Frella Longfellow finished putting on the gypsy clothes her husband to be sent to her. She was ready to leave, to go and wed him. Or at least she was as ready as she was going to be.
She would be leaving not only her ma and the only home she had ever known, but her kingdom. Thames Grafton lived at a gypsy camp in the Ottoman kingdom.
The marriage had been arranged by her pa. A pa she had never met. She knew not his name. Ma said if he wanted her to know his name he'd reveal it himself. Most of the brothel children never met their pas...or at least not knowingly.
This of course is why she must leave. The moment she was old enough to fill a bodice, she had to wed. No one would believe her chaste if she did not.
And so Frella took a few last moments alone before leaving to marry a gypsy man. She had not met him, but had been told he is a very old man.
It was unusual for a brothel child to marry. She was fortunate her pa had arranged one for her. For if he had not, no doubt she would become a prostitute this very night. Then instead of doing...deeds...with one old man the rest of his days, she would be doing them with many, many men, old, young, in between.
***
Frella arrived at the gypsy camp alone. It was unreal.
This kingdom was dry and sandy. And yet the gypsy camp...
Oasis or magic? Frella cared not which. She was only glad. There were hardly any trees at the brothel. Her children would have trees.
She wandered into the camp.
The wagons in which the gypsies lived were not large. This mattered not. The brothel had but 2 rooms, one for bathing and one for everything else. But the paint....each wagon had paintings on it. There were no paintings at the brothel.
"There ye are. We've been waiting for ye. Come quickly now, mustn't let the groom see the bride before the wedding."
"Wearing the clothes that were sent to ye I see, that's good. Unless ye're a thief that stole them."
"I am no thief."
"What be yer name then girl."
"Frella."
"Frella who?"
"Frella Longfellow."
"Don't fret now girl. Have to be certain I have the right girl. I am Queen Yolanda Patel."
Frella curtsied as best she could, given that she had no practice.
"I am not the Queen of these gypsies. I am queen of the gypsies in Rosewood. The queen here is Queen Rosamunde Wanderer. I hand picked her to be the queen of this camp. Ye know much of gypsy life girl?"
Frella shook her head.
"Ye know about gypsy royalty?"
Frella shook her head again.
"There is but one queen, and no kings, princess, princes or other titles."
This sounded very odd to Frella.
"If the queen is married or has any children or other family, they are treated like they were royalty. A gypsy queen's children go to college. The queen is privileged, see? And then every other gypsy serves the queen. Ye know what happen when a gypsy queen dies?"
Frella blinked.
"She chooses the next queen. It ain't by blood. Not unless she chooses blood. It can be any girl in camp - baby, old woman, so long as she chooses. Then her family is no longer royalty, the new queen's family is."
The queen waited.
"Ye see? Even ye have a chance at being a queen one day. Ye don't speak much do ye?"
Frella was speechless.
"Did yer ma give ye a marriage talk?"
"She told me his name is Thames Grafton."
"I see she didn't then. Don't worry girl. I'll tell ye how to please a man."
"I know all about that."
"Oh do ye?"
"Yes."
"A maid, a young one at that, knowing all about it? Ye've barely left girlhood behind."
"Ye jest tell me what ye know and I'll tell ye what else might be helpin' ye on yer weddin' night."
It was clearly a challenge.
Fine. I'll tell ye.
Frella proceeded to tell Queen Yolanda in graphic detail ways for a woman to please a man. Then for good measure she said a few ways a man could please a woman, though she didn't know as many of those.
"Frella!"
Ah, so ye do know me name.
"I have never even heard of all of that. And more than one man? Yer ma told ye all that?"
"No. She told me some, the other prostitutes said some too. 'Cause before me pa sent word he had me a husband that was what I was going to be doing. But most of it I saw for me self, many times over, for as long as I can remember."
"Ye poor girl. Ye needn't worry about that none. It's jest one man for ye now. He is an old man, but he is only one man."
Frella hadn't fretted any. It was a life she knew, a life she expected. This one was the surprise.
"Frella I have a wedding gown for ye."
"More clothes?" Frella asked dreamily.
"Yes child."
"Yer Majesty?" Frella implored, "if I am to be a gypsy now...might I have a lovely scarf like yours?"
Queen Yolanda smiled.
"Once ye are wed I will give thee a scarf. Save it fer the honeymoon. It will give ye a little time to gather yer thoughts before becomin' a woman. Thames has arranged for ye to go to the mountains with 'im."
"The mountains? Truly?"
"Don't get too excited. It's a honeymoon. Ye might spend the whole time....doing the things ye told me."
Frella curtsied as best she could, given that she had no practice.
"I am not the Queen of these gypsies. I am queen of the gypsies in Rosewood. The queen here is Queen Rosamunde Wanderer. I hand picked her to be the queen of this camp. Ye know much of gypsy life girl?"
Frella shook her head.
"Ye know about gypsy royalty?"
Frella shook her head again.
"There is but one queen, and no kings, princess, princes or other titles."
This sounded very odd to Frella.
"If the queen is married or has any children or other family, they are treated like they were royalty. A gypsy queen's children go to college. The queen is privileged, see? And then every other gypsy serves the queen. Ye know what happen when a gypsy queen dies?"
Frella blinked.
"She chooses the next queen. It ain't by blood. Not unless she chooses blood. It can be any girl in camp - baby, old woman, so long as she chooses. Then her family is no longer royalty, the new queen's family is."
The queen waited.
"Ye see? Even ye have a chance at being a queen one day. Ye don't speak much do ye?"
Frella was speechless.
"Did yer ma give ye a marriage talk?"
"She told me his name is Thames Grafton."
"I see she didn't then. Don't worry girl. I'll tell ye how to please a man."
"A maid, a young one at that, knowing all about it? Ye've barely left girlhood behind."
It was clearly a challenge.
Frella proceeded to tell Queen Yolanda in graphic detail ways for a woman to please a man. Then for good measure she said a few ways a man could please a woman, though she didn't know as many of those.
Ah, so ye do know me name.
"I have never even heard of all of that. And more than one man? Yer ma told ye all that?"
"No. She told me some, the other prostitutes said some too. 'Cause before me pa sent word he had me a husband that was what I was going to be doing. But most of it I saw for me self, many times over, for as long as I can remember."
"Ye poor girl. Ye needn't worry about that none. It's jest one man for ye now. He is an old man, but he is only one man."
Frella hadn't fretted any. It was a life she knew, a life she expected. This one was the surprise.
"Frella I have a wedding gown for ye."
"More clothes?" Frella asked dreamily.
"Yes child."
"Yer Majesty?" Frella implored, "if I am to be a gypsy now...might I have a lovely scarf like yours?"
Queen Yolanda smiled.
"Once ye are wed I will give thee a scarf. Save it fer the honeymoon. It will give ye a little time to gather yer thoughts before becomin' a woman. Thames has arranged for ye to go to the mountains with 'im."
"The mountains? Truly?"
"Don't get too excited. It's a honeymoon. Ye might spend the whole time....doing the things ye told me."
Poor girl--either marriage or prostitution at such a young age. At least the gypsies seem to hold women in higher regard than mainstream Rosewood society?
ReplyDeleteBy our standards yes, mostly. It depends a lot on the individuals. But at the same time, no gypsy man ever has a hope of ruling the gypsies.
ReplyDeleteLord Richard Lionheart said that no wife is above her husband, and thinks that this is an encouraging thing to say to his son who would never want to marry a princess.
At the same time little peasant boy William Malone is told that all women are ladies and should be treated like ladies, even if she is not nobility.
I like to think of it as an age where people often have no idea that others have completely different viewpoints or ways of living. Like Lord Henry Lionheart and Lord Abdul Scorpion. Each had no idea the marital practices of the other kingdom existed anywhere...and were rather shocked. Even within a kingdom many things are not shared. Often this is due to being polite or protecting the family's honor, or not sticking your nose in someone else's business. I think things would evolve in families faster than in a greater place like a kingdom.