9:27 Haring/December 1st
Out of all the commotion of being moved and my crushing homesickness, I nearly forgot my own birthday. As agreed, I was able to send my first letter to Rael along with some money. I hid it in a pair of gloves. Learning the job was the easy part. It was juggling everything that Oriana had to do was the hard part. I was a glorified secretary that had to dress Oriana and be a babysitter at the same time.
I fumbled with her dresses and what to choose but Oriana was surprisingly patient throughout all this. Oren seemed to like me and I got to take care of him a few nights while Fergus and Oriana went off to be romantic. Bryce was always busy going back to the capital and Eleanor was off visiting friends in Amaranthine when we got back. The castle was always busy and the courtyard was huge. The main castle was enormous with so many doors and hallways it made me dizzy.
It was amazing though. That little bit that you were able to explore in game was nothing to what I saw, what I experienced. Many of the servants made sure to show me where I was going when I got lost a few times, there were wells to draw from for my bath as well, and I even got to meet Nan. One day Oriana was going to have a long talk with a few representatives from Antiva and sent me away with Oren.
I explored the castle with Oren, following him and making sure he didn't fall or trip. He giggled and went into a corner. He peeked out and when he saw me, he giggled again. I shook my head and chuckled. Oren reminded me so much of my son.
"Hm, I wonder where Oren has gone?" I giggled. Oren giggled as I quickly turned on the corner. He squealed and started to run. I made my pace slower so I didn't catch him. Either way my skirt wasn't making things easy. I laughed as he tried to find places to hide but I found him every time. The guards that we passed laughed at our antics. Oren quickly ran around another corner and I jogged to keep up, not looking where I was going. I bumped into someone with armor and landed unceremoniously on my butt.
I gave out a wince of pain before realized what I did. I scrambled on my feet, dusting off my apron. I bowed very low, my face becoming red with embarrassment.
"I am so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you!" I looked up. His face looked just like Fergus' but with cold and calculating blue eyes and black hair. Oren was in his arms giggling and avoiding my gaze. The man immediately scowled.
"And who are you?" He asked, hugging Oren protectively.
"My name is Nia. I am Oriana's handmaiden." I said. I straightened my posture. Something about him irked me slightly. It didn't matter much since my head only reached his chest.
"A handmaiden? She managed to pick one with her pickiness? Well at least it happened." He scoffed. Oren struggled on his grip, reaching for me. I reached out for him but he kept him away from me. "Mind your manners and make sure not to do that to me again. It would be best to learn your place."
Instantly, my dislike came. I frowned but still held out my hands. Oren cried out but he was not letting go one bit. Then there was a sneer on his face. Now I realized why I disliked him. He had that personality to expect that I would grovel at his feet.
"Do you even know who I am?" He asked.
"No sir." I said politely.
"My name is Eren Cousland. It would be best for your sake to remember it. Do not let this happen again." He warned. He gave me Oren who I put down immediately. Then Eren pushed me again, not too gently, even after he told me not to do it. My immediate impression of him? He's a gigantic prick.
In the end, I forgot about him and decided to only play with Oren. But meeting Eren finally completed the Cousland family. I didn't think he would so jerkish. You would think that a future Grey Warden would be a better person. Even so, there are a lot of decisions in game that are borderline psychopathic. Having a future Grey Warden that wasn't a people person was a possibility.
9:27 Haring/December 4th
Most of the time I'm there with Oriana, scribbling away the letters she wanted me to write, organizing a few plans, and tending to Oren. After they found out that I was really good at pastries, I am in between being under Nan and Oriana. If only to show off for Eleanor at how great her cakes looked. That's where I found Thellan and Awell again. They were completely different under Nan. Those crass and confident attitudes they had on the way back from Denerim were completely shut down when she was around. I understood why.
She was a madwoman when it came to the larder and any food. She was strict with everything that passed through and very critical with errors. I had a few bosses like her and they weren't enjoyable to work under. Considering I was employed by Oriana and not Nan, I had some cushion to talk back to her.
"If you want to bake a good meringue, it needs to be on a flat surface, around 90C, and for an hour and 45 minutes!" I argued with Nan. The meringue she cooked was yellow and on its way to being burnt by the time she took it out.
"The color means the egg has been fully cooked and no one will get sick from the runs!" Nan hit her fist on the table.
"You're burning it! A good meringue should sound like chalk when you take it out and be a nice white color!" I crossed my arms.
"It's not cooked!"
"That's why you take a piece, break it, and check it!" I huffed. I pinched my nose bridge while Awell and Thellan cowered away in a corner, still cooking a few things for a few of Bryce's guests. "Either way, we can't do anything about it now. Making a new batch from scratch would take some time. Let's just decorate the small frilly cakes and get this over with."
It was a lemon tart with a small slice of it and a meringue stick on top as a decoration. The stuff they do to make these cakes look nice was sickening. I get that mashing gold on top of something is nice, but silver is toxic. In the end, Nan and I were able to finish the tarts and send them out. It was getting late at night by the time I got out of the kitchens. I was exhausted, sweaty, and dying for a bath. I was about to go back to my room before I saw the light from the libraries.
I haven't been able to really explore the castle. It was huge and that wasn't even getting into the interior. I nodded toward the guard and went inside. Bookshelves upon bookshelves lined the library with a roaring fireplace in the middle of it all. There were two study rooms adjacent to each other. I saw an old man sitting at a desk, reading something. He looked up and nodded toward me. I recognized him as Aldous.
"Ah I have seen you around. You are the handmaiden to Oriana, correct?" Aldous asked as I sat down on the table.
"Yes. She hired me back in Denerim." I nodded.
"Good. We needed capable hands to protect the young lord." Aldous nodded.
"Capable?" I wondered.
"Many know of the circumstances surrounding your employ. How you risked your life to save Oren's life without hesitation. It was a grand choice indeed." Aldous explained. I felt my face heating up.
"Thank you." I said sincerely.
"Now that you are close with the young lord, I was wondering if you would also like to forward some of my teachings to him." Aldous closed his book. There was giddiness in his eyes. I felt apprehension but nodded politely. He got out of his chair before going and getting a stack of books. "These are only a summary of the entire Cousland family from before the country was founded. If you could start reading these to him during your time, I would be very appreciative." I stared at the stack. This was only a summary? I sighed but nodded.
"Of course, I will try though Oren might not listen to me. He still is young." I laughed.
"Nonsense! There is no age where learning is not essential!" Aldous announced proudly. I got to give it to him, he really does love his job.
9:27 Haring/December 10th
"Wow so these are all the lands you still own in Antiva?" I gasped, looking at all the names on the list that Oriana gave me. We were currently in a resting area with a fireplace roaring next to us. It had snowed earlier and Oriana requested that I help her organize a few of her business ventures. She was with her tea and the cookies that I had cooked earlier in the day.
"Of course. It's these lands that create the fine quality silk that are essential to Antiva. There are a few mines as well that create jewelry and supply iron to the capital itself." Oriana sipped her tea proudly. I gulped. Oriana was not someone to mess around with. "But handling this business is a difficult task especially from Highever. I had to release a few lands to my younger siblings but recently I heard that they haven't been doing a good job." Oriana sighed. "It seems my younger sister crossed a crow and has a hit on her life." I gaped.
"Are you going to do anything?" I wondered. Oriana laughed.
"There is no need. I have a few contacts that have already encountered my sister and has moved her to a safe haven. I am already negotiating what I need to pay to pay for the hit." Oriana chuckled. I put it on my mental note not to cross this woman. "Even though from the accounts I acquired from Denerim, you are not from Antiva, are you?" Oriana asked with a glint in her eye. I gulped discreetly and avoided her gaze. "You must be careful. Information is a very lucrative business, especially for us." I fidgeted with my ring on my finger.
"Does this mean you're going to fire me?" I mumbled. Oriana giggled.
"Of course not! Don't be silly! It's actually in my favor. Because of your mysterious background, it would be difficult for my enemies to use anything against me. In case someone does happen, I had this made for you. Remember it and it might help you in the future." Oriana gave me a small set of papers. In it was the life of Nia, from when she was born, to the names of parents, and even siblings. They were in one of Oriana's lands so she can vouch where I was from. I looked at her with surprise, she really did this all for me.
Well not all for me. It was something to use in case something happens in the future. Like she said, a person with no history is extremely suspicious. The fact she made history for me really touched me. She even included a family of my own. I noticed that all the people she listed were deceased however.
"Um why did you list everyone as deceased?" I asked. She took a bite of her cookie and sipped slowly.
"Someone with a tragic past is less inclined to talk about it and those who ask even more so. A widow is more tragic than someone with a family. With this, people will ask much or not at all. You have lost many that are precious to you regardless. Your slouched behavior, your sullen look when you are alone, and the red in your eyes in the mornings all tell me this. You play with your ring and then you sigh. You touch your belly and rub it while looking down. You have lost a husband and children, haven't you? You lost your home." Oriana said confidently. It scared me how she was able to figure out so much in a short time of knowing me but she needed to be that way in her business. I never realized how much I gave away with my mannerisms and body posture.
I still feel the hurt. I still remember my son, my daughter, my husband. I feel the pang of homesickness and loneliness whenever something reminds me of them. It's all fresh, a wound that would not heal. I'm not sure that it would heal to be honest.
"Yes…I did." I confessed. Oriana gave me a comforting pat on my shoulder.
"Well, it seems that my schedule won't be completed due to the snowfall. I would like you to review the profits from each lands and note the ones that decreased. You may retreat to your own room for now. I also need you to watch Oren on Thursday this week. Fergus has something planned for me, a secret." Oriana winked at me. I was grateful for the break. I took the notes and excused myself. I went out of the room and went down through the hallways to my own room.
The snow lightly fell all around the castle. It was odd that a home so big can be so quiet. It was that quiet chill that sent lonely shivers up my spine. It was almost like I was the only one existing. The snow crunched beneath my boots as I made it to my room. I cleaned out the fireplace and put in more logs. I sat at my desk and started to review what Oriana gave me.
I wiped at a few stray tears as I reread the thing that Oriana gave me. It was something that was important to me but at the same time heart wrenching. I was grateful to be here but all I wanted was to go home.
Beta'd by FearaNightmare!
Sorry that I had to miss the last update. Real life got in the way and writer's block but I got passed it! And at long last I filled in my greatest plot hole! yes!
Shout out to Alastair279, Kasanra, The Odd Page, and aprilwilliams2191 for favoriting/following! Thank you Chimera Spyke, Superstar Kid, and Syutaku for reviewing! I'm glad you guys are liking the changes! Please review!