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rainbowfic2024-10-20 08:47 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2024-10-20 08:47 pm
Beet Red #4; Light Black #10 [Starfall]
Name: lead me out on the moonlit floor
Story: Starfall
Colors: Beet Red #4 (Once bitten); Light Black #10 (pull)
Supplies and Styles: Canvas + Silhouette + Graffiti - October Challenge (Fictober Prompt #4 "No, we're not doing this.") + Resin (also forlyricaltitles square "90s song" - Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer.) + Triptych + Giftwrap
Word Count: 1332
Rating: PG
Warnings: Ostracisation/rejection.
Notes: 1300, 1303, 1306, 1311, 1313 Eseray, Mirambridge, Portcallan; Viyony Eseray, Guileot Fazhey, Leion Valerno.
Summary: Viyony's curse can't be broken with a kiss.
i. 1300
The evening after the ceremony, there's a celebration out in the grounds of Eseray House. Long, bright streamers of purple and silver and blue fabric hang close to the main building, and beyond that, everywhere, in a whole rainbow of colours, flapping and waving wildly in the wind.
Viyony dances. She's ten, she's practically grown up now, and she's heir to Eseray. The light skirts of her pale green underdress fly out around her. She's long since lost the pink gauze scarf she had at the start. When the music changes, she laughs with Eseray's other children, catching hold of them and swinging them around too fast, or skipping under arches made by raised hands.
Even if she's Eseray's heir, she's still only one of the children of the place—her wider family, the dyeworkers, farmers, buyers and sellers, and anyone else who lives in the hamlets near by. When the music plays slow, dull music for the grown ups, they escape to play games. They hide everywhere, and then find each other. They tear around shrieking as they play every kind of chase game they know, finishing up with a kiss chase before the adults come to scold them for their noise and take the younger ones home.
Viyony is dragged home by Mother; breathless, with her hair in a tangle and her ceremonial dress snagged and grass-stained. She's no different from the rest.
ii. 1303
It's the dreams that leave her stranded alone on the far side of the ravine with no way to reach everyone else.
On the days that the Eserays make it down to Mirambridge for school, she listens to her classmates gossip—who likes this person or that one—who's kissing whom at the far end of the school green, where the hedges grow tall enough to keep secrets.
Viyony doesn't understand yet, that it's not for her. Her name never comes up, but she hopes. One day there will be someone—someone nice. She wants all those things. She wants to be held and kissed out on the grass, under the heat of the summer sun.
She also wants Eseray, but her parents and grandparents had that and love, too. Why shouldn't she?
She never sees the truth, not really, not until there's a party at the end of the school year. Nobody asks her to dance or sit with them. She waits on the bench at the side, in the shadows. Her closest friends perch nearby for a moment or two, and her brother Niyno loyally comes back and forth to bring her food and drink, but nobody else will even catch her eye.
If she walks too near to anyone, they whisper warnings to each other; they back away and laugh.
She hears it all anyway. Dance with Viyony Eseray, and she'll dream up a terrible fate for you. Kiss her and you'll die for sure.
It's like the old kiss chase game in reverse: they all scream and run away, while she stands still.
iii. 1306
There's a fair in Mirambridge, with dancing in the evening afterwards. Usdin Motekay, a boy from school, walks right up to Viyony and asks her to dance. She's so startled she almost can't gasp out a yes. He hasn't heard the stories yet; perhaps that's it. His family moved to the town only a few months ago. Viyony hopes, though, that he does know and doesn't care.
Whatever the truth, Usdin gives Viyony her first real dance. He grasps her awkwardly: palms sweating as he holds her hand, but when she dares to meet his laughing eyes, he flashes her a bright smile.
After it's over, as they emerge from the lit, covered space out into the darkness, he kisses her. It's quick, slightly off to one side, but her heart jumps and the night spins round her anyway. When he lets go, giving her a nod, her cheeks are burning.
Viyony's eyes follow him as he walks away. She presses a hand to her mouth, a laugh escaping her. She doesn't know exactly what she thinks of Usdin yet, but she's all for more of this.
She runs on light feet, to find Niyno. On the way, she passes Usdin, standing with a group of eight or nine other young people. His face is turned away from her, and he's demanding money from the rest, a whole starflower each.
"You'll die," says one of the girls. She shudders as she drops a coin into his waiting hand.
"Your hair will fall out!"
Usdin shrugs. "Don't care, as long as you lot pay up. Besides, she's not that bad anyway. You're just cowards."
Viyony, behind them in the darkness, slips away. All the stars have fled the sky, and the moon hides behind a cloud. There's no romance left in the world.
Not bad is the only thing that comforts her in the tearful night that follows.
iv. 1311
When Guileot comes along, Viyony is too eager to have what she wants to ask any of the right questions. Nobody else steps in to stop her. She's the responsible one—sensible to a fault. They don't see how much of a dreamer she is at heart.
She ignores the warning signs; she doesn't question anything when she has warm arms around her waist and kisses that make her skin tingle. Guileot whispers empty nothings in her ear, and she laughs, suddenly, at anything at all.
It's lucky she's more enchanted with the idea of having a lover than she is with Guileot. At the end, when he brings the game to an abrupt halt, and swaps pretty lies for brutal truth, she's more sick with her folly than she is with his deceit. She should have known. Every single day she's lived since the cursed dreams began should have taught her already that nobody chases her, not for love.
She won't make the same mistake again.
v. 1313
The ink is already dry on a loveless marriage contract with Imoren Fioris when Viyony arrives in Portcallan. She's going to save Eseray. It's real and doesn't lie—and it's not as if the dreams will let her do anything else.
Leion is a complication. Right from that first dance, there's a static charge when he touches her.
This time she'll be careful. This time she'll keep her guard up.
She can have everything she wants as long as she keeps on lying to herself and to Leion. Mother told her to have an affair before she buries herself away with Imoren. Leion says sometimes he'd be willing, whether or not he means it. She can have love, if only for a night or two, and save Eseray.
It's not real, she tells herself, when she dances with Leion at the Modelens' party. It doesn't mean anything. He flirts like this with everyone. Her heart can miss a beat as the steps fold her into his arms for the moment the dance dictates, but that's all right: he doesn't care, and she knows where her duty lies.
"You're quiet," Leion says, as they head away from the dance floor. "Something wrong?"
Viyony looks up. The crush of people in the room presses them close together and he's kept a careless hold of her hand, their fingers lightly entangled. Every part of her is absurdly aware of him. "I was thinking about my aunt. I should probably go and find her."
"I don't know why I bother to waste my charms on you," said Leion. He lets go.
"Someone needs to keep a check on your vanity," says Viyony. "You're lucky I'm here."
He smiles down at her. She concentrates on breathing normally, hard enough that he will never know.
It's a dangerous game; worse than bets and curses. If he kisses her, she wins. If he understands how deep he's already gone into her heart first, she might lose everything. The world might end.
Story: Starfall
Colors: Beet Red #4 (Once bitten); Light Black #10 (pull)
Supplies and Styles: Canvas + Silhouette + Graffiti - October Challenge (Fictober Prompt #4 "No, we're not doing this.") + Resin (also for
lyricaltitles square "90s song" - Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer.) + Triptych + GiftwrapWord Count: 1332
Rating: PG
Warnings: Ostracisation/rejection.
Notes: 1300, 1303, 1306, 1311, 1313 Eseray, Mirambridge, Portcallan; Viyony Eseray, Guileot Fazhey, Leion Valerno.
Summary: Viyony's curse can't be broken with a kiss.
i. 1300
The evening after the ceremony, there's a celebration out in the grounds of Eseray House. Long, bright streamers of purple and silver and blue fabric hang close to the main building, and beyond that, everywhere, in a whole rainbow of colours, flapping and waving wildly in the wind.
Viyony dances. She's ten, she's practically grown up now, and she's heir to Eseray. The light skirts of her pale green underdress fly out around her. She's long since lost the pink gauze scarf she had at the start. When the music changes, she laughs with Eseray's other children, catching hold of them and swinging them around too fast, or skipping under arches made by raised hands.
Even if she's Eseray's heir, she's still only one of the children of the place—her wider family, the dyeworkers, farmers, buyers and sellers, and anyone else who lives in the hamlets near by. When the music plays slow, dull music for the grown ups, they escape to play games. They hide everywhere, and then find each other. They tear around shrieking as they play every kind of chase game they know, finishing up with a kiss chase before the adults come to scold them for their noise and take the younger ones home.
Viyony is dragged home by Mother; breathless, with her hair in a tangle and her ceremonial dress snagged and grass-stained. She's no different from the rest.
ii. 1303
It's the dreams that leave her stranded alone on the far side of the ravine with no way to reach everyone else.
On the days that the Eserays make it down to Mirambridge for school, she listens to her classmates gossip—who likes this person or that one—who's kissing whom at the far end of the school green, where the hedges grow tall enough to keep secrets.
Viyony doesn't understand yet, that it's not for her. Her name never comes up, but she hopes. One day there will be someone—someone nice. She wants all those things. She wants to be held and kissed out on the grass, under the heat of the summer sun.
She also wants Eseray, but her parents and grandparents had that and love, too. Why shouldn't she?
She never sees the truth, not really, not until there's a party at the end of the school year. Nobody asks her to dance or sit with them. She waits on the bench at the side, in the shadows. Her closest friends perch nearby for a moment or two, and her brother Niyno loyally comes back and forth to bring her food and drink, but nobody else will even catch her eye.
If she walks too near to anyone, they whisper warnings to each other; they back away and laugh.
She hears it all anyway. Dance with Viyony Eseray, and she'll dream up a terrible fate for you. Kiss her and you'll die for sure.
It's like the old kiss chase game in reverse: they all scream and run away, while she stands still.
iii. 1306
There's a fair in Mirambridge, with dancing in the evening afterwards. Usdin Motekay, a boy from school, walks right up to Viyony and asks her to dance. She's so startled she almost can't gasp out a yes. He hasn't heard the stories yet; perhaps that's it. His family moved to the town only a few months ago. Viyony hopes, though, that he does know and doesn't care.
Whatever the truth, Usdin gives Viyony her first real dance. He grasps her awkwardly: palms sweating as he holds her hand, but when she dares to meet his laughing eyes, he flashes her a bright smile.
After it's over, as they emerge from the lit, covered space out into the darkness, he kisses her. It's quick, slightly off to one side, but her heart jumps and the night spins round her anyway. When he lets go, giving her a nod, her cheeks are burning.
Viyony's eyes follow him as he walks away. She presses a hand to her mouth, a laugh escaping her. She doesn't know exactly what she thinks of Usdin yet, but she's all for more of this.
She runs on light feet, to find Niyno. On the way, she passes Usdin, standing with a group of eight or nine other young people. His face is turned away from her, and he's demanding money from the rest, a whole starflower each.
"You'll die," says one of the girls. She shudders as she drops a coin into his waiting hand.
"Your hair will fall out!"
Usdin shrugs. "Don't care, as long as you lot pay up. Besides, she's not that bad anyway. You're just cowards."
Viyony, behind them in the darkness, slips away. All the stars have fled the sky, and the moon hides behind a cloud. There's no romance left in the world.
Not bad is the only thing that comforts her in the tearful night that follows.
iv. 1311
When Guileot comes along, Viyony is too eager to have what she wants to ask any of the right questions. Nobody else steps in to stop her. She's the responsible one—sensible to a fault. They don't see how much of a dreamer she is at heart.
She ignores the warning signs; she doesn't question anything when she has warm arms around her waist and kisses that make her skin tingle. Guileot whispers empty nothings in her ear, and she laughs, suddenly, at anything at all.
It's lucky she's more enchanted with the idea of having a lover than she is with Guileot. At the end, when he brings the game to an abrupt halt, and swaps pretty lies for brutal truth, she's more sick with her folly than she is with his deceit. She should have known. Every single day she's lived since the cursed dreams began should have taught her already that nobody chases her, not for love.
She won't make the same mistake again.
v. 1313
The ink is already dry on a loveless marriage contract with Imoren Fioris when Viyony arrives in Portcallan. She's going to save Eseray. It's real and doesn't lie—and it's not as if the dreams will let her do anything else.
Leion is a complication. Right from that first dance, there's a static charge when he touches her.
This time she'll be careful. This time she'll keep her guard up.
She can have everything she wants as long as she keeps on lying to herself and to Leion. Mother told her to have an affair before she buries herself away with Imoren. Leion says sometimes he'd be willing, whether or not he means it. She can have love, if only for a night or two, and save Eseray.
It's not real, she tells herself, when she dances with Leion at the Modelens' party. It doesn't mean anything. He flirts like this with everyone. Her heart can miss a beat as the steps fold her into his arms for the moment the dance dictates, but that's all right: he doesn't care, and she knows where her duty lies.
"You're quiet," Leion says, as they head away from the dance floor. "Something wrong?"
Viyony looks up. The crush of people in the room presses them close together and he's kept a careless hold of her hand, their fingers lightly entangled. Every part of her is absurdly aware of him. "I was thinking about my aunt. I should probably go and find her."
"I don't know why I bother to waste my charms on you," said Leion. He lets go.
"Someone needs to keep a check on your vanity," says Viyony. "You're lucky I'm here."
He smiles down at her. She concentrates on breathing normally, hard enough that he will never know.
It's a dangerous game; worse than bets and curses. If he kisses her, she wins. If he understands how deep he's already gone into her heart first, she might lose everything. The world might end.
no subject
I love your descriptions and sense of place!
Also, I liked how dancing links all these moments in Viyony's life, and explains so much about her character/who she is. It's so clevrly done, the way dancing begins as something fun and carefree (even if Viyony's fate is right there from the start), and then turns into something that just shows how guarded she has become, and her reasons why. (Also, I might be showing my age here, but what a great earworm!)
no subject
And, ha, it is a great earworm! /shows own age off too.