It was a grand circular mattress. Sheer, very sheer fabric hung from the ceiling and was spread out to make a cone shaped canopy curtain. Oil lamps were in key locations in the room, giving just enough light. Wearing nothing but a pair of white pants and a simple white top, her hair tumbling around her form, Princess Inka lied down on this bed and gave a miserable sigh.
Her husband should've come by then.
He should've asked to visit her apartment, given her wedding gifts, and then the marriage should've been consummated.
Her loyal attendant knocked on the wall and said, "Your Highness?"
"Jorun?" Inka sat up and put her fingers over one of the curtains' edges. She saw the redheaded woman holding her own lamp. "Is there any news?"
Jorun's face tensed and she frowned. "A message was sent to us. Your honorable husband has suddenly become ill. He sends his sincerest apologies, and he will offer you a package of sweets every day." Just then, Inka realized Jorun's other hand had a bundle of paper tied together with a silk ribbon. "This is the first package," Jorun said.
Inka took the package, untied, and then unfolded it. Despite the weak light, she was able to see a bundle of firm cubes. She put one of them in her mouth. Something lingered on her fingers. It was a soft powdered sugar. The cube itself had a rosewater flavor and a thick, chewy texture. It tasted nice, fairly similar to something she could eat in her homeland, although such a treat would be much more rare there. Aside from honey and fruits, sugar in general was difficult to come by in Eiragla.
The sweetness wasn't a comfort.
Who could say what would happen if this marriage wasn't consummated soon?!
She couldn't eat the rest of the treats. Her worry ruined whatever appetite she could ever have. She handed the package over to Jorun. "Take it. I don't want it."
With a furrowed brow, Jorun asked, "Are you certain? These look like fine treats."
"Take it," Inka bitterly repeated.
Jorun shook her head. "I'll put it away for later. You might change your mind."
As Jorun left, Inka folded her body into a small ball and tried to sleep. It was difficult. The air was too warm and thick for her tastes. It soon started raining. It sounded so heavy that Inka vaguely wondered if a step outside would drown her.
And she cried a little.
But she told herself that she needed to be strong.
***
When Inka woke up the following morning, Jorun was there to greet her, kneeling on a cushion near her bed. Both women had studied Gehnan culture the best they could, but they were still adapting to the social norms and customs.
"Good morning, Your Highness," Jorun said very calmly. Her red hair was in a braid hanging down her back, and there was a small white turban on her head. She was wearing a pale yellow outfit, baggy pants, a small shirt with a length that stopped a little bit below her chest, and a short vest. "The Empress Dowager is waiting to have breakfast with you."
In Gehna, it was customary for a new bride to have breakfast with the matriarch in the family the day after the wedding, then burn some incense before a certain goddess' statue and pray for a few minutes.
Three maids quietly hurried into the room to help Inka get dressed. She ended up in a simple outfit of pale green, with a long skirt and a top with short sleeves that imitated the shape of a partially closed flower bud. A thin veil of black was put on her head and kept in place via a golden circlet with little pearls and coral beads. Rings were put on her middle fingers, and small dangling earrings were put in her earlobes. Then a single necklace with a pearl pendant was hooked over nape.
The jewelry Inka had worn on her wedding day were very old pieces that had been lent to her. After the wedding they were taken back to the treasury. Still, the Empress Consort had given Inka several other pieces. Princess Consort Inka was not allowed to go without her shiny things. The alternative would've been an embarrassment.
After making sure her lips were painted a proper shade of pink, and applying some gentle perfume, Inka rose to leave her apartment. Jorun protectively took her hand, which was a little odd for Gehnan tastes, but Inka didn't have the heart to tell her to quit the habit. At the apartment's interior exit, Jorun put a pair of slippers onto Inka's feet, then put her own slippers on. A set of bearers brought the princess' palanquin to them, and Jorun helped the princess in first. Then she got in too.
The ride to the Empress Dowager's apartment was a little long. The palace was ... well ... a palace. It was huge. After the bearers finally put the palanquin back down, and the women exited the vehicle, they had to wait for guards to open tall, heavy doors. Then they had to wait for a servant to bow to Princess Inka and politely ask what their business was.
Jorun said very cooly, "My mistress is here to have breakfast and pray with the Empress Dowager."
The servant nodded and said she'd give the message. Then she disappeared. Two minutes later, the servant returned and asked to be followed. Princess Inka and Jorun did so, entering the apartment. It was full of lively plants, including the sweetest flowers, many from far off countries. The paintings, statues, and tapestries nearly intimidated Inka. That's how beautiful and well made they were. She imagined this apartment was the most luxurious one in the whole palace. Not even the Emperor would have such a fantastic place.
And of course, their shoes were removed.
They were led to a dining room with archways that had open wooden frames, full of star and flower shapes with occasional circles. There were two tables and two seats. One low table and a cushion were available for Inka. A taller table and a chair was for the Empress Dowager, and that's where she sat. Both Inka and Jorun prostrated themselves, and Inka was the one to give a verbal greeting.
"I'm here to gratefully accept the Great Empress Dowager's wisdom."
Empress Dowager Siddhi, a woman who looked shriveled and bitter, didn't even glance at the new young women. Her head was stubbornly turned to the opposite direction, where her own attendant nervously waited for instructions, and she received them. "Tell the maids to bring the food."
The attendant's bare feet whisked along as she disappeared to another room. When she returned, she was helping two maids with trays of food and drinks, and those edible items were elegantly arranged on the tables. Soft, pinched dumplings full of tofu with chili paste for dipping. A savory pancake made of rice and black gram that had been well ground together. A small bowl of vegetable stew. A few cubes of yak cheese. A tall glass of water gently flavored with flower petals. And a cup of tea that looked a bit orange.
The Empress received slightly larger portions. That was to be expected.
"You may rise," the Empress said.
Of course, the princess and her attendant did so. And only when the Empress gave permission did the princess dare to sit down at the low table.
With their attendants standing nearby, the royal women ate in silence. It was a long, uncomfortable meal. The maids kept close with pitchers and teapots to refill the beverages. When the meal was finished, the Empress Dowager told Inka to go with her to the altar, which was in a connected room. They both knelt on thin mats, before a gold and ivory statue of a goddess. A long, ceramic tray with incense sticks was sitting perhaps a few inches ahead of them, awaiting the flame. The women each lit a stick on fire. A dark, green smell floated along with the smoky, swirling lines that rose in the air.
They put their palms together against their bosoms and remained silent for a while. Inka didn't pray. She only pretended to pray. However, she knew she had immigrated here. She had to change herself to suit Gehna, not the other way around. That was just basic courtesy, especially since she'd married into the Royal Family.
Eventually the Empress Dowager curtly said, "You're dismissed."
Inka bowed to her. "I'm thankful that the Great Empress Dowager let me have her attention."
The response she received was cold silence.
Inka left after that.
But she asked the bearers at her palanquin to take her to the Higher Sewing Department, where a tiny army of women and some men made clothing for the Royal Family and higher level servants. Spinning, weaving, and fabric dyeing was also done there. The Lower Sewing Department was a different area with people that made clothing for the lower servants, even the chamber pot scrubbers. Obviously, the higher department had more qualified, more skilled people who made the best of the best clothing. Inka and Jorun later stood in a lobby in that section, where the manager there wrote down an order.
Inka wanted a long bolt of muslin, but not ordinary muslin. She wanted the dye to be soaked in a gradient pattern of every color in a rainbow. She wanted the fabric embroidered with silver lilies and black carpenter ants.
According to Inka's knowledge, lilies in Gehna were associated with dignity and beauty, while carpenter ants (despite their destructive behavior) were associated with tenacity and teamwork. Rainbows themselves were associated with the Gehnan version of the Afterlife, more specifically the section reserved for good people. There weren't any sumptuary laws concerning what colors one would be allowed to wear in cloth, although there were some laws concerning jewelry. So, while fabric with rainbow colors could be expensive (particularly the sections of purple), nobody could rightfully be punished for wearing it as long as everything was legally obtained.
Inka also asked if they had any spare foot-treadle looms, perhaps one that was a bit damaged. She'd be happy to purchase one for her own personal use. Then she asked if they had any dyed threads that nobody used anymore. The manager was happy to cater to her.
After the order was made, Inka decided to visit the Empress Consort's apartment, just to see if she was doing well. The servant there immediately let the women into a reception room, and the Empress Consort appeared perhaps five minutes after Inka was seated on a cushion. The younger women tried to kneel to her, but the Empress waved the gesture away.
"It's good to see you, Little Calf." The Empress sat down right beside Inka and patted her hand. She looked up to her attendant. "Ask for one of the clever maids to play a sitar."
The attendant whispered to a maid, and that maid went to fetch someone.
Inka nodded to the Empress. "I'm honored to have been accepted into the Empress Consort's apartment."
"Yes, yes," the Empress said quite impatiently, her red lips making a light smile, "that's all fine. Now, how did your visit to the Dowager unfold?"
