Nadya was a vision of grace and beauty, adorned in a finely woven wool dress of a beautiful violet shade to match her eyes, the bodice was laced and slashes of light, creamy lavender were on the skirts, which were split for ease of riding. Golden embroidery of roses and thorny vines lined the hems of her skirts and sleeves and encompassed the bodice, which was high enough to be modest, but not by much. Matching slippers, mittens, and cloak lined with silver fox completed the ensemble, with little golden bells attached to her hood jingling lightly as she moved.
Her hair was pulled up into a loose, curly bun and a gold-thread net with tiny, sparkling amethysts set at the joints kept the hair tamed and in place. As was the style, her earrings were gold and dangling with more amethysts and about her delicate throat was a gold and amethyst choker-style necklace. Nadya's maid had helped her apply make-up, not a gaudy amount, like the jewels her grandmother insisted she wear, but a touch of eye shadow to really emphasize her large violet eyes, a breath of blush upon her pale cheeks, and a soft kiss of pink lipstick.
She felt like a living doll, there to be dressed up and paraded around for her grandmother's amusement, but lacking any other value. Day after day it was the same - up well before sunrise, scrubbed and polished and powdered until she was "good enough" to be seen by others, then left in solitude and nearly forgotten. Her grandmother hated her, she knew that, but even though the woman wanted nothing to do with her, would be rid of her if she could, she simply wouldn't forget Nadya altogether and leave her be – though she wished the old woman would.
All the people she had wanted to stay with her had left her and the one that she wished would just go away had her in a merciless and inescapable hold. That alone was enough to keep her mood subdued, but that morning at breakfast her grandmother had been particularly harsh with her morning inspection of her granddaughter, and Nadya was left with an empty stomach and eyes full of tears at the malicious insults. All she had ever wanted was to be loved by her own family, but with her parents and Noah gone, that was just too much to ask.
Despite her soft slippers, the young woman made a lot of noise as she ran into the stable, the bells on her hood jingling. She didn't see anyone around, so Nadya threw herself on a pile of fresh hay and simply began to sob, letting the hurt pour out, unable to contain it anymore.
