The Best of the Best

Writers: Yvonne, Aaron
Date Posted: 11th October 2024

Characters: Elana, Corofel, Gammond
Description: Lord Corofel judges the Turn's End embroidery competition at Emerald Falls Hold
Location: Emerald Falls Hold
Date: month 13, day 29 of Turn 11

Corofel

The entrance hall to Emerald Falls Hold had been redecorated for Turn's End to hold the amature Craft offerings of its populace. Quilts and embroidery samples lined the walls interspersed with paintings done by the holders. Woodcarvings stood proudly on display on tables next to elaborate vases of fresh cut flowers.

Senior Journeyman Weaver Gammond wandered through the crowd with his notebook at hand, examining the quilts and embroidery samples on display. He was here to judge the Turn's End crafting competition and he was doing his best to take the job seriously. He made another note in his notebook as the chatter around him changed in pitch, the crowd's attention turning to the front doors almost as one.

**The Lord Holder must be here,** Gammond thought. He glanced at the candle in the corner and was pleasantly surprised to find that the young man was on schedule. And thank goodness for that. The entrance hall was stuffed to the brim with people waiting to see who would win the competition.

"My Lord." Gammond bowed as Corofel approached. "Happy Turn Over to you."

"And to you, Journeyman!" Corofel greeted him cheerfully. He was still a touch uncomfortable being bowed to, but he had resolved to deal with it.

"Thank you for your diligent work in judging the competition!"

"It's my honour." It was more of a chore than an honour, but he'd never say that to the Lord Holder. The more important thing was getting familiar enough with the new Lord Holder that he might be able to gain a commission or two for his Hall. "There are some excellent examples of amature workmanship here. You should be very proud of your Holders."

"I am. I truly am." Corofel knew that everyone had difficult things to work through, whether they had to do with his father's disappearance or not. "To whom do I have the honor of awarding our prizes?"

Gammond looked around the room full of women and men trying desperately not to look like they were eavesdropping, each of whom was doing a very poor job of it indeed. Instead of telling the Lord Holder directly, he wrote something down in his notebook and passed Corofel the page. It read, 'Third ribbon to number eight, second ribbon to number three, first ribbon & prize to number eleven.'

The Journeyman cleared his throat. "Third shows a good sense of composition and colour. Second shows an excellent grasp of a bullion stitch, while the first place... honestly, whoever did that I feel might have worked with a trained Weaver at some point. The overall composition is wonderfully balanced, the gradients are almost seamless, and there's some wonderful examples of more advanced stitches hidden in the foliage. If you want to say something about each piece, that is."

"Very good," Corofel nodded. He would never be able to remember all of that, but he could certainly repeat _some_ of it. He matched up the numbers with his master list of entrants and then added a couple of notes to Gammond's page.

"Would you like to join me on the stage?"

Corofel stepped up and smiled at the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming, and thank you for your beautiful submissions! Our illustrious Journeyman Gammond has finished his judging, and it's my great honor to announce our winners."

One by one, he announced the name that matched the number on the page and congratulated them for the good work Gammond had identified�" third, then second...

"And in first place," he said, "with seamless work that could rival a trained Weaver, please join me in congratulating entrant number eleven�" Elana!"

Elana flushed. She stood mid-way through the crowd, which parted around her as she made her way up to the little make-shift stage and climbed the stairs. She paused to curtsey before Lord Corofel, her face nearly the same colour as her hair. She'd won! Working hard had actually paid off, and the first place ribbon was all _hers_. Now she was here and everyone was applauding-- and hopefully Corofel wouldn't recognize her as the drudge who'd nearly beaned him with a wooden toy. "Thank you so much, my Lord," Elana said. "I'm so honoured to be chosen."

Corofel grinned. He might not have remembered the name, but the face? How could he forget?

Once all three winners were gathered on the stage, he handed them their ribbons and shook their hands.

"Let's have one more big round of applause for our winners and for all of our wonderful contestants!"

Once everyone had stepped down from the stage, Corofel offered his congratulations to Elana once more. "I'm impressed," he said. "Maybe I could commission a piece from you for the Lord's residence."

The offer was like music to her ears. Elana curtsied low and thanked her lucky stars that Corofel apparently didn't remember her. "You flatter me, my Lord. But if you truly think my work is good enough to grace your home, I would be happy to discuss a commission."

"Of course, I do! It won first prize, didn't it?" Corofel smiled. Then he lowered his voice and his smile turned to more of a grin. "Maybe we could commemorate the time I almost frightened you to death poking my head into the nursery, eh?" As if he could ever forget her!

Elana froze as her skin turned the same shade as her hair. "I-- ah, well, I suppose--" she stammered, then laughed nervously. "I truly am sorry about that, my Lord."

"I'm just teasing," said Corofel. "Really. I didn't mean to upset you." He felt a tinge of guilt as he realized his position could make jokes like this a little more... scary. "And I really do want to commission you."

"All right." Elana tried to regain some of her composure and tried on a bright smile. Her heart was beating too quickly, whether from lingering mortification or from the high of winning, and it made her feel reckless. "As long as its not an excuse to throw me to the prison mines, I'd be happy to discuss a commission."

"Cross my heart!" Corofel made the motion and smiled.

Her smile relaxed a little in response. "An unbreakable promise. You know how to find me, my Lord. I am at your disposal." She curtied again.

"And I'll be sure to knock first this time!"

Last updated on the October 17th 2024

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