Post by Annemarie Gardiner on Jun 2, 2015 18:48:07 GMT -5
Her duties discharged towards the Princesses for the day, Annemarie chose not to pass the night in the palace. The place was inundated with servants, merchants and nobles preparing, allowing for little peace and quiet in which to conduct her work and studies. In addition, she wanted to inspect the seeds she'd begun in the solarium of the house Alexander secured for their eclectic family. They'd found a comfortable home that suited their needs on the outskirts of the city where each of them had sufficient space to pursue their work - for Alexander, a library. For Casper, a room where he could be safely alone to write, to study, and retreat. Elsa had taken the reins of the household, much to Annemarie's surprise and pleasure; she was growing concerned for the young woman, but the tasks seemed to help Elsa find her feet once more. And Gwyn was working with her to establish new medicinal gardens, set up a stillroom, begin stocking it and so on. All in all, they were growing accustomed to each other and finding ways to cohabitate peacefully.
Upon returning to the house, Annemarie handed off her mare to the stableboy and rounded the house rather than going inside. She'd kept the seedlings begun outside to soak up the late summer sunshine, and thought that she might take a pleasant stroll through the woods once done to see what could be foraged. If Gwyn was not too busy, perhaps her friend and apprentice would join her; two pairs of hands and eyes could cover more ground efficiently than one. And the simple fact was, she enjoyed the young woman's company. Fortunately for both of them, that was.
Surveying the rows of seedlings that were finally sprouting thanks to the warm sun's touch and judicious tending by both Gwynevere and herself, Annemarie's smile grew with satisfaction. Some of these would be ready in time for a late September or early October harvest to keep their stock full through the winter; others would winter over and grow anew with spring. Pausing to inspect a line of calendula, she wasn't sure they'd flower in time, but then a hillock sprouting with unmistakably pointed leaves and thick, woody stems caught her eye. Straightening, her smile faded as she went to inspect the plants, the better to confirm her suspicion. Only a matter of seconds transpired before she was frowning, a plantlet in her hand as she studied it. And with it came a question.
Does she know what this is? And if she does... why is she growing it here?
@gwyneveredeschenes