Happy to Help [4/17, Morning, Ceinwen]

[Myfanwy Haven]

Some days Efa could pretend that she was providing a really valuable service to her family by making sure that the men could focus on politics without having to worry so much that they would be stabbed between the ribs for it. Someone would be around to make that seem like a more dangerous proposition, someone whose loyalty wasn't for sale. There were even those days when it seemed that having a knight to carry their name around seemed useful, a reminder that the Havens were nobility and not merely patrons of criminals. On some days, she could pretend that these things made her important, that it meant she was doing something for her family that nobody else could.

Escorting a Prothero girl on her trip to the market?

Not one of those days.

She'd left Hyre to attend the coming festivities with her brother, and while they were in town she had been called to accompany the young woman, presumably because she was the best of both sexes: like a man she'd defend Ceinwen Prothero from city threats, but unlike a man she wouldn't be a threat. It made sense. It just didn't promise to be a terribly thrilling day. At least she'd have Henwyneb, a thought which reassured her as she stroked the seal brown gelding's tan-colored nose. The things he wanted were simple, and while here too Efa could be replaced, at least she was important to him now.

Efa had sent a servant to let Ceinwen know that she could leave at her leisure, and now it simply fell to her to wait on her lady.

[Ceinwen Prothero]

Ceinwen had been looking forward for this day. She’d wanted to go to the market all by herself. However the guard had disagreed as they thought it was too dangerous with that many people around and had insisted that at least a few man escort her. But Ceinwen didn’t feel comfortable with them around while shopping. While they’d be perfectly polite, having them watching her while she walked around and examined stuff did disturb her greatly. Finally they agreed that Myfanwy Haven, the lady knight, would come with her.

The evening before, Ceinwen had made a list of things she would need for the upcoming trip to the capital. It had turned quite an extensive list. Normally Ceinwen didn’t really care for her appearance, but they were about to visit the capital and it was out of question to bring most of her older and well-used dresses and other stuff. People would laugh at the house Prothero, and Ceinwen couldn’t permit that, could she?

She had gotten up early in the morning and dresses herself in a plain blue dress. After her breakfast she had withdrawn into her quarters to read in a book while she waited for Myfanwy to arrive. It didn’t took long, she’d only read a few paragraphes when a servant knocked an informed her that the lady knight had arrived. Ceinwen put her book down, put her scarf around her shoulders and grabbed the bag with gold she’d prepared.

She quickly left her quarters and found Myfanwy Haven waiting. Ceinwen smiled: “Lady Haven, how nice of you to come with me to the market today. Shall we go? Oh, please would you be so good and take care of this for me, it’s certainly more safe with you?” she said and handed Myfanwy Haven the bag with the gold coins.

[Myfanwy Haven]

The young lady looked modest enough, an assessment Efa was glad to make. Gracious only knew what she wanted at the market, but at least here among her own people she was willing to forgo the dazzling and flashy parades that marked a more official noble presence. The girl just wanted to go shopping.

Fine, then.

Efa carefully refused to flinch at being called Lady Haven. Lady was a title of birth; but she'd earned the right to be called Sira, whether it was a lower title to some or not. All it took to be called Lady was to emerge mewling and helpless from the proper female. Better than emerging from the wrong one, obviously, but it still wasn't really who Efa was.

Well, whatever. The girl was a Prothero. The preferences and opinions of a knight of a subordinate family were not really the kind of thing Efa expected her to concern herself with. There were men to marry, babies to breed, and things to buy at market stalls. Knights didn't really factor in.

"Absolutely, my lady," Efa replied, taking the money in one calloused and scarred palm. "Will we need an extra horse, or do you think we will need a cart?"

[Ceinwen Prothero]

Ceinwen had a long shopping in comparison to her usual lists, but they’d never need an extra horse or even a cart. Ceinwen certainly wasn’t the kind of girl who went on endless shopping trips spending the family fortune in an afternoon. She only went to shopping trips when she couldn’t avoid it, most of the time she’d just send a maid to get her from the market what she needed. That was fine as long as she stayed at Llywarch, but of course that wouldn’t do it as preparation for a trip to the capital. No one should say that Ceinwen Prothero dressed sloppily and she did want make an impression at the ball. But the good Sira Haven obviously didn’t know that. Ceinwen smirked: “Well, let’s see what’s on my shopping list….” Ceinwen waited a moment before continuing as if she was mentally going through the list. “Oh that much, I think we’ll need at least two carts, maybe three!” Ceinwen couldn’t wait to see Myfanwy Haven’s face.

[Myfanwy Haven]

What an important person Ceinwen Prothero was, riding to the market personally to haggle with shopkeepers so that their maids and seamstresses and tailors could all have the day off. Gracious, at that rate she was even going to fill the pantry. Their cook must be so grateful. Truly Ceinwen had an important job that had only been delegated to basically everyone else on their staff.

Quite probably the girl was just bored. Fine, then.

"Well," Efa answered, not permitting herself to express annoyance or disappointment that Lady Rhiannon's daughter was insisting on doing all the family shopping herself. If Rhiannon approved, it wasn't for Efa to question it or to mention how ridiculous that was. So she opted to say little instead. "As you like, Lady. Though you'll need more than one attendant today if you wish to return with three carts."

[Ceinwen Prothero]

How Ceinwen hated those shopping trips, but this time she hadn’t been able to avoid it. She’d preferred to stay in the castle or going on a ride rather than going on a shopping trip. While Myfanwy did a good job on hiding her feelings, Ceinwen was quite sure that the knight would have preferred to do something else than going shopping with her. Being born as a noble had many advantages, but at certain times, even that didn’t help. Ceinwen had no choice then going to the market today.
“I’ve already organised everything, they’ll meet us at the market at the appropriate time!” Ceinwen smirked. There would be a huge surprise later today in the afternoon for the knight. “We just have to go to the stables and fetch some horses and we’re good to go.” She said and started to head towards the stables.

[Myfanwy Haven]

"As you like, Lady," Efa said. She obviously had her own horse, but if the girl wanted to pack a caravan down to the market to show off that she could, then fine. Maybe if they really were going to carry half the available merchandise back with them it would justify having Efa along for protection.

"Henwyneb won't be pulling a cart, so you should probably get some servants to ride with us."

Since that's what servants were for. Knights were for fighting, or at least for glowering imposingly over the shoulders of their superiors. Efa doubted she'd have anybody to glower at today, much to her disappointment. Perhaps if Ceinwen misbehaved in a way that her family would care about, Efa could glower at her.

She'd just hope for that. Might be enough to get her through the day.

[Ceinwen Prothero]

Ceinwen just smiled and headed towards the stables. She had no intentions to take any servants with her. She’d have no use for them and she was perfectly capable of carrying everything she wanted to buy back with her own horse. And if not, she could always ask the knight or arrange for someone to pick her shopping up. It was enough that she had to take the night with her. She’d have preferred to go alone, but that obviously wasn’t possible.

“There won’t be any need for Henwaynab to pull a cart”, she reassured the lady knight.

After a few minutes of walking they arrived at the stable were a stable boy was already waiting with Ceinwen’s favourite horse Blacky and with Myfanwy’s horse. Ceinwen exchanged a few words with the stable boy before she got on her horse. Blacky was already eager to move, expecting her to ride out into the woods with him. “No, today we’re only going to the city, I’m afraid”, Ceinwen told him. She waited for the Sira Heaven to get ready ordered Blacky into a fast trot towards the city. It didn’t take them long to arrive at the market, where she dismounted.

First step on her list was to visit her favourite seamstress which had her shop just around the corner.