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Excerpt From a Fantasy Novel in Progress
Nov. 5th, 2014 05:16 pm "You keep claiming to have a peasant upbringing," said Edgar, curious, "but you are very well spoken and knowledgeable of the world."
"As I said, we have people from much of the world traveling through our valley, staying at our inns and trading with us," said the elf woman. "Also, chi users in our region have a tradition of scholarship and learning. Which dates back to the Chinese merchants and craftsmen who came into the area with the Mongols. After the Black Death, people from several eastern cultures settled into areas in the mountains the plague left empty. That's how chi use came to this part of the world."
"Hmmm," said Edgar, thoughtfully, as he gave her an evaluating look. "I was expecting to tutor you in the ways of the Court; or at least the Holiday Ball. You may also be tutoring me in some things."
"Well, I am a teacher," said Bergen, lightly.
While those from the Compact were the most populous single group, nearly half of those in attendance were from other parts of the world. Many of those parts were outside Europe. Bergen saw representatives from The Southern Mediterranean Assembly, Afer, the United Atlas Lands, Nippon, China, Rossiya and several she could not easily place. She and Edgar quickly began an informal game, to see which of them could identify where someone came from first.
The two most extravagant costumes were worn by a pair of knechts from España, who were dressed in outrageously ornate and quite impractical armor, complete with absurdly high spike heels. Their outfits included elaborate, white capes of puffed fabric, which were shaped to look like angelic wings, and topped by helmets formed into stylized eagle heads. Helmets which sat on top of their heads, and could not possibly be lowered to cover them for protection.
Close behind them in extravagance was the woman they were escorting. Edgar explained she was the ambassador, and that one of the two men was her husband. Her outfit was a voluminous dress which actually kept her escorts at more than arms length, Her garment was made of brilliant scarlet silk trimmed in silver. The matching hat was so weighty the woman needed a neck brace. Of course, contributing to that was her wig - Bergen hoped that was a wig - which was voluminous, knee-length ebony hair in huge curls.
"As I said, we have people from much of the world traveling through our valley, staying at our inns and trading with us," said the elf woman. "Also, chi users in our region have a tradition of scholarship and learning. Which dates back to the Chinese merchants and craftsmen who came into the area with the Mongols. After the Black Death, people from several eastern cultures settled into areas in the mountains the plague left empty. That's how chi use came to this part of the world."
"Hmmm," said Edgar, thoughtfully, as he gave her an evaluating look. "I was expecting to tutor you in the ways of the Court; or at least the Holiday Ball. You may also be tutoring me in some things."
"Well, I am a teacher," said Bergen, lightly.
While those from the Compact were the most populous single group, nearly half of those in attendance were from other parts of the world. Many of those parts were outside Europe. Bergen saw representatives from The Southern Mediterranean Assembly, Afer, the United Atlas Lands, Nippon, China, Rossiya and several she could not easily place. She and Edgar quickly began an informal game, to see which of them could identify where someone came from first.
The two most extravagant costumes were worn by a pair of knechts from España, who were dressed in outrageously ornate and quite impractical armor, complete with absurdly high spike heels. Their outfits included elaborate, white capes of puffed fabric, which were shaped to look like angelic wings, and topped by helmets formed into stylized eagle heads. Helmets which sat on top of their heads, and could not possibly be lowered to cover them for protection.
Close behind them in extravagance was the woman they were escorting. Edgar explained she was the ambassador, and that one of the two men was her husband. Her outfit was a voluminous dress which actually kept her escorts at more than arms length, Her garment was made of brilliant scarlet silk trimmed in silver. The matching hat was so weighty the woman needed a neck brace. Of course, contributing to that was her wig - Bergen hoped that was a wig - which was voluminous, knee-length ebony hair in huge curls.
