A place for scenes specific to Sir Gracian

Sir Gracian was lovestruck. Cupid had fired his arrow and hit it's mark because nothing could tear Sir Gracian away from fair Lady Ariette. He enjoyed her company, her scent, her laughter and her smile. He whispered things in her ears and danced with her even though he was hardly a good dancer.

He didnt tell her much about his adventure to the North. Not that he avoided the subject but this was a joyous occasion and the loss of Sir Caradwg and Sir Tyngyr was not something he wanted to think about tonight. "I would love for you, my dear, to meet my brother-knight and good friend, Sir Dalan. But let me introduce you to him and Lady Ellowyn tomorrow, my love, and then enjoy their love like we enjoy ours." he said and kissed her hand with a smile. "I can not take my eyes off of you. Never have I seen such beauty as yours."

---

Sir Gracian has three things on his to-do-list:

• Introduce Lady Ariette to Earl Robert and thank him for his support (Intrique/Courtesy).
• Ask Lady Ariette to introduce him to Duke Morvid of Gloucester so Sir Gracian can thank him and get to know him (Intrigue/Courtesy).
• Spend as much time as possible with his wife to be (Dancing/Flirting)

"You are such the flatterer, my dear," Ariette replies, beaming.  "I could not be happier myself."

During the first two courses, Sir Gracian and Ariette had an opportunity to chat with Sir Dalan and Lady Ellowyn.  It is safe to say that all introductions have been made and some basic chit-chat has occurred, and there are 5 more courses to come.

Sir Gracian did introduce Ariette to Sir Robert, and did manage to convey his appreciation in a most courtly manner (gain a check in Courtesy).

Likewise, Ariette introduced Sir Gracian to Duke Morvid, although the two don't know each other all that well.  Ariette's father was a banneret (he owed 6 knights to the Duke each year) but the Duke has upwards of 100 knights and 300 soldiers he commands for Arthur.  The Duke seems personable enough and although Sir Gracian is not as famous as perhaps the Duke would have liked, he just accomplished something significant for Arthur and the Realm and the Duke is getting some good press here and making Arthur and Guinevere happy.

Unlike Sir Dalan and Lady Ellowyn, who have known each other for a couple of years and spent many hours together, Sir Gracian has only really just met Lady Ariette.  He is finding her to be very enjoyable company and she seems to honestly feel for him.

As Sir Dalan and Lady Ellowyn head to the dance floor, Ariette snags Sir Gracian's hand and pulls him after the pair.  And it looks like one of the new knights is bringing a stunning woman to the dance floor as well.  It is a party!

Sir Gracian has always feared dancing and in many ways feared it more than battle itself, but he is striken with love and feels like he can dance for hours and hours. After a while he gently lead his wife-to-be towards a somewhat quiet corner of the great hall. "When can we get married my love? I can not wait to show you Dinton once the chapel has been rebuild and the garden looks splendid."

"The Winter is always a good time for a wedding," the young damsel suggests.  "And I can't wait to show you your new lands at Stonewall.  There is much to do.  We will need to figure out what improvements to make, whether or not to fortify, what knights we can call upon to serve the Duke," she lists off.

Nestling her head against his shoulder she comments, "it will be nice to have someone else to help make these decisions and deal with any problems."

"Of course My dear. We will get married at Dinton this Winter - or perhaps when Spring comes and everything is green and the darkness of Winter is gone? Then once we are married we can tour your land at Stonewall and get to work on what to do." He smiles and kiss her hand but then turn more serious. "But I need to tell you that I can never turn my back to Dinton Manor. It is where my family has lived ever since Emperor Aurelius ruled and I made a promise to both myself and my father that I would restore Dinton to it's former glory. I need you to understand how important Dinton is to me and I give you my word that your land will never be neglected or left unprotected."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:51, Thu 07 Sept 2017.

"Of course, dearest Gracian.  I would not wish to marry a man who had no loyalty to his family and his history," she replies.

OOC:  All events occur in the winter, marriage, child-birth, age rolls, etc.

Sir Gracian smiles and looks relieved. "I never thought love could be like this ... please come with me dear Ariette. I want to introduce you to an old friend - if I can find him that is." He adds with a laugh.

---

Ok we will get married in the Winter then :)

And Sir Gracian will go looking for Sir Perin. I know the character is busy but I dont know if we can play out parallel storylines. I think we need to get some connection between the "new blood" and the "old blood" :D

They slowly make their way through the great hall taking their time talking to the knights and ladies attending the feast. While Sir Gracian enjoy the feast and celebration and still cant believe this is happening, he knows just how more important this occasion is to dear Ariette. So he gives her every chance to shine and bask in the attention of the guests, all the while he see if he can spot anyone he knows.

He suddenly sees Sir Perin dance with a beautiful woman whose identity is unknown to Sir Gracian. He leans in to Ariette, points out Sir Perin and whisper in her ear "That is Sir Perin. Recently knighted, my neighbour and a good man .. but do you know who he is dancing with my dear?"

"Oh my," Ariette replies, "that is Countess Fiona of Hereford.  She has a . . . bit of a reputation.  Maybe more than one."  Cocking an eyebrow at Gracian she asks, "you say he is newly knighted?  He has moxie, I'll give him that.  She is way out of his league."

Seeming to think on it for a while she concedes, "although, I think she has a lot more say than most in who she marries, and they seem to be getting . . . uh oh, spoke too soon."

The pair watch as Fiona disengages and heads off, only to be intercepted by a rather powerful-looking Roman.

Chapter 2.2 - Summer Campaign (515 AD) Letter from Ariette

Sir Gracian receives a response to his letter.  It is full of flowers (literally) and sunshine (figuratively).  Although he attempted to Romance his fiancee in his own letter, it seems that as yet he does not have the hang of flirty-correspondence.

In response to his question about Countess Fiona, Ariette writes:

The Countess is an odd bird, very private in her affairs and little is known about her.  She is Arthur's cousin, she has ruled Hereford for 6-7 years since her father died.  It is in a weird and wild forest called the Dean Forest, that is reputed to be overrun with mythical monsters and the Fae.  She is often referred to as a witch and there is no doubting her intelligence.  Hereford itself, the one time I was through there with father, seemed normal and the people happy.  A few years back the Duke of Dorset began courting her, rather persistently.  Not sure how the Countess feels about this but she still entertains him and he is generally considered her suitor and most likely to win her hand.

Chapter 2.2 - Summer Campaign (515 AD) Letter to Ariette

Sir Gracian is unsure what to do with the flowers he has received and he suddenly realize how incredible primitive he is when it comes to romancing a woman. So he sits down again and writes a new letter. This time he make sure his handwriting is as fine as possible and tries to think first and write later.

Being forced to think slows down the process somewhat.

My Love,

I will not bore you with details about the campaign. I can just say that we are chasing the Irish raiders and hope to chase them from our shores, so we may once again live in peace.

But even though I yearn for a battle and the chance to win glory so I may prove my worthy of your love, then I think of you day and night. At night the scent of your perfume comes to me and I dream of you. When I look at the stars in the nightsky above me I think of your eyes. When I wake up in the morning my heart almost burst because you are not by my side.

One day soon I will return home and prepare for our wedding. To start a life with you and build a home and a family. To hear the sound of childrens' laughter in the halls of our manor. Men wage wars and win battles but it is the love of a woman that brings light and joy into a man's heart.

But I am not the only one lovestruck. The noble Sir Perin can not stop thinking - or talking - about the Countess. He talks of her beauty and her wit and I listen to him till my ears bleed. What do you know of the Duke of Dorset? I have only seen him twice I think but I have never talked to him or heard much about him. Do you know what he likes or excel at or if the man has any flaws?

I will end this letter now. The courier is about to leave and I must hurry so he can bring you this letter. I love you and long for you.

Your servant

Gracian

Other than what Sir Perin already knows about the Duke, there is little that Ariette can add.  She does not know him that well, although he has something of a reputation as a warrior and for being a bit stubborn.  Ariette does not think that he will take it well that Sir Perin is pursuing the Countess.

Chapter 2.3 - Fall (515 AD) Banneretcy of Stonewall

Deciding that a visit to his betrothed is in order, Sir Gracian sets out on a leisurely 5-day journey up to Stonewall, just north of the City of Gloucester.

Sir Gracian and his squire Idres slowly journeyed north making sure to give the messenger he had send ahead plenty of time to reach the fair Lady Ariette. Sir Gracian didnt wish to show up at Stonewall unannounced and a messenger had seemed like a good idea. Not only did Sir Gracian long to spend time with the woman he loved while recovering from the burns he received on the campaign against the Irish. He also wanted to inspect Lady Ariette's holdings now that he would soon be responsible for them.

The leisurely journey north was spend in conversation with his squire Idres and enjoying the early Fall where the forests seemed to quickly turn into shades of red, orange and brown. Life seemed good for a change and Sir Gracian - ever the incompetent poet - spend the days travelling north trying to compose a poem to the woman he loved.

Idres on the other hand was clever enough to politely tell Sir Gracian that poetry should be left to poets and not warriors and Sir Gracian decided (wisely) to listen to the young boy.

"Oh, Sir Gracian!" Ariette exclaims when her knight arrives, "you are injured!  What happened?  Tell me all about it, I was so worried."

She indicates the stable to Idres and assists her betrothed into the main hall to sit and rest by the fire there.  The heat feels good and the scent of burning wood brings a slew of memories of his youth.  A maid bustles in with a steaming cup of mead and some bread and cheese.  Not long after, a bowl of soup arrives as well.

Far better than the fare on the road.

"Oh it looks far worse than it is, my dear. And besides my good squire Idres has cared for my wounds with great skill. Had it not been for him then I am sure infection had set in."

Sir Gracian is a bit overwhelmed by her concern. It is not something he is used to but he quickly deduce that he if married life is like this then he is going to enjoy being married.

"Irish raiders tried to capture Princess Gwendollyn of Escavalon. We hurt them but their knights managed to get away by blocking a bridge with burning carts. I merely assisted Sir Perin and Sir Sejanus in pushing the carts into the river so we could pursue the cowardly Irish knights. I was unfortunate enough - or clumsy enough..." he adds with a grin "... to get burned. But the Irish retreated to the coast and abandoned their plan to capture the Princess. What cowardly men call themself knights and dare to attack women like that?"

He reach out and take Lady Ariette's hand and gently caress it.

"But enough talk of war. I have missed you and not a day went by where I did not think of you. I wish I was a poet like the noble Sir Dalan so I could bring you sweet words of the kind you deserve, but I am afraid you are to marry a man with no such skills."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:44, Tue 26 Sept 2017.

The Lady seems quite aghast that knights would attempt to so callously treat a woman of the Princess's stature.

"You speak of such bravery as if it were a common gift to all men when nary a one in ten would take on such a dangerous task," she squeezes Sir Gracian's hand.  "I admit to liking flowery words and kind remembrances as much as any Lady but I far prefer the strong arm and stead head of a man who can protect me and our lands," she counters.

While she is sure that Idres did an adequate job and that Sir Gracian is a mighty hero who can easily ignore the pain of flaming wounds, that does not stop her from desiring to baby her knight at least a little.

"I will then do my best to learn how to speak flowery words. You deserve the world and I will will do all that is in my power to earn your love for the rest of my life.

And also - at least it will give you something to laugh about when you hear my desperate attempts to make poetry." he adds with a smile and a laugh. Her company turns the warrior into a gentle giant and gives Sir Gracian a sense of being ... whole. Probably for the first time in his life.

"May I stay with you and be your guests, my love? At least until my wounds have healed? It will give me a chance to spend time with the woman I love more than life itself."

"You are not leaving here until you are fully healed, my Dear," she retorts.  "What sort of manor would I keep if I were to allow you to go off injured?"

Ariette is happy to have you rest and recover and chat with you about Dinton manor and your plans there and to tell you about the manors and holdings here, etc.

I am going to put together the specifics of the manor shortly, I have most of it already.