09-11-2021, 02:13 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-11-2021, 03:32 AM by Rowan Finnegan.)
A serving woman was waiting for Vivienne and Letto as they walked into the manor. She took their cloaks without a word, although she did offer the appropriate bows and curtsies befitting an Aes Sedai and her Warder. Things really were starting to feel off. The servants were normally warmer and more relaxed around Vivienne, not stone-faced and stiff-backed. Had Lamorach fallen into a drunken rage? He hadn’t had one of those fits since her first visit.
Vivienne opened her mouth to ask after the Lord’s health, but the serving woman was already gone. She had left them alone waiting in the vestibule and not a soul could be seen in the ante hall beyond. A fire was crackling on a small hearth to their right and mirrored sconces were lit all along the paneled walls. Despite the good lighting, Vivienne began to feel a sense of dread. She drank in more Saidar, as if in an effort to chase away the emotion. The bond remained censured, but Vivienne was about ready to un-do that little trick.
“You know, it’s not too late to turn around. We can just leave the horses and the cloaks and,” Letto murmured before Vivienne cut her off with a raised hand.
“Forward the White Lion of Andor, Letto,” Vivienne said in response. They could not and would not run from this. Did things seem odd? Yes, they did. That was all the more reason to continue on. Merdyn and the soldiers could still be diverted if the need arose. Letto and she could still escape if the need arose; Vivienne knew parts of the manor well enough to form a Gateway out. All would be well.
“I simply urge caution, Viv. Something is afoot. It might be wiser to leave and gather more information. Light, we haven’t been here in months,” Letto kept hammering on. She was staring at Vivienne now, although Vivienne kept her eyes fixed forward.
“Forgetting my eyes and ears?” Vivienne asked coyly.
“That was drivel, and you know it,” Letto replied.
Vivienne sighed as she steeled herself. One foot and then the other, she began to move at a stately pace past Letto and into the ante hall. It was paneled and sconced much like the vestibule; wall hangings and carpet runners adding a touch more warmth. The ante hall split off into two side halls ahead, a large carved set of double doors set at the center. No guards stood waiting outside those doors – another oddity. Beyond those doors lay the main hall and the dais upon which Lamorach would receive Vivienne. He always stationed guards outside those doors.
“Light, woman!” Letto cursed quietly before taking quick strides to catch and pass Vivienne, “You’re not going in first.”
“If you insist,” Vivienne said with a mock haughtiness. Letto’s shoulders stiffened. Really, it was only meant to lighten things. The bond censure would certainly remain if her Warder insisted on being so prickly. Vivienne was still uneasy and that would only double over on itself if she allowed herself to feel Letto’s own emotions. The woman walked a few paces ahead and shook her head without looking back.
Vivienne opened her mouth to ask after the Lord’s health, but the serving woman was already gone. She had left them alone waiting in the vestibule and not a soul could be seen in the ante hall beyond. A fire was crackling on a small hearth to their right and mirrored sconces were lit all along the paneled walls. Despite the good lighting, Vivienne began to feel a sense of dread. She drank in more Saidar, as if in an effort to chase away the emotion. The bond remained censured, but Vivienne was about ready to un-do that little trick.
“You know, it’s not too late to turn around. We can just leave the horses and the cloaks and,” Letto murmured before Vivienne cut her off with a raised hand.
“Forward the White Lion of Andor, Letto,” Vivienne said in response. They could not and would not run from this. Did things seem odd? Yes, they did. That was all the more reason to continue on. Merdyn and the soldiers could still be diverted if the need arose. Letto and she could still escape if the need arose; Vivienne knew parts of the manor well enough to form a Gateway out. All would be well.
“I simply urge caution, Viv. Something is afoot. It might be wiser to leave and gather more information. Light, we haven’t been here in months,” Letto kept hammering on. She was staring at Vivienne now, although Vivienne kept her eyes fixed forward.
“Forgetting my eyes and ears?” Vivienne asked coyly.
“That was drivel, and you know it,” Letto replied.
Vivienne sighed as she steeled herself. One foot and then the other, she began to move at a stately pace past Letto and into the ante hall. It was paneled and sconced much like the vestibule; wall hangings and carpet runners adding a touch more warmth. The ante hall split off into two side halls ahead, a large carved set of double doors set at the center. No guards stood waiting outside those doors – another oddity. Beyond those doors lay the main hall and the dais upon which Lamorach would receive Vivienne. He always stationed guards outside those doors.
“Light, woman!” Letto cursed quietly before taking quick strides to catch and pass Vivienne, “You’re not going in first.”
“If you insist,” Vivienne said with a mock haughtiness. Letto’s shoulders stiffened. Really, it was only meant to lighten things. The bond censure would certainly remain if her Warder insisted on being so prickly. Vivienne was still uneasy and that would only double over on itself if she allowed herself to feel Letto’s own emotions. The woman walked a few paces ahead and shook her head without looking back.