She too had a spirited mind that did not wish to be ignored. "My mouth as well has landed me into more trouble than anything else. In my opinion, I think ladies should be able to speak their mind. Afterall we aren't simply mind-less statues of the court. We see things, hear things, think things, why should we constantly keep ourselves in check whilst men have the capability to be vulgar and egotistical and they say nothing against them?"

Desdemona frown slightly. "What do you mean a conquered woman?" She said genuinely curious.

Relieved to hear that Desdemona was well, Bavona leaned against the wall, smiling when she talked about her own mouth. "I agree," she smiled, winking.
The next question lifted her eyebrows.
"Mystenia is a conquered kingdom... I'm Mystenian. Maybe it is not this way, but my mother says it is."

"Oh... but... that shouldn't matter should it?" Desdemona asked. "You are a Lady-in-waiting and that has a degree of status."

Desdemona sighed. "I do not like this idea of status and rank... it makes people do silly things. Like marry people they do not love, only for personal gain."

Bavona shrugged. "Maybe... I had hoped so." She whole heartily agreed with the princess. Rank only boxed people into tight spaces, forcing them into lives and the demanded method of living for each rank. Wondering briefly how Desdemona thought of the Duke, she decided not to ask.
"There is a man I like." she whispered, cheeks glowing. "But he does not return my feelings."

Desdemona was rather delighted at Bavona's confession and giggled slightly. "How do you know he does not like you back?" She wanted to know her answer for herself. Wondering if she could find out if a certain guard returned her feelings.

Bavona giggled. "I go to his master's bakery and try to speak to him and he..." her smile faded away. "He is blunt and curt with me... I thought at first he was hiding his affection, but now I am all but convinced, he dislikes me. Maybe I'm too cheerful, you think?"