Outside the Oak Grove (6 Spaces): Plot Thread

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Aella

OOC: I'm baaaaaack!

Posted by Inkling:
Gwynllian allows an expression to cross her face which on anyone else would surely be a smirk.

"You don't fool me, girl. You may have that father of yours thinking that you're polite and demure, but the two of us know differently, don't we, my dear. There's fire there."

With this, she turns and begins to sweep from the chamber, poised and cool.

Aella's own face flickers with an unnameable expression.. but it is very dark indeed. "And think you not that I am fooled by you. My father is easily deceived, as we both know. I am not like my father. But he has one good trait. He believes every single thing I tell him." she says, her tone a thinly veiled threat.
 
Tamas/Gwynllian

Tamas frowns. "Tell you 'bout him? I d...don't like him. He knows things he sh...shouldn't. Pays for that sometimes, and he uses it to hurt people. He likes hurting people..."

Tamas glances furtively at the trees between them and the Manor house. Apparently, even that is not enough distance to make the boy feel safe. "And he's not g..gonna be happy if Lady Caryss doesn't do what he wants her to..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gwynllian does not seem cowed in the slightest by the impertinence of this slip of a girl. She pauses in the doorway, turning with a rustle of her skirts.

"And you, Miss, have yet to learn to guard your tongue. I am capable of a great deal, and your father has chosen to marry me. I doubt, as close as you are, that he told you that information ahead of time. I do not intend to allow a girl who will learn her place soon enough to distract from my plans."

She smiles icily. "If you are willing to work with me and give me the obedience due of a daughter, there is little I would not raise you to. If you oppose me, then you will discover that to be an unwise choice."
 
] Torin [

Torin furrows his brow as the lad speaks, several questions flickering through his ever active mind, though he does his best to keep the stream from flowing out, so as not to overwhelm the boy.

He puts his hands on the boy's shoulders, still on one knee and speaking on his level. His grip is perhaps gentler than the boy might expect from a knight. His tone is just as gentle, though his expression reveals little. "Please, Tamas. What sort of things, and how does he use them?"

A niggling suspicion in the back of the archer's mind goes unspoken, mostly because he does not like the path that would lead down. Instead, he makes a mental note of the boy's last sentence.

If she doesn't do what he wants her to... not much of this seems to be her choice, however. If something must be done, then it should likely be done in a manner that keeps things that way, much as I don't like the thought of that... ah, Tor, what do I do...
 
Tamas

Tamas shifts from foot to foot, visibly uncomfortable. "W...well, he uses whatever he can...whatever's g...gonna scare a person most. He c...can find that stuff out..."

The boy leans against a tree. "He...he sometimes p...pays for information. Us s...servants, 'cause we hear everything that g...goes on. L...lady Caryss's maid is bribed."
 
] Torin [

Torin is silent for several moments at Tamas's latest revelation. The implications, after all, are worth considering.

This man is clearly dangerous, and it would be an affront to my brother's memory to let the one he loved fall in with him. This is going to take careful treading, though. If even Caryss's attendant is in his pay, then it will take cunning and stealth to work around his network.

And even then, I have no assurance there will not be retribution in some form... what /is/ it that I fear most? And how could it be used against me?

No matter. I have a duty. Each step from here on out, every word, must be carefully chosen, aimed carefully, each step thought out, every action planned and senses ever on the alert to every detail of the surroundings. A misstep could give it all away.

In short, what sounds like a job for an archer.

He takes a breath, and gives a small nod. "I thank you for what you have told me, Tamas, and I promise I will use what you have said to protect Lady Caryss as best I can, on my honor as a knight. I also know that it has not been easy for you to say this. You have been a brave lad for doing so, but I must ask one more thing of you."
 
Tamas

The boy stumbles into an awkward bow. "'M n...not that b...rave. I c...can't even speak right."

He swipes a grubby hand across his grubby face, embarrassed by the praise. His eyes go wide again when Torin asks for something further.

"Wh...what can I do for you, M'lord?"
 
] Torin [

Torin lets out a faint 'heh' as he once again puts a hand on the lad's shoulder.

"What I ask, I ask for your sake, not mine. I will not be idle with the information you have given me. I must work carefully and in secret, but rest assured I will not let it sit.

However, if I make a misstep, I have given you my word that I will do my best to protect you as well. If I must pay for attempting to change things, I will not have you pay as well.

Therefore, we must not let any know of this conversation, or indeed that we are familiar with each other at all. I will remain here for some time as Lady Caryss's escort, and so when we pass by, let it be as if you have never met me before. I will do the same. Treat me as you would any other unfamiliar knight, and I shall regard you as I would an unfamiliar servant. There can be no suspicion if we maintain such an image."
 
Tamas

The boy stiffens a bit at the touch, but he nods solemnly. "I p...promise. But...isn't that l...lying, Sir Torin? S...saying I don't know you when I do?"

His eyes meet the archer's as he waits for an answer.
 
] Torin [

"You need not say it. Simply address me as 'sir' as you might any other knight. Remain quiet unless I directly ask a question of you, and the like. Treat me no differently than you would any other knight, and there is no lie - for a knight is, after all, what I am. You need not speak one falsehood - it is for him to determine what conclusion he draws from your actions, and it need not be the correct one.

For my part, I may be a bit sharper to you than I have been now. I apologize for such in advance, but I must be so to allay suspicion."

The archer sighs.

"There is a fine line when it comes to this sort of thing... a line I do not enjoy treading. But what must be done must be done..."
 
Aella

Aella does not take kindly to Gwynllian's tone and words. Her spine straightens, stiffening her entire posture. Jutting her chin out stubbornly, she returns the woman's gaze full on, ice in her eyes.
"You may have my father fooled. No small surprise there, because he is a great fool and always has been. You deserve him. Whatever you have planned, you're welcome to it, but leave me out. I can accomplish whatever I want without your help, and I'll do just that. I will /not/ grant you the obedience due from a daughter because contrary to what you may be thinking, I am not nor ever will be /your/ daughter."
Without another word, the spitfire turns on her heel and marches off, her skirts billowing from her rapid speed. The lack of curtsy is the final snub in the face of this icy woman.
 
Tamas/Gwynllian/Caryss

The boy nods. "I c...can do that, S...sir. Just k...keep Lady Caryss safe. I b...best be getting back before th...they come looking for me."

With this, he bows again, awkwardly, and dashes towards the manor house as if his very safety depended on reaching it undetected. If nothing else, this should suggest that the boy is in earnest about what he has been relating.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gwynllian gives the girl's retreating back a look so frosty that it is surprising the window panes do not immediately ice over. She snaps her fingers and one of the manor's older female servants approaches her.

"My future stepdaughter and I seem to have reached an impasse. She will discover that she is ill-equipped to play this game. I did, after all, write the rules. See that she is made comfortable in the chambers assigned for her use." Her tone is, of course, pregnant with the very opposite meaning than her words might suggest.

The servant stammers, "Yes, Milady."

Gwynllian smirks (or at least what would be a smirk were her features less glacial). "Very good. I will have a surprise waiting for her at dinner. Fetch my own daughter. She is no doubt malingering with the help again. Impossible girl."

After a hastily bobbed curtsy, the servant is off to do as directed.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gwynllian is only partially right. Caryss, having spoken kindly to the staff in the kitchen, is in the herb garden just outside the door, selecting what the cook needs with a practiced eye. Since the elderly man is not nearly as spry as he once was, his back could not stand the strain.

Her thoughts churn around and around, and she is grateful for the chance to escape, even briefly, from the manor and its inhabitants.

Here I can at least start to feel at home. How can I stand against her? She can order me wed where she will. Sir Torin said there might be a way out...I cannot lose sight of that...
 
] Torin [

Torin gives a single nod, and says in a firm voice, "I give you my word that I will do my utmost."

He stands, watching the boy make for the manor. The archer, for his part, does not follow directly after, preferring to be alone with his thoughts a moment longer.

A tangled web before me, and I must find some way to unravel what lies at its core. And it would seem I am alone in this endeavor... this will require all the strategy and skill I can muster. An archer on his own, after all, must know how to survey the landscape, read the situation, and adapt accordingly.

Brushing the hilt of his sword, he steels his expression.

Once again I find myself on the battlefield - though one where my weapons are words and actions, rather than blades or bows. And it is not waged for land out of loyalty to king and country... it is waged for the heart of a single woman out of loyalty to my brother.

He twists the band around his finger, the band that marked his brother as the heir of their house, the position that has now passed to Torin himself.

This should have been your fight, not mine, Tor... you are far better suited for this than I am. But even so, I still hold the lessons you taught me, the wisdom you showed, my memories of the man you were... though we no longer do so in the same manner, and indeed cannot, we still walk into the fray as we always did.

Together.
 
`{@} Caryss {@}'

Caryss moves further into the herb garden, unaccompanied. She is intent on her task. Her mother, of course, would be horrified, since, her face begrimed with dirt and her dark hair falling about her shoulders, she appears to more closely resemble a common servant than the daughter of the house.

She carefully selects the herbs that are needed, the task requiring only a fraction of her mind to be attentive to it.

Tor, what would you have me do. If I betray you by marrying someone you would not trust...but what hope is there? This will require everything I have. Your brother says I will not be alone, and somehow I believe that...

She brushes an errant tendril out of her face.
 
] Torin [

The archer remains where he is a moment longer, trying to draw some semblance of a plan together.

I don't know who I can trust in all this. Tamas, for one, but I've promised the lad I'd do my best to protect him. I need to keep him out of things in order to do that. I can trust Caryss, at least, but propriety keeps me from speaking with her alone, and even if that opportunity /did/ come I'd have no idea who might be listening. I will have to tread lightly.

He takes a breath. The archer is resolved on at least one thing - that he cannot in good faith let the woman his brother loved marry a man such as Lord Raoulin, not after what he has learned and what he suspects.

I doubt Lord Raoulin would be easily convinced to change the situation, either. However... her mother... it is in her power to decide the state of things. Perhaps I might be able to persuade her to call it off... I suppose I'll have to present myself as someone she'd be inclined to listen to, however. Ugh, Lion help me. I'm not going to enjoy acting like this... oy. The things I do out of loyalty.

Torin takes another deep breath, and holds himself somewhat straighter and most definitely prouder than his usual unobtrusive manner. He strides with confidence back toward the manner, his step more punctuated and firm than normal.

His path takes him by the herb garden, and when he sees Caryss there, his brow arches, accompanied by a slight frown. Clearing his throat, he says simply, "Milady."
 
Aella

In her fury, Aella becomes turned around on the grounds. Frowning, she pauses to try to gather her bearings, it having been far too long since she was there.
"Those statues weren't here last time... good grief, this is ridiculous!" she fumes.
As she progresses, she takes a turn and finds herself in close proximity to the herb garden. She sees her future sister, and pauses. Watching her closely, Aella's eyes narrow thoughtfully as the wheels of her mind turn. She takes a step closer, preparing to approach Caryss, but she halts when the opportunity is snatched away by Torin. With a quiet sigh to herself she stops and waits.
 
`{@} Caryss {@}'

Caryss keeps her eyes downcast as Torin approaches. She sets down her basket and hides her hands, which are covered with the rich, loamy soil of the garden and certainly not those of a respectable young lady, beneath the apron she had hastily put on before coming outside.

Perhaps he has decided to leave me to my mother's plans after all. I cannot entirely blame him if he did...

Her voice is deceptively even as she hastily curtsies, something still graceful about the gesture and says, "My lord. It is still a short time until we dine this evening--is there something I can assist you with?"

She is so preoccupied that she is not aware of Aella's presence nearby. The slight color in her cheeks testifies that she is embarrassed enough already to have been caught in her current disheveled state without this knowledge.
 
] Torin [

The archer strides over to Caryss, swiftly closing the distance between them. He dips a small, stiff sort of bow to Caryss, then another in Aella's direction, before he speaks, clearly focusing on Caryss.

"Assist me with? For starters, acting as one befitting your status! Working the ground as a common servant is /certainly/ no place for a lady such as yourself, especially within your own household. There are servants to do that. Come. Back inside with you. You must, of course, make certain you are /presentable/ for the evening meal."

His tone is just as devoid of emotion as usual, though the nature of them is perhaps more biting due to his choice of words. And to drive his point home, he begins to guide Caryss back inside himself, the strength ingrained in him as a result of his training giving the lady little choice in the matter.

However, despite outward appearances, Caryss may, if she is observant, realize that Torin is attempting to do so in as gentle a rough sort of manner as he can - somehow.

Added to that is his low addition to his words - "All is not as it seems, Milady, and the archer must work from the shadows. But his aim remains as it ever was."

The fact that these words are spoken in such a low tone that it would be a bit of a struggle for even one next to him to hear them imply that he does not intend for them to be heard by any save Caryss herself.

Perhaps one who has all the pieces the archer presents may discern something more in his manner than meets the eye.
 
`{@} Caryss {@}'

Caryss's head jerks up at this, her expression dull with the shock of his words. He goes on and she stands rigid and pale as the force of the criticism, so like what her mother would say, washes over her. Quietly, she says, not sounding at all like herself,

"Forgive me, my lord. I have forgotten myself, as you so rightly remind me..."

She puts up no protest as he steers her towards the house, though her gaze flickers across his face, trying to read in it the reason for this abrupt shift.

His eyes are so like Tor's... This swiftly brings another thought in its wake. Trust him.

She gives a tiny, almost imperceptible nod--there is little enough time for much else than this. It is an attempt to convey her understanding that, though she cannot entirely fathom what is going on here, she will follow.

As they approach the door, she dips her head, giving all the appearance of contrition and shame at her lapse in decorum. This allows her to say, as quietly as the archer's last words to her, "I do not need to understand in order to believe. May the arrows in your quiver fly true, Sir Torin." Her eyes rest for a moment on the signet ring which now adorns the archer's hand.
 
] Torin [

Torin gives no indication (at least outwardly) that he has detected Caryss's reply, though one who knows how observant he generally is will probably not be too far off in assuming that he has.

Once inside, he gestures. "Well? Go on. Get yourself cleaned up. Goodness knows what your MOTHER will say. Honestly, I would have thought a lady such as yourself would know better by now."

He rubs the bridge of his nose, muttering something which sounds akin to "Someone else should have been your escort. This was /not/ what I agreed to."

Which I suppose is true enough, this /should/ have been Tor's place... and I wasn't quite expecting to get into this myself, especially not to this extent... but here I am. I cannot very well do otherwise anyway, after all, duty-bound as I am.
 
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