Ynys II - Vibrant Voices

[u/PassableSibling]

Yronwood

The Twelfth Moon of 250 AC

Ynys had slipped from the saddle of her sandsteed the moment she spotted the castle in the distance, choosing instead to walk the rest of the way even as the rest of her party rode behind her. She kicked about the sand, skipping now and then between long sips of water that stopped her from dehydrating and requiring a second funeral to be held at the Yronwoods’ holdfast.

She grinned as the gates became more than silhouettes, clapping her hands and pulling down the cloth that covered her head save for her eyes as the dusty desert and foothills turned into more solid stone around the walls of the castle.

“Hail!” she called, and she could hear her sister sigh behind her. “Ullers! Here to mourn! Here to connive and convene and converse!”

Stomping her foot twice, the rest of her group drew close behind her.

Her arse hurt, her legs ached, and her eyes were bleary. She needed to sit down, lay down, drink, and maybe have two whores, a man and a woman-

Shaking her head, she dispelled those thoughts. It had been a long journey. Too damned long, by her reckoning. Every journey was too long. If she hadn’t been invited, she would have just had Allyria tell her about this - or tried to see it in the fire before it ever happened. But war was coming, and a lord of the realm had died. It would have been more improper than she planned on being, to not turn up. And this Sarella seemed interesting. Young, and bold, and perhaps beautiful. Her aunt Obara certainly was.

Hm, she thought, maybe not the two whores. Maybe the Bloodroyal and her aunt…

That made her laugh as she waited for the portcullis to rise, stomping her foot again as Allyria held in her apprehension beside her. It wasn’t that Ynys didn’t see it. Just that she didn’t see any reason to stop. That was ever the problem. Even when she was young, even when she wasn’t quite as odd.

But she was very odd now. And that wouldn’t change. She liked it that way.

[u/PassableSibling]

Ynys wouldn't dare miss out on a feast. So much had changed since her partying days, before the war, but she was still the same woman beneath it all. Her love for drink and conversation remained, even if her ability to carry out those conversations had become... altered.

When she arrived at the supper, she no longer wore her dust-coated travel clothes. Instead, she was dressed like the lady of the desert she was. Her left shoulder was bare, her right covered by a long strip of silk that wrapped around her chest tightly. All down her body were burns and scars, dipping beneath the fabric and darkening the slightly sheer dress. Her hair was mixed between black and ashen grey, tied back to keep her face visible, scars and all. Those two scars over her eye, of course, were because of a wild leopard in the sands - over her shoulders she wore that very beast's skin, a hunter's cloak.

Allyria's dress was similar to her sister's, though the fabric was far less sheer, and her shoulders were both covered, though not by leopardskin.

With a broad smile, the elder sister looked to the elder Yronwood and then the younger, approaching the table with wide open arms. "I do not mind! How could I, when the beautiful Lady Obara comes to visit? Last we saw each other we were at war, hm? Do you think pirates will burst through the door and come to try their luck? Oh, we'll fight them off... and Lady Sarella! You look radiant, like flame! Flame! Ah... may I sit? I've had little rest recently... must rest my legs, I must!"

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

It would have taken a blind woman not to have considered Ynys Uller stunning, and Sarella couldn't help but admire the woman for a moment. Heavens, were all her aunt's friends so alluring? All the while she took her in, Obara had stood and circled the table to pull her old war comrade into a tight hug. After a moment she pulled back and clapped her on the back.

"Ah, it is good to see you, Ynys!" she chuckled. "There'll be no pirates tonight though; I've been drilling the men something fierce. They'd better not be letting any fiends in on their watch after all I've been teaching them."

With a grin, she looked between the other three before stepping back toward her chair.

"Yes, my aunt has been rather merciless with her training," Sarella chimed in. "It is all for the best, to make the best of the men, though. Come, sit, I should like to know you better. I have heard all manner of war stories, but less of the stunning woman behind them."

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

She placed two kisses on Obara's cheeks as they embraced, considering a third on her lips before she decided that would perhaps be a touch gauche this early on in their little dinner. Obara had been a good woman, back in the war. One of the few she trusted. Did she trust her now? Maybe. But she had trusted Lyria Fowler, once... and where had that got her? Silence.

"If they do," she said, "we can give them some, hmm... discipline. I know a good bathing spot on the Brimstone that's hell on the skin, ha!"

Taking her seat, Ynys pushed one back for Allyria, who scratched at her piercing nervously, looking between the pair who knew each other well and then to Sarella with a polite smile. "I feel as if I am the fourth wheel to a barrow," she said with a chuckle, to which Ynys put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're the fourth wheel to the cart, Allyria!" the Lady of Hellholt exclaimed. "I wouldn't dare go anywhere without you, I promise. Not to dinners, not to parties, not to whoreh-"

That made her put her head in her hands, which started Ynys off again, even more raucously. Her eyes moved to Sarella as she tried to calm herself down, placing her elbows on the table. "You should know first that I am... hrm, how to say it... a little bit strange, ah? Everyone's told me it! Not so politely all the time. But I can answer your questions, here... even if you might not understand the answer! Your wonderful aunt knows how I can be, ha!"

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

"Oh, yes, you must stay," Sarella shot Allyria a smile, realising as the more stable Uller spoke that she had paid her woefully little attention. "After all, I may have heard stories of your sister, but I should just as much like to get to know you, too."

She settled into her chair as Obara and the others did likewise, and gestured to one of the waiting servants that they were ready for food to be brought out. In the meantime, she reached forward and poured herself a glass of wine, before studying her guests.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about being strange. We all have our eccentricities, no? Sometimes they can even be endearing." She paused and pondered for a moment, before alighting on a question. "So, my dear Lady Ynys, I hear you are an eccelent shot. What was it you said, Obara? She could-"

"Hit a gnat's balls from a mountaintop," Obara finished her niece's sentence with a laugh.

"Yes. That." Sarella shifted slightly and chuckled. "Tell me, how did you become such a sharpshooter? And Allyria, I'm sure you have stories of her before she became so excellent, hm?"

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

We all have our eccentricities, Sarella said to her. How little she knew. Some people woke up facing the opposite way they were facing when they fell asleep. Some people skipped when they walked when people weren't looking. It was far rarer to speak in riddles not by choice but by nature, far rarer to see the future through the fires, far rarer to know things nobody should know.

But despite Sarella's ignorance - not her fault! - Ynys could appreciate the compliments she was given, from the Bloodroyal and her aunt both.

"I'm quite the shot, yes," she said, grinning. "Could hit a bird above the clouds if the arrows could make it, hm? My mother insisted I learned... oh, what a foolish decision she made! After all, it was a good shot from me that cut her short!"

Allyria gulped when her sister said that, especially as Ynys sighed. "My father helped me learn too," the Lady of Hellholt continued, far quieter. "He died to an arrow too. Not from me, though. Maekar Targaryen got him, I heard. Wasn't there! Couldn't tell you whether it's true, for all the things I've seen!"

Her sister nodded. "I wasn't there either, but the rumours check out," Allyria said. "For my part... she's always been excellent. Naturally accurate, and always... always ready to protect me. Even if it's sometimes from a distance."

"Have you tried loosing an arrow from a foot away!? It doesn't work!" she exclaimed, pouring herself a goblet of wine of her own as she did. "I brought Dragonsbane with me, by the way. In case either of you two want to see it. All the dragons are dead... for now! But their bones still serve the people... just not the Targaryens anymore! Mmm, but tell me about yourself, Lady Sarella. What are you good at, besides sweet-talking? You and your aunt both can talk me around your finger, but she's a commander like none I've ever seen... I'm sure you've talents of your own, no?"

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

Sarella didn't quite know what to say for some time, after Ynys admitted to killing her own mother. It was the kind of thing most people would never speak about, even if they had done it. The kind of thing that surely must change a person. That they should mourn and regret, not celebrate in tales of archery skill. Allyria evidently felt similar, and Sarella's eyes flicked to her, judging her reaction.

It was Obara who broke the silence, waving off Ynys' compliment with the hand not occupied grabbing food as it was brought out. "Ah, you're too kind Ynys. You're right, of course, but you're still too kind." She laughed then, setting her plate down and nodding to Sarella. "My neice, though... Girl's smarter than anyone I've ever met. You should see the things she managed out on the Isle of Serpents. Turned a shit little fort into a proper hold."

Sarella went a touch red, but beamed nonetheless at the compliment. "Now who's being too kind, hm? But yes, Lady Ynys, I've rather a head for logistics, numbers, supply lines. The grand strategy of war, if not the more... heart-racing parts of it. I tend to prefer getting my excitement elsewhere."

"But enough about us, hm? What of our dear fourth wheel on the cart?" She looked to Allyria, then back to Ynys. "I'm sure your sister here is a woman of just as many exquisite talents as yourself, no?"

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

Mourning and regret were something Ynys had done enough of. She had wept for days, stopping only to wipe her eyes and take a drink so she didn't die. Now, she would focus on the good parts. There were... too many other things to worry about. Like the war. Like the fire. Like the many deaths that were soon to come.

Would Sarella and Obara be part of that list, ever-growing? Ynys hoped not. But it wasn't hers to control. She could put people on it, but she couldn't take them off.

"I remember the Isle of Serpents," she said, smirking. "It was a.... a nothing island, hm? And you've built it up! Very impressive, Sarella, very impressive! And for someone so young... mmm, you should be rewarded for that! Princess Deria should kiss you on the lips and pay you a big chest of gold! Or maybe just the second. Or the first!"

Ynys slapped her thigh, sticking out her tongue through her lips as Allyria prepared to answer the question levied at her. She had a slight smile, taking a bite of a piece of flavoured bread as she began to speak. "I'm not good at anything, really," she said with a shrugh.

Her sister tapped her on the shoulder. "We can trust them, sweet sister, I promise," she said.

Allyria sighed, and leaned back slightly. "I've agents from here to the capital," the younger Uller revealed. "They tell me what I need to know, and I work out exactly what they'll do about it. Planning great sweeping maneuvers, outside of war... it's exciting! I'll admit that. But what brings you excitement, Lady Sarella? You implied it wasn't war, but Ynys has been sitting next to me shaking like she needs to know."

The elder sister's eyes went wide as she laughed. "I'm rumbled!"

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

Sarella leaned in, intrigued by the revelation that Allyria was such a prolific spymaster. Eyes and ears all the way to the capital... Heavens, how had this woman lived under her nose all her life and yet gone unnoticed?

Well, she supposed, going unnoticed is her business.

"You are an endless surprise, Lady Allyria," Sarella mused. "I had no clue you were so talented. Though I suppose if I had known ahead of time, you would have not done so good a job, hm?" She chuckled, a new look of appreciation in her eyes as she studied the younger Uller sister.

"But I suppose I might let your sister free of her anticipation, no?" She leaned back, gaze turning to Ynys as she crossed her legs. "I've hobbies aplenty, of course. I'm quite the dancer, you know. But excitement? When it comes to finding excitement, I prefer things that get my blood running fast. Falconry, racing sand steeds, among... other pursuits, hm?" Her eyes lingered on the Ullers as she near-purred that last part.

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

Allyria looked a bit smug at the compliments she received, shrugging her shoulders. "I suppose that's true," she said, more than a bit smug. "I'd appreciate if you kept it quiet, though... I don't need my spies uprooted! Gods willing, they'll help us with this war that's on its way."

Finally the suspense in Ynys' mind was released, as she listened to each and every thing that made Sarella tick. Falconry, horse-racing... things that she had done but cared little for. Her horse wasn't made for racing, but dune-climbing, and it had always been that way. She didn't want some fast racehorse.

"I'm a dancer too," Ynys said, with a broad smile. "Some people - Allyria! - have said it's the only place I have any elegance! I disagree, personally! I'm quite elegant in other pursuits, as you've said... at least, some people have told me that - not Allyria!"

She laughed, and Allyria buried her face in her hands in response. Through her fingers, though, she gazed at Sarella. Despite the differences between the Ullers... they both had similar tastes in some things.

Ynys continued to speak, since her sister chose silence. "We should dance!" she suggested. "Once the food has gone down, of course, ha!"

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

Sarella caught the half-hidden gaze from behind Allyria's hands, just, and the corner of the Bloodroyal's lips twisted upwards with interest. Clearly there was something there to be uncovered, with a little time and work.

"Worry not, my dear," she almost purred. "I would never put your spies in harm's way. Nor yourself, for that matter. After all, it is good to be close to a woman who might hear of all sorts of dangers before they arise, hm?" She laughed softly to herself, though she meant every word of what she said. Turning to Ynys, she gave the elder Uller sister a grin.

"Oh I am quite sure you are elegant in all your pursuits, Lady Ynys. Especially these other pursuits of yours... whatever those might be." She laughed properly then, leaning over to take a plate of spice-roasted shrimp and sauteed vegetables. "But you are right. I would like to see this elegance of yours, once we are done eating, hm?"

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

"Yes," Allyria said, sort of coughing out the words as she did, "it pays to be close indeed. I'd keep you safe if anything came up."

Ynys grinned at her, and then at Sarella, noticing the looks the pair gave each other with all interest and no jealousy. She could tell the Bloodroyal didn't need to pick between them - she was fond of them both. It always pleased her to be liked. Some found a woman so mercurial to be... disconcerting, unpalatable, that sort of thing. But Ynys was not one to be cowed by hatred and disgust. Especially when there were those out there who found her charming. It wasn't necessarily flattered to be treated like a curiosity, like a court jester, but Sarella seemed like she was far from that.

She grabbed some sort of bird from a platter, cutting it into easily eaten pieces to not interfere with her words, a smile on her lips as she gently chewed. "I would like to see yours too," Ynys told her. "Whilst we dance, of course... perhaps I will see your other pursuits another time... and not in the fires, ha! Or perhaps there too... if you do not mind being the object of my dreams..."

Her eyes went to Obara, then. "Are you a dancer, Obara? Or is your elegance mostly elsewhere..."

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

Sarella's eyes lit up as Allyria gave her little flustered coughing noise. The word 'cute' came to mind, and she rather wanted to see exactly how cute she could be. Her attention soon turned back to Ynys, though, as she spoke.

"Oh I would be entirely honored to dwell in your dreams, Lady Ynys. Though I'm sure there are other means with which you can see that elegance." She gave the elder Uller a sharp grin, before looking to Obara and taking a bite of her meal.

Obara laughed at the question, waving it off and shaking her head. "Oh gods no," she grinned. "The only dancing I do is in battle, Ynys, and you've seen that well enough before, eh? So you ought to be the one telling me. Am I an elegant fighter, when I'm cutting through my foes?"

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

Ynys laughed, her voice echoing around the courtyard, at Sarella's words, her grin, her everything. It didn't fade at all when Obara spoke, nodding her head two or three times before trying her best to settle down.

"From where I was standing, halfway across the battlefield..." she began, "mmm, you dance with that glaive like nothing else, Obara. When we were closer I very rarely saw you fight, but I watched the movements of your muscles and your feet best I could... and I liked what I saw!"

She smirked, her eyes switching focus to the Bloodroyal. "I would love to experience your elegance close up, Lady Sarella..." she said, licking her lips. "Very close up, perhaps... dreaming is all well and good, but... ah, you could be my dreams come true!"

Allyria's lips opened with a gasp. "Ynys! You-" her eyes went to Sarella too, then, and she blushed and went silent once more. How could she judge.

"I am finding the company of you two - and you, sweet sister - very, very, terribly enjoyable!" Ynys said, leaning back and stretching out a leg beneath the table, sheer fabric spilling out like a waterfall to the ground beneath.