10-19-2019, 06:00 AM
It was Kestrel's job within her father's household to make sure things ran as smoothly as possible. Twice a week they had a woman come in to tend to various things but for the most part, it lay on Kestrel to take care of it all. Outwardly, the girl did not seem to mind. She approached everything she did with the same sort of quiet resolve.
Her day had started out like most of her days had done. She'd rose before the sun did and began cooking her father's morning meal. His morning meals were always as simple as he preferred to fast. However, given his age and the state of his health she always made sure to give him a bit of something. This morning it would be porridge. They could not afford for her to eat as well so she would not until later in the day. When his meal was prepared she'd stepped into his room as quietly as she could and had woke him.
The mind of Cornelius might have been frail but his body was not and when he came awake it was never pleasant for the young woman. She kept on though and was soon at the table with his breakfast and the well-worn bible that he'd dragged across continents.
At midday, their help arrived to clean up around the small cottage and the woman always sent Kestrel out of the house while she worked. Not wanting the young woman hovering and giving her a much-needed break away from the hell that she spent her days in.
Kestrel was a pretty enough young woman that even in her rags and tatters she drew the eyes of young men. Given her unassuming attitude they often approached her but she seemed unaffected by their attempts at flattery. If word ever got back to her father that she even spoke to them, she would find herself in a world of trouble. Not that they realized that. So too often she was accosted as she walked here or there. She'd taken the coins she'd saved and splurged on a small bit of food for herself. Nothing overly fancy but it was something she didn't often get.
The young man that spoke to her now had offered to get her something else but she had declined, happy with the small treat that she'd gotten for herself. Her waist-length hair was bound back in a braid and wrapped in a coronet around her head. A dark square of cloth was tied over her head. The dark cloth matched that of her dark dress. The dress was a bit too short, patched, and faded, but despite all of that it was still a bit too loose on her slender form. She smiled at the man and nodded to whatever it was he'd said. She did listen. It really was not his fault that conversation about his horses weren't very exciting to her.
Her day had started out like most of her days had done. She'd rose before the sun did and began cooking her father's morning meal. His morning meals were always as simple as he preferred to fast. However, given his age and the state of his health she always made sure to give him a bit of something. This morning it would be porridge. They could not afford for her to eat as well so she would not until later in the day. When his meal was prepared she'd stepped into his room as quietly as she could and had woke him.
The mind of Cornelius might have been frail but his body was not and when he came awake it was never pleasant for the young woman. She kept on though and was soon at the table with his breakfast and the well-worn bible that he'd dragged across continents.
At midday, their help arrived to clean up around the small cottage and the woman always sent Kestrel out of the house while she worked. Not wanting the young woman hovering and giving her a much-needed break away from the hell that she spent her days in.
Kestrel was a pretty enough young woman that even in her rags and tatters she drew the eyes of young men. Given her unassuming attitude they often approached her but she seemed unaffected by their attempts at flattery. If word ever got back to her father that she even spoke to them, she would find herself in a world of trouble. Not that they realized that. So too often she was accosted as she walked here or there. She'd taken the coins she'd saved and splurged on a small bit of food for herself. Nothing overly fancy but it was something she didn't often get.
The young man that spoke to her now had offered to get her something else but she had declined, happy with the small treat that she'd gotten for herself. Her waist-length hair was bound back in a braid and wrapped in a coronet around her head. A dark square of cloth was tied over her head. The dark cloth matched that of her dark dress. The dress was a bit too short, patched, and faded, but despite all of that it was still a bit too loose on her slender form. She smiled at the man and nodded to whatever it was he'd said. She did listen. It really was not his fault that conversation about his horses weren't very exciting to her.
