Elaina's quill tapped repeatedly on her desk as she struggled on what to write. If she were honest, she was slightly annoyed. It had been weeks since she had last heard from Gwaine, in fact her last letter from him being the invite to the forest where they had reconnected after months of separation and not a peep since. She didn't hold it against him though as his life was a lot more unpredictable than her own, she just worried he had gotten himself into something he was struggling to get out of resulting in the lack of/non-existant letters which were their sole form of communication.
Any longer and she would be riding to Gladys's inn to see if she had heard anything of his whereabouts, as she was Elaina's only starting point in finding him if she needed to.
"Elaina?' Gwen called, as she knocked on the door waiting to be let in. it was early morning with a faint rain and fog shrouding the view out her window, making it murky outside and not very appealing.
"come in Gwen," Elaina rushed to catch the door for her, assuming the handmaid would have a plate in her hands with breakfast, which she did as Gwen thanked her while passing.
"oh, good you're dressed!"
Elaina could see some relief on Gwen's face, "why the excitement over it!"
She laid out her table, with some toasted bread and fresh butter and fruit, with porridge on the side, with honey to add in, "well, I had word from the king, you, Arthur and morgana are all to meet him in the great hall as soon as you finish breakfast. If you weren't dressed it would have taken longer and I'd be brushing your hair at the same time as you chewing your food."
Elaina slunk into her chair, "really? Why does he want us all to meet and spoil my day before it's actually started?"
Gwen tisked at her attitude but couldn't actually blame Elaina as she inspected her lady to make sure what she had on was decent.
A rose-pink taffeta gown embellished with silver beading and matching slippers. It fit against her figure tightly accentuating her waist, while she had parted her hair down the middle, with two braids mingled within her locks she had clipped with diamonds. Ever since her encounter with Gwaine last, Elaina had taken to wearing her hair down more rather than her signature up dos, as she said how much she had adored him running his fingers through it.
Gwen couldn't help but giggle at her lady becoming such a hopeless romantic.
She couldn't hang around as morgana was still quite reliant on her services compared to Elaina, although part of that Gwen believed was just for the company as morgana rarely kept it with anyone these days.
"well as long as you're ok, as soon as you finish Arthur will come collect you with morgana so the three of you can arrive together."
Elaina didn't reply with her mouth full of food and ushered the busy handmaid away as she sat and thought about the occasion. Immediately her mind went to perhaps a knighting ceremony, trying to conjure up any stories she had heard lately of a noble doing something gallant but coming up with nothing. In fact, a knighting ceremony hadn't happened in quite a long while, which started to make her feel old that maybe it was her generation that was starting to become the parents of the next one to take over them…
Life happened so quick, one moment she was a girl and the next she was a woman with quite the baggage trailing behind her, telling of all she had lived through. There might even be some wrinkles to match it. she cautiously looked at her door in case and felt her fingers inch closer to the plate of fruit. She tipped it over to send them rolling then lifted it to see her reflection in the silver. Her face magnified before her and she furrowed her brows in response and gasped at the lines that appeared when she did.
"I should really stop frowning!" Elaina groaned, trying to smooth her skin out desperately, probably looking a lot more pathetic than she felt as a voice cried out.
"uh, I second that motion!"
The disruption to her solitude made Elaina drop the plate with a clatter and it rolled along the floorboards to a standstill, as her heart hammered away in panic seeing Arthur suddenly standing there, appearing like a silent cat.
"Arthur, what on earth! You can't just barge into my room like that you creep."
He'd have a nasty shock one of these times if she were in the middle of dressing which would be an issue that would surely scar them both, or at least she would inflict one permanently to remind him to always knock first.
He waltzed in further and took one of the apples she had spilt on the table, "oh, calm down, no harm was done. But you're right to be worried, you are looking a little old over there."
Elaina folded her arms, "I'm younger than you idiot," only by a couple of months but younger, nonetheless. She eyed him up in his tunic and breeches, missing his cloak and circlet that would signify the level of grandeur this mystery gathering entailed.
"so, do you know why we're being told to meet in the great hall?" Elaina asked curiously, not liking to be told what to do for one and weighing up whether it mattered if she attended or not, but Arthur must have been reading her mind.
He squared his shoulders to exude his authority as more a brother than prince which he expected her to respect just as much, "father has instructed we ALL attend Elaina, that's why I'm here to escort you and make sure you show up."
Her mouth twisted in disappointment, knowing he would haul her over his shoulder to get her there if she protested, "gosh what would Uther do without you."
"indeed; now come on, one foot, then the other…" he pointed to her then slowly the door, telling Elaina where to go creating tension in the room as she debated disobeying him, until she finally flung her arms in a tantrum and gave in.
He watched as she stomped away from him and laughed, "you know what, I take it back, you're actually a child!"