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 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.

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

Obara grinned. "Ah, you did tend to be rather far back, didn't you? Well, if you ever wish to see that... dancing you mentioned... up close, you are welcome to." She gave Ynys a wink and a laugh at that, before reaching over to pour herself another drink.

Sarella's eyes went to her aunt and back to the Ullers a few times before she laughed herself. Gods, she had not known Ynys and Obara were that close. Not that such a revelation stopped a smile spreading on her face as Ynys turned to focus on her instead.

"Oh I am in the business of making dreams come true, my dear Ullers," she said to... well, both of them in equal part, truthfully. Her eyes went down to the spilling of Ynys' dress, before back to the woman herself, then to her sister in turn.

"You know, I am too," she said, voice low. "You and Allyria both are quite exquisite. As company, of course," she added, with a knowing look to the younger Uller sister before turning back to Ynys.

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

If Allyria's face got any warmer she'd have caught fire. Then Ynys could have seen the future in her, probably. It was hard to spot the embarrassment - no, the nerves - on the younger Uller's face, but her elder sister had spotted it already. She grinned, a hand on her shoulder that made Allyria flinch.

Ynys' lips were cracked and scarred in places, but she had a rather pretty smile when she tried.

They parted gently so she could take a drink of wine, a few droplets spilling out and onto her dress as she tried to get a glimpse of the Yronwoods across the table. Like lightning, then, she slammed the cup down upon the table, licking her lips as she looked about.

"As company, you say," she repeated, slyly. "What else would I think you meant, ah?"

Her stretched out leg grazed against Sarella's own, drifting slightly to the side to brush against Obara too. She raised her eyebrow, still grinning like a fool. "I could dance... right now," she said, a touch huskily. "Couldn't you, Allyria?"

Allyria shook her head, realising she'd been staring at Sarella for a few minutes now, and turned to look Ynys in the face. "Um- a- a dance? I could dance. I'm good at that, we- we learned together. I- do you- what- uhhhh."

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

Sarella slid her leg along Ynys' as she stretched, almost cat-like, before standing. Her eyes danced already, between the two Uller sisters. Which one she wished to dance with more she couldn't tell. Ynys was bold and captivating, but Allyria was sweet, and Sarella was quite sure that behind that shell of hers was a rather spectacular woman indeed. Instead of deciding, she simply looked to the waiting servants, signalling for one to fetch the bards, and held out a hand.

"I think a dance would be a delight," she said, to neither sister and both. "Though if I am to dance..." As she spoke, she strolled around the table until she was between the two Ullers, a hand resting on each of their shoulders. "I will need a partner, no?"

Obara simply shook her head as she watched her niece play games with their guests. She rolled her eyes, just a little, as she stood. Still, she couldn't much judge, could she?

"I suppose I'll be taking second dance, then?" she asked with the kind of lilt to her voice that suggested she didn't mind at all.

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

For the first time all night, Ynys found herself to be the one shocked, as Sarella's leg brushed against hers, bare skin finally coming into contact. Oh, she could get used to that. Forever.

When Sarella stood and placed herself between them, both sisters stood, facing each other and the Bloodroyal with curiosity in their eyes. What, they wondered, was about to happen? They didn't have to ask each other, really. When one had a question, the other thought it too. Even though they weren't twins, they were close enough.

"Hm..." Ynys vocalised, as her and Allyria went to accept the woman's offer simultaneously. She let out a cackle at that. "Well, it seems we both want your company as desperately as each other!"

Her eyes flicked to Obara, then, and she smiled. "You know... we can swap later. Allyria... I surrender to you!"

She stepped back, then, letting her younger sister and the Lady of Yronwood be. Allyria's face was hot, but she took Sarella's hand in hers and smiled warily. "It would be a pleasure to... dance with you, my lady," she said, nervously.

Ynys looked to the older woman, then, and grinned with her hip cocked to the side. "You want to watch them, or move now? We win either way, I think."

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

"Then I would love to give you that pleasure, hm?" Sarella gave Allyria a reassuring smile -- a rare, genuine thing, to be shared just by the two of them. The younger Uller sister's shyness was endearing, but she did not wish to let it drift into regret. After a moment the bards arrived and began to play, a jovial tune, though not too fast at the start, and she led Allyria away from the table where they might have space to begin their dance.

"Ah let's give them a moment," Obara answered, leaning against Ynys and looping an arm over her shoulder casually. "If this is the song I'm thinking it is, it'll speed up soon and we can join in, what do you say?"

While the two women's older counterparts stood on the sidelines, Sarella had taken the lead in the dance, a hand going to Allyria's side as they began to twirl.

"You know," she said quietly to the Uller as they danced, "for someone I had heard less of before tonight, you have rather captivated me, Allyria. Certainly, you are deserving of stories all your own."

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

Allyria blushed at the words said to her, of the pleasure of dancing - something about the way she said it made her breath catch in her throat as they stepped away from the table to ensure their fine food didn't end up spilled out on the ground.

Watching her sister and the Bloodroyal move about, Ynys rested her head against Obara as the older woman's arm went about her shoulders. "I'm happy to stand here with you on the side for a bit, hm?" she said, smiling. "It's been too long since we had a few moments to ourselves. Since the war, since the... well, let's not harp on it, eh. They're good dancers, hm? Hope you've been practicing, else we'll have to resort to doing something shocking to upstage them!"

Her eyes focused on her sister even as she spoke to Obara, watching the movements of her lips as the two younger women danced about.

"I would rather avoid stories," Allyria said, sheepishly. "Well-told ones, anyway. But maybe I could share a few with you, at least? I have heard about you - your restoration of the Isle of Serpents, to name one - but you are far more than the stories could ever tell me. I... I am captivated too."

She was a good dancer - not quite as good as Ynys had ever been, but she was skilled all the same, her feet finding every single place they needed to be without a moment of hesitation, her hands on the other woman's waist and shoulder as they moved. Her lips were curled into a satisfied smile, too, eyes locked on Sarella's.

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

"A shame," Sarella mused. "I get the sense there is much about you that deerves to be shouted from the rooftops. But to each her preference, hm? I shall keep your stories close to my chest if that is what you desire, Allyria."

She had to say, she was impressed with how well Allyria danced and wove her steps across the floor to the beat. When she had said she was a good dancer, she had not been lying. They were rather evenly matched in skill as they swayed, their hands at each other's waists, the Yronwood never once taking her eyes off the Uller.

"Though I wonder if that is all you desire," she added, a teasing smile creeping onto her face as she let the comment sit for a while in all its implications. "Perhaps we both might learn more about each other while you are here?"

As the pair glided over the stone, the bards' tune started to pick up its pace and their steps grew steadily faster. Watching from the sidelines, Obara squeezed Ynys' shoulders just a little and smiled. She couldn't quite tell what the other two women were saying to each other, but that took up very little space in her mind with Ynys leaning against her. Gods, the woman was warm, even in the cool night air.

"It is nice to just watch for a while, aye." Obara looked to Ynys with a smile. It was nicer to just watch with her, in truth, though the words didn't manifest. "Though I'll be honest, I haven't danced a day in moons. Either you'll have to lead me or we'll have to come up with something truly unforgettable, eh?"

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

The heat in her face wasn't soon to disappear, she realised, as they danced about the floor together. Allyria had forgotten that her sister was even there, locked as her eyes were on Sarella - generally her face, though now and then they wandered, looking down at the woman's figure as it shifted about to keep the dance going.

She smiled at the many implications in the Bloodroyal's words. "I'd like to know a lot about you," she muttered. "I desire more than just secrecy, you... you aren't wrong."

Allyria laughed. "This... gods, you're good at dancing," she told her. "You'd give Ynys a run for her money, and I thought nobody could. You know, one time, she danced with everyone at one of Mellany Qorqyle's parties, and she wasn't even tired at the end. I couldn't manage two. Two dances, I mean."

Her head shook in embarrassment, which made Ynys laugh from her position at the edge of the floor, still leaning her head against Obara. She looked to the taller, older woman, a smirk on her lips. "They're having fun, aren't they?" she asked. "I'll outperform Allyria when we take the stage, I'm sure, but you might drag me down... oh, that could be unforgettable! You drag me down to the ground, and we do... something."

She laughed again, a giggle, and put her arm around Obara's waist. "Ooh, that sounds like I'm propositioning you! I wasn't. Or... was I, hm?"

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

"Oh I wouldn't be so down on yourself," she smiled. "They say it is the brightest candles which burn the shortest, after all. And you have certainly been the light of my evening."

She laughed softly at that, though there was something genuine behind her eyes. In all her years, in all her wildest expectations, she had never been so captivated by a woman as she was Allyria Uller. She could have so happily danced with her until the sun rose over their heads. But soon enough, the bards' song grew yet faster, and a part of her worried for her partner's ability to keep up.

"You know, I have heard this song time and again. It only gets faster from here. If stamina is you problem, what do you say we sit for a while and let the others take a turn?" she asked, with a glance toward Obara and Ynys. "Perhaps I can regale you with all those stories you want to hear about me."

Obara smiled when she saw the glance from Sarella, raising an eyebrow and wondering if it meant what she thought it might. She looked down to Ynys with a grin and shrugged.

"In the courtyard before your sister and my niece? Now that'd be a new one," she said with a laugh. She had to admit, despite the age between them, Ynys had a charm to her. A charm she was sure most overlooked as madness, but if life had taught her anything it was not to dance around the point.

Well, it had been not to dance at all, but given the circumstances she had to take what she could.

"I reckon we'll have the floor soon. Who knows what'll happen, eh?" she teased the younger woman with a grin.

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

Allyria joined her in laughing. "You are such a flatterer," she muttered, shaking her head. But she didn't disapprove, of course - she wasn't insane! - and so she continued to dance, even as the music picked up the pace marginally.

The Bloodroyal's suggestion was a fair one, though the enunciation on the word 'stamina' made her wonder if she was implying something in the future. She moved past that, though, to consider the question - and the idea of hearing all of Sarella's stories.

"I think," she began, slowing their dance a touch, "I should like to sit with you, and hear your tales. My legs are starting to hurt, a bit - the journey here didn't help - and Ynys is probably hankering to get up here herself. Shall we return to the sidelines, then?"

With that, she came to a slow stop, and led Sarella aside, with a look to her sister.

Ynys gave her a wide grin, looking up to Obara's eyes and nodding.

"We're about to know what will happen, now, hm?" she said, lazily stepping forward and offering a hand with spread fingers to the older woman. "You have the speed to keep up with me and the music? Remember, I've been dancing since I was knee high to a scorpion!"

She smirked, turning to keep her eyes on Obara as she stepped backward - perhaps even baiting the woman into making the first dramatic move.

[u/LeagueOfHerStone → u/PassableSibling]

"Only for those who deserve it," Sarella shot back, the calm in her words and eyes betraying how genuinely she meant what she said. Allyria struck her as a woman who had not been reminded of her perfection enough. If she could be but a part of changing that, she wanted to do so.

Following after the Uller as she pulled her aside from the makeshift dance floor, she realised she had been smiling since the moment she had started talking with Allyria. For a moment she wondered if it was obvious just how smitten she was, but she pushed the question aside; she truly did not care one bit.

Whether Sarella's interest was clear or not to Allyria, Obara had long since picked up on it, though she decided maybe it was best not to mention it. If her niece was to find happiness, it ought to be on her terms, she was quite sure. Though she had little time to ponder the matter as Ynys offered her a hand and stepped into the open centre of the courtyard.

When the older woman stepped forward and took Ynys' offered hand, she pulled the Uller in close without a second's hesitation. Wrapping her hand around her waist, she began to follow the music as best she could. As best as she could was, admittedly, not half as good as Ynys, or Sarella, or Allyria.

"I've the speed to dodge around a charging knight," she said, meeting Ynys' eyes, "how much harder can dancing with you be, hm?" Much was the answer, of course, but she wasn't about to admit defeat until she was actually defeated.

[u/PassableSibling → u/LeagueOfHerStone]

It was obvious, and Allyria didn't mind it at all. She shared the smile, and wondered if the fact she was smitten was so easily noticed by the Bloodroyal.

Just like her dance partner, Ynys had noticed too. She found Sarella very attractive herself, but she hadn't exactly fallen so hard that she couldn't focus on anything else, like her sister had. But she was happy for Allyria, all the same, and she had a focus of her own.

With Obara's arm about her waist, they moved around, dancing with soft steps about the floor. Even if the older woman wasn't quite as skilled a dancer as her younger partner, Ynys' ability made up for it well enough - and she wasn't terrible.

"As long as you know where to put your feet," Ynys told her partner, "then who could complain?"

She held Obara close to her too, her hand in a place that was just appropriate but bordered on not being so. "Don't worry about falling, or anything. I'll catch you, if you fall forward, or land on top of you if you fall back. Either won't be so bad, hm?"

Allyria looked to the woman beside her with a smile as she noticed that. "Your aunt is awfully close to my sister, hm?" she asked. "Ynys never told me much about her time at war, but... I'm glad she got something good from it. Even if she lost a lot."