Persephone's internal thoughts were kept to herself. And she was well practiced, even at the age of sixteen, in keeping them there. That didn't, however, stop her from having the classic teenaged rebellious thoughts when she was summoned to complete a task, she held no interest in.
No, that wasn't strictly true. Persephone naturally loved to learn. She enjoyed understanding new concepts, designing new behaviours to meet with cultural customs and adapting the ways in which she received others - food, chamber, conversation, amenities - to suit the social occasion itself. In this, she was utterly perfect in her role of princess. Where she felt short was that Persephone was not a woman who liked to waste her time. And she had yet to develop the belief or understanding that socialising with other ladies of the Athenian court, simply for the sake of socialising and building rapport was, in fact, not a waste. In the years to come, Persephone would understand and accept the import of making friendships - however false - with the females of her own rank and position in society. She would not enjoy it, just as she did not in this era of her life, but she would accept it. Now, however, in the year of 678 BC, she was only skilled enough at keeping her impetuous and imperious thoughts within her mind, rather than allowing them to slip from between her lips. She wasn't able to keep them out of her head entirely.
And the thought this time was - Is this entirely necessary?
It had been many years since Persephone had broken past the awkward stage of puberty. One of the lucky ones and in keeping with her birth as princess, Persephone had avoided her hormonal stages without upset to her complexion, without the gangliness of awkward growth spurts and with a grace and poise beyond her years. It was these elements of her youthful life that had caused several courtiers to start to refer to her as blessed. Always a child of great balance, equilibrium and careful step, Persephone had never been clumsy, nor bedraggled. The posture and regality of her carriage had had to be learnt - that was not natural - and she had had to adjust her manner of speech, visual expression and the general look in her eye that depicted her as princess; the only female of the kingdom to hold her impressive role as first born daughter of the King. So far, she had been growing in leaps and bounds, her lessons building on her natural and - supposedly blessed - foundations. Now, she was being told that more lessons were to be had.
If she were a woman of leisure and able to while away her time - like her younger sister, whom she did not resent the freedom of - Persephone would have been happy to attend the class her father's scribes and decorum specialists had arranged for her. She would have been even more eager to learn from the woman who had joined them at the palace, if it was not a situation in which she was supposed to partake socially with others. Already in a position where she handled and led the Court sessions as her mother had before her, and one that handled many of the administrative tasks of her father's role, Persephone felt that any additional time in the company of the courtier ladies of Athenia, to learn something that others had already praised her skill in, was a wasteful distraction from more purposeful responsibilities. And yet, she was an obedient daughter who did her duty.
The woman from whom Persephone was to learn that day, was a Lady Eloria. Whilst she was referred to as such, the woman had not been born noble but, instead, married a man of great title and fortune, only to be widowed a few years later. Left with no inheritance by her in-laws and falling on teaching as her means of income, Lady Eloria was a woman with title and now means; but only if she worked for them. Her "means" in question were the specialised understanding of courtly manners. A skill she had perfected in the social circles of Roma and their higher echelons of society. This was her first visit to Greece and whilst her language skills were as impressive as her manners and there had been no communication difficulties on the few meetings Persephone had yet had with her, the woman spoke with a thick and unusual accent.
It had been arranged that the Lady Eloria would be holding a lesson in the great hall of the royal palati that would be open to all of the ladies of the Royal Houses who felt that they wished to attend. Persephone had been expected to be present in order to give the lesson a seal of royal authority and Emilia had exuberantly demanded that she be included as she was approaching her teenage years and was eager to copy and mimic anything her elder sister engaged upon. Persephone was also aware that there could be any number of other ladies involved: the Ladies Chara and Danae of Stravos, Lady Vasia of Antonis... Perhaps the Marikas girls if they did not think themselves too high and mighty for such a lesson in etiquette.
The rumour mill that had circulated regarding Lady Eloria had caused a bit of a stir among the women. For, it was said that she was just as skilled in the public manners of civility as she was in mastering the acts of the bedroom. It had been rumoured that she would be holding a secondary class after her first for the older girls of the Royal Dynasteias. But this would remain to be seen.
Following in her duty, Persephone arrived a little before the scheduled time, in the great hall of the palati - where Court was usually held. She was gowned in in the softest of yellows today - a colour that offset her tanned skin and picked up on the golden leaves of ivy in her hair. The chiton fastened over only one shoulder and was cinched at the waist before falling to the floor and trailing some inches over the marble tile, hiding her feet entirely from view. Several long, thin gold chains had been fastened to the fibulae upon her shoulder and were fastened into intricate loops that fell over her upper arm. Her opposing wrist held chains of a similar ilk, looped around her skin. She wore her mother's wedding ring on her right-hand ring finger, a band of silver in all the yellow.
When she moved forward to greet the Lady Eloria who was standing beside a circular table set up with scarves and fans - was that a fake rabbit? - it was a clash of warm colours as the woman she greeted was as fiery in colour as she was spirited in nature. With red hair woven with ochre, peach and gold, and a gown of deepest vermillion, Persephone appeared at odds in contrast. Where her raiment was light, Eloria's was strikingly bold, where her complexion was dark, her guests was palest of milk with a few spots of colour over the bridge of her nose and the tops of her shoulders. She had a dark mark just beneath her left eye - a spot that appeared to only enhance the natural draw of her dark umber eyes.
"My Princess..." Eloria greeted, insisting on kissing the air at each side of Persephone's face, as she had done when she first arrived at the palace. Her accent and determination to claim everything as "my" in her word choice, made the woman incredibly friendly and a little unsettling to an Athenian who liked her space of propriety. The Lady Eloria kept Persephone's hands in hers as she smiled brightly. "I am entirely complete for the lesson. Perhaps, your friends shall be here soon, yes?"
No, that wasn't strictly true. Persephone naturally loved to learn. She enjoyed understanding new concepts, designing new behaviours to meet with cultural customs and adapting the ways in which she received others - food, chamber, conversation, amenities - to suit the social occasion itself. In this, she was utterly perfect in her role of princess. Where she felt short was that Persephone was not a woman who liked to waste her time. And she had yet to develop the belief or understanding that socialising with other ladies of the Athenian court, simply for the sake of socialising and building rapport was, in fact, not a waste. In the years to come, Persephone would understand and accept the import of making friendships - however false - with the females of her own rank and position in society. She would not enjoy it, just as she did not in this era of her life, but she would accept it. Now, however, in the year of 678 BC, she was only skilled enough at keeping her impetuous and imperious thoughts within her mind, rather than allowing them to slip from between her lips. She wasn't able to keep them out of her head entirely.
And the thought this time was - Is this entirely necessary?
It had been many years since Persephone had broken past the awkward stage of puberty. One of the lucky ones and in keeping with her birth as princess, Persephone had avoided her hormonal stages without upset to her complexion, without the gangliness of awkward growth spurts and with a grace and poise beyond her years. It was these elements of her youthful life that had caused several courtiers to start to refer to her as blessed. Always a child of great balance, equilibrium and careful step, Persephone had never been clumsy, nor bedraggled. The posture and regality of her carriage had had to be learnt - that was not natural - and she had had to adjust her manner of speech, visual expression and the general look in her eye that depicted her as princess; the only female of the kingdom to hold her impressive role as first born daughter of the King. So far, she had been growing in leaps and bounds, her lessons building on her natural and - supposedly blessed - foundations. Now, she was being told that more lessons were to be had.
If she were a woman of leisure and able to while away her time - like her younger sister, whom she did not resent the freedom of - Persephone would have been happy to attend the class her father's scribes and decorum specialists had arranged for her. She would have been even more eager to learn from the woman who had joined them at the palace, if it was not a situation in which she was supposed to partake socially with others. Already in a position where she handled and led the Court sessions as her mother had before her, and one that handled many of the administrative tasks of her father's role, Persephone felt that any additional time in the company of the courtier ladies of Athenia, to learn something that others had already praised her skill in, was a wasteful distraction from more purposeful responsibilities. And yet, she was an obedient daughter who did her duty.
The woman from whom Persephone was to learn that day, was a Lady Eloria. Whilst she was referred to as such, the woman had not been born noble but, instead, married a man of great title and fortune, only to be widowed a few years later. Left with no inheritance by her in-laws and falling on teaching as her means of income, Lady Eloria was a woman with title and now means; but only if she worked for them. Her "means" in question were the specialised understanding of courtly manners. A skill she had perfected in the social circles of Roma and their higher echelons of society. This was her first visit to Greece and whilst her language skills were as impressive as her manners and there had been no communication difficulties on the few meetings Persephone had yet had with her, the woman spoke with a thick and unusual accent.
It had been arranged that the Lady Eloria would be holding a lesson in the great hall of the royal palati that would be open to all of the ladies of the Royal Houses who felt that they wished to attend. Persephone had been expected to be present in order to give the lesson a seal of royal authority and Emilia had exuberantly demanded that she be included as she was approaching her teenage years and was eager to copy and mimic anything her elder sister engaged upon. Persephone was also aware that there could be any number of other ladies involved: the Ladies Chara and Danae of Stravos, Lady Vasia of Antonis... Perhaps the Marikas girls if they did not think themselves too high and mighty for such a lesson in etiquette.
The rumour mill that had circulated regarding Lady Eloria had caused a bit of a stir among the women. For, it was said that she was just as skilled in the public manners of civility as she was in mastering the acts of the bedroom. It had been rumoured that she would be holding a secondary class after her first for the older girls of the Royal Dynasteias. But this would remain to be seen.
Following in her duty, Persephone arrived a little before the scheduled time, in the great hall of the palati - where Court was usually held. She was gowned in in the softest of yellows today - a colour that offset her tanned skin and picked up on the golden leaves of ivy in her hair. The chiton fastened over only one shoulder and was cinched at the waist before falling to the floor and trailing some inches over the marble tile, hiding her feet entirely from view. Several long, thin gold chains had been fastened to the fibulae upon her shoulder and were fastened into intricate loops that fell over her upper arm. Her opposing wrist held chains of a similar ilk, looped around her skin. She wore her mother's wedding ring on her right-hand ring finger, a band of silver in all the yellow.
When she moved forward to greet the Lady Eloria who was standing beside a circular table set up with scarves and fans - was that a fake rabbit? - it was a clash of warm colours as the woman she greeted was as fiery in colour as she was spirited in nature. With red hair woven with ochre, peach and gold, and a gown of deepest vermillion, Persephone appeared at odds in contrast. Where her raiment was light, Eloria's was strikingly bold, where her complexion was dark, her guests was palest of milk with a few spots of colour over the bridge of her nose and the tops of her shoulders. She had a dark mark just beneath her left eye - a spot that appeared to only enhance the natural draw of her dark umber eyes.
"My Princess..." Eloria greeted, insisting on kissing the air at each side of Persephone's face, as she had done when she first arrived at the palace. Her accent and determination to claim everything as "my" in her word choice, made the woman incredibly friendly and a little unsettling to an Athenian who liked her space of propriety. The Lady Eloria kept Persephone's hands in hers as she smiled brightly. "I am entirely complete for the lesson. Perhaps, your friends shall be here soon, yes?"