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31_days2016-06-05 08:45 pm
seta-suzume.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2016-06-05 08:45 pm
[June 5] [Tales of Zestiria] The Weaver's Story
Title: The Weaver's Story
Day/Theme: June 5, 2016 - "make and mend"
Series: Tales of Zestiria
Character/Pairing: OC
Rating: G
Since Satella had been a young girl (and now those days were many faded decades past and "Granny Satella" was what the familiar folk of Ladylake called her most often), she had worked as a specialty weaver in the capitol as part of the shop possessing the singular contract to provide traditional Shepherds' garments for the Festival of the Sacred Blade. Of course the Shepherd garb- merely ceremonial for decades- was hardly the only thing their shop made, but from the start of Satella's apprenticeship, there had been no item she had been more anxious to be allowed to make.
The years of work she had been tasked to put in before she was allowed to so much as thread the loom for such an important job had seemed excessive until the day finally arrived when her master granted her permission to begin practicing the shape and pattern of the ceremonial garment. The shape was irregular and the design quite intricate- certainly too difficult for the novice she had been at the start of her career (even if she had been as ahead for her age as she'd thought herself).
This practice proved a mere second step on a long road to making an actual Shepherds' cloak anyone would wear, but, eventually (and not until the time she was seen as a master-ranked weaver in her own right, although she still worked in her master's shop as his heir-apparent), that greatest of honors was granted to her and the young woman playing the part of the Shepherd in that years' festival had worn a cloak of her own making. It was a scene she knew she would never forget, even as it was repeated the following year and the year after that. Each festival was special, as was each Shepherd's cloak worn for it (and though a new cloak was commissioned for each successive festival, the used ones weren't recklessly thrown out, but were given to local children as gifts, the lucky recipients thrilled by the honor- they often continued to wear the old cloaks back to the festival in years to come and Satella was occasionally asked to mend one that had been loved particularly well).
When times grew so troubled that the festival was canceled for twelve years running, Satella was distraught. Though this development would hardly cause the shop to fold, each year there was no festival and no need for her to weave a new Shepherd's cloak her heart seemed to fall a little further. Was there any longer any point in passing on the details of the task to one of her own apprentices? She felt as though she had aged faster in those twelve years than the fifty-one years preceding them.
Of course when Princess Alisha pushed for at least a one-time reprise of the festival Satella was quick to chime in her support and speak with neighbors about their own happy memories of festivals past to pull them to her side.
Then, despite Satella's having made what felt like the most beautiful garment she had woven in years, Princess Alisha, though she accepted the item, shyly declined to actually wear it. Satella observed the festivities with deeply mixed feelings, glad to see the old rituals revived, but disappointed at the princess' self-conscious reluctance to embrace them fully.
But when she later saw the boy who finally freed the sword from its pedestal wandering Ladylake with the princess in the very garb Satella herself had woven, any hurt feelings were fully eclipsed by the most stupendous wonder and pride. Alisha had given her work to someone better than a pretend ceremonial Shepherd- it hung over the shoulders of the very first real Shepherd Satella had ever known. ...And he was very cute.
Day/Theme: June 5, 2016 - "make and mend"
Series: Tales of Zestiria
Character/Pairing: OC
Rating: G
Since Satella had been a young girl (and now those days were many faded decades past and "Granny Satella" was what the familiar folk of Ladylake called her most often), she had worked as a specialty weaver in the capitol as part of the shop possessing the singular contract to provide traditional Shepherds' garments for the Festival of the Sacred Blade. Of course the Shepherd garb- merely ceremonial for decades- was hardly the only thing their shop made, but from the start of Satella's apprenticeship, there had been no item she had been more anxious to be allowed to make.
The years of work she had been tasked to put in before she was allowed to so much as thread the loom for such an important job had seemed excessive until the day finally arrived when her master granted her permission to begin practicing the shape and pattern of the ceremonial garment. The shape was irregular and the design quite intricate- certainly too difficult for the novice she had been at the start of her career (even if she had been as ahead for her age as she'd thought herself).
This practice proved a mere second step on a long road to making an actual Shepherds' cloak anyone would wear, but, eventually (and not until the time she was seen as a master-ranked weaver in her own right, although she still worked in her master's shop as his heir-apparent), that greatest of honors was granted to her and the young woman playing the part of the Shepherd in that years' festival had worn a cloak of her own making. It was a scene she knew she would never forget, even as it was repeated the following year and the year after that. Each festival was special, as was each Shepherd's cloak worn for it (and though a new cloak was commissioned for each successive festival, the used ones weren't recklessly thrown out, but were given to local children as gifts, the lucky recipients thrilled by the honor- they often continued to wear the old cloaks back to the festival in years to come and Satella was occasionally asked to mend one that had been loved particularly well).
When times grew so troubled that the festival was canceled for twelve years running, Satella was distraught. Though this development would hardly cause the shop to fold, each year there was no festival and no need for her to weave a new Shepherd's cloak her heart seemed to fall a little further. Was there any longer any point in passing on the details of the task to one of her own apprentices? She felt as though she had aged faster in those twelve years than the fifty-one years preceding them.
Of course when Princess Alisha pushed for at least a one-time reprise of the festival Satella was quick to chime in her support and speak with neighbors about their own happy memories of festivals past to pull them to her side.
Then, despite Satella's having made what felt like the most beautiful garment she had woven in years, Princess Alisha, though she accepted the item, shyly declined to actually wear it. Satella observed the festivities with deeply mixed feelings, glad to see the old rituals revived, but disappointed at the princess' self-conscious reluctance to embrace them fully.
But when she later saw the boy who finally freed the sword from its pedestal wandering Ladylake with the princess in the very garb Satella herself had woven, any hurt feelings were fully eclipsed by the most stupendous wonder and pride. Alisha had given her work to someone better than a pretend ceremonial Shepherd- it hung over the shoulders of the very first real Shepherd Satella had ever known. ...And he was very cute.