Written By Ouida
Sept. 28, 2018, 3:09 p.m.(9/8/1009 AR)
When is overwhelmed with duty, and cannot indulge in the usual pasttimes of stress relief one is accustomed to because of lack of time...it is amazing how much joy can be found in the pleasure of a small and perhaps silly gift to ones you love. Thankfully my gift giving ability has improved since the time of slipping a sleepy fat toad I caught myself into the chair of my favorite tutor, or bribing Cook to bake onions into one tart instead of apples (though now that I think on it, it was probably still delicious), or the silly wilted flower chain presented shyly to an admired cousin. May the gods bless those who aid us in bringing a smile to those most dear, and in lightening my heart this day.
Written By Ouida
Sept. 24, 2018, 2:40 a.m.(8/27/1009 AR)
Another month, and another lover wed. I recall the lady in question's wicked smile, her dastardly ability to cheat at any game without the slightest flicker of it in her face, the softness of the nape of her neck underneath my fingertips, her laughter that was as sweet as an answered prayer. We have not seen each other in the flesh for nearly five years, though it’s seldom been more than a month between letters, and this month is no exception; it is always a source of great joy that something that started purely in pleasure and fascination can take deep root into friendship. I had hoped to attend her wedding in person, and to meet her now-husband, but duties called in Arx and a gift and a note and my prayers for fecundity and good fortune had to suffice.
I have never been one to long for keeping home and hearth and children, though I suppose no lady or lord can truly escape that mantle of expectation. One of the most delightful aspects of being thirdborn, I suppose, is that in almost all things one is granted the gift of time. And yet slips away bit by bit, as more and more of my companions and loves both great and small step up for their duty.
And thus I turn my mind to the hope that I might find myself as fortunate as my brother in his Marquessa; though I am certain that there are certain aspects of our family that are much more frustrating for my sister-of-the-heart than she shows, and their compatibility is such that it is clear that despite Father’s sternness, one can see his tender care in their partnership as well. Now I need only hope that in a few years when Orvyn’s mind is turned to putting together a list of potential compatible lords, he will forget how many times I dunked him in the cistern, or loosened the girth on his pony, or stuck a peppercorn in his wine. I suppose from now on I’ll have to be on my very best and most charming behavior. Perhaps.
I have never been one to long for keeping home and hearth and children, though I suppose no lady or lord can truly escape that mantle of expectation. One of the most delightful aspects of being thirdborn, I suppose, is that in almost all things one is granted the gift of time. And yet slips away bit by bit, as more and more of my companions and loves both great and small step up for their duty.
And thus I turn my mind to the hope that I might find myself as fortunate as my brother in his Marquessa; though I am certain that there are certain aspects of our family that are much more frustrating for my sister-of-the-heart than she shows, and their compatibility is such that it is clear that despite Father’s sternness, one can see his tender care in their partnership as well. Now I need only hope that in a few years when Orvyn’s mind is turned to putting together a list of potential compatible lords, he will forget how many times I dunked him in the cistern, or loosened the girth on his pony, or stuck a peppercorn in his wine. I suppose from now on I’ll have to be on my very best and most charming behavior. Perhaps.
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