[ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

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Amnestria
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Amnestria »

Amnestria had been off flying, trying to collect her thoughts. They had tried effortlessly to revive Aishe, and last she knew was that the King was on his way. After that, she had pardoned herself, needing the fresh air, and the freeing feeling of being up in the skies. It was not long and she found herself in a peaceful place. Shirin's place.

She landed, silently, looking around. This place seemed untouched, but she could tell the difference. The added growth and welcoming feeling. Here she would wait. Wait for word or something. She laid in the grass, soaking up the warmth of the sun, letting nature take over her, filling her with peace of mind.
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Aishe
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Aishe »

It was finally a new year. The shutters were drawn, but the winter cold slipped through the window pane like a hand through smoke. The once lively estate house now had dust floating through the stuffy air. Aishe stood in the main foyer with her cloaked wrapped tightly around her. The last of her personal belongings had officially been loaded into the wagon outside for transport, but the queen lingered for once last look around.

Ettinford had been a haven for her. It was her private space, away from the masses: Fenian, Romany, and foreign. The stones carried so many happy and peaceful memories, yet all she could see was pain. The fateful, troublesome birth of her daughter left the walls painted in blood, tainting the halls. This was her first time returning since last March.

She had not asked for an elevation in her nobility rank, but it was still given. She had turned it down before, but with the destruction of her safe place, she accepted without a fight when the title had been handed to her. She needed it now and the county had been within direct guidance for too long.

Quietly, she turned around and made her exit. The door remained unlocked for the yearly residents that took care of the grounds and who would be remaining under the employ of the kingdom until a new viscount was appointed. She fully believed the crew left behind would take care of the home she had come to love dearly, which eased whatever hesitance she had for this transition. Bunching her cloak and gown into her hands, she climbed into the coach and settled in for a relatively short ride to the county seat, Semaban Castle.

It was a new year. A new chapter.
OOC: On January 1, 1661, Aishe's time as Viscountess of Ettinford has ended. The next Viscount/ess of Ettinford is welcomed to use this thread to continue its tales should they so desire.

To follow Aishe's personal tale, please refer to [ORP] Attica: Put Ashore.
Aishe Ehsan Sanchari-Kuhlash | Married to Akos | Mother of Dynasties | Mum of 16
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Aileigh
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Aileigh »

The announcement had been made while the Sanchari Winterbourne household was in Bravia. It was received with surprise and a tinge of sadness. It was bitter sweet to be receiving her mother’s beloved viscounty. Aileigh Mae decided that she would keep her sight on the bright side of things and forgo the negative emotions she found rising. As such, the initial response was to begin the move from their home in Redford, just outside of the Imperian Palace, to their new coastal hideaway. The transition begun before she had even left the fortnight of isolation following birth. They would stay another three weeks after the birth of the twins, lingering a bit longer to spend time with her family.

Their month long stay in Bravia came to an end - another bittersweet moment. She tried to maintain her positivity when saying her goodbyes. There were tears abound before she steeled herself up. Having two babes only three weeks old made the idea of traditional mode of transportation less than ideal. However, equally, she was unsure how newborns would do using the faster travel method her family could provide. The shadows were tempting, but ultimately she decided she would return with her wife via carriage. Or, well, the new vardo she had been given as part of tradition. This proved to be better than the ordinary carriage. There was more space, including a bed, table, and even floor space. It was better suited for the small family traveling together in the traditional method of her people.

The way home felt so much longer than the way to Bravia. She understood why - she already missed her family. To be without them was more challenging than perhaps she had realized before their trip. She gave their three children her full attention to pass the time as the distance between her and her loved ones grew. Eventually (only a week), they reached the familiar manor house of Ettinford. It was a sight for sore eyes, even though she knew the halls only contained servants. The familiarity of the grounds was already perking up the Princess as they rolled down the drive. She was quick to step out of the confines of the wagon and embraced the salty air. The newborns were nestled together, wrapped securely to Aileigh’s chest in twisted fabric. Her heart beat soothed them and the tactic freed her hands up. It was a trick she learned from her mother’s many newborns. Thea had Zevander, soon joining her on solid ground.

“Welcome to our new home, wife.” The smile on her lips was genuine. She had already expressed how much she loved Ettinford and the coast. She hadn’t spent much time at Wisp Marsh since her mother gave her the land, but now that they had a home suited for children instead of the run down tower, they would be able to spend time where she loved... Live where she loved.

Together, they approached the front door where they were immediately greeted by several staff members. She recognized most of them, either from Redcroft or Ettinford itself. A plump man came forward, with a balding head and dress nicer than the others. It was evident the staff was eager to have an active viscountess.

“Welcome to Ettinford, m’ladies. I am Andrew Van Grit, overseer of this estate. Your belongings have been placed into the appropriate rooms… As requested, Viscountess, you have your original room instead of the master’s chambers. Lady Dorathea, you have a bedroom down the hall, as requested.”

“Thank you. And the nurseries?”

“One is adjoined to your room, as you asked. The one for the little gentlemen is across the hall from you.”

Aileigh Mae nodded softly, “There are some more belongings that arrived with us. See that they go to the right rooms. That’ll be all for now.”

“Certainly. Before I go - dinner is in preparation and will be ready in an hour or so.”

“What will we be having?”
She asked curious, patting the bottom of one of the shifting twins.

“Quail, potatoes, carrots, and other small assortments. Hopefully, it’ll be to your liking.” Following his response, he bowed and the staff went about their duties.

Aileigh lingered in the door before going inside, breathing in deeply. There were many memories from Ettinford. Some bad, but mostly good. Now she would get to make more memories with her own children. Smiling, she turned to her wife:
“I am going to put them down into a bassinet. I’ll take Zev with me.” She paused, looking at their son with a grin. “Do you want to see your new room, little man?”
Aileigh Mae Maarah Sanchari Winterbourne | Seer of BDR | Viscountess of Ettinford
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Wife to Thea | Mother of Zevander, Corabel, Elodie, Lenora, Ezra, & Imogen
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Thea
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Thea »

The month in Bravia had certainly been a change of pace for Thea. She felt totally out of her element, not just with the Bravian culture but also with the Romani culture that was integral to her wife's identity. She did her best to be supportive wherever she could even if she felt like a strange outsider in all of it. It was a whirlwind ride and by the end of it, there were two more infants in their family. Thea was not an ecstatic new parent, not in the least bit, however, Aileigh was the real parent among them and she was happy. She was a good mother and the children were lucky to have her, it was just unfortunate that they also had Thea.

A few weeks before their return trip home, they received news from Fenia. The King had announced new titles and among them was one which directly affected the Sanchari Winterbourne household. A viscountcy for her wife — was this some sort of peace offering from Thea's cousin, the King? She honestly was not sure what to think of it. Thea and Zuan had always been like oil and water. It was easy to attribute this to their large age difference, but it was more to do with their personalities. Thea was the rebel child and Zuan was the stoic, responsible patriarch. He had not openly supported the marriage, thinking that this was yet another one of Thea's schemes. He was not wrong about that, but in the end, he had not blocked the union either. Maybe the Viscountcy of Ettinford had been offered to Aileigh as a form of apology for having allowed the marriage to happen, and thus saddling Aileigh with the problem Winterbourne. That seemed like a plausible reason to Thea. Or he could have genuinely offered this as a gift to his extended family who just welcomed two more children into the fold. Realistically, that was probably the most likely reason for it yet Thea was always the skeptic.

Instead of returning to Redcroft as had been initially planned, the family of five instead traveled to Ettinford. Aileigh was eager to move into the familiar home, plus it had the added bonus of more room for the wives and their children. Thea had never been to Ettinford before, despite hailing from the Athena Duchy, so this was all new and unfamiliar to her. One thing Thea did consider to be an added bonus was the increased distance from her often overbearing cousin.

"Welcome to our new home, wife."

She saw the grin from Aileigh as she stepped out of the carriage with Zevander. Her gray eyes moved around the exterior of the building, taking in the foliage and flowers that grew in abundance.

"It is certainly very beautiful on the outside."

Thea commented to Aileigh as she walked up to the door just a step behind her. Staff were ready and waiting for their arrival, clearly eager for the return of an active Viscountess. There was also the added bonus of familiarity since Aileigh was hardly a stranger to them. Thea outwardly cringed as the man who identified himself as overseer of the estate addressed her by her full given name. Mages how she hated that name. Sure, it was given to her in honor of her late Aunt, but the name was an abomination. It was even worse when someone tried to shorten it to Dora which was often their go-to. For now, Thea would let it go as Aileigh was busy conversing with the man.

When the staff dispersed and Aileigh announced that she was going to take the children to their nursery, Thea nodded her head with her reply.

"That sounds good. I guess I will explore a bit to familiarize myself with the grounds."

She then quickly passed the boy in her arms to the waiting nanny.
Dorathea "Thea" Sanchari Winterbourne | Lady of Redcroft Manor | The Red Wolf
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Cousin of the Winterbournes | Mother of Zevander, Corabel, Elodie, & Lenora | Wife of Aileigh
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Aileigh
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Aileigh »

It did not take long to lull the twins to sleep, while Zev played in his new room with the nanny. When the girls were soundly asleep, Aileigh went into her room, kicked her shoes off, and fell onto the bed she was familiar with. It felt so strange to be back at Ettinford. For a while, she just laid there, staring up at the ceiling. When she could muster the energy, she stood and went to the wardrobe to change into something else. She choose a purple skirt and loose fitting blouse that had a rose pattern over it with greens and pinks. She abandoned the idea of shoes and left the room.

She did not bother wandering the halls. This was once a home away from home, with memories haunting the halls already. Instead, she left the confines of the home entirely and made her way to the extensive garden. It was in full bloom, with the late May weather promising many warm days. Here, she wandered. She moved between the trees and bushes, running her fingers occasionally over the top of flowers as she went by. She only stopped when she came to her favourite spot: a swing. The damphyr smiled to herself and sat down with a content sigh. From there, bright eyes took in the scenery. Her mother would be happy to see how much her garden had grown.



The developed gardens of Ettinford inspiration photos here
Aileigh Mae Maarah Sanchari Winterbourne | Seer of BDR | Viscountess of Ettinford
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Wife to Thea | Mother of Zevander, Corabel, Elodie, Lenora, Ezra, & Imogen
Daughter of Aishe & Akos
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Andrzej
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Andrzej »

Andrzej silently stalked through the trees in his panther form. As he padded his way through the trees he spotted a beautiful garden and in that garden was Aileigh sitting in a swing. He'd recently traveled with her and her young ones. Though he didn't know her well he felt protective of her. Looking around he noticed that she was alone and the protective side in him reared its head. Rather than continue his trek he hunkered down and rested his head on his forepaws. He wasn't needed elsewhere at the moment so he would watch over her. Andrzej kept silent not wanting to disturb her nor frighten her.
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Aileigh
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Aileigh »

Aileigh rocked the swing gently using the heel of her feet, barely reaching the ground. Her head tilted back and eyes closed, relaxing into the swing. The sun warmed her cheeks as it snuck through between vines of ivy and blooming flowers. She sat like this for a while, until a scent drifted to her on the breeze. Slowly, she opened her eyes and glanced around.

It was not an unfamiliar scent. She has gotten to know it in their travels from Bravia to Ettinford. A man named Andrzej Goldeye was assigned to protect them on their travels and to serve as a protector for the foreseeable future. It was Aishe’s plan. The girl knew her mother was just paranoid and now that there were babies involved, her maternal instincts struggled with the fact she was not alongside her daughter. Aileigh did not protest the strange Romany man assigned to her. Perhaps it would be nice to have a Rom alongside her in the gaje world she was living in. She had her cousin, Skye, and her best friend, Elisa, but neither lived with her. The idea that someone else was around to help her children learn about their culture was an appealing notion. She was not raised Romany, while he was.

“Cahir, you can come join me.” She called out, unsure exactly were the panther was. She used his Romany name, which would only be used between Rom.
Aileigh Mae Maarah Sanchari Winterbourne | Seer of BDR | Viscountess of Ettinford
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Wife to Thea | Mother of Zevander, Corabel, Elodie, Lenora, Ezra, & Imogen
Daughter of Aishe & Akos
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Andrzej
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Andrzej »

Andrzej rose up off the ground and stretched before padding over to Aileigh. Once he reached her called upon his change and within the span of minutes he was standing upright as a fully clothed man. "Greetings Maraah...How fares everything for you" he questioned as he seated himself on the ground and rested his elbows on his knees.
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Aileigh
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Aileigh »

Aileigh watched the panther transform to a man, like a scholar gathering information. Transforming creatures were always awe-inspiring to her. Her family had werecats; a lot of the families within the Natsia had some cat person here or there. The cousin her mother was most close to, Othniel, had been her own protector of sorts, and he was also a panther in human skin. Skye was too. The concept was not unfamiliar, but it was nevertheless intriguing.

She would have made space for him beside her, but he found a spot on the grass. When he asked how she was, she responded without thinking: “It feels good to be home.”

Home.

The term caught her off guard, but equally, it felt right. The slip of tongue was telling. Clearly, there was a part of her that was already comfortable with the change of scenery. Was the surprising? Maybe not. Twice in one day - the day of their arrival at that. The young Viscountess shifted slightly, crossing her ankles as she continued to rock the swing.

“Nias tuke for your accompaniment for our journey. I know you’re here at my mother’s behest, but if or when you are ready to move on, please tell me.” A small part of her felt guilty, taking up the stranger’s time. Surely he had a family and other interests besides babysitting the princess and her infants. It occurred to her they had not gotten to know each other yet. He traveled with them, but he had kept to himself and she had been occupied with the children. So, she smiled at him to make sure he understood she was genuine, then moved on.

“Do you have a family? Immediate family, that is.”
Aileigh Mae Maarah Sanchari Winterbourne | Seer of BDR | Viscountess of Ettinford
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Wife to Thea | Mother of Zevander, Corabel, Elodie, Lenora, Ezra, & Imogen
Daughter of Aishe & Akos
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Thea
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Re: [ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

Post by Thea »

The first hours after the family's arrival at Ettinford Thea had spent exploring the grounds. First she went to her room which was located on the same level as Aileigh's room and the nursery. Thankfully, it was further down the hall. She assumed Aileigh had that arranged knowing that Thea would want to be nowhere near the children's rooms.

She found the room near the end of the hall after checking several wrong doors along the way. It was obvious this room was meant for her given the set up. The room was comfortable in size with a large four-poster bed. The wood finishings were stained a dark brown color which fit well with the red wolf furs that accented her room. Windows filled the rooms with abundant natural light, but they also had dark drapes hung on either side so that she could easily close out the light if she wanted to. It seemed like every detail had been carefully chosen — certainly this was Aileigh's doing. Throughout their unorthodox relationship, her wife had always gone out of her way to accommodate Thea.

Once she finished checking her new sleeping quarters, Thea left to go explore the rest of the house. She peered into the various rooms to familiarize herself with the layout while attempting to dodge any overly helpful staff members. She was not in the mood for niceties and she did not want to make all of the staff hate her on day one. There would be plenty of time for that later.

When she had seen pretty much everything there was to see inside she went outside to walk around the grounds. The gardens had been carefully manicured and were obviously well kept even without an active Viscountess. Thea typically preferred the more unruly natural wilderness with wild flowers popping up at random, but this was nice too.

As she continued to walk, she came across Aileigh sitting on a swing accompanied by a man. Thea knew this man to be of Aileigh's own cultural heritage and that he had been sent to watch over her but she did not know much beyond that. She could see the pair were conversing but she did not want to impose so instead she turned around to head back towards the house.
Dorathea "Thea" Sanchari Winterbourne | Lady of Redcroft Manor | The Red Wolf
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Cousin of the Winterbournes | Mother of Zevander, Corabel, Elodie, & Lenora | Wife of Aileigh
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