RP post: Taking Tiwa to Castle Urquhart, ca. 1245 (via Mixed Muses)

[scots_wolf]

[[from here]]

He holds the door open for the pretty fae in the dress from his time.

She's a bold girl, very bold, that she'll actually go and meet his mother. Even though she doesn't like him that way -- more's the pity.

The courtyard of the castle is empty under the fast grey clouds of an autumn evening, except for a few chickens, a sleeping red cat, and a big old dog who gets up stiffly to sniff Angus Urquhart's hands and wag his tail.

"I think they're all inside, in the hall," he says.

Comments

[scots_wolf]

"Warm mulled cider, of course, go make her some, Angus, and don't spare the spices and the honey, I know you do a wonderful mix, there's a good boy," the woman says, and Urquhart retreats, smiling and shrugging.

"I'm so terribly rude just saying 'she' all the time," she goes on. "What is your name again, my dear?"

[piwakawaka]

"I'm Tiwa Davies and its a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

[scots_wolf]

"What a nice name," Lady Urquhart says. "You're very far from your home. Your betrothed is a lucky man that you're wiling to live so far away from Wales."

Not very likely to ever return there, even. Or see her family again.

[piwakawaka]

"Yes, he is, James is worth moving for since he makes me feel rather fluttery. We met when he was doing some traveling,"

Talking about James as her betrothed makes Tiwa blush, she's not sure what he would think of her spinning this lie.

[scots_wolf]

"Oh my dear, I am glad to hear that!" Lady Urquhart says, leaning back and smiling at Tiwa. "Perhaps I should send Angus on an errand to Wales as well. All the local girls are falling through with him at the moment. Oh, he was used so much better in Paris, which is of course the navel of the world and the epitome of style, while we are a regrettable backwater not worth his notice. As if his brother had died just to spite him and ruin his comfortable life there."

She shakes her head. "Sorry, my dear, I do keep rambling. You didn't want to hear that. More oatcakes?"

[piwakawaka]

"He'll grow up in time, but traveling would probably be good for him. Home's always best to come home to. Thank you, these are wonderful."

[scots_wolf]

"Some men never grow up," Lady Urquhart says, accepting the basket with the oatcakes from one of the other women, and offering it to Tiwa. "But I have high hopes for Angus. He studied in Paris for seven years!"

She seems proud of it despite herself.

"Let's just hope he'll find a practical use for all that learning around here."

[piwakawaka]

"No, they don't. The question is always how they don't grow up,"

She grabs a few oatcakes and nods at Lady Urquhart.

[scots_wolf]

Urquhart returns at this moment with the cider, but gets drawn aside by a younger woman, apparently his sister, with the same blond hair and amber eyes, and only marginally shorter.

He puts the cider on the table for Tiwa and then looks at what she wants him to look at.

[piwakawaka]

"Thank you. How are your other children doing with Urquhart returning?"

[scots_wolf]

"The girls miss their older brother, of course," Lady Urquhart says, sighing. "Angus is a good brother as well, of course, but different. Mary is married and busy with her kids, of course, but Anne here is still very upset at times. Angus' displeasure at everything doesn't help, of course."

[piwakawaka]

"No, he does have a kind of scary temper. Will he be able to do some fighting to help him not be as angry at everyone?"

[scots_wolf]

"As soon as he's married and got some kids," Lady Urquhart says. "I simply can't let the family die out in the male line. I gave my older son all the time in the world, which he spent mostly fishing."

[piwakawaka]

"No, of course not, its important to have family."

[scots_wolf]

"This is our castle and our land," she says, simply. "There needs to be a laird to take care of it, to protect the people, to resolve disputes, keep lists, and make the food last for everybody. And we have to make sure that this will continue into the next generation, or we don't deserve this fine hall and the good food on our table."

[piwakawaka]

"Yes, I hope Urquhart realizes how much he can do here."

[scots_wolf]

"We sent him to Paris so he'd get a good education, clever as he is," Lady Urquhart says, "when his brother was alive and Angus needed some other livelihood. But he must stop going on how he'd rather have become a learned doctor and physician than a laird. As God is my witness, I'd have rather have him be a learned doctor, too, and his brother the laird as it was supposed to be! But it's not going to happen. We all have to learn to accept that. His pouting and flailing doesn't help."

[piwakawaka]

"No, it doesn't,"

Tiwa watches Urquhart, she wonders what happened in all those years between now and when Urquhart died.

[scots_wolf]

"So we're all a bit at a loss of what to do about him," Lady Urquhart says. "He's a good man. Really. He cares about people, about honour, about his family. He's just a little lost here right now."

[piwakawaka]

"How long has he been back?"

[scots_wolf]

"Since shortly before Christmas," she says. "He's still learning the ropes and routines as they happen around the year. He never needed to know all that, when he was a boy and either studying with Brother Martin, or out there by the lake causing mayhem with the kids from around here."

[piwakawaka]

"Oh that sounds interesting, he's really getting to learn how things work."

[scots_wolf]

"He does, if he doesn't try and cling to what he would have learned," Lady Urquhart says, scoffing a little. "But to do him justice, he does his best, and he has learned a useful thing or two over there in those foreign lands of his."

[piwakawaka]

"I guess all you can do is just hope he grows up enough to realize that he's really needed here. Or that some woman will steal his heart."

[scots_wolf]

"Yes, that would ground him properly, and take care of the next generation as well," the lady says.