Rosewood Mannor Chapter Three
In which there are discssions of marrage
Adelia rubbed her face and excused herself, she stepped out of the room and into the halls of the castle. There was the excess of guests from the ball, who unable to leave and in distress were milling about making alliances. Men marrying off daughters to the noble knights they could find to save them the hassle of sending their sons to die. In one case a young man agreed to marry a young squire knight for fear of having to go to battle himself.
She walked along the length of the hall hearing hushed conversation with knights and noble men.
“Mary my daughter and protect my lands, this is what I ask of you.”
“What would I get out of marrying such a girl?”
“She is quite intelligent, will be a dutiful and loyal wife, I can assure you that my family has a sizable dowry for her, besides this she will produce you an heir. There is also my estate, I have no son and you must understand that if I pass my daughter will inherit the estate. With no other heir.” the noble man trailed off he seamed to be rather pail and frail, with a thin face and a round middle section.
Adelia moved past the pair looking away from them and continued down the hall, there were other similar conversations happening, her mind moved to Remigan, were men vying for her hand in marriage at that very moment, her heart sank at the thought of it.
Adelia’s head hurt thinking about the politics involved in the courts and having to play host to such simple-minded people. But then the thought of Remigan being married away to someone else so that her grandfather did not have to fight made her throat tighten. She shook her head trying to distract herself from the idea of it.
Just then a figure in a pale pink dress crossed her field of view and Adelia blinked as she saw Remigan looking behind her skirting away from someone. Their eyes met a moment before Adelia fled into another hall.
“Ade” she looked up and saw Connan beside her, since when had he been fallowing her just as a small Page no older then 15 came down the hall and stopped them he had brown hair and panicked eyes.
“Have you seen the miss Remigan Aldridge? I can’t seam to find her; she seams to have slipped away”
“no” Adelia lied to the boy “perhaps she returned to her rooms?”
His face fell and he looked about bowing to her “well thank you my lord, that is to say Ser, or um Sege” the boy said nervously before rushing off down the corridor before he could make much more a fool of himself.
When he was out of ear shot Connan looked at Adelia.
“Shut up” she said
he smirked “you fancy the Aldridge woman?”
“What?” she said as if this was preposterous
“Well, you don’t lie for just any woman” he remarked
“So, I don’t and yet Remigan Aldridge isn’t just any woman, now would you like to accompany me to find her?”
“shouldn’t we get back to the discussions?”
“Those men don’t really care about my opinion, and we both know it, I’ve spent enough time around that type of man to know they will never listen to a single word I have to say.”
“All the more reason to be in the room when they are discussing matters of politic.”
Adelia rubbed her face again, torn, she looked out down the hall “be quick then?”
“I think I know where to look”
“I’ll hold them off for as long as I can”
“Thank your old friend”
Connan nodded and returned to the room.
Adelia wandered the hallways towards the balcony finding more knights and lords tucked away in corners, one such pair looked bashful when Adelia came upon them the knight kneeling in front of the other man looking up at him with twinkling eyes, holding his hand.
Both blushed when they saw her, she smiled at them tenderly “sorry for intruding Ser Eliot, I hope to be invited to the wedding.”
“Commander!” he said his face burning with a blush and she waved him off before continuing down the hall.
If her intuition was correct, she thought as she stepped out past the men onto the balcony that overlooked the gardens and far off one could see the walls of the castle with battle being fought. Remigan was holding her shawl close around her shareholder looking off towards the battle where the clash of metal could be heard and concessional lights of magic blared to life.
Seeing Remigan standing there against the banister looking out with worry etched upon her brow Adelia relaxed.
Remigan turned then sensing someone behind her and she looked surprised to find it was Adelia “Lady Knight” Remigan curtsied before her.
“Miss Aldridge, a pleasure.” Adelia said stepping up to stand beside her as they both looked out over the balcony and the fires that blazed with warmth fire at the edge of the property illuminating the faces of the knights in the courtyard below that were caring for the dead so no more awoke on the grounds. Making sure that no undead wandered close enough to harm anyone within the walls.
“What are you thinking about” Adelia asked
“Home, I superpose, I hope the people are well, that the Crow Knights are tending to the lands just as favourably.”
The crow knights were the knights from the Eeffal estate meaning that Remigan’s father was lord Eeffal, who had been hung for what he had done. The scandal was still largely talked about; he had been caught deflowering a young maiden of the age of 19 in a study during a ball at his palace. They had been walked in upon by her parents and his wife with him fully inside her and her unconscious on the couch. Lord Eeffal had been sentenced to death for his un-honorable nature leaving his estate to his three children in its entirety.
Remigan was the result of that terrible affair, she was a cherub of a woman, short with curls of red hair tied back with a head scarf, her round pink cheeks and dazzling eyes that shifted colours under the light. She was soft and round and Adelia found herself looking at the Remigan’s lips and wanting to take the perfect pink cupids bow in her own. Her heart leapt into her throat thinking about it, and she had to force herself to look away.
“It is natural to worry about your people, I too am worried, the farmers and knights who tend to the land, I image St. Clare is well protected.”
Remigan scoffed and Adelia looked at her confused a moment she didn’t look at the knight only said “St. Clare isn’t my home, my home is with my grandparents, you must find me cruel or cold to think it but my half brother Kaida’s takes care of our estate and I wish none of it. In truth he can keep St. Clare, I have no love for that place, I have never known the people that call it home, though I do not wish them harm by these events. I simply do not think of that as home, my home is Niamh, many think I am silly for wanting a land so close to the Veiled Expanse where monsters freely roam.”
“In truth I think you must be brave to love such a place, Rosenfiel is much the same, on the other side of the Veiled Expanse and I am used to such harsh realities, but there are a rugged beauty and warmth that exists inside our communities.”
“We are of an accord” Remigan said with a smile.
“I do not find you cold or cruel my lady, on the contrary you seam very warm and full of hope, for all the harm your family have endured, I would be surprised if you cared at all for the lands of your fathers home, for as much as it may remind you of the unpleasantness.”
“It is bound up in who I am, I can not escape it.”
“I disagree; you seam so much more to me.” Adelia said and Remigan’s cheeks grew warm.
“Do you have any love lost for your half brothers?”
“No, not as such, my first bullies, my first defenders, what can be said of brothers. Augustus is haughty and quick to anger, his wife Lisil has lost seven pregnancy’s and is an emotional woman, sometimes crying and at others full of boisterous energy. In truth they are— not a good match. Kaida’s is quite and likes to keep busy, he often finds himself moving from things to thing and forgetting where he is at. His mind is a confusing place to me, but he has a good partner who keeps him organized her name is Shara, she is really the head of the estate when it comes down to it.”
“And you?”
“And me... hmm, I was an unwanted blemish upon the Eeffal family, Lady Eeffal made sure I knew I was a mistake, but my grandparents would never allow me to be mistreated, they so loved me. As I said my first bullies and first defenders were my brothers.”
“That sounds familiar. I am sorry.”
“You have brothers?” Remigan asked curious about the knight there was so little known about her true history.
“I did. When I was young. They are all gone now.”
“I am sorry for your loss. Family is so important.”
“Family is everything.” Adelia agreed
“To the point, as I said I worry for my people of course, but I trust my family to manage without me, I hope the knights are keeping them safe. It is not the first time that we have had a tragedy befall the lands of Nasrin, and Niamh as you might well know was one of the towns beset by the ruby scaled Mythiaphus.”
“Ah it all makes sense now, why you call me hero”
“Everyone should call you a hero, you are a saviour of the realm”
“I am nothing special, only a woman” said Adelia looking at Remigan who still investigated the fields ahead of them as if she could make all of it go away by staring hard enough.
“You are to me at least; Niamh will be fine because I trust our people to handle this situation.”
“Thank you, I should walk you to your rooms, the hour is late.”
“I’d like that, much better company then that boy”
“Was he so awful? Should I assign someone else to you?”
“He is fine, do not go to such troubles for me, he is simply a child, and I am unsure a child should be able to protect me should the need arise.”
“Well, the real action is out there” Adelia said leaning out past Remigan and pointing to the far away knights on the edge of the castle grounds where the sounds of fighting could be heard.
A flash of magic here and there lighting up the night like fireworks, Remigan stood transfixed a moment then turned her face to look at Adelia’s sharp features and soft eyes, that seamed to study the sword fighting even from this distance.
Remigan stood transfixed her eyes on Adelia then past her into the night, so close, she could have reached out, could have touched her hand. Remigan wondered what Adelia’s hand might feel like in her own and her heart beat quickly in her chest.
Walking back into the castle a few moments later Adelia fallowed closed behind Remigan as she retraced her steps to her bedchambers. The small mousy cadet shot up from where he was sitting on the floor.
“Miss Remigan there you are, Lady Knight you did not have to go to the trouble of finding her.”
“It is fine would you give us but a moment?”
“Yes Sege” the boy said and scampered away.
“How is your grandfather doing?” Adelia asked
“The kings’ healers have attended to him; I am told he will recover well but that rest is in order.”
“Good I look forward to getting to know him and yourself” Adelia took the back of Remigan’s hand and brought it to her mouth kissing the soft skin or her fingertips in a way that delighted and send a swirling breeze rippling across her skin. Was this not indecent Remigan wandered.
“I have never encountered this tradition before” Remigan confessed with a blush on her cheeks.
“From the southern provenances I always saw knights kiss a lady’s hands when he had her favour.” Adelia said with a smile.
“I will make sure to see you before I leave” Adelia smiled at Remigan.
“Your leaving?” Remigan frowned and seamed to shift uncomfortably.
“In a few days, perhaps we will talk of it tomorrow, may I call on you in the morning?” Adelia asked bringing Remigan’s hand to her mouth once more causing Remigan to blush before she pulled back.
As Remigan entered her suite looking back a moment more and staring down the hall to watch the lady knight Sege Adelia May-Smith walk away from the rooms.
“Remi where were you so long?” her grandmother scolded moving towards the doorway in a sweeping nightgown.
“I just needed some air, how is grandfather?” she asked changing the subject
“He is resting, did someone catch your eye tonight, I would be delighted to see you married, and here I thought it might never happen after so much trouble with your mother and all this worry.”
“I can well take care of the estate myself.”
“That is not my worry” her grandmother said with a frown “I wish you settled so that you are not alone, who will look after you once your grandfather and I are gone.”
“I will look after me” Remigan strong headed and clear in who she was met the eye of her grandmother “but grandmother I have a particular question? Can - can two women marry one another? I’ve never seen such a thing?” Remigan asked the question with pink in her cheeks.
“So, someone did catch your eye then! Well yes, my mother’s sister aunt Sobhan and aunt Cecelia were married for almost 40 years. They were a very happy couple; it is an exceedingly rare match to be made but couples have certainly found happiness within such pairs. In fact, I heard that Lord Davis is getting married to a Knight named Ser Eliot tomorrow.”
“I see so, there is a chance that I might still be married.”
“I hadn’t yet given up home my jewel. Your grandfather and I would not simply marry you away or try to remove your authority as a woman in the court by having someone take what is rightfully yours by decree. But it is also a lot to manage alone, and I wish to see you settled with a good match that will give you happiness.”
“Sege Adelia says she will call on us in the morning.”
“Let us hope it is with good intent.”
…
The morning light came with a clear day that burned away the mist of the night and sent the undead back into the dark to hid for they were greatly weakened in the light of day. The knights regathered, troupes were sent to hunt down the undead they could, others were stationed at burning pits to assure they did not rise again, and then there were the healing tents set up and doted around to heal the wounds of those injured. There were not enough resources, and the grave faces of the castle woke to the bleary sun.
King Heirdhmar called his vessels to him, Aine stood at his side looking over their people, her face pale.
“As we know from last night the necromancer Cian has made himself known once more. It is known to us now that he sneaked past our defences with a magic, we can scarcely describe, it would seam the necromancer has strange magics that we do not know.”
There was a growing mummer of worry within the crowed, a panic starting to rise. The king continued. “We believe we know where the necromancer tower lies and so we call to arms every able body man, I expect every house to send one able body fighter to protect their lands.”
There was a hush in the crowed, Delani took her granddaughters hand unsure of what they might do.
Later that day houses were in a panic, some men were trying to find knights to quickly marry their daughters as to squirm out of fighting themselves, others readied their sons to fight or prepared themselves for battle ahead.
Delani Aldridge worried her hands as she paced up and down their chambers at the castle.
“I will simply have to fight” Ser Winston said
“Don’t be ridiculous an old man, you’ve barley made it out of battle just last night.”
“I... I could go?” Remigan suggested half heatedly her heart in her throat.
“Absolutely not” both her grandparents said in unison and she fell silent.
She had magicked and these were dire times she had to do something she fidgeted her hands as her grandparents continued to discuss the matter.
“What if I married?” Remigan asked a little more hopefully “I can offer my husband a title and lands, I have an excellent Dowry, we could levy these things to a knight, perhaps one of the Crow Knights...”
“Perhaps Lady Adelia will ask for your hand.” her grandmother said
Ser Winston said nothing, a knock came at the door.
...
Adelia was not well suited for the finery of the castle and certainly a woman of Remigan’s station deserved better than a Lady Knight as her intended. She had given them lots of time to prepare for the day ahead, and worried that perhaps some other had come along to state his intent to Remigan.
Still, she did not want to seam perhaps forward if not all together rude for calling earlier then breakfast. So, she had kept busy Adelia had walked the length of the grounds four-fold and inspected every rampart, every gate, been though the healing tents and treated what she could. If the king had not specifically asked her to join the delegations, she would have been out there fighting, and she felt a familiar itch deep in her bones to swing her sword and take down the undead that had devastated the evening.
The sun was two hands above the horizon, and she took a deep breath and felt a knot form in her belly, she could wait no longer. Adelia stood before Remigan’s door and knocked to announced herself, she had come alone, not even a simple page boy to announce her arrival, perhaps a maid would do.
Lady Aldridge opened the door she was dressed in a simple silk dress with long sleeves and a high collar. Not unlike the night before her long white hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her shinning Broze eye, flecked with blue and green along the shifting surface caught Adelia off guard.
Adelia starred at her a moment in shock as she blurts out “should you not have a servant my lady? What if there was grave danger?”
Delani for her part laughed cheerfully “you will find in time Lady Adelia that my family is far from ordinary. Come in wont you?” she did not know the Lady Aldridge well as she was so personal. Few called her Lady Adelia, though it was her name and title, most refereed to her only as the Lady-Knight or occasionally as Lord-Lady. She was one of only four woman who had ever been part of the knighthood in 500 years of the order.
Adelia blinked and walked into the rooms as she said, “I hope you were able to sleep well Lady Aldridge with all the fighting outside I worry that it might have been disturbed.”
“I believe the whole castle found it an uneasy night, and yourself Lady Adelia?” the lady asked
“I spoke long with the king and knights about organizing our troupes. But you do not wish to hear about such boring arrangements” she said
“Winston, Remigan, the Lady Knight has come to call on us.” Lady Aldridge announced her as they entered the sitting rooms. There Remigan sat on a small cushion beside her grandfather who lay spread out on the couch, she had a book in her hands and looked up at Adelia with shimmering eyes that changed from blue to green and were flecked with the same copper as her grandmother.
“Sege Adelia,” Remigan bowed her head a moment their eyes met and a faint blush crept to Remigan’s cheeks.
“How nice to see you, thank you for taking time out of your busy day to come check on me your grace.” Ser Winston said with a charming smile as he sat up against the back of the couch and made room for them all.
“I am sorry I did not come bearing gifts, I am preparing to leave the castle tomorrow in fact, and it was urgent that I meet with you.”
“Urgent? Well, what can I do for you Sege May-Smith”
“Leaving so soon?” Remigan looked dejected at the idea of the knight leaving and Adelia wanted to take the lady in her arms. A blush spread across her face looking at Remigan and then at the Aldridge family then as her stomach tied itself into knots and her heart hammered in a way that she was unused to even in the most gruelling of campaigns.
Adelia approached her and knelt in front of Remigan they looked a sight the female knight in shinning armour, a new breastplate with graves and balusters donned. Her sword sheathed on her side and Remigan in contrast to the sharpness of her was soft and round with rosy cheeks, she wore a soft pale purple dress that flowed around her.
“I am away to the war front, to hunt the necromancer Cian, I came to ask, to say.” Adelia sat silent a moment as they waited for her to speak “I have come to offer you, my blade.”
There was a silence as the family took in her meaning and Adelia rushed on anxiously “that is to say that I am aware of the political deals are being made, some to keep men away from war, and I know you yourself were badly injured last night Ser Winston, you have no sons or heirs to which to send in your stead, and if no other has come, in deed even if another has offered though I pray that you might see me as a beneficial choice. I wanted to.” she looked now to Remigan still sputtering on Remigan looked pale and worry shone across her face. Their eyes locked.
“I know it is not a romantic prospect of marriage, that we have only just met, but I would like to get to know you. I will be a loyal wife, a stout defender of your honour and of your land, I will never wish to take from you anything that is your own. Only to join my house to yours, my men would fight for you, if you would have me. If there… if there is no other.” eventually she stopped rambling and there was a silence.
“You would really do that?” Remigan asked her face was flush now and tears sprang to her eyes.
“If you would have me” Adelia nodded then looking at Ser Winston again “if your grandfather would allow” she looked between the two unsure.
“Would you allow us a few moments to discuss this?” Ser Winston asked
Adelia nodded and slinked away into the hall to wait for their answer.
When the knight had left the room Remigan turned to her grandparents in awe.
“It seams to good to be true, all our prayers answered at once.” Delani said clasping her hands together.
“Are you truly happy with the match, I will not fence you off upon someone for my own sake.” Winston looked at his granddaughter skeptically.
Remigan thought seriously about this a moment before she started to speak “it is more then I had hoped for, a match to someone I rather think I like, and maybe I could even grow to love with time. Besides being a good match, they want to protect us, they are a noble knight with a good heart...”
“It seams to good to be true” said her grandmother again.
“Grandfather you know better then most that Adelia would have gone to war regardless of if she made this match, if she wishes to join our houses to protect us as well, can we really say no to that?”
“You are truly happy with a woman? You would not hold out hope for a man?”
Remigan thought on this a moment more “I’d never thought of woman in such a way, but I can not say that I was not captured by her when we met, or that I did not feel some rush of romance between us. I think I could be happy.”
“If you worry husband about an heir, there are ways that two women as such might find to conceive.”
“Phillip is enough proof of that.” said her grandfather with a smirk.
“So he is,” Delani agreed before turning to Remigan and nodding, she went to the door and looked out at the knight pulling her back into the room.
“I would be happy to be your bride, Sege Adelia.” Remigan said standing before her.
“I worried I was to late, and that another had already asked to be your husband.”
“No, and lucky for you my grandparents are protective enough that they would not hoist me off on some man I did not actually like.”
“I intend to make you happy,” Adelia brushed her cheek eyes shinning at the woman she had proposed too.
Remigan smiled “I already am more fortunate than I deserve to be.”
“It is indeed a great honour to accept a hero such as yourself into our family” Ser Winston nodded and Adelia’s heart bloomed with hope and a warmth spread though her. Family, could she really have a family once more? She looked at Remigan, yes, they were to be wed, and Adelia would never have to be alone again.
So, it was agreed upon that a union between the houses of Aldridge and May-Smith might be sealed that day in matrimony.