The First Signs of Trouble [ 5/5 Bebhinn/Vivianne]

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

The test set for her by Lord Rupert was almost a day old and she hadn't gotten what she needed. True, Vivianne hadn't wasted time, but there wasn't much exciting going on around Princess Emmaline or Prince Tristan right now. Getting close to Princess Fiona was only going to ensure she was noticed by all the wrong people and the King was in his rooms, attended by the royal physician and some of the Council. While that was an inviting prospect, the point was to be subtle, not overt. And that left Prince Riordan.

Sitting in the gardens, she began to weave a careful plot to get closer to the Prince in order to gain some interesting tidbits, perhaps something big to share with Lord Rupert. It astonished her just how much she wanted this situation to succeed, to become a part of something far larger than she'd ever be. The Trevelyans were good stock, but Vivianne lacked her sister's charisma and beauty. Bebhinn would make an excellent Countess where she manifestly would not. Thanking the Triad for the infinite time that she wasn't first-born, she drew her legs up under her and smoothed her skirts - still clean, for the moment - over before dropping her chin onto her knees to contemplate her plan of attack.

Maybe it was time to try out her new disguise. The Prince wouldn't look twice at a page or a boy coming to make up the fires for the night. She could be in there while he prepared for dinner and evening court, but had to hope Sir Darton wasn't going to notice her either. Everyone knew the Prince often confided in the knight. As plans went, it was simple, perhaps too much so but the best laid plots often were. Now all she needed was to get her hands on a page's uniform...

[Lady Bebhinn Trevelyan]

Bebhinn didn't see herself as a countess or even as much of a leader, she was simply out to get the job done and if that meant making a few commands and ordering people about to get them motivated into finishing the task or tasks that needed to be accomplished, then so be it.

It was certainly true that Bebhinn had no problem with that being the case, she had found that it was a lot easier to coax though, charm even and generally smile her way into getting the ultimate end that much easier.

Added to which Bebhinn simply enjoyed making sure those around her felt happy in their lot, it was certainly less of a headache than fighting them for ever last inch and occasionally for even the smallest amount of courtesy as well. It was perhaps one of the most satisfying moments when she achieved that end without relying on force - something she had developed more as an extension of her abilities and experience with the horses she worked with as well.

However, she was not interested in plots, intrigue or being devious - it was the one thing Bebhinn could neither understand or even get her head around as being necessary. Honest and direct had worked just fine for her and that was all the mattered to her. As she returned to the main building, Bebhinn took the chance to take a brief - or so she believed - detour through the gardens and halted as she realised that her sister was apparently enjoying herself in their delicate and green welcome.

"Vivanne...you have some heavy thoughts or are feeling ill? I mean...seriously, your face is very worn on the edges - can I help?" Bebhinn liked her family, not too any unrealistic extent but she cared and possessed compassion as well when it both suited her as well as being clearly needed as well.

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

Looking up at the sister who was Day to her Night, Vivianne smiled and hopped to her feet, the better to bounce over and hug her sister. They were not very close, being utterly different in personality as well as looks, but she still respected and loved Bebhinn, all the more for the pressures taken off her. "I'm fine. Just... thinking, really. Why do you ask?" Help was not something Bebhinn could give her, not in this case, but she had to wonder just what her sister knew, if anything.

"What brings you out here? Father didn't send you out to look for me, did he?" Nothing like peppering her sister with a thousand questions to distract her from what might or might not be going on. Vivianne had plenty of secrets, schemes and machinations to hide, and the better she could deflect Bebhinn from looking too closely, the better. Those plots, intrigues and deviances might not be to her sister's liking, but Vivianne would indulge in them to keep Bebhinn safe. Someone in the family had to be practical... on a political level.

[Lady Bebhinn Trevelyan]

They had not really been close with one another, after all they hadn't really ever had that much in common with one another. Her interests and habits had always taken her down a path that had generally kept her away from her family and spending time with them - Bebhinn could socialise from time to time but if she was honest she really preferred to be around her horses rather than people, including her family.

Bebhinn just generally ended up making some comment or other due to her rather blunt nature that ended up offending people when she opened her mouth and gave them her opinion "I don't know I could go and yell at them or set one of the dogs to come and chase away your sad look?" she suggested, smiling brightly at the same time. Bebhinn possessed nothing that could be called cruel or lacking in humor in fact it was those qualities that helped others to overlook all the rest.

"Unless you want to come with me? I was going to see about getting something before the evening meal...its been a long day for me" she added and left the comment wide open to allow her sister to answer the question in her own time.

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

"I believe you would do it." Vivianne laughed, shaking her head. The family dogs worshipped Bebhinn and obeyed her merest look, while completely ignoring any command Vivianne tried to give. Cursed hounds and their loyalty. Despite that, she didn't mind. Cats were more to her style, creatures of silence and stealth. Just another contrast between her sister and herself, really. "I'm not sad, just... I need to make some decisions." She hesitated, not because she could not trust Bebhinn, but she was concerned over her sister's reaction.

Nudging her gently, the younger Trevelyan smiled. "Of course I'll come with you. I've been getting to know the cooks and trying to persuade them it isn't a crime to serve food that has more seasoning and spices. I think I'm getting somewhere. But what have you been up to?" The longer she could put off her confessions, the better off she'd be, of that Vivianne was certain.

[Lady Bebhinn Trevelyan]

She nodded "Of course I would, your family and that counts for more than anything else in the world...you should know that Vivanne..." her words meant as ever without malice and intended to be pleasant, or at least as much as she was capable of achieving under the circumstances.

Bebhinn grinned at her comment about the cooks and the food. Honestly, she would never understand and certainly would always fail to appreciate just how anyone could eat food without some kind of seasoning. As much as she didn't want a taste explosion each and every time she was enjoying meal but having constantly bland food was definitely not her cup of tea at all "Well perhaps I can bring my own special brand of persuasion to the fore and see what we can do to persuade them to listen to reason" she suggested warmly.

While she was not entirely expecting to have to launch into full scale assault she would be perfectly happy to work some kind of compromise into making sure she actually got something she would manage to eat.

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

At least they shared that much in common. Bland, tasteless food was the bane of any Trevelyan's existence. Looping her arm through her sisters to troop off towards the kitchen, she hadn't missed her sister's avoidance of her question. Interesting, was she going to have to incorporate spying on Bebhinn to her list of challenges as well? Perhaps Bebhinn had some sort of secret lover... or maybe Vivianne had been reading too many of the wrong books. The thought of both made her smile to herself. "If anyone can persuade them, it's you. The sweet light of reason beams from your very eyes." Teasing came naturally.

And frankly, Vivianne had never been so grateful to take the attention off herself in her life.