Chapter 49: Chapter 48 – In Need of a Friend

In Need of a Friend

 

Gwyn found herself sitting in the tall chair that Siveril had obtained which was all nice and fancy looking. They did the fabric and style in the Blue, Black, and Silver colors of her House. She thought it was funny how there was a literal Seat of the House, where she would perform ceremonial duties, as Siveril described it. She sat there as each person or family filed through and greeted her. Siveril stood next to her, calling out the names of the prominent people and what they did, leaving the person he called to introduce any family members. Everyone that came gave a brief speech where they talked about ‘relations’ and ‘well wishes’ before showing off their gifts, which were promptly handed off to a servant who took them away. Siveril promised she’d actually get to look at them later, not that she really cared. Most seemed like things mom would put up somewhere for decoration or in a box. 

There were many people that came, more than she had thought when Taenya had mentioned it would be a small party. People she knew, like Mr. Onas and his family, including the jerk son, Kalen. They had given the best gift of the night thus far, some wonderful painting supplies and canvases. Something I can actually use. There were seven merchants and their families, followed by Guildmaster Batteux and several others who were guildmasters of some Guilds. Apparently, of the group, Lady Batteux was the only one from a noble House. Guildmaster Batteux gave her a golden badge that had a massive diamond in it, which she said represented the tier of her House account. The badge itself was formed into the design of her House Crest that Siveril, Taenya, and Mr. Branigan had painstakingly created. After the merchants and members of the Guilds, a few nobles that she didn’t know wished her ‘a pleasant and many returns on her birth day’. Despite the weird way of saying ‘happy birthday’, they all seemed nice. Although some of them seemed to pretend. I still remember what you told me, Raafe. 

There was a telv knight named Ser Oberin, who had come to represent Baron Iemes. He apparently had trained Ser Theran when he was younger. Which was pretty neat and interesting. He was a nice man who brought a scroll with the formal invitation to attend the Royal Academy of Avira. With it, he included a chest of school supplies and items the baron thought would be beneficial for her to have.

There was Baron Trenlore and his family, which included Ilyana’s eight siblings. She had three older brothers and two sisters, then there were a twin brother and sister younger than her. I would scream. Daily. If I had that many brothers and sisters. Thank you, mom. I like being an only kid. 

Next was Baron Urileth, who was a nice man. His wife was, unfortunately, sick, so she stayed back home. However, he had brought his children. Besides Lorrena, he had three other daughters, with Lorrena being the second oldest. 

Viscountess Olacyne was the head of the last of the three Houses closest to her own. She brought her husband and their two other children, Nora’s two brothers. The Lady was especially nice and got along well with Siveril and Taenya, who also seemed to like her. She’s pretty cheeky, too.

Through all the introductions and the gifts that she barely even saw, she could only think of one thing. Finally, that thought arrived.

Siveril bowed, then stood straight and called out, “It is my honor to present, acting in the stead of the Duke of Tiloral, His Grace Dasovron Tiloral, the representative of House Tiloral, Lady Roslyn Tiloral.”

Gwyn almost forgot to breathe. Roslyn. She nearly missed the start of the girl’s greeting and quickly focused on what she was saying.

“Your Highness, Princess Gwyneth of House Reinhart. I am honored to have been personally invited on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of your birth. In celebration of this momentous day, House Tiloral would like to welcome you fully not only to the duchy and the kingdom, but to our world. To be torn from one’s world must be such a difficult and trying experience, and I personally grieve for all that you have lost. 

“However, this is a day of joy. While nothing I give can replace what you have lost, I hope this small token from our House will allow you to see that you can at least forge lasting relationships with our people. Relationships that will not all be negative.” 

Either she practiced what to say as I do with Siveril and Taenya, or she’s really mature. Hopefully mature! Wait… I think I just dissed myself.

Roslyn shifted slightly and was handed a glossy wooden container from the knight in red armor behind her. The knight himself seemed to cause a stir from those around her. She couldn’t hear what the whispers were saying, but she did like the white tabard with the golden sun on it. It looks really pretty, however, the tiny cape on just one shoulder is silly. 

Roslyn turned away from the red knight and stepped forward before placing a hand on the lid. “As befitting a princess, no matter her origins. I present to you a tiara.” She opened the container to show a beautiful headpiece that was clearly made for royalty. “We had it commissioned of silver, with sapphires, onyxes, and diamonds, to match the colors of your house. The center stone is also a diamond. One that is from our personal vaults, a treasure of the duchy. We hope that you will wear it with pride and see that you are welcome. I look forward to getting to know you better, both here and at the Royal Academy next year. Thank you.” 

Gwyn stood up and smiled. She was supposed to stay seated, but this present was too much for that. She nearly ran to the girl before she caught herself. Gwyn stopped and bowed her head respectfully before saying, “Thank you, Lady Tiloral. This gift is beautiful. I appreciate your kindness and well wishes.”

 

* * *

 

The remainder of the evening had, very nearly, passed by in a blur. Siveril ushered her around, meeting many people and their children. There weren’t many kids her age, however, there were a few. The only problem was that they all acted like Lorrena and seemed afraid to talk to her. Maybe their parents scared them or something. I should talk to Lorrena about that.

Dinner was nice. She sat at the head of the table, and Roslyn sat several seats down from her. She had wanted to call out to her but got too nervous each time she tried. She kept looking up at Roslyn the entire dinner, but then jerked away whenever it seemed like the girl would see her. Instead, the whole time she just listened to Siveril and others speak. She barely paid attention when everyone stood to give her a toast. It was, quite honestly, the most boring birthday party she’d ever had. 

Finally, after dinner, there was music and dancing. Which required Gwyn to move around and meet more people, but gave her the benefit of being able to avoid most talking while watching the dances or musicians. As she went from group to group, Gwyn kept looking around but couldn’t find who she had been looking for. She’d managed to lose the crew by distracting them with their parents and siblings. Then she slipped away from Taenya and Siveril while they were talking to important people.

She was finally able to do her own thing, with only Sabina close behind her. While Gwyn was sure no one would attempt what had happened at the Duke’s Court, she still felt safer knowing Sabina was there. Especially since she was pretty sure the knight wouldn’t let anyone try to distract her the same way again.

Gwyn was still searching and was trying to walk around one of the staff when Sabina suddenly pulled her backward before she ran into someone. 

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t see–” Gwyn’s eyes went wide as she realized she had nearly walked right into Roslyn.

The girl in question giggled softly into her hand. “It’s quite alright, Your Highness. How are you enjoying an Aviran celebration of birth?”

“Oh… uh…” Gwyn froze. She didn’t know what to say. Do I tell her it’s nice? Will she get offended if I tell her it’s the most boring thing since plain toast? She felt her mouth opening and closing, but no words came out. 

It only made Roslyn chuckle more. The elf leaned forward and cupped her hand over Gwyn’s ear and whispered, “It’s dreadfully boring, isn’t it? I absolutely loathe these.”

Gwyn’s eyes widened as her heart pounded in her chest. She looked at Roslyn as the blonde elf stepped back and winked. The girl’s vibrantly violet eyes seemed to sparkle as her smile reached them.

Gwyn finally found her voice and replied, “Purple!” What the heck! Get it together!

The girl giggled. “Purple?”

Gwyn’s cheeks heated up as she felt herself blushing in embarrassment. “Your eyes, they’re purple. People in my world don’t have purple eyes.” Gwyn tried to explain, definitely not covering up her blunder.

Roslyn smiled and tilted her head. “That’s so strange. Many people do here. However, your blue eyes are certainly striking, Your Highness.”

Her brain stopped working for a moment. Whaa? 

“Th-Thank you. Please call me ‘Gwyn’?”

The blonde nodded. “Only if you call me ‘Roslyn’”

Gwyn raised a brow and smirked slyly. She lifted her hand and poked a thumb behind herself. “But of course, Roz. What do you say we bust this joint?” Ugh. That was bad.

Roz giggled again. “I have no idea what that means!”

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Sabina chuckled from behind her. “What Her Highness means is why don’t the two of you go see the gardens? It’s much less stuffy than in here.”

Gwyn leaned her head to the side, pointing up and over her shoulder. “What she said.”

It elicited another fit of giggles from Roslyn. “You are funny. Let’s bust this joint, Gwyn.”

Finally!

The two snuck away out of the room and made it to one of the doors to the garden. The guard that was there quietly opened the door and gave her a wink as they slipped through. Good looking out, bud. 

The two walked slowly through the garden, and Gwyn slowly guided them toward the gazebo. They stopped to look at some of the flowers, with Roslyn commenting on some of the yellow ones that were apparently her favorite. As they moved on, Gwyn realized she didn’t even know their name. She’d have to ask Emma later. Her handmaiden would probably know, or at least how to figure it out. 

“Your garden is really beautiful, Gwyn,” Roslyn said.

“Thank you! They certainly keep up with it well, don’t they?”

Roslyn smiled. “They do. Thank you for getting us out of there. I always wish I could skip my own, as they are such a chore. All the meeting of people, and pretending to like their gifts–I really hope you like my–I mean ours!”

Gwyn giggled into her hand. “I loved your gift, Roslyn. It’s so beautiful. Are parties like this common? It’s much different back home.”

“Oh, we have balls and events like this all the time. They are always for one House to show off to others. Then the others come and try to use that time to compete with everyone. It is so tiring, but it is the life Eona chose for us.”

They arrived at the gazebo, and Gwyn invited Roslyn to sit down with her. Their knights stood away to give them some privacy but ensured they remained within eyesight. Gwyn and Roslyn immediately broke into a conversation. The two girls lost track of time speaking of hobbies and daily life. They talked about how Gwyn loved to draw and paint and that the elf loved to sing and ride horses. They spoke about how all the responsibilities Roslyn had and how she couldn’t wait to attend the Academy just to be away from them. Gwyn wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

She told her so. “It just seems like so much. Is the Academy that good? Do you mind leaving your family for that long?”

Roslyn nodded. “It is a lot, but it is the life of people like us here. Those who will one day take the place of our parents and grandparents. I am luckily in line for the duchy. My siblings will either be married or offered off to the other duchies in return for closer connections. Does such a thing not occur in your world?”

“Not anymore that I know of. At least not where I am from. My mom always tells me that I will choose my own future. No one else will do it for me, but she will be there to assist in every step of the way.”

Roslyn smiled. “Your mother sounds wonderful. I wish I could determine my own future.”

“Why don’t you?”

Roslyn frowned and looked up at the ceiling. “Our ways aren’t the same, Gwyn. I have a duty. Perhaps your mother simply had the ability and authority to allow you such freedom. I long for such freedom, but I cannot have it. Not truly. I have people who will one day count on me.”

“I’m sorry if I upset you,” Gwyn said quietly, hoping she hadn’t already messed up.

Roslyn turned her head and looked at Gwyn. “You did not offend me. I am just thinking about how different our people are. Could you tell me about where you are from?”

Gwyn smiled. “Sure.”

She told her about her house and all of her stuff, which brought more questions than answers. Gwyn eventually decided to not go into too much detail because she spent so much time trying to explain what things were, like Netflix, YouTube, and Super Smash Bros. She just resolved to not be able to convince people how amazing these things were when they didn’t even know what a television, computer, or video game was. And I can’t explain how a TV works. Mom could though… Wait…

Gwyn went silent as the fact that her mom had missed her birthday finally collided with her like a bull. Before she knew it, she felt a tear running down her cheek and hastily wiped it away. 

She felt a hand on her shoulder and followed it to Roslyn’s pretty violet eyes. “Gwyn? Are you upset? Did I say something wrong? I am sorry that I do not understand what a bicycle is.” 

Gwyn snorted. “No, sorry. It’s not that. I–I just… My mom isn’t here. She’s never missed my birthday before. I guess it didn’t really hit me until now.” Gwyn looked around. She saw Sabina looking straight at her with a sad expression and glistening eyes. She knows what I’m feeling, doesn’t she? I hope I don’t make her too sad. This is my pain to bear.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her, and I’m not sure how long it will be until I can again. Your world doesn’t exactly make it easy to talk to people far away like ours.”

Roslyn slid her arm around her. “You seem to have good people here, Gwyn. They clearly care about you.”

Gwyn smiled, thinking of all the people she had met since arriving. How quickly Taenya had decided to help her. How Sabina had sworn to be by her side and protect her. Siveril did everything he could to build a home for her and protect her from bad nobles who wanted to take advantage of her. Keston always tried to make time to talk to her whenever he wasn’t busy doing jobs for the House. 

She thought about what Roslyn had said. She did have a lot of people that cared for her. But…

“You’re right. There’s one thing missing, though. Other than my mom, I mean.”

Roslyn looked concerned. “What is that, Gwyn?”

She took a deep breath and turned fully toward Roslyn, feeling hopeful and a little desperate.

“I don’t have a friend, and I could really use one right now.” She felt her eyes welling up again, so she closed them. How is it that someone can have so many people that care for them, but still feel so lonely? 

Gwyn’s breath hitched as Roslyn crushed her in a hug and pulled her close. She leaned her head against Gwyn’s and whispered, “Do not worry. I’ll be your friend, Gwyn.”

Gwyn felt much of her worries and sadness melt away. She wrapped her arms around Roslyn and gripped her shoulders as she cried tears of relief and joy. 

She had a friend, and it felt nice.