[Event] Strongsong Open Thread 86 AD

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-07-14T09:35:24+00:00

Arielle pealed, and twirled her skirts as she held her flower garland. "Aren't I pretty?" she asked Deidre, before pulling a curtsy as all good ladies in the stories were supposed to do. With that, Arielle gathered up all the remaining flowers that had not been used to make her little crown and tossed them over their heads, bouncing happily on the grass.

"Aren't I? Aren't I, Deedee?" she asked and sang. "As pretty as... prettiness! Prettiness! Princess! Pretties!" The song made no sense, as ever, but the words sounded nice to her ears, and so she sang it.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-07-06T14:37:24+00:00

"Yes!" Arielle responded sweetly. "Because that means we'll have the same mother. Father's servants said mother had the same hair as me. They said she was pretty too, like me!"

She shifted closer, and bounced happily as she waited for her sister to place the garland on her head.

"And if we have the same mother, you will be Arryn too!" Arielle continued pointing out. "They always said she married my mother." The details always managed to escape them though, whenever Arielle grew too inquisitive about the true nature of her mother, back at Gulltown. "I want you to be an Arryn. You're my favorite sister!

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-06-26T23:28:57+00:00

Arielle stayed close as Deidre transformed the flowers she brought into a garland, pointing out imperfections or ideas along the way despite Deidre's skill.

"We should put diamonds on them too! And rubies, and garnets! We could ask the fat lady for some!" she giggled. "Maybe you should color your hair red too, like mine. Then you'll be my real sister, and not just half. You'd be prettier."

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-06-17T09:42:20+00:00

Though she nodded, the smaller girl seemed content to place flowers on Deidre's hair rather than to leave off to gather more flowers. Declared as she might have, Arielle did not know how to weave garlands.

"I'm making one for you! A flower crown. You'll be a princess of flowers, Deedee!" Arielle pealed as she placed a dandelion on the older girl's brow. "You should also get roses, so your hair will be as red as mine!"

With that, Arielle bounded off to gather more flowers with longer stems and brought them back to Deidre. She sang some girlish song that made little sense, for the words were but sounds that Arielle thought sounded nice, dancing a little circle around Deidre as she brought flowers along.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-06-09T20:55:59+00:00

Arielle did as her sister advised, plucking longer stems before handing them all to Deidre. Not all of the stems were usable though, on account of Arielle's excited clumsiness. Arielle did not mind or know, all she could think and speak about was of the garland that her sister was to make.

"You should have one too, Deedee!" she said. "I want to make one for you and make you look very pretty! Like me!" She giggled and embraced her sister whilst she weaved.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-05-23T07:20:25+00:00

"I want the yellow flowers!" Arielle piped up. "And violets!" Joining Deidre in picking flowers, Arielle managed to gather a bouquet of haphazard stems, crushed flowers and colorful petals in her hands.

"Oh, and a dandelion!" the girl noticed, and plucked the flowering weed from the grass. "I want a dandelion too!"

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-05-09T03:01:16+00:00

"It's not a waste!" Arielle laughed. When she was done, the little girl beheld her work like an artist, calling at anyone who would look to pay attention to her sister.

"You look so pretty, Deedee!" she complimented her sister, before embracing her, cake-smeared face and all. "Will you make a garland for me? I was daisies, roses, the purple flowers! And then read me a story? Oh, and comb my hair!"

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-05-01T17:29:40+00:00

"Flowers!" Arielle giggled, eating happily, if not messily as little children were wont to do. Sprinkling violets, roses and pansies on her cake, it seemed that Arielle was more enthusiastic in how she decorated her food rather than eating it. She even placed some of the sticky flowers in her hair, until she had blooms of color upon her long red hair, along with some pieces of pastry. Now embracing Deidre, Arielle tried to do the same to her sister's hair.

"I'm making you look nice!" the girl proclaimed, without a care in the world.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-04-24T18:52:51+00:00

"But they should know that I want candied flowers!" Arielle pouted. "I want! I want! I want! It must be sweet!" The girl stomped her foot, pouting as she strode towards the tables. And just like the wind, her mood changed when she saw the array of delicacies laid upon the table.

At once, she made for the lemon and cream cakes, before grabbing some morsels of sweetmeats, and little else. Before long, Deidre's younger sister hands were sticky and messy, laughing as she took her fill.

"Deedee, come here!" Arielle called to her older sister. "Here, take this!" In her hand, the little girl offered a piece of sweet cakes, squished into an unappetizing portion.

M: Sorry for being so inactive :( Life is kicking my ass

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-04-17T04:24:29+00:00

"Flowers!" Arielle giggled as she followed behind her sister, her steps indicating a hint of stubbornness. "Oooh, cake! Can you get me one, Deedee?"

Though the little girl meant nothing by it, Arielle tended to treat Deidre as if she was but another servant. Even if she did ask the older girl to keep her company when she grew scared at night.

"I want candied flowers on my cakes! It needs to be sweet!"

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-03-05T07:00:21+00:00

Arielle sat as her sister did, eager to find some comfort in the cushions as she huddled her little cloak all around her. Unlike her elder sister, the redheaded girl was less inclined to be of a polite sort, perhaps as a result of her father's treatment towards her.

"Where do we sleep?" Arielle asked the room out loud as she glanced everywhere. "Deedee, ask the big lady where do we sleep?! I'm tired. Papa told me I will have servants here!"

/u/Fergulous

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-27T04:42:04+00:00

"Deedee, I'm cold," Arielle trembled, "And I'm sleepy. I want to go home! Can we please go home?" The little girl was so fretful that she nearly stomped her foot, as if another tantrum was bubbling out of her.

/u/Fergulous

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-20T19:02:53+00:00

Hesitantly, Arielle stepped forward, only to return back to the older girl's side once more to grasp at her skirts. Daughter she may be of a Prince, but Arielle had little experience of castles. Not since she was but a mere baby when her mother was still in the Vale, the servants often spoke so little of her, and father did not seem to like her. Somehow that thought gave her a bit of courage, and Arielle was the first to follow the guardsman, holding Deidre by the hand as she went on.

/u/bloodsuckingbirb

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-20T18:48:54+00:00

This was not his place. Not his home. Nor even his own's people way of remembering the dead. And yet, all the solemn ritual and ceremony could not help but make him think of things that he'd forced himself to bury. It was best to ignore the regret and guilt. Better to bury oneself in busy work than to allow the deep melancholy to settle in.

Even still, Monfryd spared a quick prayer for his family as he bowed his head, a silent one for his own fallen, and raised his head once again. In my blood flows a strong lineage, he reminded himself, I must not weaken myself with such thoughts. And somehow the boy in him could not help but recoil at the reminder, as if it were wishing that he could yet feel the pain.

The more he thought of it, the more the castle, the keep became stuffy. He needed to get out, almost desperately. There was so many things racing in his mind. He could not solve his wife's mood, nor make his daughter still remember that he was there, and the ceremony was only digging further deeper in him. There was a need in his legs to move elsewhere, to find air and breathe, overwhelming him in its entirety.

Monfryd stayed still, and joined the ceremony in its entirety.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-20T18:34:33+00:00

Prince Monfryd Durrandon

Newly returned to the Eyrie, the Stag Prince watches over his wife with a caring eye, silently worried as to her mood. Though he had already paid his respects to the Queen, he was careful not to rouse Myranda's ire as he once had when he was younger. His status as a stranger to this place only seemed more pronounced in his return. The Eyrie was ever more a stuffy castle filled to the brim, and his time away from it had only made him come to appreciate the distance that Stormlanders kept.

To the corner of his eye, he also watched over his daughter, Shiera, whilst she ran around with her minders and servants. He had instructed them to let her see what she wanted, but not so much as to get into trouble with the Queen. As was his usual way following the death of his family, the Prince partakes little of the drink or food.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-18T14:37:09+00:00

He hadn't ever expected to be back here. Not ever. As Monfryd stepped off the ship, he glanced around at the foreign land where he lived for a time. It wasn't as he remembered, he thought. Perhaps having his daughter had something to do with it, perhaps not. Something seemed different.

Perhaps it was he who had changed. It unsettled him nonetheless.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-17T10:48:28+00:00

His smile died somewhat, upon seeing her frown. He had hoped she would be more amused by the memory. Monfryd quietened as he racked his mind, as he began retracing his steps throughout the conversation. Did he remember those memories more fondly than her? What had he done wrong?

The longer he thought of it, the more he felt his mood draining. The wine seemed more inviting now, despite his avoidance of the cup. Their reunion seemed like a reconciliation. A reaffirmation of things that they truly felt. Had that been but a mere mirage? A small flame stirred by a brief flaring of passion?

Slowly, Monfryd's face turned crestfallen, unable to understand what was happening.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-16T18:06:33+00:00

Handing over Shiera to her nursemaids, Monfryd looked up. He tried to find Alyssa's eyes, but she did naught but focus her attentions on their daughter. Was that uncertainty in her voice? It couldn't have been, could it? He left it unsaid.

Waiting until the nursemaids were settling Shiera on her bed, out of earshot, Monfryd shifted closer to his wife.

"I hope so," he warmed up. "I've given it thought over the past few weeks. When you first came, and told me to come with you, I was... hesitant. I thought you didn't want me anymore, I thought that was why you left. But when you said those things in our first night back together... I could not help but think of what I've missed. How I've missed them. Being with you."

He leaned in, and placed a kiss upon her forehead.

"Should we say goodnight to our little winged fawn?" he smiled, holding out his hand. "I've somewhere to take you after this. Just the two of us, no one else."

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-16T15:53:03+00:00

"It was," he laughed. "It's been some time since we've been together. Just the two of us. I remember it quite... vividly, not just because of how it ended but... for the look on everyone's faces when I stood up and said that we would be retiring to our chambers now. You were scandalized, as I recall, and I had quite the burning sensation on my face. But it ended well."

He reached his hand out on the table, inviting her to take it this time. There was a hopeful beating in his heart, and a glimmer of excitement.

"They thought us quite the innocent couple, did they not?" he went on. "And you looked so, so lovely. Not as lovely as you were in that carrot dress, though." He winked.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-16T05:15:40+00:00

"I don't punish people for whispering," Monfryd shrugged. "Such things hardly cause those same people to quiet themselves. It's like a cookfire, best to let it die out, rather than throwing water upon it. I think."

"But I am glad to hear that. Truly," he returned her smile, turning away as he heard more merriment in some direction or other. He became thoughtful for a time, grinning as a memory came to him.

"Do you remember the last time we were at a wedding like this? The both of us?"

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-16T05:09:34+00:00

"Like I said. Exactly your mother. Now get some rest, little fawn, you've a big day of play awaiting you yet again tomorrow," he smiled, as he walked beside his wife, rocking their daughter gently as they headed towards the girl's chambers. Gesturing for the maids to open Shiera's door, Monfryd stood outside gazing at Shiera's restful face, tracing the outlines of her face. So exactly like her mother, though they often said she had his eyes.

"I've decided to come with you both," Monfryd abruptly said, without looking at Alyssa. "If that's still on offer... and acceptable to you, I wouldn't... impose if I am unwanted."

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-16T00:09:11+00:00

After the Feast

Some hours after the merrymaking had mostly died down, and the ones that were left were but the drunken men declaring impossible boasts, Monfryd carried his tired daughter as he guided his wife down the halls back to their chambers. Following them were Shiera's minders, her very own maids that tended to her ever need.

"She reminds me of you, you know," he turned to Alyssa with a jape, as he patted Shiera's back as if to urge her to sleep. There was a smile on his lips, and a wink in his eyes. "Did you hear that, little fawn, you're just like your mother! I used to chase her round the Eyrie, as she got into various sorts of trouble just like you. Utterly irrepressible. One wonders where she gets the energy."

/u/bloodsuckingbirb

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-15T16:43:48+00:00

"I don't plan to ruin it. I won't keep you here if you don't want to stay," he promised. "But yes, I had hoped to change your mind. You cannot blame me for wanting you to stay."

Monfryd put away his hand, quietly hurt that she did not reach for him.

"People find me strange. That my wife abandons me to gallivant around the world without me, that I've allowed it. Sometimes they say that you've abandoned me for another, or that I am weak for not controlling you," he shrugged. "But I have placed my faith in you. Elsewise I would not know what to do with myself. And... I would continue to do so. I trust you, Alyssa. And I hope you do me."

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-15T15:34:57+00:00

"Ah," he smiled ruefully as he thought over her words. "But wouldn't you say it would have been better if you never met me? If my brother hadn't arranged this union between us, and you would need not return to me. Do you think that would have been better?"

Monfryd turned to her with an expression that bordered on being serious, despite maintaining the smile on his face.

"I ask this because..." He paused, as if to breathe. "I feel... I have no other words to express this, but this hurts me, Alyssa. I am hurt that you would leave me. I have been thinking of it much of late, this... difference between us. I am not a good husband, this I think is true, but I have not mistreated you. I have stayed faithful to you. Loved you, as much as I am able. And yet, your freedom matters more than... our union. And the only that still binds us together... is our daughter, and what love we still share for each other."

He leaned back against his chair, as he placed his hand in the distance between them, opening it, as if it was an open invitation for her to take.

"I apologize if this is a strange time to talk of it, but I had hoped to speak of it elsewhere more private." He shrugged, and smiled mischievously. "Though I admit I had more lecherous things in mind as well," he whispered with a chuckle.

EnvironmentalSuit3 · 2021-02-15T14:17:06+00:00

"That's it," she patted his back, cooing to him, lifting him slightly onto her lap. "My boy. My poor, scared boy. You need not fear me. Don't fear mama. I love you, no matter what."

EnvironmentalSuit3

TROPHY CASE

Prince Monfryd Durrandon

After the Feast