The Morning After

Maire woke up as the first fingers of dawn crept into the window. Normally she would have found a excuse to snuggle closer to Rensain and wake up in a leisurely manner. She opened her eyes to wake him but Rensain had already gotten up. Flipping the covers off of her she knew he didnt have that much of a headstart because the place he slept was still slightly warm from his body heat. She cursed a bit at herself, for they had guests ,and here her husband was already dressed and probably helping them ready to leave.

Maire hadnt been able to talk to Jared because he had retired earlyand she was looking forward to chatting over a breakfast with him The night before she had gotten a few things together , some teas and scented oils that she thought they would like. A parting gift of sorts of her own brews and comfort items. She hurried into her dressing room and sat .With her silver handled brush she deftly plaited her hair bringing it up to swirl in a onyx coil and fastening it with a few silver combs The dress she choose was a forest green.very simple but it had a way of bringing out her dark hair and eyes.

A few sprays of her scent and she was down the stairs. She was just about to go into the main room when she saw a note upon the entry table. She smiled for perhaps she had overlooked it and it was from the property brokers. The name on the envelope was hers and Rensain so she opened it. Her smile disappeared as a look of disappointment clouded her features. It seemed the party had left , or at least Ralean was gone.

His not was apologetic and Maire completly understood. When involved in poltics things could change at a moments notice. She would have to send his teas and such to him. Perhaps Rensain and she could deliver it personally, but of course one could never tell. She wandered off a bit disappointed to find Rensain, to inform him of the absence of Ralean. She had no idea of the midnight leaving but perhaps Rensain did....

{A uniformed female servant who was in a rushed fashion to catch up with her, approached the Lady Maire. Her voice was humbled, and her eyes were firmly averted downwards. }

"My Lady, Your husband has sent for you in his office..."

{Then she turned, walking a few steps behind the Lady of the House to follow her to the designated room. The roar of Rensain's anger could be heard from outside of his office, his door promptly swinging open as he kicked two of the doormen out. They stumbled, their clothes ruffled.

Approaching the door, he moved to slam it shut yet he paused when he saw Maire. Visibly his demenor changed, her presence causing a wave of calm over him.}

"Please, come in my dear wife."

{Turning to his side and straightening up, he would allow the queen of his heart to pass by, and slowly, he shut the door.}

"I have a note from Jared, he has left the Lady Amarra in my care to return to Vladamir today. I trust she does not know about it, and if she does, she's no doubt very upset. I know that you are fond of her, perhaps you could be the one to gently tell her of his absence and offer some form of comfort."

{He exhaled, shaking his head in disgust.}

"Whatever has gone on here, I do not know..but I cannot afford for it to fall on our shoulders. If she does not see Vladamir, he will want be pleased with us. I cannot afford his anger, not whilst it is vital that we find Marcus."

Maires brow furrowed in confusion but she nodded her head slowly and handed the note that Ralean left them " Ralean didnt give a clue why they left in the cover of darkness. I had hoped you would know...." She crossed her arms over her chest " Amarra told me last night that Jared was under a lot of stress but she didnt allude to anything else. I think she is going to be upset , but perhaps he talked to her before he left"

She gave a sigh and then chuckled ruefully " So much for our reputation...we have them leaving at night in secret just to get away" She knew that it had nothing to do with their hospitality but it was confusing.

" I will talk to the Lady and let her know you will see that she gets to Merridia" she looked to Rensain " I get the feeling she is dreading going there. " She moved to him and kissed his cheek gently" now try to not terrorize the help? Its hard enough to get them to serve here" she winked to him and smiled.

" I will have some food and drink brought to her room . Give me about a hour and we shall have her ready, and love be careful" she knew he was worried of implications and the mystery surrounding this just left things more in the dark. She left to go to the room that Amarra had been placed in after instructing a light breakfast and some tea to be brought to the room.

Maire wasnt sure what she was going to say to Amarra. She and Rensain knew little and so she hoped Amarra knew more. She stood in front of the door and knocked. " Lady Amarra? Its me , Maire." The maid was just behind her and Maire took the tray from her" I will take it now" She waited outside the door, with the tray full of fruist and bread with a pot of tea and two cups. Maire didnt want Amarra to go anywhere without eating something, the girl had really only picked at her dinner last night.

She tried to think of what she could say but that all depended on what Amarra knew ...

~looks up at Maire's call and sighs softly, knowing the day won't stop just because she wishes it would. She stands and takes a few moments to compose herself before going to the door, opening it and holding it to welcome Maire into the room. She is fully dressed, back in her travel clothes, with her hair loose down her back. Her eyes are puffy and red, and she does not smile as she greets the lady of the house~

Lady Maire. Forgive me for keeping you waiting. Please, let me take that from you.

~takes the tray from Maire and sets it down carefully, falling by habit back into the mindset of a servant, and she is more aware than ever of her change in status, or rather her lack of status, now~

With the dimintuive manner in which Amarra spoke, Maire discerned that she knew of the situation. She sat in a chair and spoke gently" Rensain recieved a letter from Jared asking that he take you the rest of the way to Merridia. I am sorry that he left. Ralean let a note but he didnt mention why they left. I am sure it is only for a short time"

Maire had no idea of what truely happened and so she merely tried to comfort and encourage Amarra that Jared would make a swift return not knowing of the letter he wrote to Amarra. She assumed that Amarra was upset that Jared had left suddenly. She swept a hand toward the tray" Please try to eat. It will do no good to starve, if nothing else , drink some tea. It will calm you. " she added" I can ask Rensain if I can go with you as well, I am not sure if it will be possible but I will ask if you would like" she didnt think her husband could show the kind of compassion that Amarra needed in this situation but most men would not.

~stares at Maire quietly for a long moment, not sure what she should say, or how she should say it. Her emotions are at war within her, and she is unsure whether grief, anger, or dread will win the battle. Without saying a word, she goes back to the bed she'd slept in the night before and picks up a piece of paper she'd left lying there. She reads it through again, then holds it out to Maire to allow her to read it as well, never making more of a sound than her shoes softly tapping on the floor~

Maire read the letter and there was a palatable shock in her manner as she read the words over again. She folded the letter again and handed it to Amarra. Her mouth opened but she had no immediate words . She had not known that things were strained between the two. Her own relationship had been storybook and she felt almost guilty , especially seeing her and Rensains name mentioned.

She finally spoke " Lady, I am so sorry. This makes things....I understand now. " she could only equate the pain with how she would react if she were in the same shoes. She stood and gave Amarra a gentle hug" I do not know what your future holds but if you need a friend, someone to talk to ..." she couldnt promise much because the circumstances were convuluted. Rensain held a postion that wasnt forgiving and their son was still a factor.

She let go of the Lady and moved to the water pitcher. Pouring some into the bowl she took a fresh washcloth and soaked it in the water and brought it to Amarra. " Here press this against your eyes for a moment , it will keep the swelling down. I will get you a basket of some things, tea to help you sleep and relax you and some sachets to be soaked in water and placed on your eyes. I know there will be more tears, you have suffered a blow. There is no shame in feeling the sorrow"

She hoped that she gave some comfort but had she been in the same circumstance , she was sure that she would find it hard to be comforted.

~takes the washcloth but shakes her head, setting it and the letter aside before speaking softly~

I am no lady. Not anymore. You have been kind to me, and I'm more grateful than you can know. But my tears may not last all that long, at all, once I reach Meriddia. I don't want to impose on you more than I have already.

~shudders at the thought of what she must face on her return. She turns to face the wall, feeling ashamed at taking advantage of the lady's hospitality without her knowing why. After a moment, she picks the cloth back up and dabs her eyes with it anyway, the water on the cloth comforting if nothing else. The star on her forehead glows weakly while the water is in contact with her skin~

My offer to take you to the sea stands, if I'm still... able.

Maire smiled and spoke quietly " being a Lady has nothing to do with a title, titles can be given and stripped. Being a Lady has everything to do with charchter Amarra. Dont let anyone take that away from you. I have only recently wed Rensain legally but just because I didnt carry the title of his wife, didnt mean I wasnt his wife in every way. "

" I would very much look forward to being able to accompany you to the ocean. I also have a bit more advice and a story" she first poured a cup of tea and handed it to Amarra"Drink, " it was almost a command. She then turned and moved to the window " When I was a young girl I was given to temple service as was customary in my lands. I was scared , it was far from the home that I knew and loved. The ways were strange and I didnt feel as I belonged. There was so much to learn and I had to learn it without the familar around me. "

She turned and continued" One day I was to meet the High Priests and Priestesses in a meeting that was convened. We were instructed on how we must act and how we must greet them. I was so scared that when the Priest of Death came, I could not speak. I was frightened by his appearance to the very core and began to cry. " she gave a rueful grin" I was but nine but what I didnt know then was that he wasnt a bad man. He was doing what he must do. Death is a part of life ...I shall not go into my homes beliefs ....but I had commited some great disaster."

She moved toward Amarra"I was sure that I was going to be sent away in utter shame, my family would be shamed and I would forever be a woman that was shunned. " her eyes sought Amarras" I decided I really had nothing to lose and so when I was called by our High Priestess to account for my actions, though I didnt feel it inside I put on a face of courage. I answered without a tremor and admitted my shortcoming."

She placed a hand upon Amarras arm. "What I am trying to say is, even if you dont feel it inside, if it takes all within you , put on a face of courage and grace and stand without being cowed. Answer honestyly and without tremor in your voice. The idea is not to show arragance but to show courage. That is what being a Lady of charchter is my dear"

~takes a small sip of the tea out of respect for her hostess, but she barely tastes it. She is glad that Maire has not yet insisted on her eating anything, because she isn't at all sure her roiling stomach would handle it well. She listens to the story with interesting, wishing she had time to ask about her beliefs. Considering what had happened the last time she'd explored a religion, perhaps it's better that she doesn't have time to ask, for now~

Thank you for sharing that with me. I have little courage left, but I will face what is to come with as much dignity as I have left, because it is all I have.

~slips a small book, not much bigger than the size of her hand, from a pocket in her dress and flips it open, looking through the handwritten pages. Not much is written in the book, but she's always kept it with her from childhood habit. Finally, she turns to the last few pages with writing on them and carefully tears them from the book, holding them out to Maire~

This is my story. Or part of it, anyway. I would ask that you wait until after I've left to read it. Some of it, I've never shared with anyone before, but someone, somewhere needs to understand, or at least just to know. I have failed, and I am being sent to face judgement. I would understand if, after you read that, you don't think well of me, but until I go, I could really use a friendly face.


((OOC: It's the last entry in Amarra's journal on the old site, on this thread: http://aegisrp.lordnull.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249))

Maire took the pages handed to her and folded them carefully before slipping them into her pocket. " I will do what I can my dear. Now come, Rensain will be leaving soon . There are many things he must attend to " she opened the door and walked with Amarra down to the main hall. Inside was a basket Maire had prepared with a few comforts for Amarra. Tea, the bottle of scent to go into the atomizer that she had given her and some scented oils and bath salts

She picked up the basket and handed it to Amarra. " I packed this for you last night, but it might bring you some comfort even now" she caught the movement of Rensain out of the corner of her eye and gave Amarra a hug "I will see if it is possible for me to visit you, but I am not sure what will be allowed. Remember, courage Lady"

She turned and gave Rensain a smile. She hoped his temper had cooled some since this morning. She moved to him and kissed his cheek in parting "Be well beloved, I will be here when you get back....dont stay long from me" She stood back and waited for Rensain to open his portal. She kept a encouraging smile for Amarra and she would do so until they left.

((We have continued this in Meriddia: "Judgement." ))