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Post by Morgan le Fay on Oct 26, 2011 19:56:05 GMT
The room where Morgan spends much of her leisure time, either alone or receiving guests. The room is filled with books, cosmetics, chests of clothing and other things, including pagan amulets.
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Post by Lady Iseult of Ireland on Oct 26, 2011 20:13:37 GMT
Near the end of April, Iseult comes to see Lady Morgan, wearing a pretty, dark green dress with a simple silver necklace. Her hair was not in a braid, as was typical of most Irish people, but was let long down her back, as she had Began favouring since coming to England.
She paused at the door and pushed her hair over her shoulders before knocking on the door lightly, but confidently and swayed from side to side slightly to a song she was humming in her head as she waited to be let in or turned away.
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Post by Morgan le Fay on Oct 26, 2011 20:23:33 GMT
Morgan's chief maid eyed the girl for a moment. It pleased her to make her mistress' visitors wait before she let them in, though both she and Iseult knew perfectly well that she knew who the girl was since they had met before on a number of occasions.
"Come in," she said, and opened the door before turning to address Morgan. "Lady Iseult of Ireland."
Morgan was sitting at her desk staring into a bowl of water. Her face was blank and she didn't immediately pay attention when her woman spoke her name. The maid whispered to Iseult "Sorcery" but quickly adopted a blank look as Morgan looked up.
Morgan's eyes fixed on Iseult and she summoned a smile to her face before beckoning to the younger woman.
"Lady Iseult. Welcome. It's good to see you. Go, Enid. I will speak with my guest."
The maid fled and Morgan stood.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Lady Iseult?"
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Post by Lady Iseult of Ireland on Oct 26, 2011 20:51:34 GMT
Iseult raised an eyebrow at the maid's back after she had turned back towards the room but smiled regardless and followed her. Not surprised by the formality that was being displayed.
She began to get slightly concerned for Morgan before the maid explained, slightly taken aback that she would divulge her mistresses affairs so quickly, but it was not as if Iseult was a total stranger.
She curtsied delicately to Morgan as the lady addressed her and gave the woman a smile as she looked up again, "I had no real designs in coming to see you, I find I get rather lonely in this big old castle." Iseult confessed, "But it seems I have disturbed you" she said, glancing at the bowl of water.
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Post by Morgan le Fay on Oct 26, 2011 20:57:03 GMT
Morgan merely smiled.
"It doesn't matter. I was all but finished. Your company will be welcome. I quite agree that the castle can be lonely at times, and you are far from home. I felt the same when King Uther sent meto the Abbey and yet I still had my sister's company. But you have no-one at all, you poor thing. Do you miss Ireland?"
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Post by Lady Iseult of Ireland on Oct 26, 2011 21:11:20 GMT
"Cosúil análaithe" She said quietly and then gave a bright smile, "Sometimes, things here are similar but at the same time very different, but I am getting used to it. It will be the same as when I inevitably wed, so it is good to get used to it."
She paused for a moment, unsure on what to say, "Having real Irish company would be nice though, Branwen is not the same as having people my own age. do you miss Glastonbury?"
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Post by Morgan le Fay on Oct 26, 2011 21:21:54 GMT
Morgan's laughter was like a tinkling bell.
"Not very much. I miss the nun who taught me the powers of enchantment but otherwise...not really. Cornwall was my true home, even though I spent half my life at the Abbey. There were so many rules, even though I wasn't actually a novice. So many services. Matins, Nocturnes...ugh, such nonsense, and I am not Christian," Morgan sighed. "And when Morgause and I reached the age when we were old enough to notice boys, of course we were not allowed to meet any. I would much rather be at Camelot."
She smiled and walked to the cabinet in the corner of the room.
"You seemed resigned to marriage rather than excited about the prospect. Am I correct?"
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Post by Lady Iseult of Ireland on Oct 26, 2011 21:33:04 GMT
"I always thought home was where the people you care about are, rather than the place." She said, but nodded all the same and followed Morgan with her eyes around the room, "It sounds boring though, I cannot get my head around Christianity, I have been trying since I got here and it just does not agree with me"
She paused again, awkwardly and shifted slightly. She was glad when Morgan started a new train of conversation though.
"Well, I see marriage as just another confinement, and I enjoy being free." She said, witha casual shrug, "In Ireland most marriages are easily... " she paused thinking of the word in English, she was unsure on a few words in English, mostly ones with no literal translation, but otherwise spoke it perfectly. "Reversed?" She asked, but shrugged it off again, she was sure Morgan would understand what she meant, "But mine will probably not be. Though, speaking of marriages, are you resigned or excited by your prospective one?"
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Post by Morgan le Fay on Oct 26, 2011 21:40:13 GMT
Morgan turned away from the cabinet. She held a bottle of mead in one hand and two glasses in the other. Her expression was slightly surprised and slightly wary. Her dress was so long her feet couldn't be seen so she seemed to glide across the room towards Iseult.
"Mostly resigned, though I'll thank you to keep it to yourself. King Uriens is a dozen years older than me. He's a pagan, thank the gods, but I don't know him."
She put the glasses on the table, uncorked the mead and poured them half a glass each.
"Uriens and I have spoken only a handful of times and he says nothing but praises my beauty or speak of the sons I will give him. I would rather he praise my mind or my wit, but he laughed when I told him that. It's not truly his fault, though. That is how men are."
She sipped at the mead, feeling the slight burn as it slid down her throat, slightly sticky from the honey.
"The Christian way of marriage is that they may not be undone," she confided. "And Arthur is determined upon a Christian ceremony."
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Post by Lady Iseult of Ireland on Oct 26, 2011 21:50:45 GMT
"I read something about that, but I found it hard to believe it were true. That sounds strange to me, you cannot know at the start of a marriage if two will be compatible." Iseult said with a slight frown and then looked back to Morgan with a small smile,
"Well if you have only spoken to him a handful of times, what else does he have to know you by other than your beauty? Does Arthur want a Christian Marriage for you? That sounds odd if your husband is a pagan, though I suppose if they cannot be undone then it is for the best. If I could not get out of a marriage, I would rather know as little of my husbands faults as I could, perhaps King Uriens will praise your wit when he has seen more of it?" She suggested, but was a bit out of her depth, she felt.
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Post by Morgan le Fay on Oct 26, 2011 21:57:53 GMT
"My brother has to balance both the old religion and the new," Morgan sighed. "I feel he is a Christian in his heart, though he has never said so. The priests all say Arthur was chosen by their dead god to rule over us. So of course Arthur lets them say it. It encourages the other kings to support him, especially the Christians. For myself, I feel that a pagan ceremony is required too, else I won't feel married."
She sipped again at the mead and indicated that Iseult should take the second glass.
"Perhaps you are right and I worry too much. But...I am not best pleased that the match was made without my consent. To have my future decided by a sixteen year old boy! It was most galling."
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Post by Lady Iseult of Ireland on Oct 26, 2011 22:06:32 GMT
"Sixteen year old boy or not, I suppose he is still your King." She reasoned, still frowning, "And not asking for your consent means you cannot withhold it. It still seems unfair, but I suppose something comes before a ladies happiness, despite what all these knights seem to boast." Iseult said, feeling sorry for Morgan now, knowing she was unhappy in her future marriage.
She wrinkled her nose as she thought more about the marriage.
"Can you not do both?" She asked, taking the glass in her hand but not drinking just yet, as they were talking, and mead always dried her mouth out for some reason, "Then Arthur will get his Christian marriage and you can feel married yourself." She swilled the liquid in her glass around while she was talking and then finally took a sip, not particularly enjoying it, but smiling nevertheless.
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Post by Morgan le Fay on Oct 26, 2011 22:11:03 GMT
Morgan nodded over her glass. She took another sip, frowning, and was silent for a moment.
"I told my brother that I will not marry Uriens unless he consents to a pagan ceremony also. Do you think that wicked of me, Iseult? To make an ultimatum of my king."
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Post by Lady Iseult of Ireland on Oct 26, 2011 22:18:39 GMT
"As a subject loyal to her own king, I have to say yes, I would not like anyone not doing what my father would say." She said and paused, "but personally, I think that it is your marriage, you should be able to be married in whatever way is fitting for you. If you do not believe in christianity, then why should you even keep to the marriage?" She replied, with a grin.
"Are you even in a position to be making... Ultimatums was it?"
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Post by Morgan le Fay on Oct 26, 2011 22:32:28 GMT
Morgan gave Iseult an almost wolfish grin.
"it was indeed. And you are quite right that a Christian marriage would not have the power to bind me, no matter what their foolish priests say about the matter. And I believe I am in that position, yes. Arthur needs Uriens as his ally but he has only two sisters and Morgause is betrothed to King Lot. If I refuse to marry Uriens, there is nothing to maintain that alliance between the two of them. And no man alive can force a woman to say her marriage vows if she does not wish to."
She patted Iseult on the shoulder.
"Remember that if your father ever tries to force you into a marriage you dislike. Or even if Arthur does. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that he might. He has the right to make you a betrothal. Did you consider that, my dear?"
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