Mildmay's been itching to tell Pelageia's story for a while, now, so it's nice to finally be able to. He mixes her story with the Coronation of Saint Aramis, so it has a happy ending (she's just a kid...) and starts right off. He starts with Pelageia isn't a princess, which ain't to her favor, and how her village was poor and she didn't have no food for the coming winter.
"She needed to marry somebody rich, but there wasn't nobody who wanted to marry her on account of how damn ugly she was. She had a true heart, but that don't count for nothing if nobody could see it, and I seriously don't suggest you going and cutting it out. Luckily, Pelageia was as a mind to mine, even if that still left her with no options. She decided she'd go a-travelin', because starving at home's just about the same as starving someplace else. While she was walking through the big ol' forest behind her village, she met a beggar who was hungry too. Pelageia says to the beggar, I ain't got nothing for you, I ain't hardly got nothing for myself. And the beggar says alright, well, if you ever get something, just whistle."
Mildmay whistles a trilling tune. Details make a story stick, after all.
"So that's that. Pelageia keeps on walking, and she comes to a castle, and knocks on the door, hoping they got something for her they can eat. The owner of the castle is a mean old hocus by the name of Styrch, and I dunno if'n you heard Styrch stories before, but he's fuckin' nasty. Of course, Pelageia didn't know that, because she's from bumfuck nowhere in a shitkicker town, and a Merrow besides. So she says oh, Lord Styrch, ain't you got any food? And Styrch says he do, and invites poor Pelageia in."
Mildmay goes on about how Pelageia is presented with three trials, all deceptive and seeming to be about smarts and beauty, none of which Pelageia has. But she solves them all with her pureness of heart. Styrch gets angry, though, and cuts off Pelageia's hand. Pelageia gets afraid, "because who wouldn't," and runs away, back off into the forest.
"She runs until she's tired, and then she walks, and then she walks until she's tired, and then she sits, and then she sits until she's tired, and then she starts crying. And she can't think of nothing to do, so she whistles."
Mildmay whistles again.
"And just right there, the beggar appears. Except he's all handsome suddenly, and he ain't wearing rags no more." Mildmay imitates his brother's voice, all flash and proper. "Do you have something for me? And Pelageia says yeah, she do, and gives the beggar his other hand. And the beggar thanks Pelageia and gives her two hands made of gold and clockwork. And Pelageia asks why, and the beggar says he's in love with Pelageia, and a prince can't marry no handless woman."
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-06-02 05:48 pm (UTC)"She needed to marry somebody rich, but there wasn't nobody who wanted to marry her on account of how damn ugly she was. She had a true heart, but that don't count for nothing if nobody could see it, and I seriously don't suggest you going and cutting it out. Luckily, Pelageia was as a mind to mine, even if that still left her with no options. She decided she'd go a-travelin', because starving at home's just about the same as starving someplace else. While she was walking through the big ol' forest behind her village, she met a beggar who was hungry too. Pelageia says to the beggar, I ain't got nothing for you, I ain't hardly got nothing for myself. And the beggar says alright, well, if you ever get something, just whistle."
Mildmay whistles a trilling tune. Details make a story stick, after all.
"So that's that. Pelageia keeps on walking, and she comes to a castle, and knocks on the door, hoping they got something for her they can eat. The owner of the castle is a mean old hocus by the name of Styrch, and I dunno if'n you heard Styrch stories before, but he's fuckin' nasty. Of course, Pelageia didn't know that, because she's from bumfuck nowhere in a shitkicker town, and a Merrow besides. So she says oh, Lord Styrch, ain't you got any food? And Styrch says he do, and invites poor Pelageia in."
Mildmay goes on about how Pelageia is presented with three trials, all deceptive and seeming to be about smarts and beauty, none of which Pelageia has. But she solves them all with her pureness of heart. Styrch gets angry, though, and cuts off Pelageia's hand. Pelageia gets afraid, "because who wouldn't," and runs away, back off into the forest.
"She runs until she's tired, and then she walks, and then she walks until she's tired, and then she sits, and then she sits until she's tired, and then she starts crying. And she can't think of nothing to do, so she whistles."
Mildmay whistles again.
"And just right there, the beggar appears. Except he's all handsome suddenly, and he ain't wearing rags no more." Mildmay imitates his brother's voice, all flash and proper. "Do you have something for me? And Pelageia says yeah, she do, and gives the beggar his other hand. And the beggar thanks Pelageia and gives her two hands made of gold and clockwork. And Pelageia asks why, and the beggar says he's in love with Pelageia, and a prince can't marry no handless woman."