Unveiled

Chapter 2

     The first thing the Scottish couple noted was the overwhelming beauty of the Manor they had just entered. The ceilings were at least 100 feet tall, and intricate designs of wood sprawled along the sides of it. The sky lights reflected the lightning as it pierced through the atmosphere. The pillars had entangled vine like designs carved of oaken wood that went to the ceiling. Heavy tapestries hung from brass poles, and nearly reached the wooden floors. These tapestries had elaborate presentations of the moors and foxes, kings and queens, and other scenery of the wild enchanted European landscape. The broad stairway was also made of dark wood, and its banister was also intricately designed. Vines seemed to travel along the handrails to compliment. Two stone statues of foxes seemed to greet you at the doorway outside, which were very tall and made of dark wood. In other words, it was simply, stunningly, beautiful. 

     "My my..." Madame Quinn remarked. Sir Conner put his arm around her shoulders. 

     A maid led them through the long corridors of the castle.

    "We are guessing you are tired from all thy traveling, so we have prepared a room for your highnesses." the maid stated in her thick British accent. "In the morn' thou shalt meet the sovereign and his mistress." 

     She then walked away to do the things left undone, and the couple closed the heavy doors behind them. 

     "Tis' 8! Bitte join uns fur the morgin' meal." a young, German lass called to the delegates.

     Sir Conner looked over at Quinn, who was at a vanity brushing her long black hair, and came to her. He put his hands on her shoulders, and bent over to give her a kiss on her head. He offered a light smile, and took her hand. She gracefully got off the stool, and walked with him to the door. He opened it for her, and she gave him a little grin, and took his hand once again. They strolled along the corridors, and small talked with one another. One thing they didn't know was that someone, or something was watching them. Now one may assume it's some sort of a ghost, yet another may consider it to be something of a calmer nature, such as maybe a sprite or fairy. Who can say for sure yet? 

      So, it watched the couple as they passed through a certain corridor. When the couple finally reached the dining hall, a bagpipe fanfare marked their arrival. They noticed the morning rays glint on the dew covered leaves of the garden, and peasants working on the plantations beyond. 

     The sovereign sat at the head of the table, and his Mistress sat to the the right of him. Sovereign Nathan, as he was called, was a ruler of great intellect. He owned the manor, and had complete control of taxes and English imports. He enjoyed such things as watching a match of jousting between knights, or watching Colf.  Sovereign Nathan t'is quite a successful man. 

       Sovereign Nathans wife, Mistress Mary, was a fair young mistress with long red hair that was swept up into a ponytail at all times. Her mothers necklace seemed to always grace her neck, and little feathers and jewels were interwoven among her ponytail. She enjoyed things such as quilting and riding her horses on the moors. On special occasions, she would be among the peasants in the markets just to enjoy an afternoon. 

     Sir Conner sat at the other end of the long well prepared table, and his wife sat to the left of him. The royals had pleasant converse as they enjoyed their breakfast of tea, biscuits, ham, and eggs. Guards seemed to be everywhere in this manor, but none were in the dining hall this particular morning. They talked of new policies, and also different jurisdictions and social issues of that day around the table. Soon after the meal, the couples went their separate ways, and enjoyed the rest of the day.

     Sovereign Nathan and Mistress Mary strolled their gardens in the warm, foggy afternoon. Mistress Mary crossed her arms behind her back, and faced Sovereign Nathan. He never brought her out to the gardens unless he had something important to talk to her about. She pursed her lips and waited. 

     "Mary, how is our daughter?" Sovereign Nathan began. 

      The Mistress was taken aback, and said nothing for a minute as she looked down toward the ground to hide her surprise. She didn't expect him to bring her up now. 

     "She's doing as well as she can." Mary confided to him. 

     He nodded. Nobody knew about their daughter, except for the maids and servants.  A terrible curse was put upon her at birth. Something that would completely ruin any chances of normalcy she would try to have, except with her parents and maids. It only began at dusk and went to dawn. The curse was one put upon her out of great jealousy and rage that was set off by an unexpected event.  

      Mistress Mary thought back to the time when Ember t'was only a baby. A scene replayed in her mind, quite like an Echo. 

     The wind blew softly through Mary's long, beautiful red hair as she stood on a porch overlooking a moor. The wind blew a little more, and the Mistress looked down at the sweet, innocent child in her arms. She swayed her a bit, and noticed the delicate features on her face. The ominous clouds on the horizon that were darker than the clouds already in the sky caught her attention. The wind blew a little harder, and her dress and the child's blanket flapped softly. Tiny drops of rain fell from the sky, and Queen Mary decided to head back in. She looked up as she entered the tower on the south wing of the castle. The window at the top shocked with the blue and silver light of lightning, and she noticed the intricate and colorful designs in that window. The glass was stained different colors, and those colors all came together to make a lovely scene of a castle with gardens around it. When she looked down, she could see the reflection of the stone tower's window above in her infant's eyes. Simply breathtaking. She exhaled, and listened to the distant rumble of thunder, then made her way down another corridor as rain began to patter on the windows outside. The weather cooled, and so it did inside as well. 

Author note

  Echo is a song by Helen Jane Long, and it is lovely may I add.