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@nerissamalaise-blog
"So is that the castle, then?"
Yeah, are you headed u-- [Nerissa blinked, turning towards the voice and dropping the basket she'd had on her hip in favor of running towards her friend and throwing herself in his arms.] Shane!!
You got my letters!
… I don’t suppose you like children, do you?
I do, actually; I raised dozens of them. Would you like me to take him?
I'm sure he'd be more happy playing tag in the gardens on such a fine day.
When did trying to find a gown become such a struggle?
Is it? I suppose with the ball...I didn't realize it would be so difficult.
Perhaps I could speak to my seamstress? My sister normally handles that, but we can't leave you without a gown, my lady.
Nay, nay … it’s about time I got up and made meself useful again, anyway. I should thank you! Ah, it’s been a while since I last fell asleep in the daytime.
Perhaps you're a bit too tired of late? You shouldn't overwork yourself, Miss; I'd hate to see you collapse one morning over breakfast and start snoring.
Well, you’re welcome to all the sand you can find. Gods only know I’ve seen enough of it to last me a lifetime.
Do me good? Everyone keeps telling me so, my lady, and yet I have yet to discover a single benefit.
Is all this from Corstorphine? What did you do, roll around in it? [She was teasing; her eyes glinted with amusement as she continued to pick and brush off the tiny granules.]
Truly? You must not be experiencing the right things, then. Fresh air can do wonders for someone's mind and health. Does it not feel better in your lungs than the dank air of a tavern or a cold stone hallway?
Oh—oh, blessed be! Reckon I was dozing!
Oh! My apologies, my lady, I didn't think anyone would be napping at this hour. Shall I leave you to your rest?
the breath that passed from you to me | bastien & nerissa
"Keep it clean, Legrand! We don’t want -"
He should have saved his breath. Poirier was on the ground, clutching a bloody nose that made even Bastien cringe. Normally, as per protocol, he would have told the younger man to get back on his feet - a war could not be put on hold because of one minor injury, after all - but the boy had been receiving blows from his far larger, stronger Legrand, and it was unlikely he would be able to do much if he could stand.
"Legrand, just…take him to the infirmary, will you? Then get back here pronto." Bastien ran a hand over his stubbled jaw as Poirier was dragged to his feet rather unceremoniously by friendly, perhaps simply rather overeager giant that was his partner. He had found it rather surprising when he had started his own training that hand to hand combat was more dangerous that sword training, archery or any other drills, but it had only taken a few weeks to realise his misconception.
Hearing laughter coming from behind him, he turned slowly, his lips pursed in annoyance at the recruits lack of respect for their fellow trainee. It was not as though they were perfect, after all… The sight that met him was no what he expected, however - the recruits were staring across at the stables, nudging each other as they pointed to a figure barely visible amongst the grass that was almost the same colour as her dress. He caught the words ‘Queen’s sister’, ‘insane’ and ‘trampled to death by horses’ before he let out a sharp whistle that caused them to whirl around to attention, but he paid them no attention as he squinted at the lone figure. It was, as the recruits had pointed out, Nerissa.
"Phillipe!" he called to the older knight, but he was already at his side. "Thank you, my friend," he said with a nod, the need to ask him to continue the training on his own unnecessary - Bastien’s duty was first and foremost to the Queen and her family, after all. "Perhaps you can teach these ‘gentlemen’ a thing or two about respect, yes?" he said a little louder, not wasting a second to glance over his shoulder at the squirming trainees.
It wasn’t long before he was standing before Nerissa, blocking the sun in hopes that he wouldn’t startle her. “The Squires are scheduled to ride in twenty minutes, My Lady,” he began, resting a hand on his sword out of habit and comfort, “I would perhaps recommend moving before then…or before the Lord Commander finds you have escaped.”
Nerissa heard his approach, and the distant yells and laughter of the training men, but with her mind finally clear of all the noise of the castle for once, she ignored it all. If she'd been more alert, she'd have known Bastien was there long before the sun was blocked from her face. As it was, she opened one eye lazily, blinking at the shadowed figure slowly. By the time he finished speaking, she'd sighed loud and long, the breath starting in her toes exhaling in a drawn out shushing sigh. "I suppose, if I must," she lamented dramatically, smiling at Bastien in spite of her words and reaching for his hand to pull herself off the ground. She heaved herself up quickly with his strong leverage, nearly hopping to her feet. "And I do believe I told you not to call me that." A few blades of grass were sticking out of her braid and lingering on the back of her skirt, giving her the odd air of a woodland sprite, or a dryad of some kind. Her smile, however, was remarkably human, and she let Bastien's hand go as she found her footing.
"As much as I'd love to spend the rest of my afternoon lazing about in the sunlight," Nerissa sighed, glancing wistfully back at the patch of grass she'd just vacated, "I do believe you're right. I'd hate for Lord Farwell to find me in such a state of...disgrace." She wrinkled her nose with a grin, brushing her skirts as she did. She was clearly at a loathe to leave the field, and peered curiously at the group of squires he'd left in favor of rescuing her from the path of horses' hooves. "Are they all members of the Queensguard like you?" She asked, shading her eyes with her hand, though she didn't need it with her keen eyesight. Even to her untrained eye, they looked a bit inexperienced, and she found herself rising a bit onto her tiptoes to get a better look at their form as they sparred with one another. She didn't see any women in the crowd, and wondered at that. She knew there was at least one member of the Queensguard who was of the fairer sex - a pretty dark haired woman who wore breeches like a man and stood with her sister more often than not now, especially now that Damien was in charge of Nerissa's own safety - but was surprised that there didn't seem to be any in the group Bastien was training. There might have been more elsewhere, but she wondered at it all the same. The complex rules and traditions of court continued to baffle her, and she wondered if she'd ever get a good handle on what was going on around her.
Gods, but it's dark in here..how can you possibly stand it?
I can’t believe I’m still finding sand.
In my hair, in my eyes— I must have brushed my jacket three times, and yet, it remains.
I’m also walking, willingly, outside. It has been a day of surprises indeed.
Sand? Sand? [She was unable to keep the excitement out of her voice, and hurried to help him brush his jacket.] I've never seen sand before -- it looks rather like golden dirt.
The fresh air will do you good, my lord.
Well, it’s not quite the dress I had planned on wearing to the ball, but… My seamstress got rather ahead of herself.
You don’t think it’s a bit much? There’s enough time yet to ask for something else…
Sister, you look--
Like a queen.
"A very good evening, indeed. It seems like I lost you earlier… again. Or rather, you ran away from me.”
"That rather depends on your definition of running, my lord. I'd rather call that a...a fast stroll."
the breath that passed from you to me | bastien & nerissa
Nerissa couldn't take it anymore. She had to be out in the fresh air, away from the stuffy nature of the court and the people inside it. She loved her sister dearly - more than she loved even her own self, but if Nerissa was to make peace with living in such an opulent castle, she needed to find her own sense of freedom as well. So she rummaged through her closet, an ornate and stately chest commissioned by Faye, until she found the lightest gown in her possession. It was a deep green, one she'd chosen herself for the color and the sturdiness of the cotton fabric. The skirt was free of bustling or crinolines, and she could easily run without tangling herself up in the thing. It would be perfect for what she had in mind. She tied her hair in a loose plait down her back, a few errant curls here and there, and set about her next task - eluding Sir Damien.
It was difficult, to say the least. Damien was clearly the best at what he did, and his loyalty to her sister knew no bounds. Her guilt for what she had done to him that chilly midsummer's night when the lynx inside her had roamed free knew even less bounds. His distaste for and distrust of her only made her guilt and embarrassment rise, and though Nerissa knew Faye had not inflicted Damien's guardianship of her as a punishment for her, it felt rather like it more days than not. Once she was in the hallways, however, traveling a little faster than most humans could walk and then hiding amongst servants' stairs and between their skirts and aprons, she was in the clear, and she hurried outside the palace by way of the kitchens. The air was cooler than she had thought it would be, and she reveled in it, taking off immediately for the gardens. She spent almost an hour amongst the roses before cabin fever itched her to run farther and faster. She wanted to run as fast as she could with her eyes closed and her arms flung out at her sides, and so that is what she did.
Nerissa made it as far as the stables before she had to slow down, nearly laughing at the sharp pains in her lungs and the feeling of the wind tugging at her fingertips. She had missed spending her days amongst the grass and the sunshine, and was at a loathe to return to the palace. So she did what any reasonable young woman in her position would do - she dropped down onto her back, arms flung out in the grass, and closed her eyes to let the sunshine bathe her skin, heedless of any and everything around her.
My mom’s perfume.
I suppose I shouldn’t question a Queen, but I’m still pretty sure it’s Knigget; my tutor’s told me K always makes that coughing sound. But ‘Knight’ makes more sense… who invented the damned language, anyhow?
Oh! I know that first part! Hands! And the fair Princess fell in love with the hands… I don’t know the rest of it. Maybe it’s like the K and G in Knight; you’re not supposed to heart part of it, like… ‘And the fair Princess fell in love with the hands-me man’ - except, I’ve never heard ‘hands-me’ before; maybe it’s like brave? Perhaps I ought to start saying I’m Hands-me, Issa.
Someone who wanted to make our lives miserable.
Hands-me, hands-me...[she slapped her hand on the table loudly with sudden clarity, her eyes wide and a smile splitting her face as she looked at him] Handsome! It's handsome! I don't know why there's an e at the end of it, though. Poor spelling, if you ask me. 'And the fair princess fell in love with the handsome knight, and they spent the rest of their leaves in peace and happiness.'
The rest of their leaves. Their leaves. That can't be right.
Bastien paused at her request, unsure of what to make of it. She was Her Majesty’s sister after all and someone that was to be treated with respect, but he may have offend her if he did not do as such. “Issa,” he repeated, a small smile of his own appearing on his lips, which quickly faded as he explained himself, “unless the situation requires one to be more formal, of course.”
"You will become accustomed to life here with time, I’m sure of it - remember there is a Castle full of people around to assist you in whatever need you may have.: He nodded sympathetically at her next comment, "I understand what it’s like to be…contained. It’s why I began my training, in fact." He glanced out the window to the endless fields and forests below. "Can you ride, Issa?"
"Oh, oh, of course," Nerissa nodded, her smile faltering as she agreed with him. She wished people would simply call her by name, but she supposed it wouldn't be right to get Bastien in trouble simply because she wasn't used to courtly life. "Though I don't suppose I'll be in many formal settings...aside from the ball, I guess," she added, more as a reminder to herself than anything else.
She nodded again at his sympathies, appreciating the words, though Nerissa wondered how much of them were true. Many of the nobility had not taken well to her, though Faye's affection was clear and obvious. Lord Roy and Kristien had been exceptions, of course, but still. His next words caught her off guard - though in hindsight, they should not have - and she nodded before she realized the fullness of her agreement. "Of course," she laughed, lying through her teeth. In truth, she had never been on horseback in her life, having always walked anywhere she needed to be. But she could not turn down the opportunity to spend time outside of the walls, with someone Damien could hardly expect her to hurt.
…but the dragon was - slide? slid? sla- ay - aid… slayed. Slayed! But the dragon was slayed by the brave K-nigget? Oh, bloody fuck, this is fuckin’ useless.
No, it's knight - but not like the opposite of daytime, like Sir Farwell and Sir Coupe. I don't know why it has a k or a g but Faye says that's how you spell it. And the fair -- the fair pr-- .....princes? Prin-- oh! Princess, the fair princess. Fell in love with the...
I don't think I should attempt to try that word. I wouldn't know where to start.
