Ghost of a Rose // Cady (And possibly Laeghton)

[Wren Rae Mercer]

Wren Rae sat in the growing light as twilight faded into dawn. She had moved from the sanctuary of her room to the garden outside her brother’s home. She had awakened from a nightmare, seeing the blood on her hands, on her dress, on the floor. She had fought against the sheets, thinking it was the blood weighing down on her. She couldn’t go back to sleep. The room was cloying in the aftermath of her nightmare and she could no longer keep her peace.

The weather was still warm enough that the morning chill was refreshing rather than overbearing. She touched the dew that still lingered on the dark stems of the plants. She knew it was getting late into their seasons and as such they were starting to fade from the splendor of their prime, but she still found beauty in their fading selves. She knew how those flowers must feel, fading from the beauty they once held. She could almost see herself as one of those wilting blossoms.

She shook her head. No. She wasn’t going to allow herself to think that way. Her brother saw the beauty in her, why couldn’t she? She took off the ring that signified her oath to her husband…late husband…and turned it this way and that way in the morning light, watching the light catch it and reflect back at her. She supposed she thought that way because of the years of thinking she meant nothing to the man who was supposed to love and protect her. She had spent too many of her days here with Laeghton weeping when she knew he couldn’t see her. He often left her to her solitude while he dealt with the dealings of the town. She didn’t know if she preferred the solitude to his mothering, or if she wanted him to fuss over her because she wanted to know that she mattered again.

Once again she shook her head. She knew she mattered to Laeghton. How could she not. He had been her protector and her companion when he had returned from France. He wanted her happy and she felt bad that she could not give him what he so ardently desired. She was still so scared of everything. She knew that he would never turn her over to Tyrian, but what if they did find her here? She knew he would defend her to his dying breath because that was the kind of man she knew her brother to be. She couldn’t see him die for her.

So lost was she in her thoughts that she failed to feel the eyes on her or hear the sound of the approaching footsteps.

[Cadence Black]

Another sleepless night.

Lady Cadence Black rolled over in her bed once more and decided to give up the fight. She desperately wanted to tiptoe her way back into Laeghton’s bed and sleep with him once more ever since the fateful night a few weeks ago. She did have her random nightmares of the same thing. About her abusive, arrogant fiancé back in Tyrian. Her brother Charles had locked him up in the tower a long time ago after Cady had returned to her chambers with a black eye and Charles had made her tell him the whole story. Now she wasn’t sure why all of a sudden these dreams were almost real to her. No one could be as bad as Thornton was to her.

Sighing she slowly climbed out of the bed and placed her night robe on over her nightgown. She tied the knot tightly before placing on some slippers and heading down the corridors using nothing but the moonlight to guide her way down the hallway. She slowly stopped in front of Laeghton’s bedroom chambers and she slowly opened the door and went over to his sleeping form before kissing him gently on the forehead running her hand through his blonde hair. She quickly stood up to her full height and then walked out of the bedroom making sure that he was still asleep. The last thing she wanted to do was to wake him up.

As she headed down the stairs she sighed and went into the kitchen helping herself to a small snack of grapes and some milk hoping that the milk would cause her to get tired once more. She couldn’t help, but glance out the window as she thought she saw someone walking around in the gardens. At this hour? She couldn’t help, but wonder who in their right mind would be outside this early in the morning. Curiosity got the best of her as she finished eating the handful of grapes she had been holding in her hand before washing her hands and heading outside carefully not wanting to startle the poor person who maybe just wanted some time alone.

Cady closed the door behind her that led outside on the terrace and down the stairs. Smiling to herself as she remembered the last time she had been outside in the gardens and that had been a couple days ago with the man that owned the palace and the man that she just so happened to love. She knew that she did love Laeghton, however it was strange for them since neither one of them had felt this way about anyone before. He needed to get better before she confessed her true feelings towards him though. As she turned a corner, she stopped shortly when she was face to face with a young brunette sitting on a bench and ignoring everything around her.

She turned to go when she stepped on a loose twig making it snap in half. Cringing a bit, Cady knew that she had been found out now. She slowly turned back around and she gasped a bit softly as it hit her that she was staring at the love of her life’s sister. Laeghton had asked her not to go looking for Wren Rae, but she could sense that it was the young woman.

“Hello, I apologize for the intrusion. I can leave you to your thoughts if you wish.” She told her softly curtseying being formal not wanting to startle the poor woman.

STATUS complete/ TAG Wren RaeATTIRE I'll do it later LYRICS Set Fire to the Rain; Adele WORD COUNT 518 NOTES So they finally meet COPYRIGHT Flik of Roleplaying Extras

[Wren Rae Mercer]

Wren Rae was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a twig break behind her. With all the practice that years of abuse could give her, she turned quickly, putting her back to the flowers to assess the incoming threat. She was stunned to see a woman standing there, curtsying to her no less. She couldn’t help the confusion in her face. She flushed slightly as she realized how out of countenance she was in just her sleeping shifts.

“I…umm…that is…it’s…it’s not a problem…” she said, taking in the woman and thinking that she looked vaguely familiar. She had had so little contact outside of what her late husband had supervised. It was a wonder she could even get her mouth to work correctly. She couldn’t imagine where she had seen the woman before, since she had so rarely left her house when she lived in Tyrian. She could barely remember the others she had spent time with before she had gone to Tyrian.

“You need not leave, ma’am. This garden is as much yours as it is mine. I…I crave your pardon…” she put her hand over her chest, using another to smooth back the hair that had fallen out of place in her sleep. “I…I do fear that I am not dressed to…to be associating with people. I am much out of countenance…”

She knew she had seen this woman before, but she could not place it. “Forgive me…I must be mistaken…but I feel that I know your face, my lady.”

[Cadence Black]

A
gut feeling that was inside of Cady was telling her that this was Wren Rae, the sister of the man that she loved. She did not know much about her, but knew how much she meant to Laeghton. Cady was happy whenever Laeghton was and that was becoming more often the more she was around him. Of course Laeghton mentioned his sister and had even asked her to not go looking for Wren Rae. Yet here she was right in front of her and Cady had not meant to her find her. She didn’t go looking for her and there was not something that she had wanted to do anyways. Wren Rae deserved her privacy.

Raising an eyebrow and pulling the night robe closer to her body, Cady could tell that the woman thought she was probably crazy. She slowly glanced around and saw that there was a bench across from the young woman. She was just assuming that this was Wren Rae, although she did sense that it was her and that she saw that she looked similar to Laeghton. She slowly sat down and then smiled warmly at her wanting to get more comfortable and relaxed towards the nervous young woman.

“No do not apologize. You need not ask for pardon or forgiveness. My name is Lady Cadence Black, I am an acquaintance of the lord of the manor, Lord Mercer. Forgive me I am not dressed to socialize either. I could not sleep very well and did not think I would be sitting down socializing with someone.” She replied blushing a bit as she settled into her seat and her eyes went a bit wide at her next question. Surely she wouldn’t recognize her from her days back in Tyrian. No she couldn’t tell anyone, unless the woman in front of her was really Wren Rae.

“No my lady I am just Cadence Black, a lady-in-waiting to the Queen of Solraya. I am here since Lord Mercer required my services. And may I ask who you are?” She asked her softly hoping that she was right.

STATUS complete TAG Wren Rae ATTIRE Later LYRICS Set Fire to the Rain; Adele WORD COUNT 318NOTES notes here
COPYRIGHT Flik of Roleplaying Extras

[Wren Rae Mercer]

Wren Rae watched the woman move toward the bench that was across from her, inching slightly away from her. Everything in her was warning her that she knew this woman. She couldn’t place her, but she knew that the face was familiar. She let her fingers reach behind her to graze the petals of the flowers again in order to give her a semblance of strength. She cocked her head, curious about the acquaintance with Laeghton.

“You…know Laeghton?” Of course she did. What reason would this woman have to lie to her? And why else would she be in Laeghton’s gardens? “Forgive me…I do not doubt your word, my lady. I…it’s just…he’s not spoken of you to me…” She winced as that came out far more conceited than it sounded. Of course she had no business knowing his contact with anyone, let alone a woman that he allowed in his castle. She moved a hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry…my tongue runs away with me sometimes. I did not mean that he had to tell me anything about you I just…”

The apologies rolled from her like the wheels on the carts that would often pass by in the streets outside the manor. Years of them spilling out because she had incurred the wrath of her husband made them fall so easily. She hated the way they made her sound, but she could not change, not so quickly at the very least.

“I am sorry you did not sleep well either, my lady,” she said, pulling the shifts a little tighter around her. “I wish you better sleep in the nights ahead.” She gave Cadence the ghost of a smile. “Do forgive me, my memory may be faulting me. Your face seemed so familiar to me…though it might be my lack of sleep.” She was sure that wasn’t the case, but she was afraid to push too far. She gave a small curtsy in her shifts.

“I…” she hesitated. She feared telling this woman her name. If her memory did serve her, then she had most likely last seen this woman in Tyrian. And if she was here, that would mean that there was a chance that she would get taken back to Tyrian. Though she didn’t want to introduce herself, she felt badly expressing even the trace of a falsehood. Instead, she settled on a truth by omission. “I am Laeghton…Lord Mercer’s sister. I’ve…been away.”

[Cadence Black]

Cady watched with an eyebrow slightly raised as the young woman moved away from her even they were on opposite benches across the gravel from one another. She couldn't help, but feel sorry for the poor girl. It was obvious that she had been not received kindness from a lot of people in the past and she wanted to change that for the poor woman.

She smiled and nodded when Laeghton was mentioned, "Yes I do know him. I...well was a lady-in-waiting to her Majesty Queen Danielle when I first met Laeghton in the village when I literally ran into him. I felt horrible and he was not the least bit annoyed by it and we ended up spending some time together. He then offered me a chance to live here and escape the royal life sometimes so here I am. I felt my services here deemed more than important than the Queen's and Laeghton is a dear friend. I hope that one day we can get closer, he trusts me to be here under his roof so I can not argue with that. He has been nothing, but kind and generous to me. I feel as if I should thank him every single moment I have with him yet he says it's not necessary." She replied smiling a bit at the end trying to hide the fact that she was in love with him, but it was not her place to tell the young woman just yet.

Smiling a bit sweetly at her, "No need to keep apologizing my lady. You have nothing wrong to offend me. You have been nothing, but kind and friendly towards me which is hard to find in a woman now a days if I am being too bold. I hope you sleep well as well when we both depart. I seem familiar? How so?" Cady asked curiously feeling a bit of a lump in her throat wondering if she had been in Tyrian at one moment. She suddenly got a bit nervous.

Cady however was not surprised at all when the woman introduced herself as Wren Rae Mercer, the long lost sister of the man she loved. She bowed her head gently, "You are Wren Rae then? Laeghton has spoken a great deal about you to me. I came here to help him and you are the reason why he has been more calm and happier lately. When we first met, he was devastated that you had been gone yet here you are. You are the Prodigal sister, it seems. It's a pleasure to meet you." She replied with a sweet smile.

"I must confess if we are being honest with ourselves, that I have been hiding something from you. If you had been in Tyrian at some point, you might have seen me. My name is not Lady Cadence Black of Solraya, my biological name is Catherine Stewart, Princess of Tyrian. I ran away from that life a year ago and I changed my identity to escape that horrible life there. Only the King and Queen of Solraya, my brother Charles who hates my father with a passion, and Laeghton know the actual truth. I must ask you not to speak of it to anyone else please. It will put everyone's life in danger and my allegiance is solely to Solraya and now Avonderre and their masters. I have a loyalty towards your brother as well. I know this is a lot to hear and I do apologize. I just ask you not to repeat that to anyone except Laeghton, he already knows." She replied softly playing with her fingers which is what she did when she was nervous.

[Wren Rae Mercer]

Wren Rae allowed herself a small smile as Cadence told her how she had met Laeghton and of her relationship to him. “I understand completely, my lady. I feel the same way now that I’ve arrived home,” she said, a light blush rising to her cheeks. “It’s been so long since I have come home that I feel as though I am a stranger, or that at least, I should do something to repay his kindness. But he will not allow it of me. He has a good heart,” she said. Much better than the man that she had spent the last five years of her life with.

She flushed a bit darker as Cadence corrected her, telling her she needn’t apologize. “I suppose old habits die hard, even if they are relatively new ones.” She offered an apologetic smile but managed to swallow the words before she spat out another apology. “You too are very kind, my lady, if it is not too bold to say as well.” She shrugged slightly and dropped her gaze again.

“I don’t know. I could have sworn that I had seen your face before,” she said, wringing her hands. “Then again, I could very well be mistaken. My memory isn’t what it used to be.” Wren Rae knew she was right though. She had seen this woman somewhere before.

Wren Rae smiled at her hands as her brother’s name was mentioned. “Oh I doubt very much that that is true. I have been nothing but anti-social since I arrived, and he has been ever so gracious to open his home to me on my return.” She flushed lightly. “Yes, I suppose one might call me that.” She chanced a shy look up at Cadence and offered a shy smile. “I assure you, my lady, that the pleasure is all mine.”

Wren Rae’s eyes shot up to meet Cadence’s as she admitted that she had indeed been in Tyrian when Wren Rae was there. The color began to leave her face. “T-Tyrian?” She asked. Oh Lord have mercy on her soul, would Cadence return her to that life? But she went on to explain that she too had had a horrible life. And it made her words a little easier to swallow. She didn’t even know what she had done. Cadence had been gone from Tyrian a year, and herself only a few weeks. She placed a hand to her heart.

“You have my word, Lady Cadence,” she said. “No word of your presence or past will be leaked from my lips. Everyone has their secrets, and it is their story to tell when they feel it right. I do appreciate your telling me. I too was in Tyrian these past five years, married to Lord Windham.*” She bowed her head. “And I am here now…what I hope I can once again call home.”

*Made up a name for the moment. This will probably eventually change.