A wealthy family, though decent enough rulers. A lonely child whose parents were so busy they had little time for hir. The child started making little clothes, tiny furniture, and putting together a dollhouse, a mini mansion. When asked why, the child simply said, my friends want to visit more so I won't be lonely. -- Anon Guest
Ardinae had a nurse, a tutor, a bodyguard, and a host of dressers, chefs, and stylists to make sure they were the very picture of an upper-class young lady. What she lacked was friends and playmates.
Or so her staff and parents thought.
They were a quiet child, which made her isolation harder to notice. Ardinae spent many of their free hours in the gardens. Crouched near the garden beds and apparently muttering to themself. It was the gift of a construct-your-own dollhouse that had her excited and seemingly obsessed. Every lesson was rushed through. Every expected performance done with the goal of getting it done so they could get back to working on the little house.
They learned how to make chairs and tables out of champagne corks. They got invested in scale model beds, replete with scale model bedclothes. Then Ardinae got into making miniature clothes. High fashion, of course, all the possible layers that could be involved. For male, female, and those who preferred all the options.
Then Ardinae got invested into creating tiny foods. Miniature cakes and confections. Beverages that could be shared in teeny-tiny cups, and the means by which to do so.
They were justifiably proud of their work, and showed it to their parents. The house was painted to match the castle, and the clothing was neatly arrayed in working wardrobes with working drawers. All at a fraction of the scale of human normal.
"That's a lot of effort," noted the Lord Hazyngstoek. "Why go to such detail?"
"For my friends," said Ardinae said. "They can come and stay and we can play court, and I can introduce them to my staff, and you if you and Mater aren't busy."
That was how the Lord Hazyngstoek learned that he had Faeries in the gardens.
If you like my stories, please Check out my blog and Follow me. Or share them with your friends! Or visit my hub site to see what else I'm up to.
Send me a prompt [15 remaining prompts!]