Sister... [4/23, Reagan/Cordelia, morning]

[Reagan Morgandy]

Reagan lifted the steaming mug to her lips, the sensation of hot porcelain slightly burning the ends of her delicate fingers -- but Reagan didn't mind. It was keeping her warm on this slightly chilled morning, one that was lightly frosting the windows even now. It had done nothing but rain since the prior afternoon, and Reagan was just now begrudgingly accepting the sharp reality of a day trapped indoors.

She was always an early riser, and although Reagan was used to Cordelia matching her morning routine, it seemed as though she had beaten her sister to the breakfast table that morning. It was of no pressing matter of course, but Reagan felt a slight pang of loneliness without her sister by her side. They were virtually inseparable... both uniquely independent, of course, but ever since Cordelia rose to the task of bannerwoman, Reagan was never found far from her side.

Her grey eyes glanced out the window, watching the lonely lines of drizzle twist their way down the panes. She would wait for her sister to rise. Besides, Reagan knew that Cordelia had spent some time with her betrothed the day before -- that Gods-awful Cadwallader Prothero. As much as Reagan thought he was below the acceptable match for her sister, she was still Cordelia's sister -- and wanted to know how it went.

[Cordelia Morgandy]

Cordelia was unused to the quarters they had been assigned at Nathaniel Merrick's manor. She missed Castle Wavebreaker, the way in which the first rays of sunlight cast over her, waking her to a perfect view of the sea. The lake here was nice, but it was certainly no comparison, on top of which it had been raining since the afternoon before. Awaking from her slumber, Cordelia wasted no time in dressing, taking care to ensure that her visage was immaculate before descending the stairs, more than ready to face the day.

It seemed as though Reagan had beaten her to the breakfast table this morning, and Cordelia greeted her sibling with a warm smile. She was, as was almost always the case, glad for her company.

"Good morning, sister." She spoke the words as she approached the table, acquiring a cup before moving for the pot of tea. They had brought their own supply in from Enyon, of course. Amongst many other things, Enyons were famous, and could scarcely be beaten for their teas.

"Did you sleep well? It seems as though this rain is going to be staying with us awhile."

[Reagan Morgandy]

"Cordelia. Good morning, my sister," Reagan said lightly, slightly lifting her head as her sister made her presence known. She smiled softly, before her grey eyes returned to the vigil towards the dampened world outside, smeared with streaks of dark clouds across the sky.

"Well enough. The rain is soothing at night but rather unsettling to wake up to." Weather was never quite like this back in Enyon; rather, rain was accompanied by a severe coastal storm, rolling thunder and churning, dismal waters. This persistent drizzle was foreign to her. "And yourself?"

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"A similar situation to your own." Cordelia smiled as she poured herself some tea, her hands steady upon the pot's smooth surface, each and every movement incredibly meticulous and refined. "It is difficult becoming accustomed to this constant drizzling. It is a wonder that anyone is truly able to." The absence of the tides, and the lapping of the ocean's waves, striking at the walls of castle Wavebreaker with either the tenderness or fervour of a lover's caress... These were all things which could so easily be taken for granted, and notably absent once they were gone.

"Did you enjoy your exploration of the city yesterday?" She queried lightly, genuinely interested in her sister's response. Though she did not speak the words out loud, she had missed Reagan's presence as surely as the sun rises each day, in spite of having taken the opportunity to spend some time with her recently betrothed.

[Reagan Morgandy]

"I did. In fact, I fell in to some rather unexpected company," Reagan replied, her grey eyes returning to her sister's face as Cordelia took her customary seat opposite Reagan. She put her cup down once more upon the saucer, but kept her long fingers wrapped around the china, trying to absorb as much of the heat still emanating as possible. Reagan felt as though she were in a constant terrible chill in Forsilvra, and tried to forgo retrieving her shawl as long as possible.

"In fact, Lord Merrick happened upon me in the marketplace and insisted we take a light jaunt together," Reagan continued, her voice now suggesting conspiratorial tones, smiling lightly at the happenstance. "It was enjoyable, of course, but surprising nonetheless. Conversation was... informative, to say the least."

Reagan paused, and then pursed her lips lightly. "And how was your day, sister?" Cordelia would know what she meant. She always did. Reagan's change in tone might have been subtle to an untrained ear, but not to Cordelia.

[Cordelia Morgandy]

Cordelia waited quietly as her sister replied to her queries, the palms of her hands curling momentarily about the equally curved edge of her cup. Reagan's mention of 'unexpected company' piqued her interest, but her sibling was quick enough to indulge. Nathaniel Merrick... She supposed that the good counciller would have a great deal to say.

"Informative? How so? Whatever did the Morgandy shark wrest from her prey?" Cordelia smiled, lifting the cup to her lips for another small sip. The expression deepened as Reagan asked after her own day, albeit only for the merest second.

"My day? Did you really wish to know, sister mine?" She quipped, teasing with only the barest of adjustments in tone. "You realise whom I was spending it with, after all." Cordelia was well aware that Reagan was not fond of her betrothed- she had not enjoyed entertaining the idea of marriage initially, herself.

[Reagan Morgandy]

"You know I have my ways, but Lord Merrick was rather forthcoming all on his own. But no matter of that -- you know what I want to know. Don't play at being coy," Reagan threw right back, a taunting smile on her lips. Of course Cordelia knew how her sister felt about her betrothed. Reagan could be guarded when she chose, but from the initial mention of the engagement, Reagan was an open book when it came to what she thought of Cadwallader Prothero.

"Tell me, did he manage to pick himself up after he stumbled over his words? Or was this an entirely riveting affair, being the conversational genius we both know him to be?" Reagan's words were light but her jabs, she knew, cut deep, if the right company were present. But she didn't have to disguise her true feelings before her sister; Cordelia would hear the truth of what Reagan thought. Whether or not she was pleased by it, was another matter entirely.

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"You are a harsh woman, sister." Cordelia replied, though she was smiling, amused in only the fondest of ways. Reagan did not hold back, but her honesty could often prove a virtue. Rather that than false pretences and praises. "However, if you truly deem my efforts at courtship to be of more importance than whatever you learned from the counciller..." She daintily removed her fingers from her cup, settling her hands upon her lap. "I am able to indulge my little sister."

Cadwallader Prothero was certainly a matter of curiosity. His failings in the art of conversation were quite apparent, his social capabilities far below par. But still... there was something. Something that she found endearing about the man. Perhaps something that she even liked, gods help her.

"Conversation is not his strongest suit, but it would be an insult to you if I did not believe you'd ascertained that much for yourself. We walked together, in the gardens, and we spoke... Cadwallader is clumsy in speech, but I do not think that he is quite as awful as first thought." She paused, considering her humble defence of the man. "You should try speaking to him as well, Reagan. He is going to be my husband, and your brother-in-law, after all." Whether they liked it or not, so it seemed.

[Reagan Morgandy]

"I daresay you almost seem taken with the man, Cordelia. My goodness -- my Cordelia, as unmovable as the shore itself, almost fawning over this man?" Reagan teased, her eyes widening, feigning shock. She knew she was goading her sister now, and certainly over-exaggerating the facts of what Cordelia said. If Reagan truly thought Cordelia was going limp over Cadwallader Prothero, her reaction would not have been so kind -- but Reagan thought she was safe from that, for now.

She wrinkled her nose at Cordelia's suggestion she get better acquainted with her future brother-in-law. Reagan kept the tart look on her face as she took a delicate sip of her tea.

"You speak as though it were set in stone. Things change, Cordelia, and you are not his wife yet." Reagan knew, of course, that Cordelia would never for any reason break off her engagement to the Province Lady's brother. Cordelia was far too refined; she knew such implications and the propriety of her match. But Reagan couldn't help herself. Something about that man irked her; she couldn't quite put her finger on it but it was enough to know that he wasn't good enough for her sister and best friend.

So Reagan didn't think it hurt to remind Cordelia of her options. Just a little.

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"Hardly, dearest sister." Cordelia smiled in retort to Reagan's remarks. Truly, her sister had very little to fear on that front. Whilst she did not dislike Cadwallader entirely, neither had she ever been one to lose her composure so easily. She was above such sentiments as fawning, always remaining elegant, refined... as genteel and dignified as a ship, sailing through the calmest seas.

"You are correct, of course. The fates might yet conspire against us, and none of us hold the power within us to foresee what the future could bring." Like the plague, which had scourged its way through their lands. "But the match with House Prothero is a good one, and I do find myself in need of a Lord Consort." She paused, her gaze softening slightly, now.

"I appreciate your looking out for me in this, Reagan. You are my dearest friend." Cordelia smiled, although a modicum of remorse lingered behind the expression. She would have been content not to marry at all, to allow Enyon to continue as it was, without change, but such was not the way of things; not how their future was meant to be played.

"Changing anything now would be an affront to our Lady Rhiannon, and would reflect poorly upon our family." And whilst the Morgandys had earned their title through fighting the Protheros war, that respect was not something that Cordelia wanted to risk.

[Reagan Morgandy]

Reagan unwittingly narrowed her eyes at her sister. "You have no need of a Lord Consort, Cordelia, it is noble society whom deems it necessary; you best keep that in mind." She sighed, trying to keep from rolling her eyes. She understood Cordelia's reasoning; that was why she was considered the level-headed successor and why the common people called Reagan "the shark."

"I suppose you are right. There is little better match than a Prothero on Lacharn... it could be worse..." Reagan acquiesced, although her tone did not suggest her entire belief in it. At her sister's next words, Reagan smiled, and reached across the table to overlap her sister's hand with her own, squeezing gently in a moment of sisterly affection.

"You know I mean well, however harsh the words may come out, initially. I cannot help myself. I want the best for my big sister. I just can't... picture... Cadwallader..." Reagan stammered over it, shaking her head slightly. It was simply hard to picture her sister... a married woman. "Needless to say. You know I want to see you happy. But also, in control. I don't want to see Lady Prothero trying to extend her hand further through the use of her brother."

"Enyon belongs to us, whether it was formally 'given' through Prothero hands or not. We earned it, through blood and toil, and it must stay Morgandy, through and through."

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"You believe that she could extend her hand through Cadwallader?" Cordelia smiled, believing that her sister would have little trouble in being able to understand. "My betrothed might be many things, but he lacks a political inclination for one, and the necessary assertiveness for another." She paused, returning Reagan's gentle squeeze of the hands for one of her own. "I am not blind to possibilities, just as I am not inclined to throw caution to the winds. Enyon will remain safe, in Morgandy hands." Their family's loyalty to House Prothero had always gone without question, and Cordelia did not suspect that anything terrible would soon come of it. Still, Reagan's concern was heartening- a sign that she cared about her family, her people, their lands.

It remained a strange thing, however, to adjust to the knowledge that Cadwallader would soon enough be one of them, a Morgandy through marriage, as well.

[Reagan Morgandy]

Reagan sighed, but gave her sister a small smile, nonetheless. She knew she should trust Cordelia -- her sister had been nothing but level-headed and assertive since she assumed the role of bannerwoman after their brother's untimely death. But it was hard for Reagan to accept the inevitable change, especially considering her sister's imminent marriage. The one small respite to Cordelia having to marry the Prothero man was that she wasn't leaving Enyon or Reagan behind -- but the double-edge sword meant that Cadwallader would be with them.

All the time. Reagan grimaced slightly at the thought.

And she supposed... that meant her own betrothal would been arranged rather soon, as well. She wondered what that would mean. "I have all the faith in the world with you, Cordelia. Forgive me. You know I take my responsibility in the position as your heir very seriously. I cannot help myself," Reagan said gently.

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"What is there to forgive?" Cordelia smiled, her gaze soft as she looked upon her younger sibling. "You are concerned, and I value your opinions, Reagan. I always will." Her seriousness, her mannerisms, her lack of fear and more aggresive nature... the sisters complimented one another perfectly. Cordelia could not hope for a better friend, or heir.

"One man is not about to change that fact." She gave her sister's hands one final squeeze before withdrawing, her fingers curling about her still-warm cup of tea once again.

"Enough of all this dreary talk of marriages, though. You still have yet to tell me about your day." She paused to take a sip, enjoying the warmth of the liquid on her throat before she spoke once again. "You are making friends here in Forsilvra?" It seemed a more lighthearted topic than her impending nuptials, at any rate.

[Reagan Morgandy]

Reagan's own hand retreated to her cup once more, and she lifted it to her lips to take a long draw of the still steaming liquid before she answered, ruminating on her response.

"I wouldn't say friends, per say," Reagan finally spoke, thinking upon her cordial walk with the Forthwind girl and Lord Merrick. "Nathaniel Merrick and I had a pleasant chat, of course, in our jaunt about the marketplace. We had unusual company in Lord Forthwind's niece, but again. The conversation remained lighthearted. Lord Merrick is... an interesting fellow."

"And yourself, Lady Morgandy? Pushing your charm into more political alliances?" Reagan smiled.

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"Eccentric, as like the other Merricks?" Cordelia queried lightly, though she had to admit that she liked the man. It was difficult not to, when he behaved in such a friendly manner all the time.

Reagan asked her next question, and Cordelia abstained from making a face. Political alliances were all well and good, but she knew from personal experience what they could mean. Her betrothal flashed fleetingly within the back of her mind.

"It is a necessity." She ceded, at last. "I am hoping we might be able to visit with some extended family. Landalis, and perhaps even the Fontenots." Their uncle was married to one, after all, and then there was their aunt in Landalis. Securing old relations could not hurt, though it would be important to forge new ones, as well.

[Reagan Morgandy]

"Eccentric might be a good word to use. But not in a negative way, of course. Pleasant. Rather simple, but pleasant," Reagan said lightly, running one finger along the top of her saucer.

"Landalis and Fontenot. Fontenot might be a better avenue to pursue, but I suppose none of it could hurt..." Reagan added, thinking about their extended family. All married in, and all rather distant. Reagan supposed it was as good a time as any to flex their political arms, but she had enjoyed the relative safety and solitude of Enyon all these years. It would be a strange turn, now.

"Perhaps it would be best if you lead in, and I simply follow," Reagan concluded, a light smile on her lips. She was never the one for pleasant conversation.

[Cordelia Morgandy]

Fontenot would certainly be the better avenue to pursue, but Landalis would be a hold they could reaffirm. Besides, it had been quite some time since either of them had last seen their aunt. "I shall see to making the necessary arrangements." And hopefully, these would be responded to well.

"You have your own wiles, little sister." Cordelia remarked with a smile at Reagan's suggestion. "At the very least, observe. You know that I value your insight." Her own vision was not always perfect, and there was the chance that Reagan could catch something of importance, that she did not.

[Reagan Morgandy]

Reagan wrinkled her nose at Cordelia. They both knew that her sister was being kind; but that was Cordelia's way. Reagan went virtually everywhere Cordelia did, but even if she did not speak, her presence was made clear. She only intervened when she felt like a point was not getting across, or if her sister's demands were not being heeded; and woe to the man who had to hear the words of the Shark of House Morgandy. Reagan knew she made people uncomfortable; so did Cordelia. But she could... try. And be pleasant for 'family.'

"You know that is what I do best, sister dear," Reagan said, with a little laugh escaping her lips. "Besides. You need to learn to have a little bite, yourself."

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"Perhaps I do, Reagan." Cordelia smiled, acknowledging her sibling's capabilities in contrast to her own. They suited each other well, she thought. Pleasantries could help to win a person's openness and trust, but sometimes... sometimes what was needed was something a little bit more. "Just as you could learn a little cordiality. Perhaps we might be able to learn from one another, yes?" She took a moment to laugh, gently, softly, before reacquiring a mask of serious, sombre in her subsequent tones.

"You and our little brother should see if any of these nobles catch your eye, whilst we are here." Cordelia held no desire to press either of her siblings into marriage. Hers might have been a political marriage, but the others were permitted some degree of freedom, at least, to choose.

[Reagan Morgandy]

"Cordiality," Reagan repeated, smirking lightly at her sister, raising her eyebrows for effect. "Yes, you are terribly right. 'Manners' and 'my place,' have also been suggested, but we shall go with yours first." Reagan laughed, and was about to comment on what she thought their mother would say if she saw them now, when Cordelia mentioned if anyone had caught her eye.

Reagan wrinkled her nose, as if she had caught a foul smell. "Drystan, I am sure, has seen plenty of young ladies he wouldn't mind spending time with. There seems to be an over-population of them, running about this castle -- but then again, he'll have to wait in line, won't he? The sad faces of the sorry hundreds who can't win over our beloved child-King." Reagan made a noise of slight disgust. "It's borderline embarrassing, watching these lords throw their young girls at Adrien's feet. Like pigs for the slaughter, whichever is the most succulent, he can pick whatever he likes."

"I'll leave it to you to take care of that match for me, sister, and only because I know you understand the consequences of a poor match for your own little sister!" Reagan winked.

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"One step at a time, dearest sister." Cordelia responded, the grace of her smile curling upwards with her mirth. Of course, she adored Reagan, and the last thing she wanted was for her younger sibling to change. She might have been rough around the edges in comparison, but she was still family. Others would simply need to grow accustomed to her bite, if the occassion called.

Her expression turned pensive as Reagan made mention of their younger brother, and the assortment of young ladies from whom he would be able to take his pick. "It is... unpleasant, to speak favourably of it." She agreed, lowering her head slightly, as though weighed down by the very notion of it all, in part. "I do not enjoy the thought of our brother picking through the King's discards. He is a good man, and ours a strong family." Perhaps that was pride speaking, but pride was far better than blind docility, at times.

"I will do the best I can, sister." Cordelia continued, smiling once again at the last of Reagan's words. "But you know, if you do happen to meet somebody here that you like, and they are as yet unmarried..." She was partly jesting, of course, though there was a rote of seriousness inherent, as well. Better that her siblings marry for something other than political advance, if that was their wish.

[Reagan Morgandy]

"I completely agree. I think that Drystan is far more a catch then our young King, here -- and perhaps that is the sisterly affection speaking, but we also all had a hand in raising him, and thus we know he was raised well. This Adrien? Fodder of the hands of councilmen, molded into what they want. You have seen the way the King looks to Julius DeLauncey for guidance -- the uneven strength the DeLauncey's hold in Council. What other family possesses two positions? None. Tell me what that makes you think."

Reagan knew she was getting heated now, but all these were matters that should be tended to -- first to Cordelia. And then to Rhiannon Prothero. Did their Province Lady know? Or was she blind the workings of men, as well?

She gave Cordelia a half-smirk. "You know as well as I there are very few people I like, so I think I shall be personally hard-pressed to find a man here who sweeps me off my feet enough to accept any sort of proposal."

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"An uneven degree of influence given over to the DeLaunceys." Cordelia remarked, solemnly, although they both knew that Reagan's words rang true. Gaius and Julius DeLauncey... Why was it that the Vandermark had two representatives on the Council, when the others could boast of a mere one? "It would be unsurprising if the DeLaunceys ended up marrying their own into the royal family." But the King was still very, very young. It could be some time still before they learned his choice of a bride. "Our brother will be a good catch, but as you say, he has been raised well." Cordelia smiled, aware of the bias which could have been present, in that.

"I would love to see you swept off your feet, if only for the imagery of it. The Morgandy shark, snared by a mere man." It was a nigh impossibility, perhaps, but miracles and stranger things could happen nonetheless.

[Reagan Morgandy]

"I wouldn't doubt it either. Cassius DeLauncey is engaged already, to a girl from the Mark, so I hear, but you wouldn't know it, with the looks it seems to me that the Princess exchanges with him. And Eveline DeLauncey is not as young as the King, but surely a brilliant match -- and who wouldn't feel the pressure, with four of her brothers surrounding the King? Not only does it make sense politically but I could see how persuasive those DeLauncey men might be even in their silence, with two Uncles on the Council and Aurora Fontenot in their pocket. That is the key, you know -- snag the sister's compliance and you have the King. It is easy to see her influence over him."

"And we both know it would have to be a net of steel, to snare this shark," Reagan added lightly, letting her heated words calm down, laughing lightly. "But it remains true, my sister. Something we should keep an eye on -- and certainly something Lady Prothero should, as well, if she has any hopes for those daughters of hers."

[Cordelia Morgandy]

"Ah, but the princess may exchange looks with whomever she pleases. Is that not one of the perks of being a princess?" Cordelia observed in reply, one gracefully arched brow to mark her misdoubt. Under any sort of outwards consideration, the matter appeared quite clear. "It shows further favour to the DeLaunceys, and so what hope remains for the rest of us?" Of course, Rhiannon would be the one hit harder, in proverbial terms. The Morgandys were, after all, little more than a banner, regardless of all their capabilities, their charms.

"The King did appear appear taken with Keyna, at our arrival, but we both know that the choice of marriage will hardly be his own. Better to curry favour with the Council, than the King." They were the ones who held the power of influence over him, and the ones he needed listen to, after all. "I am uncertain which scenario would be more likely. The King choosing his own bride, outside of the DeLauncey, or someone managing to snare you." She chuckled lightly, although she still believed, that given the right person, then perhaps... perhaps it could happen.