Metal Band One-Shots

A Strange Interest (Floorja)

 From the window of her bedroom, the Lady Tarja could see out towards the village and the fields. There was usually nothing that held any interest for her, nothing which really called her attention.

 One day, as she sat working on her sewing, Tarja happened to glance out the window and see a woman walking out among the fields. She was tall, probably taller than the other women. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and the sleeves of her dress were rolled up to her elbows.

 Tarja lowered her sewing and watched as the woman worked. She supposed it was just another villager, another ordinary person. But she couldn't help staring, watching as she worked.

 After that day, Tarja would always glance out towards the fields to see if she saw any signs of the woman. Sometimes she saw her, sometimes she didn't. She wasn't sure why she was so interested, but she always found herself watching the woman with rapt attention, hardly taking her eyes off of her.

 She wanted to meet this woman, but had no idea how to go about doing that. She knew nothing about her, not even her name, and going down into the village would draw far too much attention to herself.

 The summer eventually came to an end, and they'd had a good harvest. Tarja knew the villagers would probably all be celebrating. That meant her mystery woman would most likely be at any celebrations. If she could just sneak in unnoticed, it could be their chance to meet.

 Tarja choose one of her more plain dresses to wear that night, and put her hair in a simple braid. If she was going to blend in, she couldn't look out of the ordinary.

 Tarja rarely went down into the village, so she wasn't what was where, or where to go. She followed the sound of music to the open door of the local tavern. Some people were scattered around by the entrance, talking and laughing with each other. She pressed her hand against the doorway and peeked inside. This was a merry gathering, with singing and dancing and music. Of course everyone would want to celebrate, she realized; their months of hard work had paid off with a good harvest, and there would be food for the winter.

 And then she saw her. Tarja's mystery woman was there in the tavern, dancing and singing. This was the first time she had seen her up close. She really was quite pretty, she realized.

 When the song was over, the woman went to go sit down, smiling and breathing heavily. Tarja had slipped into the tavern, and went over to her. "I beg your pardon."

 The woman looked up at her. "Hello. Have we-" She stopped. Her eyes widened. "You're Lady-"

 "Shh!" Tarja looked around, but no one was looking at them. "Don't tell anyone," she whispered. "I really shouldn't be here, but I was...interested in the festivities." She sat down next to the woman. "You know who I am."

 The woman nodded. "I've seen you sometimes, in the window. I try not to stare. I've just...noticed you sometimes. If you're looking for festivities, you've come to right place, my lady. Will be staying awhile?"

 Tarja shook her head. "Someone will notice my absence."

 The woman looked across the room. "I think someone called my name."

 "What is your name?" Tarja asked.

 "Floor. It's Floor Jansen, my lady."

 This time Tarja did hear someone call, "Hey, Floor!" Floor smiled and waved, and said to Tarja, "You'd best be careful if you don't want anyone to see you, my lady."

 But Floor turned back to her, Tarja was gone.

~~~~~~

 Tarja lay in her bed, the image of Floor's smile in her mind. She was happy she had finally met her, had learned her name. But she regretted that she hadn't enough time to get to know her a little better.

 She would have to remember to ask someone around the household of they knew anything about a villager named Floor Jansen.