Thread: The Bear and the Maiden Fair - A Forgotten Realms adventure (Rivine x Madam Mim)

Owain had slipped out of the great hall soon after the horns had sounded, knowing full well the beehive that the place would become. Already he heard the increased shuffling and bustling as the servants began to prepare the space for the feast that would be occurring there later. For his part, Owain headed up to his room to ready himself. As he pushed the door open and entered he wandered over to the window that he had spent so much time looking out of in his youth. He leaned up against the wall and gazed out to the bay below, watching as a score of longships slowly made their way to the shore. Normally such a sight would have been cause for alarm, but instead the arrival of the ships would be celebrated. As he watched the ships the prince could not help but wonder about his bride to be, Glinde. He had heard a fair bit about the shieldmaiden and all of it had spoken of her abilities as a fighter and a leader. But little else had made it's way this far south, nor had Glinde as far as he knew. It seemed that much of her efforts had been directed elsewhere and in helping her father consolidate his power. Though she had brothers, much of the talk was about the 'Maiden Fair', as many of the Ffolk had taken to calling her since the announcement that she and Owain were to wed had been read. The title was not said without sarcasm, for many doubted there was such a thing as a maiden amongst he women of the Northmen. More then a few times he had heard some whisper that her father or one or all of her brothers had likely done the deed, but Owain had made it clear that he would have no such talk about his bride to be. Sighing softly he pushed away from the wall once the longships had drawn themselves up on the shore. He moved over to where a new surcoat hung on the door of his wardrobe. He took a moment to inspect it, noting that the thread that had been used to emblazon a bear upon the chest had been interwoven with fine strings of silver to make the bear appear as it should, an all the more regal at that. Well, she is expecting a prince old boy, you might as well give her one. With that thought he moved quickly, unbuckling his belt and tossing it onto his bed. Soon the tunic he had been wearing joined it, leaving him with just a plain white linen undershirt on. That done he went over to a mannequin that was in the corner of the room, upon which a hauberk of chainmail hung. But the mail was not that commonly worn by warriors in the Moonshaes, for the chains themselves were finer and shone like silver for it was not made of common steel, but rather had been crafted from mithril. The prince fetched it off the mannequin and slid it on easily, as if it were just another tunic. It was quickly joined by the surcoat, his finest belt, and a pair of fine bracers. The last piece of the ensemble was his sword in it's sheath, which he affixed to his belt. Well, guess this will have to do, he stated softly. By the time he had dressed and was stepping out the door his older brother, Gregory, was coming down the hall, scowling. Hurry up. Your bride and her father will be here in moments. Do you want us to look like fools?! the older sibling declared. A smirk formed on Owain's lips as he walked by his brother and stated, Well you are fool enough for us both. He broke into a trot then, a soft peel of laughter escaping him as he made his way down the hall and down the stairs, his steps silent. Owain managed to make the courtyard and took a place between his mother and father. The former shot him a stern glance, while his half-elven father just smiled and shook his head. Owain was not supposed to be there when his bride arrived, but he was not about to wed a woman that he had never lain his eyes upon before. So he kept his hazel eyes focused forward to the gatehouse, where the Northmen were just coming through. His hazel eyes widened a bit as they settled upon the blonde woman that was on King Renner's arm and had to take a breath. Well, the stories he had heard had forgotten something rather important how lovely she was to look upon. The rest of her appearance certainly lived up to her reputation, for she wore a leather tunic and trousers along with a great fur cloak, eschewing a dress. Unable to help himself, Owain found his feet carrying him forward to meet the king and princess before they could be received by the rest of his family. His mind barely registered Renner introducing his daughter to him and Owain to her. But he was a bit surprised when she extended a hand to him. Owain grasped her hand in his own, noting the toughness of her skin. Princess Glinde, the man murmured softly. At her comment about it being bad luck for him to see his bride he blushed ever so slightly and chuckled. Some might think so. But I think that Lady Luck is more likely to smile upon us today. He glanced to her father then and asked formally, King Renner, might I steal my wife to be away from you for a moment? His eyes drifted back to Glinde and he flashed her a smile, That is, if you do not mind.... He hoped that both would agree, for he would like at least a small bit of time to get to know the woman he was to wed. Likely it would drive his mother mad that he was not adhering to custom, but his father would be able to talk her down.