Thread: The Unexpected Apprentice (Retro/PrinceCaspian)

Royce could hardly believe what happened. The nobleman who had taken care of their providence and owned the land that her father worked had suddenly and, without warning, demanded that the debt the laborer had built over the years be paid back in full. The small farm that the two had been working on together had taken a turn for the worse. Three seasons had gone by with producing little in the way of vegetables and they lived off the meager earnings that selling the flowers from Royce's garden brought in. Whenever their hard situation was explained to the lord, he had given them pardon until things began to look up for them. Her magic wasn't powerful enough to grow anything. All she could do was make her lovely flowers thrive once they bloomed. There was nothing that could be done for it. He was the law of the area and almost everything he did was given royal amnesty. At first she thought of making a plea to the Queen but realized that it was her family who looked like the criminals after all it was they who had neglected to pay taxes for such a long period of time. Instead she had offered herself as a servant to the lord's home and, while he was displeased with the arrangement, he agreed to the pact. Possibly because it meant that he would not have to pay other servants. She promised that she could do the work of several. Farming was not easy work and she was sure that she could perform circles around pampered house hands. The sun's rays were drifting into the small alcove that had been designated has her space. There were no walls to separate it from the rest of the domicile, just a thin drapery that provided her some privacy. There she sat on her straw mattress, folding the few skirts and bodices that she had. A small bag laid next to her on the patchwork blanket. There were already three items in there a pendant belonging to her dead mother, a music box she was given when she turned thirteen, and a book that she could barely read being a peasant meant her literacy was not very high but she was able to make out a few words and their meanings. These were treasures of the young woman reaching her seventeenth year. After she packed away her clothes she stood, pacing about. Her dark, reddish black curls bounced with the movement and her skirts swirled about her ankles. The lord's carriage would be there to pick her up by nightfall to cart her off to his estate. Although she had agreed to this, she could not help but be nervous. This was a new thing for her and she was terrified for the change. It seemed like an eternity of waiting for her but, finally, her father pulled back the cloth that lead into her quarters. His face looked drawn and tired. For almost the whole day he had avoided her. Clearly he didn't like the idea of his only child being sent away. Guilt lined his features and she knew he blamed himself for the predicament that Royce put herself in. The carriage is here to take you up to his estate now, he said gravely. There wasn't much affection to their parting. He was wounded by her leaving and she did not want to overstep her boundaries. However she did offer a quick peck to his cheek and a promise to return within three seasons the amount of time they had dodged their taxes. This did little to quell his upset, she knew, but what else could be done? Grabbing up her small bag she hurried outside of the small home. The coachman was a grim little fellow that practically pushed her inside of the rickety old thing. When the lord said carriage, he really didn't mean his best one, did he? This was more so glorified goods cart with a rough bench tucked away. Looking back she watched as her former life faded off on the horizon as a little speck on the landscape.