Post by opalgirl on Feb 4, 2010 11:08:33 GMT 10
Title: Meet the Daughters
Rating: PG
Length: 607 words
Competitor: Wyldon
Round/Fight: 1/A
Summary: Eiralys, Sunarine, Cathrea, and Margarry all had different reactions to their father's marriage, Kel realized. Sunarine perhaps the oddest of all.
Wyldon’s four daughters had all reacted to their father’s intentions to remarry – and to his choice of bride – differently.
Young Margarry, who had the heart of a child still, had been enthusiastic about the whole matter, and had insisted that she be allowed to help plan the wedding. Cathrea, who lived a simple life as a priestess of the Great Mother Goddess, had smiled and offered her congratulations.
Kel found her the hardest of Wyldon’s children to read, but both he and Margarry claimed the quiet young woman was pleased. “She’d rather Papa didn’t wallow,” Margarry had explained, as she sat on the edge of Kel’s desk one evening, “and she’s happy for him. Cathrea knows these things.”
Lady Eiralys, the eldest of the four, had been more reserved on her opinions of her father’s remarriage. She was pleased for her father, and thrilled to see him happy, but felt as if she was being disloyal to her late mother, Kel had discovered, through Wyldon. Eiralys was uncertain how she should feel. Kel could understand; Lady Vivenne had died unexpectedly, and the girls had all loved their mother.
It was Sunarine, the third of the four daughters that truly confused Kel – even more than Cathrea. The lady, newly a mother, was furious at Kel, but seemingly at peace with her father. She glowered across the dinner table at Kel, despite warning glances from her father and sisters.
“It isn’t Mother that Sunni’s upset about,” Eiralys said, as Kel stood for yet another dress-fitting. “I don’t know what’s angered her, truthfully.”
Kel shrugged, and the seamstress frowned at her. “I don’t know, my lady,” she replied.
“There you are, my lady. Step down and let me look at the hems, if you will,” the seamstress said, setting one last pin in place.
Margarry clapped her hands together, excitedly, as Kel carefully stepped down from the stool. “Oh, Kel! It’s beautiful!”
“Lady Sunarine.” Kel approached Wyldon’s daughter and curtsied to the appropriate degree. “May we speak?”
She was met with a cold stare from the woman. Then Sunarine sighed and murmured a word to her husband. “I suppose so, Lady Knight,” she said, coolly civil. “If we must.”
“I mean no disrespect to Lady Vivenne,” Kel said, quietly. “And as I told your sisters, I would never demand – or expect – you to call me ‘Mother.’”
Sunarine scowled at her. “You mean no disrespect to my mother? Of course, you would only say that when she lies in the Black God’s realm.” The lady glowered at her and Kel frowned.
“My lady, I’m afraid I don’t understand. You’ll have to explain.”
“Now you play coy,” Sunarine huffed, angrily. “The talk says you were lying with my father while my mother still lived, while you were at the palace, even. Were you such a trollop that you couldn’t leave a married man alone?” she hissed.
Kel stilled. It was fortunate Wyldon hadn’t heard such things – or that his daughter believed such rumors. “Ask your father,” she answered, her temper rising. “No such thing happened. Not while I was a page or squire, or even while I served as his subordinate, and most definitely not while your mother was alive.”
What she wouldn’t tell the woman who was her future stepdaughter was that such rumors were utterly ridiculous and that they were more of an insult to Wyldon than anything else. It wasn’t even the insult to her own honor – she had gotten used to those – but the implication that her future husband would have stepped outside of his marriage vows, when he was far too honor-bound to think of it.
Rating: PG
Length: 607 words
Competitor: Wyldon
Round/Fight: 1/A
Summary: Eiralys, Sunarine, Cathrea, and Margarry all had different reactions to their father's marriage, Kel realized. Sunarine perhaps the oddest of all.
*****
Wyldon’s four daughters had all reacted to their father’s intentions to remarry – and to his choice of bride – differently.
Young Margarry, who had the heart of a child still, had been enthusiastic about the whole matter, and had insisted that she be allowed to help plan the wedding. Cathrea, who lived a simple life as a priestess of the Great Mother Goddess, had smiled and offered her congratulations.
Kel found her the hardest of Wyldon’s children to read, but both he and Margarry claimed the quiet young woman was pleased. “She’d rather Papa didn’t wallow,” Margarry had explained, as she sat on the edge of Kel’s desk one evening, “and she’s happy for him. Cathrea knows these things.”
Lady Eiralys, the eldest of the four, had been more reserved on her opinions of her father’s remarriage. She was pleased for her father, and thrilled to see him happy, but felt as if she was being disloyal to her late mother, Kel had discovered, through Wyldon. Eiralys was uncertain how she should feel. Kel could understand; Lady Vivenne had died unexpectedly, and the girls had all loved their mother.
It was Sunarine, the third of the four daughters that truly confused Kel – even more than Cathrea. The lady, newly a mother, was furious at Kel, but seemingly at peace with her father. She glowered across the dinner table at Kel, despite warning glances from her father and sisters.
“It isn’t Mother that Sunni’s upset about,” Eiralys said, as Kel stood for yet another dress-fitting. “I don’t know what’s angered her, truthfully.”
Kel shrugged, and the seamstress frowned at her. “I don’t know, my lady,” she replied.
“There you are, my lady. Step down and let me look at the hems, if you will,” the seamstress said, setting one last pin in place.
Margarry clapped her hands together, excitedly, as Kel carefully stepped down from the stool. “Oh, Kel! It’s beautiful!”
*****
“Lady Sunarine.” Kel approached Wyldon’s daughter and curtsied to the appropriate degree. “May we speak?”
She was met with a cold stare from the woman. Then Sunarine sighed and murmured a word to her husband. “I suppose so, Lady Knight,” she said, coolly civil. “If we must.”
“I mean no disrespect to Lady Vivenne,” Kel said, quietly. “And as I told your sisters, I would never demand – or expect – you to call me ‘Mother.’”
Sunarine scowled at her. “You mean no disrespect to my mother? Of course, you would only say that when she lies in the Black God’s realm.” The lady glowered at her and Kel frowned.
“My lady, I’m afraid I don’t understand. You’ll have to explain.”
“Now you play coy,” Sunarine huffed, angrily. “The talk says you were lying with my father while my mother still lived, while you were at the palace, even. Were you such a trollop that you couldn’t leave a married man alone?” she hissed.
Kel stilled. It was fortunate Wyldon hadn’t heard such things – or that his daughter believed such rumors. “Ask your father,” she answered, her temper rising. “No such thing happened. Not while I was a page or squire, or even while I served as his subordinate, and most definitely not while your mother was alive.”
What she wouldn’t tell the woman who was her future stepdaughter was that such rumors were utterly ridiculous and that they were more of an insult to Wyldon than anything else. It wasn’t even the insult to her own honor – she had gotten used to those – but the implication that her future husband would have stepped outside of his marriage vows, when he was far too honor-bound to think of it.