[ORP]Eudoxia's Lake House- Tales of a Naiad
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 2:30 am
The sun came over the hills and cast down on the lake like liquid gold. Eudoxia would never tire of the beauty a sunset beheld. She leaned back against an algae covered rock and basked in the glow for a moment longer. The days chores could wait.
Or not. She felt a small fish swim past her bare ankle, giving it a nudge. "Oh, alright alright." She moaned to nobody in particular. Eudoxia ran through her to do list in her mind: water the flowers in the graveyard and stop by the market to pick up some fresh bread at the insistence of her faithful confidant. At the thought of Bendis, Eudoxia dropped her head back, catching an upside-down glance at her small cottage that sat at the edge of the lake. The lantern in the window was out. Bendis had retired for the day. Eudoxia stood up and stretched languidly. Water dripped from her long hair and clothes. As she walked to her cottage across damp grass, her clothes and hair dried quickly, and by the time she reached her door, she was completely dry.
As expected, Bendis had left a note scrawled nearly illegibly on the large oak table. The note was short and quick, in Bendis’ typical clipped fashion. She reminded Eudoxia to get bread. The note may have included a thinly veiled threat. The last line caused Eudoxia to reach for one of the two chairs at the table.
Eudoxia had requested Bendis do some historical research. For some time, Eudoxia had wondered about her familial origins. As far back as she could remember, she lived in this modest cottage, tucked off of the main road of Fenia and nestled next to one of the more beautiful lakes in all of the Viceroy. And as far back as she could remember, Bendis had lived with her, unaging and catering to her whims and needs. Bendis, the odd ageless woman who slept during the day and fed off of the moonlight. She had been all Eudoxia had needed for a family for...she wasn’t even sure how many years had passed. Time moved differently when you spent a vast amount of time in bodies of water. Bendis enjoyed toiling away in the library. Eudoxia always felt uncomfortable in the library. The vast cases of dry paper made her skin itch. So, Bendis had taken on the task, even if she was bewildered about Eudoxia’s curiosity.
Here it was, on this very note. Bendis wrote, “It appears your bloodline is linked with the name of Winterbourne. They have a family hall in this Viceroy. You will need to seek more information there.”
She had a name to go on. Her hands dried with nervousness. The Winterbourne’s. Eudoxia said the name out loud, trying it on her lips. It rolled off nicely. Thoughts flooded her mind, imagining many different scenarios at once. Would they like her? Would they accept her? Would they even be alive? Wonder if the Winterbourne family consisted of nothing but old people on their deathbeds? Would they be like her? Probably not, she reasoned. If they were naiad, she would have seen them around the lake. But perhaps they weren’t Limnad, but instead Potameides- naiads of the river. She let out a huff and stood up. There was only one way to answer one of the many questions racing through her mind. She needed to visit their halls and learn about them. Perhaps even meet one or two. She stopped as she stood up. Wonder if the family consisted of such a tight knit group there was no room for her? Wonder if it consisted of hundreds and she would be a face lost in the crowd?
Frustrating herself, she grabbed her cloak from the hook by the door and draped it over her shoulders. The cloak was lined with damp musk grass and calmed Eudoxia’s nerves. She set out on the well-worn path to town, her mind filled with thoughts racing through her head like a hundred stallions. The racing thoughts brought racing emotions; fear, wonder, excitement, but most of all- hope. This name of Winterbourne brought her a renewed sense of hope she hadn’t felt in years.
Or not. She felt a small fish swim past her bare ankle, giving it a nudge. "Oh, alright alright." She moaned to nobody in particular. Eudoxia ran through her to do list in her mind: water the flowers in the graveyard and stop by the market to pick up some fresh bread at the insistence of her faithful confidant. At the thought of Bendis, Eudoxia dropped her head back, catching an upside-down glance at her small cottage that sat at the edge of the lake. The lantern in the window was out. Bendis had retired for the day. Eudoxia stood up and stretched languidly. Water dripped from her long hair and clothes. As she walked to her cottage across damp grass, her clothes and hair dried quickly, and by the time she reached her door, she was completely dry.
As expected, Bendis had left a note scrawled nearly illegibly on the large oak table. The note was short and quick, in Bendis’ typical clipped fashion. She reminded Eudoxia to get bread. The note may have included a thinly veiled threat. The last line caused Eudoxia to reach for one of the two chairs at the table.
Eudoxia had requested Bendis do some historical research. For some time, Eudoxia had wondered about her familial origins. As far back as she could remember, she lived in this modest cottage, tucked off of the main road of Fenia and nestled next to one of the more beautiful lakes in all of the Viceroy. And as far back as she could remember, Bendis had lived with her, unaging and catering to her whims and needs. Bendis, the odd ageless woman who slept during the day and fed off of the moonlight. She had been all Eudoxia had needed for a family for...she wasn’t even sure how many years had passed. Time moved differently when you spent a vast amount of time in bodies of water. Bendis enjoyed toiling away in the library. Eudoxia always felt uncomfortable in the library. The vast cases of dry paper made her skin itch. So, Bendis had taken on the task, even if she was bewildered about Eudoxia’s curiosity.
Here it was, on this very note. Bendis wrote, “It appears your bloodline is linked with the name of Winterbourne. They have a family hall in this Viceroy. You will need to seek more information there.”
She had a name to go on. Her hands dried with nervousness. The Winterbourne’s. Eudoxia said the name out loud, trying it on her lips. It rolled off nicely. Thoughts flooded her mind, imagining many different scenarios at once. Would they like her? Would they accept her? Would they even be alive? Wonder if the Winterbourne family consisted of nothing but old people on their deathbeds? Would they be like her? Probably not, she reasoned. If they were naiad, she would have seen them around the lake. But perhaps they weren’t Limnad, but instead Potameides- naiads of the river. She let out a huff and stood up. There was only one way to answer one of the many questions racing through her mind. She needed to visit their halls and learn about them. Perhaps even meet one or two. She stopped as she stood up. Wonder if the family consisted of such a tight knit group there was no room for her? Wonder if it consisted of hundreds and she would be a face lost in the crowd?
Frustrating herself, she grabbed her cloak from the hook by the door and draped it over her shoulders. The cloak was lined with damp musk grass and calmed Eudoxia’s nerves. She set out on the well-worn path to town, her mind filled with thoughts racing through her head like a hundred stallions. The racing thoughts brought racing emotions; fear, wonder, excitement, but most of all- hope. This name of Winterbourne brought her a renewed sense of hope she hadn’t felt in years.