[ORP] Ettinford: A Tale by the Sea

[Aishe]

Within the Kingdom of Fenia, lay a certain viscounty of particular interest to this tale. It was the Viscountcy of Ettinford, belonging to the territory of Athena. As of the winter of 1658-1659, the Duchy of Athena had no Duchess and its territory lay mostly barren of any nobles. The territory served the High King, as the rest of the Viceroyalty did, with little loyalty laying elsewhere.

In the Viscountcy of Ettinford, there was a marsh. It became known as the Wisp Marsh, an ode to the famous Will-o-Wisps. The fabled creatures could be seen, or at least, their tale was told amongst the region and its lady thought it was a befitting name for that swampy stretch. There was slight dismay that the creatures evaded the Lady of Wisp Marsh, but there was still hope.

That hope came from the expanse of land, now under her care. As Viscountess of Ettinford, Aishe Sanchari Winterbourne planned to survey her land in search of the beings she had become associated with long before her journey to Fenia.

Ettinford was on the southern side of of the Duchy, with the proud seaside town of Athena stationed directly to the north. It was, when reviewing potential viscountcies, one that Aishe chose solely based on its location and personal meaning. Upon her flee from Bravia, it was these shores that her and her family landed with their sailboat. It was the first Fenian soil (well, sand) beneath her boots as a Fenian citizen, where she swore fealty to the High King. It was in those dunes she made the promise to put all her efforts into the Kingdom she now called home. It only seemed fitting that she took it under her care.

The northern portion of Ettinford was rather dense with forest, broken by the occasional homestead and a sliver of stream. As one travelled closer to the coast, the forest broke up. It was there you'd find land like the holding of Wisp Marsh, stretches of swamp-like conditions where fog often hung low. If one were to push past that, however, the land gave way to the sea and it was, in the Queen's opinion, a breathtaking view.

Rather central to the viscountcy, nestled amongst the thinning of the forest, sat the estate of Ettinford. It was an older manor, with a grey roof and worn tan stones. The stonework was simple, but effective in dominating the surrounding landscape. The manor loomed above the green lawn, the line of the forest giving the building and gardens space to breathe instead of being dwarfed by the ancient trees. The gardens were not complex, but there was beauty in its simplicity and there was plenty of room to add on. The inside of the building was, however, complex in its woodwork and architecture. Overall, despite not having a guardian, the estate was kept in decent enough shape, inside and out. Of course, once the paperwork had been finalized, the new Viscountess was quick to make sure all was in working order and properly prepared to have life in those halls once again. As Queen and Viceroy, she'd mostly be stuck in Imperius and Fenia City with work. As Viscountess, however, she looked forward to the breaks from the castle and the privacy and freedom of her own land... And possibly find a Will-o-wisp of her own.

	OOC: For reference purposes, here is a collection of photos of the estate house. More can be found by searching 'Mill Neck Manor', the real life place I have chosen to use as my inspiration for the Ettinford Estate. ETA: Here is a map design of the entire viscounty, including its towns and enclosed barony. Please note: This RP is no longer an active place for RP involving Aishe. Visit her new home-base RP [ORP]Attica: Put Ashore. I wish the best to the next Viscount of Ettinford. Please feel free to use this thread to continue the story of the estate. <3

[Aishe]

February 17, 1659

A quiet sigh was heaved. Sat by the window on the first story was the heavily pregnant queen, enjoying the solace of the her estate. Her stay in Ettinford had begun a few weeks ago, with the occasional pop back to the bustle of the castle for business with the aid of her wife, sons, or nightmarish hounds. She used to hate Nocturne for his ability to come and go so easily, but now she was very grateful for the same gift in her family. It gave her more freedom than she thought possible... Like the freedom to be stress free and on bedrest in Ettinford, while still doing her duties as Viceroy and Queen.

Bedrest. It was a loose term in this situation, seeing as she could not keep herself in her bed. The stress of her rapid pregnancy took a toll on her body. The changes that had occurred within her body to safely grow the child did not change what she needed as a vampire. The pregnancy was, in many aspects, slowly killing her. Zuan's blood kept her going, but it only did so much at such an advanced stage. It took a long while to display such signs, but at what was equal to eight months, it all caught up to her. She looked frail. The shadows under her eyes were dark and while her skin had a warmth, living glow, it contrasted with an increasingly sickly colour. She was not on Death's door, but she was certainly less healthy than the child inside of her.

Disconcerted, the vampire looked down to her moon sized abdomen and gave it a poke. Any day now, my little wolf... I am tired of your kicks. Let you be your father's problem now.

Her words echoed through the empty sitting room. The only other noise that filled the room was the soft crackle of the fireplace. It was so different to the palace which was now her home. There was always commotion of some sorts filling those halls, as opposed to the stiller stones of Ettinford. Ettinford was properly staffed and she got the occasional visitor, but it was, for all intents and purposes, stress free.

Or was it boring?

Her fingers drummed lightly on the arm of her chair, bright eyes casting back towards the winter wonderland outside. Her most interesting and rather frequent visitor was the Chronicler 2873. In this instance, frequent had become... Well, rather permanent. If there was one creature in the world dedicated to this pregnancy, it was that golem. Her friend, who could not fit inside the estate so he roamed about the land.. Always nearby, should he need to observe something new within the pregnancy. The crystal creature proved to be extra useful the last week, as crazy large snowmen emerged from nowhere and marched around. Her guards had doubled since then, but Nic seemed to take care of most of them himself without issue. While he was not a creature built to encourage fighting, he was built to defend. Whether he was defending the estate because Aishe was his friend or because his current study was her "one-of-a-kind pregnancy", she did not know. All she knew was she was grateful to have the Royal Historian around.

Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet. Fighting the lightheadedness, she stood still for a long moment before moving to find some sort of entertainment.

[Akos]

Akos slipped out of the shadows and into the foyer of the large house, pausing long enough to inhale a lungful of fresh air. Now that the king had knocked her up as well, she found herself, more often than not, overcome with almost incapacitating bouts of nausea anytime she put much effort into something. Unfortunately, shadow travel fell into that category.

With her stomach now settled, she padded quietly through the house in search of her wife. Akos nodded her greetings to the few staff members she encountered as she made her way room from room, not thinking to ask one of the creatures for the whereabouts of her spouse. After 5 minutes of exploration, Akos finally set herself heavily upon a chair in one of the lower living areas, head resting upon the backrest and eyes cast towards the ceiling. AIIIIIISSSSHHHE! She bellowed, unwilling to move a further inch until she knew exactly what direction she needed to head in.

[Aishe]

Her wandering ended her up in the kitchen. It wasn't any surprise, not with the grumble coming from her stomach. Mumbling to herself, she began to rummage through cabinets for something that tickled her fancy while a fresh pot of tea was put on. She was uncertain what it was she wanted, but she WANTED whatever it was... Now just to find it. She clicked her tongue in thought and mild irritation, unable to pinpoint the exact craving that had her tummy rumbling. It was with a lot of effort and minutes that she found a jar of honey tucked amongst canned fruit.

Adjel lesti!

Her satisfied declaration ended with her hands clasped around the jar. Gleefully, she grabbed a spoon and went to retrace her steps to a comfortable chair, a maid following with the tea. Her eyebrows knitted together at the sudden call, her name ringing through the halls. The woman waddled along to the sitting room her wife occupied. Content enough to claim it as her next lounging spot, she continued over to the couch and made an attempt to sit down gracefully without dropping the honey jar. The tea was sat down on a table beside the couch, but the maid did not exit the room until she poured a cup to cool, letting Aishe wiggle into the cushions. Blue eyes watched the maid close the door before she quirked a brow at Akos.

When did you get here?

Adjel Lesti! ~ Got you!

[Akos]

It wasn't until Akos heard the shuffling of feet and the telltale clinking of tea cups on saucers that she lifted her head. She frowned as she watched Aishe's attempts at lowering herself onto the couch, then frowned at herself for not getting up to help her heavily pregnant wife. Offering a brief shrug at the question she instead replied with I would have come to you, you know once the maid had left the room.

Akos contemplated getting up to sit on the couch by Aishe, but in that moment, the effort it would take to do so seemed insurmountable. She was just so bone tired. She pulled up her knees and twisted, so as to be curled up in the chair comfortably while still able to focus on her wife. Akos let her cheek rest upon the cushioning of the backrest and took a moment to simply watch Aishe as she navigated her way around the honey jar. After a moment longer, Akos let out a soft wistful sigh, Mages, you're beautiful.

[Aishe]

I need to have them put comfortable chairs into every room... It was a mumble, an initial response to Akos's statement that was followed by a louder, more direct, I was in search of a cozy place anyway.

Idle response given, she popped the lid off the jar without a struggle and dug her spoon in. She watched with big eyes as the honey dripped from the spoon, like a child watching their mother bring a plate of desserts. After a lick of her lips, she stuck the spoon in her mouth and just like that, the world was good. She had nearly forgotten Akos being there, so consumed by her craving-fix, that she blinked in surprise when she heard her wife's voice. A blush rose to her cheeks, fresh and rosy with blood flowing through her system, while her icy eyes rose up to meet the darker counterparts of her other half.

Uh... Aishe lowered the spoon, a drip of honey clinging to her lips. She was quick to grab up her tea and take a sip, licking away any remnants of honey. Sheepishly, the rim of the tea lowered and her throat cleared in an attempt to regain some sort of ladylike composure. So you and Zuan remind me. I realize it's two against one, as it usually is, but I still disagree. I know you'll feel that way in a few months too.

A slight huff was given, but the vampire began to stir some honey into her tea. Two against one indeed! She had swollen feet and hands, was carrying around a second moon, and couldn't even put her own shoes on. Beautiful. She could scoff at the word associated to her in this moment! However, she did not. She contemplated it instead while eating another spoonful of honey.

However, the staring did not go amiss. Aishe began to return the stare, but in a different manner. Her gaze was one of observation, studying her wife's expression and poise. While she would love a simple teatime with her wife, something was off. Craving temporarily satisfied, she sat the jar down and instead kept a hold of her tea. Again, an eyebrow arched, slowly but with conviction.

What's wrong, Akos?

[Akos]

Akos didn't argue with her wifes protestations. They'd had the same disagreement a half dozen times before, not including the times when their husband was also involved. She imagined there'd be at least a few more to come before the babe was born.

Her brows furrowed involuntarily as Aishe asked her question. What was wrong? Akos began to fidget as she thought of all the things she'd been doing and the decisions she had made, her gaze distant over her wife's shoulder. The curtains in the room were suddenly extraordinarily fascinating, and Akos followed the intricate patterns with her eyes as she mulled over the events of the last few months. She thought she'd made the right choices, done what she'd had to in order to keep everyone safe. To keep everyone happy. Yet, since her Mother had been made her 'lady in waiting', those decisions had started to look different. With the extra time spent together, Akos had learned more of her Mother's history which in turn had made her think more about her own and Sokas. In just a few short weeks, the decisions she had made were turning rapidly into regrets.

She wasn't about to tell Aishe or Zuan that though. Not yet at least. Not with Aishe so close to the end of her pregnancy. Akos shook her head, still seemingly fascinated by the curtains, Nothing's wrong.

[Aishe]

Aishe sat quietly and watched. Oh, something was wrong. All the telltale signs were there. The slight crease in the center of her forehead. The sudden interest in surroundings. The distant tone in her voice. The fidgeting of the hem of her shirt. She could scoff at her wife's poor acting, but given the situation, no scoff left her lips. No, her lips pursed instead. She gave a shake of her head, her long, pale locks flowing effortlessly with the movement.

We have been married for twenty years. You aren't any good at lying now as you were when we met... This life, at least. I know you too well.

The hesitation from Akos made her both worried and curious. After everything, what was worth the effort of keeping a secret? She'd dare to say there were no secrets between them, but in truth, she knew everyone had secrets. No one knew everything about another and that was the reality of things. It was a reality she could accept because at the end of the day, she knew both her spouses inside and out with most every detail seared into her mind. It made moments like this bearable. Everyone was allowed their secrets. Yet, in this moment, she could not let go whatever it was on her wife's mind because it seemed to bug Akos. Not just in this living room, but beyond, for weeks now. Aishe had bid her time, tredded lightly, because if it was important enough, Akos would come to her. Perhaps it was that her patience had run out carrying around the Fenian heir or that she felt this quiet room was the perfect moment to finally drag the cat out of the bag... Whatever the reason, Aishe looked at her wife expectantly.

My love, I cannot help you if you do not talk to me. We're a team, remember?

[Akos]

Akos wanted to groan, and she wanted to protest that what her wife had said was wrong. Instead, what came out was a pathetically soft whimper as she leaned her forehead against the chair. She hadn't wanted to talk about this yet. She wasn't ready. Another quiet whimper escaped despite herself, the distress overwhelming her ability to maintain some of her usual calm.

Akos shifted - her feet planted themselves on the floor as her head fell into her hands. Just as Aishe knew her, Akos knew her wife well enough to know that Aishe wasn't going to let go of this. She'd heard that certain tone of voice before, and while Akos could escape into the shadows to avoid the conversation, she wouldn't be able to outrun it forever.

Hands running slowly and heavily over her face, Akos glanced up at her wife. Seeing the patience and the trust on Aishe's face was too much to bear for more than a moment though, and for the first time in her life Akos internally sent out a prayer to the mages. With one last deep inhale of breathe, Akos turned her gaze to the floor and mumbled I have a daughter. Akos went silent as she did the mental calculations, She'll be about seven by now.

[Aishe]

Aishe nearly gave a rebuttal right away, leaning forward as much as she were able to. Of course Akos had a daughter. Technically, she had two of them. Aileigh Mae, a creation of their souls courtesy of their kitsune friend, Shion, and Amalie, their adopted daughter who was currently studying under Morjiana in Bravia. However, her words caught in her throat though as Akos completed her statement. Seven?

Her mind ran, raced even, as time seemed to slow. Neither Aileigh nor Amalie were seven. No, they were both about eighteen now physically... Although Aileigh was only around eight, nearing nine. Yet, that wasn't the daughter Akos was talking about, even if she was momentarily forgetful of Aileigh's true age. She could tell it from her eyes... She did not mean Aileigh.

Aishe blinked while her mind gathered all the known facts quickly. Akos did not mean their two daughters. Akos said seven. That would mean 1651 to 1652. They had since been married and already had a daughter by that time. She never saw Akos pregnant until the twins in '53.

And then it dawned on her.

Her body grew numb. The teacup that had so firmly been held between her fingertips slid and flew towards the floor. While she had every ability to grab it, it crashed onto the floor and shattered, her hands hanging in the air. Time seemed to stand still now, breathe caught in her chest with wide eyes glued to Akos's face... A face of pain and regret.

Aishe got to her feet in record timing with glass crunching beneath her slippers and moved towards the nearest container she knew of - a decorative bowl on the other side of the couch. The little bit of breakfast and honey made an unexpected reappearance on a day of unexpected situations. Her stomach was quickly relieved, but she was not. No, she was beginning to hyperventilate now with her hands tightly clutched to the end table for support. An outright hurricane of emotions swirled within her, everything heightened as if her child felt the same and she was meant to be his or her's voice too. Violently, she shook her head.

No, no, no.