You are my lord's wife. I am...complicated. 5/29 [Cygne/Elysia]

[Cygne Halcya]

Cygne's hand had hovered at the scarred wood of the door to Lady Shadowmere's chambers for the last few moments. She knew why she was here. She felt as though the Lady deserved to know the truth of who she was. Why she was here. Who she might become over the time that they spent near one another.

Her palm rested against the wood before she gave two sharp raps against it. Perhaps it wasn't her place to be visiting Lazarus' new wife, and perhaps he might not be pleased with this development, but Cygne believed that the woman deserved to know the truth of who she was.

She would not skulk about like a whipped dog, hiding in the shadows, but she would also not flaunt her position to all. No. She was a Brother of Twilight and a servant in the house. She would act accordingly, as she always had.

[Elysia Shadowmere]

She had scarcely been at castle Shadowmere for two weeks, but it had proven to be an interesting enough span of time. She had spent a part of it homesick, of course, but with so many new things around her to stimulate the mind, it was easy enough to become suitably distracted, as well.

Hearing the two short raps upon her door, Elysia gestured for her maid to answer, watching through her clear blue eyes as Cygne's visage subsequently came into sight.

"Yes?" She did not recognise the woman enough to place her face to a name, but Cygne was still familiar, somehow. Perhaps she had seen her around Faeta before, or at the wedding, back within her native Sanka. In any case, she imagined she would find out what the young woman wanted, fairly soon. "Can I help you?"

[Cygne Halcya]

In her plain dark violet velvet dress, she knew that she was a drab raven to the lark that Elysia was, but still, she moved into the room and glanced at the maid. She did not seem accustomed to waiting to be invited in anywhere.

But then, Faeta had been her home for six years. She'd never had to bow or scrape anywhere before.

"I need to speak with you, my lady." she met Elysia's eyes, unwavering. "About Lazarus." Not Lord Shadowmere. Never Lord Shadowmere.

[Elysia Shadowmere]

No introduction, no pomp or regale... The woman simply walked into her room as though she possessed that right. Curious, certainly. More and more Elysia wondered just who exactly this raven-haired beauty was. And now she was mentioning Lazarus, her new lord and husband. One brow arched the slightest amount. An interesting predicament, indeed.

"What is your name?" She asked softly. The stranger must have known whom she was, and it seemed only fair that Elysia be given the same. "And what news do you have for me concerning my husband?"

[Cygne Halcya]

"My name is Cygne Halcya. I have lived here, in this place, for the last six years." she gave Elysia an even look, her face neutral. Her words weren't aggressive, simply matter of fact.

"I thought you might wish to know who I was and what part I play here." She stopped in the middle of the room, clasping her hands in front of herself. Was it fair to be doing this? No, but nothing about this life they led was fair.

"It is not news, but rather, I would prefer to speak with you directly about the matter rather than let you hear vicious rumors and gossip about who I am from servants."

[Elysia Shadowmere]

The other woman's manner of speech was so neutral, so without feeling, that Elysia had to wonder whether she were capable of such things at all. Still, it honestly seemed that she had something to say, and she had done little enough to warrant being turned away, just yet.

Stepping a little farther into her new chambers, Elysia moved to take a seat, sweeping aside the folds of her gown as she did. If Cygne's revelation proved anything too stunning, then she would much rather be seated, than stood.

A brusque wave of dismissal to her maid, and Ely nodded the once towards Cygne, affirming. "Please, speak. It must be an important matter for you, given that you've come to me directly." And she would try to form an unbiased opinion if she could, though she knew that might be hard. Especially if this conversation happened to be going in the direction she suspected it was...

Either way, she needed to hear the words stem from Cygne's own lips first.

[Cygne Halcya]

As the maid left, Cygne traced her from the corner of her eyes. She was tense, wary, but she was always ready for attack. There was no way that she would let her guard down, even here, especially with the incidents of assassins in Glodhet that weren't of the Shadow.

Remaining standing, she lifted her chin, her voice level as she spoke. "I am my lord's. In every way. Put simply, I love him. He has told me that he loves me, and I believe him. We spoke of wedding for many years before. But...the Gods changed everything and he became a lord. Me? I'm a peasant. Not fit for wedding. There is no alliance to be gained from my hand and happiness is a poor balm when you have lost everything because you'd not a head or hand good enough to keep it." Her voice had softened as she spoke, her eyes betraying what her voice had not.

This was agony, pure and simple.

[Elysia Shadowmere]

Elysia was glad for the fact that she had already been seated. Whilst she had been anticipating something along the lines of this news, their was still a clear distinction between merely thinking something, and hearing it out loud. Of course, there was still the matter of how to react, and she was still yet to overcome that quandary... Instead, she was made to resort to the next best thing.

"Ah."

Whilst Cygne's tone had not reflected it, there was something in her eyes which suggested the pain she felt within. But what could she do? This was politics, and politics, as Elysia well knew now, could be hard.

A part of her felt the need to apologise, but then, it was not her fault. This was something that had been beyond her power; if it had been her choice, she would have remained back in Vyrna with her family.

"I don't know what I can say to you to make this any better. I am afraid we're both victims of our stations." But it was troubling now to think how the immediate future could play out.

[Cygne Halcya]

Cygne's eyes lowered and she took a deep breath, steeling herself for screaming or crying or whatever reaction her Lord's wife might have. When none came but that simply syllable, Cygne looked up again.

"There is nothing to say to make it better, nor is it your worry." She sighed, trying to keep the pain that was crawling beneath her skin from showing. "That is what I came to tell you. You need not worry about me attempting to oust you or some nonsense as such. As much as I wish things were different..." She paused and her voice softened. "They are not. I long since accepted my fate and I do not rail against it."

Dropping into a curtsy, she lowered her head again. "My apologies for barging in. I just wished for you to know the truth, my Lady Shadowmere." The words burned her tongue like acid, the bile rising in her throat. "I will leave now."

[Elysia Shadowmere]

Well, that was... good to know? That her husband's apparent mistress would not be 'out to get her,' as it were, in any respect. The discomfort within her chambers seemed evident, and Elysia felt relief flood through her as the other woman made her apology, stating she would leave. Submerging the need to lift one hand to her face in indication of worry, she instead allowed her eyes to close and to open, slowly, once more.

"Thank you, Cygne." She spoke the words almost vaguely, the intonations distant in her mind. Whilst it must have taken some gall for the woman to speak to her thusly, Elysia felt she would be glad to see her gone. She only hoped that there would not be too many awkward moments where she spied Cygne within the castle's halls.