First Impressions [Vortigern]

[Isabel de Massard]

Isabel de Massard had been staring at her own reflection for quite some time. That morning a letter had arrived, an event that was not unusual in itself, but it was from people she had never heard of and a place she had never heard of, and it appeared to be rather intimate. She had, of course, been expecting this. The Massards were a respected and influential family and since their deaths many a letter of condolence had been issued. This, however, was different. This was a letter of condolence and an invitation and Isabel was quite unsure how she felt about the matter.

As Isabel de Massard she had been in society before, she was comfortable in her new self and quite convinced that her true identity was no longer in danger of being discovered. But even so, this letter was different. This was from no passing acquaintance. This was going to be a challenge. So she had informed her maidservant that they were to go to Sorelia and left her to pack her things.

And now she was still staring at her reflection, she had been for quite a while. The real Isabel had never been to Sorelia, had never met the writer of the letter, but that did not make Isabel feel much better. She had to go, there was no other option, even if this could mean putting herself in jeopardy.

She ran a hand through her hair and smoothed down her dress and convinced herself that she was more than capable of dealing with this. She was Isabel de Massard. She deserved the money and the power, she'd damn well earnt it.

"My lady, the carriage is ready."

"Thank you, Thomas." She checked her appearance once again, making sure she looked perfect, before following Thomas out into the courtyard.

**

The journey had been exactly as she had expected - tedious and uncomfortable; it seemed no amount of money in the world would bring a comfortable carriage. Isabel decided that Sorelia was far further away from Cantia than necessary. She sighed, journeys were never enjoyable. They stopped her from doing anything, she just had to sit and think when she could be furthering herself and her position. Their only merit was that they took her to new places and new people, such as the Sorelian royal family. She had never been in the presence of royalty before, but how hard could it be? She could pass herself of as a lady quite easily now.

Eventually the carriage stopped and Thomas' face appeared as the door opened. "We're here, my lady."

"Yes, Thomas, I see that." She replied, trying to be polite and resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Of course they were there, the carriage had stopped and she could see the castle. Why must she be told the obvious and seem to be so grateful about it?

She stepped out of the carriage, aided by Thomas of course, and looked up at the building in front of her. It was certainly impressive, but then she would expect nothing less. Thomas was still hovering around awkwardly, so she gave him a warm smile and waited to be welcomed and introduced.

[Vortigern]

-------Vortigern had returned from his duties, aka terrorizing the villagers to pay their taxes, a couple of hours ago. He had changed out of his armor and dressed in his fine attire. He had no particular place to go today but he always tended to look his finest. He was a prince after all, why should he not? He had the wealth, the expensive clothing, the fine silver... and he may as well display as much of it as he could. He had been informed that his father wished to see him, which was of course nothing new. He spent a significant amount of time with King Gildas, as they spoke of both personal affairs and political matters. He entered his room, seeing Gildas standing near the window. "Father," he greeted. Gildas waited a few moments before turning around and facing his son, his hands clasped behind his back. His father was ill but he still carried himself like a king. Not as strongly as he once did, but he still had his pride.

-------"We are expecting a visitor to arrive shortly." Well that was blunt. But such was the way of his father... and Vortigern. It seemed to be a family trait. "Who?" Vortigern question, with half interest. Gildas paused for a brief moment. "She is a dear friend of Naevia's, perhaps you recall Lady Isabel de Massard?" Vortigern had five sisters, all of whom had many friends; why would he remember this one specifically? "Why does she come now? Naevia is not even present." She was with her husband, in another kingdom. Another pause from Gildas, this time a bit of a longer one. Vortigern was not sure he liked where this conversation was going. "It is not Naevia she comes to see." Now Vortigern remained silent. His father gave him a loot... that look... the look he knew too well. "Father... " "Before you start rejecting the subject-"

"You can not be serious! A friend of Naevia's?" Now Vortigern knew why his father had not told him of this sooner; because he knew Vortigern would have made an excuse to not be present. Hell, he have left the castle to add more legitimacy to his lacking presence. "It was your sister Naevia who suggested this match." Now that did not surprise Vortigern either. He knew what his father was like when it came to such matters, and he would usually comply, if only to humor him. "She is very beautiful," Gildas added. "You say that about every woman father," he said, suppressing an annoyed sigh. It was never the appearance that was a factor in his denying the proposal; but a whole other series of reasons. Granted, Vortigern was picky enough as it was. "What kingdom does her family rule?" He asked, automatically assuming she was royalty. There were few women that Vortigern met under such circumstances that were not royal.

-------"She is not royalty, but a noblewoman." This, right here, was the deal breaker. "No. Absolutely not! Father you can not possibly expect me to settle for someone who is far beneath my station!" He did not care how beautiful she was... he was not marrying someone lower in rank! "As I said, she is a dear friend of your sister's. Her family all passed away and she is on her own. This would give her the comfort of a family, and her and Naevia are practically as sisters anyway." Vortigern was revolted by the very suggested. "I do not care! I will never marry the mere daughter of a noble." Gildas sighed, having expected this reaction from his son. But also knew his obedience far surpassed his defiance. At least when it came to his king. "You will consider it," he told him.

-------"She comes any moment now. You will show her the proper respect and courtesy. And you will regard her as a possible candidate for your future wife." Vortigern knew he was defeated for when his father held that tone of certainty, there was no denying his command. "I will join you for dinner later tonight." Oh great! This just gets better and better. At least with his father not present, Vortigern could get away with a little provoking and trying to make a bad impression. But if his father was there... then he knew he would ask the questions that Vortigern hated to ask. "Does she even know why she comes?" Probably not. "Do not fret. We will inform her of the reason for our invitation." It was not her not knowing that Vortigern fretted about; it was the other way around.

-------And now, several moments later, here he stood. In the courtyard to greet their not even royal guest. Vortigern tried to force the scowl off his face. He tried to remain composed. But he was despising this arrangement already. When he saw her exit the carriage, he just looked at her. Of course, she was beautiful. Very exquisite in fact. And she seemed to carry herself fairly well too. Why had his father told him she was not royalty? He would have been far more content not knowing her true status, for at least he'd be led to believe she was royalty from the way she presented herself. But he knew the truth; and it made him all the more displeased. He took a few steps towards her. This was going to be dreadful. "Lady Isabel," he greeted, courtesly, but he refused to bow his head to her. He did not lower his body in the slightest. She was inferior to him. She was no queen; no princess; but a mere noblewoman! His father may as well had brought a servant to him! "I hope your journey was pleasant." Not that he cared. She was just a bloody noblewoman! Damn Naevia for her cursed suggestions.

[Isabel de Massard]

Isabel was well trained in reading people, having learnt to do so at such a young age, it was her way in. How could you manipulate people if you did not understand them? The man standing in front of her was hardly a challenge. She assumed him to be the king's son, Vortigern. Well, he was as she had expected and obviously not too enthusiastic about her arrival. That could be changed though, either with her potions or without. He did not bow, earning him a raised eyebrow from the young woman. Men were meant to bow to her, whether they were happy about or not. Clearly he felt himself above her. How sweet.

She would break him soon enough, she had a habit of doing so. Her mind was quite set and it would take more than the stubbornness of man to prevent her from her determinations. Besides, in her experience men were all the same: easy. A few smirks and a wink and they were hers. This Vortigern would be no different.

"Lady Isabel,"

She curtsied without breaking eye contact, a small smile at the corner of her mouth. "Your highness." When she rose her smile slowly faded and in answer to his question she sighed and replied, "I am afraid not, but I am sure an discomfort will quickly be dispelled in your company."

[Vortigern]

-------Well at least she curtsied. At least she had some semblance of displaying the proper respect. Vortigern knew he should not judge her harshly as she was a friend of his sister's, but he did. Under the circumstances that she was here for, he would judge her very harshly. For she was not here as Naevia's friend; she was here as a potential wife. Though the very idea was ridiculous to Vortigern. He still could not believe his father had grown so desperate, that he was starting to pair him with people who were less than nobles. He would never marry one. Never! He wanted to roll his eyes at her comment, for he knew his interactions with her would be the same as they were with any woman who his father brought here with ulterior motives.

-------In fact, it would be worse for she was not a princess nor queen. "Perhaps a better quality carriage would be a wise investment." He knew his father would strongly disapprove of such a comment; of suggesting her carriage was low quality hence the reason she did not enjoy her travels.But what did Vortigern care about being respectful to someone who should only be respectful to him. "Naevia apologizes for her current absence," he said, partially making that up. Though Naevia was never supposed to be here to begin with, apparently, he may as well say that now so that Isabel would not be looking for her. "She hopes to join us in a few days." Not true. Not to Vortigrn's knowledge anyway, but he could not exactly blurt out that she was here for him to decide if he wanted to marry her.

-------After all, in the matter of a few days, she would discover the truth. "So we hope you will stay with us until she has come." A lie. "And find your stay to be comfortable." Without a doubt. Surely this castle was far more extravagant than the estate of a noble. "Now, let us go inside as you must be tired from the uncomfortable journey." As if he cared. Nevertheless he told his servants to take her bags and tend to the horses. They would take the servant's entrances and passageways to get to her chambers. For it would look ridiculous if they were scurrying behind Vortigern with their bags. And with that, he began to go inside the castle, expecting her to follow him.

[Isabel de Massard]

Well, so far Isabel was not impressed. The man had no manners and was quite possibly the rudest person she had met, but she was having to ignore that. She was having to make as good an impression as was possible, no matter how much the man deserved a slap. Yet she resisted - and was impressed with herself for doing so - and smiled sweetly and said innocently, "Perhaps you could make it your welcoming gift." If he was going to be rude than she was going to return the favour.

She just nodded as he informed her of his sister's absence. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to be upset? Probably. After all, seeing this Naevia was the pretence of her being here. Then again, if the girl wasn't here it would certainly make everything easier. Pretending to be someone else was hard enough without someone knowing that someone else. "That is a disappointment, I trust she is alright and the reason for her absence is not serious?" Not that she particularly cared but it was all for appearance's sake.

And then he walked off. He just walked off and left her to either run after him or stand there alone in the middle of the courtyard. She was beginning to dislike this man even more. Despite not wanting to at all, she ran after him - or rather walked at a brisk pace, she didn't run anywhere anymore - and would have shouted at him for just leaving her if she hadn't the self restraint. Instead, when she caught up with him she asked as politely as she could, which, incidentally, wasn't very politely, "Do you treat all guests this way? Or have I done something in particular to offend you, sire?"

[Vortigern]

-------Vortigern managed to suppress a scoff when she suggested that a new carriage would be her welcoming gift. How bloody ungrateful! She should be bestowing gifts on them, as she was a visiting guest and they were hosting her. So these were the kind of women Naevia was friends with? Vortigern decided that next he saw her, he was going to have a chat about her friends. And to make better ones. Friends of higher standing rather than little insignificant noblewomen who think that they can demand presents from royalty. He was increasingly irritated by her company. And wished all the more that he could rid himself of it. "I would not count on it," he said bluntly. As his father was not yet present, he may as well get out all the comments he could... or insults rather.

-------The subject of Naevia was a bit easier to engage in. Though Vortigern was angry with his sister for going behind his back to arrange this entire thing. Granted, he would not have considered it for a moment if she had told him ahead of time. Not that he was even considering it now. "She is fine," he said. Once again, in a casual yet blunt tone of finality. As if he really was not enjoying talking to her. "She had matters to attend to." Matters, aka, trying to play matchmaker and failing miserably. He pitied her children who would have deal with an insane mother who tried to arrange their marriages to completely unsuitable mates.

-------He had clearly not cared that he left her standing there, confused. She should know her place which was behind him. Not ahead of him, not even alongside him... always behind him. It was not until she questioned his actions that he paused and looked at her. Did she really just ask that? What a dreadfully outspoken woman. Most did not question such a thing; they just went along with it. Yet now, she questioned his reason for walking off. And Vortigern was not impressed. In actuality, it only worsened his already foul mood. "Were you expecting a red carpet and trumpets to honor your arrival?" He asked with rude sarcasm. "For all the townspeople to gather in the courtyard so that they could wave as the Lady Isabel made her entrance to the Castle of Soleria?"

-------Oh yes. Sarcasm at its extreme. "For me to offer my hand and grandly grant you entrance into the royal castle?" And the sarcasm just kept coming. He shifted slightly closer towards her. "For if you expected all these things, then you have come to the wrong kingdom." So much for remaining polite and courteous. His father was going to kill him. But it would be worth it if it meant he would have this opportunity now to say all that he could without having someone monitoring his comments.

[Isabel de Massard]

Well, Isabel did not like this man one bit, however, he was a prince and so she was determined to better the situation. Normally a smile and a little flirtation and men were completely hers. She should not be surprised, he was probably spoilt and full of his own self-import. But just because they didn't like each other didn't mean they couldn't be useful to each other, and he was certainly useful to her.

At present, she was far too annoyed to try and pretend to be civil. She was a guest of his sister's after all, and while she was not there at present, he could not throw her out, so he was just going to put up with her. Isabel did not reply to his comment about his sister, but merely nodded her acknowledgement. She did not care one bit about his sister, but she had to keep up the appearance of doing so.

As he began to speak, rather rudely, unnecessarily so, Isabel glared at him, fists clenched. How dare he speak to her like that? He may be a prince but she was still nobility, and she was his guest. Did he not understand common courtesy? "I expected more than this, certainly." She let out an angry and frustrated sigh, trying very hard not to raise her voice, that would not be ladylike at all. "Do you honestly think this is the way to treat a woman of my standing? First you do nothing to make me feel welcome, and then you openly mock me. Well, I may not be royalty, but I am still nobility and I deserve to be treated with more respected."

Her sudden outburst had surprised herself, she was normally calm and never acted on her emotions, only through careful analysis of the situation. This, however, was not a normal situation. This was just unacceptable.

[Vortigern]

-------Vortigern just stared at her. He had not been expecting this little outburst, nor was he remotely pleased by it. He saw this not as a brave woman, admiring her strength and courage to speak out of turn. Especially in someone of higher standing. No. He saw this as completely unacceptable behavior. Even if she was Naevia's friend, which Vortigern understood even less right now, she was not entitled to speak to him in such a way. True, he could not kill her for his father would not be too pleased with such actions. So what was there left to do? Just suffer her company? And this was the woman that Gildas had told him to heavily consider? To hell with that entire notion! He did not want a woman who deserved to be slapped for her insolence.

-------He had to pause before answering. To calm his raging emotions. He could not yell at her, nor raise his voice. For it would draw far too much attention to them. But he could speak with a low yet deadly sternness. He only need calm his anger, which took a few silent deep breaths and the mental images of finding all sorts of methods and ways that he could kill her. "Your standing is completely insignificant in comparison to mine," he told her. He was going to remind her of his rank as often as he could. For if she was demanding more respect, then forcing her to acknowledge his higher rank was an excellent way to counter her angry remarks. "You are far beneath me. This is my home, my castle, my kingdom. And unless you show the proper respect, not Naevia and not even the king himself will be able to help you." He was just throwing that out there.

-------Even if he killed her, yes Naevia and his father may be displeased, but it was not as if they could charge him with murder or sentence him to death or anything. He could not be demoted for he was the sole heir! Quite frankly, Vortigern hoped it would not come to that for he really did not want to deal with a crying sister and a lecture from his father. His reason for it not wanting to come to that had nothing to do with compassion for the woman. He already loathed her and knew he would only detest her more for the duration of her stay here. "You deserve nothing unless I say you do." Just because he decided to add in a comment about his authority in this land. And how she was in Soleria. And she would never be queen of it. He had already gotten to know her far more than he needed to in order to reach this judgment.

[Isabel de Massard]

If Isabel was a violent woman she would have slapped Vortigern by now, luckily for them both she favoured poisons over physical attacks, and it would do no good to anger him further. No, she had already overstepped the mark and was now just as angry with herself, and after her outburst was feeling a little worn. She closed her eyes, breathed out deeply, unclenched her fists and tried to calm down. She needed this man on side if she was to acheive her goal.

"Sire, please forgive me." She began quietly, no longer looking at him but at the ground in an attempt to look humble. "You find me tired and irritated after a long journey, I apologise for any offence caused." Surely that would be enough, but then with this man she wouldn't be surprised if he had her locked in the dungeons for daring to speak to him in such a manner.

In a way, he reminded her of herself when she had first begun her new life. She was harsh and quick to punish those who did not give her the respect she deserved, however, unlike Vortigern she had learnt to control her temper - except in this instance - and could ignore that which she did not like. She had learnt to converse with those of an equal or higher status, she had learnt how guests were to be treated. Clearly Vortigern had not.

She bit her lip, eventually looking up at him. She had worked her charms on men before and had not failed yet, and was therefore confident she could do the same with Vortigern. He was flesh and blood after all. "Can you forgive me?"

[Vortigern]

-------Damn woman! While Vortigern obviously did not appreciate being spoken to in the way she had spoken to him, it had been the perfect reason he could have given his father to dismiss the arrangement he had planned. But now, how could he do that when she apologized to him for her outburst. And even justified it. Vortigern was no where near forgiveness. She had already done the damage, and he already disliked her for it. So instead of finding genuine appreciation in her apologetic words, he only found himself more annoyed. But he maintained his composure, only slightly diminishing the glare in his expression. He found her justification completely invalid. But his father would only be more angry if he were to find out that Vortigern not only threatened her and lashed out at her, but that he completely rejected her apology.

-------Damn her indeed.

-------It was even more difficult to dismiss when she blatantly and directly asked for his forgiveness. What was he to say? Lie and tell her that all was forgiven and forgotten? "Well Naevia obviously finds some charm in you." Something that evidently compelled her to closely befriend this otherwise rude and disrespectful woman. "I suppose I have yet to discover the reason she speaks highly of you." Not that he ever would. But it was the closest she would get to a statement of forgiveness. And he obviously was not going to apologize in return. He had done nothing wrong. Only reminded her of her place. "Now, are you ready to press on?"

-------So that she would not chase after him and yell at him again. He was not afraid of her, but he knew he had to at least look like he respected her. "Since you are apparently so tired and worn casing you to not think before you speak." His words were a bit condescending, implying that he did not believe in what she had said as a legitimate reason for her outburst. He would have to tone it down whenever his father decided to join them for dinner, so for now would get some of it out of his system before he was really forced to be on his 'best behavior'.

[Isabel de Massard]

Well, he may not be being linguistically insulting, but there was still a definite tone to his voice that Isabel did not appreciate at all. If the situation was reversed and he was visting Cantia he would be received with nothing less than the best welcome she could offer, regardless of whether she wanted him there or not. His behaviour so far was just completely unacceptable.

She was in two minds as to how to respond to him. On the one hand, she was supposed to be making a good impression, but on the other he was rude and ungentlemanly and she was not his guest, but his sisters. It was very unusual for Isabel to feel so conflicted as to how to act, normally everything was carefully planned. This man however managed to make her lose sight of that pre-formulated plan and act as her emotions dictated. Besides, she had already apologised and he clearly had not accepted it, so there was nothing else she could do. She may as well speak her mind.

"It would be a pleasure for me to educate you in such matters." She tilted her head slightly, a small smile forming on her lips. "I am sure there are plenty of things you would find charming about me. You just need to be shown where they are..." Her words would likely only anger him further, but she was rather past caring. Nothing she said was going to improve his attitude, so why not have a little fun?

"Now, are you ready to press on?"

At his question she raised her eyebrows, still smiling. After her outburst she was feeling a lot calmer, and was beginning to overlook his brash attitude. It would not do to become angry again, not when she should be figuring him out and finding out the best way to win him over. "Of course sire," Her tone was softer, possibly more befitting of what Vortigern was expecting, it was definitely more submissive. Despite her tone though, there was a definite challenge in her words. "I am surprised you ask, as it is hardly my place to say no, now is it?"

Of course he had managed to anger her all over again. She shouldn't be surprised. The man was impossible. Isabel allowed herself to let out a scoff, before biting her tongue, reminding herself that arguing would not get her anywhere. She was biting her lip, but managed to smile, or rather grimace at him, "I will, sire, I can only apologise again for my previous outburst. Rest assured it will not happen again." Because she would most likely just poison him.

[Vortigern]

-------Vortigern wanted to scoff at her suggestion to educate him. Really. A woman, offering to teach him something? That was laughable. "There is nothing you can teach me, that I do not already know." Whether it was about her or not. He doubted she was charming. He found nothing charming about her. Perhaps it was because this encounter had been shrewdly organized by his family. Traitors. And due to that, he was entering with a bias against her. Because he refused to even consider someone lower than him. Most people were lower, but she definitely was. He decided not to say anything to flatter her. Since she clearly held enough confidence to take it in a way that Vortigern did not want her to. He was a prince! She would have to do more to earn his compliments rather than just showing up.

-------"I would rather not," he stated bluntly. "For so far, I have seen nothing to suggest you possess the slightest charm." All that he has seen, is reason for Naevia to see a physician for a mental affliction that has cause her to befriend such people. Ah well look at that. It seemed she was finally trying to be respectful... for once. "It is not your place at all." Again, her attempt at flattery, or perhaps mocking, was unappreciated. The more he spoke to her, the more infuriated he was by her. But of course, with them in the castle now, Vortigern could not lash out too much. For Gildas would hear about it. And that was yet another lecture the young prince of Sorelia would wish to avoid.

-------"Only time will tell if you have learned your lesson in respect." Vortigern would not suggest what would happen if she did not. "I warn you though, do not test my patience." It was not a friendly suggestion. It was more of a threat. "For I will be far less gracious if you carried on your current behavior when in the presence of the king." Vortigern knew he had not been gracious to begin with. And that using his father as an excuse, would only make his behavior against her more legitimate. Part of him hoped she would push him so that he could deny this proposal with a valid claim. The other part of him wondered if she would ever dare to.

[Isabel de Massard]

His manners certainly weren't improving, but then Isabel had not been expecting much change. He obviously wasn't used to a woman speaking to him in such a way. Well maybe it would do him some good. After all, she was a guest, he was supposed to be treating her with respect and warmth. At this rate she would be lucky to receive mildly cool. Men like him were all the same: too absorbed in their own perceived greatness to care about anyone else. And while it was true that Isabel was not the most empathetic of people, she knew when manners were called for. The only redeeming features he possessed were his wealth and title, and even those were being less impressive the more she spoke to him. Still, he was a prince and she had a plan, and she had long since learnt to ignore such things. She could live with rudeness if it meant living with a crown.

"There is nothing you can teach me, that I do not already know."

She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. He certainly had a temper on him. It would be wise to simply nod, or even to acknowledge that he was, in some way, quite correct. Isabel, however, found it much more amusing to tease him. "What a marvellous statement!" She declared, an excited grin on her lips and eyes wide. "And so impressive if it is indeed true. Tell me, do your talents really know no bounds?" If he was going to come out with such sweeping statements then surely he should expect such a reaction. After all, princes were supposed to prove themselves to the people, weren't they?

Nothing about her was charming! What an absurd thing to say. Isabel was often famed as being just that. And he would know, would he? She was quite convinced he found her extremely charming, anything else would simple be ridiculous, and that he was only saying such a thing to insult her. Well, she would not rise to that challenge. He was not going to anger her, no matter how hard he tried. She may not be able to win him around, but she was certainly going to win his father around - and really, he was the most important. "Well I must take your word for it," Isabel replied, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice, "Although I must say that you are the first man to think so. But, as you have shown - being such a charming man yourself - you know a great deal about such matters. Would it be entirely in vain to ask you how such matters could be improved?" She raised an eyebrow, eager to hear his reply. So far, he was all talk, and that was something Isabel was more than capable of matching. She highly doubted a reasonable reply, Vortigern was not a reasonable man at all. But, reasonable or not, it was probably going to be amusing.

"Only time will tell if you have learned your lesson in respect. I warn you though, do not test my patience. For I will be far less gracious if you carried on your current behavior when in the presence of the king."

In a rather unladylike action, she glared at him. Given the circumstances it was all that he deserved. So far, he had been rude and insulting when he was supposed to be being welcoming and hospitable. Isabel had every right to be angry with him. Nothing she had done deserved such a response. This was not the first time in his presence she found herself having to repress her feelings in order to serve her overall purpose. He was simply impossible, but vital to her plan, infuriatingly so. "I shall endevour to do anything but, sire." She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully before answering. "And as far as the king is concerned, I am sure he will earn my respect, rather than enforce it." No doubt that comment would sit well with him, but what could he do to her? She was not a guest of his, apart from threaten her, little action could be taken against her. He was stuck with her whether he liked it or not.