house-tyrconnell

[house-tyrconnell]

the-self-proclaimed-prince​:

Orla didn’t think she could sleep if she tried, but she accepted the offer none the less. It would be rude not to, it being so late. She nodded. “Thank you.” 

“I shouldn’t have shown up so late. Sorry for waking you up. I just didn’t know where else to go? I mean, I could go to Ceres and live with my grandparents, but I don’t know how to get there and it would cause a lot of problems if anyone knew I was there. I know, because I asked my imna about it and she said she wished things were different too, but that she couldn’t do anything either. And like, Avin’s already disappointed in Imna for how I turned out, so I know he’d just be mad at her if I asked. Does the law about sanctuary…” She hesitated to ask, worried of what the answer might be. But she had to know. If there was any chance she might be made to go home in the morning she needed to know now. “…does it apply to eldinas too? Or is that just a slave thing?”

“It does, in specific cases,” Enya replied. This wasn’t one of them. Simply not wishing to be married did not warrant sanctuary. Still-- she would see what Turlough had to say about it.

[house-tyrconnell]

the-self-proclaimed-prince​:

“I don’t want to get married,” she said. “I don’t want to have kids and I don’t want to be an O’Neill. I hate being a girl! I just want to be somewhere where it’s not so awful but before I was even born everyone decided where I’d go and who I’d marry and what I’d do and who I was and I hate everything about it! I know it’s a contract, but I can’t! I just can’t! They can– they can figure something out. I don’t know! Marry someone else and leave me alone!”

Ai! She was certainly a fourteen! 

Well, she would be tomorrow.

Still, Enya wanted to know just who had decided fourteen to be the eligible age for marriage. Enya herself had felt very grown up at fourteen, and certainly capable of marriage-- but the older she got and the more perspective she gained the more ridiculous it seemed to send someone away from home at such a young age.

Impressionable age, her father used to say. That was really the heart of the matter. Anything to do with marriage was understood not to start until a few years later. Marriage was not between two people, but rather two houses, and girls needed time to learn what was expected of them.

In any case, Orla was distraught and tired and would not be reasoned with. They could sort through all of the details tomorrow, in regards to whom she was being given in marriage to, and whether or not Turlough would allow her to stay.

(Ultimately, the decision was his, but Enya would steer him that direction. He was a man, and this was a woman’s trauma: marriage. The moving of one house to the next. He couldn’t possible empathize.) 

She gave Orla’s hand a squeeze again and stood. “You shall stay the night and the day tomorrow. We’ll talk further on this when it’s not so late and you’ve had some sleep. Shall I call someone to come make you up a room?” 

[house-tyrconnell]

the-self-proclaimed-prince​:

Orla worried the moment she said her name she’d be sent back home, but there was no way around it. If she lied, that would only confirm she was up to no good once the truth got out. She really did meant to ask for help - nothing nefarious about it.

“Orla… Grace,” she reluctantly said.

It occurred to her in that moment that the kinds of people who usually pleaded sanctuary were being abused in some way and if she didn’t clarify, then there was a very high likelihood that Ena. Enya would think poorly of her father, or mother, or brother, or any number of other people in her life. So she stumbled out, “I don’t want to get married, but I’m turning fourteen tomorrow, which means I’ll have to and I’d rather die. But I thought dying maybe isn’t much better, so then I thought I’d get off the planet somewhere, but I can’t really do that, so I thought I’d come here to ask if you could help me go somewhere else or just hide me for a bit? I don’t know if that law is for Eldinas too, but I’m just– I’m really scared and don’t know what to do I just can’t get married. I can’t.” 

She wanted so badly to put on a brave face that she stiffened her jaw, but her voice tremble and her throat ached from holding back tears.

Oh, well unhappy matches were nothing new. Enya could count on one hand the number of times she had ever seen someone claim sanctuary for them, and the only one that had been an Eldina had been betrothed to a Windsor.

But Orla Grace (Murdoch Graces’ daughter, if Enya was putting two-and-two together correctly), as best Enya recalled, was not matched with a Windsor. 

Who, then? She remembered something about an upcoming wedding in the news but those were so common that Enya hadn’t bothered to pay attention. 

Windsor or not, Orla’s distress was genuine enough. Enya took her hand and gave her a smile.

“I won’t send you home tonight. But, you do realize that if you do not return home, this will be a breach of legal contract between two houses, don’t you? We will need good reason to meddle. I understand how terrifying marriage can be, believe me, I do. But what drove you to take such drastic action, chami? As far as I am aware House Grace is very even-tempered with their women.” 

[house-tyrconnell]

the-self-proclaimed-prince​:

Orla had finished her first cup of tea and was drinking a second when Ena. Enya came in to the sitting room. She didn’t know what social protocol (in any) existed for this kind of thing, so she settled on nodding. 

Enya rounded the room to sit on the end of the couch with Orla. She poured herself her own cup of tea, then took it in her hands. 

She cocked her head went on: “Will you tell me your name? That would be a start.”

In truth, Enya thought she looked familiar. But she couldn’t place a name or house with the face. 

[house-tyrconnell]

the-self-proclaimed-prince​:

@house-tyrconnell

The hand on Orla’s shoulder was gentle, but firm, as he led her towards those looming walls of the House Tyrconnell. He was a broad, tall man who was almost as big as Keahi. The more she thought about it, the more Orla realized that maybe trying to sneak in off the road wasn’t her brightest idea. It would have been better to just walk up to the gate and plead sanctuary upfront. Now she was under suspicion of being a troublemaking trespasser who just used the plea as a safety net. 

If they decided that was the case, they’d probably send her back home.

She didn’t sneak all the way across Wetan at this godless hour just to be sent home again. Home meant marriage and marriage… now that was the last thing she wanted in life. She wanted to get off this planet and fly as far away from here as she could. Somewhere where no one knew her. Where she could be free to wear what she wanted, do what she wanted, and actually live. 

At the very least, the Tyrconnells should be able to keep her safe until the O’Neills figured out some new match for Tristan. She could be a happy social disgrace, unmarriageable and free. 

They entered the estate through a smaller door to the right of the large stone doors. She wondered if they ever opened them for anything besides Hjalti. 

It was quiet inside the foyer hall. Candles burned bright in their nooks and on their shelves. The temperature was cooler in here. She drew her cloak closer around herself. 

The guard touched his earpiece to ask someone to wake Eldina Enya, followed by a calm, firm insistence that this is one she’ll want to see to herself, followed by a ‘Yes’ and then after another pause a ‘She’s an Eldina.’

Orla was then led to a sitting room. A young boy swept in to bring her some tea and gave her a grateful smile when she thanked him. 

When she picked up the cup, the tea quivered. Her hands were still trembling. 

She’d run away from home. The reality of it was finally sinking in.

Orla was left in silence for some time. 

Eventually, footsteps sounded through the hall outside the sitting room, then a polite knock on the door. Eldina Tyrconnell let herself in and shut the door behind her, then clasped her hands together and stood there, fixing Orla in a concerned (though puzzled) gaze.

“My doorman says you claimed sanctuary?” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

Eldina Enya. 

The conversation on their walk. It all fell into place and Shina’s anger was replaced by equally intense irritation.

She was trying to prove a point. 

“I see.” Shina removed her hand from the papers. “Did she say how long you were to… refrain from your duties?”

“Indefinitely. As our services were apparently not needed.” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

Shina pulled the paperwork back before Jael could reach it and met her eyes with a searing glare. “You take advantage of his patience and kindness. If you mean to make a mockery of me, you make a mockery of him as well. Is that your intention?”

Jael sighed and stood, folding her hands behind her back.

“No, my Eldina, it is not. My intentions-- and the rest of your household’s intentions-- are to serve the house, and I am not entirely sure what you have done to irritate your mother-in-law, but Eldina Enya-holai has made her express wishes very clear. You are on your own. The staff, Atarah and myself included, are merely doing as we are told.” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

Shina’s glare deepened proportionate to Jael’s smile. 

“So that’s what this is? Some joke you all conspired together. It’s in poor taste, and you’ve had your fun. Now do your job, or I’ll take this to my husband.” 

“My Eldina is welcome to,” Jael replied, and reached for a stack of paperwork. 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

“Surely competent attends aren’t in such short supply you can’t find one who can at least braid hair.” It wasn’t like she was asking for a whole entourage. 

Jael’s sweet smile only sweetened further.

“Surely my Eldina is competent enough to braid her own?” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

Shina looked to the other slaves - or servants, she didn’t know which were free - and found them all going about as if this atrocity of a conversation wasn’t even happening.

Without another word, Shina whisked out of the kitchen and straight to their housekeeper Jael’s office. Before the woman could even greet her properly, Shina said, “Atarah is being willfully obstinate and intentionally neglecting her duties as my attendant. I would have you reprimand her as you see fit and find an adequate replacement.”

Jael looked up from her tablet and gave Shina a sweet smile.

“My apologies, my Eldina, but I cannot.” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

“Is this your idea of a joke?”

Atarah got up to make herself another cup of coffee. 

“Do I look like I am joking?” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

Shina balked at the audacity. 

“Do you mean to say you’re ill?”

She doubted it, but was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. It was bold, even for Atarah.

Atarah took an intentionally languid sip of her coffee.

“No, I just have a bit of a headache is all, which came up right when you walked over and interrupted my breakfast. Since your time is so precious you had better hurry, considering as you said--” she checked her watch, “You’re a half-hour late.” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

Shina’s eyes narrowed. This was why freemen made poor servants. An ounce of liberation and they thought they ruled the world.

“Then you’ve noticed you’re half an hour late to starting to my bath, which means I’m half an hour late to breakfast, which means you have half an hour less to prepare me for the day,” she clipped. 

Atarah lifted one eyebrow, brushed her hair back over her shoulder, and blew at the steam rising up from her coffee cup.

“Last I checked, you have two hands. I have a headache. Do it yourself.” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

@house-tyrconnell

It was well past seven. Atarah had yet to respond to Shina’s paging. Her only guess was that her pager may be broken and that her attendant relied on it as an alarm clock. 

Irritated by this start to the morning, Shina throw on a robe and slippers before shuffling down to Atarah’s room. It was empty. 

“Atarah?” she called. No answer. 

Python, it was too early for this. Where was her damn attendant?

She checked her own rooms once more before heading to the kitchen where at last she found her, sitting by the window enjoying a cup of coffee like she wasn’t half an hour late to her job. 

“There you are. Have you not noticed the time?” 

Atarah had never been more excited for a stretch of twenty-four hours in her life. 

She looked up from her cup and shrugged. 

“Svoj. I noticed it.” 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

Shina shot her a glare. “Yes.”

She immediately regretted it. Irritation didn’t negate the fact that En. Enya was her mother-in-law and matriarch. Her eyes diverted to the forest floor where they belonged. She stepped over a tree root. 

“Their aid is a convenience, not a necessity.”

Enya smiled to herself but said nothing more. 

[house-tyrconnell]

thexunextraordinary​:

“You might as well have said as much, implying I can’t even feed or dress myself without them.”

Ena. Enya turned to her, arching one eyebrow.

“Can you?” 

[house-tyrconnell]

pure of heart!!!!!!!!!! dumb of ass……………