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Having to murder people was a horrible bother and had put Olwyn Caen Isabel de Massard in a rather foul mood. True, she had just completed her plan, and that was always something to be celebrated. But there was that horrible emptiness inside her. It was almost as if, because this one goal had been acheived, there was nothing left in her life. She had nothing to occupy herself with anymore. She couldn't just sit and enjoy life - if she could she wouldn't now be a member of one of the most powerful families in Cantia. She would be starving in the street. She ached for something, anything to occupy herself with. And now she had enough money to whatever she pleased, whatever she did next was going to be something grand and indulgent.

She was bored. This was probably the first - if not one of the first - times she had been bored in her whole life. Even as a small child she was always doing something. She always had a plan, a scheme, a goal. Now she had money and a title and a place to call her home. And it all seemed so worthless. This wasn't some form of guilt creeping up on her, no, she felt no remorse whatsoever about her actions. It was just boredom.

A servant - a young girl who'd only been working for her a week (all of her servants were new) - found her mistress gazing out of her window. "Is anything the matter, milady?"

"Nothing. Go back to your work." Isabel replied, perhaps a little more sharply than necessary. She was tired of people constantly asking how she was. As far as everyone was concerned, she had just lost her family. How did they expect her to be? The servant didn't reply, but Isabel heard her leave the room. Once she was alone she let out a sigh. This was not what she had been expecting at all. She'd been looking forward to a sense of accomplishment, not a loss of direction.

"Sorry to bother you again, milady, but the carriage is waiting outside."

Without a word, Isabel left the window and promptly headed downstairs. At least this was something mildly interesting. It was the king's birthday, and in order to celebrate such an event, there was to be a feast with entertainment in the castle. The Massards had always been well favoured by the king, so it was no surprise that Isabel should be invited. This was, however, the first time she had made a public appearance. She stopped, just outside the doorway, bracing herself with one arm behind her, against the wall. She let out a shakey breath, before mentally chastising herself for it. She didn't get nervous. She was cool and composed. With that in mind she brushed a stray hair behind her ear and walked over to the carriage.

**

So far the evening had gone rather well. Nobles from all over the kingdom had been giving her their condolences, telling her how brave and admirable it was that she was here to honour the king in such a time. She simply smiled modestly and thanked them for their concern, and then topped up her wine glass. She couldn't quite understand what all the fuss was about wine - it tasted foul and left a horrible aftertaste in her mouth, but it was something the "better half" did, and so she did it too.

"Are you looking forward to tonight's entertainment?" The nobleman who was sat next to Isabel leant over slightly, clearly unaware of the concept of personal space. He was close enough that Isabel could feel his breath against her skin, which was something she really, really wasn't enjoying. He was rich though, one of the richest of the men here, and not completely unattractive, so she ignored her repulsion and smiled sweetly and innoceently and replied with "I hear it is a great secret," she turned her shoulders slightly so she was now slightly inclined towards him. There was a slight raise of her eyebrows, "I don't suppose you know anything..."

The man laughed, "The king likes his surprises, and even if I did, I wouldn't want to ruin it."

"How positively boring. I do so like being spoiled." She replied, and took a sip of her wine, forcing herself to swallow it. Apart from the wine, she thought the evening was going rather well.


Tagged: Robyn Lester
Setting: de Massard estate (very briefly) and then the Main Hall in the castle.
Timeline: I've put it some time before my other threads, so before/during series two. Just let us know if you want this changed/anything more specific.
Notes: I didn't know if you wanted to be announced or not, so if you do let me know and I'll edit.

Well this was no fun. Arthur was supposed to be matching her flirtations, not trying to change the subject. If she wasn't in the company of a prince she would be inclined to let out a very frustrated sigh. Having said that, she could probably made something out of hunting games and sword competitions... She surpressed a giggle. She was a lady, she didn't laugh at such things. And besides, she was too annoyed with Arthur's subject change.

"I have no doubt of that, sire." She replied politely, although she was inwardly glaring at him. There was no reason for her to be quite so put out, however, as there was always Plan B. It was just irritating that Plan A didn't seem to the working. She had thought it had been going quite well, obviously she had been mistaken. Well, no matter. Isabel was not one to get upset when things didn't go how she wanted them to. No, she always had something up her sleeve, literally in this case. Hmm. She just had to work out exactly how to get the contents of the vial into Arthur's drink. "And will you be taking part in the events, sire?" She asked, feigning interest while she tried to work out the best plan of action. She leant her elbow against the table, resting her chin against her fist. There had to be some way of distracting him. "Oh, what on earth is that?!" It wasn't her best, but it was better than nothing, and hopefully good enough to distract Arthur.

Unfortunately Isabel had not found anywhere terrinly interesting, which was a pity, she was sure there must some interesting places in the castle. Having said that, she had only walked from her chamber to the dining hall. The most interesting places where probably to be found in the lower parts of the castle. All Isabel had found was a very corridors. She nodded, perhaps a little too eagerly, at Arthur's suggestion. "I would like that very much sire." Learning more about the geography of the castle could only be an advantage, and one such as this was bound to have its secrets. It could not be too difficult to charm such secrets from the prince.

His modesty was probably endearing to most of the young nobles of Camelot, but to Isabel was irritating. She was trying to pay him a compliment and express her interest in him. But he had to go and ruin that, didn't he? Luckily, her expression did not betray her feelings, she had learnt long ago to never express what she was truly feeling. That sort of behaviour would never acheive anything. Instead she remained smiled and averted her gaze for a second. "From what I have heard you can never be given too much credit." When she looked up at him again she did so with slightly raised eyebrows, challenging him to argue against her statement. It was true that she had heard many things about his bravery, she'd heard many things about his ego too, and playing up to a man's ego was never a hard thing to do.

Her flirtatious expression vanished almost instantly, however at Arthur's request to speak of Cantia. Surely he did not truly care about her home? She bit her lip, after all, memories of Cantia were suppossed to bring with them memories of her deceased family. "Perhaps another time." She said quietly, forgetting the conventions expected when conversing with royalty. There was a moment's pause before she was smiling again, albeit a strained one. Arthur knew of the Massards, hopefully she could use this to her advantage. "It is hardly comparable to this fine kingdom." She replied, obviously trying to change the subject and took a sip from her cup, this could be harder than she had previously thought but at least she had her back-up plan, just in case.

Isabel watched him leave, closing the door only when he was out of sight. Well, that appeared to have gone well. She smiled, allowing herself to take a moment to congratulate herself. It was no easy task to fool anyone into believing she was of noble blood, let alone a prince, yet Arthur seemed to have left with no reason at all to suspect otherwise. Perhaps this was not going to be as difficult as she had first thought.

The castle servants had already brought in her belongings. She would have preferred to have her trunk on the other side of the room, but its current location would have to do for now. It was not, after all, the end of the world - just slightly irritating. She opened it up and tried to find something to wear to dinner. Although the dress she was wearing at the moment would be perfectly adequate, she had been travelling all day and was now desperate to get out of her clothes. Besides, the one that was currently in her hand was perhaps better suited to her main task at hand. It was of a light blue material which she liked to think accentuated her curves, perfect for what she had in mind.

Dinner would be served soon, but she was in no hurry to arrive on time, and especially not to arrive without Arthur. That simply would not do, her only option then was to arrive late. In an attempt to kill some time before venturing to the dining hall, she went over to the mirror to make sure her appearance was perfect. This was going to be an important evening - everything had to go according to plan. By the time she was satisfied it was probably time to leave, but before she did she took a small glass vial from her trunk and then left her chamber.

As expected, Arthur was already waiting for her when she entered. She gave a quick curtsey before saying, "I hope you will excuse me for being late. I'm afraid I lost my way, this castle is certainly bigger than I was expecting." She finished her speech with a bright smile and waited to be invited to sit down.

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.

Isabel was sure, or rather determined, that she would have enough to occupy herself with during her stay without having to explore Camelot to amuse herself. But then it could be good to find out more about the people and land itself, especially if all went to plan. “Perhaps I shall, sire. I suppose it all depends on how exciting I find the court.” Her voice probably had a more suggestive tone to it than was thought proper, but Isabel was rather enjoying teasing Arthur and was curious to see if he would follow suit. It would be so much more fun, and easier, if he did, and of course there were all those rumours of his reputation to prove true.

“I shall be staying as long as I am welcome.” She replied, the suggestion in her voice now replaced with modesty. She had not thought about exactly how long she would be staying; only assuming she would remain until her plan had been carried out. This invitation was certainly a promising one, and, setting everything else aside, Camelot festivities were said to be the most enjoyable and entertaining in Albion, and Isabel was rather set on attending. Even if her stay in Camelot did not pass as she hoped, nobles and royals flocked to Camelot for the festivities, she was bound to find herself a fallback.

A genuine smile found its way onto Isabel’s lips. She had a feeling that dining with this prince would be a much pleasanter experience than her previous one. Her mood increased even more when Arthur told her she would not be meeting the king until tomorrow. She was not here to meet the king at all, he was merely a social convention and one she would be only too happy to ignore if she could. He was, however, improving her opinion of him by not being present. She could hardly enjoy dinner with Arthur if she was having to dine with the king as well.

She hid this well, instead nodding with a look of slight disappointment. “I cannot pretend I am not disappointed to meet with him tonight, but I am sure his business is of great import and look forward to meeting him tomorrow.” In truth she did not care about meeting him at all, but appearances had to be kept, and it would do her no good to be disparaging about the king, especially in front of his son.

OOC - sorry about the lateness of this reply.

Isabel was not convinced in the slightest. People always had an ulterior motive, and yes, she was speaking from experience. There was never a time when she did not have one, so why wouldn't everyone else? Isabel survived through lies and manipulation - she didn't trust anyone, and she certainly didn't trust anyone who seemed determined that she should do just that. In her mind, there must be some other reason for Maeve's peristance, why else would she care so much?

Her mind wandered back to Maeve's earlier words, what she had said about the stones' significance. What had she said about them? Isabel could not remember her exact words, but she was certain Maeve had said something about how the stones would, hopefully, purity and serenity or some such nonsense while depriving her of...what was it...oh yes, unwanted thoughts, whatever they were meant to be. Isabel was quite sure she'd never had an unwanted thought in her life. And even if she had, why should Maeve be so interested?

She ignored the woman's words, they didn't matter because now Isabel was convinced Maeve was trying to somehow control her, or at least her thoughts. Why else would she try and giver her that necklace specifically? "You said the stones all have a significance. Why should you think that I am in need of those ones?"

OOC - Just thought I'd mention that Isabel will be getting her flirt on as she wants to marry a prince, but I'm sure Arthur will be able to avoid such attentions

This was, of course, not the first time Isabel had been in the company of royalty. Her visit to Sorelia had been an experience which Isabel now considered a rehearsal, a learning curb, before the main challenge. She was not ignorant enough to suspect all princes the same, although she would not be surprised if Arthur proved to be just as rude as infuriating, but it had certainly given her a lesson in how to behave around royalty. If Arthur was indeed the same as Vortigern had been, he would not prove that difficult, well, once she overlooked the lack of manners. Princes, it seemed, needed to be adored and admired. They had spent all their lives being told that they deserved to be royalty, they deserved thousands of servants bending to their will. Isabel had spent all her life telling herself the same thing.

Camelot was such a better kingdom than Sorelia. It was certainly more powerful, richer and, if the rumours were to be believed, much more dangerous and exciting. And for Arthur, well, she certainly hoped the rumours were true. This could be her perfect oppurtunity. While the life of a noble was certainly one to be envied, but the life of a royal...and a royal of Camelot no less...all she needed to do was ensnare a prince. That couldn't be too difficult, after all, she had practiced before.

She stepped out of the carriage to find Arthur already waiting to greet her, just as she had expected. Hopefully this first meeting would be far more pleasant than it was with Vortigern. She bowed curteously, only looking at him properly when she straightened up. He was certainly a handsome man, perhaps the rumours had indeed been correct. "Your Highness," she lowered her eyes modestly, "I cannot express what a pleasure this is, and how grateful I am to be invited here."

Isabel was perhaps now even more suspicious of the girl's motives. No one ever gave her gifts, they never had. As a young child, as Olwyn Caen, Isabel had learned the only way to gain things for free was to steal them. The world was a harsh and cruel place, and there was always something sinister behind a stranger's kindness. It was with this in mind that Isabel became reluctant to accept the necklace. Why was the girl so ardant that she should have it? Did she honestly believe a few stones would make such a difference to Isabel's life? As someone who practiced magic, Isabel was not about to completely disregard any power that the stones could indeed hold, after all, objects could be enchanted by those powerful enough, but really, a simple necklace was not going to suddenly transform Isabel into a different person.

Her instincts were tried to make her step back as Maeve stepped forward, but she held her ground. She was not going to be intimidated by a young girl. That would be ridiculous. "Why are you so determined I should have this?" Her words were slow and controlled, and her voice no longer held the tinge of warmth it had once had. Her suspicions were well and truly raised, she was going to have an answer.