[IRP] Latona

[Thea]

After more than two years of marriage, it could be assumed that Thea Winterbourne and Aileigh Sanchari were settled in their relationship. This, however, would be an incorrect assumption. The Sanchari-Winterbourne household had always been unorthodox. The marriage had begun as a mutual agreement: a symbiotic relationship. Both women could provide the other with something they needed. Love was not a factor.

Two years later… they now had a house full of kids, their marriage had turned into something genuine, and Thea had been given a barony in the southeastern province of Fenia. Two years ago this would have been Thea's worst nightmare. Now, it was no longer her nightmare, but she was still uncertain.

The barony was her biggest concern at the moment. She had hesitated to even accept it when it had been offered to her, however, it was closer to Aileigh's relatives. Her wife was very close to her family and being close to them would surely make her happy. That was the goal. If only they did not have to deal with the stress and chaos of moving several small children and re-establishing themselves in a new place.

The Barony of Latona was said to be derelict, including the former manor which was now in ruins. For months, Thea and Aileigh (mostly Aileigh) had been overseeing the building of a new manor house for their household to reside in. This gave them time to prepare, especially as both women were pregnant when the title and lands had been granted. A few months after the babies were born the house was ready. Left to her own devices, Thea would have likely delayed the move but her spouse was eager to leap.

Several carriages, vardos, and wagons were used to move the family and their entourage. Nannies and attendants and Andrzej. Thea had complicated feelings about her wife's lover. He had fathered Aileigh's younger twins but it was Thea who was recognized as the parent. As it stood right now, their manner of dealing with it was mutual avoidance. Thea avoided Andrzej and Andrzej avoided Thea. He did not ride with the women but instead followed the caravan on foot. She knew he was there even if she could not see him.

The manor house came into view and to Thea's surprise it was more of a castle. A very small castle, but a castle nonetheless.

"It is much bigger than I expected."

Thea commented in mild astonishment. She looked over to her wife to gauge her reaction as they approached the building and the horses came to a stop.

References:

• Map of Latona
• Rudesley [RL: Glenveagh Castle]

[Aileigh]

The day had finally come to make the move and she felt a bit anxious. Who wouldn't be anxious when moving with seven children under the age of three, with three of them being newborns? Perhaps it would have been wiser to wait a little longer for the youngest three to get a little older, but her excitement wouldn't allow it. She had spent several months organizing things from the warmth of Ettinford, the Fenian winter and her pregnancy keeping her away from traveling to Latona to oversee things in person. While both coastal territories, they were nearly on opposite ends of the Fenian coast and the harsher season made the trek more dangerous in her state. She had her steward visit occasionally to make sure things were on track, but overall, it was all done from a distance. So, it was all the more rewarding when they came out of the trees and the their new home was in view.

"I think it's appropriately sized for our army." Aileigh countered her wife's comment with a grin, glancing at Thea. Said army was presently riding in other carriages under the care of nannies and nursemaids, the mothers taking the last bit of the travel in each others' company before arriving to the new chaos awaiting them.

It was decently smaller than Ettinford Estate, but it was a sizeable place to call home. While Ettinford would remain their primary residence in the future (or at least that was the long term plan presently), the Latona barony would be their home for the foreseeable while. There was much to be done for the territory that would require a more hands-on approach that they could not offer so far away. Her viscounty was well established thanks to her mother's hard work and would be completely manageable from her wife's barony. Of course, they could split their efforts and reside in their respective territories, but neither women wanted to be apart from one longer than necessary, both for their own sakes and that of their children. Raising them all together, under one roof, with both of their mothers' present was the ideal situation. Regardless of their duties to Fenia, their duties to their own family outweighed that to the Crown. (At least, that was Aileigh's perspective and she had been open about that from the moment Thea accepted the barony.)

When the carriage finally stopped, both women eagerly stepped out. Aileigh's eagerness stemmed from her desire to see the fruition of her hard work, while Thea's may have just been from the need to stretch her legs, but they stood side by side for a moment at the entrance to the courtyard, simply taking it in.

As children unloaded from the other carriages, they were promptly swarmed by the older four, all of whom could walk. Zev, who was the oldest at nearing four, understood the move the best and showed his excitement by pointing out things about the castle before them - such as the green door, which was currently his favourite colour. The senior twins, Corabel and Elodie, were listening to him chatter away, occasionally chiming in with the more limited vocabulary of age two, their big brother's excitement riling them up too. Lenora, however, paid little heed to the actual castle and was distracted by the presence of butterflies off to the side of the courtyard, wandering towards them under the supervision of a nanny. At approaching a year and a half old, she was easily distracted and her curiosity about the world around her was great. "Bubberflies" was one of her favourite things, which frequented Ettinford thanks to the massive gardens Aishe had planted during her time as Viscountess.

"Welcome to Rudesley Castle, my wife! Shall we?"

[Thea]

Of course, Aileigh was neither surprised nor displeased at the size of their new home. Her wife had handled the majority of the planning after all. The estate was not a shock to her. In fact, Aileigh seemed entirely pleased with the new castle.

"At least it is only a small castle as we have only a small army."

Thea remained uncertain about the decision to accept the barony. In spite of growing up in the nobility, she always felt out of place. Redcroft was only a manor house. It did not require her to oversee a larger territory with people and villages and economies and resources. Latona was exceptionally more responsibility. The matter had been thoroughly discussed with her spouse though, and at least she knew she had Aileigh's support.

The carriage came to a stop in front of Rudesley Castle. Aileigh was the first to get out of her seat with Thea close behind. The new baroness stretched her legs as she took a few steps. The long journey had left her muscles feeling stiff. Aileigh did not seem phased, but maybe that was the difference between a damphyr and a most unremarkable human.

The accompanying carriages transporting the children, nursemaids, nannies, miscellaneous servants, and various trunks of personal belongings. Everyone unloaded in chaos. Soon the oldest children descended upon their mothers. Thea was still lacking in most natural maternal instincts, but as the children got older and less helpless she found it easier to engage with them.

Feeling in need of a little bit of emotional support, Thea reached a hand towards Aileigh.

"Lead the way."

[Aileigh]

As Thea reached out, Aileigh took her hand, entwining her fingers with her wife's. She understood that her partner was still a bit uncertain regarding her promotion in the noble ranks, but she was there to help reassure her that it was a good choice to accept. Really, she was proud of Thea, seeing the step as one of major growth. In their two and a half years of marriage, they had both changed so much. Between being mothers, partners, and their noble duties, there had been many factors and opportunities for their growth as they each really bloomed into their own person, free of the control of others. Their journeys of self-discovery were apart at times, but they had always came back together in the end and were stronger for it. While she had never expected a marriage of love with Dorathea Winterbourne, asking for her hand was one of the best decisions Aileigh had ever made. The last year made it especially true.

Per her wife's direction, she led the new baroness into the castle. Zev, Ellie, and Belle followed along, but Nora had to be picked up and carried inside as she did not wish to part from the butterflies. They began the castle tour as a family, but soon the children fell off, finding distractions of new things to inspect and explore under the supervision of other adults. The wives continued their own exploration, going room by room and taking it all in. The design and craftsmanship of the stone home was marvelous. She was glad she spent so much time and effort on their new home and was incredibly grateful for the reliable foreman and designer that assisted with the project. The old seat of Latona, Mawrdoune Manor, had long since fallen into ruins and was not salvageable, but she now realized that was for the best. It allowed for her to craft a home specific to their needs and likes, all the way down to the placement. While Mardoune Manor had had a beautiful lakeside view, being on the actual coast was much preferable to her. It was the single thing she could change about Ettinford Viscounty - the viscounty seat was inland. Maybe some day, she could create a new house and move the official seat, but Ettinford Estate was beautiful, with sentimental value... The funds could be used for something more important.

When they headed upstairs, they saw the nurseries and children bedrooms first - there were one for each child, although Corabel and Elodie were currently setup to share as they rarely liked being apart. There were the guest rooms, which she glossed over in her excitement to show Thea a little surprise for their living arrangement.

"Thiiiiis is your room!" She opened a door dramatically, revealing a large bedroom. Light streamed in through a giant, arched window, which had a built-in window seat and a beautiful view of the back gardens and ocean. It'd be the perfect little spot to read a good book and enjoy some quiet. She let Thea look around the room for a brief moment before bouncing over to a door on the left wall. She beckoned her over before opening it, to reveal a smaller room. It was a cozy sitting room, with its own large windows facing out to the ocean. She walked through the room to the only other door on the opposite wall and opened it to reveal another bedroom of similar design to the first, with a very different, more colourful flare.

"And this one is mine!" Aileigh grinned, looking proud. Truthfully, she took the concept from the Imperian Castle, as her mothers had a similar setup with Zuan. Why not use the idea when she had the chance? "This is our own private little haven. A room, just connected to our rooms, so we can escape everything together and enjoy each others' company without interruptions."

With the design of the bedrooms, it would allow them each to have their own personal space, while still catering to their developing relationship and friendship. Maybe some day they would share a bedroom, but she was not sure either of them were ready for that. Thea enjoyed having her space and Aileigh, well... Perhaps her relationship with Andrzej clouded her judgement on the topic. Still, she wanted to be close to Thea and she thought creating a private room for just them was a great way to do it.

"Do you like it? Much better than being on far ends of a long hallway."