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Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 2:41 pm
by Aishe
Aishe had first been approached by Aileigh, in the privacy of the Royal nursery. As the mother and daughter duo spent time with the littles, the princess asked for a favour. Not one for her, but for her best friend. Of course, she agreed.

Elisa was not just Aileigh’s friend, but she was family to them all. She was considered under the protection of the Natsia. They saw her as one of them. Anyone who knew the people of BDR knew that there was nothing they wouldn’t do for each other. The request, odd as it seemed, was no exception. If Aishe could help Elisa learn more about who she was, she would happily play her role. She told Aileigh as much and it was not long after that the three of them were in a sitting room, tucked away from the public within the Royal living quarters.

It was impossible to miss the young woman’s nerves. Her heart was racing so loudly, Aishe had to consciously focus to block it out. She did her best to reassure her, offering a smile. She promised her friends would be fine and that it was not her desire to witness these private matters. It was unfortunate she could not suppress or skip past memories. The curse of memory transfer still weighed on her. It was only in moments like these that she remembered it could be helpful.

Blue eyes watched the drop of blood fall into the goblet below the finger. The crimson spiraled and clouded the water in a mesmerizing dance. Offering up another smile, Aishe then tipped the goblet back, swallowing its entire contents. Only a few seconds later, the story of Elisa played over in her mind. The sixteen years of her life flashed through in under a minute. Her brain held into details, processing and noting relevant information. It caused a crease across her forehead.

As she came out of the play-through, the queen tilted her head. Icy eyes flitted over to Aileigh before looking back to Elisa.

“What Aileigh described you two saw appears to be true. It seems she came to the right conclusion…” She paused, setting the goblet down. “If I could get his blood, I would be able to tell you more. You were very young, Elisa… The memories you have from such a young age are cloudy. Not too cloudy to understand, but any specific answers, like the reason behind it all - if you overheard it, it’s not there. Memory is connected to language development.”

The last sentence was offered as an explanation. She withheld a sigh. The chances of getting the man’s blood would be slim to none, after Aileigh’s encounter with him. (An encounter that peaked Aishe’s interest.) There was, however, another option.

“Cordelia would hold answers. Or, her blood would, at least. Not only would her memory be clearer, familial blood can have similar scent and taste.”

Again, she paused.

“I won’t rush you to make any decisions… But I feel like it’s my duty to say that this? This is good news. And that, if my daughter or my sister had been taken, I would do anything to be reunited.”

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 5:31 pm
by Elisa

Code: Select all

time laps
Elisa took some time to place this new information. With Aishe confirming Aileighs, could she still doubt it was true? It still remained hard to believe though. Even if it was good news, she’d finally discovered who her mother was, and had a sister on top. But the fact that the man who raised her and had always been her father, wasn’t her father.. that was more difficult to process. It had put her in a bit of an identity crisis. She wasn’t Elisa as she thought she was, she was Elisabeth who she knew nothing about… It was with the help of her friends she did managed to reach the conclusion she was still the same person, she was still Elisa. Without the kidnapping her life would have looked very different, no doubt, but she didn’t have to be the Elisabeth she would have been.. she still was herself.

She had kept the identity of her new family secret so far, even Anno didn’t know their names. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t told it. Perhaps she wanted to cherish the knowledge for a while, something personal, not shared with the world. Perhaps she was scared to let it out, scared what it would change. Maybe there was even a small part in her that feared they wouldn’t accept her for some reason, if she didn’t come forward, she couldn’t be rejected?

She had seen them (her family) already at the wedding of Cordelia where she’d went posing as Aileigh’s lady in waiting. This way she had the possibility to see them already, while still remaining anonymous. She’d seen who she thought was her mother. She had seen her greet the small children of the queen and she seemed to be really warm and friendly. It were of course short impressions she’d gotten, but it made the wish to meet them stronger then whatever was holding her back.

Aileigh had told her she should tell the king, there were multiple reasons and they all made sense. After all her mother turned out the be the king’s aunt. Zuan was to her knowledge the head of the family. It seemed fitting he should be told. The fact that he was king as well probably made this even more so. However this also made it more daunting. Perhaps this had also been one of the things that made her delay.
The appointment had been made though, today was the day. She’d been in the palace before, which took away a bit of the nerves, and she’d also seen the king before, be it in tavern. She’d no reason to be afraid of the king, he’d always been nice when she’d seen him in tavern. But her mind could be very imaginative, not always imagining the best outcomes. As she wished to keep things silent for a while, so she could process the information. This also meant that the king didn’t know. So she would be a peasant, come to tell the king she was a missing girl of noble birth. She had seen the evidence and still it was, well.. a crazy story… Her ‘father’ had raised her with a strict sense of hierarchy, in that world a peasant coming with such a story wouldn’t be received well. She’d also learned though that the world her ‘father’ had told her about, seemed to be quite different from reality, so perhaps this would be different as well.

Aileigh had arranged for Elisa to have a private meeting with the king. This she was very grateful for, at least she didn’t have to speak in front of the whole court. While Aileigh had tried to teach her a thing or two, the court was still quite an alien place to her. Upon arrival Elisa had been guided to a room on the ground floor. The guards placed outside the door had an intimidating effect on her. She was announced and got told to enter. This was it, she couldn’t turn back now. Though part of her found that a quite alluring idea. She gulped and took a deep breath before entering. As she entered Zuan was seated behind a big desk that took a center stage in the room, which clearly was an office. She couldn’t help scan the room quickly while she was entering. The fireplace made it a warm place and caused her to wonder for a second if every room inside the palace had its own fireplace. Differently from in tavern, this felt like a very formal setting (as it was), causing her to be more nervous. She stopped a little over halfway in the room, making a deep bow ‘your highness…uhm I’m sorry… I mean your majesty..’’ she hoped she’d saved herself a little. Sera had explained her this before…the first thing she said and she already did it wrong…. She was really glad this wasn’t in the court room, at least she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in front of all those people. Slightly blushing she waited for the king to speak first.

Soon it was back to her to explain why she was having a meeting with the king. Anything she’d thought to say beforehand seemed to be all scrambled up in her mind now. Official speaking occasions turned out to not be her thing. ‘well..uhm..you see..I..’ she cleared her throat a moment trying to start over from her 'amazing' beginning. ‘Some time ago.. Aileigh visited me and well we ended up trying her magic, and it showed…’ Elisa told the story now at least being somewhat coherent. She did leave out the part about her ‘dad’, the things that happened before Aileigh thought of doing the magic, she did explained what they saw in the bowl by Aileighs’s magic, and about the records Aileigh had found, and about going to the queen to have the story be checked out by her magic as well. To end with ‘so.. it looks like I.. maybe.. might be.. that Elisabeth’. She waited anxiously for the reaction.

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 7:12 pm
by Zuan
The King had been informed by his step daughter Aileigh that Elisa wanted to speak with him in private. It was quite the odd request in truth, while Elisa was a kind and sociable sort she did not tend to visit the castle or the court, preferring to stick to her roots among the peasantry. Therefore the King’s primary interactions with her came from the tavern when he had been visiting and she had been there. However given that Aileigh had requested the meeting he decided that it must have some value, and in truth he was intrigued to see why after all this time the young girl was finally deciding to visit the castle and specifically meet him in person, in private at the very place she often liked to avoid.

It was indeed quite the mystery and so there he sat behind his desk, in his usual attire of black boots, breeches and velvet doublet – today made with a rich royal blue and gold stitching, and small sapphires which danced in the firelight. He smirked softly at her introduction, afterall this time she still struggled with the basics, but he found it more charming and amusing that concerning or annoying. And so he nodded his head and encouraged her to continue with her purpose for being here – hoping it was about more than butchered royal introductions – and so leaning back in his chair he listened to her tale and what the tale it was.

He kept his expression stoic and calm throughout the tale, not wishing to impact one way or the other on her retelling of the events which brought her here, and so it was not until she finished that he finally decided it was his time to speak.
”So, If I am to understand this correctly, you are the sister of my cousin Cordelia and daughter to my aunt?” He said as a rhetorical question, not needing her to confirm as she had made it quite clear in her telling. ”And given you got to this very point I can only assume Aileigh, Cordelia and others are already aware of this fact?” He did not need to doubt her word at this point, she would not have made it to his door had the others not found her evidence to be factual and her word true. So he did not press further, for there was little need to have her explain anymore than she already had.

He carefully rose to his feet and walked around the desk, an act he did not do often, but one which was almost symbolic in nature – breaking from their relationship as King and subject, and now instead interacting as equals, as family. ”Then Elisa, or I suppose I should say Elisa of the House of Winterbourne. It gives me great pleasure and honour to welcome you to our family. Though, I must break some rather bad news, that you’ll no longer have any good excuses to avoid court, your family, or our life here at the capitol and within the castle.” He said with a soft smile. His words were honest, he would welcome her with open arms, but she would also have to accept with being a cousin to the Royal line of Winterbourne would come with her rising in status and her duties as a member of the house to serve the King and the Kingdom in a way which now reflected that newfound noble status.

”Know that I will always have your back, and my door will always be open to you. You are my cousin and my family. And in this house family is everything. While you may have only ever seen me as King, know before I rose to this throne that we were but a rag-tag of minor nobles who had few pennies to their name and earned their status through service with the sword and the knowledge of coin and politics. And we do not forget that, so perhaps your roots, within the common people of Fenia, is just as fitting as our own family roots – for here you rise to new status.” He continued on. ”I will leave your attire to Cordelia, she does love playing dress up, but your wardrobe at court will have to reflect your status, and fear not, my personal coffers shall cover the expense, and moreover you will now have rooms both here at the castle and court, as well as in the family estate in North Fenshire.”

He perhaps realised he was dropping a lot on her at once, and so paused, and turned his gaze directly to her own eyes. ”Do feel free to ask questions, if you have any? I want to ensure that by the time you leave this office today, you know where you stand, and what this means for our house and to Cordelia and her mother I have no doubt.”

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 7:14 pm
by Elisa
Elisa was glad the king had let her speak in one go. It was easier to continue going while she was speaking. She nodded as response to the rhetorical question, though Zuan didn’t seem to expect an answer as he just continued talking. Elisa picked at her fingers when he asked, or supposed, Cordelia and the others already knew. They didn’t, she had expected it to be needed to inform Zuan first, as he was the head of family. Perhaps she had been mistaken? “well..uhm..actually, they don’t know yet sir. Only Aileigh and queen Aishe know, and now you sir.”

Elisa tensed a little when Zuan rose, was this usual? Or had she done something wrong? When he had reached her Zuan welcomed her into the family. It surprised her that she got accepted this easily. Not sure what she was expecting, but as not being accepted had been part of her worry this was like a weight being lifted from her shoulders. A smile came onto her face though she wasn’t quite sure how she was supposed to react now. The feeling of happiness was however quickly replaced with a sense of dread as Zuan announced bad news.
In contrast to Zuan keeping his expressions in check while listening, Elisa’s feelings were a lot more readable. At the words bad news her face dropped and she looked at the king like a deer in danger. When he had told her the bad news it left her a bit confused. A small frown in her forehead atoned to this. Was the bad news that she would have to visit? While she didn’t feel at home at court, a few visits wouldn’t be that bad would they? She had never actually been at the court itself, perhaps it was that bad, given the king himself called it bad news. Or was this a joke from his part? She didn’t know him well enough to be able to tell.

The king continued talking, now reaching a new topic: her common origins weren’t seen as an issue. She was glad for this. Apart from not being able to tell how bad the ‘bad news’ actually was the king had reacted very a lot more positive to the news then her fears had let her hope. It seemed the expectations raised by her ‘father’ where quite far off the truth yet again. The concept of a poor noble was hard for her to phantom, how could a noble family only have a few pennies? It was hard to imagine any noble struggling for food or warmth. She made a mental note to ask Aileigh about it later.

The king continued to talk, now about a new attire. She couldn’t help to look down at her dress. She had picked her best one to wear today. It wasn’t that bad was it? She had only just been welcomed to the family and now she was already costing money. Then she was also getting rooms, both here and at, what she assumed to be, her mother’s home. But as she got her own rooms, they might be expecting more than just visits, would she be expected to live here?

She was very happy and grateful for being welcomed like this. At the same time she was realising this would change a lot more then she had guessed before. It sounded like she would be expected to live the life of somebody she had never been. And she didn’t know how to do that. It was daunting, and trying to think of everything was making her head spin.
When the king left a pause she looked up at the sudden silence. It took her a few moments to collect herself and her thoughts before she managed to give an answer.

“Thank you sir! I promise I’ll come here to visit, and I’ll wear the better dresses then. I didn’t mean to cost you money sir. I just would really like to meet my mother… I could work for the dresses…but…” She bit her lip being a little nervous. She didn’t want to be rude or sound ungrateful. ‘Can I still live in Widu as well sir?’ This was perhaps her greatest concern at the moment. She would still be allowed to keep the life she was living right? She had her apprenticeship which she liked (perhaps apart from a few minor aspects, like when she had cleaning duty) She also had her friends, her home, and Anno! She wouldn’t be able to see him often if she was here she imagined. She liked spending time with Anno, she didn’t like the idea of being far away for a lot of time. Even if it was to be with her new family. She couldn’t help asking clarification if visiting was indeed what the king had meant, and not moving.

She bit her lip again as another thought crossed her mind, travelling to the capitol to visit would take up more than just a few days, travelling to her mother’s lands would take even more time. She imagined her teacher not liking this too much. ‘Sir? Would it be possible to have something that says you asked me to come here? If it’s not too much to ask. I think my teacher wouldn’t mind me taking time off so much if she knew you asked sir.”

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2021 1:09 pm
by Zuan
He stood there infront of her as she spoke, and informed him on various facts, including the fact she was yet to even tell Cordelia that she was her sister. This raised an eyebrow, that even his own usual stoic expression could not hide. He found it one part amusing, one part concerning that she was yet to speak with Cordelia about the fact they could be sisters. Yet he supposed, had he disagreed with the whole concept, then maybe she did not want to risk losing something which she had just gained? Regardless, he focused on her and quickly interjected when she stated this. ”My advice then Elisa, is that you should stop wasting your time here, with me, an old cousin in a crown.” He smirked at his own insult upon his own person. ”And instead go and find Cordelia and her mother, and inform her of the situation….One moment.”

He went back around his desk and opened a draw before pulling a small golden ring from the draw. He had a number of these commissioned, each of which were made of gold and featured the emblem of his own house of Winterbourne as well as the royal seal. Marks of favour. Designed for the express purpose of verifying important pieces of information, and much harder to doctor than a wax seal, given the metal was enchanted so when placed in hot water it would glow as if touched by the coals of a furnace. ”Give this to Cordelia, and explain your tale. She will know it’s from me and that I verify your claims.”

he then focused on her other questions. ”Yes, you can still live in Widu. My own sister Sera, despite being a princess resides in the town, and so I see no reason why you cannot do the same if you so wish. And I shall also have my scholars produce the relevant paperwork for your teachers, as well as anyone else you need official documentation for. However, unlike that ring of favour, I cannot summon those documents from nowhere. I shall have them prepared in the next few days. He then looked back over at her and finalized his thoughts. ”So? What are you waiting for? I believe you have a sister to go and find no?” He said, with a soft smile, before bowing to her slightly and returning to his seat behind the desk.

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2021 2:55 pm
by Elisa
Elisa was feeling more and more delighted, the things she had worried about were no issue at all. New worries would come and take their place, they usually did, but now it was time to be relieved, and happy. When Zuan handed her a ring she held it very carefully, and made sure to put it safely away in her money pouch immediately. She wouldn’t dream of losing it before she could hand it to Cordelia. With her emotions being lifted she noticed the jest the king made towards himself, causing her a small grin. She wondered how similar things would be, having her birth family versus the family of friends she was kind of adopted in when she arrived in widu.

”So? What are you waiting for? I believe you have a sister to go and find no?” Elisa realised she was supposed to act after those words of the king. ‘yes Sir!’ She said, with a big smile on her face. She stood a bit awkward as she wasn’t sure on any rules on how to leave a formal meeting. She copied Zuan’s gesture of a bow and hurried towards the door. About half way there she halted and turned around saying ‘uhm. thank you sir’ before then heading out the door. She’d have ran, if she knew the way from this room. Instead she had to walk after a guard who brought her back to the entry hall. It seemed to take so long, but at least from here she knew the way to her friend Aileigh’s room.

She had found Aileigh not long after that. After sharing the news they planned a trip to the hartlands. Elisa was glad her friend came with her. She knew better how things worked and it made her less nervous not to be alone. Even with the use of a carriage the trip took some time, time to get nervous again. She might have gotten approval of the king and they all believed her. That didn’t mean her mother and sister would. There were also some questions that had plagued her. Why hadn’t they looked for her? Why didn’t they got her back? She had seen the magic that was in these lands, it could surely have helped them find her. And being a noble family, they would have had opportunity to search wouldn’t they?

Aileigh was there to calm her nerves, got them into the castle and arranged a meeting with the lady of the house and her daughter. They never had to wait long. Apparently the princess was able to cause a sense of urgency. At the meeting Elisa carefully took the ring out of her bag, handing it over to Cordelia like Zuan had told her. ‘The king said to give this to you, he said you’d know what it meant’. She started her story much like she had done at the kings office not that long ago. The anticipation was getting to high though and Aileigh ended up having to take over. Even filling in some of the information with greater detail or clearer words. Elisa in the meanwhile had started biting her lip and staring at the floor. Casting glances over to both of then, trying to gaze their reaction. How sometimes just a few moments seemed to take forever.

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 4:04 pm
by Cordelia
A letter was sent to Hart Helm with the royal Sanchari seal, which peaked Cordelia's interest. She knew the queens, but it was strange that it did not have the Winterbourne seal. It implied a different context and the contents of the letter further proved it. It was from Aileigh. The wax seal made sense, but it left a new question. Why was Aileigh and her friend coming to Hart Helm? Aileigh was always welcomed, as they had become friends, but it seemed like a strange vacation when the Romany princess had the whole world at her fingertips.

Cordelia had two rooms prepared and made arrangements of more intricate meals for their stay. Meanwhile, she passed the time in the company of her husband and her hounds. They had only been back to Hart Helm for three weeks from their honeymoon in Kiene. Their marriage was going well, avoiding pears and making jokes.

Upon the sight of the carriage making its way to the old fortress, both ladies and Rhozin went to the courtyard to receive their guests. They offered a curtsey while their companion bowed in greeting to the princess. Aileigh then approached to give Cordelia a hug, which she returned with a wide smile.

"Welcome back to Hart Helm." The welcome was directed to both of them. She knew Elisa. Not well, but well enough to know she was a sweet girl. Together, they all walked into the shade of the old home. Cordelia took their guests to the sitting area, where refreshments had been laid out. She motioned to the chairs as she sat down beside her husband on the couch. Alice took the chair directly beside them. To Cordelia, it was obvious that Rhozin felt a bit awkward, but she was persistent in trying to include him as a full member of her family and household. She took his hand with a smile, while Alice poured fresh lemonade for the group.

"What brings you ladies to the Hartlands?" The suddenness was not amiss to the older woman as she leaned back into the chair with her glass in hand.

It was then that the lives of the Everhart women were forever changed.

As the tale begun, the mood in the room shifted. Cordelia found herself with a furrowed brow, so focused that she could hardly recognize the squeeze of Rhozin's hand. Her grip on the ring Elisa had handed her was tight. The words echoed through her mind, while her breath quickened. Her own thoughts were silent as she processed what was being told.

It was only when the girls quietened did she look away. It took a single glance at her mother to see that the hope Alice had carried on these resurfaced. Cordelia, on the other hand, found doubt creeping in. It was not because she believed Aileigh and Elisa would knowingly lie to them. It was the simple fact that all these years, she had carried such guilt and grief which was washing back over her.

Could she absolve herself? Forgive herself? The girl sitting before them said yes... But what if they were mistaken. What if, as time went on, it all came crashing down around her and she would lose her sister all over again. It was that doubt that had her stand up and moved behind the couch, turning her back to the room. Grey eyes clung to the reality outside the window. A world easier understood than the words exchanged in the room she stood.


___________________________________


POV: Alice Everhart

Meanwhile, Alice was leaning forward. She had hung onto every syllable of the tale. While Cordelia had grown numb, Alice had grown hopeful. Everything added up and for the first time, they had definitive answers as to what happened that difficult day. The silence of the room was deafening until the redhead broke it with tears filling her eyes. "I believe you."

It was unbelievable, but her heart told her to believe it. Her heart begged her to believe it. She searched Elisa's face, taking in every detail. Her dark eyes called to her, reminding her of the man she had loved with her whole being. The hair, the shape of her face... A mother knew her child. It was as simple as that.

Alice looked over to Cordelia. She would not pretend to know how her eldest daughter was feeling in that moment, but she knew they were both overwhelmed with emotions.

"I believe her." She repeated, this time to Cordelia. The words got a shake of the head, but Cordelia otherwise remained still before the window. Alice sat the glass of lemonade down and rose to her feet. "I always believed that someday... You'd come home. They told me it was foolish; that the hope was just a mother's love, but I knew it, deep down, that this day would come."

"What if they are wrong?" Cordelia finally spoke, turning around.

"But what if they are right?" The counter was not aggressive, but light with the hope she carried for years. Her gaze returned to the teenager. It was strange to think that the toddler she had doted on was returning home as a beautiful young woman. There was so much that she had missed - that they had missed. It weighed heavy, threatening to crush the joy sitting in her chest. "A mother knows her child.

Do we call you Elisa, then?"
She paused, hesitating at the idea that she could be turned away, but she proceeded: "Can I hug you?"


Lady Alice Winterbourne Everhart of the Hartlands
Image
Mother of Cordelia and Elisa | Aunt to the High King

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2022 7:06 am
by Elisa
Elisa could see how Cordelia stood up and turned her back to them. It was unreasonably not to expect any doubt from them. After all she had needed quite a lot of time to process this story herself and Cordelia was now confronted with it for the first time. Yet she still felt a tearing feeling inside her when it happened. She had feared this would happen. The perceived rejection hurting more in every second that passed, until Alice spoke. She believed her? Was it ironic she could hardly believe she was being believed? At this moment she looked up, looked at her mother. She tried to speak but nothing seemed to come out of her mouth. Good thing Alice was till speaking. Now it was Elisa listening to every word being spoken.

Her mother had always hoped she’d come back. It made her smile. She had often thought her mother didn’t want her. Knowing she was wanted by her mother gave her a warm feeling. Yet she didn’t allow herself to truly feel this way yet. Why had she hoped for a child to find her way back home? Why didn’t they come and get her back instead? It wasn’t time for these questions yet, Cordelia had already asked hers. It was a good question, what if they were wrong? It was a question she had as well. She didn’t know if she could bare being told, again, that her family wasn’t her real family.

She hadn’t the time to respond as Alice was quick to turn the question around. She didn’t seem to have any doubt. It was becoming too difficult to control her emotions when Alice said a mother knows her child. Tears were starting for form and even flow out of her eyes. It was a mix of tears, mostly the good kind of tears. It was the build-up emotions and stress coming out. It was the relieve of a long build tension. It was finally meeting her mother and sister.

When Alice asked if they should call her Elisa she could only nod. The lump in her throat was too big to talk straight away. It had always been her name, it would be strange for her to be called differently now. Keeping the name was a way to be herself. Perhaps it was silly as she would still be who she was even if being called differently, but mentally it was important to her at this moment. She swallowed the lump in her throat to answer the next question, one she really wanted to answer. “I.. I’d like that very much”

Alice came over to her and embraced her, Elisa wrapped her arms around Alice. At first perhaps a bit awkward but then holding her tightly. Tears were running freely now, good tears. She had spent a lot of time wondering about her mother and now she was here. She hadn’t built any strong connection yet of course and when the first emotions would calm down things would probably feel quite awkward for a while. There were still questions to be answered, and she didn’t yet know if those answers would be good. But she wanted it to be good. Zipporah was, and would be, the first mother figure in her life. They were friends of course, but she’d go to Zipp about any question, even boy stuff. She hoped this could become like that as well, and to feel saved and loved. But perhaps a mother would be like a father? Would she be able to leave that behind? She didn’t want a repeat of her past. But above all she didn’t want to ruin the moment with all these questions, which could be negative.

She wasn’t quite sure how long the hug had lasted, but undoubtedly it had lasted longer than a hug regularly did. After the hug had stopped however Elisa wasn’t quite sure what to say. She glanced over to Cordelia, wondering how she’d react. ‘I uhm, I also have this, if it helps.’ She opened the bigger pouch hanging from her belt and took out a piece of fabric. She’d brought it along with her, the dolls dress. The fabric was clearly worn, but still recognisable as an old dolls dress, even if it had been cut out and sown in a number of times. The embroidery of the horned wolf Sigel was also still visible. She hesitantly showed it. It had always been her prices possession, one she had to hide. It felt strangely difficult to show it, let alone to hand it over if needed

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2022 1:39 pm
by Cordelia
Grey eyes watched the two embrace, distant and conflicted. How often had she dreamt of her little sister coming home? The guilt of that day barred down on her her entire life. It drove her to become the woman she now was. Loyal, dutiful, collected. She was the only rightful heir to the Hartlands, her father’s only legacy… Until now.

The conflict did not stem out of fear for her position in the family. She did not see the situation as a threat. The conflict came from the doubt and guilt, furthered by the possibility that she was giving her own sister a cold shoulder while their mother held her.

When the hug ended, Elisa’s gaze met hers. The girl was hesitant before offering up a piece of cloth. She had always been a more reserved, shy girl whenever they met. This hesitance was different though. It was not born of a peasant standing before a noble scenario. It was a girl hoping not to be turned away by her own blood. Cordelia accepted the cloth, pulling her eyes from Elisa.

Her focus was immediately pulled to the stitched design. It was a design she was all too familiar with. When her parents got married, they got creative and wished to combine the family sigil. And thus, the horned wolf was born. She had horned wolves displayed on various dresses, shirts, jewelry - even one of her bows.

It was more than just a symbol of the Winterbourne-Everhart union. The fabric itself was identical to one that was up in her room. When Elisabeth had been born, their grandparents gave each girl a doll. They looked slightly different, but their clothes were the same. The dolls were sisters, just like them. Cordelia had named hers Melanie and Melanie sat on a shelf in her room beside her favourite poetry books.

Seeing the cloth was like opening a door. It opened the door to a future with her sister, a future she never believed but always hoped would come. Now she looked at Elisa in a different way: hopeful. They stared at each other for a long, silent minute. When she broke her silence, there was a mixed smile of hesitation and acceptance.

“Welcome home…. on one condition.” She paused while handing back the fabric, ignoring the furrowed brows of her mother. “You treat yourself as part of this family. No curtsies, no ‘yes ma’am’s, no ‘m’lady’s. If you are Elisabeth Everhart, you will behave as such… Her daughter, my sister.”

Her request was not said harshly, but tentatively. She hoped to be reassuring while conveying that now, there was not a peasant in their home. She was blood.

“You can call me Cora, if you’d like.”

Re: Changing destiny -CRP

Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2022 6:55 pm
by Elisa
Elisa felt a weight fall of her shoulders as she heard the welcome home from Cordelia’s mouth. She was only halfway into taking a deep breath however when Cordelia continued with ‘on one condition’. It made Elisa stop the breath midway and hold it. While accepting the cloth back she was waiting for the condition to come. She was glad to have the doll’s dress back in her possession. Maybe it was silly to still cling on to it. It had for a long time been the only thing she’d that might have been from her mother. Now she had her mother back so in theory she wouldn’t need the dress as a reminiscent any more, but she wasn’t ready to let go of it just yet.

Finally Cora continued to talk, it felt like it took ages. She relieved the breath she was holding when she heard the condition was she had to treat herself as part of the family. She wasn’t quite sure what she’d expected the condition to be, but it wasn’t this. A smile crept up her face while Cordelia was speaking. She almost answered with yes ma’am, it came natural to her. She did stop herself just in time before saying ma’am and a blush was forming as she realised she’d almost already broken the condition. She grinned a little sheepishly as she tried again. “I’ll do my best to do that, Cora” She bit her lip a little as she realised something. “I don’t know how Elisabeth Everhart should behave though, I only know to be Elisa”.

They continued the rest of the day with a lot of talking. To say there was quite a bit of catching up to do would be an understatement. Their relation now had to grow. At this point, even though they knew they were family, they were also still strangers for each other.

Elisa was invited to stay at Hart Helm for a while longer. They used the time to bond and to get to know each other. Elisa was also given a lot of information about the land and their family, including a tour of the grounds. She was sure she’d forget so much of it again. Even if she didn’t want to. There was just so much to take in. As much as Elisa was curious about their life, so were they about hers. Elisa decided however to not be fully open about everything just yet. She was easing off on the bad things that happened, or not telling about them at all. If it was up to her, she might never tell. She knew it would only make them feel bad, so why would she do that? She’d rather focus on happy things now.

- This marks the end of this RP. The story however has only just started -