The Girl: The Long - Awaited 2nd Part
I'm sorry for such the long wait. Here is the next part of "The Girl". Nicolette learns something is going on in the large city near her cottage. What is going on?
I'm sorry I took a month to finally get this up. School has been crazy and I've needed to focus on it for a little while. Only 5 more days until I'm completely done for the summer and then the updates will be coming more often. If you have already forgotten all of the beginning, look here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/yola-let-me-introduce-myself.html
Thank you for being so patient.
---
"Go feed the chickens and gather water at the well. NOW," her step-mother snorted again. The heavy-set lady threw a beaten wooden pail at her and pointed towards the shabby door of their shabby cottage. The young girl inhaled and left the cottage, pail in hand, to go to town. They were out of chicken feed so unless she took her step-mother’s suggestion and fed the chickens with her own flesh; she needed to go buy some chicken feed. She gathered up a few coins and headed out to town. Dirty, ragged, and tired by the bright morning sun and heavy load of work.
"Nicolette!" a young man called out to her as she headed out. He lived in a cottage nearby and his family competed with hers to make money.
"Aucassin. Lovely to see you on this bright day," she said not making eye contact. It was important to say her hellos without looking ill-mannered. He threw his disheveled black hair aside and walked along with her.
"Where are you headed on such a nice day like today? It seems like you should be out riding a royal stallion or doing something worth doing," he said noisily. He was constantly loud. Why was he so loud? Where was his volume control? Good thing he was nice. Mostly. She smiled respectfully and shook her head.
"There are things to be done Aucassin. I have womanly business to tend to," she retorted quickly.
"And I have manly things to do as well. That doesn’t mean I can’t take a break and say hello to a fellow neighbor once in a while though," he replied. Darn. He got her with this one. Oh wait…
"Maybe that’s why your cottage is starting to look ragged," she responded. Hastily, she smiled and made eye contact and sped up her pace. He looked at her dumbfounded. Caught by her witticism. Score 1 for Nicolette. 0 for Aucassin. Youch. Nicolette’s feet began to ache. The tight, holey, rag-like shoes on her feet were not helping either. Luckily, the foliage began to part and the most inexpensive shop in town grew larger. She inhaled and sighed heavily. The heavy branches got thinner and thinner and then the light stepping stones of the city fell under her feet. The chicken feed on the outside of the shop was now in her view. And so was a lengthy streak of primped up women.
"Excuse me. What is going on here madam?" she questioned boldly to a close-by woman. She wore a weighty amount of makeup and was on the plumper side.
"You don’t know?! Today is the day Lord Seymour selects ‘The Girl’ m’dear!" she exclaimed. Thank goodness she didn’t comment on Nicolette’s boldness. Nicolette glanced over to a man riding on a white stallion. Like the stallion she dreamed of at night. In her dreams when she was a princess without a care in the world.
"Oh. Thank you madam," she thanked and dove deeper in the crowd. She was now only about 20 people away from her destination. But no, the crowd began to pack in closer together. A man dressed thickly in robes began to speak very loudly. Nicolette continued to push through.
"Would you –"
LORD THOMAS' POV:
"- Please be quiet and listen ladies. Ladies. Please," Lord Thomas, the tall man in the robes, called out. The crowd of women and their families hushed quickly. You always obeyed the Lords.
"I have come to choose ‘The Girl’. As you all know, the previous Girl, Madelyn Boyle passed away due to influenza. Her husband, the King, and herself did not produce any female offspring, thus a new Girl was never anointed. However, they did create two sons. Of which, the Girl will wed the eldest. Any girl who stands out to me in ways of beauty, intelligence, and uniqueness has a fair amount of chance of winning this highly respected position. It could take days for me to decide.
Or a few minutes. It all depends on who can catch my eye the fastest," he monologued. He glanced over the crowd and saw a young woman with dark hair trying to break through to get to a nearby store. What was she doing? Why wasn’t she happy to be in the crowd? He followed her movements with his eyes as she struggled to break the tightly packed people. He almost forgot to announce that the choosing had begun.
---
Check in again in a few days for an update.
Thank you so much,
Julie
Thank you for being so patient.
---
"Go feed the chickens and gather water at the well. NOW," her step-mother snorted again. The heavy-set lady threw a beaten wooden pail at her and pointed towards the shabby door of their shabby cottage. The young girl inhaled and left the cottage, pail in hand, to go to town. They were out of chicken feed so unless she took her step-mother’s suggestion and fed the chickens with her own flesh; she needed to go buy some chicken feed. She gathered up a few coins and headed out to town. Dirty, ragged, and tired by the bright morning sun and heavy load of work.
"Nicolette!" a young man called out to her as she headed out. He lived in a cottage nearby and his family competed with hers to make money.
"Aucassin. Lovely to see you on this bright day," she said not making eye contact. It was important to say her hellos without looking ill-mannered. He threw his disheveled black hair aside and walked along with her.
"Where are you headed on such a nice day like today? It seems like you should be out riding a royal stallion or doing something worth doing," he said noisily. He was constantly loud. Why was he so loud? Where was his volume control? Good thing he was nice. Mostly. She smiled respectfully and shook her head.
"There are things to be done Aucassin. I have womanly business to tend to," she retorted quickly.
"And I have manly things to do as well. That doesn’t mean I can’t take a break and say hello to a fellow neighbor once in a while though," he replied. Darn. He got her with this one. Oh wait…
"Maybe that’s why your cottage is starting to look ragged," she responded. Hastily, she smiled and made eye contact and sped up her pace. He looked at her dumbfounded. Caught by her witticism. Score 1 for Nicolette. 0 for Aucassin. Youch. Nicolette’s feet began to ache. The tight, holey, rag-like shoes on her feet were not helping either. Luckily, the foliage began to part and the most inexpensive shop in town grew larger. She inhaled and sighed heavily. The heavy branches got thinner and thinner and then the light stepping stones of the city fell under her feet. The chicken feed on the outside of the shop was now in her view. And so was a lengthy streak of primped up women.
"Excuse me. What is going on here madam?" she questioned boldly to a close-by woman. She wore a weighty amount of makeup and was on the plumper side.
"You don’t know?! Today is the day Lord Seymour selects ‘The Girl’ m’dear!" she exclaimed. Thank goodness she didn’t comment on Nicolette’s boldness. Nicolette glanced over to a man riding on a white stallion. Like the stallion she dreamed of at night. In her dreams when she was a princess without a care in the world.
"Oh. Thank you madam," she thanked and dove deeper in the crowd. She was now only about 20 people away from her destination. But no, the crowd began to pack in closer together. A man dressed thickly in robes began to speak very loudly. Nicolette continued to push through.
"Would you –"
LORD THOMAS' POV:
"- Please be quiet and listen ladies. Ladies. Please," Lord Thomas, the tall man in the robes, called out. The crowd of women and their families hushed quickly. You always obeyed the Lords.
"I have come to choose ‘The Girl’. As you all know, the previous Girl, Madelyn Boyle passed away due to influenza. Her husband, the King, and herself did not produce any female offspring, thus a new Girl was never anointed. However, they did create two sons. Of which, the Girl will wed the eldest. Any girl who stands out to me in ways of beauty, intelligence, and uniqueness has a fair amount of chance of winning this highly respected position. It could take days for me to decide.
Or a few minutes. It all depends on who can catch my eye the fastest," he monologued. He glanced over the crowd and saw a young woman with dark hair trying to break through to get to a nearby store. What was she doing? Why wasn’t she happy to be in the crowd? He followed her movements with his eyes as she struggled to break the tightly packed people. He almost forgot to announce that the choosing had begun.
---
Check in again in a few days for an update.
Thank you so much,
Julie
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