Zaffre's History

Perhaps spurred by whispers in her ear, Zaffre’s resentment about her and Chartreuse’s treatment festers. She remembers a grand party, thrown for the new princess of Celene, now 7 years old.

I was so excited. The palace was so busy, everyone was decorating the ballroom, the gardens, the hallways. My parents may get a lot of things wrong, but they know how to entertain and a show that will impress a 600 year old grump from the Welkwood is positively dazzling to a 7 year old little girl. With stories of grand parties and balls swimming in my head I was stuck in a room with tutors for days on end drilling on names and faces of the guest list and endlessly practicing curtsies.
When the day arrived and I was dressed and primped and fussed over like never before. I was seated on a tiny throne at the front of the ballroom on a dias with my parents. For hours I watched as guests danced and laughed as I greeted an endless line of faces with the same practiced line.
“Thank you __ for coming to my birthday party, be welcome and enjoy our hospitality”
Over and over.
My legs ached from curtsy after curtsy and I just wanted to dance and eat cake. Not smile for all of these people that would tell me how beautiful I was and how lucky some prince would be to marry me and then present some lavish gift to my parents in honor of my birthday. A box of rare spices or a bolt of magical cloth, nothing of interest to a 7 year old yearning for a piece of her own birthday cake.
Then, one couple arrived and didn’t tell me I was beautiful. They said it was an honor to meet me and handed me a wrapped box and walked away. I was so shocked I cannot remember who they were. I just remember the lovely box with the fine silk ribbon.
In the box was a doll. So finely crafted. Long silken hair, a flowing dress, even tiny painted fingernails. I loved it immediately and would not let the attendant take it away. It was the most wonderful gift, not only because it was so lovely, but because it was a gift for me.
As soon as all of the guests had been greeted, I was sent off to bed. The doll was taken from me. It was put up on a shelf under a glass dome high on a shelf in the Hall of Gifts. My parents said it was too precious, that it was for looking at, not for playing with. That I would get it dirty, ruin it.
I think that is how they feel about me too.