Post by Grace Ouilet on Aug 29, 2010 22:45:45 GMT -5
Name: Maigrey de Layne
Age: 22
Race: d'Angeline
Gender: Female
Height: 5'4"
Home Province/Country: Eisande/Terre d'Ange
Appearance: Fair skinned and delicate, Maigrey has to approach the sun carefully in the beginning of the summer season, though by the end she's careless and carefree with it, staying out of doors for hours at a time without so much as a parasol to block the rays from her tanned self. Her hair is a light even in the depths of winter, turning sun-streaked in summer; not white, but sometimes it doesn't seem too far off of it. Her eyes in contrast weren't light, not dark, but deep and full, crystal clear. Long lashes ring her eyes, sweeping up to slender brows, and full lips sit below a clean, straight nose. Her hips and waist are rounder now after giving birth to a healthy baby girl, more womanly rather than sharp like a girls. Healthy, not underweight or over - her dresses sit slim over her; she couldn't afford to gain wait after having the babe, for two defined reasons.
Personality: Despite the happy ignorance of her childhood, Maigrey has bloomed into a quiet woman, one used to long sufferance of arranged marriages her father had pushed her into. Loveless marriages, giving her a daughter, the sole light of her life, the one reason for staying on track and on course.
When Maigrey forgets her troubles, warmth flows from her; laughter, smiles, the willingness to run free, to be spontaneous and wild. Deep inside of her she craves it, craves the ability to run free, but is old enough now to know the possibilities of it happening were very slim. Her heart is guarded, but she keeps a careful mask around others, smiling and laughing at their jests, even if she rarely offers one of her own. Most think of her as simply inverted or shy, not knowing the real reason why she is how she is.
History: Lively and sweet, Maigrey grew up in a family where her mother wasn't happy with her father, and visa versa. They'd been married together through families and the politics within, never having found happiness with each other, let alone love. Most of the time it slid off of Maigrey though - she didn't let her parents lack of joy bother her, focusing instead on having adventures out-of-doors, or playing with the various animals upon the farm. As she grew into a young woman, the girl was more careful with how she played outside, taking care not to dirty her dress or stain her slippers, but she found she still couldn't remain indoors. Some boys her age tried to win her attentions, but Maigrey had little interest in any of them, preferring to spend her time atop her mare exploring, or some other point of interest that didn't include flowers, candies or kisses. It wasn't as if she were against it, just not finding herself attracted to any of them in the slightest.
By the time Maigrey turned nineteen, she still hadn't accepted the courtship of any of the local young men, and her father stepped in. Giving her no choice, he arranged a marriage between her and the son of one of the more prominent families around, something that should have overjoyed her, but instead it didn't. She'd turned him down twice before, and when she walked down the isle towards him, it was with a smug, superior smile that he greeted her with.
Time passed, and Maigrey had lit her candle as duty called for, but was unable to become pregnant for almost two years. While her husband never struck her, he was cold to her, turning away from her except when he wished to spend himself in her, preferring to spend the rest of his time with his mistresses. When Maigrey finally did become pregnant, she refused to bed him any longer, claiming she didn't want to jeopardize the baby given how long they'd fought to conceive. It angered him, being denied by his own wife, and in a tantrum he packed them up and moved them to the City to live for a while, in a small, snug house on the very edge of the East borough. Maigrey gave birth there, bringing into the world a beautiful baby girl, Miryelle. From the moment she saw her, Maigrey was infatuated, absolutely in love with her. She'd taken to making the baby her own clothes, little dresses and bonnets, bows, skirts, diaper covers… They had little money, but Maigrey was abundant with love for her daughter, something she'd never really felt for anyone else, even her own parents. When the plague swept through the City, Maigrey closeted herself and Miryelle up in the house, something her husband didn't bother to do. When he came down sick, she kept their baby as far from him as she could to save her - the babe was only a couple of weeks old at that point, and Maigrey refused to expose her to the plague.
With the death of her husband, Maigrey was left penniless. The house they were staying in belonged to his family, not to him, and knowing the rocky relationship they two had, they turned their backs upon Maigrey and Miryelle both, claiming the babe must not be his, but someone elses, that Maigrey was the cheating spouse and not their beloved son. Shamed, Maigrey made the journey back home to her parents house, rich in love for her daughter, but utterly poor and dependent otherwise.
Maigreys father refused to accept her living there husbandless a moment longer than he had to. A womans place was to care for her husband, so he claimed, and Maigrey had to find someone new. When Maigrey refused, he became enraged and sought out a suitor himself, choosing differently this time, picking an older gentleman who already had children, who promised to care for Maigrey and her daughter even after his death. For her, she received security for the remainder of her and her daughters life. For him, he had a new young bride, a girl who'd only had one partner in her life, and in many ways was untainted from the ways of the world. Maigrey hated it, argued with her father - she didn't want to marry! She wanted to be alone with her daughter, swore she'd find a job, would support herself… but in the end, she was cowed by her parents into it, pushed into accepting the marriage proposal to a man she'd never met. She wept in the small hours of the night, one arm held over her daughter as she slept, pausing to nurse her when she woke. Miryelle was the only person in the world that mattered to her - she wanted nothing to do with anyone else.
Three weeks before her wedding, Maigrey left for Marsilikos, having begged enough money off her father to support her and Miryelle for two weeks. Two final weeks of freedom, where it could be just the two of them, no one else around. She'd had to promise her father she wouldn't run, and at the end of the second week, she would take her carriage and go meet her new husband, arriving a week early to prepare to be wed.
Barring the delivery of her baby girl, those two weeks were the best of Maigreys life. She'd been struggling with a few sacks of groceries and her daughter when out of the blue a man was there, offering to help her. There was an air of alcohol about him, but he was harmless enough, and she found that rather than being put off by him, she found him… interesting, in a way she never really had anyone else, especially so quickly. That night she'd invited him in, and had laughed more than she had in a long, long time, finding it more than just easy to talk to him, this Marcel fellow. The second night they lay together, and for the first time in her life, she found pleasure in the act. It was the first time she'd ever truly freely given herself to someone, though she hadn't told him, too private, too embarrassed that he'd gawk or laugh at her. By the time the first week was over, she knew she'd finally found someone she'd want to spend the rest of her life with, and it hurt so very badly to know that she'd be denied.. that she had to do this, for Miryelle. She had to put her daughter first.
When she'd finally broken down and told him of her impending marriage, he'd begged her, he'd cried, and her heart broke, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces, and those pieces shattered again into countless more. She held strong, as much as she could, and even though she cried, even though she wanted nothing more than to hold onto Marcel, to run away with him and let Father Time forget about them, she couldn't.. not with Miryelles little face beaming, chubby little fists waving outward. The carriage ride away from Marsilikos was the worst Maigrey had ever endured, knowing behind her her heart remained, but before her lay Miryelles future.
She'd arrived, a day late for lingering longer with Marcel, hear heart heavier than it ever had been. She buried it away as best as she could have though, greeting her would-be family with shy smiles, holding Miryelle close to her through it all. Her soon-to-be husband eyed her appreciatively, and Maigrey found herself utterly turned off by him, not wanting to share his bed with him, not wanting to be here, to do this. Every night she cried herself to sleep, debating anew leaving the grounds and looking for Marcel, but what if she never found him? She'd lose her stability here, would lose the ability to stay with her mother and father. She'd lose everything - there was nothing left for her but to stay, and marry a man she didn't even know she liked, a man more than old enough to be her father. Some of his children were older than her at that, and yet she was to be their step-mother.
The day of the wedding found Maigrey smiling demurely on the outside, but as hard and cold as a stone inside. There was a small commotion as the last son arrived, almost late, and when Maigrey appeared to walk down the isle, only the tight, iron grip she had on her feelings kept her from tripping, kept her from staring… from crying.
Marcel.
Oh, Elua! How evil a joke it was, to let her finally find someone she could love, someone who loved her, only to deny them both and let themselves be found in this position, where she married his father before his very eyes. She couldn't look at him, couldn't acknowledge him - if she had, she would have broken down, would have crumbled before all and begged to be released. Marcel surely wouldn't want her, not knowing who she was set to wed, and she wouldn't put a rift between he and his father. Just barely holding herself together, Maigrey put Miryelle first in her mind as she whispered her vows, though when her new husband leaned to kiss her to finalize it, she closed her eyes and saw Marcels face, pretended it was his scent that she breathed.
Maigrey had never told her husband about Marcel, and never would, not willing to jeopardize anything. She watched Marcel from places where he couldn't see her; standing, staring down at him from a second story window, rounding a corner when he was walking ahead, almost out of sight… but she never talked to him, too afraid she'd break down, too afraid of what he might say to her; she'd lost him once, and didn't think she could survive losing him a second time.
Months had passed since the wedding. With Marcels absence, Maigrey felt the hole in her heart grow, but she used the space to try to heal herself, to bring herself back to the the state of not caring about anyone but Miryelle again. The babe had grown, nearly a year old now, just learning how to teeter across the floor without falling. Maigrey was without child despite the coupling her husband insisted upon; she wasn't sure if he wanted another babe, or if he was simply eager for pleasure. Both, mayhap, though Maigrey wanted neither from him, and received neither. There was but one period in her life where she'd enjoyed the act, and it had never been while she was married. She spent her days playing with Miryelle, or curled up on a chair, staring outside, a far cry from the burbly, lively girl of her childhood, avoiding having to spend time with her husband, who treated her much of the time as a mistress to please him. One day, she hoped.. One day she would be free, free to be who she wanted, to love, to stretch her arms wide, and not fear what might come next.