A Day is a Year in the King's Court

Well.... I came up with this story earlier today and decided to write it down. It is only a small part of it, but you two are used to reading only parts of my stories anyway. It's about time I posted a new idea anyway. Ummmm.... enjoy! And don't forget to tell me what you think of it.
:)

A Day is a Year in the King's Court

Episode one: Reflections


The young Lady Catherine could not say that she was particularly displeased with the prospect of spending the next six months in the castle. However, she already missed her family and her mare, Rowan, and so far, even the castle staff was inclined to behaving rather rudely.
Catherine had been raised a lady by her mother, the Lady Jeannette of Tearstrom, and her father, the Lord Sir. Michael of Stoneridge had always treated her like one. That is not to say that he was distant as a father, quite the opposite, but Catherine could not remember a time when he had not referred to her as, " my little Lady". Catherine had three brothers, Sir. Martin, John, and Timothy. Sir Martin had been knighted by the king two years before, and John was well on his way to earning knighthood. Timothy was only five, but was promising in his athletic abilities. Catherine's sister, Elizabeth, had just turned thirteen, and had asked to not be addressed as "Lady Elizabeth" just yet. Although the girls were nearly six years apart, they had always been as close as sisters could be. Catherine had received Rowan on her tenth birthday. Rowan was just a newborn filly then, and her father had told her that having considered her joy at watching the men train the horses, she could assist in the training of her own. Catherine still smiled at the memory of that day and the days of childish bliss that followed. She could not think of anything she had ever done that was less ladylike...... except for those two years when Martin, and John had been young enough to think it great fun to let her practice sword fighting with them. They had never been caught, but Martin's conscience began to bother him, and one day he told her, as politely as a young boy might tell his sister, that sword fighting was not for ladies, and that mother would be ashamed of the way they were acting. Catherine had cried for hours and had not spoken to Martin for days after that. Martin had subsequently felt very badly for the harsh words he had spoken to his sister, and eventually taken her aside, and explained the matter more gently. He could not "risk the servants finding out, and spreading it through the village". Her reputation would be "forever blemished, and all for a few games" of fencing and swordplay. He reassured her that he and John would still find time to spend with her, and John, who had somehow found them, reaffirmed Martin's comforting words. Her brothers had spent time with her, but never again had they treated her as a friend. From that point on they had treated her as a sister and a lady, which was not bad, but not the same.
Catherine had known that she would miss her family, but she had not anticipated how much she also missed the servants, and the people of the village. Although in every other respect Catherine had been raised a perfectly proper and mannerly lady, Catherine was on very informal terms with most of the servants and villagers. Her tutors and her personal maid did not even bother to call her "Lady Catherine", that is, all but her Latin tutor, who was a very old a traditional man and insisted on addressing her by her proper title. Most of the squires, pageboys, stable boys, and young men of the village had been madly in love with her at one point or another, but most had gotten over it, and instead felt a sincere loyalty for the young daughter of their Lord, Sir. Michael. Catherine especially missed her Italian tutor. Cecilia, was the young daughter of an Italian immigrant, her mother had been a lady-in-waiting in Italy, but had run from her mistress to wed her handsome farmer, and the two had fled to England. Sir. Michael had admitted them to his fief, and Lady Jeanette had seen it as a golden opportunity to provide Catherine with a companion, and Italian tutor. Cecilia had not spoken any English at first, but the two young girls had quickly learned to understand each other. Although Catherine had learned Italian, she had also formed the unfortunate habit of integrating Italian into her speech so that only Cecilia and her mother understood her. Lady Jeanette had wanted her children to be well-educated and so all had learned to dance, and to speak Latin, French, and German. During the summer, those brief sessions were the only time they spent together. The rest of the time, the boys were with their father, or helping to oversee the fortress, while Catherine learned to be a lady from her mother. The two skills Catherine's mother had been unable to teach her were music and painting.
"Music and painting", Lady Jeanette had told her, "are skills that were not common in ladies when I was at court. However your Aunt Margaret tells me that every true lady at court is now well accomplished in both. I am grieved that there are no musicians or artists for me to hire for you dear."
Because of the importance her mother attributed to them, Catherine had always wanted to learn to play the harp, and to learn to paint. Catherine was not, however, entirely lacking in artistic ability. She had inherited a lovely singing voice from her mother, and despite the impropriety, she and her mother sang in the choir for mass.
She was to learn to paint and to play the harp while she was here at court, but as she confessed to her mother the day before she left, she would rather be home than learn all the skills in the world.
Catherine remembered the day her father had asked her to represent the family at court. He had seemed out of sorts all day, and Catherine had wondered why until he after dinner, when he asked her to follow him into his study.
"Catherine. As you may know from the servant's chatter, and the gossip in the town, the last of the conflict with Scotland has finally ended, and all the kings men are coming home."
Catherine glowed, and answered, "I did know, father, this means that Martin and John will be coming home."
Sir. Michael hesitated and then replied, "Yes. However, since they were with the last regiment, they must travel to Scherton to report before they come home, and that means they will not even start for home until July."
Catherine waited for her father to continue, he would not tell her this unless there was more to be said.
"The king is holding a celebratory tournament. It will start in April and will go six months so that even the knights of the last regiment will have a chance to participate. Knights from other countries are invited to come, the king wished this to be in celebration of the current world peace. Every one of the kings vassals is duty and honor bound to have a representative their house present. As you know, we lost some of our best men to the war, and I am needed here to oversee our land. As I have just explained to you, your brothers will not be back home until mid-July, and will leave to go to the tournament shortly after. Your mother has not been well, and your sister is not old enough yet to go to court."
Catherine had caught on to what her father had been trying to tell her towards the beginning of his explanation, and was now trying to hold back her tears at the thought of leaving her family for six months. The most she had ever been gone from her family was one month, and then she had been visiting her cousin, Lady Anne. That was nothing like this. Then, she had been visiting a dearly loved relative, and her family had been but a days journey away. Now..... she was going to court where she would know no one but her aunt, and would be a weeks journey from her home.
"Catherine, what I am trying to say is that.... it falls to you to represent our family at court, at least until your brothers join you. Your mother has a lovely apartment at the castle, and your aunt, Lady Margaret, will no doubt be more than happy to help you settle into life at court."
Sir. Michael waited, trying to read Catherine's thoughts.
"Of course I shall go, father. But I shall miss you and..... everyone ever so much!"
Catherine could not hold back a tear which slowly made its way down her cheek and settled hard on her father's heart.
"It will not be for long. And really, your mother and I have neglected you by not sending you to court sooner. You are eighteen. Far too old to never have been to court. Had it not been for the war, your mother would have taken you to court years ago."
Catherine lowered her head and nodded, not wanting her father to see the emotion on her face.
"I shall go at once to make preparation."
She kissed her father, and walked as only a lady can, even in such a disconsolate state.
Her mother helped her to find dresses that could easily be restyled to fit the fashions at court, and had even given her a few of her own prettier and more fashionable dresses.


There. I hope that you hadn't already read this far because I shortened it due to your complaints. I'll add more once you have aknowledged that you're even reading it.