Disclaimer: GrimGrave does not own Soul Calibur or the characters; they are property of Namco. Nor does he make any profit out of this.
"Talking"
´Thinking´
A Rose Amongst Lilies
Prologue
Year of 1591. Through the small crowds of the London streets, a black horse pulled a wooden carriage at a steady pace. Gray-black clouds covered the evening sky, and the rain was pouring down harshly. The sound of raindrops hitting the carriage was loud, but in a way, it almost lulled you to sleep.
For the one passenger, it already had. A woman with silvery white hair was gently rocked from side to side as the carriage slowly arrived to its destination.
A content smile adorned her face, her eyes blinking repeatedly as she awoke from her light slumber. With a tired yawn, the woman sat up properly , only to listen to the sound of heavy rain, and light thunder.
"Good old London…" The woman said, sighing with relief. She was home again, after being abroad for nearly four months around Asia, the woman was longing for her home. Merely minutes later, the carriage came to a halt. The side door was opened by a older man, who looked like he was in his seventies.
"We have arrived at the mansion, Milady." The woman nodded with a smile in return. "Lovely. Thank you Edgar."
The woman stepped out of the carriage into the rain, but it didn't bother her. Regardless, the old man now known as Edgar, unfolded the umbrella over her to keep her dry. The woman, standing tall at 179 centimetres, wore a British navy uniform and coat. Her hair was messy, allowing bangs to cover her eyes.
Eyes that currently stared at the mansion before her; it wasn't as big as one would image a mansion to be, but it was big enough. The woman smirked at the sight before her attention turned to a woman who walked up to her, umbrella in hand as well.
"Lady Valentine, welcome back. Preparations for your return has been cared for. Shall I take your luggage?"
Isabella "Ivy" Valentine simply nodded before walking in with Edgar holding up the umbrella for her the whole way until she was inside. At that point, he had fulfilled his duty and headed back to the carriage, and rode off as soon as the other woman had unloaded all the luggage.
"Home sweet home…" Ivy said in a tired tone as she walked up the small staircase, her servant following suite. "Does Milady desire a bath or something to eat first?"
Ivy chuckled. "A bath will do me good. I'll eat afterwards. I trust there has been no complications during my absence?"
The servant shook her head, despite that Ivy wasn't looking at her. "Not at all. We've been taking care of everything for you, as ordered."
"I am glad to hear it." Ivy said. "Leave the luggage in my bedroom while I head to the bath. I am in a desperate need of cleaning myself."
"Understood Milady."
"Aaahhh…. Perfect temperature. Well done." Said Ivy as she laid down in the tub, the bathwater engulfing her body with its warmth. Her three servants stood by the side, smiling for the praise they received.
"We're glad that you enjoy it, Milady. Is there anything else we might do for you?"
She shook her head. "Not what I can think of at the moment. I will call you should I need your assistance. You are dismissed." She said with a dismissive gesture, and her servants took their leave. Ivy on the other hand sighed loudly as she sunk neck-deep into the tub, arching her legs and arms in the water.
"By George, its great to be home again. No more searching, no more travelling…" She stared right up at the roof. "No more lunatic girls chasing you throughout the eastern lands. Honestly, what is it with their obsession and endurance to constantly following me? Oh, no matter." Ivy ran her wet fingers through her hair. "I'm free. I don't have to worry anymore."
She closed her eyes and sighed with content, once again listening to the sound of the rain and thunder from the outside.
::::::
The streets of London was almost devoid of people at this hour, but just a few yards away from the Valentine Mansion stood a group of four people, clad in black, hooded robes that protected them from England's heavy rain.
"Tch, I see you three managed to get this far as well. Suit yourselves, I'll happily beat you at the finish line." The first and tallest one said, earning an uproar of comebacks in return.
"That's MY line you hag! I don't see why you troubled yourself to get here when you obviously have no chance!" Said another, who was shorter, standing at 144 centimetres. The person next to her, who was slightly taller, voiced her objection as well.
"I'm with shorty on that one! Though she doesn't have much of a chance either. You three should just head back home to whatever countries you're coming from!" The centre of attention shifted now to the second-to-shortest girl. "Speak for yourself," The second-to-tallest now spoke. "If anything, the lot of you should be the ones backing off. I want to recall that I saw her first."
Another uproar and name-calling arose amongst the four cloaked figures, each one being confident that they would be the victor here.
The prize for gaining victory at this point was the heart and affection of the woman who thought she was safe within the walls of the mansion.
::::::
An hour passed, and the rain was still unmerciful. The light thunders echoed in the distance, creating a perfect atmosphere to relax and cuddle up near the fireplace with a good book and a something to chew on. After a successful dinner, Ivy had settled down on her couch, reading a good book while listening to the sound of nature outside. Relaxation washed through her like a calm breeze, and a smile adorned her face.
"Milady Valentine, is there anything else we may do for you?" One of her servants said in a respectful tone. The noblewoman eyed her servant with a faint smile before replying. "Not at the moment. I suggest you take the time and relax as well. I'll let you know should I change my mind." The servant girl nodded. "Understood."
Ivy continued to read her book, completely buried in it. But every now and then, her thoughts drifted off towards memories of the eastern world she had travelled; horrific memories, according to her.
"Tch..!" ´I wonder what those girls are doing at the moment… Hopefully they gave up once they truly lost track of me. Not that it should be a problem if they didn't, I'm on the other side of the sea! No… Calm down Isabella. You have nothing to fear. They might have scared you half to death with their talk about love and intimacy and God knows what, but you did it. You shook them off you. For now on, no more travelling. All I need is my books and a proper roof over my head.´ The white-haired woman sighed with delight as she flipped to another page, the literature's words each being engraved into her mind as she read on.
The night had reached its hour of youth. Ivy put the half-finished book away with a yawn, slowly getting up on her feet before clapping her hands together loudly. "Margaret! Katherine! Anne!"
A few minutes later, the servant girl from earlier, along with the two others, arrived into the room, sharp and alerted. "Yes Milady?" Ivy smiled. "I'm heading for bed. Fetch some heated coal to warm my bed up, along with a glass of warm milk. Oh, and have a quick look to make sure the doors and windows are closed and locked."
"At once Milady!" The three girls said in chorus and hurried out of the room. Ivy did the same, but began to walk up the stairs to her room, drowsiness slowly getting a hold of her. Another yawn escaped her throat.
´To sleep in a real, comfortable bed for the first time in a long time… I cannot wait.´ She thought to herself.
The servants did their best to prepare the coal and the container, and lastly the milk. "You two bring Milady the coal. I will shortly arrive with the milk." Katherine said, earning a sharp nod from Margaret and Anne who walked off to their mistress. It took Katherine another two minutes to properly warm the milk, and once she was done, she had to spend another minute of cleaning up after herself.
With glass in hand, she began to make her way to the main stairs when there was a loud knock on the door. It continued without rest, and as loud as it was, it was impossible to ignore. "Coming!"
The knocking didn't stop, even as Katherine got closer to the doors. Finally reaching the knob, she unlocked and opened the door.
"Do you realize what hour it- … Is..?"
Before her stood a figure in a black hooded robe that covered everything. The servant let out a short yelp, taking a step back in fright. The hooded figure took a step forward in response.
" Nín hǎo! Wǒ qīn'ài de yī shā bèi lā jiā ma?" The figure said. It had a very light, feminine voice which surprised Katherine. "W-what…?" She asked. "I b-beg your p-pardon..?"
The robed stranger let out a giggle, and out from her robe flew a Jian* sword, pointing directly towards Katherine's throat. The servant let out a short, high pitch scream, now frozen in fear. The robed woman pulled back her hood and revealed her face; a brunette in her twenties, with pale skin and cute features and brown eyes. The woman giggled again, keeping her sword pointing at the servant with a smile.
"I said; Hello! Is my beloved Ivy home?"
*Chinese blade
So, I had this lying around, so I figured I wrapped it up and uploaded it as well. I need to have it a multi-chapter story anyhow so I might as well write it off as a prologue.
I have to catch up with my Kagami Yuri Harem story, but eventually, I'll get around to update this whenever I have time and motivation. I hope you enjoyed reading this!
As always, read and review. Criticism is always good.
Oh, and to answer who the girls in this little romance are; Xianghua, Seong-Mina, Taki, and Talim. And Ivy obviously.
Stay tuned for the continuation of A Rose Amongst Lilies. (Ivy's Harem)