FSM: Ponderous, PG (Skating By)

[Rosie]

Series: Skating By
Title: Ponderous
Rating: PG
Event: Making a Splash
Words: 936
Summary: Gwynnen has it all figured out... skating, that is. Featuring her only canon appearance.

--

There was nothing Gwynnen loved so much as winter. This was her second in Corus, and though she thought she'd miss the lake at Anak's Eyrie, she found the pond more than satisfied her. She had crept down early that January morning to test the surface with Sacherell, and they'd delightedly pronounced it safe.

Sacherell too was a revelation - she hadn't expected to find someone whose mind worked in a similar fashion to her own. It wasn't romantic, but she thought she preferred that, far better to be free to dance with anyone she pleased, to watch the blush rise to Sir Raoul's face, whilst pretending she hadn't meant any such thing.

Eventually, after much cajoling, Sacherell had revealed the identity of his nemesis. At first, Gwynnen hadn't believed him, and Sacherell had laughingly told her that there were more subtle ways to wreak revenge than declaring all out war. Gwynnen supposed that were true, but how much nicer to be open about her dislike for Delia. It made Jonathan snubbing Delia all the sweeter. Gwynnen had no pretensions that she was the cause of Jonathan's waned affections, particularly since the prince barely saw her (or anyone) since his mother had fallen ill in October, but she enjoyed Delia's fall from grace all the same.

"Sir Gareth can't be your nemesis," Gwynnen had objected, not sure if Sacherell had been teasing her or not.

Events had been quiet this winter, with the queen's illness, balls traded in for quiet suppers. Gwynnen liked it this way, though she knew Cythera's mother was waiting for a proposal which still looked someway off. None of the prince's friends were inclined to court with the queen so unwell. Sacherell and Douglass were, however, still inclined to bouts of mischief, and Gwynnen was duly entertained.

Sacherell had been addressing her under the guise of perusing a tome of agricultural poetry. Gwynnen had suspected it was a special kind of torture for her, prone as he was to reciting lines at random. "I did not expect to find you so close-minded," he said with a heavy sigh, at the end of one such verse. "The Naxens and the Wellams have been at war for years. My great-uncle Turomot has bred us all to show the Naxens up at every opportunity. It's, well, it's not working terribly well, given that the queen, the Prime Minister, the training master, and the King's Champion are all Naxens, but Duke Gareth is a rare and splendid man."

"Sir Gareth is your knight-master!"

Sacherell had winked at her. "Keep your enemies close."

--

Sir Gareth was no longer Sacherell's knight-master, because as much as Sacherell professed to appease his great-uncle, Sacherell was a slave to Douglass's whims. Douglass had decided that it would amuse him to switch knight-masters, Sacherell had agreed, and everything else more or less fell into place. Geoffrey was most put out by it, since people seemed to assume he was also involved.

(Granted, Geoffrey being out of temper was largely down to Gwynnen's intervention; she'd delighted in giving him messages for Gareth and Raoul within earshot of other court ladies)

Sacherell had advised Gwynnen that the Naxen-Wellam feud raged on, however, and there was as much (or, rather, as little) evidence of that as ever of that on the pond. Sacherell had challenged Gareth to a race, though Douglass and Raoul also seemed to be involved. Gwynnen kept well out of their way, performing tricks in the centre of the pond. Someday, she'd like to race Sacherell herself - she suspected he would be quicker than her, but that had never stopped her trying to best her brothers.

"You are such a show off!"

Gwynnen spun around, bringing herself face to face with Sacherell. "I guess it takes one to know one."

He laughed, cheeks flushed with the cold, and reached for her hand. "I told you, I strive to be the best." He laced their fingers together and twirled her around. "I just proved it to Gary, I can prove it to you too."

"Alan's figured out how to put his skates on," Geoffrey announced, skating past. "Quit flirting, let's go give him a helping hand."

Sacherell was off without a second glance, and Gwynnen made her way over to Gareth and Cythera, the only two not already occupied by Alan's bet. "Do you think he can do it?" she asked, inclining her head towards Jonathan's squire.

Gareth grinned at her, managing to stay steady even as Cythera wobbled beside him, clutching onto his arm for support (undoubtedly by the nefarious Naxen's design; Gwynnen feared that she had unwittingly been drafted on the Wellam side of this alleged conflict). "If there's anything our Alan can't do, I have yet to find it. I am equally confident that Lady Cythera will not last another five minutes before sitting back down on the ice."

"You always know exactly what to say," Cythera noted dryly. "I can't think how to express my gratitude for letting you talk me into this."

Gwynnen was having trouble expressing the extent of her delight in Cythera's rudeness when there was a yell from across the pond.

"Alan's gone under," Gary said, ashen-faced.

"Go," Cythera advised him firmly, releasing him and reaching out to Gwynnen. "We'll get help."

Blessedly, they managed to reach land without falling, and Gwynnen tore off her gloves and tugged her laces loose. "I - we checked the ice, Cyth, I promise, I would never have let you go on it otherwise."

Cythera shrugged, blue eyes worried. "I'll go to Duke Gareth's study, you find Duke Baird."

[devilinthedetails]

I continue to love your portrayal of the court during the SOTL years and the humor with which you describe court politics and society. It's wonderful reading. And this is a wonderful alternative perspective to that scene on the ice during In the Hand of the Goddess.

[Rosie]

Thank you! One of my guilty pleasures is regency romance, and society sort of feeds off that; I'm fascinated by the way it's almost a separate character on its own. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Kypriotha]

I love this development of Gwynnen and Sacherell's relationship and your easy explanation of the squire swap. I also love the details about the Wellams' feud with the Naxens! I am now convinced this is canon, so I will believe you if you tell me it's true that Sacherell is related to Duke Turomot and that Duke T has a feud with Duke G (two immortal Dukes, if Duke T is still around in Page?).

[Rosie]

Thanks, Kyp!! The feud is, sadly, all my own invention, but I think it's plausible enough, given that they must be rivals (also, I don't think Wellam is one of the Big Four houses, which I'm pretty sure consists of Nond, Naxen, Queenscove, and HaMinch, and gosh that must rankle if you're also a duke but not quite good enough). I just imagine Sacherell announcing over family dinner that Gary has picked him as squire, and promising to bring the Naxens down from the inside, and then telling Turomot that he's had to seek another knight-master in order to get the requisite training

Duke T is in his 80s in POTS, I wonder if he's a contemporary of Duke G. I kind of want to write their rivalry now.

[Kypriotha]

Jul 9, 2020 22:43:28 GMT 10 Rosie said:

Duke T is in his 80s in POTS, I wonder if he's a contemporary of Duke G. I kind of want to write their rivalry now.

I mean, if that's what you want to do, I wouldn't stand in your way! 😉

I can't remember who the fourth house is (Nond or another), but it's definitely not Wellam. Poor Duke T. No wonder he's so crotchety about proprietary.

[Rosie]

Jul 10, 2020 8:09:30 GMT 10 Kypriotha said:

Jul 9, 2020 22:43:28 GMT 10 Rosie said:

Duke T is in his 80s in POTS, I wonder if he's a contemporary of Duke G. I kind of want to write their rivalry now.

I mean, if that's what you want to do, I wouldn't stand in your way! 😉

I can't remember who the fourth house is (Nond or another), but it's definitely not Wellam. Poor Duke T. No wonder he's so crotchety about proprietary.

I feel like it might be Nond just because I am always surprised when Nond pops up, because Francis was so forgettable.

And I think Duke T could be up to ten years older than Duke G, but, you know, Duke T devotes his life to law and order, Duke G plays a big part in the battlefields and then finds himself promoted over and above Duke T.

[mistrali]

“I did not expect to find you so close-minded," he said with a heavy sigh, at the end of one such verse. "The Naxens and the Wellams have been at war for years. My great-uncle Turomot has bred us all to show the Naxens up at every opportunity. It's, well, it's not working terribly well, given that the queen, the Prime Minister, the training master, and the King's Champion are all Naxens, but Duke Gareth is a rare and splendid man."

This made me laugh out loud! Your Sacherell is such a strong character in his own right.

[Rosie]

Thanks!! I spent several years having Sacherell play second fiddle to Douglass in my fics, and I enjoyed reversing that and fleshing Sacherell out a little better beyond seemingly being naturally good at everything Alanna isn't.