On one of His many journies, the Lord of Galreith stopped into a small fabric merchants shop, there were other merchants, larger and more popular but on this day He was drawn to the dark, pokey little shop for reasons He did not concern Himself with.
The old merchant upon seeing the Lord quickly sized Him up as a snobbish noble and got out his heaviest silks and richest brocades to display. "Nay Sir," said the Lord "I am looking for something different.... I can get silks from anywhere."
The old merchant looked at Him for a moment thinking, then replied softly "Perhaps i have something his Lordship is looking for. It is a strange fabric, flawed in as many ways as it is perfect, but is in this merchants opinion the most beautiful of them all." The Lord laughed at the merchant "I ask you to impress me and you want to show me flawed goods!" The Lord laughed heartily again and slapped the merchant on the back "go ahead old man....impressss me."
The old merchant smiled and opened a small chest, taking out a folded square of fabric. With a flick of his wrists the fabric flowed across the table to rest before his Lordship.
The Lord's laughter died in His throat as He gazed upon the most beautiful fabric He had ever seen. So delicate and ornate. He whispered "perfection". The old merchant chuckles softly at his Lordship and explained...
"You see my Lord, it is the flaws which make this fabric both unique and beautiful, coming together to create a pattern so delicate and unusual it is unlike any other.....they call it lace."
His Lordship reached out and grazed His fingertips softly against it, He had never seen anything so delicate and beautiful, He was captivated.
After negotiating a generous price the Lord left the merchant with His precious bundle tucked under His arm. On the journey back to His estate His thoughts were drawn from His new purchase to His new wife. She infuriated Him, vexed Him and yet at the same time intrigued Him and, though He was loathe to admit it, He was losing His heart to her despite trying vainly to refuse it. Their's was a marriage of estates, not hearts and yet He found that the things that had irked Him so obviously in the beginning such as her stubborness and temper were becoming less a case of fault and more a part of who she was.
He smiled to himself and patted the package. She would love it He knew. She would appreciate the complexity of such a magnificent creation and perhaps understand the significance of such a gift. After all, as He was beginning to understand, she was lace herself.
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