Thedor 03, 229: Bastard Princess Meets Aberdeen Prince

Bastard Princess Meets Aberdeen Prince
Summary: Emerit and Cayden have a surprisingly refreshing conversation in the Salon of Darfield Castle.
OOC Date: 03/01/2014 (OOC)
Related: Touched By Sess?
Players:
Emerit Cayden 
Salon, Darfield Castle
A haven of serenity amidst the rush of the castle, the salon is designed as a place for relaxation or socialization. A hearty fire burns in the massive, marble fireplace, throwing a russet glow across the room. The walls are divided top from bottom with pale wooden paneling above and lapis marble with silver veins shot through it below. Several armchairs, a couch, and a loveseat are set around a beautiful table for an intimate tete-a-tete, the furniture finely made of deep mahogany wood with blue and silver cushions. An azure rug covers the center of the room, but at the edges the dark wood of the floor can be seen. A side table holds tea, coffee, wine and several small hors d'oeuvres, and desserts.
3rd day of Thedor, 229, late morning

It is freezing and cold outside on this fine winter morning, the sky is clear, allowing the sun to shed a bright light through the windows of the salon of Darfield Castle. The hearth has been lighted of course, a fire is crackling and giving some warmth to the seating area in front of it. On the sofa sits Princess Emerit Moniwid, her feet drawn up under her slender frame, while her petite and elegant shoes lie on the ground somwhere next to her. Her dress is of dark blue sammit with tiny snowflakes embroidered onto it, a contrast to her fiery red curls that fall untamed about her freckled face. Beside her on the sofa is a piece of needlework, ignored for now. On another seat sits her Moniwid handmaid Yulanda beside the chaperone Valaria, House Kilgour has provided her with. The Mist of the Island seems to be deep in thoughts, her moss green eyes are turned towards the flames.

Prince Cayden Aberdeen saunters in to the sauna, flanked by his ever-faithful manservant Bartrem, an older man who generally manages to be make unobtrusiveness an art form. Generally he tends to go without any other guard inside the castle (not so outside, but that's another matter), feeling quite capable of protecting himself. Regardless, he steps into the Salon, pausing immediately inside the door, tilting his head and regarding Emerit with a faint smile on his lips, "Well then…from my sister's description, I would gather you could be none other than the Princess Emerit Moniwid. That fiery hair is hard to mistake, after all." He inclines his head towards her and makes his own introduction, "Prince Cayden Aberdeen, a pleasure." Meanwhile, Bartrem scoots over and pours his Prince a cup of wine, moving back over to offer it to him. Cayden accepts it, but does not drink straightaway.

Emerit's head turns when she notices Cayden's entrance, and for a moment it seems she is a t a loss of who he is. Then she spots that characteristic Aberdeen nose, and she rises from the sofa, not minding her bare feet as she lowers herself into a curtsey. "Prince… Caydan, is it?" she inquires with a polite smile. "And that sister you are referring to, must be Princess Ciarrah Kilgour." Her smile broadens when she sees her assumption being true. "The pleasure is all mine, your highness." The greeting is friendly, yet not too friendly. He is an Aberdeen after all. "So… what brings you to Darfield, Prince Cayden?"

Cayden does return the curtsey with a bow from his waist, then chuckles just a touch dryly, "Probably all the things you would expect, Princess Emerit. Politics…impending war…a desire to see my new little nephews and my much-missed siblings." Cayden's smile is entirely cordial as he gestures back towards the seats, waiting for Emerit to reclaim her restful position before he seats himself. "Perhaps a few other odds and ends." He finally sips from his wine cup, studying Emerit a bit, expression still perfectly congenial, "Your sister, Princess Draventa was among the first people I've met here, but it's always nice to be reminded that you're not alone in being a relative stranger to this court." Cayden makes a dismissive gesture, "The Kilgours have of course been entirely welcoming, but I need only wander into a room without a hearth or open a window to receive a very chilling reminder of just how far from home I am." The tone at the end is laced with a degree of warm, wry humor.

Emerit retakes her seat in the same comfortable manner, pulling her feet up beneath her. The fingers of her right hand move to the snake pendant that hangs from the necklace she wears. A thoughtful smile brushes her young and freckled face at the mention of Draventa. "Yes, it has gotten quite crowded here as of late. Not that this would be a bad thing." His last remark elicits a melodious chuckle from her. "So true, your highness. The climate is harsh indeed."

"Ciarrah assures me the spring and summer are quite beautiful." Cayden laughs a touch, "I just find it a slight bit hard to believe right at the moment, but certainly, I do not doubt her judgment." He sips from the wine cup again, "And in any case, Spring will likely see me off to war. In all truth, my brother is far more the diplomat than I." Cayden doesn't seem to find the thought of war too daunting but he doesn't exactly seem eager for it, either. "I visited Princess Draventa in the infirmary yesterday. I pray for her swift recovery, and was pleased to find her in…well…as high of spirits as could be hoped for in the circumstances."

The talk of war has Emerit's mien cloud for a moment and she shakes her head. "That things need to be resolved in such a violent way… I can hardly understand. But then again, I am but a woman, and war is the realm of men, such as you." She smiles and waves for Yulanda to fetch her some wine as well, seeing that Cayden has already been provided with a cup by his own servant. Her smile fades a touch when Cayden mentions Draventa. "Aye, I hope she does recover. She has a frail constitution, and to think of the pain she has to go through…" Her voice trails off. She herself has been among the first to pay Draventa a visit. "My brother, the Grand Duke, has seen her too, before his departure this early morning.", she adds after a moment.

"The Grand Duke has departed?" Cayden frowns a bit at that, "I see…" He doesn't pry into any reasons, but suffice to say it is a cause for concern to his mind. He seems to mull it over for a few moments before smiling once more, "Perhaps it's all decided in a violent way because we men are simply too bull-headed to do otherwise?" Clearly his tone is in jest, as evidenced by his amused expression before he sips from the winecup again.

A shadow seems to pass over Emerit's mien when Cayden speaks about the Grand Duke's departure. "Urgent… matters required his swift return," she explains. "Although it is not the best season for a ship voyage, is it?" The wine is brought and a sip is taken. Cayden's question brings a smile back to her face, and she chuckles, clearly amused. "You can't expect me to give you an answer to that remark, your highness. I am a woman and do not assume I know enough about you men to justify any judgement I might place on you." She is only sixteen after all. And not inclined to do he needlework which she hands Yulanda now, who stows it away in a straw basket of moderate size.

"No, not the best season for such a journey. My own was far from the easiest I've enjoyed…though thankfully neither was it the most difficult." Cayden notes on the subject of sea voyages. He laughs at Emerit's answer to his rhetorical jest, "And yet clearly you are clever enough to offer that thoroughly proper answer that still somehow manages to be almost ruthless in the efficiency with which it deflects the question." Yes, he's still clearly teasing ever-so-lightly. "Ah well. If the Gods are with us, it will be a short war. Though I wish I were still idealistic enough to truly believe that will be the case."

She had already beamed with delight when delivering her answer, yet Cayden's reply seems to amuse her even more. "There. Caught." She chuckles, her moss green eyes lingering now on him with a new sparkle. "Wit is a quality, I greatly esteem. It is seldom to be found, though, and often mistaken with flattery or courtship." For which Cayden may have been sent here as well as her smirk seems to add. Her hands fold before her now and she tilts her head a little to the side. "You are different, from your brother, Prince Conall, if I may say so, your highness. In a very refreshing way." A compliment, coming from her? The bastard princess must be in a bold mood today.

"Wit is a quality worth having. People are terribly boring to talk to without it." Cayden smiles towards Emerit, though with the mention of his brother, he nods, the smile fading back to something merely polite, "I -am- different from my brother. While I have responsibilities of my own, his own are by far the heavier burden, and I think as with any man, they weigh upon him at times." Cayden sips his wine, "I had the relative luxury of a life and upbringing that was not tied to the Court. I fostered with my Uncle, Prince Lucas Aberdeen, High Admiral of the Royal Navy. Given that I was in fact born aboard ship, my father saw fit that I should be a man of the sea." He adds, "It has, perhaps…exposed me to a wider array of experience than many of an age with me." He adds in an offhanded yet clearly calculated for humorous effect way: "Just not experience with this damnable cold weather."

Her cup is raised once again to her lips, when Emerit returns Cayden's smile. She notices though his change of carrying himself when she mentions Conall, but does not comment on it, merely offering a nod to the Aberdeen's explanation. It is when Cayden mentions the sea, that her demeanour lightens up again. "Oh, seamanship… You must be aware House Moniwid has a great tradition in that area as well. My brother Estevan has the position of High Admiral of our fleet. And it was after all a sea battle, where House Moniwid came to the Kilgours' aid. I've enjoyed every sea voyage so far, as it's in our blood." She smiles, eyes sparkling, and chuckles at his addition about the weather.

"I fully intend to be High Admiral alongside my brother when he wears the Crown of Aberdeen." Cayden replies, finishing off his first cup of wine and setting it aside, where it's quickly refilled by Bartrem. "Yes, your sister mentioned Estevan upon our first meeting. I have resolved that you all should be hosted for a brief voyage upon the Wavedancer…she's the fastest and most maneuverable ship of her size in the Royal Navy, and the centerpiece of the squadron of Sea Rangers that accompanied me here."

"I believe you will," Emerit replies, her moss green gaze flitting to the peandant in her hand - again her fingers cannot keep from playing with this particular piece of jewelry. "I've heard great things about you, if I recall correctly." Her eyes rise again to meet his gaze, and she smiles. Then to the proposed sea voyage, her hands join before her and she lets out a delighted chuckle. "How I would love /that/, your highness. My brother Estevan has actually something similar in mind, so maybe we can repay you for hospitality by inviting you over to Estevan's ship." Its name has slipped her memory at the moment, it seems. Understandable perhaps, when considering her own involvement in negotiations with House Kilgour that require her full attention at the moment.

"Of course it will have to wait until your sister is well enough, but it will be my pleasure." Cayden smiles, "And I would certainly enjoy seeing your brother's ship as well." He takes another swallow of wine, considering a few moments. Any mention of greatness on his part is perhaps not a subject he wishes to discuss, though he doesn't seem uncomfortable with the words, "I would ask how your diplomatic efforts here have been transpiring, but I would imagine given your brother's abrupt departure that may be a topic you'd prefer to avoid."

"Certainly, your highness," Emerit inclines her head. "We wouldn't want to go without Draventa." Her smile is genuine enough. It fades a touch though when Cayden mentions her diplomatic efforts, and a chuckle that lacks amusement leaves her lips. "I assure you, the Grand Duke's departure has nothing to do with those negotiations. He has authorized me to conduct them when he arrived. He trusts in my ability to achieve the best for our island." And maybe he lacks the patience for lengthy diplomatic talks. "So I'd not avoid the subject at all, were it not that I know your House persues other goals perhaps than mine own, calling for a certain amount of discretion. Especially, since nothing has been settled as of yet."

"Ha! I can see why he picked you for the task, then." Cayden shakes his head, looking a bit perplexed, "Oh? Conall hasn't yet explained to me what our efforts here are supposed to accomplish. I for one rather thought the matter had been been settled when Ciarrah married Crown Prince Tyrel." He shrugs, "But perhaps not, so I will not speak further nor press you on it."

"I thank you for respecting my reasons, your highness." Emerit rises again, her tiny feet effortlessly slipping into her elegant shoes while she does so. "But I fear I must retire for my lessons." She is only 16 after all. "My tutor awaits me. It has been a pleasure talking to you. Prince Cayden." A graceful curtsey is offered, with her moss green eyes sparkling again, before Emerit makes her departure from the Salon. And soon Yulanda and Valaria follow her outside.

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