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+--- Thread: [G] [P] 739.03.23 | A New Face (/showthread.php?tid=3890)
739.03.23 | A New Face - Xyliah - 30.Mar.18
Stepping out of the carriage with the assistance of one of the footmen, Xyliah looked up at the sprawling building that was the centre of Fort Hold, and her new home – for the time being. She had been to the Hold in the past, though when she was younger, for events and major Gathers – she remembered vividly the nights spent dancing, but she could not remember much else. Those times, of course, she had been in the company of her entire family. Now, however, as the chilly breeze whispered past her and made her curls flutter around her face, Xyliah was exceedingly aware of how alone she was.
Not for long, though! She knew her betrothed would be arriving within a few weeks, if only because they were scheduled to be married by the end of the fourth month. She was not sure what day, as it had not been confirmed to her, but she was still excited if a little anxious. She had always dreamed of a big, beautiful and elegant wedding, but was under no illusions to how the one she was entering would happen. It would likely be a private affair, with her family and his, and of course the Lord and future Lady of Fort in attendance. Her mother had had a gown crafted for her, and it was exceedingly beautiful and cut to fit perfectly; Xyliah had it in her bags, carefully packed away. She was saddened that they were apparently going to be living somewhere in Fort, and not moving to his home Hold, but she was pleased that she would be so close to her own family, if a little confused by the politics behind their future living arrangements.
Xyliah shifted her gaze as the Head Steward introduced himself and indicated that she should follow him to her living quarters. Xyliah did so, her mind a million miles away as she took in the extravagant Hold. High Hill Hold, while a minor Holding, she knew from her lessons with the Harpers that it is one of the biggest, with a large population and an abundance of livestock, fruits and vegetables. They have good trade with many of the smaller minor holds, as well as Fort itself. Her family have always been wealthy, and Xyliah knew she was used to a certain amount of spoiling. The unknowing part of what her life would be after marrying Jalazmar was causing her no small amount of worry, and Xyliah sighed as she was bowed to by the Steward, before he excused himself. She let herself into the rooms that were to be hers, looking around in delight; the rooms were beautifully furnished, large, and more than adequate for her rank. She was thrilled.
She waited until her baggage had arrived, and been stowed to one side of the room before making her way to the private bathing room attached, and smiling in delight at the steaming water already drawn and filled with scented oils. Laughing happily to herself, Xyliah stripped and climbed in, relaxing into the warm embrace of the silky water, and letting the grime of her travels wash away. Her hair was scrubbed, the curls falling out with the weight of the water, before tying it up messily out of the way so she could continue to laze in the water until it was too cool to be comfortable any more. That was when she climbed out, wrapping herself in a fuzzy towel and going in search of an appropriate dress to wear to greet the Lord of Fort before dinner.
Fully clothed and delightfully clean, Xyliah exited her rooms, politely claiming the attention of a maid and getting the woman to show her the way to the Lord’s rooms, where she politely knocked on the heavy wooden door. When she was called to enter, Xyliah did so, smiling in thanks to the maid before walking confidently to where Lord Therion was. Reaching him, she dropped into a deep curtsey. “Greetings, Lord Therion! I wish to thank you for your kind generosity!” Rising, she met his eye confidently and smiled warmly, folding her hands together before her.
RE: 739.03.23 | A New Face - Therion - 05.Apr.18
The dark polished surface of Therion's large desk reflected the bronze form of Chanson, who sat upon it, watching his master's quill move back and forth. The Lord Holder looked up and smiled at him before turning his attention back to his writing. He'd had dinner with two of his minor holders who had made some interesting proposals, and he didn't want to forget what they had said before he had a chance to ponder their suggestions.
The evening was quiet and a soft breeze wafted through the open window. During the day, he could hardly think with all the hammering and banging and shouting echoing through the caverns of the Hold. But unfortunately, the redecorating of his private chambers was necessary due to his upcoming marriage. He didn't want Kaylira to be intimidated by reminders of the woman who had shared his life since before she had even been born.
All traces of his beloved Alstrina had been removed from not only his rooms but the entire Hold. It almost seemed as if he was trying to erase her existence, which was what his daughter had accused him of. However, it was not like that at all. She would always live on within his heart. But he was beginning a new phase in his life and he wanted his new wife to be happy.
He was letting Kaylira and his mother handle the renovations. Therion had not even checked on the progress, preferring to wait until everything was done. He generally didn't like surprises, but in this case, he was content to let his betrothed do as she wished without his interference. His mother would keep her in check and give her advice. It was important that Kaylira feel like she belonged in what would soon be her new home.
Therion was sleeping in one of the guest rooms now in an area that was reserved for the Lords of the other major Holds whenever they had business with him. In another part of the Hold, three more guest rooms were currently in use, two by the holders he had dined with and one by the woman who would be marrying the youngest son of the Lord of High Reaches at the end of next month, a match that he had suggested himself.
A knock on the door to his anteroom brought him out of his thoughts and he heard his manservant open it. A moment later, he stepped into Therion's office and informed him that Xyliah was here to see him. He hadn't expected to meet her until breakfast the following morning, but he told the servant to send her in. The Lord Holder remained seated as she entered, and he smiled politely at her effusive greeting. “You are most welcome,” he replied. “I trust that you find your accommodations satisfactory?”
RE: 739.03.23 | A New Face - Xyliah - 11.Apr.18
“Oh, yes!” Xyliah responded, eyes wide as she tried valiantly not to gush about how amazing the rooms were; they were so much more beautiful than she was likely entitled to, given her rank compared to the other guests Lord Therion surely had keeping him company! Despite that, Xyliah did not want to be moved to lesser rooms, because that would be such a buzzkill after seeing the ones she had been assigned! So she smiled, curtsying again.
Standing up again, Xyliah folded her hands again, and took a deep breath, calming herself as she went over what it was she wanted to say, before speaking the words. She was a good public speaker, but that didn’t mean she was immune to nerves when speaking about things! “I want thank you, my Lord, for your generosity and the honour you are showing myself and my family, by hosting my wedding to Jalazmar of High Reaches,” oh, she was trembling as she spoke the words though her voice was clear and steady. His name rolled off her tongue with an ease that betrayed how often she’d mumbled it as she gossiped with her maid or daydreamed about what kind of a man he was…
She was so excited, but so nervous about who Jalazmar was, and how he would look and behave and what he was like! Would he be handsome? Would he be intelligent? Would he be nice? Would they fall in love..? She hoped so! She knew so little about him, and had never met him or his family; her own simply wasn’t important enough outside of the Fort boundaries to attract the attention of a major Lord or his sons… How she’d been put on their radar, she didn’t know. Xyliah was uncomfortably aware of the fact that she knew nothing about the man she was marrying. She hoped he wasn’t a scoundrel!
Resisting the urge to curtsy again – she knew personally that too much curtsying could be as much of an annoyance as someone who didn’t pay heed to rank at all – Xyliah licked her lips and twined her fingers together, lest she start playing with her hair. She desperately wanted to ask after Kaylira, now she’d shown her thanks, but was worried about being scolded or that the other young woman wouldn’t be at the Hold. Deciding to wait until either Lord Therion brought her up, or she was dismissed to query about her friend, Xyliah took to subtly examining the office she was standing in.
RE: 739.03.23 | A New Face - Therion - 18.Apr.18
Therion couldn't help but smile at the young lady's enthusiasm. She reminded him a bit of Kaylira with those dark unruly curls. The main reason he had suggested a match between this girl and the son of the Lord of High Reaches, and had offered to allow them to live at Fort, was because Xyliah was one of Kaylira's best friends. He wanted her to have familiar faces around her so she wouldn't be too homesick. He had arranged for another of her good friends, a Journeyman Harper, to be posted to the Hold as well.
While she appeared a bit nervous, she seemed to be taking her betrothal to a man she had never met rather well. Perhaps like the daughters of the major Holds, she had been raised to accept her duty to marry whomever her father chose for her. Some of his minor holders held to the old traditions while others allowed their children to marry for love. His own daughter Nathera didn't meet her husband until their wedding day, and the two of them were now quite happy together.
Asterie was a different story altogether. Therion had been angry at first when she had told him that she was pregnant by the son of one of his holders, but how could he condemn her for it when she had been conceived from an illicit affair that he had carried on with the woman he had later married? Now Asterie was back at the Hold, widowed and childless. After his own wedding was over, he would actively look for another husband for her, whether she wished to be married again or not.
He nodded graciously as Xyliah thanked him. “It is my pleasure to assist a friend of my betrothed. Kaylira has spoken quite highly of you. She should be here in a few days and I'm sure she will be thrilled to see you again. You'll need to get with my mother to find out the exact date she'll be here. The two of them are planning our wedding together as well as redecorating some of the rooms in the Hold.”
RE: 739.03.23 | A New Face - Xyliah - 19.Apr.18
Much as Therion assumed, Xyliah had never considered the prospect of marrying anyone but a man her father picked out for her. She had watched her elder siblings being paired off and married when they were in their mid-teens, much like she had found herself to be. Of course, being the youngest daughter of a Minor Lord, Xyliah had never considered she might be matched with the son of a Major Hold, even if he was the youngest son! She was a little bit enchanted with the fact that she’d outrank her elder siblings once the wedding was finalised!
“She’s a truly wonderful friend,” Xyliah replied, smiling brightly. She was pleased that Kaylira had spoken well of her; it was always nice to know that one was treasured by their friends, and while Xyliah hadn’t been raised in the cut-throat community of a major hold, she did know what it was like to have backstabbing ‘friends’. It was nice to have someone who was genuine! Sometimes Xyliah wasn’t even sure her own maid – who had been with her since they were both children – actually liked her! (She did know she loved her, though, so there was that. But love hardly equated to liking. That was okay though – sometimes she didn’t like her maid, either.)
Xyliah pouted slightly when Therion informed her that Kaylira wasn’t actually at the hold presently, but then she smiled easily when he continued. “Thank you, I will.” With that decided, Xyliah smiled and promised herself that she would not only find the woman in question to ask about Kaylira, but also to snoop through the redecorating. “May I be excused, my lord?” Xyliah asked quietly after a polite pause. It had been a long day, and she was more than ready to find out just how comfortable the large bed in her assigned rooms would be!
RE: 739.03.23 | A New Face - Therion - 23.Apr.18
Therion nodded at Xyliah's praise of his future wife. He had not yet told Kaylira of the arrangements he had made so that one of her friends could live close to her. Unless Xyliah had mentioned it, or another member of her family was aware of it, she would be surprised when she visited next and found her here. Maybe he would get the chance to tell her himself unless business called him away, as it invariably did these days.
Kaylira had been at the Hold several times and he had been too busy even to say hello. He hoped that she didn't think he was ignoring her. That was certainly not his intention, but she might as well become accustomed to the fact that he had duties and responsibilities and that his Hold would always come first with him. It had been different with Alstrina, but he didn't think he would ever be able to love Kaylira as much as he had loved his first wife.
Perhaps Jalazmar would have more time to spend with his own wife. Therion was willing to give him a position at the Hold or set the newlyweds up in their own cothold … he had several that were currently vacant … but when he arrived, he would be free to do whatever he wished. Therion hoped he was a kind young man, for if he heard that he was mistreating his wife, he would feel the brunt of the Lord Holder's wrath. Cruelty was not tolerated at Fort Hold.
Xyliah asked to be excused and Therion nodded again. “Yes, of course. You must be tired after your journey.”