Things You Don't Know About Me

Arrival in Camelot

It was a gloomy, rainy day when the dancing troupe arrived. Most of the knights had already arrived for the tournament, and the entertainers were beginning to trickle in. Prince Arthur and his servant, as well as friend, Merlin, came down the castle stairs to greet them.

"Welcome to Camelot," he said. "You must be..." he waited for the small man standing in front of him to answer. "The majestic Lady Lyra and her dancing troupe. I am the leader, Master Grenwit." He bowed deeply, and then returned to the wagon they had brought and began directing people to unload things.

"One of the best dancing troupes in Camelot," Arthur whispered to Merlin. "It's said that the Lady Lyra can put an entire court under the spell of her dancing, and has the grace of a swan, the majesty of an eagle, and the strength of a lioness." No wonder Arthur had donned his cloak and armor for this, Merlin thought. He wanted to impress her.

"My lords," the small man said, "May I present the Lady Lyra," he gestured to a small figure approaching them. When she reached them, she curtsied deeply. Arthur caught her hand and kissed it. The girl pulled back the hood of her cloak to reveal a girl of about fifteen, with thick dark curls that spilled over her shoulders and reached the middle of her torso. Arthur looked very taken aback. "My lady, you look very...". "Young?" she finished for him. "You're not the first one I've taken by surprise, and you certainly won't be the last." She curtsied again and went back to the wagon. "Merlin," Arthur said, " Help her with her things, and give her whatever she needs."

That evening, a great feast was held in honor of the tourney beginning the next day. It was tradition in Camelot to hold a tournament before the new year started. Whoever won was given enough gold to last them plentifully through the year, and knights came from all over the kingdom to compete. There was singing, dancing, and on the last night, a grand ball was held. Once the food had been cleared away, servants pushed the tables up against the walls to make room for entertainers of various sorts. First there was a man who juggled fire, then a lovely singer, followed by a group of acrobats. "And now, ladies and gentleman of the court, it is my great honor to present: the beautiful Lady Lyra!"

The girl Arthur had seen on the steps this morning had been completely transformed. She was wearing a black dress that hugged her chest and torso, then hung elegantly around her waist and stopped several inches above her knees. Her hair had been woven into a single braid that was coiled artfully around her head. Her eyelids had been covered in silver powder, which slowly faded to green at the corners, bringing out her eyes. Her lips had been painted bright red, and her cheeks had just the slightest hint of blush. She wore satin dance shoes that had been bleached to a spotless white. When she walked, she held herself with dignity and grace. Following her were several musicians. She stopped midway to the high table. The musicians spread themselves in an arc behind her, and she arched her back and put one foot behind her.

After a moment the musicians began to play a melancholy tune. She slowly lifted her foot up behind her until it was curled into a perfect C shape and her foot touched the back of her head. She spun delicately on the one foot that was still on the ground and slowly brought the other foot down. She bent her knees halfway and then sprung up, bringing her feet behind her and then to the front again. She pulled her ankles together and took tiny steps backwards until she had almost reached the end of the hall. The music abruptly quickened and she began spinning rapidly back to the front of the hall, her head whipping around to prevent dizziness. When she reached the front, she stopped and turned to face the back. She pushed off from her front foot and leapt into the air, bringing both feet up in a scissor-like motion. She leaned back so far she looked like she was going to tip over, but quickly placed her back foot behind her and jumped quickly from one foot to another. She placed one foot behind her, and as the music reached it's high point, she pushed off from the back foot and pulled it up to the knee of her other foot so her legs formed a number four shape. As she was spinning, her dress slowly changed from black to navy blue to gray to pure white. Somehow, she had skillfully removed the pins from her hair and as she spun, the braid came unwound and her hair hung free, exposing the thick, shiny, dark curls that hung to the middle of her back. She put the bend leg back behind her and stopped spinning. She brought her arms above her head in an oval shape, and a smile crept across her face to reveal perfect white teeth. The court erupted with applause and she took several low curtsies and then turned and spun rapidly out of the hall.