The Whipping Tree

II: Lavender and Viridian

II

Lavender and Viridian

Many Years Ago

         Five-year-old Joaneveive does not enjoy having her hair tied up, and she is certain her hair doesn’t like it, either.

         Smoothed with Murgo oil, her brown locks are yanked back as tight as her scalp will allow, and though she is not yet old enough to be required to wear tight-fitting gowns like her mother, the puffed sleeves of her dress are made of some incredibly scratchy material, and the skin on her arm is red from itching.

         She is visiting the grand city of Hildegard for the first time, and she must be on her best behaviour, as her parents stressed before the carriage arrived.

         Sitting across from her is her mother and father, chatting quietly about what they expect will happen during today’s festivities. It is young Gregory Smeldt’s birthday and King and Queen Smeldt invited all the lords and ladies in Drachmere, as well as their children, to attend the celebration.

         When the passing trees and occasional traveler on a horse becomes tiring for Joan to watch, she closes her eyes and imagines what Hildegard must look like.

         Looming buildings and lavish gardens bursting with flowers. Street corners with grand statues, performers lining the streets playing incredible music.

         She begins to smile just thinking of it. She loves Brevinham with all her heart—the stables, the field, the market—but her little eyes and her little head yearn for something new, and that is precisely what she will gain from this trip.

         Resting her head against the carriage window, she pulls out a handkerchief of hers, a gift from her late grandparents. She rubs it between her fingers, and when her parents aren’t looking, against her cheek. She tucks it out of sight again and closes her eyes, sleeping soundly until her mother shakes her awake.

         “Joaneveive. We’ve arrived.”

         They are helped out and ushered towards the entrance of the castle. Joan has no time to marvel at the bustling street behind her. They’re whisked inside in a blink of an eye, and when she does look back, their carriage is pulling away, another one taking its place, already spitting out more lords and ladies.

         Joaneveive reaches for her mother and father’s hands and she walks between them, sandwiched by parental affection and protection.

         They’re taken on a brief tour, all of them, before being shepherded to the dining hall. The place is grand, at least three times the size of the Ailemers’ own back in Brevinham, and Joan’s little tummy can’t wait to be filled with delicious food… especially the sweets.

         She is seated between her parents at the massive table stretching from one end of the dining hall to the other. Sitting in the front of the room on an elevated platform is the royal family. The little prince is dressed in rich blue robs and a shirt so white he shines like a beacon. Everything in the room is dazzlingly bright, in colours and hues Joan only sees in the market being sold by the fabric vendor.

         The meal passes by in a whir—roasted chickens, lambs, pigs, vegetables she’s never seen before, soups ranging from creamy to a degree of spiciness that makes her tongue prickle.

         Her stomach is bulging by the end of the meal, and servants are filing in and replenishing and replacing dishes.

         Then there is a commotion with crashing dishes when a girl misses one of the steps leading up to the king and queen’s table, and the lavish bowl of pudding she holds goes flying. The dish itself doesn’t land on them, but the impact it makes against the goblets and forks is enough to send a wave of thick brown splattering against their clothes.

         The servant immediately jumps to help clean the mess, but she’s ordered aside by the furious king. The girl is hustled outside by one of the guards standing nearby.

         There was near silence when the accident occurred, but the second the king turns to face his guests, the chatter resumes again, as if it had never ceased.

         When the meal is over, the guests are lead to the ballroom, and the children off to a connecting chamber where servants oversee their play so the parents and older siblings may dance.

         Joan spends her time in the corner of the playroom with the daughter of Lord Something of Something; she hadn’t caught the name of the girl’s father or what town they come from, but she knows her name is Gabrielle and that they are having a wonderful time with the dolls there.

         They are old and the fabric is in tatters, but the girls have their imaginations and that is more than enough to make the hours pass enjoyably.

         The Ailemers are one of the first families to leave the festivities, and Joan waves goodbye to her brief friend before leaving with her parents wearing a grin.

         She is hard-pressed, however, to keep the smile on her face when on their way to the carriage, they see the servant being pulled out of one of the castle’s side exits and forced to her knees. There are three guards with her this time, and the other servants milling about look away and busy themselves with their tasks.

         “Joaneveive, don’t look.” Lady Ailemer shields her daughter’s eyes, but she can’t get to her ears in time, because the Joan can hear the crack of a whip and the servant’s screams.

         “Into the carriage, Joaneveive.”

         She looks back despite her fright and sees the strap descend on the girl’s back. Hastily, she is tucked wide-eyed and shocked silent into the coach, and the door is promptly closed when her parents join her.

         “Don’t think anything of it, Joan,” her father says.

         She nods obediently and doesn’t stare out the window like she did on their way here. But she thinks of the servant and the torn dolls she and Gabrielle were playing with, and she squeezes her eyes shut as if doing so can block unseen images.

(**A/N: It's been a while since I've touched this so there might be some errors here and there, especially since I'm introducing some new characters and a new location. Let me know if you catch anything! D'you guys think the plot is coming along all right, or is it getting kind of stale/sluggish? And if so, why? F-Feedback please? D:

Another question--is it plausible for pudding to actually go flying like that when you trip?

**EDIT: Thank you exhaleink for pointing out that I wrote "car" when this time period is medieval xD "car" is still a synonym I guess, but a really confusing one and shouldn't have been there hehe.)