Dinner With the King (Uther/Caitrin/Rouland)

[kinguthersqueen]

Uther noticed Caitrin's hesitation and took a mental note, though he didn't react outwardly. He hadn't been intending such a reaction, it would be more tense if Caitrin were constantly on edge around him. Fortunately, she didn't question it or speak about it, as he'd feared might happen. There was little speaking for a few moments, as Caitrin seemed to be thinking, contemplating something while they ate.

They were finishing with the main part of the meal now, and moving toward the end, the dessert part of the meal. Naturally, that would involve a selection of sweet items like pies and cakes, many of them usually restricted to the wealthy because they were harder to make-often, ingredients had to be imported from other lands or they were simply too costly for the common people.

Caitrin asked if there were any celebrations coming up, and Uther answered her. "There'll be the harvest festival soon, quite naturally." It was nearing the end of summer, though still rather hot out, but in a couple of weeks' time, the first chill of autumn should be coming and the crops would be brought in.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Desert was a welcomed distraction from the recent tone of the conversation. After all, Caitrin didn’t want to leave here having given the King a bad impression. She felt like she was almost representing Mercia with her being in Camelot, after all, she didn’t know of any other Mercian nobles who were living in Camelot at the moment, well that was apart from her Uncle. She was trying to show that the Mercian nobles were not all quite politically and aggressively driven, and that they were actually quite a cultured people. However, she suspected that she was failing somewhat, because Uther didn’t feel like he was warming to her. Perhaps he would warm to her eventually, and perhaps she shouldn’t have taken it as personally as she did, but she couldn’t help it.

As she began to take in her desert, she listened intently as Uther began to speak of a harvest festival. It all sounded terribly exciting, and Caitrin smiled softly. There hadn’t been such a festival in Mercia , as they had just taken the crops in when winter was on the way so that the batch wasn’t ruined. “I shall look forwards to the celebration sire. We didn’t have such a celebration in Mercia.” Therefore it would be a totally new experience for Caitrin. She looked back to her Uncle who gave her a soft smile and a nod, letting her know that so far she was doing well enough,

“How is the Prince, sire?” Rouland turned to Uther and asked, “I regret to say I have not seen him in some time.”