Ser Nerys Ronain, Knight of Redcliffe (ronain) wrote in thedas, @ 2010-01-14 18:01:00
Who: Cormac Murrough, Nerys Ronain Where: Castle Redcliffe. When: Spring, Nubulis 9:36 Summary: Recently arrived at Redcliffe Castle, Nerys adjusts to her new quarters and her new life...by sulking about it. Rating: K+? Possibly for language.
Being homesick wasn't something Nerys Ronain ever thought she would experience, having spent her entire childhood as a nomad, but here she was, sitting in the lower bunk of the empty barracks, Malin curled at her feet. Ser Perth had been kind enough to give her the rest of the day to adjust to her new surroundings; Talfryn would never have allowed her the same luxury. In fact, he hadn't -- when she had first arrived at South Reach, he immediately threw her into a practice match with one of the other squires. She won against the slightly older boy, but barely, and partially just because she had been ruthless enough to sweep his legs out from under him when he thought himself the early victor. The knight wasn't impressed, but he wasn't disappointed, either.
But Redcliffe was different. It was quieter here, even more than Gwaren, which was so isolated from the rest of Ferelden. But the oceanside port saw much more business than a tiny village off of Lake Calenhad. The odor of fish was the same, but the locals seemed far more relaxed. Then again, she'd found that the attitude of the people often reflected their leaders -- Arl Eamon was not Teryna Bryland. He was not only older, but from even their brief meeting during Ser Perth's tour of the castle, she could tell he was more patient and gentler. Rois was a proud, fearsome woman, and though the Hero of River Dane was not easily replaced, she had managed to maintain order and earn the respect of her new teyrnir, but not purely through acts of kindness and good will. (But her perspective was admittedly biased; it wasn't the Arl who had sent her to the west, solely because she wasn't good enough for the Teryna's son.)
Nevertheless, Nerys had only been at the estate for a few hours and already she felt herself aching to be back in Gwaren. Not for him, though -- it was, in her opinion, entirely his fault that she was here in the first place. Or maybe it was Talfryn's, for forcing her to spend so much time with the boy, but she preferred to lay the blame on the privileged son of a noblewoman than on the mentor she had trusted for the last eight years. But she was now trapped in a town full of strangers, with a new set of squires and knights to whom she had to prove herself. By appearances alone, she was an oddity -- firstly, she was a woman, no matter how hard she tried to bind her chest back and hide beneath the shapeless armor; secondly, she looked like a foreigner, her skin at least three shades darker than the average Fereldan; thirdly, she wouldn't allow her beloved Mabari to sleep in a cage with the rest of the hounds down the hall. Malin was not just a weapon, nor even a pet -- the bitch was the most loyal friend she had ever known, and no daughter of an Ash Warrior would stand to be apart from their companion.
It wasn't typically in her nature to sit about moping, but Nerys was in no mood to be judged by these people. She would have to deal with them later at supper, anyway; there was no reason to engage any of the other residents if she didn't absolutely have to, and better not to allow her irritable temper to get her into trouble so early in her residence. So she remained propped up against the wall, pillow tucked under her chin and between her knees and chest, with her dog silently watching her. Malin widened her chocolate maw to yawn and give a bored whine. Nerys frowned, "Yes, I know. You'd rather be outside, sniffing things and being sociable, but too bad. It isn't up to you." Insulted, the hound's tail stopped thumping against the bed and she pointedly looked away. The young woman suddenly felt bad. "I... Sorry... I didn't mean to take it out on you. I know this is hard on you, too. But I just don't feel--"
Her apology was cut off when she saw Malin sit up and turn to stare at the door, ears up and alert. She had heard someone coming even before there were any footsteps audible to Nerys' human ears. Though they were clearly under no threat, a low growl rumbled through the Mabari's throat. Nerys swung her legs off the bed and planted her feet on the ground, placing a steady hand on the dog's back and shushing her. She watched the door expectantly, wondering if Ser Perth had changed his mind. But it wasn't the knight who had stepped through the door.