Post by King Marcel de la Courcel on Dec 22, 2010 23:14:37 GMT -5
Leaving Maigrey behind was almost as hard as watching her marry my father, but I managed, with the assistance of a gallon of wine and a haze of opium smoke. My father was furious, but he put me on the ship at Marsilikos none the less, and I vomited halfway to the City, emptying myself of the liquor and pain alike, until I was a numb shell, shivering on the aft deck and trying to keep down some water.
We'd landed ... somewhere, I didn't even know my geography well enough to figure out what ports were closer to the City than my home port, but there must have been something, because there we were. I got a horse instead of a carriage and took my time riding the rest of the way, until finally I could stall no longer and I was winding through the streets of the City to my sister's house.
Dyan's house had burned down in a fire, but had been rebuilt, and my youngest sibling, Sophine, lived there now, taking care of my niece's estate until she came into her majority as Comtesse. Me marrying into the royal family brought them along as well, in a manner of speaking, and I wondered how she felt about that. She had married already, my baby sister, to a Shahrizai, which made all of us look at her a tiny bit differently, though none of us would say so. No matter, who was I to judge? I liked Sophine, and she would put me up until I could call on my future wife and discern my living arrangements.
My arrival was heralded by a butler and I was soon amid a flurry of arms and kisses, as Sophine and Denyse greeted me with all the fervor of a family who actually cared about me. Did they? It was strange to think it, but Sophine was sweet, and loved everyone, why not me? Guy was there too, the Cassiline, ever stoic and watchful, though I admit I had appreciated his help on his visit to the City. I had even taken his advice, though it had had disastrous consequences.
That day, I sent a formal letter to the Princess to see if I might call upon her the next day, and that night, I did not sleep a wink.
We'd landed ... somewhere, I didn't even know my geography well enough to figure out what ports were closer to the City than my home port, but there must have been something, because there we were. I got a horse instead of a carriage and took my time riding the rest of the way, until finally I could stall no longer and I was winding through the streets of the City to my sister's house.
Dyan's house had burned down in a fire, but had been rebuilt, and my youngest sibling, Sophine, lived there now, taking care of my niece's estate until she came into her majority as Comtesse. Me marrying into the royal family brought them along as well, in a manner of speaking, and I wondered how she felt about that. She had married already, my baby sister, to a Shahrizai, which made all of us look at her a tiny bit differently, though none of us would say so. No matter, who was I to judge? I liked Sophine, and she would put me up until I could call on my future wife and discern my living arrangements.
My arrival was heralded by a butler and I was soon amid a flurry of arms and kisses, as Sophine and Denyse greeted me with all the fervor of a family who actually cared about me. Did they? It was strange to think it, but Sophine was sweet, and loved everyone, why not me? Guy was there too, the Cassiline, ever stoic and watchful, though I admit I had appreciated his help on his visit to the City. I had even taken his advice, though it had had disastrous consequences.
That day, I sent a formal letter to the Princess to see if I might call upon her the next day, and that night, I did not sleep a wink.