Pretty Things [Luciana]

[Romily de Braose]

This was the first time she’d seen her father look as nervous as anything. To have royalty in his home as well as other friends of nobility. It was just as unlikely as a king being friends with a peasant. Her father just happened to be entertaining the royal family of Armorica. Only because his mutual friendship with the King of Carmelide had provided him with the opportunity.
Wolfhall Manor wasn’t exactly the best location to entertain royalty, but the house itself was big enough to accommodate them along with thirteen other people. Durwin de Braose had been ranting on about this visit for neigh on a week, and now the time was here for him to actually impress. Romily couldn’t help but laugh inside at just how worked up he was getting.

She was now currently in her room. She would not be attending that evening. Her father had told her that it was his duty on the behalf of the King of Carmelide to introduce him to a more varied circle of nobles. Varied? That didn’t even make sense, especially if royalty was involved. Romily didn’t know a thing about the family and didn’t really care to say the least. At least she wasn’t expected to dress up and sit with a false smile plastered on her face for most of the evening. Instead she’d find solace in her private chambers just reading, embroidering or chatting with her maid Bonnie.

“When are they coming?” she asked from the corner, currently embroidering by the window and trying to see with not the best light. She couldn’t be bothered to move though, she was far too comfortable.

“Soon my lady, I heard one of the servants tell your father that everything is ready for their arrival”.

“Will they be staying here?” she asked. She knew that his other friends wouldn’t as they had only short journeys to Wolfhall.

Bonnie shrugged, “If they are then we’ll have to keep on our toes – cant be going and offending royalty now can we?”

As Romily’s bedroom only had the view of the gardens, she couldn’t see when they were to arrive. “Hopefully not – he can’t shut me away in here for a week” she replied. Durwin had tried to do that before. Romily hardly had enough freedom as it was without being confined to her chambers for a certain amount of time, just because he didn’t want her to mix with people until he judged their characters and was satisfied. Then, and only then would he introduce her. Those times were rare.

“They have a daughter though, so I heard” Bonnie piped up again. “The royal family of Armonica that is” she confirmed

Romily looked up, “Oh? Is she pretty?” she asked

“I’ll let you know when I see her my lady” Bonnie chuckled, “I’ll be back later my lady, you father wants me to serve the guests downstairs this evening.”
Romily nodded and watched her maid leave and close the door behind her. Time to get started on that book.

It felt like hours had passed and Romily had got halfway through a book and given up, going back to her embroidery. Perhaps she should consider getting any early night, after all – darkness was falling and there was nothing left to stay awake for, even if that would mean having to listen to the laughter coming from downstairs.

Setting: Wolfhall Manor, Carmelide
Timeline: Beginning of S1
Tag: Luciana

[Luciana le Valois]

In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.

The silver needle held daintily between Luciana’s thumb and forefinger pierced the light gray fabrics that would become one of her brother’s shirts, drawing the matching thread and binding clothes together in an even seam. As she sewed one of the sleeves to the body of the long sleeve shirt, Luciana’s needle flowed fluidly through the fabric without any pause or hesitation. She was an accomplished seamstress. If she hadn’t been born into royalty, Luciana could have opened her own shop and make a decent living.

However she was royalty, and with that privilege came certain duties. One was visiting ally kingdoms, such as Carmelide. The Princess of Armorica enjoyed such trips. The ship ride over was usually pleasant, and Luciana enjoyed the sea air. However being stuck in a carriage for hours on end was not so enjoyable. Having to sit in cramped quarters agitated her to no end. Her legs grew restless, and there was only so much to do while riding in a carriage unlike her brother and father who were on horseback.

Across from her sat her regal mother, Queen Valeria, who was keeping herself busy by reading a novel. Luciana could hear her brother joking with one of their knights. ‘Why does Tristan get to ride, and I get stuck in this boring carriage?’ wondered the princess jealous of her twin brother’s freedom, ceasing her sewing to stare out the carriage window catching a glimpse of her brother.

The Valois twins were practically the same in ever way. They were intelligent, charismatic, good looking, and they acted the way a prince and princess should. Only on rare occasions they break from their regal conduct. The one thing that made them different from each other was their sex. Tristan enjoyed a little more freedom than Luciana, and sometime (like now) she was envious of that freedom. If she were a man, Luciana would be riding beside her brother on her own stallion, Cavalier. Instead her noble steed was being ponied by a groom following behind the carriage, while she yearned to escape from her mobile prison.

Putting her sewing aside, she asked her mother, for the umpteenth time, “May I, please, ride outside with Tristan and Father? Cavalier is probably bored out of his mind.” Then she added on in her mind, ‘And so am I.’

Her mother lifted her eyes from the pages of her book and stared exasperated at her only daughter. With a sigh, the queen replied, “No, you may not. You’ll ruin your gown, and we must set a good impression for Lord de Broase.”

Of course. Perserve the gown and impress the noble of Carmelide. The latter would be an effortless task. The former was growing ever more increasingly difficult to manage, but it would be a shame if Luciana ruin her radiant gown. It was one of her favorites after all. The dress was made out of shimmering silver silk and an intricate brocade fabric. The bodice of the gown was decorated in white pearls, and the double sleeves were accented with iridescent cornflower blue silk on the inside. The two-layered skirt rested over three layers of petticoats that made the fabric flare out around her legs.

“And we don’t need your crown falling over. It’s an irreplaceable heirloom,” continued her mother.

Oh yes, how could she forget the royal jewels that adorned her. Resting on top of her dark hair was a diamond tiara. A portion of her dark brown locks were pulled over the sides of the tiara and pinned on the top of her head. An elegant pearl necklace with a silver tassel pendant rested around her neck while dangling pearl earring hung from her ears. Luciana had to agree with her wise mother. Her jewels were irreplaceable.

“Very well. I see your point, mother,” remarked Luciana, complying with Queen Valeria’s wishes.

Then a knock came from the carriage window, and the Princess of Armorica saw her handsome brother beside the carriage, leaning down from atop his gray warhorse. With a sympathetic smile for his sister (for he knew how much she hated riding in the carriage), Prince Tristan stated, “We are almost at Wolfhall.”

Queen Valeria set aside her novel and began to get herself into the royal mindset. While her mother was composing, Tristan inquired lightheartedly, “How was the ride?”

“Oh boring as usual,” replied the twin princess, resting her back against the seat.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be entertained soon enough… Hopefully,”remarked her brother with a chuckle. Luciana could not help but laugh with the crown prince. She prayed that Tristan would turn out to be right.

Soon enough, the royal family of Armorica arrived at Wolfhall and was greeted by Lord Durwin de Braose as soon as they pulled up to the entrance. As the king and prince dismounted their horse, a footman assisted Luciana and the queen in exiting the carriage. After the bowing and the salutations, the royals were led into the main hall of Wolfhall where they were greeted by more nobles, the scent of mouthwatering food, and pitchers of wine. The Valois twins conducted themselves impeccably of course. Luciana stuck closed to Tristan to make sure he did not overly flirt with any of the noblemen’s daughters. She could not have her brother disgracing himself. Luciana played the part of the polite, demure princess, enchanting the nobles with her wit and charm.

Yes first impression were not a problem for Tristan and Luciana. Not a problem at all.

[/font][/color]

---

Tags:[/color] Romily
Words:[/color] 962
Outfit:[/color] Gown and Jewelry and Hair
Notes:[/color] none!

[Romily de Braose]

Romily decided to head down to the library – she wouldn’t disturb anyone in there and at least she’d be out of the way of her father and his company.
She walked down the stairs quietly and into the hallway where the library was situated at the end of it. In order to get there that would mean passing the dining room and she could hear the voices getting more clearer as she approached.

As she passed she glanced in – hoping that no one would spot her if she walked by quickly, but instead she was met with the eyes of her father, looking daggers at her as well as the other diners also stopping their conversations to look.

Durwin stood up and walked over to her, giving her a kiss on both cheeks. “May I introduce my daughter, the Lady Romily de Braose.” He turned to the guests. She felt slightly uncomfortable but curtsied at the guests.

“Gentleman – Ladies” she began, “I am sorry for the interruption, now if you will excuse me, I am unwell”.

As she turned to leave her father pulled her back gently, “Come sweetheart – before you run off I would like to introduce you to some special guests of mine – King Alaric and Queen Valeria of Armorica, and their two children Princess Luciana and…” Durwin led Romily to stop in front of the family, “Prince Tristan”.

Romily curtsied to both sets. “It is a pleasure to meet you – I hope that my father had provided you with much comfort”.

Durwin kept a form grip on her hand and put another round her waist, guiding her to the doorway. “Run along sweetheart” he told her, “You need your rest”. He kissed her hand gently. The doting father role – how false, this was the first time in months he’d actually made a whole spectacle of this role.

She didn’t need any kind of rest truth be told, but she would listen to her father anyway.

[Luciana le Valois]

A vivacious laugh erupted from Luciana’s lips as she delicately held a silver wine goblet in one hand. Her battle of wits with Lord Stefan of the House of Ferreira was turning out to be more entertaining that she thought. It even proved to be amusing to Prince Tristan, who was sitting to her left. For once their parents were ignoring the twin royals as the king and queen chatted happily away with Lord de Braose.

“My lord, I did not know that I would be having a side dish of comedy to go along with my roasted pheasant, but I must say, I rather enjoy it,” remarked the dark haired princess in a charming and amiable tone, placing her goblet next to her nearly empty plate.

“Who are you kidding, Lulu?” piped Tristan in a jovial manner, leaning towards his sister. “You like comedy with everything from pheasant to tiramisu, and don’t you deny it.”

The prince’s words left both Luciana and Lord Stephen in stitches. Composing herself, Luciana replied, “While that is true, my dear brother, you require something a every meal as well… A lady on your arm. However I do not see one tonight. Are you hiding her under the table?” With her last words, the Princess of Armorica lifted the tablecloth, looking to see if Tristan had actually stashed any of his latest beauties underneath the table. She’d put nothing past him.

“Oh, you wound me, sister,” stated the Crown Prince, rather dramatically as he clasps his hands over his heart. “Do you really think me such a villain to pursue every young lady I see?”

“Your words, not mine, Tris,” replied Luciana with a soft giggle, her pearl gray eyes gleaming with charm.

All of a sudden, the banquet hall fell silent. All the conversations and the laughing ceased. It was so quiet that Luciana swore she could have heard a pin drop. The princess’s light gray eyes followed the gazes of the other nobles to the hall’s entrance where she saw a pretty, young blonde woman peering inside of the hall. Then, in a twinly synchronized manner, the Prince and Princess of Armorica glanced at each other, glanced at the young lady, glanced at Lord de Braose, and finally looked back at each other and shrugged. To an outsider, their actions would seem quite odd and somewhat confusing, but sometimes the royal siblings did not need words to communicate… And it was quite amusing to confuse other with their silent speech.

“May I introduce my daughter, the Lady Romily de Braose.”

Luciana discreetly shot Tristan a look as if to say, “I didn’t know he had a daughter.” Tristan followed her with a glance of his own, replying, “Neither did I. What a pleasant surprise.” Then as Lord Durwin introduced the Armorican royal family, the crown prince arose from his seat and strode dashingly up the Lady Romily. ‘Oh God, No! Tristan, this is not the time to pull your knight in shining armor stunts,’ thought the princess, referring to Tristan’s proclivity to flirt with every pretty lady he saw. In order to advert any possible disaster, Luciana gracefully rose from her seat and followed her eager brother.

“It is a pleasure to meet you – I hope that my father had provided you with much comfort”.

Before Lord Durwin could “escort” his daughter out of the door, Prince Tristan caught up with them, took the Lady’s by the hand, and suavely kissed the top of her hand. If was not for the fact that she possessed impeccably etiquette, Luciana’s jaw would have dropped to the floor. Then as the princess approached the three, Tristan let go of Lady Romily’s hand, and remarked, with a charming smile, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Standing next to her Casanova of a brother, Princess Luciana swept the hem of her silver gown over one of Tristan’s feet in order to conceal the action to follow: her stepping on his foot with all her weight. Tristan stepped back in order to alleviate the pressure that was bearing down on his foot and flashed a glare at his darling sister. Luciana only responded with a quick smirk. Then turning her attention to the noble father and daughter, Luciana, engaging her enchanting charm and wiles, inquired with a sweet smile, “Lord Durwin, do you think you could persuade you daughter to stay and keep me company?”

[/font][/color][/size]

---

Tags:[/color] Romily
Words:[/color] 739
Outfit:[/color] Gown and Jewelry and Hair
Notes:[/color] Sorry this took so long.

[Romily de Braose]

Before her father had a chance to even usher her from the hall, both of the twins had jumped up. Prince Tristan first who reached her, and kissed the top of her hand – closely followed by Princess Luciana.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Romily bowed her head and smiled slightly, “and I you, sire” she replied quietly. All the attention now was directed to her, and she didn’t like it one bit. She wasn’t used to it and nor did she think she would ever be. She hadn’t even been presented at the court of Carmelide. A woman her age would have been by now. No – not Romily. Her father would keep her locked up forever.

It was then the princess decided to speak. “Lord Durwin, do you think you could persuade you daughter to stay and keep me company?” Romily was a little taken aback. Why would she want her company anyway? She had no knowledge of the world unlike this princess who had obviously travelled far and wide.

“I really have to get back to…” she was cut off by Durwin giving her a look and then turning back to the princess.

“My daughter is unwell – such events like this make her tiresome” he began, “But…seeing as it is royalty that she is present in then I do not see why she shouldn’t”

Something was going on here. Romily proposed that Durwin only wanted her to stay because she’d received the attentions of the prince. It wouldn’t surprise her if she was given instructions to entertain him rather than his sister.

“Father I really must…” she began but was met with another look, Durwin’s grip tightened more on her wrist.

“Come sweetheart – surely you would not turn down an invitation such as this? And from royalty too?” he smiled a false loving smile at her and then leant into her ear. “Keep smiling – no one wants a miserable wife – nor I a miserable daughter”.

Miserable? He’d allowed her to become more than that already! Wife??? Just what was he suggesting? This was not good – she was now wishing she’d stayed in her room rather than go in search of a stupid book.
Romily turned back and smiled a small smile.

“If the princess wishes it – then I would be honoured”

“Excellent!” Durwin clapped his hands together and then walked around the table, pulling out an available chair next to where Luciana had been seated. Romily sat down. “Now gentleman…ladies? Shall we resume our conversations?” her father asked and once again the hall erupted into mixed conversation.

She knew that all evening Durwin would be staring over the rim of his goblet, watching her every move.

[Luciana le Valois]

Luciana was getting the feeling that the Lady Romily did not get out much. There was just a bit too much fuss over her simple request. As the fair haired noblewoman and her father were muttering excuses, the Armorican princess felt the gaze every eye in the grand hall fall on her and the group. A gentle smile rested on Luciana’s lip as her pearl gray eyes scanned clandestinely scanned. The expression on most of the courtiers faces were still of surprise. Then in her peripheral vision she saw two women whispering to each other. The princess then felt her brother’s strong arm link with her, signifying that this little conversation needed to be wrapped up. In reply, Luciana wrapped her nimble fingers around Tristan’s forearm, indicating that she was well aware of that fact. It was an all around odd situation, one that Princess Luciana had never experienced before in her life.

In attempt to make the scene less awkward, Tristan, being every bit as clever as his sister, slipped from his twin’s grasp and turned to address the room. Then he stated, jocularly, “It seems my sister’s boldness has caught Lady Romily off guard.” The Armorican Crown Prince shot his father a quick look, and King Alaric knew immediately what to do.

In a rather proud and paternal tone, the king remarked to a nearby noble with a chuckle, “My daughter is quite persistent, a trait I must confess she acquired from me.”

Then Queen Valeria scoffed at her husband’s comment, and chimed, “You know very well, dear husband, that Luciana got it from my side of the family.”

Oh yes, the Armorican royal family was quite crafty in their teamwork.

A secretive smile played at the corners of the princess’s mouth as her brother returned to her side, and then Luciana caught something particularly strange after Romily made a final attempt to leave the hall. The sweetness of a seemingly endearing statement made by Lord Durwin became suspicious when the Carmelide nobleman whispered a few words in his daughter’s ear. His comment was too low for Luciana to hear, and then came the words the whole room had been waiting to hear.

“If the princess wishes it – then I would be honoured”

A soft, pleasant laugh escaped from the Armorican princess’s lips. With her pearl gray eyes glistened in delight, Luciana said with much enthusiasm, “Fantastic.”

The Valois twin followed shortly behind the noble father and daughter as Lord Durwin led Romily to the table. Linking her arm with Tristan’s, she drew her brother close, and whispered softly, “Tristan, watch him like a hawk.”

The prince said nothing. Instead, he simply nodded in accordance with his sister’s wishes. The motion went unnoticed as the hall was once again filled with conversation. Approaching the table, Lord Stefan rose from his seat and chivalrously pulled out the chair Princess Luciana had been sitting in. A flirtatious smirk rose on the princess’s lips at the young nobleman’s gesture. Seeing that he was no longer required, Prince Tristan passed his charming sister to the young lord and returned to his chair next to queenly mother, which just so happened to be on the other side of Romily. Then with her fair hand placed on top of Lord Stefan’s, Luciana was guided into her seat. She gracefully lowered herself into the seat like a feather floating to the ground.

With a. unceasing expression of delight, the visiting princess leaned closer to Romily, and said in a gracious manner, “I cannot thank you enough for joining us, Lady Romily. I must confess I found myself quite outnumbered amongst so many gentlemen.”

There were of course a few ladies present that were around Luciana’s age, however she judged them to be ambitious debutantes following their father’s orders to secure a grand marriage. Since Tristan was the wealthiest bachelor in the room, Luciana chose to avoid them rather than invite trouble.

“And one can only hear about so many hunting tales.” She added, taking a dainty sip of her wine.

“As I recalled, dearest sister, you were in quite a few of those tales,” remarked the prince, not liking the fact that she had implied that his stories were boring.

Peering around Romily to look at her brother, the Princess of Armorica quickly retorted, “Yes, but you leave out the best parts. Like the time when you got stuck in the mud”

Tristan glared at his twin sister, and crossly stated, “I told you to never bring that up… ever.”

Luciana was quite proud of herself. It was a sister’s privilege to get on Tristan’s nerves every once and a while. Her brother’s anger did not faze her in the least, and she went on, turning her attention to Romily:

“You’ll enjoy this. It’s quite a funny story. Tristan and I were out for a ride when we came across this muddy ditch. Tristan, wanting to be a showoff, boasted that he could jump over it. So he takes one of our guards’ halberds and pole vaults over the ditch… Well almost over the ditch. When he was half way over, the staff broke, and he landed face first in the mud. He was completely covered head to toe, and it took three men to get him out.”

As the princess finished her tale, she laughed amusedly, entertained by the past memory. Her laugh seemed to be infectious for Lord Stefan chuckled softly beside her. Tristan seethed, drumming his fingers on the table and muttering under his breath.

“But enough stories about us,” remarked Luciana, her eyes bright with intrigue. “Lady Romily, you must have some good stories about Camelide that don’t evolve sports and dull affairs of state.”

[/font][/color][/size]

---

Tags:[/color] Romily
Words:[/color] 954
Outfit:[/color] Gown and Jewelry and Hair
Notes:[/color] Finally found a PB for Stefan clickage!

[Romily de Braose]

Well, that was incredibly awkward, especially when the Armorican family started to talk of the Princess’ boldness. Romily bit her lip and gazed mainly at the floor, but was nudged subtly in the back by her father and immediately raised her head again. Ah well, at least she was pleased when she finally agreed to stay and talk – even though conversation would be scarce.

Romily felt like the intruder of the whole large group that was seated. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her, and it seemed as though Luciana had captured their gazes before. Romily couldn’t help but feel so very plain in between the beautiful princess and her equally good looking brother. Even the way Luciana lowered herself to be seated had everyone’s attention! She saw her father give her a warning look, so as to signal for her not to mess this whole thing up for him. “I cannot thank you enough for joining us, Lady Romily. I must confess I found myself quite outnumbered amongst so many gentlemen.”

Romily, only just hearing this turned to the princess and nodded, with a small smile. “My father much prefers the company of males – after all, there is no need for female presence in this house most of the time,” she said this almost sadly. She had little acquaintances with any noblewomen and the only people who she had met were lords of places she’d never even heard of.

Of course Prince Tristan and his sister were now having some kind of banter over hunting tales, and she listened intently to a hunting story gone wrong on his half. Luciana was finding it hilarious, whereas Tristan didn’t seem impressed at this at all. After Luciana had finished humiliating her brother Romily smiled. “And I suppose you’ve never let him hear the end of it”. The siblings seemed to like taking a swipe at one another when needed. “Lady Romily, you must have some good stories about Camelide that don’t evolve sports and dull affairs of state.”

“I apologise my Lady, but there are no stories whatsoever. Carmelide is just as dull as any affairs of state – and even if there were any – I very much doubt they’d be of interest.”

Durwin was now giving her a look of daggers and stood up, making his excuses to King Alaric and moving behind his daughter’s chair. Romily could feel his hands on her shoulders. “Are you feeling well my dear?” he asked. Ok this was obviously a hint to get her to leave. Romily had hoped that she hadn’t offended Luciana or Tristan, but it was the truth. Why should they be interested in Carmelide and her dull life anyway. There was always the story of the time she fell out of the tree when she was little.

Romily could feel a lump forming in her throat. She hated large gatherings and now really felt light headed. “No father, I do not think I am”, she quickly pushed back her chair and stood up, exiting the room as quickly as she could.

Durwin turned back to the royal family. “I apologise for my daughter’s behaviour. As I said before, she is in ill health and can grow tiresome rather quickly. Im sure that all the excitement of sitting in between the Prince and his charming sister have brought this on”. He explained and seated himself next to King Alaric again. “She has still yet to learn how to address royalty in a suitable way”.

[Luciana le Valois]

“I apologize, my Lady, but there are no stories whatsoever. Carmelide is just as dull as any affairs of state – and even if there were any – I very much doubt they’d be of interest."

Princess Luciana was more entertained by Lady Romily’s honesty and shrewdness than she could have been by any tale. At the same moment, both of the Valois twins laughed, their voices harmonizing like the pealing of church bells. It was most definitely had been a good idea to have Romily join them.

Tristan’s laughter died first as his eyes flickered towards Lord Durwin. The minute signal caught the attention of the Armorican princess, and her gaze shifted to the Lord of Wolfhall. Never in all her life had she witnessed a father show such disdain towards his own daughter… And in public no less!

Durwin’s demeanor was not the only one that had dramatically changed. His less than paternal attitude to his daughter was getting on Luciana’s nerves, and it was beginning to show. As the elder nobleman made his way over to where the quartet was sitting, the princess’s eyes became cold and steely, and her pale rose lips pursed in annoyance. The vivacity that had once emanated from her features had dispersed and were replaced with all the gravity she could muster.

“Are you feeling well, my dear?” inquired Romily’s father, his word obviously holding a double meaning.

It was clear by Romily’s reaction that she was more unnerved by her father than she was by conversing with royalty. The golden haired lady left the hall as if a hellhound was at her heels. Neither the Armorican princess nor her brother even had time to object before Romily disappeared from sight.

“I apologize for my daughter’s behavior. As I said before, she is in ill health and can grow tiresome rather quickly. I’m sure that all the excitement of sitting in between the Prince and his charming sister have brought this on. She has still yet to learn how to address royalty in a suitable way.”

Lord Durwin’s words held about as much sincerity as a snake. Luciana inaudibility scoffed at the man who she had now dubbed a suck-up of the worst kind. He may have been able to fool her mother and father, but he was not going to trick her!

Without much ceremony, the Princess of Armorica rose from her chair with a somber expression and moved in front of the table. Bowing to her parents, she stated respectfully, “I too find myself a bit weary. Excuse me.”

Before she turned, Luciana nodded to her twin, requesting him to follow her. With her affairs in order, the enchanting daughter of the Armorican royal family made her way to the arched exit of the grand hall. Stopping at the doorway, Luciana looked over her shoulder, her gray fiercely fixed on Lord Durwin, and remarked, her velvet voice as cold as ice, “Lord Durwin, I hope you enjoy my parents’ good graces…” Then as she made her exit, she added the dreaded caveat, “While they last.”

When Luciana was out of sight, she broke into a graceful run, picking up the skirt of her gown so she would trip on it. Glancing around the hallway, she looked for any clue as to which way Romily had went, but honestly there was nothing to find. The hem of her iridescent gown shimmered like an apparition in the torch light, billowing behind her as she ran. As Luciana entered the main foyer of the manor, she came to a halt, taking the chance to catch her breath. Then in an amicable, yet apologetic tone, she said, “Lady Romily, please come back. I apologize if I caused you any trouble.”

[/font][/color][/size]

---

Tags:[/color] Romily
Words:[/color] 624
Outfit:[/color] Gown and Jewelry and Hair
Notes:[/color]

[Romily de Braose]

She’d managed to escape the hall and head straight back up to her room. Bonnie was waiting for her and her expression changed upon her mistress entering the room. “My lady?” she asked, “is everything alright?”

Romily closed the door and turned to Bonnie – the woman who had raised her since birth and continued her service now as a lady’s maid rather than a nurse. “I am alright – in fact I’ve just met the royal family of Armorica so I suppose I should say that im am privileged instead”. She sat down and picked up the embroidery that she’d started earlier in the day, before everyone had arrived.

“And?” Bonnie pressed, “Are they all that everyone says they are?”

“What does everyone say about them? Or is it servants gossip that shouldn’t reach my ears” Romily smiled at Bonnie. The maid sat back in her chair and set her own embroidery down upon the table. “Well the servants have been gossiping about how the Prince is a very handsome and eligible man, and how is sister is very beautiful”

“Very indeed” Romily mused, “He is most polite and his sister very charming.” It was a shame to have just run out on them, but she couldn’t be in a room where all eyes were on her. “The King and Queen are very much the same – very friendly. It’s nice to see a family with such a close bond” she sighed, “I wish I had that”. Had her mother have not died then perhaps Romily wouldn’t be sitting here now confiding in her maid.
“Of course my father told everyone I was in ill health – although I do not think that Princess Luciana saw it that way”

Bonnie looked at her mistress and patted her hand. “Please do not think ill of me when I say this my lady, but I cannot understand why your father – who appears to want to marry you off at any opportunity – keeps you locked away in your room like this?”

“It is my choice to stay here,” Romily told her, “I’ve been to very few gatherings and have grown accustomed to my own company – I think the reasons for his actions are that he cannot bear to lose me. I am all he has left”. With that she looked up and gave her maid a warm smile. “Do not be troubled for me Bonnie – I am happy enough here just to sit with you and sew, and read…which reminds me, would you be a dear and fetch that book from the library that I was going to get? I really cannot go down there again”.

Bonnie rose from her chair and made her way to the door. She looked back over her shoulder at her mistress sewing by candlelight. She felt weakened for her. Had Bonnie been her mother, she’d have not treated her in the same way that Durwin did. Romily had grown into a beautiful woman, and yet all her father saw was a little girl. It was most frustrating.
Bonnie walked down the stairs and down the corridor. The sound of laughter and talk from the visiting nobles still in the air as she passed the dining hall and rounded the corner. She stopped in near shock, as she hadn’t expected anyone to be standing in the main foyer, which happened to be by the library. “Lady Romily, please come back. I apologize if I caused you any trouble.”

“Madam” Bonnie bobbed a quick curtsey to her, “I apologise if I am intruding you during a ‘private’ moment, of which my mistress’ name happens to be a part of?” she frowned slightly. So this was the Armorican Princess.