so overdue, they've broken my drabble card in two.

[fenella]

Remember the 'drabble meme' from forever ago?
Aha, I didn't think so.
Fenella, however, did not forget
and she will fulfill her promises as of yet.

The season of giving is upon us,
and Fenella thought ''I shall give! This is a plus!''
So humour her please, I really do ask
or she may reveal what's under her mask.

An ogre, a troll, or what's worse - a Scrooge!
She'll grumble about the holidays and then crawl in her bed to take refuge.
Don't reduce her to this, I beg of you.
Humour her, oh please do.

Today the elves have two drabbles to give,
But alack! The elves know not where the recipients live.
Elves are rather busy at this time of year,
so thus, the drabbles will be posted here.

First for daydream_queen who asked for one on Buri,
I really hope she didn't expect it in a hurry.
Sadly, Sally is missing in action
so please forgive the commas usage just a fraction.

<><><><>
Buri – a marriage of convenience
<><><><>

Not just your average woman, Buriram Tourakom,
this one’s had her share of sacrifice.

Let her marriage be a lesson in compromise:

It’s not her homeland but it is her home –
A muddy battlefield is her chapel,
a seasoned warrior makes her soft-handed maid.

When the spell is over, she’ll see her new life for what it’s become:

Her command given to a man half her age, he’ll do it half as well.
She’s to be a kept woman (mice and pumpkins all inclusive).

Right now she’s here and committed,
she’s ready and waiting.

But when will he get here?

<><><><>

Finally, the last drabble to prepare
was one that almost didn't fare.
You see, seori wanted female villainy -
to which Fenella proclaimed ''Are you [censored] KIDDING ME?''

Sigh.

Fenella writes Owen and vampires,
not female assassins for hire!
More than half a year later, she gave it a whirl
(it seemed more appealing than essay-writing, anyways)
and so you all get Delia as a young girl:

<><><><>
Delia – castles in the sand
<><><><>

A young girl sits between her parents at her cousin’s wedding, her green eyes wide.
If you ask her the colour of love, she’ll say cream.

Love is a girl in a cream dress and a man in forest green.
Forever and always are chestnut curls and lips of cherry red.

Vows are complete and uncompromising;
airtight promises that don’t smother, just hug.

Really, marriage is love:
the end not the beginning

A wedding is the end of the fairy tale,
just before happily ever after.

She hasn’t grown up yet –
let her be a Romantic, just a little longer.

<><><><>

And with all this said and done,
Fenella says "d...d...drabbles - not fun!"
She has so much respect for those who can write
these things that will forever give her a fright.

Please excuse these pathetic rhymes,
elf cameos, and the fairy tale themes which showed up dozens for dimes.
Until next time, Agent Melford is signing out
I will see you all again - this I do not doubt.

Comments

[ochre54.livejournal.com]

teehee, you wrote Delia <3<3<3

I love your prosy style and the different tones you've set out for each drabble. Buri's is very gruff - worldly and long-suffering, and Delia is just so naive it hurts (very glad she ends up with Volney *wink, wink*)

I haven't any comma complaints. (GASPZORS!)

And you have finished old work. :O Does this mean we can expect more completed things? Like, say, Gavin?

-Sally

Gavin? Gavin?

[lyredenfers.livejournal.com]

OMFG where are you???

You show up AFTER I've posted these - use your msn, girl.

I kinda had fun with these after all, but don't tell anyone. Or I might have to sic Henry after you. Like my prof sics augmented sixth chords on us.

Sidenote: I'm thinking Henry/Highlander fic - how fun would THAT be?

And hey - young Delia. Hardly the same.

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[anait.livejournal.com]

The first time she meets the cousin her overwhelming thought is that this is what a king should be. The actual king is a disappointment; quiet and careworn, with permanent furrows pulling down his brows. The handsome prince all too often has those same furrows; but with him it’s petulance, quick to think that his vulnerable male pride has been slighted. Already she is tired of the constant need to flatter him without him knowing it.

The cousin is every bit as handsome as his royal relatives. More so. He carries himself with the confidence of an aristocratic man of the world, one who is so easy in his position that he can afford an air of openness and approachability. His eyes are the only part of him that proclaim his blood not entirely of the royal line. Brown and amused they look into hers and seem to see her as she really is. This appalls her, as her life from waking till sleeping is a brilliant play—sometimes melodrama, sometimes comedy—but always with herself acting the starring role. That she can be seen through so easily is akin to appearing naked before the assembled court, and as humiliating, and she tries to take her hand from his and turn away but he stops her. The amusement in the brown eyes overflows as he smiles at her and she suddenly can’t think why she was upset a moment ago. Because this man has seen into her soul (as no one ever has before) and far from being shocked, he approves.

She is no small adept in the art of flattery herself, born to navigate the seductions and intrigues of court, but this man’s subtlely makes her efforts look crude and obvious.

Young cynic that she is, a credit to the mercenary ideas of her class regarding birth and marriage, she does the last thing she ever wanted to do.

She falls in love.

Some time later she tells him archly (so that it can be taken as a joke) that it should be him ruling in place of his cousins. He laughs long and loud with what seems like genuine merriment, and tells her her attempts are improving before kissing her, effectively ending the conversation.

Eventually, she will find out what was so funny.

----------------------------------------------------------


A little something to bridge the gap between Fen’s young Delia, and Sally’s hardened criminal. Perhaps Sally will be inspired by my heavy-handed attempts on her favourite to take up her pen again and do better. I certainly lack your way with parentheses.

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[anait.livejournal.com]

oh yeah. it's called "Cousins"

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[lyredenfers.livejournal.com]

*loves, loves, loves*

His eyes are the only part of him that proclaim his blood not entirely of the royal line. Brown and amused they look into hers and seem to see her as she really is. This appalls her, as her life from waking till sleeping is a brilliant play—sometimes melodrama, sometimes comedy—but always with herself acting the starring role. That she can be seen through so easily is akin to appearing naked before the assembled court, and as humiliating, and she tries to take her hand from his and turn away but he stops her. The amusement in the brown eyes overflows as he smiles at her and she suddenly can’t think why she was upset a moment ago. Because this man has seen into her soul (as no one ever has before) and far from being shocked, he approves.

That part is my favourite. It's just -- so right. You've given all your other villains all the lovely shades of character - made them more than a cardboard villain cutout, but here, you added compassion, and that makes them so much more.

Coherent rambling indeed, I'm not sure that was explaining - will attempt again later.

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[anait.livejournal.com]

hee hee. see, the funny thing is i wasn't thinking in terms of compassion. i was thinking in terms of roger manipulating her at a very subtle level, and delia realizing it, and being manipulated even so.

compassion? maybe so. two of a kind recognizing & appreciating each other for certain. and the beginning of love. but they are both such complex people, nothing can ever be simple or straightforward for them. both of them would see untainted kindness or love as "slipping" or being naive. there always has to be many levels going on at once. or they'd get bored!

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[lyredenfers.livejournal.com]

I think my problem is that I'm still thinking of Delia as young!Delia.

Masters of manipulation indeed. I think that on some level though, they do appreciate each other for being the kind of people that they are. ie, if they had to get stuck on a remote island with one other person - neither of them would pick Jonathan.

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[anait.livejournal.com]

of course they appreciate each other! they are the only ones who CAN appreciate one another out of the whole court, because they are two of a kind. no one else can match them in what they excel at. so when i say they are manipulating each other, they are because this is what they DO. it doesn't mean that what they feel isn't genuine (it is), and that delia hasn't actually just fallen in love (she has). or that roger isn't feeling something real for her (he is).

and my idea of delia came straight from your young delia. see, i always thought of her as the kind who was born appallingly confident, knowing, and twisting people into getting her own way from the cradle. it was you who made me see that yeah, maybe she DID have some kind of innocence/idealism. so this is her just arrived at court: smart, sexy, worldly, ambitious. but still unspoiled in terms of her actions in her new world. she is just spreading her wings, and all the rest of the heavy plotting & scheming & betrayals & bad choices are in the future.

and who WOULD pick jon for a desert island?--he'd probably insist on bringing his crown.

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[lyredenfers.livejournal.com]

I love how you describe all the villains - they're too complex for me, they make my head hurt.

The Delia that we see in SoTL, gar, I always see her "sweet charming" front as not being a front or an act, but genuinely her - not to say she's not using it to her advantage, and doesn't have other sides too. But that was her before she got shoved into the world of catty convent girls - then, you can't be on the top without clawing at the people on the way up, no - and Delia's not one to let other girls walk all over her. And then court politics just added to the Delia we know and love.

(Well i'm sure the tiara comes before Delia on Roger's list. Maybe it's a whole Conté-ooh-shiny! thing)

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[anait.livejournal.com]

wow. i so never would have seen her as sweet & unworldly. she seduced the heir to the throne without any trouble at all, entirely on her own efforts. and those catty convent girls? she'd just spent something like 7 or 8 years with them, and i always see her as a leader, which means she learnt to manipulate that bunch of catty girls from her pre-teen years, preparing her very well for court.

I think we'd better let Sally settle the debate, as she seems to know best in this case (about Delia anyways). Sally? Sally? *looks around*

AWOL again. sigh.

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[ochre54.livejournal.com]

Bleh, I'm here, I'm here. *grumbles*

I'm not sure about settling your debate; I'm not her expert - really. But here goes, anyways: Delia learns at a very early age (either from her parents and guardians or the girls at the convent) that she knows exactly how to push people to get what she wants. What she wants by Fen's drabble is love and romance (and to be the envy of all the other girls). And then she meets Roger and she gets too caught up in the court games (all goes to hell): she loves him but they won't ever marry and she knows it. She uses Jon, instead, to further Roger's opinion of her. Instead of a love-match for an ideal marriage (which she stops believing in anyways because she grew up and realized they don't happen or that all the boys her age are stupid, etc.), she will marry for Roger's gain and for her own. (Still trying to win the game of marrying the man all the other girls want.)

There are many home situations which could have occured to keep her innocent for long enough at home. Like, she didn't get out much (stodgy aristocratic guardians) or her parents had an unlikely good marriage. And then, of course, she went to a convent.

Sally

(pst... imo, I like your parentheses :D And your drabble. Now everyone's writing Delia but me!)

Re: Gavin? Gavin?

[ochre54.livejournal.com]

don't tell me your debate was the desert island bit?? And they're too jaded and to want each other on the island - they'd bring someone or something to get them off of it (or to exploit its natural resources for their own personal gain).

not that I think I managed to answer your other questions either with that big long thing. My mind tends to keep switching sides and digressing. I spared you a couple of rants about women/fighting/honour and convent girls/marriage.