Little Lady - Chapter 1
May. 20th, 2009 01:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowHopefully, this works. Editing for content (vs. for grammar) can be so touchy sometimes. >.>
"Nnn..." Lydia shifted uncomfortably as she slowly woke the next morning. Thanks to the heavy curtains covering the windows, the room was quite dim, but she suspected it was around mid to late morning. And though she was used to waking in Edgar's arms, for some reason his arm seemed much heavier than usual. Lydia struggled to crawl out from under his arm when Edgar suddenly pulled her to him, and she realised that she accidentally woke him. Lydia looked up and watched as he opened his eyes.
Edgar started to smile as he focussed on his beloved wife when he suddenly froze.
"......"
He closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. Edgar opened his eyes again. Things still looked exactly as they did the moment he woke except now, Lydia's head was cocked slightly to one side as she stared up at him.
"......Umm... Lydia...?" he asked hesitantly. He reached out and touched Lydia's cheek lightly before sliding his fingers beneath her chin tilting her head back a little more so that he could see her face more clearly in the dim room.
Lydia stared at Edgar uncertainly. Normally, he kissed her good morning. Sometimes, he did even more. But this morning, he just stared at her.
"Edgar...?" Lydia began to ask him what was wrong only to stop suddenly. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sound of her voice, and she raised a hand to touch her throat. It didn't hurt, and nothing felt strange when she spoke, but... She stared at Edgar wide-eyed. She couldn't move, and her mind refused to consider what might cause Edgar to act as he was while causing her voice to change as it had.
Lydia's frightened look finally brought Edgar back to his senses, and he smiled at her gently.
"Ah, sorry. It's all right," he said calmly. "I was just a bit surprised."
Edgar got out of bed. Then, wrapping Lydia in the bed sheet, he picked her up before heading for the dressing room.
"E-Edgar?! At least wear a dressing gown!" Lydia exclaimed shocked.
Edgar paused slightly, holding Lydia easily with one arm as he opened the bedroom door. "Lydia, my state of dress isn't a big issue, and I'll take care of it shortly. Yours, however, is a bit more problematic," he said as he carried her out of the room calling for Raven.
*****
Lydia sat in front of her dressing table still wrapped in the bed sheet and stared at herself in shock. There was no question, she was looking at her own face. Lydia raised her hands, splaying her fingers in front of her at eye level and gazed at them for a long moment. She pinched her cheek.
"!"
Lydia winced in pain. A quick glance in the mirror showed her that, sure enough, her cheek was now a little red.
"Ah, Lydia. What are you doing?" Edgar asked dismayed as he entered her dressing room. He was dressed impeccably and wore a pale purple ascot tie, but he wasn't wearing his gloves yet. He knelt in front of her and ran a finger across her cheek gently. "You shouldn't hurt yourself like that," he chided gently.
Lydia stared at Edgar and tears filled her eyes. "Edgar..."
Edgar held her in his arms patting her on the back trying to get her to calm down. "It's okay. Tompkins has arranged to get you some clothes, so it'll only be a little while longer."
Lydia nodded wordlessly sniffling a little before pulling away. Edgar pulled out his handkerchief and wiped away her tears.
"Hmm... this time you look like you're about six or seven," he said as he patted her lightly on the head. The last time he saw her looking younger than she was was when she'd ended up in Nightingale's forest. Back then, she looked like she was around ten.
Lydia pouted at being treated like a little child. "I might look seven, but I'm not seven years old," she said looking away miffed.
Edgar chuckled at the sound of her cute voice. "Maybe so, but I felt like I'd done something very, very wrong when I woke up to find you in my arms this morning," he said as he picked her up easily.
"E-Edgar!" Lydia exclaimed in surprise. She wrapped her arms around his neck trying to keep her balance. She tugged sharply on his hair and glared at him. "You did do something very wrong. Whose fault do you think this is?" she asked upset. With her body so young, she sounded decidedly petulant.
"Hmm..." Edgar said noncommittally as he studied Lydia's face. He chuckled softly. "It's a good thing there are no young boys here. Otherwise, I'd have a new set of rivals trying to steal you away from me. And it would be difficult to fight back without looking like a pervert. ...Unless I took one of those pills as well."
Lydia's head snapped up at his comment. 'That's right. Those pills Coblynau gave us as a wedding gift. They're supposed to be used when you think the other person might be cheating on you. But in Edgar's case...'
"Don't be ridiculous! What would you do if you looked like you were seven?!" Lydia asked exasperated.
"It would be rather difficult trying to seduce the ladies if I looked this young," Edgar admitted readily.
Lydia frowned. "You'd probably use this to try and get the ladies to let their guard down and make things easier for later," she said annoyed.
Edgar cocked his head to one side looking mildly surprised. "But Lydia, seven really is too young for very much. I'll admit I started hitting on the girls when I was ten, but that was girls around the same age as me. Even I can't lust after girls that young anymore, and I doubt the ladies would be interested in a young boy, either."
Lydia sighed as she stared at her hands again. She couldn't help wondering. For all that he couldn't lust for young girls, knowing Edgar, he'd still want to take enjoy and take full advantage of the situation in some manner. And while she had no idea how long the fae magic would last, she couldn't help feeling that if it lasted too long, it might end up *making* Edgar cheat on her instead.
*****
Lydia frowned as she stared up at Edgar. Edgar held her hand firmly as he led her down the street. He'd cancelled all of their social engagements for the day since Lydia was in no condition to be seen in public. ...Or at least that's what she thought. Edgar apparently seemed to think otherwise as he invited her to go shopping instead.
"Um, Edgar," Lydia said uncertainly.
"Hm? What is it, Lydia?" he asked as he looked down at her.
"......Why are we going shopping?" she asked after a long pause.
Edgar chuckled softly as he bent down and scooped her up into his arms holding her like a child.
"! Edgar! I'm not a child! Put me down!" she exclaimed in protest.
"But Lydia, right now, you are a child," he said amused. "In any case, you need some proper clothes to wear. This dress will do for now, but it really doesn't suit you that well. And given this result for those pills Coblynau gave us, we should at least make sure we have some proper clothes for when we use them."
Lydia stared at Edgar for a long moment. 'For "when" we use them, not "if" we use them,' she thought to herself. Lydia sighed as she looked around unaware that she was clinging to Edgar as she did so. People everywhere were turning to stare at Edgar as he walked down the street with her in his arms. It was bad enough Edgar tended to attract a lot of attention because of his bright blond hair and good looks, but here in London, he was all too well-known. No doubt people were wondering why the earl was walking with a child. Not only has he not been married long enough to have any children, he also hasn't been in England long enough to have a child her age. Lydia clung more tightly to Edgar hiding her face out of embarrassment.
*****
Edgar watched as the women in the shop treated Lydia as a child-sized doll as they measured her and dressed her in a number of partially made dresses for him to consider. While he'd long since learned to hide his emotions out of necessity when he'd been with the prince, even he had to admit that this morning had been exceptional. Despite the many inexplicable things he'd seen and experienced after coming to know Lydia, finding her as a young child in his arms when he woke was a definite shock.
Had he been the least bit religious, it might've been enough to send him straight to the nearest confessional. But seeing the look of fear on Lydia's face quickly brought him back to his senses. And having since had some time to consider the situation, he was much calmer now than he'd been earlier. He suspected the effects of the fae pill he'd slipped into Lydia's tea the day before would only last a day or two. Three at most. He doubted it would last much longer than that, let alone be permanent, as either could be more detrimental to their relationship instead.
And despite his original shock, Edgar couldn't help feeling that more could be made of the current situation. While the magic was effective in preventing someone from acting unfaithfully in the simplest sense, he had no doubt that, even as a seven-year-old, he would still be able to capture the hearts of the ladies with ease--albeit in a manner different than he was wont to do. He also had to admit there were some definite advantages to the situation, as well. Even though Lydia might protest being treated as a child, she didn't seem to mind his holding her in public at the moment. Edgar tried to think of a way to continue having Lydia accept his holding her in public once she returned to normal when an image from several months earlier suddenly crossed his mind. Edgar smiled faintly as the beginnings of a plan came to mind.
He made a few suggestions to the dressmakers for the designs and colours of Lydia's new dresses and waited patiently for Lydia to get herself presentable again. The seamstress promised to have a couple of outfits delivered to his residence sometime that night.
>.> Okay, so I didn't get as far as I wanted to.
"Nnn..." Lydia shifted uncomfortably as she slowly woke the next morning. Thanks to the heavy curtains covering the windows, the room was quite dim, but she suspected it was around mid to late morning. And though she was used to waking in Edgar's arms, for some reason his arm seemed much heavier than usual. Lydia struggled to crawl out from under his arm when Edgar suddenly pulled her to him, and she realised that she accidentally woke him. Lydia looked up and watched as he opened his eyes.
Edgar started to smile as he focussed on his beloved wife when he suddenly froze.
"......"
He closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. Edgar opened his eyes again. Things still looked exactly as they did the moment he woke except now, Lydia's head was cocked slightly to one side as she stared up at him.
"......Umm... Lydia...?" he asked hesitantly. He reached out and touched Lydia's cheek lightly before sliding his fingers beneath her chin tilting her head back a little more so that he could see her face more clearly in the dim room.
Lydia stared at Edgar uncertainly. Normally, he kissed her good morning. Sometimes, he did even more. But this morning, he just stared at her.
"Edgar...?" Lydia began to ask him what was wrong only to stop suddenly. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sound of her voice, and she raised a hand to touch her throat. It didn't hurt, and nothing felt strange when she spoke, but... She stared at Edgar wide-eyed. She couldn't move, and her mind refused to consider what might cause Edgar to act as he was while causing her voice to change as it had.
Lydia's frightened look finally brought Edgar back to his senses, and he smiled at her gently.
"Ah, sorry. It's all right," he said calmly. "I was just a bit surprised."
Edgar got out of bed. Then, wrapping Lydia in the bed sheet, he picked her up before heading for the dressing room.
"E-Edgar?! At least wear a dressing gown!" Lydia exclaimed shocked.
Edgar paused slightly, holding Lydia easily with one arm as he opened the bedroom door. "Lydia, my state of dress isn't a big issue, and I'll take care of it shortly. Yours, however, is a bit more problematic," he said as he carried her out of the room calling for Raven.
*****
Lydia sat in front of her dressing table still wrapped in the bed sheet and stared at herself in shock. There was no question, she was looking at her own face. Lydia raised her hands, splaying her fingers in front of her at eye level and gazed at them for a long moment. She pinched her cheek.
"!"
Lydia winced in pain. A quick glance in the mirror showed her that, sure enough, her cheek was now a little red.
"Ah, Lydia. What are you doing?" Edgar asked dismayed as he entered her dressing room. He was dressed impeccably and wore a pale purple ascot tie, but he wasn't wearing his gloves yet. He knelt in front of her and ran a finger across her cheek gently. "You shouldn't hurt yourself like that," he chided gently.
Lydia stared at Edgar and tears filled her eyes. "Edgar..."
Edgar held her in his arms patting her on the back trying to get her to calm down. "It's okay. Tompkins has arranged to get you some clothes, so it'll only be a little while longer."
Lydia nodded wordlessly sniffling a little before pulling away. Edgar pulled out his handkerchief and wiped away her tears.
"Hmm... this time you look like you're about six or seven," he said as he patted her lightly on the head. The last time he saw her looking younger than she was was when she'd ended up in Nightingale's forest. Back then, she looked like she was around ten.
Lydia pouted at being treated like a little child. "I might look seven, but I'm not seven years old," she said looking away miffed.
Edgar chuckled at the sound of her cute voice. "Maybe so, but I felt like I'd done something very, very wrong when I woke up to find you in my arms this morning," he said as he picked her up easily.
"E-Edgar!" Lydia exclaimed in surprise. She wrapped her arms around his neck trying to keep her balance. She tugged sharply on his hair and glared at him. "You did do something very wrong. Whose fault do you think this is?" she asked upset. With her body so young, she sounded decidedly petulant.
"Hmm..." Edgar said noncommittally as he studied Lydia's face. He chuckled softly. "It's a good thing there are no young boys here. Otherwise, I'd have a new set of rivals trying to steal you away from me. And it would be difficult to fight back without looking like a pervert. ...Unless I took one of those pills as well."
Lydia's head snapped up at his comment. 'That's right. Those pills Coblynau gave us as a wedding gift. They're supposed to be used when you think the other person might be cheating on you. But in Edgar's case...'
"Don't be ridiculous! What would you do if you looked like you were seven?!" Lydia asked exasperated.
"It would be rather difficult trying to seduce the ladies if I looked this young," Edgar admitted readily.
Lydia frowned. "You'd probably use this to try and get the ladies to let their guard down and make things easier for later," she said annoyed.
Edgar cocked his head to one side looking mildly surprised. "But Lydia, seven really is too young for very much. I'll admit I started hitting on the girls when I was ten, but that was girls around the same age as me. Even I can't lust after girls that young anymore, and I doubt the ladies would be interested in a young boy, either."
Lydia sighed as she stared at her hands again. She couldn't help wondering. For all that he couldn't lust for young girls, knowing Edgar, he'd still want to take enjoy and take full advantage of the situation in some manner. And while she had no idea how long the fae magic would last, she couldn't help feeling that if it lasted too long, it might end up *making* Edgar cheat on her instead.
*****
Lydia frowned as she stared up at Edgar. Edgar held her hand firmly as he led her down the street. He'd cancelled all of their social engagements for the day since Lydia was in no condition to be seen in public. ...Or at least that's what she thought. Edgar apparently seemed to think otherwise as he invited her to go shopping instead.
"Um, Edgar," Lydia said uncertainly.
"Hm? What is it, Lydia?" he asked as he looked down at her.
"......Why are we going shopping?" she asked after a long pause.
Edgar chuckled softly as he bent down and scooped her up into his arms holding her like a child.
"! Edgar! I'm not a child! Put me down!" she exclaimed in protest.
"But Lydia, right now, you are a child," he said amused. "In any case, you need some proper clothes to wear. This dress will do for now, but it really doesn't suit you that well. And given this result for those pills Coblynau gave us, we should at least make sure we have some proper clothes for when we use them."
Lydia stared at Edgar for a long moment. 'For "when" we use them, not "if" we use them,' she thought to herself. Lydia sighed as she looked around unaware that she was clinging to Edgar as she did so. People everywhere were turning to stare at Edgar as he walked down the street with her in his arms. It was bad enough Edgar tended to attract a lot of attention because of his bright blond hair and good looks, but here in London, he was all too well-known. No doubt people were wondering why the earl was walking with a child. Not only has he not been married long enough to have any children, he also hasn't been in England long enough to have a child her age. Lydia clung more tightly to Edgar hiding her face out of embarrassment.
*****
Edgar watched as the women in the shop treated Lydia as a child-sized doll as they measured her and dressed her in a number of partially made dresses for him to consider. While he'd long since learned to hide his emotions out of necessity when he'd been with the prince, even he had to admit that this morning had been exceptional. Despite the many inexplicable things he'd seen and experienced after coming to know Lydia, finding her as a young child in his arms when he woke was a definite shock.
Had he been the least bit religious, it might've been enough to send him straight to the nearest confessional. But seeing the look of fear on Lydia's face quickly brought him back to his senses. And having since had some time to consider the situation, he was much calmer now than he'd been earlier. He suspected the effects of the fae pill he'd slipped into Lydia's tea the day before would only last a day or two. Three at most. He doubted it would last much longer than that, let alone be permanent, as either could be more detrimental to their relationship instead.
And despite his original shock, Edgar couldn't help feeling that more could be made of the current situation. While the magic was effective in preventing someone from acting unfaithfully in the simplest sense, he had no doubt that, even as a seven-year-old, he would still be able to capture the hearts of the ladies with ease--albeit in a manner different than he was wont to do. He also had to admit there were some definite advantages to the situation, as well. Even though Lydia might protest being treated as a child, she didn't seem to mind his holding her in public at the moment. Edgar tried to think of a way to continue having Lydia accept his holding her in public once she returned to normal when an image from several months earlier suddenly crossed his mind. Edgar smiled faintly as the beginnings of a plan came to mind.
He made a few suggestions to the dressmakers for the designs and colours of Lydia's new dresses and waited patiently for Lydia to get herself presentable again. The seamstress promised to have a couple of outfits delivered to his residence sometime that night.
>.> Okay, so I didn't get as far as I wanted to.
