By the Twang of the String - Archery Tourney

[Lady Lynesse St. Claire]

Lynesse had been keeping to herself an awful lot lately and she was sure that she would be confronted about it sooner or later. Somehow she could not discuss her reasons with any of her sisters for she did not think they would understand. And worse, she was bound to be teased which she was in no mood for. It was a time when one needed a mother and she found herself sorely wishing her mother was alive to speak to but she was not. Lynesse was also certainly not going to speak to her fathers interest about it. Lynesse was still undecided as to where her thoughts lay on the matter.

She supposed she would have to take things as they came. Her ears had not been spared the murmurs that were swiftly traveling around the court and for the first time in her life and Lynesse decided it was best she show that she was, in fact, in the area if one chose to look for her. It was not like she had her own pavilion or worse in the Duke of Oakdales. She had barely seen the man since the start of the festival. "Your Highnesses, My Ladies, My Lords," she said in greeting as she made her way onto the field. Lynesse was no hand at archery but she did enjoy seeing it in action.

[Lady Rosalie St. Claire]

Rosalie beamed toward the Princess, slightly surprised by the wish. “Thank you, Your Highness,” she managed, slightly bemused by the fact that she managed to get caught in the first place, and of all the luck, by Princess Emmaline. Hopefully she would be able to handle it, and if not, well, time would tell just how well that would go. At the very least she was going to make sure that she knew one end of the bow from another.

Giving the faces a scan, Rosalie managed a more or less serious mien as she bobbed a curtsy toward another familiar face. “Good day, Lady Vivienne,” she greeted, moving to the side and the lady while it looked like they waited for the rest of the participants to gather and the stands to fill. Briefly scanning the stands for sign of St. Claires, she grinned in curiosity toward the other young woman. “Are you participating as well, or?” Trailing off, she glanced around, sufficiently distracted by arrival of two unfamiliar faces. Curiously looking at them, Rosalie greeted them with another curtsy, noting the foreign accent, and tried to remember which country these two represented. Linten, perhaps? Well, it would make sense, given that the festival was for the foreign guests and the nobles of Demeria to interact, so it wasn’t impossible.

Waiting to see what was going to happen next, Rosalie remained at Lady Vivienne’s side for the time being, watching the goings on around her with avid curiosity. Her first time at the tournament was bound to be at least exiting, if anything. Stifling a grin at Lynesse’s appearance, Rose pondered where her sister spent her time lately, but decided to drag the information out of the other girl later. Right now she was a bit distracted.

[Prince Demetri Fyodorov]

This time, he was not a participant, particularly for the reason that both his sisters already were – or so he assumed. Considering it not being fair to the Lords and Ladies of other Houses who had but one or two participants to make it three for Sarkoszy, especially when the relations between their countries were shaky, Demetri chose to observe and learn from the sidelines of the others’ strength. Perhaps it would also give him an opportunity to meet the others not participating, though he believed that such would be the choice of few who could. Time was going to tell, however, and meanwhile, locating the field set aside for the tournament was easy enough when directed by one of the guards toward it.

Having chosen an ensemble that won’t make him stand out aside from Sarkoszy colors, he chose to join the group for a while. “Greetings, Your Highnesses, My Lords, My Ladies,” he greeted, scanning their faces with slight curiosity. It was easy enough to say who was who given the colors of clothes, hairstyles, and the arrows of the participants, of whom he was amused enough to see that those from the same House bore initials to avoid confusion. He then found his sisters with his eyes, coming to stand by them for the moment. “Anya, Katya, I wish you luck if you’re participating. It seems to me you’re up against formidable opponents.” Taking a light tone seemed like a good choice for the moment, particularly considering the seeming tension he could see between those gathered. Time was going to tell whether it was so, however, and he would take it to observe. Perhaps some things may come to light that he missed earlier.

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

Drat. Someone took notice of her, but thankfully, Rosalie didn't call her on her eavesdropping. Flashing the St. Claire young lady a quick, bright and impish smile, Vivianne held up her bow. "As a matter of fact, I do intend to try my hand at shooting today. If the Triad is smiling on me, I won't make too great a fool of myself. And what of yourself, my Lady Rosalie?" The title was given in teasing respect, full well aware that the young lady outranked her thoroughly. They were.. friends, in a way, with a shared interest in sneaking about.

The arrival of the tall Sarkozyan had Vivianne's eyes narrowing slightly. So this had to be the Other Brother. Interesting. Reaching out for Rosalie's arm, she lowered her voice. "Did you know he was coming?" She meant Demetri, keeping a close eye on Emma. "We may need to intervene if things get too.. difficult."


Lady Rosalie St. Claire

[Lady Rosalie St. Claire]

Rose gave a bright laugh and held up her own bow, thankfully fitting her hand. “I’m going to try my hand at this, as well, My Lady, and I hope to Triad that I won’t shoot some pompous old man in the crowd instead of the target. For all Her Highness has confidence, practice ring is entirely different from the actual tournament,” she responded, returning Lady Vivianne’s smile with one of her own in kind. While she won’t have minded shooting those that she saw getting on nerves of other nobles, Rosalie thought that perhaps that’d be in ill humor and not taken well, so she visibly crossed her fingers that it would be avoided.

Oh? Following the other lady’s slightly narrowed eyes, she gave an amused grin. “Of course, My Lady, but I have a feeling the man’s just here to support his sisters,” she pointed out, noticing how the Sarkozyan was standing by the two young women. “If you ask me, they need all the support they can get, and he doesn’t strike me as his brother, for he had the nerve to show up in the presence of two Carlisles, with… if Prince Riordan is participating, one more to arrive,” she explained, folding her fingers as she counted off the nobles so far present. Lowering her voice, she grinned. “Plus, if I were him, I wouldn’t be too happy with my supposedly older brother myself right now.” She had no doubt that Prince Demetri, if she heard the man’s name right, would be retreating from the crowd once the actual tournament had started, for she didn’t see him armed with the weapons needed for it.


Lady Vivianne Trevelyan

[Princess Emmaline Carlisle]

Who knew Emmaline was such an accomplished play-actor? Certainly not Emma herself, as she pasted on a cool but polite smile for the Sarkozsy contingent. She wasn't entirely unsympathetic to their plight, but neither was she prepared to behave as if nothing occurred. There were limits to her patience, limits to her understanding, and definite limits to her forgiveness. Right now, all three were in perilously short supply. However, the spectators were no doubt drooling eagerly in anticipation of a cat fight or some exchange of snide remarks; she refused to further humiliate herself by stooping to their expectations.

That chilly nod greeted the younger Prince of Sarkozsy. "Your Highness, welcome to Demeria. I was not aware that you were traveling, else we would have ensured you were properly greeted as a guest of the Carlisles." Her tone was calm, but strictly formal as she then addressed his sisters. "You are both most welcome to compete, and I encourage you to do so. Excuse me, please. I must speak with the marshal to ensure we have enough targets established for the sake of safety."

Perhaps it wasn't the most polite or cordial of conversations, but under the circumstances, Emma felt she'd handled that with considerable grace as she went to make her words a reality. There were plenty of competitors, and a stray arrow was not something she wanted to encounter. While she surmised that the man was here to support his sisters, she privately wished them all as far from Demeria as she could get right now.

This was going to be a very, very long day.

[Lady Serah Lancaster]

Hoping to help dispel the tension, Serah adopted a brilliant smile as she approached the two Lintenese, a hand snaking out to draw her cousin Tristan along. "Come, cousin, I see some new guests we have not yet met. Care to join me in offering a proper Demerian welcome to them, and encourage them to enter?" She said it softly to him as she drew closer with a cordial expression. "Good day, my lord, my lady. I don't believe I have had the pleasure yet. If you will allow me to present His Royal Highness, Prince Tristan Carlisle of Demeria," Serah curtseyed in turn, "And I am Lady Serah Lancaster. Do you both plan to enter in today's shoot?"


Lord Alejo Cataluña, Lady Catalina Luña, Prince Tristan Carlisle

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

Vivianne shared the grin with Rosalie despite all of the awkwardness descending like a plague of locusts on the assembled notables. "The practice range is a fine and good thing, but it's good to test yourself with those of superior ability. How else can you measure your progress if you don't try?" Nudging her lightly, she kept one eye and ear on the clustered group, especially on Prince Demetri. Her concern was solely for Princess Emma, but she also had reports to make to a certain shadowy lord.

Hearing Rosalie's words, she couldn't help but roll her eyes, yet kept her words a low whisper intended only for Rosalie's ears. "You're probably right, but the Princess has been through enough without people salivating at the idea of an ugly confrontation. We're here to protect her, even from herself. Doesn't make this any less tense, or mean that the wrong word at the wrong time can't set off fireworks."

And right on cue, there was Emma gliding off. Vivianne narrowed her eyes contemplatively at the three Sarkozsy royals. "Looks like it's time to run interference..."


Lady Rosalie St. Claire

[Princess Katya Fyodorov]

Katya smiled at her sisters response, fiddling with her equipment to make sure that everything was secure. Returning a silent greeting from a pair of individuals who did not appear Demerian judging from appearance, accent and the way they held themselves, Katya was curious as to where they hailed from. Perhaps she could meet them later and cultivate some sort of friendship. Such a connection could come in handy especially when they had the look of seafaring nobles about them. More participants and spectators arrived and each greeting was returned before she made note of her brothers arrival. "Thank you for the luck, Demetri, and we shall see whether I need it or not," she jested in good humor. After noting Princess Emmalines behavior and tone after his arrival, she spoke so that only her siblings would hear her. "Though perhaps you should have warned the Carlisles of your arrival beforehand?"

She did not mean to chastise if that was how it came off, she simply thought they could have alerted the Demerian royal family that another of their kin was arriving. She was not sorry that Demetri had arrived however. After all, Princess Emmaline was in her own country and more than likely had at least half the court standing behind her. Whereas they were in a foreign land and only had each other or so it felt.

[Lord Frederick von Arles]

Well, that was certainly interesting. A brow arched as he witnessed the exchange between the Princess and the Sarkozsan royalty. However, it was not his place to pry and he was going to get his nose dirty for doing so. He also had a feeling that it would get spectacularly bloodied, too! Thus, he eased himself away from the growing crowd to get a better look at the targets and from which distance they would be shooting.

While the other nobles hobnobbed, Frederick continued his persona of the hunter and pulled out his bow to give it a few tugs to test it. The line was approached. He eyed the targets. Hmm. A reasonable distance. Just enough of a challenge. Drawing the string back without an arrow, he eyed the target for a moment before lowering. He ran his tongue over the pad of his thumb and held it aloft. A light breeze from the east. He'd have to adjust accordingly.

[Princess Anastasia Fyodorov]

"You will do well, I'm sure, Katya." Demetri's presence was a bolster to her flagging spirits, her hand reaching for his arm despite her best efforts to resist. Admittedly, she winced at Emma's reaction, though it was neither a surprise nor less than she expected. Anya was able to see things from her perspective, and honestly doubted she'd do any less in Emma's position. A heavy sigh heaved as she watched the Princess move away with stiffened spine and regal hauteur, she lowered her voice for her siblings' ears alone. "I fear very much, my loves, that what ground we gained has been lost and then some. We're going to have to start over, and it won't be easy."

For their sakes, she kept that chin held high, her posture correct and the small smile firmly plastered on her face. But it was also clear that Demetri hadn't taken her warnings regarding the reactions of the Demerians all that seriously. They would be lucky if they weren't told to go home after this. After the tourney, it would be time for a family conference, Anya knew. They needed to form a strategy.


Prince Demetri Fyodorov, Princess Katya Fyodorov

[Lady Rosalie St. Claire]

Indeed, the practice alone couldn’t make up for the show of merits in the tournament itself, and Rosalie was in complete agreement with that. Giving a nod and returning the playful, light nudge toward Lady Vivianne, the young woman curiously glanced toward the other, wondering just what sort of interference the other had in mind. She herself was fairly new in knowing when to interfere into anything, and if things looked like they were to go out of control, Rose tended to stay out of them unless she knew which measure to take. A tension between royals was new ground, and thus she deferred to those who actually had a clue on what to do.

“I’ll follow your lead since I’m not sure if my next actions will cause more harm than good,” she said, her voice pitched as low as Lady Vivianne’s had been. She did note that there were more people present than before, and that it looked like Prince Tristan was joining the group containing Linten delegates along with Lady Serah. Giving a curious twitch at that quartet, she glanced around again, having seen the reaction of Princess Emmaline to Prince Demetri’s arrival, but she couldn’t fault her Princess for that sort of behavior, either. Wisely holding her tongue for the time being, however, she curiously tilted her head to the side, more a curious observer than anything else. She did wonder what the pair from Linten and the Treinatan Duke were making of the tension that could be cut with a knife, it was so thick, but it looked like it was something to be discovered in spare time. Right now, there was another matter to observe and possibly resolve, if resolution was in order.


Lady Vivianne Trevelyan

[Prince Tristan Carlisle]

Finding some form of relief as he followed his eyes toward the newest arrivals, Tris easily adopted a smile that belied whatever he was thinking, following Lady Serah along. “Thank you, cousin, that was amiss of us.” Bowing as was proper toward the pair once they approached and his cousin fell silent, Tristan tilted his head to the side, curiosity on his face in turn. “Welcome, My Lord, My Lady.” Looking from one to another, he wondered what they would make of the goings on, for he could see that the lady seemed to be a curious sort, though neither of them was to be dismissed lightly. For now, he would listen, perhaps add a word or two, but half his attention was toward his sister. All he could hope was the day would go smoother than he thought it might be at this point, but time would tell.


Lady Serah Lancaster, Lord Alejo Cataluña, Lady Catalina Luña

[Lady Vivianne Trevelyan]

"For now, let's just go talk to the Grand Duke, shall we?" With Emma out of the picture, Vivianne had little cause for concern. Prince Tristan was too urbane to turn confrontational, especially in front of Princess Katya. He was not her concern in the slightest. Reaching for Rosalie's arm to draw her along, she nodded subtly to Lady Serah by way of thanks for providing a distraction. She didn't trust the false sense of calm that lay over the tourney, but she would do her part, as would Rosalie, to see it went smoothly.

"Your Grace," she called to Frederick, seeing him a little adrift in the sea of slowly dissipating tension. "Care to join us in taking some practice shots before the tourney begins? And I don't believe you've met my lovely companion, Lady Rosalie St. Claire." The grin flashed to Frederick was nothing if not puckish, a definite effort to raise the mood. "Rosalie, meet the most charming man out of Treniata in a century, Lord Frederick von Arles."


Lord Frederick von Arles, Lady Rosalie St. Claire

[Lord Frederick von Arles]

Ah, he figured he would not be able to escape notice for too long. While it may have appeared he was disinterested in the tension, he was actually watching it from the periphery with interest. How the negotiations between Demeria and Sarkozsy were of particular interest to him, especially if they were on the verge of collapsing. If these failed, then ... what would happen next? For now, though, he kept his observations to himself and continued to practice his sighting.

Until, that is, he heard a playful feminine voice. The dark gaze shifted to Vivianne, taking her in and appreciating her for a brief moment. She was of slightly darker complexion than her fellow courtiers. The skin was fair, smooth in quality but not quite to the par that was the angel Lady Serah. "Oh, dear, the most charming? My lady, you are setting me on quite the pedestal. I certainly hope I do not fall from it, especially as I delight in gazing upon and conversing with lovely ladies such as yourselves."

Frederick then bowed gracefully. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Rosalie."

Lady Vivianne Trevelyan, Lady Rosalie St. Claire