A Private Party [Caitrin]

[Celyn ap Llewellyn]

It seemed rather ridiculous, but Celyn found himself rather at a loss of what to do with himself when Caitrin de Archer wasn't around. Everyone else seemed so boring in comparion - the only true fun to be had was with her. It was only fitting, he supposed, after all, he'd first met her when he'd been forced to drag her into a bush to escape Ifan. As he rode towards the Archer estate - somewhere he'd only been twice before - he couldn't help but look forward to seeing her. She didn't know that he was on his way, that would ruin the surprise. He had a feeling Caitrin was the type to appreciate surprises, so he wasn't going to deny her this one. Hopefully her uncle would not be present. He was yet to meet Lord Rouland and from what he'd been told by Caitrin he doubted such a meeting would end well. Celyn didn't care much for cyncism, something which seemed highly valued by the nobleman. No, Celyn was more interested in enjoying life and at the moment he was interested in enjoying this particular day of his life with Caitrin.

On reaching his destination, he led his horse around to the stables. It was rather good timing, a servant was already there, feeding another horse when he approached. The man gave him a questioning look. "I am Celyn ap Llewellyn," he informed the man after dismounting, "I am here to see Lady Caitrin."

The man didn't say anything, he just took the reigns from him and led the horse further inside. How welcoming, Celyn thought before making his way to the buildings entance. After announcing himself for the second time, he was made to wait in the parlour while another servant went to tell Caitrin of his arrival. Suddenly this idea didn't seem so good. What if she didn't want to see him? How embarrassing that would be. He pressed his lips together and tried to tell himself not to be quite so nervous. That was another ridiculous thing. He was just meeting with a friend to enjoy their company, not marching into battle. There was no reason to suspect anything more or less than a day pleasantly enjoyed.


Tagged: Caitrin
Timeline: Series 2-3 gap (in between I'm Hiding. Go Away and Catch Me If You Can)

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin de Archer was easily bored, and this was no exception. Her Uncle had left her here all day on her own with little to occupy herself with. He had muttered something about surveying the land, and though she had protested, saying that he always seemed to be surveying the land, and that she should learn how to as well, he had left her at home. So here she was, Caitrin de Archer, bored out of her mind. Jesu, it wasn’t even midday yet and she was sat wishing the day away. There was never much to do, and sometimes she reflected that her Uncle put her through this boredom so she would beg him to find her a good match. Well, if that was his intention she hoped he tired of it soon. Though her intimacies with courtiers were few and far between, she wasn’t about to give it all up for the sake of breaking her boredom. She had no intention to marry anytime soon anyway. Why should she? She couldn’t ever imagine being tempted to let a man lead her down the aisle, which would involve falling in love; something Caitrin was sure would never happen.

To occupy herself, she had actually resorted to needlework, and she was currently just finishing some of the embroidery on her latest gown. She always did the detail herself, she was good at it when she was motivated enough to do it. She was hardly ever motivated though, so half of the designs went unfinished for some time. Her finger was stinging from where she kept pricking it, and she swore loudly as the needle collided with flesh again. The knock on the door was a welcomed distraction, and Caitrin’s usual maid walked in when she was called upon. “Prince Celyn is here to see you my Lady.” Straight away Caitrin found herself smiling. She was already quite fond of Celyn, even if he was impossible sometimes. She was still under the opinion he made half of the words up for his ‘Welsh’ language. They had only seen each other a few times, but it was enough for Caitrin to be sure that any time with him was time well spent. Her needlework was quickly abandoned; she hadn’t been expecting him today, and she was extremely glad that he had called upon her.

“I’ll receive him myself, thank you for informing me of his presence.” The maid curtseyed and hurried off. Caitrin brushed down her deep blue dress and made for the door; she didn’t want to keep him waiting after all. In her usual style, Caitrin’s dress clung closely to her figure, not leaving that much to the imagination. Her hair, as usual, was hanging in a wild fashion around her shoulders. She descended the stairs from the first floor and found Celyn in the hallway. “My Lord Prince.” She bowed her head, probably with a little too much exaggeration, but she did love teasing him. “Have you come to save me from my boredom with your surprise visit?” She asked him, jumping the last two steps and landing confidently in front of him, “Because I pose no objections if that is your intention.” She was as confident as ever in front of Celyn, and winked at him because it was her way, and she was sure he was starting to learn that.

[Celyn ap Llewellyn]

It felt rather strange, being stood in Caitrin’s home without her, well, she was on her way but even so. On the few occasions he had been here he’d always been taken there with her. Now however he was just standing there, rather awkwardly. No doubt when Caitrin appeared she would expect him to know exactly what they were going to do because if he was going to just turn up he could at least have a reason, instead of expecting her to think of everything – that would probably be her logic, anyway. Well, he did have a sort of plan, more of a suggestion really but it was something.

Rather embarrassingly, as soon as he heard the sound of footsteps he started grinning. He seemed to do a lot of that in Caitrin’s presence and he wasn’t quite sure why. Well, there was the obvious reason – he enjoyed her company, but he didn’t grin this much with Ifan. Then again, Ifan didn’t go around wearing dresses like that...anyway. “My lady,” he gave an equally exaggerated bow, looking up just in time to see her little jump. It was such a simple thing, but it was a Caitrin thing. Not many ladies would dare jump, especially not in the presence of a prince. It was a small rebellion, but it was one all the same, and Celyn found himself rolling his eyes, a small smirk on his lips. She was on form, today then. “I am indeed, you see before you your knight in shining armour. Or prince, but the image is the same.” He extended his arms slightly, inclining his head as if presenting himself in all his shining armour-y glory for her approval. “Will I do?”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin had already convinced herself that this was going to be a good day, whatever Celyn had in mind. Well, that was if he had anything in mind, perhaps he had come thinking that she would have an idea on how to occupy them both. She could probably think of something, but it would be nice to be surprised every now and again by someone. She pulled a face at Celyn as he rolled his eyes at the fact she had jumped the last few stairs. She was used to him making comments and suchlike at the fact she was quite unconventional, and though he did tease her about it, she supposed he must like it in some way, because he was still here. Caitrin really did enjoy his company, though they had not known each other that long, but it felt like they had to Caitrin. She wondered if Celyn felt the same in that respect.

It was quite hard to keep a straight face as Celyn announced himself as her knight in shining armour. He probably knew already that she wasn’t the right woman for such fanciful tales, and so used it in jest instead. She let out a small chuckle, but brushed it away from her lips as she stepped back, and looked Celyn up and down, observing him in an exaggerated way. Well, two could play at this game. “Well, I suppose as I am a damsel in need of rescuing then yes, you will.” She winked at him, and took a step back towards Celyn, trying to prevent herself from laughing again. Instead, she just let a small smile sweep onto her lips. “So, do you have a plan for what to do now that you have come to save me?” Caitrin asked curiously, wondering if Celyn did have a plan past coming to see her, because she really didn’t want to stay here by herself with nothing to occupy herself but her needlework. Anything was preferred to that sort of afternoon.

[Celyn ap Llewellyn]

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He was trying to keep a straight face as she started inspecting him, but he was having to press his lips together to keep from laughing. He turned around, just in case she wanted the full effect before waiting for her decision. “Oh good.” he replied, as if there was a doubt that she would actually disapprove of something. She winked at him, so he rolled his eyes again, because she shouldn’t be going around winking at people and was fully aware of that too. It seemed this was how the majority of their exchanges went. She’d be inappropriate and he’d pretend to be disapproving, but his smile would always betray him.

“I have a plan...mostly.” He paused, part of the plan would rely on her as he’d only had this idea when he was half way to the estate. He could have just gone back and made sure he had everything he needed before seeing Caitrin. But, he reminded himself, Caitrin hadn’t agreed to the plan yet so in a way it was a good thing that he hadn’t put more effort. “It’s such a lovely day, it would be a shame to waste it inside. So I was thinking we could have a picnic.” He paused again before adding, “Only I don’t have any food...”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Again, it was just proving too difficult to keep a straight face when they were both obviously jesting with each other. As Celyn spoke, she let another chuckle pass her lips. Perhaps she should have said that he wasn’t good enough, and that he should have actually come dressed for the occasion, in armour. But she was just too grateful that he had actually come to see her and whisk her away from her needle work to wind him up too much. Plus, they had the whole day to spend together anyway, well, as long as Celyn thought he could cope with that much exposure to her. She was always on form when he was around, and this was no exception.

Caitrin found herself almost drawn into Celyn’s words as he spoke, telling her that he had most of a plan. In fairness, it was quite exciting that he had come to visit her with any sort of plan. She wasn’t used to this kind of attention in the slightest, not many people made the effort for her, and she was so grateful that Celyn did, though she wasn’t going to stand here and tell him that. It wasn’t her style at all really was it? Caitrin couldn’t help but smile as Celyn revealed this half plan to her. A picnic sounded absolutely wonderful! It was one of Camelot’s finer days today, and he was right that it should be spent outside. Then of course came the problem with the plan. "I'd love to!" She said with a wide smile at her friend. Hmm, a picnic without food wasn’t really a picnic at all, it would just be them in the middle of a field. “I could get some food from the kitchens if you want?” She asked brightly, probably sounding a little too enthusiastic, but she was quite excited about thisplan, and liked it more and more the more thought she gave it, “And I’m sure I could find us some wine, or something similar. My Uncle has enough, he won’t miss one bottle.” Well, he might, but Caitrin didn’t care. Spending this afternoon with Celyn was more important than her Uncle missing a bottle of his wine anyway.

[Celyn ap Llewellyn]

Caitrin was laughing, and for some reason this was making Celyn smile all the more. He always forgot just how much fun she was, and then he’d spend time with her again and he’d wonder how he could possibly forget? She had a way of just...it was hard to describe...but just her laugh or smile, it was enough to make Celyn smile and being the source of that laughter or smile, well, that was a rather good feeling indeed.

And she liked the plan! So it was a good plan, yes? Excellent. He didn’t know why he’d been so convinced she’d hate it – even if he was proposing a picnic without any food, but details, details... besides, he didn’t actually know what sort of food Caitrin liked. He ate anything, so that wasn’t a problem, but Caitrin’s food preferences were a complete mystery to the young prince. Then again, most things about Caitrin were a completely mystery to Celyn – like how spending time with her was something he looked forward to, like how he was actually nervous in case she didn’t like the plan, like how just standing here was time well spent simply because it was time spent with her.

He was getting ahead of himself and Caitrin, mysterious, confusing Caitrin was expecting an answer. He gave a nod, “Sounds like a plan.” Hmm, taking Rouland’s wine...was that really the best idea? “Are you sure your uncle won’t mind?” He raised his eyebrows, he’d heard enough about Rouland to know that no one took any of his wine. He should have thought about this more, he should have brought some himself. What a foolish thing it was to forget, but it was rather had to think about silly things like wine when his mind was too busy thinking about a day spent with Caitrin.

[Caitrin de Archer]

Though Caitrin hadn’t known Celyn all that long, she felt like they were already great friends, and that they would only grow and get better over time. She truly valued his friendship already, because not many people would take the time out to come and visit her personally. Indeed, she didn’t have that many close friends, but the way Celyn always seemed so happy and adventurous just made her smile. She was already quite excited about the picnic he was suggesting, even if all the details weren’t completely finalised yet.

“Where should we ride to for this picnic? Or would you prefer to walk?” She asked him with a grin, they both knew what had happened the first time they had been out walking in the forest. Well, she had been walking and he had been hiding, but it was still the same thing, sort of. Plus, he might have a certain destination in mind, and she did not mind lending him a horse from the stables if he had not brought his own with him. There were many beautiful spots around Camelot for a picnic. Prince Arthur himself had once taken her for a picnic. That amused her when she thought about it because she had dined with one Prince and now she was dining with another. Her Uncle would probably be disappointed now if she settled for anything less than a Prince in terms of marriage.

Caitrin shrugged, but that probably wouldn’t make Celyn feel any better. “I steal his wine all the time, he never even notices.” Celyn probably didn’t appreciate how much wine her Uncle did have. He wouldn’t miss a couple of bottles, and he wouldn’t chastise her if she said she was sharing them with the Prince of Sugales. Caitrin caught one of the passing servants, instructing her to get some food ready for the outing. The servant bowed and rushed off to do her duties. Caitrin winked at Celyn and disappeared herself for a few moments into the solar, when she returned she had two bottles of wine and handed one to Celyn, “Courtesy of Lord Rouland de Archer. My Uncle does have good tastes.”

[Celyn ap Llewellyn]

Once again, Celyn was probably going to have to admit that his plan was somewhat lacking. He could, however, pretend that this was not the case, but rather that he was acting through gentlemanly decorum...hmm. That could work. He hadn't given their destination much thought either, again because he wasn't sure if Caitrin would agree to a picnic in the first place. It all seemed rather silly now - turning up with less than half a plan and expecting Caitrin to agree to it. But, thankfully, she had, so he had something to work with at least.

In truth, he didn't feel much like riding. He knew Caitrin enjoyed it, but he was fairly certain if he suggested they took the horses somewhere she would challenge him to a race and, as fun as that would be, it would be nice to just spend some time with her without some competition. A walk with her seemed preferable. "I would prefer to walk...but I possibly could be persuaded to a ride." Despite not particularly wanting to ride, he felt it would be rude to disregard the prospect entirely; today was for her enjoyment too.

Celyn was fairly certain he shouldn't be condoning stealing wine, but he supposed it didn't count if it was her uncle, and would he really miss it? Hmm. From what he had heard about Lord Rouland he probably would, but it was Caitrin's decision, she was the one that would be blamed. "Well if you're sure, but I'm not protecting you if he's not best pleased." He replied with a raised eyebrow. Caitrin instructed a servant to prepare some food, and then disappeared into the solar, while he stood there, a little awkwardly, but luckily not for long as Caitrin soon returned with the forbidden wine. "This had better live up to expectations."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin was already looking forwards to this an incredible amount. It wasn’t just the fact she was getting out of the manor on such a beautiful day, but she was also looking forwards to spending the day with Celyn. She really did enjoy his company, and Caitrin already counted him as one of her closest friends. Not many would come calling on her, and if her Uncle knew he would probably quiz her as to Celyn’s intentions, but he was just a dear friend, and she was sure that Celyn was in unison with that belief. However, what with Caitrin charming both Celyn, Arthur and the Mercian prince Oliver in her time, no doubt her Uncle would be disappointed when she finally married because it wouldn’t be to any of those men.

Now, should she persuade him to ride with her, or just take the walk instead? Caitrin had been out riding for most of the week, and perhaps a walk would make more sense. It would give them the chance to take everything a little slower, and mean they had more chance to talk. Caitrin always let her more competitive side take over whenever she was out riding, especially with a man. Sometimes she felt like she had a point to prove, and often challenged them to races and suchlike. “I’d love a walk, now we must simply choose the destination.” She pointed out with a grin. They were within walking distance of quite a few nice spots where they could spend the afternoon. “There are some nice spots in the woods north of here, unless you had somewhere in mind?” Caitrin hoped he did in a way, because it would be nice for him to have put some thought into that detail at least.

Caitrin chuckled, she had taken enough of her Uncle’s wine to know that no harm would come to her. If he chose to be a little moody with her then it wouldn’t be a great change to how he usually was around her. It would be worth it anyway. “I don’t need protecting.” She retorted, cocking her head proudly and smirking at Celyn, “It will be worth it; trust me.” It was at that moment that the servant returned with a basket; a blanket lying on top of it. She placed the basked beside her mistress before excusing herself again. Caitrin grinned at Celyn and looked down at the basket, going to pick it up, “Shall we go my Lord?” She asked, a wide smile on her face. She was sure she was going to enjoy this, and hoped Celyn was going to as well.