Chapter Text
Laura Lee was quite an unusual girl, though it‘s not her fault. Her mother died giving birth to her, and her father is trying his best to do what he could for his daughter.
The schloss was big and there were few living in it. It was only her, her father, Adelaide and the rest of the servants who lived there. Adelaide was her handmaid, and was an old woman who had been present in her life her entire life.
Laura Lee wished she wasn't lonely, or alone.. because she was. She was alone and lonely and there was no one there with her. Laura Lee was not a royal, neither a commoner as her father was described as a man of god, he had wealth and was a . She knows little about her mother; she wishes to know more about her but her father denies.
Every Sunday she and her father, accompanied by Adelaide, went to pray at the Blackberry Church. The church was almost always empty. The closest village, Batsto, was half a day away and not many of the commoners came to pray. Their prayers went as always. She felt oddly melancholic today and usually her prayers cheered her up. Sadly it didn’t today. She finished her prayers and patiently waited for her father. When he finished they walked side by side till they were out of the church.
"What’s wrong my dear? You have that frown on your face." he asked. "Would I be allowed to take a stroll in the garden when we get home? By myself perhaps?" He stopped to think for a moment, Laura Lee knew her father didn't like for her to be alone. He was kind but he still had rules for her.
He let out a sigh and said, "I will have Adelaide pick you up after an hour, don't get too carried away."
When Laure Lee was the age of five, she had a nightmare. It was a terrible nightmare and she remember every detail.
She was in bed, and failed to see her handmaiden that’s usually there to take care. Neither was there any sound of the other servants. She was not frightened by this, because her father had never told her ghost or fairy tales by any sort to keep her mind innocent. He had told her about the lord, how God and the angels are always looking over her, but never quite about the evil.
She began to whimper and call out for her handmaiden, but to her surprise she saw a figure standing at the end of the bedpost. It was of a young woman, she was pretty.
The figure carefully walked over to her, and kneeled next to her bed. Her hair was brown and wavy, and her eyes were a dark brown that consumed the light. Her gaze was strong, but also soft in the flickering candlelight.
She put her hands on top of the coverlet and smiled with such softness that made Laura Lee calm. Laura Lee looked at her with disbelief and pure wonder.
The figure moved slowly and laid next to her in bed, she started to caress her cheek with her hand. Still, she wasn't scared. She felt rather soothed by the cool touch against her skin. She fell asleep.
Suddenly she awoke in a scream, feeling like two needles had punctured the side of her neck. She looked around herself and saw no one, she felt frightened for the first time. She cried and shouted for her handmaiden. Her handmaiden and three other of the servants came running in in an instant asking what was wrong.
She told them her story while she cried, that it was a pretty woman in the form of a solemn laid next to her, and that she felt like two needles punctured the side of her neck. They looked under her bed, in the closet and her dressing room but found nothing. Though she was only a child, she could see the pale faces on them and the unwonted look of anxiety.
"Lay your hand along the side of the bed; someone did lie there, the place is still warm" one of the servants whispered to her handmaiden, it was just loud enough for her to hear it..
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After that night her father became rather worried for her, and called for a priest to take a look at her in the morning; try to make some sense out of his daughters hysterics. Laura Lee still laid in bed, rather sitting up so the priest could take a good look at her.
"I see no unusual peculiarity about your daughter sir. It‘s simply night terrors that eventually a child gets" the priest said to her father. He went back to stand by the end of the bedpost, and said a prayer for her.
"Do you hear that my daughter? Everything will be perfectly fine" her father said with a smile, walking to sit down on the bed next to her. Laura Lee only nodded and hugged him.
"I will be right back my dear, I will be accompanying the priest outside. I will be back quicker than two seconds!" He said with a soft laugh, slowly unwrapping from the comforting hug. He left and followed the priest outside. Laura Lee watched him walk out the door of her bedchamber, worried that he wouldn't return as fast as he said.
The priest left the schloss and told them to send a letter whenever. He was the priest of the Blackberry church, he lived close to Batsto to help out the villagers when needed.
Her father returned, though he looked a bit worried. She couldn't quite understand why he was worried - since he looked bright and carefree when he first left.
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The next day she asked her handmaiden for her father, she said he was out to Batsto. He returned in the middle of the night. Laura Lee had already gotten dressed for bed and was sleeping. There was a gentle knock at the door, and it slowly creaked open. It was her father. He gently nudged Laura Lee to wake her up from her sleep.
“How are you feeling my daughter? I'm sorry I was gone for the day, I was told you asked for me while I was gone.” he said in a soft tone. He sat next to her. Laura Lee rubbed her tired eyes with her palm. Eventually she sat up in bed to sit next to her father. She didn't respond, only smiled happy that he was back.
“I brought you something while on my trip to Batsto,” he smiled. The candlelight shined just bright enough for her to see what it was. He handed her a gift wrapped in soft pink silk, Laura Lee looked at him with wonder and a big smile while she accepted the gift. She unwrapped it and it revealed a little brown teddy bear. The bears snout was a bit lop-sided and it was missing an eye… it was perfect.
“Is this really for me?” she asked and looked up to her father. He nodded. Laura Lee was so very happy and gave a big hug to her father.
She called it for Leonard and he was always with her wherever she went. She didn't feel that lonely whenever she had Leonard accompanying her.
All the way to the age of nineteen, which is the age she's now, she still kept Leonard. The few times her father got visits, by either a salesman, traveler or another nobleman - even a friend by rare times - they often called her childish for having a teddy bear at her age. Especially bringing it wherever she went, but what could she do? Leonard was the closest she had to a friend.
The only place she wasn't allowed to bring Leonard was church. She either had to leave him in the carriage or her bedchamber. - which seemed weird because her father never disagreed with her when she asked to bring Leonard somewhere. Though she never questioned him about the situation, he had his reasons and often he kept them to himself.
Though she had Leonard, she still had a servant or her handmaiden to sit outside her bedchamber in case she would've woken up in the middle of the night by night terrors. They should’ve stopped by now after so many years, still they haven't. Occasionally her father called for the priest to say a prayer to try calm down her terrors. To this day she still keeps a candle flickering in the corner.
She sat in the carriage next to her father. She was silent the entire trip back from the Blackberry Church. The carriage was towed by two beautiful horses by the name Lizzie and Russe.
Lizzie was a beautiful white horse with a long mane, and Russe was almost identical just in beautiful black. They were inseparable and every time Laura Lee looked at them she wished she had something like that.
When they arrived at the schloss she sprinted up the stairs and to her bedchamber to find Leonard. He was placed by her pillow, “Leonard! I’ve missed you, have you missed me? Father said we could take a walk in the garden! Just us, he doesn't let me do that so often unless Adelaide is standing from afar watching.” She said “I’ll call Adelaide so we can get out of here faster.”
She called for Adelaide to untie her corset, “Are you excited for your walk miss?” she asked. “Well of course, you know how father is. He rarely lets me go by myself.” she said with a frown. It made sense that her father was worried for her and didn't want her to be alone. Laura Lee didn't like being alone either, but sometimes some alone time is refreshing. Just her, Leonard, the smell of flowers and the sound of the bees and birds around her, and her thoughts. “You may leave when you’re finished untying my corset Adelaide.” Adelaide did as she was told, she left and told Laura Lee that she would call for her when the time had passed.
Laura Lee rustled off her light blue dress and got rid of her corset. She ran to her dressing room and found a beautiful white floral dress. The pattern was of small pink roses. It was her favorite and she would wear it whenever she went outside in the garden. Though it was still early spring, it was warm enough to wear. She untied her hair and found her black hairband. She went back to her bedchamber and lifted Leonard from her bed.
“You know, that's probably the only benefit of being lonely. I can dress however I want and no one even cares. I don't need to constantly wear corsets, or do my hair everyday. I can just have it loose like now. Lastly, I don't need to talk as formally as many do when they’re around someone. ” she smiled.
She walked down to their garden. The garden was big and probably her favorite place to be whenever she needed a break from being in the schloss. There was tall grass and wildflowers growing everywhere. There was a stream going through it, splitting the garden in half. The water was clear and sparkled in the sunlight. There was a small cobble bridge with lanterns on each side, they were lit during nighttime by a servant, and on rare occasions Laura Lee and her father would take a stroll. On the other side of the stream was a purple wisteria tree. It was her favorite tree.
Her father had asked several times if she wanted him to place a bench underneath, though she politely said no. She preferred to sit on the ground and lean against the tree.
She walked over the cobble bridge and sat down by the tree. She put Leonard on her lap.“I forgot my watercolours.” she said. Painting was one of the few things Laura Lee enjoyed. With much time on her hands she often painted. She liked to read too, but there were few books she was allowed to read because of her fathers rules.
“You know Leonard, one day we’ll get a new friend. Today at church I prayed for someone to accompany me in the schloss. We should have faith in God and he will answer our prayers.” The two of them sat together in silence, listening to the water stream, the birds and the light breeze of the wind waving in the tall grass. It was peaceful and calming. She spent most of the time speaking with Leonard, and as always Leonard enjoyed listening to what Laura Lee had to say.
Suddenly she heard a bell ring, “I suppose that's our sign to go back.” She walked carefree back, meeting Adelaide at the backdoors of the schloss.
“Your father wishes to speak with you. He will be waiting for you in the parlour when you’ve finished cleaning yourself up.”
.
She changed to a white silk dress reaching all the way to her ankles and her hairband was changed with a similar one just with a black bow. Her father didn't often ask for her unless there were visits, so she dressed a bit more proper in case someone would've visited while she was in the garden. Her father was usually the one looking for her.
The parlour was where her father spent most of his time besides his study. She spent a bit of her time there as well, rather for different reasons - like practicing her piano, or reading a verse from the bible out loud for her father.
She walked down the stairs barefoot and with Leonard in hand. The stripe of carpet leading down the stairs on the cobble floor was cool to the touch, but not uncomfortable. She knocked on the double door of the parlour room and slightly opened the door, just enough for her to peek her head in.
“You called for me” she said while slowly walking in. To her surprise it was only him and no one else, she fully expected a visit. “Come in, come in my love, sit down if you may!” he said with a happy tone.
Laura Lee looked at him with surprise at his sudden cheerful mood. She walked over to sit on the sofa opposite her father.
“We have been invited to The Scatorccio masquerade ball!”
The Scatorccios were quite an odd family, on the outside they appeared a happy one - though many knew, they really weren't. Laura Lee didn't know much about them, besides that every year they threw a masquerade ball, and invited royalties, noblemen and everything in between.
She knew that Natalie Scatorccio was a girl quite like herself, a girl who was alone and lonely - rather than that, she was sadly seen as an outcast. It wasn’t her fault, her father had isolated her from the outside world, and the masquerade ball was one of the few times she was allowed to be somewhat herself.
This was Laura Lees and her fathers first attendance to their yearly masquerade ball. They had been invited years prior, but never accepted the invitation since her father didn't agree with Mr. Scatorccios choices for his daughter - never less the way he treated his wife.
When Laura Lee was the age of eighteen, she finally dared to ask her father why he always thanked no to their invitation, and if she ever could attend. Her father liked to keep things to himself, so she was taken by surprise when he accepted her request.
All this time she thought her father prevented her from having friends, little did she know about the real reason. She felt bad for Natalie, and on rare occasions she found herself saying a prayer for the poor girl.
Now she and her father were on their way to The Scatorccios schloss. It was a frigit evening, but their surroundings were surprisingly calm. Lizzie and Russe were pulling their cart throughout the forest path, their hooves leaving behind a quiet comforting sound when they hit the ground.
Laura Lee was nervous, she was looking down at her lap, fidgeting with her hands. She had never been around anyone else that were not her father or the servants - never less people her own age. She didn't know how to properly introduce herself, or how to act. Oh how she wished Leonard could accompany her.
She was incredibly excited when her father had told her the news, that she would finally be able to attend - perhaps even make a few friends! It wasn't before they sat comfortably in the carriage, starting their journey, that the realisation hit her. The realisation that she had to actually talk and socialise to try to get some sense out of her attendance.
She made a few mental notes of all the previous times Adelaide had taught her how to act ladylike , though she never fully cared since a part of her believed she would forever stay alone.
.
They finally arrived at The Scatorccio schloss. It was a lot bigger than their own. The coachman stopped at the gate of the schloss and they stepped out of the carriage. They were met by two of the guards, both her and her father bowed in a sign of respect. One of the guards bowed back and asked “Your invitation and name sir.”
Her father handed the guard their invitation, “Welcome to the Scatorccios schloss” the guard said as he let them through the gate.
The hall was filled with the smell of delicious food stuffs spread around the tables against the far wall. Couples of all shapes and sizes spinning along the expansive floor, a small band of musicians tucked away in the corner as they played for the debutantes and aristocrats alike. Impossibly large, arched windows lined the hall on both sides, a galaxy of stars peering in from the pitch black sky.
Laura Lee smiled, as she had never seen something like this before. They had a hall back in the schloss, but it wasn't nearly as big as this.
She stayed close to her father most of the night, too scared to wander far by herself. Occasionally there were a few who came up to her, asking questions like “I’ve never seen someone as beautiful as you around here before” or “would you perhaps like a dance?”
Of course she denied every request, as she was shy and neither was she ever taught how to dance. She quite enjoyed standing from afar with her father, seeing the different couples and strangers dance together. The way they moved to the harpsichord and violin waltz amused her.
There were a couple that catched her eye, they were in rather similar ball gowns like rest of them, nothing out of the ordinary. What she found interesting was that they were both girls, what others would call young women, dancing together.
They appeared to be close to the same age as her. The taller girl took the role originally danced by the man. Her hair was brown and wavy, reaching to her shoulders. Her eyes were a deep brown, they somewhat reminded Laura Lee of a peculiar pair of eyes. The sudden thought startled her, and she shrugged.
“You alright my love?” her father asked. Laura Lee only nodded back, not fully knowing what to say. Once again her eyes fell upon the couple dancing in front of her.
The other girl was shorter than the other, but not by much. Her hair wasn't blond, neither brown but something in-between, and her eyes were only focused on one thing - the girl she danced with. They danced like there was no one else around them, that the only important thing in that moment was to be with each other.
Laura Lee could only look, only look and observe, and still not understand. They seemed to be in love, but that wasn't possible - rather it wasn't supposed to be like that. She had once gone to her pastor and asked about two girls being in love, but she was scolded and told it was a sin and temptation from Satan himself.
.
Time had passed and yet there were quite a few roaming around. Her father found himself talking with a few others, Laura Lee had gotten a bit more comfortable and dared to walk around by herself - try to make some worth out of her stay here.
She stepped further into the hall and shifted back against the far wall, her eyes carefully scanning the cavernous room. She didn't fully know what she was doing, but she hoped that she found someone that looked approachable. She ended up tucking herself in one of the far corners, just observing the other noble folks and royalties.
An unexpected chill skittered across her shoulders as she turned back toward her left, her lips parting slightly as her jaw went slack, sapphire eyes helplessly wide as she looked into a pair of familiar dark eyes, looking at her from across the hall.
Laura Lee swallowed thickly and she could feel her heart heavily pound in its cage, begging to be let out. She was frozen in place, not knowing what to do with herself. They were the same eyes, the same eyes that belonged to a beautiful girl she once saw in her dream, now looking right back at her. She could never forget those eyes even how hard she tried.
She couldn't see her face as it was covered with a shawl. Her dress was a deep burgundy colour that fit her perfectly. She was unfairly beautiful in her dress, the fabric seeming so soft to touch, her fingers tingling at the mere thought of brushing against such lush material. Laura Lees eyes helplessly wandered over the strange girl.
“You..” she whispered, not being able to tear her sight away from the girl across the hall. She couldn't hear her even if she shouted, as her voice was made deaf by the sound of the music.
“There you are!” a familiar voice shouted at her. Laura Lee jumping from the sudden interruption. “Couldn't find you with all these people” her father said, looking joyful, he was standing an arm length away from her. Laura Lee couldn't care less of her fathers sudden appearance and quickly looked back to where she had seen those consuming dark eyes.
Her brows frowned in confusion as she turned her head once more, looking back to where the beautiful girl had stood. She mumbled to herself, trying to get some sense out of what was happening. The girl was gone…
“What are you looking at my dear?” her father asked, looking in the same direction she was. Laura Lees was bewildered, looking back and forth at the now empty place and her father. “I thought I saw someone…”
In the end she wasn't able to interact with anyone.