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haebinPlease enjoy the next Chapter! I am excited to her what you think about it! ♥
It was late afternoon, and Ysilia, sitting in a wide, comfortable armchair with a direct view of the sea from the window, sighed softly. She quickly glanced to the side to see if her mother had noticed, but then realized with relief that she was engaged in an entertaining conversation with two chambermaids. After the guests had finished their early morning meal, the men withdrew to prepare for the upcoming hunt while the ladies returned to the west wing. And to Ysilia's annoyance, her mother had remembered to bring her embroidery work from home, so that she and all the other ladies, as well as the maids in the house, had been busy with their handicrafts since late morning. Isabella, her own maid, sat opposite Mave, both engrossed in a game of dragon chess. Her mother listened to an elven lady unknown to Ysilia recounting the latest gossip from Waterdeep, and she turned her gaze back to the sea to hide her bored eye roll. Absentmindedly, she ran her fingertips over the embroidery hoop and then let them glide over the flowers already worked into it.
She wanted to explore the castle and visit the surprisingly large library she had seen as she walked by. She wanted to quietly find out what books there were to read, and perhaps she would sit in a corner with an unfamiliar book in her hands to ignore everything that had happened yesterday. Ysilia just wanted to concentrate on the words in front of her, surrounded by the constant sound of waves breaking on the cliffs. She longed for silence and solitude.
Instead, she sat here in the extremely luxurious salon with numerous women she didn't know, who chattered incessantly. As she picked up her needle and thread again to devote herself to the next flower on the cloth, she heard a woman laughing as she told the story of a wealthy merchant family in Baldur's Gate who had been robbed by a gang of gnomes just a few days ago. Gnomes! As if the robbery wasn't bad enough, the fact that gnomes had broken into the noble Silverblood family's home and stolen the lady of the house's jewelry elicited a few giggles from some of the ladies. Even her mother couldn't help but smile. Aerilaya Silverblood had not made many friends with her arrogant and know-it-all personality, and Ysilia heard the occasional snide giggle. She pressed her lips together and tried to suppress another eye roll, for she longed for so much more than meaningless chatter and dull gossip. She wanted deep conversations, meaningful discussions, to lose herself in the words and thoughts of others, to explore new perspectives. Her chest felt tight and heavy as Ysilia thought about how those around her had never really taken an interest in her, her thoughts or her feelings. When she heard the words of Trálír, the elder, who informed the guests present in a loud voice that she and his son would marry, Ysilia was filled with deep happiness for the first moment. Her heart beat twice as fast as usual, her cheeks flushed red with joy and excitement, and her breathing quickened. How often had she thought of him at night and imagined becoming his wife? And yes, she had been infatuated with him since his visit to Moonhaven, and yes, perhaps she was a little in love with him. He made her feel noticed, he listened to her words, he was intelligent and charming, and she felt understood and safe in his presence. Ysilia had turned her face toward him, beaming with joy, and then she had seen the look in his eyes... She noticed the pain deep in her heart, so all-encompassing that she felt her soul would shatter into a thousand pieces as she remembered that his heart already belonged to someone else. And that he would never love her as much as he loved the woman who was now by his side.
The young elf had not been able to call anyone her friend since childhood. Her parents' status simply forbade her from leaving the castle and playing with other children on the street or in the park. There were numerous guests who visited her father every day, but these elves had already reached adulthood or were far beyond it. On the rare occasions when elves her age were present at a ball or a party, it was never because anyone was interested in her or wanted to do her a favor. Ysilia had painfully realized that elves her age were only brought along so that their parents would have a reason to strike up a conversation with her parents. Once the initial contact with them had been made and the children had, so to speak, done their duty, no one had any genuine interest in her anymore. The young offspring were quickly handed over to the servants and usually put in a carriage and taken back to the family's impressive, huge mansions.
She never admitted it, but Ysilia was lonely. And she suffered from this loneliness. She knew it would break her heart if Trálír had given in to her suggestion, but she would have accepted the other woman in order to no longer feel alone and lost. Ysilia knew he was right. She would never have a place in his heart like the unknown woman who seemed so important to him. And as much as it hurt, his presence and friendship would suffice.
The loud giggling of Mave, her mother's maid, interrupted Ysilia's thoughts and made her look out at the sea again. As she watched the choppy Ocean and listened to the waves breaking on the cliffs, she made a decision. She rose from the armchair, placed the embroidery hoop and needle on the seat, and smoothed the wrinkles out of her dark red gown. By her standards, the dress was simple, as it had no embroidery, ruffles, or train. It only had a circular neckline and sleeves that reached her wrists. She felt comfortable in the gown because it was made of the purest silk and felt cool, while inside the castle the heat of the dawning day was beginning to build up. But her mother had frowned when her maid had taken the dress out of a suitcase. Ysilia suspected that it was not elaborate or luxurious enough for her. She had quickly promised her mother that she would change into the dress for the ball in the evening, and Velanna Silverleaf's expression had relaxed again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother's questioning gaze. “Where are you going, my child?”
Ysilia turned slightly to the side toward the women present, who were now all looking at her with interest and curiosity, and smiled. “I don't have any particular destination in mind, I just want to stretch my legs a little, Mother.”
At her daughter's words, the countess nodded and looked at her maid expectantly, who immediately put her embroidery tools aside and was about to get up. But Ysilia quickly shook her head.
“No, no, don't, Isabella. That's not necessary.”
The maid looked at her mistress in surprise. “I'm just going to take a little walk around the castle, I don't need...” Ysilia interrupted herself with a clear throat.
I don't need a chaperone if I just want to take a few steps, she thought frustratedly, then continued, “I don't need company.”
The countess looked at her daughter piercingly and frowned. “You know it is not proper for a lady of standing to walk through the castle unaccompanied.”
The young elf tried to suppress the sigh that was rising in her throat and replied with a polite smile: “Of course I know that, Mother. But all the men are out hunting and only servants and maids are in the castle at the moment. No one would dare to simply address me. Please allow me to stretch my legs a little in the castle courtyard.”
Ysilia's mother looked at her daughter for a moment and couldn't resist her pleading gaze. She finally shrugged her shoulders, sighed softly, and then said with a gentle smile, "All right, then go out into the courtyard for a while. But don't stay away too long, because the men will be back soon and there's another ball coming up. Isabella will wait for you to get you ready for the evening."
“Thank you, Mother,” Ysilia replied with a beaming smile, and when she saw her mother furrowed her eyebrows in surprise, she quickly cleared her throat, curtsied, and then strode out of the room, leaving the women behind.
With a mischievous grin on her lips, Ysilia strolled down the long corridor toward the Great Hall. And yes, she would take a little walk around the courtyard. Nevertheless, she was grateful that the windows in the salon faced the sea, because that way her mother would not be able to watch her if her stay in the castle courtyard was only brief. For Ysilia had a different goal in mind. It occurred to her, however, that Velanna Hammond was quite capable of sending her maid Isabella or one of her other servants after her to keep an eye on her. The young elf paused, bent down slightly, and pretended to inhale the scent of the magnificent flowers in a large vase. She turned her head slightly in the direction of her chambers, but the long corridor was empty. With a sigh of relief, she straightened up and reached the entrance to the Great Hall a moment later. Despite the hunting trip undertaken by the male residents and guests of the castle, the hall was bustling with activity. Ysilia, who kept to the left to go to the castle courtyard, watched as the servants and maids set the tables for the evening meal. As she stepped out of the large gate, she paused for a moment and looked around the castle courtyard. There were a few servants busily going about their work, bowing politely when they crossed her path. Ysilia was considering what her next step would be when she saw that the gates to the stable were open. A childlike joy filled her, for Ysilia loved all kinds of animals, much to her parents' chagrin.
She owned four dogs and numerous cats. She kept several rabbits, pheasants and peacocks in the castle grounds.
Ysilia hurried to the stable, entered, and looked around for the stableman, but could not find anyone. So she took one slow step after another until she discovered that the horses that had pulled her parents' carriage were standing in the front stalls. With a loving smile, she approached the first horse and gently held out her palm so that it could smell her. It seemed as if the mare had recognized its owner, because it pawed the ground amiably with its hooves, its ears pricked up. Ysilia placed her hand on the horse's blaze and began to stroke it gently. The mare snorted softly and visibly relaxed, now that she recognized her mistress and was enjoying her caresses. Her ears were relaxed, her tail hung loosely, and her head was lowered. Smiling, Ysilia stroked her blaze and remembered that Yoru, as the mare was called, particularly liked to be stroked on her chest. A delighted whinny was the response to Ysilia's touch, and she smiled. She looked around curiously and discovered a basket filled to the brim with carrots a few steps away from her. She stroked the mare's blaze once more, then walked over to the basket and took more than a handful of vegetables to feed to Yoru and all the other horses standing in their stalls. In the far corner of the stable was a horse she didn't recognize, which looked at her intently. Ysilia approached slowly with the last carrot in her hand, her voice gentle and soft, her posture relaxed.
“You are an exceptionally beautiful horse,” she said with a smile, gently raising her hand toward his nostrils. Her heart leapt with joyful excitement when she saw the black stallion take a step forward and sniff her hand. “Yes, I can already see that you are a very intelligent animal.” She gently withdrew her hand and offered him the carrot she had broken in two with her other hand. Now she held the vegetable under his mouth with her flat hand and watched the horse silently.
When the stallion had enjoyed the carrot, he gently nudged her hand, asking Ysilia to stroke him. She softly slid her fingertips over his blaze. “I'm sure you serve your master well.” Ysilia smiled, patted the stallion lovingly on the neck, and took a step back to get a better view of the courtyard. She saw one or two servants going about their work, but the men still seemed to be out hunting.
Perhaps not for much longer, Ysilia thought as she looked up at the sky, feeling slightly nervous. She had spent far too much time with the horses and was now under pressure to carry out her original plan. She quickly left the stable, crossed the castle courtyard, entered the Great Hall, and walked briskly up the Grand Staircase. When she reached the first floor, she immediately turned right, for her destination was Trálír's chamber.
It was late afternoon, and Ysilia, sitting in a wide, comfortable armchair with a direct view of the sea from the window, sighed softly. She quickly glanced to the side to see if her mother had noticed, but then realized with relief that she was engaged in an entertaining conversation with two chambermaids. After the guests had finished their early morning meal, the men withdrew to prepare for the upcoming hunt while the ladies returned to the west wing. And to Ysilia's annoyance, her mother had remembered to bring her embroidery work from home, so that she and all the other ladies, as well as the maids in the house, had been busy with their handicrafts since late morning. Isabella, her own maid, sat opposite Mave, both engrossed in a game of dragon chess. Her mother listened to an elven lady unknown to Ysilia recounting the latest gossip from Waterdeep, and she turned her gaze back to the sea to hide her bored eye roll. Absentmindedly, she ran her fingertips over the embroidery hoop and then let them glide over the flowers already worked into it.
She wanted to explore the castle and visit the surprisingly large library she had seen as she walked by. She wanted to quietly find out what books there were to read, and perhaps she would sit in a corner with an unfamiliar book in her hands to ignore everything that had happened yesterday. Ysilia just wanted to concentrate on the words in front of her, surrounded by the constant sound of waves breaking on the cliffs. She longed for silence and solitude.
Instead, she sat here in the extremely luxurious salon with numerous women she didn't know, who chattered incessantly. As she picked up her needle and thread again to devote herself to the next flower on the cloth, she heard a woman laughing as she told the story of a wealthy merchant family in Baldur's Gate who had been robbed by a gang of gnomes just a few days ago. Gnomes! As if the robbery wasn't bad enough, the fact that gnomes had broken into the noble Silverblood family's home and stolen the lady of the house's jewelry elicited a few giggles from some of the ladies. Even her mother couldn't help but smile. Aerilaya Silverblood had not made many friends with her arrogant and know-it-all personality, and Ysilia heard the occasional snide giggle. She pressed her lips together and tried to suppress another eye roll, for she longed for so much more than meaningless chatter and dull gossip. She wanted deep conversations, meaningful discussions, to lose herself in the words and thoughts of others, to explore new perspectives. Her chest felt tight and heavy as Ysilia thought about how those around her had never really taken an interest in her, her thoughts or her feelings. When she heard the words of Trálír, the elder, who informed the guests present in a loud voice that she and his son would marry, Ysilia was filled with deep happiness for the first moment. Her heart beat twice as fast as usual, her cheeks flushed red with joy and excitement, and her breathing quickened. How often had she thought of him at night and imagined becoming his wife? And yes, she had been infatuated with him since his visit to Moonhaven, and yes, perhaps she was a little in love with him. He made her feel noticed, he listened to her words, he was intelligent and charming, and she felt understood and safe in his presence. Ysilia had turned her face toward him, beaming with joy, and then she had seen the look in his eyes... She noticed the pain deep in her heart, so all-encompassing that she felt her soul would shatter into a thousand pieces as she remembered that his heart already belonged to someone else. And that he would never love her as much as he loved the woman who was now by his side.
The young elf had not been able to call anyone her friend since childhood. Her parents' status simply forbade her from leaving the castle and playing with other children on the street or in the park. There were numerous guests who visited her father every day, but these elves had already reached adulthood or were far beyond it. On the rare occasions when elves her age were present at a ball or a party, it was never because anyone was interested in her or wanted to do her a favor. Ysilia had painfully realized that elves her age were only brought along so that their parents would have a reason to strike up a conversation with her parents. Once the initial contact with them had been made and the children had, so to speak, done their duty, no one had any genuine interest in her anymore. The young offspring were quickly handed over to the servants and usually put in a carriage and taken back to the family's impressive, huge mansions.
She never admitted it, but Ysilia was lonely. And she suffered from this loneliness. She knew it would break her heart if Trálír had given in to her suggestion, but she would have accepted the other woman in order to no longer feel alone and lost. Ysilia knew he was right. She would never have a place in his heart like the unknown woman who seemed so important to him. And as much as it hurt, his presence and friendship would suffice.
The loud giggling of Mave, her mother's maid, interrupted Ysilia's thoughts and made her look out at the sea again. As she watched the choppy Ocean and listened to the waves breaking on the cliffs, she made a decision. She rose from the armchair, placed the embroidery hoop and needle on the seat, and smoothed the wrinkles out of her dark red gown. By her standards, the dress was simple, as it had no embroidery, ruffles, or train. It only had a circular neckline and sleeves that reached her wrists. She felt comfortable in the gown because it was made of the purest silk and felt cool, while inside the castle the heat of the dawning day was beginning to build up. But her mother had frowned when her maid had taken the dress out of a suitcase. Ysilia suspected that it was not elaborate or luxurious enough for her. She had quickly promised her mother that she would change into the dress for the ball in the evening, and Velanna Silverleaf's expression had relaxed again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother's questioning gaze. “Where are you going, my child?”
Ysilia turned slightly to the side toward the women present, who were now all looking at her with interest and curiosity, and smiled. “I don't have any particular destination in mind, I just want to stretch my legs a little, Mother.”
At her daughter's words, the countess nodded and looked at her maid expectantly, who immediately put her embroidery tools aside and was about to get up. But Ysilia quickly shook her head.
“No, no, don't, Isabella. That's not necessary.”
The maid looked at her mistress in surprise. “I'm just going to take a little walk around the castle, I don't need...” Ysilia interrupted herself with a clear throat.
I don't need a chaperone if I just want to take a few steps, she thought frustratedly, then continued, “I don't need company.”
The countess looked at her daughter piercingly and frowned. “You know it is not proper for a lady of standing to walk through the castle unaccompanied.”
The young elf tried to suppress the sigh that was rising in her throat and replied with a polite smile: “Of course I know that, Mother. But all the men are out hunting and only servants and maids are in the castle at the moment. No one would dare to simply address me. Please allow me to stretch my legs a little in the castle courtyard.”
Ysilia's mother looked at her daughter for a moment and couldn't resist her pleading gaze. She finally shrugged her shoulders, sighed softly, and then said with a gentle smile, "All right, then go out into the courtyard for a while. But don't stay away too long, because the men will be back soon and there's another ball coming up. Isabella will wait for you to get you ready for the evening."
“Thank you, Mother,” Ysilia replied with a beaming smile, and when she saw her mother furrowed her eyebrows in surprise, she quickly cleared her throat, curtsied, and then strode out of the room, leaving the women behind.
With a mischievous grin on her lips, Ysilia strolled down the long corridor toward the Great Hall. And yes, she would take a little walk around the courtyard. Nevertheless, she was grateful that the windows in the salon faced the sea, because that way her mother would not be able to watch her if her stay in the castle courtyard was only brief. For Ysilia had a different goal in mind. It occurred to her, however, that Velanna Hammond was quite capable of sending her maid Isabella or one of her other servants after her to keep an eye on her. The young elf paused, bent down slightly, and pretended to inhale the scent of the magnificent flowers in a large vase. She turned her head slightly in the direction of her chambers, but the long corridor was empty. With a sigh of relief, she straightened up and reached the entrance to the Great Hall a moment later. Despite the hunting trip undertaken by the male residents and guests of the castle, the hall was bustling with activity. Ysilia, who kept to the left to go to the castle courtyard, watched as the servants and maids set the tables for the evening meal. As she stepped out of the large gate, she paused for a moment and looked around the castle courtyard. There were a few servants busily going about their work, bowing politely when they crossed her path. Ysilia was considering what her next step would be when she saw that the gates to the stable were open. A childlike joy filled her, for Ysilia loved all kinds of animals, much to her parents' chagrin.
She owned four dogs and numerous cats. She kept several rabbits, pheasants and peacocks in the castle grounds.
Ysilia hurried to the stable, entered, and looked around for the stableman, but could not find anyone. So she took one slow step after another until she discovered that the horses that had pulled her parents' carriage were standing in the front stalls. With a loving smile, she approached the first horse and gently held out her palm so that it could smell her. It seemed as if the mare had recognized its owner, because it pawed the ground amiably with its hooves, its ears pricked up. Ysilia placed her hand on the horse's blaze and began to stroke it gently. The mare snorted softly and visibly relaxed, now that she recognized her mistress and was enjoying her caresses. Her ears were relaxed, her tail hung loosely, and her head was lowered. Smiling, Ysilia stroked her blaze and remembered that Yoru, as the mare was called, particularly liked to be stroked on her chest. A delighted whinny was the response to Ysilia's touch, and she smiled. She looked around curiously and discovered a basket filled to the brim with carrots a few steps away from her. She stroked the mare's blaze once more, then walked over to the basket and took more than a handful of vegetables to feed to Yoru and all the other horses standing in their stalls. In the far corner of the stable was a horse she didn't recognize, which looked at her intently. Ysilia approached slowly with the last carrot in her hand, her voice gentle and soft, her posture relaxed.
“You are an exceptionally beautiful horse,” she said with a smile, gently raising her hand toward his nostrils. Her heart leapt with joyful excitement when she saw the black stallion take a step forward and sniff her hand. “Yes, I can already see that you are a very intelligent animal.” She gently withdrew her hand and offered him the carrot she had broken in two with her other hand. Now she held the vegetable under his mouth with her flat hand and watched the horse silently.
When the stallion had enjoyed the carrot, he gently nudged her hand, asking Ysilia to stroke him. She softly slid her fingertips over his blaze. “I'm sure you serve your master well.” Ysilia smiled, patted the stallion lovingly on the neck, and took a step back to get a better view of the courtyard. She saw one or two servants going about their work, but the men still seemed to be out hunting.
Perhaps not for much longer, Ysilia thought as she looked up at the sky, feeling slightly nervous. She had spent far too much time with the horses and was now under pressure to carry out her original plan. She quickly left the stable, crossed the castle courtyard, entered the Great Hall, and walked briskly up the Grand Staircase. When she reached the first floor, she immediately turned right, for her destination was Trálír's chamber.
