Chaos in the Castle

@ katahdin

It was midday and Charles found that he might just spend all day in the gardens. He had wandered along the grounds for a bit, having enjoyed himself quite a bit. It was a nice, windy day, the sun was shining and people had been leaving him alone. So he had found a nice tree to sit under and read for most of the morning.

Though when a servant came by, Charles asked for the kitchen to send down some food. He would have lunch out here before heading to his room for a bit. Yes...that sounded like the perfect plan.

@ BearGirl

It took a bit of wandering before Maisie finally found Charles seated underneath a tree, hesitating for a moment before heading over to take a seat under the tree as well, although she made sure to keep her distance. She leaned back against the trunk, wishing she'd brought a book or something with her to keep her occupied. After all, she figured Charles wouldn't want to talk to her, and at least if her parents asked about it she could say that she'd spent time with Charles just like her mother had asked her to.

She let out a little sigh, picking at the grass around her as she leaned back against the tree and watched the clouds.

@ katahdin

His eyes shifted from his book for a moment as he saw Maisie making his way towards him. Charles allowed his attention to move back to his book, well at least until Maise sat down under the same tree as him. A sigh left his lips and the man moved his book down to his lap before he shifted to look back at her. "Hello...Is there something I can help you with, this afternoon?" An eyebrow raised as he looked over at her.

After their conversations yesterday and this morning, Charles had thought that Maisie had gotten the memo. They needed to stay away from each other to convince their parents this was never going to work. That was just one step of his greater, larger plan, but it was an important step nonetheless. "Did something happen?" Charles asked her, prodding a bit to get an answer as to why the woman had sat under the same tree as him without saying a word.

@ BearGirl

Maisie had tried to sit on the opposite side of the tree as him in the hopes that he might not notice her, so she tensed up a bit when he spoke to her, glancing around the trunk at him with a little frown, shaking her head. "No.. My mother woke me up and told me I had to spend time with you, and I figured I'd rather risk getting yelled at by you than getting backhanded by her for not listening. And I'm still having my migraine, and I thought that maybe sitting in the shade on the opposite side of the tree would be enough closeness to satisfy her and enough distance to satisfy you, but I guess I was wrong." She explained softly, looking down at the little pile of grass she'd picked before pushing it over, sighing a bit as she moved to stand again, brushing her hands off on her pants.

"It's ok, I can just find another tree and say I couldn't find you.. I think I passed the maid whose getting ready to bring your lunch out on my way here, just so you know. It looks good, I hope you enjoy." She squinted from the bright sunlight as she glanced around the garden, trying to spot another shady spot that she could sit in that wasn't too close to the tree he'd claimed.

@ katahdin

A small sigh left Charles' lips as Maisie mentioned heading off, and essentially risking her mother's wrath. It was a bit unsettling to him as well to hear that her mother would hit her if she had not obeyed her order to go off and find him. "No, no....You don't have to do that. Just sit back down." Charles said as fully set his book down on the ground. If Maisie gave any objections, Charles motioned for her to sit back down against the other side of the tree again. The man only rested once she did so and laid his head against the tree. "There is no reason for us to risk you getting slapped."

Charles folded his hands into his lap before glancing off towards the castle, wondering if the maid was going to come soon with his food. "We can ask her to get you something as well, if you want. I suppose having lunch together would satisfy your mother's desires." He told her, pausing his words for a moment as a strong breeze blew past them. Once it was gone, Charles continued. "Well, since you are here, we might as well talk...."

@ BearGirl

Maisie frowned as Charles insisted that she stay, staring to shake her head. "No, Charles, really. I'll be fine. She'd only be upset with me, not with you, so don't feel like you have to.." she trailed off as he motioned for her to sit, letting out a sigh as she lowered herself back down against the tree, leaning back against the trunk as she focused her gaze on the grass once more.

She shook her head a little at the mention of having lunch together, glancing over at him. "No, I'm alright.. Don't have much of an appetite today." She explained softly, looking up to watch the leaves rustle in the wind as it blew by, looking over at him when he suggested that they talk. "I dont want to interrupt your reading.. I can be quiet and you'll hardly know that I'm here. Besides, if we talk that means our parents win, right?"

@ katahdin

Charles was quiet for a moment as he ran a hand through his hair. He didn't really want to talk to her, as it might ruin a portion of his plan. Though he wasn't sure that it was worth Maisie getting hurt by her own mother. Besides, he had other plans in action to stop this wedding...the avoiding her idea was just icing on the cake...Though perhaps he could still get it to work after today as long as she wasn't getting threatened to speak to him.

"There are plenty of things that we can do to avoid getting married." Charles said after a long moment. "Besides, it is not like you want to go get slapped by your mother, is it?" He asked as he looked back at her for a moment. The man then continued on. "I have been reading for most of the day and one conversation is not going to ruin everything."

@ BearGirl

Maisie frowned a bit at Charles as he spoke, wondering why he'd change his mind about talking to her, giving a hesitant little nod. She had to agree that she didn't want to get hit or yelled at by her mother again, but she couldn't help be nervous about his motives. Especially after yesterday. But he had brought her her glasses earlier, and had seemed to be in a better mood.

"Alright.. What have you been reading?" She asked curiously, shifting a bit where she sat so that she could face him a bit better, although she didn't dare move closer, sure he'd get upset if she did. Talking from opposite sides of a tree was one thing, but sitting next to each other definitely seemed like a disaster waiting to happen.

@ katahdin

At her question, Charles turned over the book in his hand. He had just jumped into the story and didn't pay so much attention to the title. "The Beginning of Time." He murmured to her before glancing over at the young woman. "It's just a history book. Though it doesn't really start at the beginning of time as it starts with ancient Greece but... well I think the point is that it starts when written history was first introduced. Which makes sense. It's not like the caveman had extensive books on what occurred when they were alive."

As he finished speaking, one of the maids came over and handed Charles a blanket and a picnic basket. The man thanked her before standing up and laying the blanket out before sitting on it. He then started to pull out the food. Although he was given a whole basket, there really was only enough food in it for him. But when he pulled out two cookies, Blaise offered her one. "Would you like one?"

@ BearGirl

"But what about oral tradition? Or the cave drawings and art that have been found by archeologists? Even if it's not something we necessary understand, I don't think you should discount it as nothing." Maisie pointed out, although she'd read the book and it definitely was interesting. She wasn't trying to start a fight with him and hoped he wouldn't see it that way, just that she was trying to make a point that was different than his.

She fell quiet as the maid appeared, picking at the grass while Charles got situated on the blanket and began to pull his meal out. It looked as good as it smelled, and she was regretting sleeping through most of breakfast at this point, knowing she wouldn't get another chance to eat until dinner. She looked up in surprise when Charles offered her a cookie, about to politely decline, but she noticed that they happened to be sugar cookies, her favorite, and accepted with a sheepish nod. "Thank you.. I hope you enjoy your lunch. What did you ask for?"

@ katahdin

Charles let out a chuckle. "I said that it was the beginning of written history. Oral and art history are different. And no one is discounting it...well maybe the author is but..." He shrugged. It was just a book that was interesting. There was really nothing special to it. He cleared his throat a bit, wanting to move on to a different topic but it seemed that Maisie was beating him to the punch when she asked about his food.

"I just asked for a sandwich and whatever non dairy sides they could whip up easily." Charles told her honestly. "Since I am eating outside under a tree, I just wanted something simple. Not like I want to sit here with a knife and a fork. He handed her the sugar cookie before going back to digging into the basket. Once he found the turkey sandwich, Charles leaned back into the tree and started to eat. "So do you think your mother is watching us?"

@ Sweet.Persephone

"Are you lactose intolerant?" Maisie asked when he mentioned having asked for specifically non-dairy sides, nodding a little when he said he'd wanted to keep it simple. "When I was little my parents would have picnics with under this massive oak tree in the woods nearby.. When they sent me away to boarding school when I turned 12, they tore the tree down to build some stupid guesthouse that has been empty since it was built." She mumbled as she picked at the grass, thanking him as he handed her the cookie.

She paused a minute to think about his question after taking a bite of her cookie, giving a little nod. "Almost definitely. I've seen the kitchen staff pack those picnic baskets for people, they never put in two cookies for only one person, and they usually put in something gross like oatmeal raisin or macadamia nut. Sugar cookies are my favorite, so I'm guessing my mother had something to do with it." She explained, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. "Don't worry, I can storm off in a huff later or tell her that I didn't talk to you, or that you didn't share your cookies with me. Make sure she knows that we're not getting along."

@ katahdin

"Unfortunately, yes." Charles mumbled in response to her question after a moment. It certainly wasn't something that he liked as he loved dairy products. But Charles wasn't going to force himself to go through the pain of eating it unless it was really worth it. Like ice cream or something. Pushing that thought aside, Charles took another bite of his sandwich before responding to her. "Sounds strange to me. But sometimes adults do things that don't make any sense." He glanced towards the palace for a moment. "Actually, I would say they do that quite a bit."

"Sounds very sneaky of your mother." Charles said with a small smile. He didn't actually mind if that was the castle. His parents were the same way when they wanted something bad enough. And it was too bad that all of their parents wanted this union bad enough. "Well sounds like I should have kept the second cookie for myself. But you definitely should leave in a huff in case she is watching." He let out a hum in thought before continuing. "Tell her I said something crass or something? Or that I really am the worst sharer."

@ Sweet.Persephone

"I'm sorry.. The kitchens make really good dairy free frozen yogurt, and sometimes they'll make sorbet too, but they only do it if you ask." Maisie murmured with a little smile, hoping that that information would cheer him up a bit. She'd hate it if she couldn't eat ice cream, and with the weather being as warm as it was he deserved to have some sort of treat, even if he was an ass. She nodded in agreement as he said that adults did strange things, her mouth full of cookie, having not realized how hungry she was until she took a bite

"She's always been like that. I'm surprised she didn't have them pack two sandwiches. That would have been too obvious, probably." Maisie hummed as she suggested she leave in a huff, offering him a little smile at his suggestions. "I could throw what's left of my cookie at you when I go.. But then I don't get to finish the cookie, and that doesn't seem fair."

@ katahdin

"Well that is good to know, thank you." Charles said in response, giving her a warm smile. At least there were options that he could have. "But, to be honest, nothing will beat ice cream. It's just way too good and yogurt or sorbet don't taste the same. But, nonetheless, they are good options." He glanced off at the castle. Charles wondered what else he would find out about the castle...how long he would be here to discover all of it.

"If you must finish the cookie, then go ahead. I think that you running off in a huff will be good enough anyway. In the least, she'll know that things ended poorly. Besides, you can always just lie about me giving you the cookie...which will work unless she is watching us." Charles turned back to Maisie. "But if us spending time together is going to happen often, we are going to need to come up with a plan."

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie hummed a little, returning his smile before nodding in agreement. "You're right, ice cream is the best. Especially maple I've cream, because it's so sweet." She stated as she shifted a bit to get more comfortable as she sat back against the tree, wincing a bit when she scraped her knuckles against the bark accidentally, looking at the scrapped skin with a little frown before sighing and finishing the last of her cookie.

"I have to at least eat something today, might as well be a cookie." She said as she brushed her hands off on her pants, looking over at him as he mentioned her mother watching them before leaning forward a bit to peer around the tree toward the palace, sitting back so quickly after just a moment of looking that she accidentally knocked her head into the tree, wincing as she pressed her hand against the spot where a bump was sure to form. "What an idiot I am.. But she's definitely watching us. All of our parents are. Third window left of the center on the second floor, it's the meeting room they were using yesterday." She explained with a sigh, hugging her knees against her chest. "Which means if I storm off my parents or your parents will be downstairs at the door to meet me and turn me around.. unless I storm off into the woods, but then I'm sure my parents won't let me back inside unless I apologise or promise to never do it again. And don't worry about us spending time together, after today I'll come up with an excuse not to see you outside of meals. Like I'm allergic to your personality."

@ katahdin

Charles didn't even bother to check the area that Maisie pointed out. He was sure that all of their parents were watching and it would only seem strange to them if he looked up at the window as well. It didn't seem like a good idea to let them know that he knew they were there. "I could huff off?" Charles said after a moment. "After all, no one told me to come out and talk to you so I guess it would be a little less weird. Plus, I don't mind upsetting my parents at this point so if they tell me to turn around out here and chat with you, I'll tell them to fuck off."

"And I guess we will see if that will work or not. Who knows how far they will go to make this work and have us spend time together." As he said that, Charles pulled out a bag of chips from the basket and started to munch on that. Charles glanced off at the woods for a long moment. "Or I guess I can go disappear into the words... You know I think they are taking this way too far. They are all acting really weird about it. Don't you think?"

@ Sweet.Persephone

Maisie was a bit surprised by his offer to storm off instead of her, having assumed he'd want her to be the one to leave so he could enjoy his lunch and his afternoon in the garden. "Well, I guess it would make some sense for you to get upset that I'd been sent out here... And it'd be funny to see you yell at your parents. Or mine, knowing they'd probably ask you to go back out." She scrunched up her nose at the thought of her parents ordering him around, closing her eyes for a few minutes while she enjoyed the sounds of the birds and wind in the leaves, although she looked over at him when he said that he thought they were taking everything too far, surprised that he'd basically agreed with her.

"I told you before, a war between our countries doesn't make sense, given our histories and recent political relations... Everything should be fine, nothing has been done by either country to justify a war, so I don't understand why our parents are so keen on telling us that there is going to be one of we don't marry." She frowned, picking up a twig and throwing it across the lawn. "And they'd just send me out into the woods to get you if you ran off there... Maybe I should just leave, go find somewhere else to stay until they give up and you and your family go back home."

@ katahdin

"I am not just going to let them push me around the whole time. I can't get out of this marriage but saying no but I can make it difficult for them in the meantime." Charles told her. He glanced down at his chips for a moment, letting out a small sigh as he looked at them. In truth, he was being more honest with this girl than he had been intending to but... well Charles felt a little bad for her since they were in the same boat. And it seemed that she was a lot more scared to stand up to her own parents. So it seemed that he might need to take the fall for some things.

Charles shook her head when she started to bring up the war again. "I think you're wrong about that. Something is definitely brewing and a war makes more sense than you would think. There is no way they would make us do this if it wasn't to protect our countries." Charles let out a sigh as he packed his chips back up and grabbed the basket. "Well, I am not sure leaving would help either of us to be honest but... well I guess it's my turn to cause a scene. I'll just head towards the castle and try to avoid them once I stomp in."

With that, Charles grabbed onto the basket and stood up before turning to her. "That's it! I told you to leave me alone!" He snapped at her before stomping off towards the castle aggressively.

@ Sweet.Persephone

"How do you plan on getting out of this marriage?" Maisie asked softly, looking over at him with a little frown. "You seem reasonably smart, you must have some idea.." She at least hoped he did. And she hoped that maybe he didn't hate her enough to keep them from her, seeing as how she still thought that the easiest way for them to get out of this marriage was by working together. She frowned though when he said that she was wrong about the war, shaking her head a little. "I know, but a war between our countries just doesn't make sense, Charles... I'm sure whatever reason they have for marrying us is legitimate, but I wish they wouldn't lie about it."

She sighed, nodding a little as he said that he was going to storm off now and avoid their parents. "Alright.. Hope you enjoy the rest of your lunch." She said as she looked up at him, offering him a little smile as he snapped at her and stormed off, throwing a stick after him for the show of it. "Like I'd want to talk to you anyway!"