Post by Gilwen on May 1, 2009 22:42:30 GMT -5
First Trip to Market - Aged Four
It was a lovely fall day, just a few days after September fourteenth, a day that was a milestone for a little girl that lived on the third tier. She had just turned four on the fourteenth, and today was the first trip to the marketplace she had been allowed to go on! Or, at least that she could remember. Mama insisted that she had brought her as a baby, but Gilwen adamantly claimed it did not count, for there were no memories of it!
And there she was, dark hair pulled back in a pretty braid in a little yellow dress that she had gotten for her birthday, holding on to her mother’s hand with one of her own, and the other holding her father’s.
“Alright, Gilwen. Remember to listen to us---there are a lot of people here, little one. You could get lost.” Beregar chimed down to his daughter, taking a moment to stoop down in front of her so they were eye level. That was quite a feat; for he was a tall man, and his daughter was ever so petite. He smiled, for he knew his daughter was well behaved and mussed her hair before adding, “Or squished.”
The little girl laughed. “I will, Papa. I promise!” Niniel took a quick glance down at her daughter and sighed. Her nerves were taut, that was for certain. She had avoided bringing her only daughter to the marketplace this long because she was so small. Indeed a few of her friends thought she was not but three, and because of her height it was going to be nigh impossible to keep track of her in a large crowd.
“Niniel, dear, it will be fine.” Beregar murmured soothingly to his wife who just seemed to glare in response. “Goodness, I have never known a child to behave better!” Gilwen smiled up at them both and began to get antsy.
“Are we going to the market, Mama?” Niniel sighed and looked down at her little girl and finally nodded.
“Alright, here we go! Ready, little one?” Beregar laughed, and his daughter’s happy squeal told him that she was more than ready. And so the three moved into the bustling streets.
In truth, neither Niniel nor Beregar understood what the little girl found so exciting about it. It was simply a street full of noise, people who could be really rude, and vendors. Still, ever since she had been able to talk, Gilwen had been begging to go with her mother when she went, or her father if he was to go. Beregar had cleared his schedule for this day simply to go with his wife and daughter to the busy little street. It had set Niniel’s mind at ease, knowing there was two pair of eyes watching their precious little baby.
Gilwen was smiling exuberantly, her brown eyes wide with wonder at everything. “There are so many people, Papa!” She exclaimed. That was just about all she could see, for the poor thing was at leg level only. Still, it did not seem to bother her in the least.
By the time they had been in the massive crowds for a good five minutes Beregar looked to Niniel and smiled. “See? Our baby girl is quite capable of handling herself.” Nothing had gone wrong, and in fact, Gilwen had not even tried to run from her parents. Even Niniel admitted that it was not as bad as she had thought it would be.
“Alright, Gilwen. This is our first stop.” Niniel finally said, and they veered over to a vegetable stand to pick up the weeks groceries.
“Ah, good morning, Niniel. Beregar.” The vendor chimed cheerily. His brown eyes flicked down to the little girl and he leaned over the top of the little stand. “And who is this lovely young lady?”
Gilwen giggled and replied, “My name is Gilwen.”
“It is our daughter,” Beregar offered smiling proudly.
“Ah, Gilwen. How old are you, dear?” The vendor asked once more, in a rather friendly fashion.
“I just turned four years old!” Gilwen exclaimed excitedly. “And I got this pretty dress from Mama and Papa.” She nodded down to the yellow gown she was wearing.
“Four? My you are a big girl.” The vendor smiled down at her. “And it is quite a lovely dress.” He added thoughtfully before looking to Niniel. “The usual, yes?” The woman nodded in response and the man grabbed a bit of food and handed it to Beregar, who helped Niniel get it into the basket before dropping a few coins into the man’s waiting hand.
“Thank you,” Niniel replied politely. She looked down to Gilwen and said, “Gilwen, dear, remember your manners.”
Gilwen gasped, as she realized she had indeed forgotten them and curtsied to the man. “Thank you, my lord!” She chimed and smiled brightly. The man laughed and waved to the three as they moved away.
They began to merge their way into the crowd once more when Beregar and Niniel both heard their daughter gasp delightedly. They both followed the little jubilant gaze to see a table of lovely toys for children. And it must have been the lovely doll at the very end their daughter had been taken by. “Mama, Mama!” The little girl called up. “Can we go see her? She is ever so pretty.”
The parents exchanged a look with one another and Niniel squeezed her daughter’s hand firmly. “I think we have some more things to buy dear. Maybe on the way home.” Gilwen pouted and looked up to Niniel and Beregar for a moment before looking back to the table where another little girl was standing with her father. Immediately Gilwen pouted all the more. It appeared the other little girl was going to be able to take the doll-baby home.
“Mama, she won’t be there! Why don’t I get to have a doll like the other girls?” She cried looking up once more. The look on her mother’s face brought the little girl to quiet, and give a look to her Papa. “Mama?” It seemed like her mother was about to cry! But adults did no such thing. What was she doing?
“Gilwen, we have things that are better than dolls.” Beregar murmured softly once more laying his head atop her head.
“Beregar. Stop sugarcoating it. She will learn someday.” Niniel looked down to their wide-eyed child and smiled. “We cannot afford such things, dear.”
Gilwen was confused, and frowned. Did they not just buy vegetables? They used money for that. They began to move away, and the little girl did seem to raise in spirits. She was at the market! She should not be sad! They moved to their next stop and a woman and daughter were standing there as well.
The woman was tall, and her daughter looked a quite a bit older than Gilwen, possibly around 7 years old. The ever cheery child smiled at her. “Hello, my name is Gilwen. I just turned four years old. What is your name?”
The girl turned to look at her and answered simply, “Rilien.” Though, her eyes were not nearly as friendly. It was quite possible that she had found Gilwen a bit annoying, Beregar mused as he took a glance down.
“I like your dress. It is pretty!” Gilwen exclaimed, still brightly despite the tepid answer. “I just got a new one! See?”
The girl glared down at the chipper little girl and answered, “That is not a compliment at all. You cannot even dress yourself. I bet you think your dress is pretty, too.”
Listening intently to the conversation, Beregar frowned lightly and looked down to his baby girl as the vendor turned to take their order and fetch their items. While part of him wished to speak up for his daughter, he could tell by the other child that they were quite a bit better off than he and his family. It would do no good to irritate the uppers. And his daughter needed to learn to interact with foul little girls. They did exist, after all, everywhere.
Gilwen’s expression seemed to fall, and she wriggled her little hand free of her mother’s grasp to grab a fistful of skirts. She dropped her eyes. “My dress is pretty. It’s yellow like the sun.” She whispered confusedly, repeating the descriptor her father had told her when he had handed it to her.
“See?” The girl snapped. The other woman turned and began to walk away, and the daughter turned and followed leaving little Gilwen standing there looking after her.
Beregar kneeled beside her a moment. “Little one?” He asked cautiously. She turned to look at him sadly.
“My dress is pretty, isn’t it?” Gilly asked almost whining. Beregar pressed his lips together before smiling, and swooping his darling daughter up in his arms and giving her a kiss on her cheek.
“Of course it is, Gilwen. Your Mama and I will only give the prettiest things to our pretty little girl.” And, despite the small space, he twirled her, once more bringing Gilwen into a radiant smile, and bringing out her lively little laugh.
“I like the market, Papa. It’s fun.” Gilwen chimed.
Beregar smiled, though inwardly his heart pained. He only hoped his little girl kept such an attitude for the rest of her life. It was not going to be easy to be poor.
It was a lovely fall day, just a few days after September fourteenth, a day that was a milestone for a little girl that lived on the third tier. She had just turned four on the fourteenth, and today was the first trip to the marketplace she had been allowed to go on! Or, at least that she could remember. Mama insisted that she had brought her as a baby, but Gilwen adamantly claimed it did not count, for there were no memories of it!
And there she was, dark hair pulled back in a pretty braid in a little yellow dress that she had gotten for her birthday, holding on to her mother’s hand with one of her own, and the other holding her father’s.
“Alright, Gilwen. Remember to listen to us---there are a lot of people here, little one. You could get lost.” Beregar chimed down to his daughter, taking a moment to stoop down in front of her so they were eye level. That was quite a feat; for he was a tall man, and his daughter was ever so petite. He smiled, for he knew his daughter was well behaved and mussed her hair before adding, “Or squished.”
The little girl laughed. “I will, Papa. I promise!” Niniel took a quick glance down at her daughter and sighed. Her nerves were taut, that was for certain. She had avoided bringing her only daughter to the marketplace this long because she was so small. Indeed a few of her friends thought she was not but three, and because of her height it was going to be nigh impossible to keep track of her in a large crowd.
“Niniel, dear, it will be fine.” Beregar murmured soothingly to his wife who just seemed to glare in response. “Goodness, I have never known a child to behave better!” Gilwen smiled up at them both and began to get antsy.
“Are we going to the market, Mama?” Niniel sighed and looked down at her little girl and finally nodded.
“Alright, here we go! Ready, little one?” Beregar laughed, and his daughter’s happy squeal told him that she was more than ready. And so the three moved into the bustling streets.
In truth, neither Niniel nor Beregar understood what the little girl found so exciting about it. It was simply a street full of noise, people who could be really rude, and vendors. Still, ever since she had been able to talk, Gilwen had been begging to go with her mother when she went, or her father if he was to go. Beregar had cleared his schedule for this day simply to go with his wife and daughter to the busy little street. It had set Niniel’s mind at ease, knowing there was two pair of eyes watching their precious little baby.
Gilwen was smiling exuberantly, her brown eyes wide with wonder at everything. “There are so many people, Papa!” She exclaimed. That was just about all she could see, for the poor thing was at leg level only. Still, it did not seem to bother her in the least.
By the time they had been in the massive crowds for a good five minutes Beregar looked to Niniel and smiled. “See? Our baby girl is quite capable of handling herself.” Nothing had gone wrong, and in fact, Gilwen had not even tried to run from her parents. Even Niniel admitted that it was not as bad as she had thought it would be.
“Alright, Gilwen. This is our first stop.” Niniel finally said, and they veered over to a vegetable stand to pick up the weeks groceries.
“Ah, good morning, Niniel. Beregar.” The vendor chimed cheerily. His brown eyes flicked down to the little girl and he leaned over the top of the little stand. “And who is this lovely young lady?”
Gilwen giggled and replied, “My name is Gilwen.”
“It is our daughter,” Beregar offered smiling proudly.
“Ah, Gilwen. How old are you, dear?” The vendor asked once more, in a rather friendly fashion.
“I just turned four years old!” Gilwen exclaimed excitedly. “And I got this pretty dress from Mama and Papa.” She nodded down to the yellow gown she was wearing.
“Four? My you are a big girl.” The vendor smiled down at her. “And it is quite a lovely dress.” He added thoughtfully before looking to Niniel. “The usual, yes?” The woman nodded in response and the man grabbed a bit of food and handed it to Beregar, who helped Niniel get it into the basket before dropping a few coins into the man’s waiting hand.
“Thank you,” Niniel replied politely. She looked down to Gilwen and said, “Gilwen, dear, remember your manners.”
Gilwen gasped, as she realized she had indeed forgotten them and curtsied to the man. “Thank you, my lord!” She chimed and smiled brightly. The man laughed and waved to the three as they moved away.
They began to merge their way into the crowd once more when Beregar and Niniel both heard their daughter gasp delightedly. They both followed the little jubilant gaze to see a table of lovely toys for children. And it must have been the lovely doll at the very end their daughter had been taken by. “Mama, Mama!” The little girl called up. “Can we go see her? She is ever so pretty.”
The parents exchanged a look with one another and Niniel squeezed her daughter’s hand firmly. “I think we have some more things to buy dear. Maybe on the way home.” Gilwen pouted and looked up to Niniel and Beregar for a moment before looking back to the table where another little girl was standing with her father. Immediately Gilwen pouted all the more. It appeared the other little girl was going to be able to take the doll-baby home.
“Mama, she won’t be there! Why don’t I get to have a doll like the other girls?” She cried looking up once more. The look on her mother’s face brought the little girl to quiet, and give a look to her Papa. “Mama?” It seemed like her mother was about to cry! But adults did no such thing. What was she doing?
“Gilwen, we have things that are better than dolls.” Beregar murmured softly once more laying his head atop her head.
“Beregar. Stop sugarcoating it. She will learn someday.” Niniel looked down to their wide-eyed child and smiled. “We cannot afford such things, dear.”
Gilwen was confused, and frowned. Did they not just buy vegetables? They used money for that. They began to move away, and the little girl did seem to raise in spirits. She was at the market! She should not be sad! They moved to their next stop and a woman and daughter were standing there as well.
The woman was tall, and her daughter looked a quite a bit older than Gilwen, possibly around 7 years old. The ever cheery child smiled at her. “Hello, my name is Gilwen. I just turned four years old. What is your name?”
The girl turned to look at her and answered simply, “Rilien.” Though, her eyes were not nearly as friendly. It was quite possible that she had found Gilwen a bit annoying, Beregar mused as he took a glance down.
“I like your dress. It is pretty!” Gilwen exclaimed, still brightly despite the tepid answer. “I just got a new one! See?”
The girl glared down at the chipper little girl and answered, “That is not a compliment at all. You cannot even dress yourself. I bet you think your dress is pretty, too.”
Listening intently to the conversation, Beregar frowned lightly and looked down to his baby girl as the vendor turned to take their order and fetch their items. While part of him wished to speak up for his daughter, he could tell by the other child that they were quite a bit better off than he and his family. It would do no good to irritate the uppers. And his daughter needed to learn to interact with foul little girls. They did exist, after all, everywhere.
Gilwen’s expression seemed to fall, and she wriggled her little hand free of her mother’s grasp to grab a fistful of skirts. She dropped her eyes. “My dress is pretty. It’s yellow like the sun.” She whispered confusedly, repeating the descriptor her father had told her when he had handed it to her.
“See?” The girl snapped. The other woman turned and began to walk away, and the daughter turned and followed leaving little Gilwen standing there looking after her.
Beregar kneeled beside her a moment. “Little one?” He asked cautiously. She turned to look at him sadly.
“My dress is pretty, isn’t it?” Gilly asked almost whining. Beregar pressed his lips together before smiling, and swooping his darling daughter up in his arms and giving her a kiss on her cheek.
“Of course it is, Gilwen. Your Mama and I will only give the prettiest things to our pretty little girl.” And, despite the small space, he twirled her, once more bringing Gilwen into a radiant smile, and bringing out her lively little laugh.
“I like the market, Papa. It’s fun.” Gilwen chimed.
Beregar smiled, though inwardly his heart pained. He only hoped his little girl kept such an attitude for the rest of her life. It was not going to be easy to be poor.