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Post by Dristan de Archer on Mar 11, 2013 18:31:29 GMT -5
Dristan had already made his mind up that he quite liked this woman, and so he grinned at her, and watched her as she spoke. She had an air about her which fascinated Dristan, she wasn’t aware of her beauty, or how enchanting he was, which was refreshing as most noblewomen he had come across in his time were all too aware of that fact. He smiled a little at the thought and the looked up at her again, wondering where to take this conversation now she had declined his offer of a solo dance. He pouted, unable to hide his disappointment, “What about, if we danced together?” He asked, a little radically he admitted, but still, it might even shock her into saying yes, “I could sing the music to you.” That was one of his finer lines, but he felt like this woman would be worth the work, even if they merely became friends. She had a charm about her which Dristan absolutely loved. He smiled, and carried on strumming on his lute; he was playing a gentle melody, and one which he thought she would appreciate. What kind of woman wouldn’t want to be serenaded like this? To Dristan, it didn’t make sense that Rowan should be anything but putty in his hands, but he was enjoying the challenge rather than shying away from it.
He was still strumming on his lute as he considered her words. Dristan couldn’t tear his eyes off Rowan, and that was the best compliment that he could give her. He could be quite a fickle person, and even when he was in the sweetest bed of roses, he would still look for the next flower to grab his attention. However, this was something new to Dristan, and it wasn’t a sensation which he wanted to be rid of either. He smiled sweetly at Rowan, of course he knew of his cousins reputation; she had been quite straight with him. However, he was also right in saying that he only ever saw her nowadays covered in children. She might have been a player in her younger days, but now she was a mother, and a wife, and Dristan wasn’t sure he wanted this reputation of hers continued, especially as the children got older. He would do his best to dispel such rumours, and while he figured that Rowan was merely being flirtatious, and daring, it still got to him a little bit, that this reputation had been forged, and his cousin had to live with that. She made no indication it bothered her, but it bothered him. “Well, perhaps you will see how much runs in the family in time.” He winked and then stopped strumming for a moment, “Though I can safely say my dear cousin has put her reputation behind her for the meantime.” Another pause, “She is a loving mother.” Dristan was fiercely loyal to his family, and Caitrin was his favourite cousin, and he didn’t want any scandal attached to her children, not now and not ever.
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Jan 1, 2013 20:09:49 GMT -5
If there was one thing that Dristan had next to no experience with, it was children. They were a bit too…homely for his liking. Though he had entertained the village children back at his last home, he had done little more than that. He had never got attached to anyone, nor thought to have children of his own. Dristan was not one of those people who settled easily, and as such, he had never thought to. This little girl though was quite sweet, and with redder hair than he could ever remember seeing before on one so young. He smiled at her, and was given a smile in return. Dristan felt like he recognised the features of the girl from somewhere, but he was no doubt mistaken. He had met so many people in his time that he had probably just got confused, and that was it. Dristan couldn’t imagine such a sweet, little girl being much of a handful, but then again he wasn’t a parent and therefore couldn’t really say much on the matter. “Really?” He couldn’t help asking; he was sure that this man would have one or two irritants to get off his chest, given his choice in words.
Ah, so this was supposed to be a bonding activity was it? Dristan creased his brow, what kind of a mother sent her husband and young children to a tavern? Maybe the poor woman had had enough and just wanted some peace; he could imagine that peace and quiet was a rarity in such a household. “Ah, I see.” He grinned a little at the man opposite him, “Well, there aren’t many women who would let their husbands take children to a tavern.” He paused, and then looked up at his new acquaintance, “Unless- she isn’t going to find out about this, is she?” He chuckled, sure that he had hit the nail on the head. He had no interest in stirring things, he was merely amused. It was a good plan; it wasn’t like the children would be able to tell their mother anything was it? They were much too young for speaking, or so it looked like it.
Well, at least he hadn’t been told to leave yet; this was going well wasn’t it. And all this of course was helping him in his quest to go back home and finally face his father. Yes, that was completely going to plan. Oh, they were doing formalities were they? “Oh, if we’re being formal you may call me Dristan de Archer.” He winked, “You might have heard of my father if you live around here? Rouland de Archer?” He doubted that Griff had ever met him, especially with children. He was sure his father was allergic to the younger generations, or just anyone that wasn’t him, or his wine. He grinned as the little girl wandered over to him. Dristan, quite instinctively, picked her up and placed her on the seat next to him, hoping he hadn’t overstepped the mark with the father. He was just doing what he thought she wanted, “You are a curious little girl aren’t you?” She didn’t answer him of course, she just stared up at him. “So what are they all called then?”
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Nov 5, 2012 18:52:09 GMT -5
Dristan never let his standards drop, especially not in front of a Lady of this kind of standing. He grinned at her; it was an easy grin, and one that was never far from his lips. This was how Dristan liked it, he liked to see women, and people in general like this. He would turn up out of the blue, as he always did, lighten their mood with some of his charms and some of his songs, and then leave as quickly as he arrived, knowing he had only had smiles and no frowns. Dristan was a social creature, but he didn’t like to deal with the other side of life, so much so he tried to avoid it, and focussed on the positives but never the negatives. His nobility was never really brought into conversation, but Dristan couldn’t exactly lie could he? So he nodded and grinned, “I am indeed my lady, my family is from Camelot.” His accent might not have given him away, so he felt it necessary to give her that little gem of information as well.
Dristan nodded, he knew Mercia incredibly well, his father was a Mercian who had married a Camelotian noblewoman. He grinned, Mercia was not a kingdom that he had been in for many years; he remembered his younger cousin, with her flowing red hair, and how she had begged him to stay with her when the time came for him to leave. Those were simpler times, “Part of my family is from Mercia.” He said with a short inclination of his head. He grinned a little, as this was incredibly warm for northern Albion. He bowed at her as she introduced herself, “It is a pleasure to meet you my Lady, my name is Lord Dristan de Archer, and I am at your service.”
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Oct 12, 2012 18:27:54 GMT -5
Dristan was quite enjoying the roar of the crowd as ballad after ballad reamed off his tongue. It was quite simple to play half of the folk tunes in Caerleon’s kingdom, and Thomas had taught him a few of the more simple rhymes that were well known in these parts. He knew the ballads from Camelot of course, but those either weren’t popular here or they weren’t known at all. It wasn’t exactly helpful when Dristan was trying to rouse a crowd into song. He had gone for simple tavern tunes tonight, just to cheer the drunken crowd. Some had even pressed coins into his palms, and Dristan was incredibly grateful. Most of the money he gained went to Grace and Thomas anyway, as they had given him a home when he had left Camelot.
He had expected the young man to greet him with enthusiasm that only a musician could own to. Dristan’s expression didn’t change, but he felt a wave of relief when the man gave him a smile. It would have been incredibly embarrassing to be stood up. Dristan stepped back, and allowed a little applause for his new guest, which the drunken rabble obliged with. He strung a few notes on his lute, as the man didn’t give him a suggestion. Dristan hummed for a moment, before starting to pluck the first few chords of a tavern favourite, all about a jilted lover finding comfort in the arms of another. There were a few faces that lit up at the familiar tune, “Do you know this one?” Dristan asked, sure that the violin and lute would compliment each other. They were different instruments, yes, but still, they would work miracles together.
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Oct 12, 2012 17:50:21 GMT -5
There was nothing quite as satisfying as the sensation of a freshly strung lute. The instrument sung to him at the best of times, but when it was fresh, and new it was even more beautiful. There was an air of potential about the instrument, and Dristan was sure that it’s actual owner would fulfil its needs. He grinned to himself, he would never voice most of these thoughts of course. Most, if not everyone, would think he was completely mental if he started talking about the personality of lutes and how their needs should be fulfilled. It was a little thing that Dristan kept to himself, but he felt quite emotionally attached to his lute. After all, it had been his only companion throughout the years, well his only constant companion. People came and went, he had moved kingdoms, yet it had always just been him and his lute throughout. Hmm, he had never really thought about it like that before. Dristan smiled to himself, wondering what his dear old father would think when he turned back up at the estate still armed with the lute. His father had never really much cared for the instrument, it had been his mother who had given him the one he now played. It reminded him of her sometimes, with its strength and beauty. He had only been young when she had died, and though he still missed her, he preferred to look back on their time with a smile on his face rather than by drowning his sorrows in an ale.
The look of astonishment on the young woman’s face as he handed it back to her was quite touching. Performers, in Dristan’s experience, could be of one of two minds. Either they were genuine kind hearted folk, or they were proud, cocky people who were so full of their own self importance that they couldn’t see past anything other than themselves. Dristan was happy that this lady appeared to be in the former group. He followed her gaze to the performer that was now enchanting the room, and gave a soft smile. He had never come across a troop before that seemed to appear so much like a family, and it came across despite the fact he barely knew them. Turning his attentions back to her lute, he wondered if he should have tuned it, but then, signers always had different preferences, so that was better off done with a personal touch by the owner. Dristan would hardly like to take over.
Dristan placed his own lute on the table in front of him, deciding not to put it in its case just yet. “Robyn, what a pretty name.” He said with a soft smile, “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well my Lady.” Dristan didn’t really care if she was of noble blood, she deserved to be treated as such so she could correct him if she wanted to, until then he would treat her like he would treat any lady at court. He chuckled a little as Robyn told him of her little nicknames, “Should I fear your tongue?” He asked with more than an amused smile, wondering what had earned this nickname. Dristan had a feeling he was going to enjoy Robyn’s company.
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Sept 13, 2012 11:54:00 GMT -5
Dristan was rather glad that the topic of his family had been swiftly dropped by Iwan. He would defiantly be having some form of family meeting when he got in, or rather in the morning. He wanted to know exactly what he had missed out on while they had all been in Camelot annoying the other noble families while he had been off in Caerleon’s kingdom; he especially wanted to hear Caitrin’s take on things, and what she had been up to. She had clearly upset Iwan, and Lady Roslyn wasn’t jumping to her defence so there was probably no love lost between the pair either. Though he hated to think it, he couldn’t possibly imagine how this situation could actually get any worse. He pressed his lips together, wondering whether it would have been better if he had just run off as soon as Iwan had started speaking to him. Then again if he had said anything to Rowan about a lute playing man wandering about in the middle of the night she would probably know it was him and that wouldn’t have earned him any favours either.
He was still playing the lute of course, but that was more out of habit than him actually concentrating on any particular tune or melody. However, he was impressing himself with the fact that the tune he was producing was actually quite good. He’d have to write it down, not now obviously, but at some point in the future. Dristan felt quite hopeful when Iwan said that his sister would probably enjoy the melody, though the tone that the words were delivered in didn’t allow him too much hope. Dristan didn’t enjoy being patronised, especially by a man who was very obviously already looking down on him because of his family name. Sure, he had woken him up in the middle of the night with the intent of actually charming his sister, but really, it could be worse. “I think you’ll find Lady Rowan likes my music no matter what the time of day is.” He defended quickly, though he was leaving a lot to rest on the hope that Rowan was going to back him up with his viewpoint. Dristan knew that she enjoyed his music, so hopefully she would be the one person to actually defend him. If not then this would all be quite embarrassing.
Dristan sighed, this wasn’t getting him anywhere, and though he didn’t want to be annoyed by Iwan’s behaviour, as a lot of it was understandable, he felt like he was being lectured and that was starting to grind at his nerves. He had been nothing but truthful, and he hadn’t tried to hide anything, so that should have helped him. If the roles had been reversed, and someone had woken up Dristan’s family in this kind of way then they would have laughed at him, and pushed him outside rather than lecturing the woman trying to charm him. Actually, that was a ridiculous idea. He frowned at his own thoughts, and decided that he needed to actually concentrate for more than two minutes at a time on the situation at hand. “I’ll still be here in the morning then, do you want the music to be a little more soothing if you’re going back to bed?” He grinned, no doubt Iwan had already made his mind up about him, so he wasn’t going to pander to him now anyway.
He continued to play his lute of course, and he strummed it a little louder just to irritate Iwan a little, and he stepped back so he could get a better look at the balcony. His eyes were quite adjusted to the darkness now, so he could make out Sir Iwan and Lady Roslyn, and he was put out to see neither of them were looking down at him anymore, they were looking back into the house. Frowning, Dristan quietened his playing, and became aware that there was another voice being thrown into the mix. He smiled, hoping that this was a case of being third time lucky, “Is someone else up there?” He called hopefully and began to play the tune he had played for Rowan the first time he had met her.
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Sept 12, 2012 19:35:20 GMT -5
Dristan was rather glad that he was faced with a beautiful woman, rather than a common thief or an insane man. He had experiences with both of the latter unfortunately. Given Dristan’s current nomadic lifestyle, he found that he attracted people from all walks of life, mainly unintentionally. He had never willingly attracted someone who was insane, or a thief, in his entire life. Dristan continued to play his lute as he smiled at the woman in question, she was certainly dressed in the finest garments that Dristan had laid his eyes on for quite some time. Somehow though, he didn’t really envy her dress. He had gone without finery for so long it felt like a luxury for him, and one he would probably go back to when he took up residence within Camelot again. Dristan still had the noble pride engrained onto him. All he had done was adapt, and make do with what he had. Living in what he could afford had seemed so much better than crawling back home with his tail between his legs for such a long time that it had become part of Dristan’s nature.
A princess was she? That explained the finery then didn’t it? Dristan bowed again to her, “Apologies, I did not realise I had the privilege of addressing a princess.” There was no arguing that the woman was quite beautiful, and Dristan would be a fool to think or say otherwise. His fingers began to pluck at his lute, but he broke off the melody as he pondered what he needed to know; where he was would probably be a great place to start really, as he was basically clueless. He had lost track of where he was somewhere on the roads around Mercia. “I am a little lost I’m afraid; would you be able to tell me where I am exactly?” He asked with a hopeful grin on his face; if she were the princess then no doubt she would be versed in geography or something as equally as helpful.
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Sept 11, 2012 19:10:55 GMT -5
Dristan was trying to think how to salvage this situation, and his brain was really giving him nothing. He was going to try nonetheless, as it wasn’t in Dristan’s nature to just give up. However, he had already made up his mind to have serious words with his cousin when he got home. She had told him about her reputation, but now he wanted details. If she was going to be dragged into every conversation then he had a right to know why. He didn’t want all the details of course, he just wanted to know who she had annoyed, and if he could avoid them. “I’m sure that whatever she did, she didn’t mean it.” That was completely the wrong thing to say, but unfortunately he couldn’t unsay it, so he had to just run with it. His hands plucked at the strings of his lute, trying to think of something to say, “She’s not as bad as she was, she has a husband and a children now. The children are really quite nice. They don’t speak much...” Well they were babies, so of course they didn’t speak. Why was he even bringing this up? This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Dristan fell silent and just began to fiddle with the strings of the lute, the melody which was coming out of the instrument wasn’t his best, but he was slightly stressed so this was as good as it was going to get.
Really, Dristan was hoping that the fact he had said that all he was interested in was playing Rowan a song would be in his favour. That was obviously not the case. What else did Dristan have to do to prove that all he really wanted to do was to play Rowan a song? Yes of course he wanted to do other things as well, but in time, he wasn’t like his cousin in that respect, no Dristan had patience. He’d probably have an easier time of proving this to Iwan as he would at making his lute physically talk to him. All he had really wanted to was to play Rowan a song, and to make her smile, instead he’d just created a massive disastrous situation, and he felt like a complete fool. “She enjoyed the other songs I played for her.” Dristan protested; he knew Rowan would enjoy his music, as she had done before, “I know she will enjoy this one.” He said a little more forcefully, he might be a bag of nerves, but underneath it all there was still that confidence which told him that he was right in his argument, and that Rowan would appreciate the melody he had in mind for her. He just had to be allowed the chance to prove it.
Sir Iwan was it? A knight, how great was that? Dristan’s father had wanted him to be a knight once, long ago. He’d done all the sword fighting, and archery, and of course he still kept practising, but he preferred his lute so much more. Unfortunately they didn’t bestow knighthoods for excellent finger work on the lute, so he remained a simple Lord, but a Lord nonetheless. Though the years away in Caerleon’s kingdom had dampened his pride somewhat, as he had been working like a peasant for most of his time, he still had that bite of noble pride, and so a part of him was starting to get annoyed by Iwan’s attitude. True, he had woke him up in the middle of the night whilst trying to serenade his sister, but it was hardly a reason for him to be so rude about it all. He honestly was just trying to play his melody, that was it. He was getting annoyed at the fact Iwan seemed to be basing him off his cousins behaviour. No matter what Caitrin had done with her life it was her life, and not Dristan’s. For Jesu’s sake, he had only known her for a month or so, so they could hardly be compared, as if they were the same person. He was about to answer when the Lady who he had spotted first of all stepped forwards and spoke; she defiantly wasn’t Rowan then. “It is nice to meet you Sir Iwan, and Lady Roslyn.” He bowed, though it hardly mattered; they couldn’t see either way. “I will be on my way, rest assured, just as soon as I’ve played this melody for Rowan.”
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Sept 10, 2012 17:54:30 GMT -5
Dristan was now strumming away on his lute out of nerves rather than anything else. He was now more worried that this was going to end in physical injury. It surely should be easier than this to charm a woman? Then again, there were probably better ways to meet the family of the woman who you were trying to charm than waking them up in the middle of the night with music they were probably only marginally enjoying at best. Dristan was still strumming away on his lute, though the tune was getting a lot slower and more drawn out. Each note seemed to last longer, but Dristan supposed that was more owed to the awkward silences that followed the notes rather than the music itself. The lute probably wasn’t helping matters, but they were already awake now so there was no harm in carrying on was there? He tried to smile up at the couple up on the balcony, he was now certain that it wasn’t Rowan up there with the man who currently probably wasn’t that impressed with him. She surely would have said something? She wasn’t the type to just sit back and let things happen around her, Dristan was sure of that.
He was quite disappointed in a way that he hadn’t been mentioned to the lady in questions family, but then again, it wasn’t as if they were engaged or anything near that. He had only played her a few things on his lute, it was hardly cause for alarm on anyone’s account, but Dristan was hoping for something more. It might be a fools hope, but he certainly didn’t want it to be. It was really only Caitrin who knew about Rowan, and probably Griff by default now. Dristan was going to make a point of only telling his father the bare minimum. He would only be included in his life where Dristan saw fit; he was a man now, and he made his own decisions. He plucked a chord on the lute as Iwan mentioned dealing with his family. Great. Perhaps charming women would be easier if he had a more normal family who stuck to conventions. Then again, Dristan was the one out here in the middle of the night with a lute in the pursuit of a woman. Hmm. The man’s tone was not hard to miss, “I’m sure my family did not mean to cause offence.” He grinned, though no one would be able to see that, “We are an eccentric lot, we de Archers.” Dristan was not a subtle person at the best of times, and he wanted to know which of his family he would be grilling in the morning about upsetting this man, “Who exactly have you had ‘dealings’ with my Lord?” He threw in a bit of formality for the effect, but he doubted that anything he could do or say now would be well received.
Somehow Dristan had known it wasn’t going to be as simple as just being pointed in the right direction by this man. He guessed this was one of Rowan’s brothers. He began to play a gentler tune on his lute; his hands working of their own accord as his eyes fixed on the balcony above him. He was still holding out that something had to go his way tonight, though that probably wouldn’t happen. No doubt Rowan would think he was an idiot for getting the window’s mixed up as well, and then he would get the ridicule from home on top of all of that... Dristan cocked his head to the side and looked up at the man, “I have a song to play for her, I thought she might appreciate it.” His tone was quite soft, but inside he felt like an idiot; he should have waited until morning, even if it had meant calling upon the house, “Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to? It would be nice to put a name to a...” Well he couldn’t say face as he couldn’t see his face, “A voice.”
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Sept 10, 2012 16:08:40 GMT -5
As Dristan continued to strum on his lute, his confidence began to grow. He had already worried this whole idea to death, so the fact that he hadn’t been attacked yet meant that it was only going well. Dristan had half expected not to make it here in the first place, so the fact he was now here, and below Rowan’s window meant that it was all going his way. He was sure Rowan would love this; she had enjoyed the tunes he had played for her so far. Dristan kept looking up towards the balcony, hoping to get some reaction. From what he knew of Rowan so far, she wouldn’t stay quiet for long. He began to stride a little, changing from foot to foot as he continued to strum loudly on his lute. Rowan’s family was far from Dristan’s mind; he was too busy concentrating on the tune he was currently playing. He really should have done this during the day, as at the moment he felt like he was playing to a brick wall. He couldn’t even see the reaction on Rowan’s face; he could picture the smile that she had worn for him the other day. Perhaps he could convince her to come down off the balcony after a while; there was less risk of waking up her entire family that way.
He still wasn’t getting anything, so Dristan walked backwards to see if he could make out Rowan on the balcony. It was too dark for him to make out a face, but the thing which worried Dristan was that there wasn’t one figure out on the balcony; there were two. Dristan felt quite numb for a moment, but his fingers carried on plucking away at the strings, watching the pair on the balcony. As his eyes adjusted he wasn’t sure whether Rowan was on the balcony or not. Dristan pressed his lips together and panicked slightly. If this wasn’t Rowan, then he might be at the wrong manor after all. This wasn’t exactly going to plan, but his fingers were still moving across the lute in a gentle manner.
Dristan wasn’t surprised that the man sounded angry, after all, he was sure that he would be annoyed if someone was playing the lute quite loudly outside his window. Well, he’d be quite excited that someone had an interest in the instrument he loved so much. He’d only be annoyed if they were playing the lute incredibly badly. “Ah yes, sorry I appear to have woken you, it wasn’t my intention I assure you.” So he was rambling, this wasn’t really the right way to go with this was it? “I’m Dristan de Archer, you may have heard of me.” Again this wasn’t really helping; his cousin and father didn’t appear to have done much for the reputation of their family in his absence, “I thought this was Rowan’s window, my deepest apologies.” He was still playing the lute, “If you could just point me in the direction of the right window I’ll be on my way...”
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Sept 10, 2012 12:59:59 GMT -5
Dristan wasn’t quite sure what he was doing, but he had come too far to turn back now and that was that. This had seemed like such a good idea at the time, and he supposed it still was, but he had spent rather a lot of time getting lost in the dark. He had never really been to the d’Auber estate; he had begrudgingly asked his cousin for directions. She’d only given him directions of course when she had been completely satisfied that she knew what he was up to. He’d told her of course, Caitrin had a way of knowing when he was lying, probably because all in all Dristan wasn’t an incredibly good liar. She’d wished him luck in-between giving him looks, and so he had followed her directions to the word. Well, he’d forgotten bits an ended up improvising so it had taken him a bit longer than it should have done. It would have been easier of course if he had made at least a bit of this journey in day light, but he’d still been deciding whether this would be a good idea at sundown. In truth he had only made such a point of coming now because Caitrin knew, and he’d feel like an idiot if he’d made all the fuss about directions for nothing. Actually, that was a lie, he just wanted to see Rowan again, and he could pretend otherwise, and blame everyone else, but that was the complete truth of the matter.
He was, intrigued by Rowan in a way, she was like a breath of fresh air, and she was the only woman that had really made an impression on him in a long time. She was far from the only thing that had occupied his thoughts since coming back to Camelot, but she was the only woman who had occupied his thoughts in that manner. He kept on having to push thoughts of Melodie out of his mind, because this wasn’t about her anymore, this was about discovering more about Rowan, and trying to make her happy in the meantime. She did have the most beautiful smile. There was the worry of course at the back of his mind that this was one sided, and that he had misread her completely. Dristan was usually quite good at reading people, but he didn’t want to assume anything with Rowan; she was far too unconventional for that.
He really hoped this was the right manor, and this wasn’t Caitrin’s idea of a sick and twisted joke. The last thing he needed was to be waking up noble families across the kingdom while he searched for the d’Auber household, given how he was going to be waking them up. He had his lute on his back, and taking a deep breath he took it out of its case and took it in one hand. Dristan then walked around the manor slowly, taking a care not to be seen. Right, this would work so much better if he knew which window Rowan would be behind. Gulping, he decided to go out on a whim, and took a rock in his hands and hurled it towards the nearest balcony. After a few moments he threw another rock, deciding that if this didn’t work then he would move on and try the next one. However, this time the balcony door opened, and though Dristan could barely make out the figure, he was sure it was a woman. He knew Rowan only had brothers, so he felt quite confident. Dristan began to strum on his lute, the same tune he had first played for her, and felt a smile forming on his lips; she would know it was him, he was sure she could. Tagged: Rowan d’Auber, Iwan d’Auber, Roslyn d’Auber Timeline: Series 4-5 gap Location: The d’Auber estate Time of Day: Late Evening[/color][/size]
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Sept 9, 2012 19:43:36 GMT -5
Dristan could not recall knowing Rowan, or even seeing her before he had moved away from Camelot all those years ago. However, thinking on it, he hadn’t had eyes for any woman past Melodie. He paused and pressed his lips together, he didn’t really want his thoughts to stray to her; he’d come to the conclusion that he had to move on years ago, and this wasn’t the time or the place to be thinking of her. Since coming back he had been pushing thoughts of her to the back of his mind, in the hope that they would be totally ignored altogether. He hadn’t come back to Camelot to pine like a lovesick puppy, he had come back because this was his home, and he had wanted to be reconciled with it. All in all, that was going quite well at the moment. He looked down at the daisy chain that was now around his neck, it was hardly manly to say the least, and he grinned down at it. He would hardly be wearing it to all the feasts in Camelot, but it was a...nice thing for now. Dristan had never card much for flowers, but he managed a smile for Rowan and her odd creation, “I’m glad you think so, my Lady.” He gave her a gentle smile, careful not to overdo it.
A tune she could dance to? That was well within Dristan’s capabilities; he had been hoping that she would pick a cheerful theme. Over the years he had done many requests for many different people; women often thought it was romantic for him to play tragedies or lullabies that brought tears to their eyes. Dristan never really understood that, he would rather play music that made people happy rather than weep. He began to play a few notes; trying to decide exactly what song he should play. Something folky, and happy was defiantly on the cards; he was sure she would enjoy that. He quickly strummed through a few seconds of music; it was quite a quick jig, “Something like that?” Dristan was grinning; music was something that came easily to him and it always had. His eyes watched for her reaction, waiting to see if she did like it, he could come up with another tune of course if she didn’t; that was easy enough for him. “Will you grace me with your dancing to accompany my music, my Lady?” He asked with a wild grin, hoping he hadn’t overstepped the mark too much. Rowan seemed quite bold to him, so perhaps she would like to show off her dancing; not that he was going to deny the opportunity to see her figure in action would be a bad thing at all.
Dristan really didn’t have any clue what Rowan was going on in relation to his cousin, Caitrin. He hadn’t really known her that long, but he couldn’t think of anything that would point towards a reputation. Then again, whenever he had seen her she had one child, or two, in her arms, or she had Griff at her beck and call. Dristan hadn’t worked out their relationship just yet, mostly it seemed to be Caitrin declaring things, and Griff just going along with them. They seemed happy enough, but of course there was a small manner of discontent between them all. He knew that the manor had been Caitrin’s home for years now, but it was his inheritance, and not hers, as black and white as that sounded. He would never throw his family out on the street of course; Dristan would never turn away his own family; it hadn’t even been considered. “I really don’t know what you mean my Lady.” He gave a short laugh and held up his hands to profess his innocence, “I am only recently returned to Camelot, and I have only seen my cousin either covered with children or exhausted because of the former.” He inclined his head a little towards Rowan, “But please, enlighten me.” Dristan would be getting the whole story from his cousin later of course, but it wouldn’t hurt to try to probe Rowan for all it was worth. She had brought it up after all.
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Aug 30, 2012 19:11:04 GMT -5
Dristan was considering just swallowing his pride and asking someone where he was. After all, he was obviously somewhere important as they had a castle. Groaning as he plucked furiously at his lute, he wished he had paid more attention in his lessons. Music and history lessons had been the only ones to interest Dristan as a child, lessons like learning how to manage an estate, writing and geography had been on his list of hated subjects. Now, however, he was starting to see the importance of having some geographical bearing, as he really was at a loss to where he was. He couldn’t remember what was to the north and west of Mercia. Urgh. He didn’t have family up there, which was probably why he hadn’t heard much about it. The majority of his childhood had been coloured with visits to Mercia, and when they weren’t visiting, his father had constantly complained about it. Having visited the kingdom as a young man, Dristan could see the appeal, but he had visited in the summer, and apparently the Mercian winters were incredibly harsh.
He continued to pluck notes on his lute, he wasn’t even sure what melody he was playing, he just knew that he was enjoying it and that he would probably be playing this tune again. It was a soothing little piece, and made him feel more at ease. For those few moments he could forget that he needed to go back to Camelot soon, and that he would have to face up to his father eventually. There was no escaping that really; he would have to see Payton de Archer, and make his peace, then he could move on one way or the other. As he continued to play, he heard footsteps behind him. Dristan was not easily startled, so he spun on his heels to face the person with a grin on his lips. The steps had not been that hard on his ears, so he had guessed it would be a lady, or a child; hence his ease. “Good day to you my Lady.” Dristan said, his fingers still strumming his instrument, “Are you in need of any assistance?”
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Aug 30, 2012 18:58:03 GMT -5
Dristan had been worried, for an awful moment, that the woman in front of him was going to refuse his offer. After all, they were performers weren’t they? It could have been part of their act, and Dristan could have just barged in and ruined everything. He was almost urging her on to take his lute for that last song with his eyes, if anything to make him feel like he wasn’t intruding, and that he was just doing a good deed. The weight he had placed on his chest lifted straight away when she took the lute from his fingers, exchanging it for hers. Dristan slipped off into the background as quickly as he had slipped from it, and watched as the young lady in question began to explain away the lute, and complimenting its beauty. Without wanting to sound big headed, Dristan knew that his lute was far more exquisite and beautiful than the one he now held in his hands. Even with all its strings intact, it wasn’t as graceful as his instrument, but then, it had cost his mother enough when she had gifted it to him. His lute was old, yes, but it was in near pristine condition as he had kept it that way.
He found himself a table at the back of the room, so he could still hear the music but so that he could work undisturbed. Opening up his lute case, he searched the pockets for the strings and the little iron instrument that allowed him to pull and cut the string where it needed it. He got to work restringing the lute almost straight away; it was almost second nature to him now. Dristan wasn’t really doing it for any other particular reason than he hated to see a broken lute, and he did want his own back regardless. The singing was still going on while he worked, restringing lutes took years of practice to do with this much ease; he was confident that he wasn’t going to wreck the instrument, or have the string recoil and bite into his hand. Both were possible, but this was Dristan, so neither was going to happen obviously.
After some tweaking and prodding and pulling with the string and the lute, it was fixed excepting tuning. Dristan joined in the applause as the troop finished their song, though he was too engrossed in trying to retune the lute to notice the woman who he had leant the lute to in the first place coming over, probably with the intent of swapping lutes once more. Dristan grinned at her and took his lute as he was handed it, and placed it back in its case before picking hers up again. “It’s no problem, I wanted to hear the end of your fine song after all.” He flashed her an easy grin and gestured for her to sit down, “I restrung your lute, I hope you don’t mind, I just have a soft spot for musical instruments.” He winked at her and continued to fiddle with the tunings until he was satisfied, and handed the lute back to its owner, “Good as new.” He declared with a satisfied smile, “My name is Dristan by the way, what may I call you?”
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Aug 30, 2012 18:41:35 GMT -5
Dristan had finished most of his chores back at Thomas and Grace’s estate. Today he had been selling some of the produce that Thomas had been buying in recently. The spices that he had imported from beyond the sea had proven a hit with the locals. Thomas himself had been too ill to go to market today, so Dristan had been picking up the slack for him; he had even bought them a pie home to have for their dinner that evening. Dristan did enjoy staying with his Aunt and Uncle, it did truly feel like his home away from home. It felt strange that the coins in his pockets were earned by his own hard work. Back home his father’s pockets had just been lined by his workers efforts, rather than his own. It was all too easy to criticise that way of life, but it had been all Dristan had known, and he would probably ease back into that way of life again when he went back home. He was a noble after all.
Now though, having finished his jobs, and with a belly full of pie, Dristan had set off to the local tavern with his lute slung across his back. He was a well known face now in the tavern, given that he had been playing here for quite a few years now. The innkeeper nodded to him as he entered and gestured towards the back of the tavern, which had a raised platform where Dristan usually played. First of all though, he needed an ale to warm his vocal chords. He never really sung, aside from when he was doing chants, so he only needed his fingers to work really. It didn’t take him long to drain the tankard and when he was done he took his lute out of its case and headed to his usual spot. Dristan was quite happy with his little lot at the moment, and he didn’t want to change anything.
Dristan had song after song shouted at him, and he struggled to hear some of the requests. Eventually he settled on an old song that his mother had taught him, some bits were in a different language, apparently one that was spoken by the highlanders. Dristan only sung a little, and very badly, not that his audience seemed to mind though. He began to have a little banter with the crowd, who on the whole were quite merry, until he spotted a young lad he had not seen before with a violin strapped across his back. Whistling to him, Dristan gestured to him, “Fancy a duet?” He shouted over the roar of the tavern drinkers.
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Aug 28, 2012 19:03:00 GMT -5
Dristan wasn’t disappointed by the woman in front of him in any sense of the word. He had hardly expected her to turn round to him and deny to give him a daisy chain. If anything, he had been expecting her to either be embarrassed, or to just get on with what she had started. All things considered, he was glad that she was of the latter school of thought. Dristan had met enough women who were only capable of blushing in his time. It was sweet, yes, and showed naivety, and so forth, but what could he really do with a blushing woman, except make the blushing worse? Women who gave him things to work with were much more interesting, and were worth his time. Dristan just watched as she put the daisy chain around his neck, and lowered his head a little for her to compensate the height difference. All in all, he had been expecting payment before the product was delivered, but this woman was clearly relying on his good nature. Well, the joke would have been on her if he had chosen to run off with the daisy chain, without having given her anything. That would have shown her... or made him look utterly ridiculous. What kind of sick man stole a daisy chain? He gave a dramatic bow to her, “To honour your craftsmanship I will allow you to pick the song, or at least to give me a theme.” He grinned a little at her, determined to be as silly about this as she was being.
Well, there was a first for everything, and this was certainly the first time that Dristan had ever been threatened because of his family name. Then again, he had only just started using the name again, when he had been on the road it had sometimes been better if his nobility status had been hidden. He furrowed his eyes at the woman, sure that he was missing something. ‘de Archer’ funny business could mean anything really, after all, he had been away for years, Jesu knows what his cousin and father could have got up to in that time. He decided to deal with this one bit at a time though, as he was sure that this was going to be amusing one way or another. “Yes, Lady Caitrin is my younger cousin.” He then inclined his head to Rowan, “It is a pleasure to meet you Lady Rowan.” Right, well that was the formalities done with, so he sat down on the grass and began to tune his lute, if he was going to play her a song he wanted it to be pitch perfect. Dristan was very particular about these things, “I hope playing you a song does not class as ‘de Archer funny business’.” He said, with a grin, continuing to tune the lute, “As I am at quite a loss to what you mean by the term, my Lady.” He held his hands up, lute in one so it looked like a rather awkward gesture, but he was trying to profess his innocence, so that would have to do.
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Aug 26, 2012 18:37:53 GMT -5
Music guided Dristan onwards as he continued to strum on his lute, heading in no particular direction. He had forgotten how beautiful the gardens were, of course they had changed quite a lot since he was last here. He had just been a young man then, and though he still took no particular interest in flowers, he could safely say the gardeners here were doing a good job. There was no denying the view was one that most would kill for. The garden back at the estate was haphazard at best, it was small, and mostly housed his cousin’s little herb garden now, and it would probably be somewhere that she let her children run wild in when they were old enough. It was quiet here as well, in the marketplace there was always the hustle and bustle of the general public, and when you whipped an instrument out you were often accused of begging, so you were moved on anyway. Here, Dristan could strum a chord, and not worry about being attacked, ran into or have someone try to buy his lute. That had happened many times before.
He had not expected to be spending time so idly upon his return to Camelot. Throughout his time in Caerleon’s kingdom, Dristan had often forced himself to look back at Camelot with distaste, so he would not be tempted to return. It wasn’t the case though; now he was home he realised just how much he had missed it. He felt like he vaguely knew the woman that he had come across in the gardens, she was certainly beautiful enough and that left Dristan wondering whether she had a lover, or such, that she was waiting for here in the gardens. Dristan had been in too many situations like this before, women had often sought compliments and to be wooed by him, the only problems that had arisen was when their jealous lover had turned up, and of course Dristan always got the blame.
Dristan couldn’t quite place where he knew the Lady from. She was clearly Camelotian, her accent gave her away. Jesu, given he lived in a house with two Mercians, and a Gloch-Gloucha, wherever the hell Griff was from, Dristan felt like he was deprived of hearing a good Camelotian accent from time to time. No doubt the children would inherit a hybrid accent, or follow Dristan with his Camelotian accent; anything was possible. He couldn’t say that he had felt like a daisy chain was what was needed to brighten his day, but he decided to humour the woman a little, “Ah, but what would the price of such a rare piece be?” He asked with a mock serious tone, “And forgive me my Lady, I should have introduced myself, I am Lord Dristan de Archer, what may I call you?”
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Aug 26, 2012 17:49:47 GMT -5
Well, he had left Caerleon’s kingdom, he just hadn’t ended up in the right place yet. Dristan could say that he was lost of course, he had kind of meant to end up here. Then again, he wasn’t quite sure where here was. He was sure it was Archelandi, but he could never be too sure. Geography had never been his strong point. Dristan had been walking with the intent of finding Mercia before he returned to Camelot; he had been to Mercia before but he hadn’t found any of his extended family. Well that was a lie, he had found them, he just hadn’t made himself known at the time. They weren’t the friendliest of people, to say the least. Dristan only had vague memories of his family in Mercia, his father had only taken him to visit once and that was on the occasion of his eldest cousins marriage. The only thing Dristan could recall from the trip was his youngest cousin, the one with the red hair, and how his Uncle had treated her. His father had told him not to talk about it, or ask his Uncle about it because apparently that would have upset him. Dristan hadn’t really given it much thought; his father had often spoken of sending for one of his cousins to keep Dristan company, but it had never happened. He hadn’t seen his little wild red haired cousin on his last trip to Mercia; he had no idea where to look, and he wasn’t really that bothered, but he was a curious being by nature.
He was not, however, in Mercia, he was somewhere to the north and west of there, he assumed. He was going to go south to Camelot after he saw what he wanted to see here. He was going back to Camelot, that much was certain. Dristan couldn’t run away from his past anymore. He didn’t have anywhere to go now that Thomas had died, and he would soon run out of money. Dristan had been playing at a few taverns along the way, and earning a pretty penny for doing so, but it couldn’t last and he knew that. Soon he would have to go home, and face up to his father. It wasn’t going to be a pretty moment, but Dristan was a man now, and he had to start living up to that fact.
Today it was a beautiful day, and Dristan had found himself the nearest castle. He had rooms down in the tavern already, but he had wanted to make the most of his day, and had so taken himself up to the castle to explore the gardens. All good castles had gardens that couldn’t be rivalled within the kingdom, and he had been correct as usual. Strumming away on his lute, Dristan began to hum an old lullaby he’d picked up from one of the villagers back in Camelot in his youth. It was a beautiful day, and Dristan was going to make the most of it.
Tagged: Princess Arabis Timeline: Around the series 4 finale Time of Day: Morning Location: Kingdom of Archelandi[/size]
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Aug 26, 2012 15:09:23 GMT -5
Some layouts for Dristan, Cait & Roslyn ^_^ I've been throwing colour at these, so they are mainly experiments
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Post by Dristan de Archer on Aug 25, 2012 11:29:24 GMT -5
Dristan was already on his second ale by the time that the entertainment had arrived. His lute was now strung across his back again, he had been plucking at an old tune for an elderly man who had requested the best song that Dristan knew. Of course, as a performer, Dristan knew better than to pick his own favourite, so instead he had picked an old folk tune, passed down from generation to generation. It had brought a smile to his face, and that was all Dristan had been hoping for. The man had slipped him a gold coin and set off from the tavern, leaving Dristan on his own with nothing but his newly bought ale. It was a hard life sometimes. Dristan sunk his lips into his ale, and took a few gentle sips, He couldn’t afford to get drunk tonight, well, he could in the monetary sense, but he was actually going to try to leave here tomorrow and move on. He had made up his mind about it now, though he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to go straight back to Camelot. He’d heard Mercia was nice this time of year.
Another sip of ale passed his lips, and he sighed out softly, watching as the musicians got up on stage. Dristan noticed that the woman who was lining up to sing was carrying a lute; not as extravagant as his of course, but you would have to search high and low for a finer instrument. In Dristan’s opinion only of course. Taking in the last of his ale, he decided that he wanted a better look at this. He had seen troops like this all over Caerleon’s kingdom, but this one was probably the most professional looking. The others looked half drunk before they even got up on stage. The young lady holding the lute was certainly a beauty to behold, with long blonde hair and a beautiful gown. Dristan had always had a soft spot for blondes.
He stood up and walked to the side of the tavern, so he could observe from the shadows in the corner of the room. He wasn’t that far away from the singing and suchlike, and his eyes watched the woman’s fingers darting across her lute with a talent that could only be matched by his own. He began to tap his foot, and grinned to himself, half wishing he was up on the stage himself. That was until disaster struck of course. The string of her lute snapped and Dristan watched it happening, as if it were in slow motion. He blinked a few times and then looked round at the awaiting audience. Without a second thought, he pulled his lute out of his case and walked up to the woman, stood in front of her and handed her his lute, taking the other from her hands before quite realised what had happened, “Bring it back to me later.” He said, and bowed to the woman, before returning to his place at the side of the room.
He was sure he had a spare string somewhere...
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